by Becca Van
She was lucky enough to have photographs of her parents but seeing their images hadn’t jostled her memories of them in a real life. Both of her parents had been only children and as she grew up, Sapphira had longed for a brother or sister, but that was not to be.
Another upside to being found on the side of the road was the four Sinclair brothers. Even though the triplets were the spitting image of each other, she could tell them apart and to her that was a little weird. She’d never been one to notice the differences in other people before but for some reason she did with Kael, Kadan, and Kai. And then there was Ryan. He was a lot shorter and leaner than his hulking brothers, but he was so damn handsome it nearly hurt her eyes to look at him, all of them for that matter.
The triplets had to be bigger than six-and-half-feet tall and they all had black hair, green-blue eyes and so many muscles, they were bulging with them. They looked like a combination of warriors gone by and Greek Adonises.
Ryan was about five inches shorter than his older brothers but still an inch taller than her six foot height. His hair was also black and styled in a no-nonsense short cut, but his eyes were totally green and they were so mesmerizing she had to forcibly stop herself from looking.
What gave her pause, though, was that she was attracted to all four of them and that scared the crap out of her. She’d never been attracted to more than one man before and she had no idea what to do about it or how to deal with it. Every time she was near them or looking at one or all of them, her body decided to have a party. Her breasts grew heavy and her nipples hardened and ached. Cream was dripping from her pussy because it kept clenching with desire. And with Ryan and Kael touching her, her arousal seemed to rev up from a slow idle to a full-out, hundred-kilometer-an-hour sprint. If she could have left she would have because she didn’t want any of the men knowing she was lusting after them, but she was too scared to get in her car and continue on to her intended destination. The last thing she wanted to do was end up killing herself if she fell asleep at the wheel, or even worse, end up killing some other innocent person. Sapphira wouldn’t be able to live with her conscience if she ever did something like that.
“Sapphira, are you okay?” Kael’s deep cadence washed over her, causing her to shiver, but when she realized she had been sitting at the counter staring off into space, her cheeks heated with embarrassment.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure, honey?” Ryan asked. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but don’t get too worried yet, you haven’t even been properly diagnosed yet.”
“Yes, I am rather overwhelmed.”
Kael pushed the plate of barely touched sandwiches forward. “You need to keep your strength up, baby. Eat.”
When Sapphira met Kael’s implacable stare she knew he wasn’t going to let her get away without eating, so she picked up the sandwich and took a bite.
Chairs scraped and then Kadan and Kai walked around to the other side of the counter. “Can I get you something to drink, legs?” Kadan asked.
“Water please.”
Kadan got her a bottle of water from the fridge and even though she was aware of Kai staring at her, she didn’t look up.
“You know, you remind me of someone but I can’t quite pinpoint who,” Kai mused.
“You, too?” Kael asked. “I’ve been wracking my brain but can’t come up with who you look like.”
“Megan Gale,” Ryan said.
“Shit. That’s it.” Kai clicked his fingers and then looked at Sapphira. “No wonder you look so familiar.”
“Who’s Megan Gale?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Kael asked with a skeptical look on his face.
Sapphira shook her head.
“Megan Gale is a famous Australian model,” Kadan explained. “She has her own range of swimwear and went over to Greece to work for a few years. The Greeks adore her.”
Sapphira still had no clue who they were talking about. She never watched television or bought magazines, so she wasn’t really up with what went on with famous people. Of course she watched the news occasionally and knew what was going on in the world, but there was so much crap on the TV she much preferred to read or listen to the radio. She finally finished eating one of the sandwiches and pushed the plate away.
“You didn’t…” Kael began, only to be interrupted by Ryan.
“Leave it be, Kael.”
Sapphira had a pretty good idea that Kael was going to tell her she hadn’t eaten enough, but she had. She’d never been a big eater but she always got what she need from the food she ate. She drained the last of the water from the bottle and then had to cover her mouth to stifle a yawn. She hated feeling so damn tired, but at least now she knew the cause.
What frightened her, though, was that she couldn’t remember pulling over to the side of the road or turning the engine off. Maybe it was a good thing that policeman had found her and called Ryan to come get her. She wasn’t going to be moving on until she knew it was safe to do so.
And there was the added benefit of all the eye candy. She just hoped that she would be able to hide her arousal from them. It would be so damn embarrassing if they knew that they turned her on just by existing.
“Why don’t you go and hop into bed, honey? You’re going to need all the rest you can.”
“Yeah, thanks. I think I’ll do just that. It’s been a tiring…”
Kael looked up to see her body go rigid and Sapphira staring into space. All of a sudden her muscles went lax and he grabbed her as she slumped, stopping her from falling off the stool and onto the floor. He caught her around the waist and slipped an arm beneath her knees, then stood up and carried her from the room.
Ryan rushed ahead of him and pulled the covers back on the bed while he waited. He placed her on the sheet then they removed her shoes. “She’s probably going to wake up hot, sleeping in her clothes.”
