Time For Love Box Set

by Karen Deen

  Pull yourself together, lady, and get your sexy back.

  Time to remind Kane what he has right in front of him.

  Hopefully he’ll start to see how good we are together.

  We just fit.

  Perfectly!

  “Aunty Lilly, Aunty Lilly,” I hear my name being screamed across the yard as I get out of my car. Standing, I brace myself for the twins to hit me at full speed. Lucky Thomas is too small to join the welcoming committee. Otherwise, I think I might be taking cover from the onslaught.

  “Hello, my favorite munchkins. How are you today, been good for Mom and Dad?” I crouch down to give them both a big cuddle at the same time.

  “I’ve been a good girl, but Sammy’s been in trouble.” Sophia, always happy to turn her brother in. Sammy hangs his head down, not wanting to admit he’s been naughty.

  “What have you been up to, little man?” I put my hand on his chin to lift his face so I can see him.

  “I licked the icing off the cake with my finger. It was an accident.” He looks so cheeky looking up at me.

  “Oh dear, who busted you doing it? Was it, Mommy, Daddy or Meme? Because you can totally get away with it if it was Meme or Mommy. Daddy is harder but we’ll work around him.” I tickle his side just to break the moment and get him laughing again. “Now tell me, was the frosting yummy? Because if it was, then I’m going in to use my finger for a taste too. Tell me who’s in charge of the food in this crazy house, so I know who to hide from.”

  We all start to giggle now. I’ve won the kids over in the first five seconds. I never thought about having kids of my own until these two gorgeous faces came into our lives, and then baby Thomas joined them. Now I know that I long to be a mother one day when the time is right. I’m not ready yet, but my heart wants these moments of stolen frosting from a cake, a sister who loves to tattle on her brother and a husband who loves and protects us all. Someone who will look at me the way my dad looks at my mom. I see Zach walk past Emily and give her that secret touch as he places his hand on her lower back just checking everything is still right in her world. That’s what I want in a man.

  As if the universe is listening, Kane steps out of the shed I’ve parked my car in front of. With Thomas on his shoulders giggling, followed by Zach and Luke. They all stop to say hello, but I only see him.

  The man I want.

  The one who makes my insides go crazy with butterflies.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kane

  Driving out to Zach and Emily’s place with Xavier, Alesha and Jordan are good to distract me from the thoughts in my head that are going crazy. I’ve had a call from my Sarge this morning to fill me in on what’s happening in the case and what will go down Monday. There is no way I can continue seeing Lilly. I’ll put her in danger, and that’s the last thing I want to do.

  It happens quite often. We’ll have one case that we’re struggling to solve, and then one thing will link to another case. Before we know it, we’re building the jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces, and it’s not long before we’re just missing a couple of vital ones that make the whole picture. This case is becoming like that. Not only is there the missing woman, illegal sex clubs and now drug supplies. They usually go hand in hand, drugs and prostitution, which is sad because a lot of the girls get addicted and then need to feed their habit so they become trapped in the prostitution ring.

  It's not like I have a problem with the high-class sex clubs that are run professionally. Everything being totally consensual, everyone agreeing in what they want to do while there. Everyone has their own thing in life and as long as no one is getting hurt, they aren’t harming anyone by partaking in their version of fun. It’s not for everyone and the people there are all in that lifestyle together. They may not be legal in all states, but they’re the least of my problems in breaking the law. I do, however, have a huge issue with these sorts of sex clubs that we’re investigating.

  From what we’re hearing, there’s more than consensual sex going on there. Women being forced into multiple partners and being tortured. An avenue for drug selling, taking and forced prostitution of girls. There’s also a concern that we may stumble on more than we bargain for with the girls that are disappearing. Human trafficking is unfortunately still happening. It makes me feel sick to the core and totally disgusts me. How someone can treat another human this way is hard to comprehend. I’m not looking forward to this undercover assignment.

  “Isn’t that right, Kane?” Xavier’s voice snaps me back to attention, and I realize I’ve missed what they were talking about.

