HARD LIMIT

by Chloe Fischer

  “Why was your brother here?” Sage insisted. “I thought he was in prison. Did he escape?”

  “Sage, please!” he groaned. “I don’t have time for this.”

  He brushed past her and made his way up to the second floor, thinking she would leave if he didn’t talk to her. Sure, she’d be mad – again, but that was better than her being hurt, or even dead. Dammit, how had his life gotten even more complicated than it already was?

  But Sage just followed him, close on his heels.

  As they entered the sprawling master suite, Aiden went into the walk-in closet, retrieving a small laptop. He rustled around the bottom drawer of his dresser, pulling out what looked like electronic gadgets to attach to the laptop?

  “You can do that and explain at the same time,” she insisted, sitting on the bed as he started to assemble the contraption.

  “Sage…”

  “What?” she asked, exasperated at being shut out. “You’re getting annoyed with me because I’m asking questions? You can’t just take Audrey away without a word to anyone. What if I hadn’t been here to hear this? Do you know how worried I would have been? Don’t you owe me something, after walking out on me right after we…”

  Aiden paused and studied her for a quiet moment, looking abashed at the reminder of how he had left her place just moments after they had had the most powerful and emotionally charged sex of his life.

  “Is it only Audrey you’re concerned about?” he asked quietly, and Sage felt a flutter in her gut as she realized what he was asking.

  She cast her eyes downward and swallowed the lump in her throat.

  “Aiden…”

  He moved to her side, cupping her face and tilting it upward to meet his eyes.

  “I feel like the universe has been testing me since the minute you walked into my life,” he said, almost under his breath, as if he didn’t mean to be speaking out loud. “You’ve awoken something in me, and I don’t understand it, but I feel so drawn to you…like I just can’t get enough. Like I could never hold you tight enough, never taste you long enough, never be inside you deep enough…” he trailed off, the warring looks of confusion and sensual heat plain to see on his face.

  His breath was hot against her face, his eyes boring into hers.

  Sage’s lips quivered as she longed to feel his mouth against hers again, the surge of heat between her legs dampening the soft material between her shapely thighs.

  Imploringly she looked at him, waiting for the kiss. But as quickly as the desire had sparked, she saw him rein it in. Dragging his hands from her. He groaned and clenched his jaw hard as he forced himself to turn away.

  “This isn’t fair to you, Sage. You have no idea what kind of messed up drama my family seems to be in right now. I can’t drag you into this with us – I’d be the worst kind of asshole if I did,” he sighed, running both hands through his thick hair, causing the soft locks to spike upwards, giving him a rugged “just sexed up” look. But Sage’s hand shot out to grab his muscular forearm.

  He looked at her in surprise.

  “I’m coming with you,” she told him, sealing her words with the kiss she had wanted him to deliver. It quickly escalated, her feelings for him overwhelming her after everything that had happened that day. “Understand?”

  Chapter Ten

  Sage’s arms circled his neck, her tongue slipping past his lips, delving seductively inside his mouth.

  Her taste exploded in his mouth, crumbling his resolve like a wrecking ball. “Fuck,” he groaned, as he gripped her hips and squeezed harshly, his hands digging into her flesh. He didn’t give in gracefully, either. He crushed her against his body, leaning her backward over his arm as he took over the kiss, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

  She took advantage of his moment of weakness, and swiftly unbuttoned and removed his shirt. The feel of his heated skin against her palms caused a rush of moisture to soak her panties. She traced the lines and curves of the muscles on his chest, dipping down to his chiseled six-pack. A low moan escaped her as she felt his muscles clench when her hands passed over them.

  The firmness in his crotch seemed to grow even larger, as she unbuckled his pants, letting them fall to the floor. His cock sprang free hard and huge, already glistening with a drop of precum.

  “God, you’re hot,” she murmured. She’d seen almost naked before, but up close, he was even more impressive. She wanted to wrap her hand around that iron-hard erection, lick it…freaking worship it. The urge took her by surprise. Never before had she had such a primal desire to get on her knees for the sole purpose of admiring a cock.

