Identity

by Brandy Slaven

  “How is it they’re forgiven so easily, and you still hold a grudge against us when we didn’t even do anything?” Abraham asks, coming to stand next to Aric.

  I sigh, “I’m not holding a grudge against you, Abe. I just didn’t want to come back here.”

  “Why?” he asks. The vulnerability in his voice from that one word makes me want to throw my arms around his waist and make promises impossible to keep.

  “Ransam. Orsam. You’re free to go,” Anderson says, dismissing them.

  I don’t bother saying anything to either. I’m sure they won’t leave before we get a chance to say our true goodbyes.

  My chin touches my shoulder as I glance back to make sure they’re gone. Alejandro is closing the door as I turn back to Abraham. “I’m surprised you even need to ask that question. You know what kind of man he is. You know most of what he’s done. What you don’t know is the lengths he drove me to.”

  “Your life wasn’t that bad, Su,” Anderson disagrees. “You never had to get your hands dirty. Between the six of us, we tried to make damn sure of that.”

  I stand up slowly and bend down to brace my palms on the desk as I lock eyes with him. “Until I had something that none of the rest of you could provide.”

  I physically watch the change come over him as my words sink in. He stiffens in his seat, and a look of dreaded sorrow takes over his expression. Alek and Atlas move towards us and claim the empty space left by Ransam and Orsam by the desk. By process of elimination, I know the hand that smooths across my back belongs to Alejandro.

  “What do you mean, mi cariña?” he asks softly.

  One of my deepest darkest secrets that I’d hoped to take to the grave is trying to rise to the surface, but now that we’re here, there’s no going back. I brought it up, and they’re like hounds on a scent. To save us all some time, I decide to suck it up. They want an answer, but they aren’t going to like it.

  “Trenton owed Barbie a debt,” I start using our code name for Trenton’s rival family in the business. “Apparently, the way he offered to pay up offended Barbie. At that point, the old fuck told him there was only one thing he’d be willing to take for the slight.”

  My eyes are on the desk, not wanting to see their faces. Anderson’s index finger crooks underneath my chin, lifting it back up. Knowing that he’s wanting me to look at him, I do.

  His lip does that tic in the corner before he asks, “Did he touch you?”

  “The first time,” I reply with extra bite in my tone.

  Abraham swears at the same time Anderson’s fist comes down on the desk with an echoing thump.

  “How many times, mi cariña?” Alejandro asks softly while rubbing circles across my back.

  Standing up straight, I turn my attention to him. “Two. The first was debt payment. The second was punishment when he found out Aric had been slipping into my room at night.”

  None of us have to say it, but it could’ve been any of them that I got busted with. If I had to guess, I’d say one of Trenton’s patrols had snitched on us.

  “Why not the second time?” Alek asks, speaking for the first time.

  I flash him the wicked smile that used to get me in so much trouble. “He was too busy trying to hold his throat closed.”

  My grave secret of killing a man is now out in the open.

  Pride transforms the horror-stricken expression across his face. He, more than any of the others, tried to make sure I knew self-defense, giving me the confidence to never be that damsel in distress. I can get lost in that flattering lift at the corners of his lips.

  Abraham pulls my attention back to him as he questions, “Was that one of the reasons you left, Sukie baby?”

  “Of course, it was,” I tell him with a quick eye roll. “If Barbie’s men didn’t come looking for me and starting all kinds of shit, then Trenton would’ve punished one of you instead once he found out. Besides, you are his heirs, after all. He could’ve just made one of you punish me, too.”

  “And you thought we’d pick him over you?” Anderson asks with the most serious expression I’ve ever seen him wear.

  I shrug. “After being handed over to Barbie, not once, but twice, I figured you, at least, knew about it and let it happen.”

  All heads turn to Anderson as he stands from his chair. Alek slips around the corner of the desk, getting into his space as he snarls, “Did you know?”