  “Sorry, what?” I can’t even guess so no point denying I wasn’t listening.

  “One more time for the dummies, I said to Jordan I hope he’s hungry because Sophia will have enough food out here to feed his whole NFL team and still have leftovers. Her food is to die for!”

  Alesha mumbles under her breath, “Suck up.”

  “Yeah, man, he has it spot on. This woman will have you packed full before you even blink. Then she’ll be trying to send you home with leftovers. Her family are lucky people.”

  “You say that now,” Alesha groans. “You wait until we get there, and she’s going crazy about feeding you all, acting the Bridezilla mother that we’ve been seeing lately, then switch personalities to the patient loving grandmother with the kids. Then tell me how wonderful she is.” Alesha’s shoulders sag. I thought this wedding organizing thing was supposed to be fun for the girls, but watching Alesha, I’m not sure she’s really enjoying it like she should be.

  “It’s okay, baby, we’ll all be there today, safety in numbers. Plus, your dad will control your mom. He won’t let her get out of control. Just relax and enjoy having everyone together. It’s not often we have all our closest friends and family together, and I have a feeling it won’t happen again until the wedding, so just concentrate on enjoying it.” Xavier looks at me in the rearview mirror knowing that I will be disappearing shortly. I know he worries about me.

  When we arrive, I notice that Lilly’s car isn’t here yet. I chuckle to myself. It would be a minor miracle for her to be the first one here. Not her style being early, plus I’m sure she likes to make the grand entrance. After we meet everyone else and have our first bottle of beer placed in our hands by Mitch, we head out to get a tour of the farm and just finish in the shed when I hear a car pull up outside. The twins were with us but shot out the door at the sound of someone new arriving for them to get some attention from. I have Thomas and I’m busy picking him up and putting him up on my shoulders. This little boy is so cute. I’m not normally into little kids, but he’s taken a shine to me and his smile and little laugh have sucked me in. It’s like he doesn’t see anything bad inside me, just me smiling at him. The innocence of a child is awesome.

  I hear her voice before I see her, and my heart is already beating a little harder. This woman has so much power, it’s probably good she has no idea how much. Exiting the shed, our eyes meet and there it is. That feeling where she just captivates me. My siren.

  “Look, Daddy, Aunty Lilly is here. Can we eat now? I’m starving, and Meme won’t let me eat anything.” Samuel looks up to Zach almost pleading like he was going to starve to death.

  “So, I see. You will have to ask Meme that question. She’s the boss today. Go and tell her Aunt Lilly is here and see what she says.” Samuel is already halfway across the yard before Zach is finished talking, with Sophia not far behind him. That kid is hilarious.

  Thomas spots Lilly and starts wriggling on my shoulders to go to her. We all exchange hellos and then I kneel in front of her so she can take Thomas for a cuddle. The smirk on her face looking at me on my knees for her and my face level somewhere I think we would both enjoy it being. My wicked little Red has other things on her mind. While I’m here worrying how I’m going to end this arrangement, the first five minutes of being with her already have my heart fluttering and my dick on fire with her seductive looks. Man, this whole thing sucks.

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nbsp; In what feels like less than thirty seconds, Sammy is back telling everyone it’s time for lunch and to make it snappy. Luke starts chasing him across the yard to an outburst of giggling. The two of them seem to have a special bond, which I see when they’re already at the table with their plates loaded by the time we enter the house.

  “You’ll never beat those two to the food,” Meme says as she comes up behind me. “It’s become a bit of a tradition for Sammy that he has to be the first to the table. He and Luke race every time. Of course Luke lets him win, but I also think he uses it to his advantage to get first go at the food table.” Her laugh is warm and deep. One that reminds me of my own mom. It’s a laugh that’s full of love and kindness but also with years of experience behind it. “You better get in quick, this crew won’t leave much and they never worry about the visitors. I did raise them with manners.” Placing her hand on my arm, she softly pats it like she’s known me forever.