  She dropped down, admiring the vision before her. Aiden’s eyes flared with dark need, but he fisted his hand in her hair and tried to force her back up. Instead she ignored his prodding and took exactly what she wanted. Without asking for permission, her mouth embraced his rigid shaft, one palm curling around the low hang of his sack.

  Aiden closed his eyes and bit out a curse. Then he seemed to give up any thought of resistance, and instead relished the feel of his member sliding deeply into her throat as she attempted to love every damn inch of him in long, deliberate movements.

  “Aw, fuck!” he growled, throwing his head back, hands wrapping through her dark tresses.

  In and out she glided, each thrust filling her throat, her mouth becoming a heaven of indescribable pleasure.

  His ass bucked forward, his balls tightening with erotic bliss, and Sage glanced upward, not easing her pace.

  A jolt of pain rushed through her body as he gasped, gripping her hair tightly and this time forcing her to her feet. She tried to fight him, but he was far stronger, and she grinned at him, her mouth wet with saliva as she stared at him with glittering eyes. He took her mouth in a bruising kiss, not relinquishing his hold on her hair, gripping the back of her neck.

  Fuck, she could drive me crazy with need! What is it about her makes it so goddamn impossible to control myself?

  “I think I’m going to love the feel of this perfect ass under my hand when I take you over my knee,” he threatened roughly. The words sent an electric jolt of pleasure straight to her clit.

  “Would you like that? I can feel your nipples getting harder when I talk about spanking your sexy ass. Get up here,” he growled, reaching to pull off her shirt and slide her pants down in one smooth move. Then he just looked at her, his eyes heating further and his cock growing even larger. “Do you know how damn hot you look right now?

  Seamlessly, she stepped out of them and then he pulled her down on the bed on top of him. She climbed over his toned abdomen, her tongue jutting out to roll along her lower lip.

  Her pussy throbbed against his shaft, sliding over is without taking him inside yet. She wanted this feeling to last, this sense of cosmic connection that happened every time he touched her.

  Then she raised herself up, allowing the first inch or two of his shaft inside her. She was making soft moaning sounds, lost in the feeling of being filled and stretched by him as she sank further down onto his shaft. He found her hot button as he shifted himself inside her, finally sinking his whole length deep. She bit her lip to keep from crying out her pleasure, her body climbing higher, each level of pleasure superseding the last.

  The look of shock on her face only caused him to grow harder, his shaft throbbing as her lithe body fell against his hips and he penetrated her entirely again.

  “Oh my God,” she mewled as if she had forgotten how big he was.

  I won’t let her forget again, he thought grimly, driving himself high inside her.

  Sage’s pussy clenched hard. She sat back, grasping her own breasts, pulling and squeezing her nipples as she lost all sense of everything – everything except Aiden and how he could make her feel.

  Aiden grunted, his plows growing more urgent with each stroke. “That’s it,” he said. “Ride me. Take what you need.” She tried to scream out, but nothing came, her body spasming as she quickly reached the peak, wave after wave of pleas
ure storming through her.

  Palms against her plump rear, he switched their positions, finally losing the last bit of his control. He hooked his arm under one of her knees and lifted her leg up, adjusting his angle so he could reach even deeper inside her. His hips started pistoning, there was no more slow and easy. He was fucking her hard and deep and fast, gripping her hip and guiding her pace, each thrust punctuating his words. “Come for me one more time, gorgeous. Let it go and let me feel you come around my cock.”

  Again, she tried to cry out as another orgasm rocked her body, but his mouth was suddenly fused to hers, his tongue thrusting at the same rate and ferocity as his pelvis, his own orgasm mounting as his shaft jacked into her. He cried out as his own orgasm took him, then his teeth bit into her lip and she shuddered, grinding her hips against him until she could move no longer.

  Sage fell limp, her body still quivering with aftershocks. How could sex be this mind-blowing? All he has to do is touch me and I go up in flames for him.

