“Let me hear why.” She thought about everything Dr. Murray offered: a place to live, food, a degree. It was everything she needed to make something of herself.
The guys wanted to take care of her. They would give her money, they’d clothe her, they’d feed her. Eventually, she’d find another minimum wage job and she’d contribute a little, but it wouldn’t be enough. Each one of these guys would make an impact on the world. They were good people, and they would do good things. If she wanted them, wanted to be a part of their family, she needed to hold her own.
This was her opportunity.
“If it’s them being assholes, I’m done. I’ll see out the thirty days and I’ll walk away. But if there was a purpose to it, and I can accept what it was, then I want to stay.”
Apollo’s face darkened as she spoke, and when she looked at Matisse, he had the same expression.
“There is no reason good enough for me, Nora.” Apollo stood up, raking his hand up and down the back of his head. He walked away, toward the back of the house and a door slammed.
Matisse met her gaze and shrugged. “You can’t expect us to be okay with this, chére. If the roles were reversed how would you feel?”
She rubbed her side, thinking. She caught Matisse staring at her hand, and he raised an eyebrow. “Keep the ice on it, please.” He went to the other guys, whispering something before going upstairs.
Whatever it was Matisse said to them had them scowling at her in disbelief.
If she was going to do this, she needed their support. She didn’t want their money, or for them to take care of her, she wanted them to disagree with her, but tell her it was okay. She wanted them to tell her they loved her even if she did something they didn’t like. She wanted them to say they didn’t agree with her reasons, but they understood hers.
Matisse was right, though. If someone took him on a Fast and Furious ride through side streets; she’d lose her mind. She’d never ever want him to see them again, and she’d worry every time he worked with them.
She was asking a lot of the guys, and she sighed, her heart constricting and worry blooming in her chest.
Maybe she was asking too much.
Cai watched the guys leave and then walked over to her. “What happened?”
She pressed the icepack into her side, adjusting it a little lower so it rested on the sorest spot. “I told them I wanted to hear Dr. Murray’s reasons.”
His skin flashed pale and then flushed red. “Damnit, Nora. Why?”
“Because I want to go to college,” she countered. “I couldn’t afford it on my own. I can’t get a loan, don’t you think I’ve tried?”
“Then get another job in the meantime. Live here, rent free, and save. Let us help you. You would do it for any one of us. If Seok wanted to go back to school, and he needed us to cover his portion of the mortgage, would you do it? Wouldn’t you figure out a way to do it?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “Of course.”
“Then why is it so hard for you to let us do it for you?”
She opened her mouth to respond, and shut it. “I…” She rubbed her forehead. “I want to be on the same level you are,” she admitted.
“What do you mean, the same level?” Ryan asked from across the room. She hadn’t realized she spoke loud enough for him to hear her. He stalked toward her, sitting next to her and gripping her shoulders. “What do you mean?”
She stared at her lap. “You’re going to be a lawyer. Cai’s amazing at the youth center, helping all those kids. Seok can build houses. Apollo’s going to be a physical therapist, and Matisse, he designed some sort of system allowing you to hack into my sealed files. You’re all so smart and so talented. I want to be on par with you.” She met Ryan’s dark green eyes. “I want to be good enough for you.”
Cai let out a deep breath, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her gently. “That’s why you’re so determined to do this? Nora. We are all proud of you. Proud of the way you’ve survived. You saved those kids at the high school. You go out of your way for others. I don’t care if you have a college degree. It doesn’t have anything to do with why we care about you.”
“We want you to be safe,” Ryan agreed. “Please, Nora. Let us help you. Don’t do this.”
She searched their faces before closing her eyes. “Okay,” she answered.
“Okay?” Ryan sounded like he didn’t believe her.
“Okay.” She opened her eyes, struck by the identical smiles of relief on Ryan and Cai’s faces. Seok stood with his arms crossed, regarding her seriously. She shifted her gaze back to Ryan. “I’ll start applying for jobs. If you can get me out of the contract, I’ll get out. Okay?”
He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head, her cheeks, her mouth. “Yes.”
He leaned back, Eyes flashing to Cai before back to her. “Find a job and save. You’ll get your degree. I’ll go with you to admissions office. Maybe it won’t happen right now, but we’ll make it happen. I promise.”
She nodded. She was happy Ryan and Cai were happy. But she was also a little let down. She though she’d figured it out, thought she was moving forward. She met Seok’s gaze and he smiled at her.
Perhaps, this is the right path after all.
Please Be Done
Seok wanted Nora to be done with Dr. Murray. When she’d gotten out of the car, her face was gray. He held her in his arms and felt her shaking. But those doctors only watched her, like they were gauging her reaction and taking notes. He wasn’t surprised when Tyler told him it wasn’t a prank, but part of a bigger test.
It was their complete lack of response he found disturbing. He could have walked away, been content to get her home and share her story, but the fact she was injured pushed him over the edge from angry to incensed.
No matter what their purpose had been, there was no excuse for physically injuring her.
He shook out his hand, his knuckles still aching from the punch. He’d do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, he wished he could.