  I feel a tingle up my other arm as the touch I know so well has me turning to see Lilly standing next to me.

  “Don’t listen to her, Kane. There will be plenty of food, plus she’s telling lies. She never taught us any manners, we were very naughty children. She let us run wild. I mean, look at the way Grant acts now, it just shows what hooligans we are.”

  Meme just rolls her eyes at her and heads off towards Mitch who is quietly standing back and surveying his family with pride. Everyone around the table is laughing out loud at Lilly’s comments about her mom. I highly doubt that’s the case, but it sounded good. Placing food on my plate, I hang back not really knowing where I should sit. My body wants to be as close to Lilly as I can, but my head is telling me that is not such a good idea. I’ll just give away the connection between us. Xavier saves me by pulling out a chair next to him and signals for me to take it. Nat sits on the other side from me looking a little stressed. I was expecting Jordan to be sitting near us, but he ends up on the other side of the table opposite where Nat is sitting. I hear her groan under her breath.

  “You okay, Nat?” I whisper in her ear. Nat and I are close. She’s like another sister to me. Being Xavier’s twin, it’s like she comes as part of the friendship package.

  “Yeah, just not sure how much longer I can do this.” Shit, hang on, what have I missed? Her eyes are looking down at her plate but when I look up, I notice Jordan looking like he wants to eat her for lunch. Holy shit, I wonder if Xavier knows what’s going on here. Shit, Jordan’s married.

  “Can I help? Do you need me to tell him to back off?”

  Her face whips up quickly to look at me. “What? No. I mean, what are you talking about?” Her face is flushed.

  “Knock it off, Nat. Your brother may be blind but I’m not.”

  “Shh. Keep it down. I’m okay. That’s all you need to know.”

  “Okay, okay,” I say holding my hands up like I’m surrendering. “Discussion for another time, hey.”

  “Yeah, like the one about you and Lilly.”

  Now it’s my turn to choke on my beer. “What?”

  “Just like you said. I’m not blind either.”

  “Fuck,” I mumble under my breath to myself.

  “Oh, I bet you have been.” She giggles a little and at least it has her smiling slightly. “At least more than me.”

  We both start laughing, and I put my arm around her shoulders and give her a hug. Looks like we have something in common at the moment. An attraction we can’t do anything about. Lilly’s voice breaks our connection.

  “What’s so funny?” There’s a feeling of daggers being thrown in the tone of her voice. When I look at her, Jordan also looks like he’s about to launch over the table and take my hand off Nat. Well, this is one for the books. Jealousy is in full flight on that side of the table from both of them. Oh man, this is going to be messy for both of us, I can tell. I make a note to talk to Nat tomorrow before I go off-grid.

  I think quickly on my feet. “Just laughing at Xavier who used to think he was the king of funny but is now in a family with lots of comedians. He’s getting his karma coming back to bite him in the ass.”

  “Wow, thanks guys. You two are supposed to be on my side, not joining the enemy.” Watching Lilly and Jordan, they seem to relax a little at the explanation, but it takes me moving my arm off Nat’s shoulders to see Jordan finally relax completely.

  Lunch is a noisy affair, with lots of wedding talk. Meme gets wound up about things she wants to get sorted until Gruffy steps in and reminds her that we’re here to have fun, or to let us poor kids eat without being badgered. Lilly, the cock tease, is sitting eating one of my cupcakes. Licking the icing off her finger very slowly moaning and saying how good it tastes. Next time, mental note, no icing.

  As much as Alesha and Xavier are getting annoyed, I see the love and excitement in Sophia’s eyes at her daughter being so in love. She just wants it perfect for them. Little Sophia is sitting on Lilly’s lap after we finished eating, talking about how pretty her flower girl dress is going to be. She has Lilly’s full attention and her eyes are bright and sparkling. Sammy is already moving around the kitchen talking to everyone or anyone who wants to listen to him. Thomas is crashed out in Zach’s arms. The excitement got to be too much. He could probably put him to bed, but he just looks so content sitting cuddling his son.