  Aiden’s hands moved up against the smooth skin of her collarbone, tracing small circles along the flesh as they fought to recapture their breaths.

  He leaned over her to kiss her forehead softly, his gaze intent as he simply stared at her, as if he couldn’t quite figure out what to do with her after that sensual, bonding experience. He kissed her again, this time on the lips, ever so sweetly as he pushed himself up and padded into the bathroom to grab a cloth to clean her.

  His mind was whirling.

  I shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. She can’t come with me. There’s enough danger following us as it is…if what those crazies say is true. How can I expose her like that?

  As if reading his mind, Sage cleared her throat.

  “I think I deserve to know what’s going on.”

  Aiden shook his black hair, lowering his eyes to avoid looking at her.

  “You can’t come with me,” he told her, hastily putting on his clothes. He fumbled with the buttons and Sage stepped toward him, brushing his hands aside to fix the mess he was making.

  “I think we’re beyond that,” she said flatly. “Now we’re at the place where you tell me what’s going on.”

  He looked into her eyes as she continued to button his shirt, wondering how she had become so entwined in his life. How could she seem so important to him already? They hardly knew each other, and yet it felt like she was a part of him. This was crazy. He needed to cut her loose – for her own safety. His heart clenched just thinking about never seeing her again. But he couldn’t drag her into this mess. From what his brothers and father had told him earlier, it could (and probably would) become dangerous. For all of them. It was bad enough that Audrey would be exposed to this. But he couldn’t leave his daughter. If Oculus ever found out about her powers, she would be at the top of their capture list. Apparently from what Drake had said, Audrey was the very first girl born into Oculus’ twisted manipulations. He had to protect her.

  Maybe he should have listened to his brothers. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to protect her on his own. Would they be stronger if they stayed together? But how could he trust any of them? It barely made any sense. What if they were Oculus? How did he know they were really who they said they were? Except for the startling family resemblance, I guess, he thought. And the ability for them all to speak telepathically. Didn’t that insinuate that they had blood ties? But still…

  Why the hell would they just show up like that? Can any of what Drake Conway said be true?

  Again, he thought of the dream he and Xander had shared since childhood, the one where they had been ambushed by men in black.

  Now the men in black had a name, he supposed; Oculus.

  But what did any of that mean to him?

  If this group wanted us so badly, why didn’t they come for us earlier?

  The only thing that made sense was that Drake Conway’s account of what had happened was true and that he and his brothers had been so well hidden, they simply did not know where to look.

  His thoughts trailed back to the bizarre encounter on his driveway earlier…

  …

  When Drake had the gun pointed at him, Aiden’s temper had peaked. For the first time since that fateful day from his childhood when his friend had died, he had the almost uncontrollable desire to use his powers and whip Drake Conway into a spontaneous firestorm.

  He wasn’t even sure he could still do it. After all, it had been years since he had tried to manipulate the elements, and he had never tried to control fire, but wasn’t it just like all other elements?

  But if Xander could still astral project into someone else’s body, Aiden was sure he was still in possession of his own talent.

  Before he had a chance to summon the climate, another car had pulled into the drive and a tall, muscular man a few years older than Aiden leapt from the car.

  “Drake, put down the gun, you maniac!” he growled and suddenly, Drake’s face contorted in pain as his hand twisted at a strange angle and the firearm crashed to the pavement.

  “Ryder!” Drake gasped. “Wh- what are you doing here?”

  Aiden gaped as two more men exited the sedan.

  “No!” Aiden barked, his head snapping toward his twin’s face. What the ever-loving fuck was going on? Who were all these people? And why the hell was Xander out of prison? “No, I don’t know who you are or what you all want, but you need to get the hell off my property!”

  “Aiden, you need to talk to us,” Xander sighed, his eyes slipping toward the house. Panic and fear for his daughter consumed Aiden as he blocked the path leading to the house.

  “Xander you aren’t welcome here,” he growled. “Take your friends and go.”

