“I need to tell her brothers she’s alive and well.”
“They can’t come see her, not if they’re being watched,” Fox said.
“We got her, Ferion. We’ll provide the protection that is necessary. We’ll inform her that her brothers are alive, but what the situation is.”
“You better make sure she knows not to run. That she has to remain under your protection, and beyond guardianship. They figure out where she is and it’s over. They’ll send in everyone they have. Garcia is losing his shit,” Ferion told them.
“We got this. She’s our woman. You tell her brothers that. All four of us are her guardians, and we’ll be protecting her with everything we have,” Fox said, and then Ferion gave them some more details and sent them all the information he had thus far.
“When the time comes, Ferion, Chase and I want in on this. On any missions to take all of these men out.”
“Understood, Fox, and depending on how this investigation goes, hopefully you won’t have to do anything. My God, this is a fucking miracle, that’s what it is. She got herself to the right place, and who the hell knows how,” Ferion said, seemingly just as shocked as Fox and Case felt. Fox ended the call.
He looked at his brother. Their phones in hand, the sounds of the multiple alerts coming through their phones. They didn’t say a word, just both looked down at the same time and began to read the details from one man Frank and what he said about Athena being held prisoner. A young woman with her whole life ahead of her and this monster, this narcissistic dick, stole it all from her. There was so much more to learn and understand.
“She didn’t know that Voight and Louis were alive. She would have went to them, found them somehow.”
“I know, but if you think about it, they might have gotten killed since this Garcia guy sent men right to where they were at. He knew all along where her brothers were, and he manipulated her mind. I want to fucking kill this asshole, Chase. Kill him with my bare fucking hands, and we don’t even know everything she went through.”
“I feel the same way, but we need to focus on her safety, on securing this bond we have. She’s here in Cherry Hill.”
“Fuck, Mussadan is resourceful. They’ll eventually find her. If these men are onto Voight and Louis right now, and Ferion, you know they can infiltrate any contact.”
“Which is why we’ll be careful. My concern is her reaction to us knowing, to finding out who we are, that we know her brothers so well,” Fox said.
“We didn’t know they had a sister, Chase. We didn’t fucking know that.”
“Apparently, they told Ferion and asked for his help.”
“They asked too late. She could have died.”
“Well she isn’t dead, Fox, she’s with us.” Fox looked down the dark road. They had gone a bit away from the dance hall to avoid anyone listening to the phone call.
“I want her out of there right now,” Fox said as Chase gripped the steering wheel with one hand.
“I do, too, but we don’t want to scare her, or want to make a scene and draw attention to her.”
“Attention to her? Every fucking single guy has his eyes on her. Word needs to spread fucking fast that we’re her guardians.”
“It will, Fox. It will. Let’s get back there. Keeping eyes on her will bring us a bit more comfort. Then when we’re all together tonight, we can explain to Culter and Kane.”
Fox nodded and Chase started up the truck and they headed back toward Harper’s. He looked out the window, at the side mirror, and then even through the parking lot when they got there. He didn’t like feeling out in the open, exposed like this. He didn’t know what the enemy looked like, and he didn’t like feeling like the hunted when he was the hunter. As Chase parked the truck, his brother took a deep breath and released it.
“They don’t know she’s here. She somehow stayed on the run, hidden, on her own for over a fucking year. We don’t leave her side. We remain armed, diligent in protecting her and we make sure that others around Cherry Hill and Central Valley know, too. Our connections, the men we trust and have done jobs with. It will all aid in her protection.”
“Let’s get inside. I need to see that she’s fine.”
* * * *
Athena saw Fox and Chase return from heading outside a while ago. She almost thought they had left and didn’t want to stay with Kane and Culter to watch over her. It upset her, made her feel uneasy, and like she was in danger or something. That shocked her at first, because obviously she trusted them and was going to tell them all about Garcia and her brothers tonight. She was on edge, and hoped their desire to make love to her, to help her be able to let down her guard and make love with them, would happen tonight. She felt anxious, and now watching them join their brothers Kane and Culter, their eyes narrowed, their expressions ominous, and she feared the worst. Were they going to leave her for a mission? She thought about that. About being involved with military men.
Though it seemed they did something a bit different than traditional military, considering she saw Fox talking to three men the other night, who Maya said were like mercenaries. She really didn’t know what that was, but as she described what she knew Maya thought about her brothers, Louis and Voight. Tears filled her eyes. She missed them so much. If they were alive she could have been with them, letting them and their resources protect her, but they weren’t. She was here in Cherry Hill, and she went and basically fell for four commanding men who she didn’t completely know, but felt like they were powerful, capable, truthful, and maybe even empathetic men. They intimidated her and made her feel a tad bit of fear maybe. Not like Matias, where she cowered and had nightmares about his possession and control. It was different. It was like Fox and his brothers protected her, and because of their professional positions, their military backgrounds, and their experiences in life, they expected respect, control, dominance, and full honesty. That was why tonight she needed to tell them who she really was and what she went through. When she made love, she wanted them to know everything, and know they still wanted her, scars, abuse, and all.