“Yeah, but that can’t be helped,” Ryan said quietly and pulled the top sheet up over her and left the light quilt at the bottom of the bed. “We don’t want to impinge on her privacy. She’d probably be embarrassed if we took her clothes off.”
Kael nodded and, after one last look at the sleeping beauty in their guest bedroom, followed Ry back out to the kitchen. He wanted to know everything there was to know about narcolepsy and when he was done picking Ryan’s brain, he was going to go online and do some research.
“What causes narcolepsy, Ry?” Kael asked the moment he followed his brother back into the kitchen.
Ryan sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “No one really knows, but scientists think it’s caused by a gene mutation, which may or may not be caused by a virus. All anyone really knows it that it’s a sleep disorder.”
“So what aren’t you telling us?” Kadan asked.
“Narcolepsy and cataplexy can go hand in hand.”
“What the hell is cataplexy?” Kai asked.
“Cataplexy is a weakness in the muscles which can be brought on by strong emotions or highly stressful situations, but it can also be triggered without any stress at all.”
“Shit, is that what just happened?” Kadan asked.
“No, but Sapphira did experience muscle paralysis just before she fell asleep.”
“It was kind of creepy. One minute she was sitting there talking, the next she was staring at nothing and then within the snap of a finger, she’s fast asleep.”
Kael clenched his jaw and his fist and stared hard at Kai. “Don’t you dare say something like that to her, Kai. Sapphira probably already feels scared and overwhelmed. I won’t have you making her feel bad, or like she’s different.”
“Fuck, Kael, I would never do that.” Kai held his hand up palm out. “Chill, man, I’m not that fucking insensitive.”
“Kael’s right,” Ryan said. “We don’t want her to feel like she’s an anomaly. I’ll call Doc Wright first thing in the morning and organize for him to do some tests. Hopefully by the end of tomorrow we’ll have some answers.”
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br /> “One of us should stay with her all the time,” Kai said. “What happens if she falls asleep and ends up hurting herself?”
“I agree.” Ryan rose to his feet. “I’ll arrange for a locum to come in and cover me tomorrow morning, but I won’t be able to do that for long. I still have patients to care for and they come first. Can you three take it in turns and rotate days off to be with her next week?”
“Wait. First we need to know what your plans are, Ry.” Kael saw by the hungry look on his brother’s face that he didn’t have to elaborate.
“I want her as much as you three so if she is attracted to us and agreeable to a polyandrous relationship then I’m in. But—” Ryan paused to glare at Kadan and Kai. “You two aren’t to push or make any moves on her until we get her test results back or until we explain to her what we want up front. There is to be no coercion or cajoling. If she wants to be with us then she does, but if she doesn’t then you leave her alone.”
“Jesus, Ryan, you’re getting as bad as Kael,” Kadan snapped. “We have never and would never force or seduce a woman unless she knows the score.”
“Look, I didn’t mean to insinuate you would. I’m just really worried. We know nothing about her and she has enough to deal with without you two adding to her problems.”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Kael slashed a hand in the air. “You’re all putting the cart before the horse. We take this one step at a time and if Sapphira agrees to a relationship with us then we let her go at her own pace. No pushing.”
Kael looked at the clock and decided to try and get an early night. It was only ten thirty but he and his brothers had to be in their office by seven to meet with the construction crew renovating their office space. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
As Kael stripped off he knew he was going to have a hell of a time getting to sleep and not because it was still thirty-two degrees Celsius outside, but because he couldn’t get Sapphira’s beautiful face and body out of his mind. He slid onto the cool sheet in his boxer shorts and didn’t bother to pull the top sheet over him. The breeze wafting in his open window did little to cool his heated body but the slight wind was enough to keep him from tossing and turning, but he still couldn’t get comfortable. After thumping his pillow a few times, he finally pulled it out from under his heat and hurled it to the floor.
Kael’s dick was as hard as a rock and his balls were aching as if begging for release, but he tried to ignore the incessant throb. When another half hour had past, he finally gave up and headed into the bathroom. He turned the shower on, stripped his boxers off, and stepped into the cool water, and let it sluice down his body with a groan. When his erection didn’t start to go down, he turned off the little warm water he had and stood under the cold stream. His flesh pebbled with goose bumps but still his wayward dick throbbed. With a snarl of frustration, Kael took his shaft in hand and began to pump. He pictured Sapphira in his mind and tried to imagine what she’d look like naked. It didn’t take much. Since it was so damn hot, she’d been wearing shorts and a tank top. The shorts hadn’t been indecent ending at mid-thigh, but seeing those long, tanned legs got to him every time. He wondered what color her nipples were and if she kept her pubic hair trimmed or if she was totally bare. God, he hoped so. Kael loved a nude mound. He loved seeing those pink lips all swollen and coated with honey.
Kael trembled and gripped his cock tighter, then he reached down and squeezed his balls. That was all it took. His legs shook and the tingle at the base of his spine grew until it encased his whole crotch. He bit his lip to stop the groan forming in his chest from escaping, tipped his head back, and shot his load. Ejaculate spewed from the tip of his penis as his balls catapulted spurt after spurt up and out his dick. By the time he’d finished coming, his legs were shaking and he wondered how the hell he was still standing.
