Their Fairy Princess (Office Intrigue Book 7)

by Nicole Edwards

  When she pulled back, she was smiling. I stood there, head still spinning while Everly turned one of the greatest mornings of my life into something I would never forget. Her soft hands soaped every inch of my body. She took her time, not teasing, simply touching. It was all I could do to remain on my feet.

  Once we were clean, I had the presence of mind to grab a towel, drying her off, then myself. I expected to go back to my room, get dressed, and start the day.

  Isaac had other ideas, pointing to the bed.

  Everly crawled in first. I followed, curling up behind her as Isaac dragged the blankets over us.

  “Sleep,” he ordered.

  For possibly the first time in my life, I drifted off, Everly in my arms, not once thinking I would rather be alone.

  RANSOM

  Dark thirty couldn’t come fast enough.

  As I sat in my living room, the light finally fading outside, I stared at the wall while finishing off the first of two shots of vodka I allowed myself each day.

  I never needed more than that, and coming from an alcoholic father and a drug addict mother, I knew better than to tempt fate. Alcohol was a poison that could stir in the veins and become more important than the blood that flowed there. My parents had proven that long ago.

  My cell phone, resting on my knee, buzzed with an incoming text.

  I downed the other shot before picking it up.

  Done.

  That was all it said. All it needed to say. And it didn’t require a response of any kind.

  I exhaled, dropped my head back against the chair.

  Some would’ve thought I could ignore the niggling at the back of my mind telling me I’d sinned again. They would’ve been wrong.

  My reputation portrayed me as a man whose sole job in life was to stir up mischief. While I enjoyed that minor role I played, it was only a fraction of who I was.

  Some thought I was little more than a sexual Sadist who got off on other people’s pain. They were more accurate in that regard. I did enjoy it greatly.

  However, those were pieces that came together, merging with my past, to form the whole.

  And now…

  Now my true colors were bleeding through with every passing day, the world I thought I’d left behind finding me, shackling me like one of the masochists I very much enjoyed making cry.

  Soon, everyone would realize the instigator was merely my way of coping with the truth, the Sadist was only part of the darkness that lurked inside me, and my past …

  My past had finally caught up.

  ISAAC

  The knock that sounded on my door at eleven o’clock at night had me grabbing my gun and slowly moving toward the entryway.

  My brother was right behind me, both of us silent.

  “It’s Ransom,” the deep voice bellowed from the other side. “Open the fucking door.”

  Frowning at Ian, I unlocked the deadbolt, opened the door before lowering my weapon.

  “You could’ve called,” Ian said before starting toward the living room.

  “No, I couldn’t,” he countered causing my brother to stop short, pivot.

  “Come in, then. You want a drink?”

  “I’m not staying,” Ransom announced as he stepped inside, not bothering to close the door.

  I turned to face him, Ian stepping up beside me.

  “I’m just here to let you know that I’ve reassigned the men.”

  Before Ian could ask, I put a hand on his arm, silencing him.

  “Understood.”

  Ransom turned to walk out. “Oh, and I heard there’s an interesting story on the news. Might want to check it out.”

  “Will do.”

  As quickly as he’d come, Ransom left.

  Ian didn’t say a word, leading the way down to the basement. He was on his computer, fingers flying over the keys. He stared at the screen a moment before turning the laptop toward me. I stood over his shoulder and read.

  LOCAL WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN AND SON KILLED IN HOME INVASION.

  I skimmed the article that announced the death of one Thomas Hathaway and his son, Vernon, both shot multiple times when thugs barged into their home. The wife, who had hidden in an upstairs closet, and the housekeeper and two others, were not harmed. According to investigators, a suspect was taken into custody, interrogated, and confessed.

  “Holy shit,” Ian groaned, his eyes hard.

  Yeah. Holy shit was right.

  There was no mention of the details Ransom had relayed, those relating to Dante’s past. If I had to guess, they would never see the light of day. I hoped that was the case. As far as I was concerned, Dante had been through enough already.