He also wished Nora was happier. He didn’t like seeing her defeated. He was proud of her for standing up for herself, for challenging them when they asked her to quit the study. He understood why she’d agreed to participate initially. It was all his fault.
Because he’d messed up.
He’d been an asshole. He left her believing she had no choice but to leave. He made her think he didn’t care about her.
“I should talk to Apollo and Matisse,” Nora said interrupting his train of thought. She glanced past him to the stairs. “Explain everything.” She pushed herself off the couch, catching the icepack before it hit the floor.
“Want us to come?”
She paused for a moment before shaking her head. “No. It’s okay.”
She climbed the stairs slowly, definitely slower than she moved before, probably feeling her aches and pains now the adrenaline from her scare had worn off.
He sat next to Cai.
“I feel like an asshole,” Cai said. “Why do I feel like I’m making her give up her dream?”
“You’re not.” Ryan shook his head. “But we are asking her to rely on us. She’s worked so hard, on her own, for so long. That guy dangled the future she dreamed about, and never thought she could have, in front of her.”
“And he made it sound as if she could do it herself.” He flipped his hair out of his face. The fringe of his bangs hung in front of his eyes and he pushed it back again. “She doesn’t want to make our lives harder.”
“She doesn’t!” Ryan argued. “Okay, so we’re working some things out. This isn’t the relationship I imagined myself having, but now, I can’t imagine anything else.”
“I don’t want to,” he answered under his breath.
Cai was silent. He leaned back into the sofa, his teeth clenching and the muscle working in his jaw. He rubbed his hand along his scruff and sighed. “You love her?”
“Yes,” Ryan answered quickly. “I do
.”
Cai waited for Seok to reply. Was this feeling in his chest, this worry and need to protect her, this wild happiness and constant state of arousal, was this love?
He nodded. “Yes. I don’t know what else to call this. It has to be love.”
Cai rubbed his jaw again and stood up. “You’re calling the doctor?”
Ryan startled at the abrupt topic change, but he nodded. “I am.”
“Let me know what he says, alright? I’m going to call the director of the center, see if I can’t get Nora hired there.”
Seok smiled. It was a good idea. Cai said she was good there, the kids related to her, liked her. Even better, he would be around to keep an eye on her, make sure she was alright, happy. He sighed, finally releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he held.
Making It Up to Apollo
A tentative knock rapped on his door. He threw a hissy fit, and now Nora was here, probably to apologize.
“Come in,” he called, rubbing his hands over his face and putting his glasses on.
She poked her head around the side of the door, nervous. “Hey.”
“Hey, baby,” he answered, blushing. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize.” She made a face. “I’m sorry I was being thick.”
He smiled at her choice of words. His mother used a similar phrase when he was little and dug his heels in unreasonably.
“No,” he answered. He tried to understand why she was fighting them on quitting the study. He knew she wanted her degree, and to be self-sufficient. “I get it. I just don’t like it.”
She sat on the bed awkwardly, holding her hand over the icepack on her side. She seemed unsure he wanted her next to him. He couldn’t stand to see her uncomfortable. He put his hand over hers, and his arm around her shoulders, easing her back on the bed so she was lodged firmly in the crook of his arm.
“There,” he whispered, burying his face in her hair. “That’s better.”
She made a small noise of agreement, snuggling into his side. “I’m quitting.”
“What? Why?”
She sighed. “It’s not fair. You guys are so worried. It’s selfish to push it so far. And stupid. I’ll get out of the contract and find a job. Save up. I’ll eventually get a degree.” She yawned hugely. “It’ll happen.”
The tension in her body grew as she spoke. No matter what she was telling him, she really did want to go on with the study. He knew she had reservations, but to her, they didn’t outweigh the benefits of going to school.
“You’ll stay here.” It wasn’t a question.
Nora looked up at him. “That’s what Ryan and Cai said, too.”
“And Seok?”
“And Seok,” she confirmed. “Seok said it first.”
“God, baby,” he breathed. “I can’t tell you how relieved I feel right now.”
“I know.” She pushed herself up a little, kissing his chin. “I’m sorry I stressed you out so much.”
He shifted onto his side, propping his head on his hand. He pushed Nora’s golden brown hair away from her face to kiss the end of her nose. Her lids lowered drowsily over her brown eyes. “Sleepy?” he husked.
She shook her head, making her curly hair spread over pillow. He leaned down again, kissing her nose and then her lips. Her hand cupped his face, and when he lightly licked her lips, she opened them, touching her tongue to his.
Cupping her arm in his hand, he ran his palm along her skin, loving the way goosebumps erupted under his hand. She gave a shiver and he was lost, puffed up with pride he made her feel these things.
It popped into his mind for a moment his best friends had seen her in similar positions, but then he pushed it away. He didn’t want to feel anything but Nora right now. He’d need to deal with his jealousy later. He couldn’t be the only one feeling it. If this was happening, a relationship between her and the five of them, jealousy would be inevitable.
She made a tiny breathy moan, and he shoved every thought except her lips, her skin, her sounds, out of his head. He pulled his mouth away from hers, wanting to feel more skin under his lips.
He trailed his hand to her stomach, opening his eyes to see if she was okay with his touch. “Please,” she whispered, nodding quickly.
