by J. E Hanson
I crawl over him to find my bikini. After a quick shower, I put my bikini on. I have a terrycloth bathing suit cover in my bag. The ivory terrycloth covers my bikini. He starts to stir finally. I wear my sandals, and I left him there alone. The sun shines brightly outside. We make it to South Carolina, and I hit the sand quickly. Blade, Gadriel, and Gabe are swimming, so I join their little beach party. He shows up to the beach a few minutes later, wearing a pair of canary beach shorts with an ivory tank. I lay a regular ivory blanket on the ground.
“You need to fucking wait for me to wake up, before you take off anywhere! I’m in charge of you! Not Blade, Gadriel, or Gabe!” he continues to bicker with me again.
I sarcastically yawn at him, and irritate him even more. I briskly yank off my bathing suit cover to reveal my teal bikini.
He notices, and he stops me with confusion in his eyes, “I thought your color is yellow.”
I stare at my bikini, “My name is hyphenated with McCloud at the end, so my bathing suit is a little different.”
He nods with understanding, and he takes his shades off. He pulls his tank off and my mouth gapes open from shock. The man has tattoos covering his back and stomach. He has rings through his nipples and a couple in his belly button. Blade appears just as bad as his brother is. Spike has a bare spot over his heart, and he has two slate daggers that resemble Ankhs on the inside of his wrists. He wears the same symbol in gold around his neck on a slate chain. I try to ignore him.
After staring at him, I join Ember in the icy water. My back turns, when someone picks me up, and tosses me over his head. I swim to the surface to view a different Spike staring back at me.
I cock my head to the side, “What’s happening to your hair?”
He pulls his hair on top of his head back, and he slowly kick starts something between my thighs, “Oh, this is my natural hair color. I like to freak people out.”
“I thought your hair was black!”
“No, my hair is actually blonde.”
Gabriel chuckles at him, and he shakes his head, “You look like shit man, and I would leave it down if I were you.”
“I will take that under advisement, Gabe.”
Gabe splashes us both, and then he picks Ember up. I watch him dunk her a couple of times.
“They seem to be hitting it off well.”
“Too bad both of those guys are dating other angels. Gadriel is actually engaged, and Gabe is still dating another one on and off again.”
My shoulders hunch over, and I refocus my attention to him, “Does that mean you’re seeing someone too?”
He scoffs at my question, “I don’t date much anymore, and no, I don’t have a girlfriend either. Why are you asking?”
“I will confess that I actually prefer your hair down. But yes, you did freak me out with the black hair,” I quickly change the subject, but at least I compliment him.
He pulls me closer to him, “I bet my rings scare you even more though.”
I stare into his crystal eyes as I try to ignore all those piercings. The heat flows between my thighs, “I’m slowly adjusting to them.”
He wraps his muscular arms around me, to keep me close to him. My long arms and legs wraps around him.
His hair continues to change colors. What hair he has left, covers the tattoos on his head.
“You should know that I can do this instead.” He dunks me with him, and then he pulls me up to the surface with him. We stare at each other for the longest time. He has piercings down both his ears. I try to notice only his eyes, because I want to swim deep inside them. They are the sexiest eyes that I’ve longed for. I’m still trying to figure out where I’ve met him before, but I’m still struggling to place him.
She distracts us, by splashing us.
I playfully rub his pierced chin, “I will be back to take you down, but right now I have to drown Ember.”
He softly caresses my cheek with the back of his hand. I close my eyes, and open them again. It is time to find my cousin and dunk her. Spike picks me up again, and he tosses me in the water.
Ember and I decide to take a small break. We trudge through the sandy beach. I twist my hips purposely in front of him, and I can feel his eyes focusing in on my body. Ember and I bask in the sun together. I prop my chair up to keep an eye on the men. She takes her spot next to me in the other lounger. We giggle at the men, and focus on them splashing each other.