“Hey, you okay?” Maya asked, giving her elbow a nudge. When she looked up at her, Maya reached out, eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and dismissed the emotions. “I’m okay, just had a bit of a revelation that shocked me.”
“What?”
She gave a soft smile, then glanced at Kane and them who were in deep discussion at a corner table. “How much I really like them. How they make me feel protected, and how I want to please them, but there are scars from the past.”
“You need to tell them. To talk to them about those scars, because it’s obvious they really care about you, too.”
Athena gave her a smile. “I will. Tonight, I’ll talk to them about things.”
“Good, now we have about two more hours. Try not to freak yourself out,” Maya teased.
Athena gave her arm a tap. “Be nice,” she said, and then they went back to helping the new customers who walked up to the bar to get drinks.
By the time the evening ended, she was tired, her feet ached, and she just wanted to shower and go to bed. That was until she came around the bar as the guys said goodnight and Fox took her hand and started walking her out, with Chase right beside her and Kane and Culter behind them. Chase got into the truck to drive and Fox lifted her up into the middle, and he took the passenger seat next to her. Everyone got in and they headed out, and she leaned her head against Fox’s shoulder. His palms slid over her knee, as Chase’s palm caressed her other leg.
She felt on edge, like something was going on because none of them talked. They were too quiet. Then she realized they were heading the opposite way of her apartment.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Our place.”
She lifted her head. “I need to shower.”
“You can, at our place,” Fox said as he eased his palm along her knee.
“I wanted to talk to you guys. I need to
talk to you about things before we go further.”
“I know, baby, I know. You can shower and then we’ll talk,” Fox said, and she nodded but felt like he was on edge, too. It was crazy. So when they got to their house, a private large estate behind a main gate at the bottom, and then acres and acres of land, she got more nervous.
They had an alarm system in place, and they disarmed it as they went inside. Kane started turning on lights and Fox pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She was concerned he would want more, but she really wanted to come clean, to let them know who she was, but his kisses were demanding and passionate. When he released her lips, Chase pulled her into his arms and kissed her next, and just as thoroughly. Then Culter did the same as he cupped her breast and then trailed his mouth along her neck. Finally, Kane was pulling her up into his arms and carried her upstairs.
“You’re so light, so sexy and feminine. We’ll protect you, baby, with everything we have, always. As your guardians, as your lovers, and your men,” Kane said, and her chest tightened.
She wanted that. She felt emotional as she realized how ready she was for them to make love to her. She leaned into his neck and kissed his skin as a few more lights went on around them, and then she was in a master bathroom, huge, and masculine, with a Tuscan feel to it. There were stone tiles on the floor, an extra-large walk-in shower with multiple heads and benches like it could be a sauna too, and then a deep, big Jacuzzi tub that she would love to soak in.
He reached for her jeans to unbutton them as Fox started the shower, his shirt already off of him. Her heart raced as she looked toward Fox, and then at Chase who removed his shirt, too. Scars, tattoos, muscles galore, she was having palpitations. Kane slid her jeans down her thighs. She reached up and cupped his cheek. He held her gaze with that firm, commanding sheriff expression before kissing her palm as he pushed her jeans lower. She was shaking. As she went to grab onto his shoulder, he kissed her bare belly and Culter pressed up against her back and suckled on her neck while he used his palms to ease under her shirt, and lift it up.
Culter eased back. “Arms up,” he said in a deep, commanding tone and she reacted immediately. She felt high strung, in tune to every touch, to every sensation, and their presence around her. She raised her arms up and he pulled off the top. Her breasts bounced.
“God damn, you are so beautiful. So perfect and sweet,” Chase said as the sound of the shower running filtered around them.
Culter began to unclip her bra as Kane slid his thumbs into the thin material on her hips, ready to push her panties down.
“Oh God, I wanted to talk to you first. To explain things first.”
“We will talk, but we need you now. To be close to you, Athena Monroe,” Fox said to her, and she gasped.
She gripped onto Kane’s shoulders as he pressed his mouth to her belly. “What?”
Fox cupped her chin and her bra lowered. “We know who you are. We know about the man who abducted you and held you prisoner.”
She swallowed hard. Tears began to flow, and she stared into his eyes and saw the emotion. “Fox.” Her voice cracked.
“We know who your brothers are, Athena, and they’re alive,” Chase said, standing next to Fox. Her heart began to pound, and more tears flowed.
“What?” No, that can’t be. They’re dead. He said they were dead.”
She went to pull back but Culter held her, pressed up against her back. She was almost naked, only wearing her panties. Kane’s hands were holding her hips. Culter had his back pressed up against her back. Fox held her chin, and Chase was right next to him. They surrounded her and were pressing kisses to her skin, trying to ease calmness into her.
“They are alive and well, and have been looking for you, baby. We’re all part of a special operation unit. Your brothers were offered positions in our unit more recently, and held off on joining as they continued to search for you. They only told our commander, Ferion, but it seems Matias Garcia found out about them and their pursuit to find you and they’re being followed.’
“Oh God, he’ll kill them, and he’ll kill you,” she cried, and wanted to push them away, but they wouldn’t let her.
“No.” Fox gripped her chin and then cupped her cheeks. The tears continued to flow.