  There was only one way they’d gotten a suspect, though, much less someone to confess. It had been set up that way. A fall guy put in place, which wreaked of organized crime.

  I glanced at Ian.

  He instantly shook his head. “No. Wasn’t me. I didn’t make the call.”

  “I know.” I held his gaze, waited for him to catch on.

  It didn’t take long.

  “Fuck.”

  Yeah. That about summed it up.

  The following morning, I slept in. Rare for me but sometimes necessary. However, I wasn’t the only one.

  When I cracked open my lids, glanced over, Ian stirred.

  While I was still getting my bearings, he rolled toward Everly, pulled her against him, and snuggled her close to him. There might’ve been a smirk on his face, but I couldn’t quite tell.

  After using the restroom, I pulled on shorts, grabbed my running shoes, and headed for the bedroom door. Just in time to hear Everly’s soft sigh as my twin woke her appropriately.

  “You want to go for a run?” I asked Dante when I found him sitting on a barstool drinking orange juice.

  He peered over at me, evidently confused by my offer.

  “Okay. Shall I rephrase?” I stated, grinning. “You and me. Run. Five minutes.”

  “I would love to, Master.” His eyes briefly darted toward the hallway to my bedroom.

  I waited to hear the question, but it didn’t come. I took that as a good sign. He trusted me to take care of him.

  While he went to his room to get ready, I walked out on the back patio to stretch. The morning was underway, the birds chirping in the trees, a couple of bees already buzzing around a rosebush near the window. It looked no different although I wasn’t sure why I figured it should. Perhaps it was because some of the evil lurking had been eliminated. I didn’t know how or by whom, but those were questions I didn’t need answers to. The only thing that mattered to me was that Dante did not have to worry about them anymore.

  The door opened behind me. Dante stepped out.

  I smiled over at him, then took a step closer. Cupping his face, I pressed my lips to his gently, held it for a few seconds simply so I could satisfy myself that he was good.

  When I pulled back, he not only still looked confused, now he could add dazed to the mix.

  “Let’s get to it.” I motioned toward the street.

  “My pleasure, Master.”

  We hit the pavement at a jog. As we circled around the house via the side street, there was no longer a man stationed there, keeping an eye on the house. The others were gone as well, and Dante was as aware of his surroundings as I was. I noticed him glance over twice before he picked up his pace, a small smile on his lips.

  I let him lead the way today. Keeping up with minimal effort but giving him the freedom that came with the weight being removed from his shoulders. I had every intention of discussing it with him, sharing a bit of information I’d uncovered, wanting to give him whatever closure I could, but I figured that could wait. He needed this as much as I did.

  By the time we were back at the house, he was smiling, and it did something to me to see it. The storm clouds in his eyes, perhaps not completely gone, were certainly not as heavy.

  “May I shower, Master?”

  “Aye. I’ll start breakfast.”r />
  I trailed him across the kitchen until he disappeared from view. Rather than take a shower of my own, I started a pot of coffee, pulled out whatever crap it was that made up those vegan eggs, snatched a couple of real ones, then went to work making scrambled egg sandwiches.

  By the time Dante returned, I had the sandwiches plated, coffee poured, and was about to carry them out to the back patio.

  “May I, Master?” Dante asked as he reached for them.

  I smiled, took the coffee mugs, and allowed him to lead the way.

  “You haven’t asked any questions,” I mentioned as he started in on his sandwich.

  “I don’t have any,” he said softly, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “The guys are gone, which I take to mean all is well.”

  “It is,” I assured him, sipping coffee.

  His eyes lifted, met mine. “I trust you, Master. Questions aren’t necessary when you know someone’s going to take care of you.”

  I reached over, squeezed his hand. “I’ll answer them if you ever have them. As best I can, anyway.”

  “I know you will.”