I’m fine until he exits the water. His hair finishes changing colors. His body has a perfect tan from the sun hitting his skin. I’m still trying to figure out where I’ve met him before, but I still fight to place him. He dries off, and he makes sure that I watch him in return. He lets a few smiles escape from his pierced lips. He turns around purposely to yell at his brother. That ass of his isn’t helping him. My eyes notice every single crease of muscle on him, and he has no fat on him either.
I chose to take my wet towel, and twist it. With a loud crack, my towel smacks hard against his tight ass.
He points at me, “If you start, you better finish,” he warns me.
I smack that ass of his again, and he jerks my towel from me. I try to run away from him, but he manages to pull me down in the sand in a few minutes, “I will own that ass now!”
He takes his hand, and he smacks my ass hard.
“That really fucking hurts!”
“You’re a naughty little vixen! I will have to keep this ass in check!”
I try hard to smack his ass in retaliation, but he pins my arms over my head, “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. If I were to take it from you, you will moan constantly. You won’t be able to handle this bad boy.”
He stops playing with me, and he loses himself in my eyes. He never smiles, or anything at me. He reveals his softer side for once.
“I will never be that ideal man for you to bring home to your grandparents, Rosalie.”
With defeat in his eyes, he stops smiling at me. He saunters away from me with his head down. I gasp for air for a soul aching minute, and I hate feeling this way. His vulnerability only makes me desire him even more. The disappointment from his reaction steals my breath away.
Gabe and Gadriel make Ember’s jaw drop. I can see the drool escape from the corners of her mouth. They each have the same amount of muscles. They also have the matching slate Ankh tattoos on the insides of their wrists. She seems like she’s about to have a coronary. They are stocky but firm and they wear matching charcoal with royal blue shorts.
Gabe struts over to him, “I challenge you to a game of volleyball man. Gadriel and me, play against you and Blaze. How would you like to play a game against brothers? Are you up for the challenge man?”
Ember blankly stares at them, “Wait a minute! Are you two telling me that you’re brothers?”
“Can’t you see the family resemblance?” Gadriel teases.
“Who is older?” she asks.
Gadriel points to Gabe, “Gabe is older than I am. I’m the youngest of the siblings.”
“I should learn to pay more attention! Now that you point it out, I can see the family resemblance.”
He leaves and we watch brothers versus brothers. None of the men is able to use their magic. Blade is not as fit as Gadriel is. He’s more on the heavy side than the other three men are. They play volleyball for two hours straight.
The angel team beats the fairy team badly. Spike continues to ignore me through his shades. It annoys me, when he ignores me.
Ember still appears as if she will have a coronary. She drools over the two angels again, and I have to come clean to her.
“Both of the brothers are taken, Ember.”
She blushes and she’s either mad—or embarrassed, “Why in the hell am I watching them for? I feel incredibly awkward. Do you want to leave and return to the RV? I don’t want to stare at men, who are unavailable. That just makes me feel awful for eyeing the merchandise that’s not for sell.”
I wrap my right arm around her shoulde
rs. We cover our bodies, and trudge through the white sandy beach with Jazzy. After we return to the RV, we take our showers and pick out matching eggshell skirts. She happens to pick out this cute pale blue top. I chose a royal blue top this time. We play chess together, and the men return after another hour of playing volleyball. We laugh over our current game, “I got you Ember! Checkmate!”
“How are you getting so good? I’m starting to believe that you hate to lose.”
We leave our hair down, and we’re wearing matching cream French Beret hats. Gadriel smiles at her.
“Since we lost, we will continue to drive now,” they inform the other brothers.
Gabe pulls his hair back, “What’s fair is fair, dude!” He hands off the keys to Spike.
Spike takes a shower, and he avoids making any eye contact with me. He left his hair down, and I can’t help, but notice what he wears. Spike chose a citrine shirt with a pair of tight blue jeans. He also wears a pair of charcoal leather cowboy boots with silver tips on the toes of his boots. Gabriel returns, and he wears the same attire, but with a pale blue shirt. Gadriel is the only one wearing basketball shorts with an ivory tank. He picks a seat next to her, and he continues to smile at her. Gabe sits right beside me. She ignores them by setting the chessboard up.
