by KL Donn
“I don’t understand.” Dee shook her head repeatedly in confusion.
Going to her friend, Kennedy held her hand in both of hers, silently offering her strength.
“I was sent to kill him eight years ago, so I had to infiltrate his life. I was your bodyguard until he noticed the attention I was giving you. I treated you like you were a person rather than a thing, and he didn’t like it so you were sent away and I was reassigned. Instead of taking the new job, I used my time wisely and waited for my opportunity to strike. As I was about to, he was in the middle of a deal and I took advantage.”
“What kind of deal?” Dee asked, her voice shaking with emotion.
“He was about to sell you to a human trafficker for top dollar. Your eyes are a very unique color; therefore, bringing in the highest bidders. He was going to get millions for you. I gave him a choice,” Dom told her softer than she could have imagined.
“My life for his.” The defeat in her friend’s voice worried her.
“Yes.”
“Sunshine,” Creed called her. “Let’s go on back home.” He went to reach for her hand but she pulled back.
“I won’t leave her like this, and with him! Are you insane?”
“It’s fine, Ken. I’ll be okay. I have nothing to fear from Dom, never have. Just don’t like his arrogance,” Dee explained to her with a small smile.
“Are you still leaving tonight?” she asked, worried she would be forced to go somewhere she obviously didn’t want to go.
“Yes,” she shot a dirty look to Dom. “But I’m going back home, not to his royal asshole’s.” Laughing at the growl Dom let out, Dee hugged her whispering, “I’ll see you soon. Go home, Kenny. Your folks miss you.”
“You’ll be ok?” she asked pulling away and looking into her odd-colored eyes, trying to gauge how she was really feeling.
“It’s time to go home, Kennedy. For both of us.”
With one last hug and sad smiles shared, she went to walk away but stopped by Dominic. “You hurt her and I’ll hunt you down myself, Mr. Slade. Understand?” He looked like he was going to laugh her threat off at first until their eyes met and he searched hers, seeing she meant it.
“She’s safe with me; you have my word,” Dom promised her. She would hold him to it, too.
The men did their weird fist bump/half hug thing with whispered words she had no chance of hearing before they each grabbed one of her hands, pulling her back home.
Fifteen
She’d watched Deedee and Dom leave the night before with her heart full of dread. Knowing she might never see her friend again broke her heart. She would miss her fiercely. But she realized Dee was right; it was time to go home. She hadn’t told the guys of her decision yet. She needed to be one hundred percent sure of it herself before she broached the subject with them.
It wasn’t that she didn’t think they would support her unconditionally; she just needed to be sure she was ready. She’d tried to phone her parents but didn’t think she could handle talking to them. It would be too easy to hang up if she got overwhelmed; whereas, if she were with them then she would have to face her fears head on.
“What’s going on, Sunshine?” Linc asked, approaching her from behind her spot on the beach while she drew one last sunset.
“I want to go home.”
“You sure?” Creed asked sitting down on her other side.
“No, but I’ll have to eventually, and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be now.”
“We have a flight booked for tomorrow morning,” Linc told her with a sly smile gracing his full lips.
“You knew?” She should be more shocked, but if there was anything she’d learned in the last few weeks with them, it was that they often knew what she wanted before she did.
“We figured it was only a matter of time. I’m just glad it wasn’t for today or we might be screwed,” Creed joked.
“I guess I should pack then, huh?”
“We’ve, uh, been slowly doing that for you for a few days now.”
“Lincoln!” she admonished. She couldn’t be all mad; it did save her the work of doing it.
“What? Saves you the trouble, yes?”
“The man has jokes.” She smiled at him sideways, letting him know she wasn’t mad. She was honestly relieved that they knew her so well. “Do they know?” She worried.
“No, Sunshine. No one does,” Creed told her as he laid his chin on her shoulder.
·٠•● ●•٠·
“Motherfucker!” Linc growled loudly when he saw the same fucking steward about to board the plane they would have to get on to head back to Texas.
“Lincoln! Language,” Kennedy chastised him pointing to the children around them; oddly, he liked it.
“I don’t wanna be groped and fondled again,” he grumbled.
“What are you talking about?” she asked in frustration.
“Linc’s got himself a little boy toy here in London, and it looks like he just boarded our plane home.” Creed laughing at his expense didn’t help his temper.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you swung that way?” The look on her face was all innocence, but he saw the mischief in her eyes.
Bending down he whispered in her ear, “Keep it up and I’ll introduce you to the mile-high club, Sunshine.”
“Mile-high club?” she asked a little too loudly for his liking.
“Christ woman,” Linc cursed as he placed a hand over her mouth, earning them some strange looks from passersby. “I’ll fuck you somewhere on that plane and have you screaming us down from the air if you keep it up,” he vowed quietly.