  Anderson’s hands clench into fists, and I have a moment of fear that he’s going to deck Alek right there in front of us. Lucky for us all, his hands open as he shakes his head slowly, telling us without words he didn’t and is disappointed we even had to ask.

  The more time I spend around these guys again, the more I’m starting to feel bi-polar or some shit. One second I’m ready to nail their asses to the wall, and the next, I could seriously kiss their sexy faces off. For whatever reason, none of them are dressed in slacks and buttonups like I’m used to, especially while standing in Trenton’s study. I’m the furthest thing from complaining, though. Each one is sexy enough in their own ways in nothing other than jeans and cotton shirts.

  Leave it up to Atlas to destroy the last of the furious tension in the room.

  “So, you didn’t leave because you didn’t want to be with us?” he asks.

  My eyes give another roll as I shake my head and say, “Of course not. Though, there was always the worry of having to choose between the six of you. Just so we’re clear, I couldn’t and won’t ever choose.”

  “We never said you had to.” Atlas grins.

  “Something you never seemed to understand,” Aric adds with a grin, “it’s been the seven of us since the beginning. It’ll always be us against the world together.”

  That little sprig of hope in my chest twitches at their words, but I don’t let it consume me. Actions speak louder than words, and at this moment, there’s still a very big problem that will divide us right down the middle. Trenton.

  “When will Trenton be back?” I ask, minorly deflating their good moods.

  “You don’t have to worry about it anymore, baby. We’re going to take care of you if you’re planning on staying,” Abraham declares.

  He doesn’t make it a question because he already knows I’m not going anywhere. Just as we all know the Barbie conversation isn’t closed yet, but for the sake of everyone’s sanity we let it drop for now.

  Before I can contradict his first statement, Alejandro wraps his arms around me. “You’ve got to be starving, mi cariña. Let’s go grab some food from the kitchen.”

  I narrow my eyes at Anderson over Alejandro’s arm. Our conversation is over now, and I feel like I’m being dismissed like the brothers earlier.

  Anderson dips his chin to me, letting me know I’m on the right track.

  “Sure,” I answer Alejandro without removing my eyes from his brother.

  “Where is everyone?” I ask Alejandro as I watch his backside from where he’s bent over at the fridge. This place is usually teeming with people. Maids, cooks, and the butler have all been missing since I walked through those doors three days ago. If that wasn’t evidence Trenton isn’t home, I don’t know what is. There’s no way he’d live without hired help for any lengthy period of time.

  Alejandro steps back and closes the fridge with his elbow after pulling this huge platter thing out as he answers, “No one works for us anymore except Denise. She comes in and cooks once or twice a week, enough for a couple of days, but she’s not on call like she used to be. We let Nigel go with a well-endowed retirement package he couldn’t refuse.”

  “Who cleans, then? Because I seriously cannot see any of you walking around in one of the maid’s uniforms with a feather duster,” I tease.

  He grins. “When we told the cleaners we were downsizing, they turned out to be pretty loyal and refused to go anywhere else for work. So, we still pay them what they were receiving before, but they only come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

  “How does Trenton feel about a
ll of this?” I ask with an eyebrow raise.

  Shrugging a shoulder, he looks away, which is one of his tells that he’s hiding something. Without telling me what it is, he says, “I haven’t spoken to him about it, so I’m not sure.”

  His accent and the way he rolls his tongue with some of his letters makes familiar butterflies start flitting around my belly. It must be showing on my face, for when he glances back over, his movements freeze. I smile appreciatively at those warm brown eyes and find my fingers itching to touch the close shaved hair that graces the edges of those jawlines. My wish gets granted as he closes the two step distance between us.

  Automatically, his fingertips skim the skin on each of my cheeks before he leans down to press his lips against mine. Oh god, when my lips part and our tongues touch, my legs go weak in the knees. I’m hungry, but no longer for food. Running my hands up the front of his shirt, I can feel the work he’s put in since I left by the hardness that wasn’t there before. My sweet Alejandro isn’t the soft guy I left behind all those years ago, at least not on the outside. I let my hands wander over the top of his broad shoulders and then back down underneath the soft material of his shirt.