I point at the pieces, “Do you want black or white?”
“I know you’re supposed to take white, but I like being white. So, if you don’t mind.”
I allow her to go ahead. I move long enough, and return with bottles of coke for the both of us. I hand the angel team two bottles also. The angels thank me graciously.
Gadriel twists his lid off, “Are you seeing anyone?”
She peeks at me nervously, not even knowing what to say, “I’m not dating anyone at the moment. I have been on a few dates, but nothing pans out for me.”
Gabe leans in to show his interest also, “What are you waiting—or searching for?”
She peeks at me once again for guidance.
To save her, I answer his question for her, “She’s never kissed a guy either, and she studies more than she dates. Ember was the Valedictorian for our graduating class, and she is exceptionally intelligent also.”
She stomps on my foot, and she glares at me, “How could you say that about me?”
I giggle and take a few more potato chips, “Now we’re even! She also has the v-card.”
Her face flushes and she’s hot, “That was personal information, Rosalie! How dare you say that about me! That was highly inappropriate, and my business!”
“Now they know.”
“I want to say that not many girls at your age remain intact. You should feel proud of yourself for keeping your virtue. What do you like to do for fun?” Gadriel even compliments her.
“I really don’t have a life, but Rosalie keeps me preoccupied these days.”
“She has an amazing voice, and you should listen to her sing sometime. She has no annoying habits either. She loves her casual wear, if I let her get away with it,” I answer for her once again.
She sticks her tongue out at me, and Gadriel touches her hand, “I would love to hear you sing sometime.”
She takes my queen again and turns giddy, “I got you in checkmate!”
I laugh at her enthusiasm, but my cell phone starts to ring. A familiar voice echoes through the receiver, “How is my favorite daughter doing?”
“Hi momma, and how are you doing?” I place her on speaker, so that Ember can meet momma.
“Make sure you say hi to Ember for me.”
“I’ve heard so much about you and it’s finally nice to meet you, Mrs. Cirrus,” she answers her sweetly.
“You sound exactly like my Rosalie, and I have to meet you one day. Oh, and I have some exciting news to tell you.”
I can hear from the tone of her voice that she’s practically shouting from the rooftops, “I finally talked to my babies! Can you believe that they actually called me?”
I gawk at my phone, and pick it up, “Are you serious? They called you finally!”
“I’m still in shock! Rosalie whatever you did, I’m forever in your debt! My boys are okay, and they are still alive!”
“I’m so glad to hear that they are fine! Do they plan on visiting you anytime soon?”
“They have a few things that they need to iron out first, but oh shit! I forgot to tell them that Puck proposed to Skylar, and that’s not the only thing!”
The RV halts to a stop. Gadriel jumps over the driver's seat. Spike returns with drinks and food for everyone.
“Puck and Skylar are getting married! What else is there to celebrate, momma?”
“I’m over the moon, because I have a new grandchild on the way! My first grandbaby is on its way! I’m so happy! I hope she has a girl though. Either way, as long as their baby is healthy, I don’t care!”
“Are you telling me right now that Skylar is pregnant? Oh, my goodness and this is hard to believe! How did this happen? I mean, I’m gaining a new cousin, but oh wow!”
Blade drops his drink, and his mouth gapes open.
“Puck proposed to her, and he took her to lover’s field! That is where they conceived their baby, but anyway, he made love to her as soon as she said yes! I’m over the moon! I forgot to tell my two boys that their brother plans to marry Skylar in three months! They have to be here for his wedding! Shit! I hope they call me back again, so that I can tell them! Do you think I will have all my babies home?”
I smile warmly at him, “I hope you do! That would be a nice wedding present for Puck. You can have a picture of all your kids together.”