The shock on her face would have been comical if people weren’t stopping to ask if she was alright, so he kissed her. They were soon lost in their passion. She lit up under his mouth. Her moans started out quietly as she rubbed her chest against him but quickly got louder when he started to knead the flesh of her ass.
“Enough of that you two, let’s go.” Creed grumped as he bumped their shoulders.
After boarding the plane, they all got settled in for the long flight ahead and Kennedy was fast asleep by the time they took off. Thankfully, she was cuddled between them with arms wrapped around Linc’s waist because low and fucking behold the touchy feely steward came by as soon as he saw them.
“Well, well, well, we meet again,“ he greeted with a flip of his hand. Creed laughed, Kennedy moaned in her sleep, and he wanted to shoot the bastard.
“I’m sorry, have we met?” Linc asked trying to hold onto his temper before he made good on his first threat of throwing the guy out a door mid-flight.
“Oh yes, handsome, we have. A few weeks ago you were in my care on the way to London.” He smiled like it was an important moment in time for Linc.
“Hmmm, sorry been on a few trips to London lately. Can’t remember everyone. Now, if you’ll excuse us, our girlfriend is trying to sleep,” Linc told him dismissively.
The fucker just couldn’t take a hint, though. “You like to share, do you?”
Kennedy chose that moment to wake up, of course. “Lincoln,” she moaned looking up to him.
“Yeah, Sunshine?” he whispered, not really wanting the clueless steward to share any part of her.
“Kiss me.” Bold. He liked it. Leaning down he threaded one hand through her hair, pulling her in his lap with the other and firmly planting his lips on hers. She was soft and warm under his lips as he kissed her softly, sweetly.
He enjoyed her soft and sweet side almost as much as her passionate side. When she reached a hand out to pull Creed to her, pulling away from him, she leaned towards his brother kissing him just as softly as she had Linc.
He caught the steward stomping off from the corner of his eye and laughed. Softly leaning into her hair to breathe in her sweet scent, he whispered, “I fucking love you, Sunshine.” Placing a kiss under her ear, she tensed up at his words before relaxing into their arms again.
·٠•● ●•٠·
Ten hours later in the
early morning heat of the Texas sun, she was home. It was heart-warming to be back in Austin. To feel the Texas heat on her skin and to take in all the things that she forgot she loved about the great state.
She was jumpy with anticipation to discover her home again through new eyes. To see the things she’d missed most.
“Doing ok, Sunshine?” Creed asked from behind her as he wound his arms around her waist.
Nodding her head, she wasn’t sure how to put into words what she was feeling about being home again. Would they hate her? Would they forgive her for leaving? Could she handle it? The same questions swirled around in her head like a broken record.
As Linc pulled up in their big black SUV, she took one last deep breath before climbing in. While they loaded their luggage in the back, she took a look at her surroundings absorbing everything in while it was untouched by any negativity.
“Ready?” Creed asked climbing in the driver’s seat as Linc climbed in the back with her. At her nod, they took off for Nate and Ty’s place. She hoped they wouldn’t overwhelm her at five in the morning after an extremely long travel.
·٠•● ●•٠·
It wasn’t long after they pulled out of the airport that Kennedy had fallen asleep in Linc’s lap. Creed tried to keep the drive as light as possible so she could get some much-needed rest. She might not have realized they’d been watching her so closely, but they caught onto every nervous fidget on the plane as soon as they’d hit US airspace. She was nervous, had every right to be but didn’t need to be.
He had complete faith that her family would treat her exactly the way she needed, and that wasn’t like some injured little girl. He and Linc had made it very clear that she was terrified of what their expectations of her would be, and everyone had assured them that she would be treated no differently than if she’d only gone on a long vacation.
It helped that they had warned them all if at any time they felt she was overwhelmed or letting her fear take control they would take her out of there. Also, that she wasn’t staying anywhere than at the farmhouse they’d bought months ago when they’d started searching for her.
Slowing down at the drive of Nate and Ty’s house Creed came to a stop, only to be greeted by two men staring him down with shotguns. As soon as he got out her brothers almost dropped their guns in shock.
“Kennedy?” Nate asked worriedly.
“She’s sleeping. Asked to come here first. She knew you guys would respect her wishes to get some rest before she had to endure the Spanish inquisition,” he warned them.
“Of course,” Ty told him.
They were shell-shocked. More so than he’d ever seen them before. He understood it, but it didn’t mean he’d back off in protecting her, though.
Going to the side of the SUV, he opened the back door to help Linc wake Kennedy up. Turns out she doesn’t like to be woken up, says it has to be a natural awakening.