  Hooking my fingers in his waistband, I tug him toward me gently, and he complies. Several heartbeats later, a voice from the doorway makes me startle.

  “Feather dusters can be used for more than cleaning,” Atlas says, smirk evident in his tone.

  Pulling away from Alejandro, I cover my lips with the back of my hand. Uncomfortable embarrassment makes the blood rush to my cheeks. It’s one thing to bluff while they’re all in the room, but I feel like a teenager that just got caught cheating on their boyfriend.

  Completely oblivious, Atlas continues, “I’d even wear the maid uniform if you wanted me to. I’m sure my legs would look amazing in that skirt get up.”

  I roll my eyes with a smile in his direction, and the grin that greets me makes my face grow even hotter.

  “Why, Suzie Q, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush like that before,” he remarks.

  Making his way to where Alejandro still has me backed against the counter, Atlas sidles up next to him. One arm snakes around his waist as the other hand hooks the back of my neck, but that’s as far as he goes. With one hand flat against Alejandro’s chest, I bunch the front of Atlas’s shirt in the free one as I go up on my toes. That’s the only opening he needs to finish closing the gap between our mouths.

  I’ve swam and surfed in the ocean with sharks. I’ve jumped out of a plane multiple times. I’ve pushed my bike to her speed limits. All of that and more for the adrenaline rush. None of it compares to the feelings that flood my veins now.

  Never in a million years did I think kissing one of them in front of the other would ever happen. Now that it is, I have to clench my thighs together as a moan leaves my throat. Atlas’s hand drops to my hip at the same time Alejandro’s does the same. Being able to tell the difference between the two, knowing I’ve got the full attention of both, is exhilarating.

  As Atlas pulls back, I lick him across the lips, making him grin again and crinkling the skin around his blue eyes. Flicking my gaze up to Alejandro, I see that he’s wearing the same euphoric expression with no jealousy. I tilt my chin up to him, and he quickly obliges by dropping another kiss on my waiting lips.

  Atlas takes advantage of our distraction as he leans down to run mouth along my jaw, getting as close as he possibly can without kissing Alejandro. All it takes is a small tilt to my head to move from one to the other.

  “Do you believe us yet?” Atlas asks as our lips brush with his words.

  Keeping my eyes closed, I let out a breathy, “Maybe.”

  I know I’ve got him when he chuckles and says, “Maybe? Did you hear that, dude? Seems like we’ve got more proving to do.”

  Alejandro’s deep murmured reply comes in Spanish next to my ear, and it sends goosebumps all the way down my body.

  “I’ve got to take care of some things, so you guys get started without me, yeah?” Atlas says, taking a step back.

  I reach out and grab the front of his shirt again. “Business stuff?”

  He shakes his head. “We’re out of all that, Suzie Q. Just wait.”

  Alejandro raises up to cut a hard glare at him, and it makes me wonder what the actual hell is going on around here. Without another word, Atlas plants another kiss on me before heading back out the way he came in.

  “Never a dull moment, eh?” I ask the gorgeous man left in front of me.

  He barks out a laugh. “Not when you’re home, mi cariña.”

  “Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?” I tease as he goes back to piling stuff on our plates.

  I love the way his chest rumbles when he laughs again. “You know I’d never insult you. Between you and Atlas, we’ve always had our hands full. But you won’t hear us complaining, hermosa. We’ve all missed you. Even the ones who are terrible at showing it.”

  Having not come down off the adrenaline high, it makes me bolder than what I was feeling three days ago as I stepped back into this house, or hell, even years ago when I was always afraid to make the first move. Coming up behind him, I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his back.

  “I missed you, too,” I admit quietly. “You guys were in my dreams all the time. After everything that happened, I just didn’t know how to deal with it. I did what I thought was the only smart thing to do to keep us all safe.”

  I can feel the vibrations through his back as he speaks, “I understand. We all do. But it’s our turn to protect and take care of you.”