  I picked up my sandwich, took a bite, stared out at the yard. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky today. Crystal clear and blue overhead, the breeze warm. These were the days I enjoyed sitting out here, in the shade. I tended to gravitate here when we weren’t on the road. It offered peace, but until today, I hadn’t realized how much.

  Once we’d cleaned our plates, Dante asked to clear the table and do the dishes. He refilled my coffee before getting to work. I was still sitting there when he returned. Rather than take a chair, he came over and knelt at my feet.

  I twined my fingers in his hair, and we sat like that for a long time. No words passed between us. None necessary.

  When he finally spoke, his question didn’t so much surprise me as it did make my heart ache for him.

  “Master, would it be possible to find my mother?”

  “I’ve already found her,” I informed him. “I thought you might want to know.”

  “Where is she?”

  Sliding my fingers through his hair, I stared at the pool, watching the specks of sunlight that danced across the water. “Your mother’s body was never claimed. Her mother—your grandmother—died before she was a teenager and her father died shortly after you were born. He hadn’t been well, and the alcohol abuse hadn’t helped. I made a couple of calls. Turns out one of the local churches laid her to rest in a cemetery not far from where you were born.”

  “Can we go visit her?” His voice had a jagged edge to it, the pain he felt evident.

  “Of course we can. Whenever you want.”

  “Thank you, Master.”

  “No thanks necessary,” I whispered, finding comfort in the way he rested his head against my thigh. “You did get a contract on your house. List price, no conditions. The inspection’s this week. If all goes well, you’ll have the money in hand in thirty days.”

  He didn’t say a word.

  “Ian had the Camaro disposed of,” I added.

  “Thank you, Master. I never drove it.”

  I knew he hadn’t because it only had a few miles on it. Ian had informed me the car had been purchased by Hathaway, given to Dante as a gift. He hadn’t wanted it, but I couldn’t blame him.

  “I love you, Master.”

  I smiled, loving those words spoken so softly, so reverently, and without premeditation. While I’d gotten so many things wrong in my life, my expectations set in a manner that didn’t allow for exceptions, I still found it amazing that Ian and I had ended up right where we were meant to be.

  “I love you, too.”

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Everly

  When I staggered into the kitchen, still sleepy but extremely satisfied, I devoured the last bit of coffee in the pot before starting another.

  While I sipped, I stared out the door, watching Isaac and Dante, not wanting to intrude. They were beautiful together. Dante kneeling beside Isaac was a sight that warmed my heart. I knew how much Dante had always hoped to find a love like this.

  Neither of us would’ve ever predicted it would happen. In fact, we would’ve had a good laugh if someone told us we’d fall in love so quickly and so deeply. And with the same two men. We were nothing if not cynical. Hopeful, sure, but skeptical all the same.

  “What are you doing, little fairy?”

  I didn’t turn away when Ian walked up behind me. “Just admiring them.”

  Ian planted a noisy kiss on my cheek before making his way to the refrigerator. “Scrambled egg sandwich?”

  I turned toward him. “Only if I can cook.”

  He pivoted, narrowed his eyes as a smile tugged at his mouth. “Are you insinuating there’s something wrong with my cooking?”

  “No, my Alpha.” I couldn’t hide the amusement and he noticed.

  “For that, you may cook breakfast naked.”

  I grinned. “It would be my pleasure, my Alpha.”

  “I just bet it would.” Ian stole my coffee, downed what was left as he eyed me.

  Since I was wearing only a T-shirt—one of Isaac’s I’d pilfered—it didn’t take long to strip. I tossed the T-shirt on the counter, then pranced over to the stove. I knew he watched me, loved that he did, so I put an extra bounce in my step.

  They called me their fairy princess, had since the first night we scened together. Secretly, it pleased me greatly to hear it. I’d never been anyone’s princess, hadn’t expected to, but they both made me feel as though I was. Being loved and cherished, and knowing that I was, made all the difference in the world.

  It even made cooking breakfast in the nude worthwhile.