  In his mind, he tried to concoct a weather scenario which would wipe them out in one go.

  We can overpower you if we need to, Aiden, a voice told him silently and Aiden’s head shot up to stare at the driver of the car.

  Trust me, Aiden, Xander agreed. Listening is your best option now. Our abilities combined can only serve to create a chaos you won’t be able to explain away to your homeowner’s association, he cajoled flippantly.

  “Aiden, we should go inside,” Ryder said cordially.

  “He just held a gun on me. You think I’m going to invite you in for a beer?” Aiden ground out. “Get the hell out of here.”

  But there was less conviction in his voice this time. He did not doubt that even if he got them to leave, they would be watching him.

  Suddenly, the only man who had not spoken, an even more heavily muscled man than Ryder, stepped forward. He was dressed in all black, something wise and all-knowing shining in his ethereal green eyes.

  “Aiden,” he sighed. “My name is Xavier. Xavier Sinclair. I am your older brother. Well, one of them.”

  Aiden’s eyes widened in shock and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  Instead, he glared at Xander furiously.

  “Whatever shit you’re up to this time – ”

  “I’m also your older brother,” Ryder sighed. “Ryder Quinn.”

  “Well, you already know me,” Xander chuckled, the only one of the group who looked at ease.

  “It’s true, Aiden,” Drake insisted but Aiden, surprisingly, wasn’t doubting their claims of blood. He only knew that he had no desire to be a part of whatever they wanted of him. He had enough problems of his own at the moment. Audrey and her protection had to be his top priority. Not trying to figure out what his long, lost family wanted from him.

  “I don’t care,” Aiden insisted. “Leave.”

  “Ten minutes,” Ryder reasoned. “Ten minutes and if you don’t like what we have to say, we’ll go. Right?”

  The other men nodded, all except for Drake.

  “Hey, old man!” Ryder snapped. “He’s waiting for your word.”

  “Of course,” Drake mumbled. “Yes. Ten minutes.”

  Reluctantly, Aiden realized it was the easiest way to get rid of them without fighting. He led them to
ward the house.

  “We’re going in the basement,” he growled. “Keep your voices down. I don’t want my daughter to see you.”

  They silently slipped into the basement and Aiden was painfully aware that Audrey was nearby, but he was at a loss of how else to get rid of the men.

  He willed himself not to warn her to stay in her room, knowing that any of the others might hear his thoughts.

  “What do you want from me?” he snapped, standing against the support beam as the others made themselves comfortable in the rec room.

  “Hey! Don’t get comfortable. You won’t be here for long.”

  Xander and Xavier ignored him, but Ryder obliged, and Drake remained standing.

  “Aiden, you have to know that you are very special by now,” Drake started but Aiden really did not want to hear anything that his biological father had to say, and he held up his hand to show it.

  “You tell me,” he said to Ryder. Out of everyone in the room, he found the man the least offensive for some reason.

  Ryder nodded.

  “Well, as you know, this is our father, Drake Conway. He’s always been military, but many years ago, he got mixed up with a private group known as Oculus.”

  “What did you do?” Aiden accused, and there was a collective sigh.

  “There really isn’t a lot of time for that right now, Aiden. The bottom line is that he was a rogue experiment and Oculus was not happy when they lost track of him.”

  Aiden folded his arms over his chest, waiting.

  Ryder cleared his throat and looked at his hands.

  “You and Xander wouldn’t remember, you were very young, but they came to the house and murdered our mother – “

  Aiden’s head jerked up and he stared at Xander who nodded soberly.

  “I told you that was real and not a nightmare,” his twin said.

  “Not a nightmare,” Ryder agreed. “But it wasn’t Drake they wanted back then. They wanted us.”

  “Why?” Aiden asked dully but he knew the answer. “Our abilities?”

  Ryder nodded.

  “Unfortunately for them, we collectively overpowered them even at the ages of 5, 3 and 1 and while they almost killed Drake, we killed them all somehow.”