  My reply is to squeeze him tighter. We stand like that for a few seconds before I let go and take his hand. He allows me to lead us out of the kitchen and back down the hall.

  “You should know,” Alejandro begins as we start up the stairs, “if you hadn’t been locking yourself away from us since you got back, Alek would’ve pummeled Anderson’s face for that stunt he pulled, bringing you down earlier.”

  I flash him a grin over my shoulder. “My knights in shining armor.”

  “I don’t know about that, mi cariña,” he admits. True, they have as much blood, if not more, on their hands as I do my own.

  Not privy to my inner thoughts, he continues, “We’re not puppets on strings anymore, but that doesn’t mean our armor isn’t stained.”

  As we make it to the top of the landing, I spin around and stalk backwards toward his room. “My dress is marked with the same color, so I guess we’re stuck with each other.”

  Before I get the chance to turn back around, he steps into my space and crowds me against his door. His fingers sink into my short white hair. “You’ve always been the most beautiful woman. Even with your long hair gone and it being like this. Will you grow it back for me?”

  I can’t think of his question, let alone an answer, as he leans down to whisper it against the shell of my ear. It’s one of my guaranteed turn on spots, and he knows it. My eyelids flutter shut when my eyes roll back into my head. Jerking my chin to the left, I catch his lips while they’re still open. He lets my tongue sweep in and mark him with ownership. The quiet sounds we’re making, mixed with the pure taste of him, is driving me crazy.

  I fumble with his door knob at my back to let us into the room. When it finally opens, we both go stumbling inside. Before he can even reach behind him to shut it back, we’re already desperately tearing at each other’s clothes.

  It could shut or not. Either way, it doesn’t matter to me nor him at this moment. The thought of having left it open for one of the others to walk by and witness everything that’s happening is like another jolt to my center. I’m definitely going to have more than one of them at a time at some point. They’ll give me anything I want, anyway, and Atlas seemed more than willing earlier in the kitchen.

  The frenzy in which we’d walked in with has stripped us from the waist up. Giving the sexy Hispanic man in front of me my undivided attention, I push thoughts of the ot
hers to the back of my mind and drop to my knees.

  As I work my eyes from the bottom of Alejandro’s tanned stomach, I take in the wondrous sight that I’ve been missing all these years. He’d definitely been working his body more. There isn’t an ounce of body fat on him anymore. To be honest, I’ll take him either way. I’m just glad to finally have him back again. There isn’t an inch of that golden skin that has any kind of scar on it, not even a tattoo. No matter how hard Atlas and I had tried in the past, Alejandro never caved to the pressure and put anything on his body.

  Running the tip of my tongue around his belly button and then across the top hem of his pants, I feel empowered as he grabs the back of my head with one hand and hoarsely murmurs my name. He doesn’t stop me from undoing his belt buckle before I unbutton and unzip his jeans.

  I don’t know who’s more excited when his pants and boxers drop to his ankles, freeing his cock that’s already hard and starving for attention. Making sure that our eyes are locked, I lick a path up the base of him before swirling my tongue around the head and then splitting my lips with him. A low guttural moan from him is like a sucker punch to my core. I want him inside of me anywhere. Everywhere. Over and over. It will never be enough. How could I have run from this?

  I work Alejandro’s cock until his hip movements are jerky and he’s warning me to stop. There’s an urge to show him just how sorry I am for leaving him behind and how much I’ve missed him.

  “Stop, hermosa, or I won’t be able to,” he softly warns again.

  “Good,” I tell him right before I take him as far into my mouth as possible. The head of his cock is hitting the back of my throat, which I’m sure will be sore tomorrow, but I will not regret a second of it. Especially as I start to taste the saltiness of him at the back of my tongue. He growls low and soft, and for one second, I’m pretty sure I’ve made him weak in the knees this time.

  When I finally let him go with a pop and a small kiss, he kicks his clothes off the rest of the way and reaches down to hook his hands underneath my arms before lifting me up and walking us over to the bed.