When he finally got his breath and equilibrium back, he washed quickly, shut off the shower, and hoped like hell that Sapphira Dixon would be amenable to forming a ménage relationship with him and his three brothers. If just imagining how her nude body looked was enough to shake him up and make him come that hard, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what touching and loving her for real would to do him. But if given the chance, he intended to find out as soon as possible.
Kael had a feeling that Sapphira Dixon could end up being the love of his and his brothers’ lives.
He was thirty-six years old and wanted to settle down. Now that he, Kadan, and Kai were out of the Army, he wanted to have a woman he could come home to. A woman he could cuddle up with and a woman he could spend the rest of his life loving. Even though he suspected that Sapphira was much younger than she looked, there was world weariness in her eyes, and he guessed that she was more mature than her age.
Whenever he looked into her stunning blue-gray eyes, he could see sadness and wondered what she had been through to put that sadness there. He wanted to protect her and hold her in his arms until that sadness was gone. Kael and his brother were going to have to go slow with her. If she did in fact have narcolepsy, she already had a lot to deal with, a lot of changes to make, but hopefully after seeing Doc Wright and with Ryan’s caring and knowledge, they would all be able to help her adjust. Knowledge was power as far as he was concerned and as long as Ry kept him, Kadan, and Kai informed, there should be no problem helping Sapphira through this sleep disorder.
He hoped nothing else was wrong with her. Kael and his brothers had gone to school with a guy that suffered from epilepsy. Some of his seizures had been full-bodied ones but other times he just looked like he was staring off into space, but even if Sapphira had epilepsy, there was medication she could take that would control the fits. He was going to have to ask Ry about that first thing. No, better yet, I’ll ask him now.
Kael pulled his shorts back on and hurried to Ry’s room. He didn’t bother to knock because he didn’t want to disturb Sapphira since her room was right across the hall. After opening the door, he stepped in and closed it quietly behind him.
“What’s up?” Ryan reached over and flicked the bedside lamp on.
“Could Sapphira have epilepsy?”
“No, she wasn’t showing signs of convulsions.”
Kael went on to explain about the kid in school.
“While he was staring into space was he grinding his teeth?”
“Yeah.”
“Relax, Kael, I can promise you that she doesn’t have epilepsy.”
“Good.” Kael opened the door but then closed it again. “Call me as soon as you have the results.”
“Will do.”
Kael hurried back to his room. This time when he lay down on the bed, his muscles relaxed and he knew it wouldn’t be long before sleep claimed him.
His last thought before he succumbed to slumber made him smile. Sapphira didn’t have epilepsy.
Chapter Four
Sapphira was on tenterhooks. She’d been through a barrage of tests and now was waiting for the results. Ryan had brought her to Dr. Cliff Wright’s clinic and had stayed by her side the whole time. Now she was sitting in the waiting room, and even though she tried to keep still, she couldn’t. She fidgeted with her hands, picked up her mobile phone, and looked at the time God knows how many times. She jiggled her foot when her legs were crossed and she picked up magazines, looked at their covers only to put them down again.
It had been over an hour since the doctor had done the last test and he’d said he should have the results within thirty minutes. With every minute over the initial thirty minutes, she got more and more anxious. When the doctor finally came out and called her name, she stood up only to have her legs buckle out from under her. Thank God Ryan was with her and he caught her before she made a fool of herself. Instead of holding her steady, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her across the waiting room and down the hallway to Doc Wright’s examination room.
“Put me down, Ryan. I can walk.” She clung to his neck and tried not to make any
noise when she inhaled his delectable citrus scent and clean male aroma. Sapphira wasn’t sure she’d managed that when he looked at her and winked but he took no notice of her protest and just continued on as if she hadn’t spoken.
Doc Wright closed the door when Ryan carried her over to one of the chairs in front of his desk. The doctor took his seat and then looked at her for a moment.
“Did your muscles feel really weak when you stood up, Sapphira? Are you feeling anxious?”
Sapphira sighed but answered honestly. “Yes and yes.”
Ryan looked from her to the doc and stated more than asked, “Narcolepsy and cataplexy.”
“Yes.”
“What?” Sapphira knew about the narcolepsy thanks to Ryan but she’d never heard the other word before.
Doc Wright went on to explain to her in laymen’s terms what she had and by the time he’d finished, her head was spinning.
“Treatment?” Sapphira asked.
“No caffeine at all, small regular meals often, plenty of rest, and absolutely no alcohol.”
“I don’t drink tea or coffee, have never had a drop of alcohol, and try to rest when I need to.”
“What’s your diet like?”
“I try to eat three meals a day but sometimes I forget, but I’ve never been a big eater.”
“Xyrem?”
“Yes.” Doc Wright got out his prescription pad, wrote on it quickly, tore off the page, and then handed it to her. “Get this filled right away. Read the instructions thoroughly and don’t take more than the prescribed dose. If you have any side effects, come and see me immediately. Are there any other questions?”