  I look around the room at this big family. For the first time I can see myself fitting in as part of the extended family. I know it can’t happen, but it’s the first time I’ve ever felt that if I had a chance then this would be the place I would belong. It feels natural and carefree. It would be easy to feel at home. Maybe it’s lucky that this case came when it did. To stop me from making a mistake and thinking I can have this in my life when the reality is, I never will. I accepted that a long time ago. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

  I feel a tug on my sleeve when I turn to see little Sophia standing behind me.

  “Kane, Aunty Lilly said you wanted to see my horse. I can take you if you want.” She looks shyly down at her feet. From what I know about her, she’s very shy when it comes to men she doesn’t know well, so I can’t deny such a brave question.

  “Thank you, Sophia, I would love that. Is your Aunt Lilly going to come too?” I glance across the table and see my little minx grinning at her little scheme to get me on my own away from the adults.

  “Yes, and I’ll get Sammy so you can see his horse too.”

  “Fantastic, let’s go.” I stand and put my hand out for Sophia to take if she wants to. Her little face lights up and she takes it and starts to drag me towards the door. She doesn’t need to say anything to Sammy. As soon as he sees us moving outside, he’s by my side as well. Lilly announces the kids are just showing me their horses and we’ll be back shortly. After Emily gives the kids their instructions about listening to what they’re told and be safe, then we’re out the door and the kids are running ahead of us. Racing to see who’ll reach the yards first.

  This gives Lilly and I time to talk as we walk casually behind them. At first, we’re walking silently but I can’t last. As we round behind the cottage and walk past a small gap between two trees and a shed, I grab her and pull her in. Before her little scream even has time to escape her lips, I’m kissing her like I’ve been starved for years. Her hands go straight into my hair and she’s pulling me towards her. I grip her ass cheeks hard. The noise of the kids calling out to us, looking for us, finally break apart the desperate embrace.

  “Fuck, I’ve been wanting to do that since you arrived.” I put my forehead on hers, just breathing her in.

  “Me too,” she whispers.

  The twins’ voices are getting closer as we break apart and she’s trying to make sure she looks okay. She steps out just before they reach us, surprising them.

  “You win, you found us! We were hiding to see if you could find us and you did. You’re so clever. Now let’s go see these horses and give them some carrots and apples, shall we.” The kids both cheer and take her hands.
She glances over her shoulder with her cheeky little smile, and I watch her fine ass wander off in the direction of the stables with the kids. What a stunning picture she is. She’ll make a beautiful mother someday. Some lucky bastard will make her happy and safer than I ever can.

  With everything that’s been weighing me down lately, the afternoon spending time with the Stevenson family and the kids is the most relaxed I’ve felt in a very long time. Just sitting on the railings at the stables watching the kids feeding their beloved pets reminds me why I do the job I do. It’s to keep the innocent in the world safe. Kids like Sophia and Samuel deserve to be able to just be kids without feeling scared or unloved. The sun is starting to set so we start back towards the house. Lilly is cunning and tells the kids she wants to see who the fastest is getting back. As they take off running, she pulls me behind the cottage and jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist and kissing me while she’s laughing.

  I whisper in her ear that tonight she’s all mine and I will punish her for being so cheeky, then I smack her on the ass as we come out from behind the building.

  I’m back to a hard dick and blue balls and the difficult job of trying to hide it from everyone else. I thought we were doing okay until Sammy ratted us out and said that we were playing hide and go seek and that he and Sophia won. Xavier and Alesha both looked at me like the cat that ate the canary. Not sure who told Ally, but she definitely knows by the smug grin on her face.

  The reason for everyone not knowing is even more important now than before. After tomorrow, this arrangement will be over, and I’ll be gone for a while. I’m trying to protect Lilly from the comments and having to explain to everyone what happened. It’s going to be hard enough on her as it is. This is why we were only ever supposed to be fuck buddies. For this exact reason.

  No feelings, no awkwardness and be able to walk away at any time.