  “Well, isn’t this a nice sight first thing in the morning,” Isaac said from behind me.

  I gave him a warm smile over my shoulder. “Would you like breakfast, my Liege?”

  “Already had mine. But thank you.”

  There was something in his tone.

  In fact, there was something in Ian’s that had me turning slowly to stare at them both. They were different this morning, as though they weren’t carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. I couldn’t believe I had missed it until then.

  “What happened?” I asked, glancing between the two of them.

  Ian’s eyes raked over my upper body, the only part of me he could see because the island was blocking his view. “Well, if you’d like me to give you a play-by-play, I’ll start at the point when your mouth—”

  I choked on a laugh, held up my hand to stop him. “No. Not that. I know what happened when you woke me up, thank you very much.” I cut my gaze to Isaac. “What’s different? Something happened.”

  “All is well, fairy princess,” he said, his tone reassuring. “That’s all you need to know.”

  Considering Dante was still outside, by himself, I might add, I figured he wasn’t simply referring to today being a good day.

  I searched his eyes for any hint of concern but found nothing but relief. “Understood, my Liege.” I smiled, then turned back to the stove.

  “Just like that?” Isaac questioned from behind me. “No follow-ups?”

  “None necessary,” I told him. “I trust you both, infinitely. When you tell me all is well, then all is well.”

  “Such a sweet submissive,” Ian teased. “Now where’s my breakfast?”

  I wiggled my butt at them. Sweet, my ass. I was anything but sweet, but I’d been blessed with the face of an angel, or so I’d heard repeatedly throughout my life. It worked well for me. Not that I’d ever used it to get what I wanted, but admittedly, I didn’t mind seeing my twin Doms look at me as though I was a treasured gift. It made my heart swell, my love for them only grow.

  “I have a contractor scheduled to come out tomorrow,” Ian informed me when I passed over a plate with two pieces of toast and two eggs, scrambled.

  I turned back to get mine, wondering what he and Isaac were working on now. Couldn’t be Dante’s room because that was finally compl
ete. Granted, they’d gone with a relatively minimalist decor, something that didn’t necessarily fit Dante any more than the previous decor had. Then again, Dante had never been much for decoration. The only things we’d had at his house were those Heaven and I had brought.

  I had just settled my egg onto a piece of toast when Ian said, “I’d like you to work with him, get the new room designed.”

  I spun around so fast I nearly threw the spatula across the room. “What?”

  They were both grinning at me.

  “I’m looking forward to the redesign,” Isaac noted.

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  My heart swelled.

  “However, I want to keep my room,” Isaac said firmly.

  My elation faltered.

  “For Dante. The bathroom’s bigger than Ian’s,” he explained. “So, you can simply flip your design, use the other end.”

  I let out a heavy breath, relieved.

  “But remember, little fairy. You promised us a bigger bed.”

  I chuckled. I knew how much they wanted one. And while we slept in a king bed now, we definitely needed more space. I would never say it aloud, but my two Doms were bed hogs.

  “Eat, little fairy,” Ian said, pointing at my plate with his fork. “Then you can swim with Dante.”

  They would not hear any complaints from me.

  Half an hour later, I was diving into the water from the second step. I swam over to Dante, surfaced in front of him.

  “Good morning,” I whispered, grabbing on to him to stay afloat.

  “Good morning.” His smile was wide, genuine.

  “So what’s the plan for the day?” I asked, and I could see he knew what I was referring to.

  His arms tightened around me. “I was thinking perhaps we could go see a movie.”

  “Really?” I squeezed his neck.

  “Just me and you.”

  “I would love that. But I get to pick the movie.”

  Dante laughed, such a beautiful sound my heart lodged in my throat.

  “Not a chick flick,” he insisted.

  I puffed out my lower lip.

  In a bold and daring move I didn’t expect from him, he nipped it. Before he could release me, I kissed him. It was sweet and soft.