“I don’t care if my other two ever marry. I just want them to be happy, and I want them to feel love from me always. Whatever you did to get them to call me, I just want to thank you, sweetheart! You are my favorite non-official daughter though.”
I smile affectionately at the phone, “I love you too, momma. I bet you’re planning their wedding, since I know that’s what you will do!”
“How did you know? I will have to let you go, but I just wanted to inform you that my babies did call! I love you, and please stay safe, darling!”
My eyes swell up, and I miss her terribly, “Goodbye momma and I will see you soon! I love you too!”
Our conversation abruptly ends. Spike is sitting there grinning at me, “Do you always call her momma? I’m not complaining—or anything. I just find it fascinating that you talk to Violet, and call her momma.”
Gabe snickers from the driver’s seat, “She’s practically family already, Spike.”
Spike turns around, and he glares at Gabe. Spike is nice enough to hand me a drink.
“I love Violet, and I made sure to visit her every single day. I’m sorry that you find it so hard to believe that a self-absorbed person such as myself could ever show interest in someone else, besides my own family. Momma taught me how to cook, and she even helped me with a few of my classes. She’s such an amazing mom, and I learned a lot from her,” I confess my secret to him.
He closes his eyes, and his lips curves up, “Who did Violet talk about the most?”
His question confuses me, but I answer without a second thought, “She always talked about her youngest son, but she misses both of her sons equally, and they are both still missing. Now that she has heard from them, maybe she can relax and plan Puck's wedding now.”
He stretches out his arms, and he gapes directly in my eyes, “I’m pretty sure that they are found, if she’s talking to them again. So, did you say that you took cooking lessons from Violet?”
He sits right there smiling like a Cheshire cat. He’s obviously hinting towards something, “What do you want, Spike?”
He steps over to the kitchen, and he starts pulling out ingredients. He even pulls out a cookie sheet, “If you can cook like Violet, then I will personally take you out to dinner in New York City at a famous restaurant. I will even throw in a week stay at a cottage in North Carolina. Now all you have to do is make her famous choc
olate chip cookies. Don’t skip out on the extra chocolate either!” he issues me a challenge.
I arrogantly remember her recipe step-by-step, since we made cookies together a million times. He watches me intently knowing what move I’m about to make next. He hands me one ingredient after the other. I mix the recipe and start scooping.
Blade realizes what I’m doing, “Ah! She is making Violet’s cookies! DAMN!”
All the cookies are even in size. I place the first batch of cookies in the stove, and I pray that the humidity won’t hurt the cookies. He sits on the counter crossing his arms. My back turns to the stove to finish making the chocolate sauce too. The timer buzzes loudly.
He announces, “Here is a taste test to find out, if you can really make her cookies—or not.”
The first batch carefully moves to a plate. The chocolate sauce drips over each cookie evenly. The first batch sits in front of him on the counter with a tall glass of milk for him. I turn my back around to make the second batch. After the second batch makes it in the oven, I turn around and face him. I’m shocked to find half of the plate is ultimately gone. Spike has chocolate sauce dripping from his chin and the corner of his lips. His eyes remain tightly closed. The second batch rests on another plate, and the final batch replaces the second batch in the oven. He has another plate full of cookies. Blade has his own plate, and he eats with Spike. His eyes are closed too. Ember holds her plate out, and the third batch finishes. This time, Gadriel and Gabe hold out their plates.
The kitchen sink fills up with dirty dishes. Out of usual habit, I’m getting ready to wash all the dishes.
Spike walks over to me, “You did a great imitation of her cookies. Congratulations, we will eat at a well-known restaurant in New York City, and a stay at a VIP cottage in North Carolina. You are not doing the dishes either.”
I try to ignore him, but he picks me up, “I already told you that you’re not doing any dishes, woman!”
I smack his ass hard with my hand, “I have to wash the dishes! I’m a clean freak!”
He places me on the couch, and he crosses my arms, “I said no, and that’s that! You cooked for me, which no other woman has decently done for me ever. Let me repay you the respect, by doing the dishes myself.”