He pushed aside her t-shirt. The skin of her stomach was smooth and hot. His darker skin contrasted with her lighter brown. He moved down the bed, and replaced his hand with his lips. He cupped her hip with his hand. She smelled different here.
He imagined this was a purely Nora smell. There wasn’t the lingering trace of his body wash or shampoo on her skin here. Though he had to admit, when he first buried his face in her neck and smelled his scent, he’d struggled not to rip her clothes off and bury himself inside her to the hilt. Every movement he made, he had to temper, and gentle. She was so insubstantial in his arms, but she never made him feel unwieldy or clumsy. He didn’t feel like a bull in a china shop, she didn’t flinch or eye his size in ways to make him worry. She met each touch with equal pressure, every press of skin with kisses or sighs. Every second with her made him feel more comfortable in his own skin than he could ever remember feeling before.
She sucked in a breath as his lips skimmed the edge of her pants and he smiled. She giggled, like she could feel his smile against her skin. He pushed her shirt further up her body and stopped. A dark bruise began at her collarbone. A little lower and toward the center of her chest was another round bruise, and then on and near her healing bullet graze, and finally, another at her waist.
He closed his eyes, trying to reduce his rage to a simmer. “I know quitting isn’t what you want, not really.” He opened his eyes, meeting her worried gaze. “But I am fucking relieved as hell you’re not going to do that study. Look at you, baby.”
Nora lifted her head and bit her lip at the newly bruised skin. Her head fell to the pillow. “Mood killer, isn’t it?” she said, trying for lightness.
“Hardly,” he growled. He glided his lips along the bruises, starting at her waist and trailing along her skin to her collarbone. His lips barely touched her, but she arched her back, moaning.
“You can touch me,” she said, holding onto his shoulders. “Please.”
“Lift your arms,” he whispered in response.
She lifted them slowly with him helping her, worried she’d hurt herself. He rolled the t-shirt over her arms and pulled it off her head, leaving her clad in her nude bra.
“You’re so beautiful.” He pressed his lips onto the tops of each breasts, nuzzling the skin and sucking it lightly. He pulled the bra cup down, exposing her nipple to the air. It pebbled, the skin a dark, flushed purple.
He glanced up at her again. Her eyes were shut tight, her chin tilted toward the ceiling, and she writhed on the bed.
He smiled, amazed and humbled he could get her to this point. He let his lower lip drift over her nipple and it beaded tightly. He touched it lightly with the tip of his tongue, before curling his tongue around it and sucking it into his mouth.
Suck, curl, kiss. Then he moved to the other nipple.
She gripped his head, holding his mouth to her. He was happy to stay right where he was, but from the way she moved on the bed, he knew she needed more.
He moved his hand down to her jeans, surprised to feel his fingers fumble with her button. He stopped kissing her for a moment, needing to catch his breath. He needed to believe she was really about to let him touch her; it wasn’t a dream.
“Are you sure?” His voice shook. He cleared his throat, and asked again, trying to keep his voice even. “Are you sure?”
She giggled, lifting her head and propping herself on her elbows. “Yes.” She waggled her eyebrows at him. “Very.” She used a low sexy voice and rolled her r’s, making him chuckle.
Suddenly his nervousness was gone. He unbuttoned her jeans, and slid them down her hips and thighs, dragging her underwear along with them until she was laid out before him. She squeezed her legs together, but he dragged his ha
nd along her knee to her inner thigh. He took her lips with his, kissing her deeply, slipping his tongue into her mouth and slowly stroking her skin with his hand.
Eventually her knees fell open, and he let his fingers dance along the folds of her soft core. She was wet and velvety smooth. He drew his finger through her dampness, dragging it up to her small nub, rubbing light, tight circles over it until she gasped and groaned.
Her hand came over his. He pulled his mouth away from hers to stare into her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shut tight. Her hair lay in damp tendrils across her forehead and along the sides of her face. She held his hand tight, but she didn’t try to stop him.
With her fingers entwined with his, he continued to circle her clit, and then dip into her core to collect more wetness to glide his fingers along her skin.
Her fingers squeezed his. “Stop,” she panted. “Wait.”
He stopped immediately, afraid he hurt her. She peeled her fingers from his and unbuttoned his jeans, reaching inside so she could grasp his length with her small hand. Her fingers were wet from her arousal, and for some reason, it turned him on even more.
He huffed out a breath as her hands pumped against his base and then circled his tip before repeating the motion. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against her shoulder. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breath with her hand on him. He thrust his hips a little, her hand tightening deliciously. He did it again, and again, letting out a deep groan.
She lifted her face to his, her free hand holding his face so she could lick her way into his mouth again. Apollo trailed his fingers back to her center, and slowly inserted one thick finger insider her. Her inner muscles clenched down on him, and her hand circled his length. He pulled out his finger and then bit by bit, inserted a second finger along with the first. He withdrew them slowly before thrusting them back inside. Her hips began to move in time with his thrusts. Soon they were both pushing against other’s bodies, their breaths coming faster and faster.
He sucked in a breath. “Nora, baby, I’m close.”
Finding Nora: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Searchers Book 2) Page 5