“We’re mercenaries. Men who are trained beyond anything you could ever imagine. We hunt and we kill. I’m telling you this, revealing this to you so you realize our capabilities. We are going to protect you.”
She looked at him, tried processing her thoughts and how her brothers weren’t dead, but she wouldn’t be able to see them in order for them to be safe. Then she thought about these men here and being mercenaries, and she felt the pain in her gut.
“You want me just so you can protect me?”
“No. God damn it, don’t even go there,” Kane said in a fierce tone that made her jump as he gripped her hips tighter.
She looked at him, but then Fox squeezed her cheeks a little to get her to focus on him. “We want you as our woman. You’ve accepted our guardianship knowing tonight that we would claim you, claim your body and mark you our woman. We found out about your brothers, about your abduction and being held prisoner for two years.”
“What?” Culter said.
“We’ll discuss it later, in detail, but the point is right now we need to know you’re safe and secure with us here. That you understand we will not fail you,” Fox told her.
Her heart was in pieces, and these men had slowly begun to put the pieces back together, and here she was feeling so spent. “He did things, Fox. For two years he beat me, raped me, destroyed my self-confidence, my desire to live.”
“Fuck,” Kane whispered, and kissed her belly.
She closed her eyes.
“He didn’t break you, Athena. You fought back and took back control when you escaped that day. You made sure that you were back in control and you defeated him. You got away and remained safe and undetected for over a year. A fucking year. Men like your brothers have searched for you and couldn’t find you. You did that. You were a soldier honey, a resourceful, determined soldier to escape danger and death, and it brought you here to Cherry Hill. To us. We are going to protect you, to love you, and take every ounce of the bad, evil memories of that fuck away from you, and replace it all with love, with protection and care.”
She sobbed as Fox and them held her upright, and he kissed her forehead, then her cheeks until she opened her eyes and looked at them through blurred vision from the tears that flowed.
“He stole my virginity, he took from this body against my will over and over again for two years. Two years, I don’t know if I can give you what you deserve for giving so much to me.”
“No, baby. This is right, and this is real and powerful what we are sharing in a ménage relationship with you. We’ve never felt so connected to a woman, and definitely not one together as a family and a team. Let us show you how real men love their woman. How they protect her, put her needs, her desires first,” Kane said to her.
“No pain, baby, only pleasure,” Chase said, and kissed her other shoulder.
“Definitely only pleasure,” Culter said, and suckled against her neck.
She eased her head back against his chest and closed her eyes and breathed. “I need so much. Want so much, and I’ve never gotten anything I wanted. Take me. Make love to me. Take his touch, his battering hands away. Oh please, please take it away.”
“One by one, then together,” she heard Kane say, and then he pushed down her panties and she was lifted up into the air by Fox.
“Do we need protection?” he asked her.
“I have an IUD,” she said, voice cracking as she lay her head against his head and he carried her into the shower. The water flowed over then and he set her feet down and began to wash her.
“Hands on the wall in front of you. Relax your muscles. Enjoy this because every bit is supposed to bring you pleasure and bring us to becoming a deeper part of you.” He pressed his mouth to her shoul
ders and she absorbed it all. As scared as she felt, and emotional about what would come of this, she needed them. Had learned to become dependent on their closeness, their expressions of care and desire for her, and their authenticity, too.
“You’re a work of art. From your strong, muscular shoulders, to these tight abs, and sexy ass and thighs, you are incredible, Athena. A goddess and ours,” he said, and kissed along her back as he washed up her up and paid close attention to her breasts, her cunt, and ass.
Then Kane joined in. He leaned down, cupped her jaw, and pressed his lips to hers. When he released her lips, he stroked his thumb along her nipple. “Our own special goddess.”
She stared at his muscles, and slid her hand from the wall to his chest as he moved slightly in front of her and she kissed him. Fox slid fingers to her cunt in that same moment, and she moaned into Kane’s mouth. She wasn’t scared. It didn’t hurt. Instead, she felt her pussy clench, her desire to be their woman overpower everything else, and it began.
The water flowed between them, and as Kane slid his mouth from her lips to her neck and breast, lowering down to suckle hard, she rocked her hips to Fox’s finger thrusts.
“Oh God yes, yes it doesn’t hurt. It feels so good, so right.”
Fox leaned against her back, his erection tapping her spine as his mouth landed on her shoulder and by her ear. “Only pleasure, always. You’re so wet, Athena. Wet and ready for your men to take you. To mark you our woman.”
“Yes, yes, do it. Oh!” She gasped and gripped Kane’s head and hair as he suckled and tugged on her nipple, hard.
Fox pulled his fingers from her cunt from behind and widened her thighs. She felt his cock at her entrance and lowered, tilting her ass back for acceptance. She craved more. Wanted them to make love to her and claim her as their woman.
Kane cupped her cheeks as he lifted his mouth from her breast. Fox pulled her hips back as he eased his palm down her back, pressing her lower. “I belong to you, too. It isn’t about us taking control, it’s about an equal giving and taking. I’m yours, Athena. All yours. Every fucking inch of me,” Kane said as he held her gaze.
Cherry Hill 1-A Place to Call Home Page 12