“Sunshine,” Creed whispered softly into her ear. “We’re here. Nate and Ty are waiting on you.” Running his fingers down her cheek, she started to wake up. Once her eyes fluttered open, he saw the nerves hit her instantly. “We’re not leaving you for a second, Kennedy.”
Nodding her head, she sat up accepting his hand to step out of the SUV. Once her feet hit the ground, she nearly fell. Leaning into him she held him around the waist tightly as they stepped back so Linc could climb out and shut the door.
“Ken,” Nate whispered in wonder.
“You know I hate that, Nat,” she teased using the nickname he hated. He could hear the emotion in her voice that she was trying to hold onto. When Nate started walking closer, her entire body tensed up and she started to shake almost violently.
Creed held her tighter telling her, “I’m here, Sunshine,” just as Linc came to her other side, molding his front to her back so she felt protected on all sides. At the sense of her relaxation he nodded his head at Nate to come closer again.
When he was standing in front of her, she held her breath and let out a big cry. He knew she was terrified to touch him, to touch anyone still because she held onto the fear that to touch someone meant pain for her. She’d worked past that fear with them and Dee but now she had to do it all again.
Instead of forcing his touch on her Nate ran his hand down her hair telling her, “Fucking missed you, kid. Ty’s been driving me nuts without you to keep him in line.”
“I missed you too, Nate, so much. Life just isn’t the same without you two bickering like an old married couple.” She smiled when he laughed.
“Sooo, does this mean I get the short end of the stick again?” Ty complained from the front steps.
“Tyler,” she whispered in wonder looking at her other brother. Her tears finally lost the battle and started streaming down her face.
Linc started wiping them away as they heard a crash from inside followed by, “God dammit, Rowdy!” just as a white dog came bursting out of the house making a bee-line straight for Kennedy.
“Rowdy!” she cried out, kneeling down to catch him just as he hit her chest full force, knocking her on her ass.
“Fucking dog’s a menace,” Nate bitched.
“As if, Nathaniel. You love him more than I do,” a soft voice said from Ty’s side.
“Keeley?” Kenny looked up from under the dog currently trying to lick every piece of bare skin he could find.
“Kennedy? Oh my God! Kennedy!” Keeley squealed trying to run towards them when Ty scooped her up and brought her over, complaining about pregnant women thinking they can run.
“Oohhh, put me down right now, Tyler!” she scolded him.
Scrambling out from under the dog, Kenny got to her feet just as Ty put Keeley down and they stood there just staring at each other.
“I’m so sorry I missed the wedding! And oh my God, you’re pregnant! I can’t believe you’re pregnant!” Kenny started, staring at her small baby bump.
“I missed you so much! The wedding wasn’t very big. We didn’t want to do much without you here and now you are and we have so much to do and plan!” Keeley half talked over her.
The men just whipped their heads back and forth between the girls as they kept talking over each other but never seemed to miss a beat.
“Jesus Christ, anyone else getting dizzy from this shit?” Linc complained with a stupid smile on his face, clearly amused. When out of nowhere a hand nailed him in the gut. “Shit, woman. Warn a guy next time,” he complained as Kenny ignored him.
“Sunshine?” Creed called over the girls talking. When she looked at him he saw happiness in her eyes, more than he’d ever seen, solidifying the decision they’d made to book the tickets home before she’d told them. “Let’s get you to bed.”
When she went to argue, Keeley piped up saying, “Yes, this baby is killing me with all these weird sleeping hours; I’ll have a nap too.” Creed smiled his appreciation to her, knowing Kenny would have put up a fight so she could visit.
·٠•● ●•٠·
Home.
So many people took advantage of what home really was but she was finally here and it was like nothing had changed. She knew in large part that had everything to do with Creed and Linc; that they’d spoken to her brothers about how she was and what she was afraid of. But never in a million years did she dream of just how good it would feel to be home again.
When Keeley had come out the door chasing after Rowdy, her heart stalled. They’d become such good friends before everything changed, before she’d left. She’d been afraid they wouldn’t get that ease back, but it never left. Realizing how far she’d come in the last six months was amazing. She was so strong, and she admired her new sister-in-law like crazy.
“I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunty!” Kennedy practically shouted once they entered the spare room in her brother’s house. She’d been exhausted when they landed but now she was filled with anticipation and excitement.
Grabbing hold of her hand as she was spinning in their room, Linc pulled her to his che
st running his fingers through her hair. She looked into his eyes and saw something she didn’t like… Doubt. “Lincoln?”
“You’re so gorgeous, Sunshine,” he whispered reverently, slowly lowering his head closer to hers to kiss her. As their lips touched, she was filled anew with so many emotions, but now his doubt was stuck in the front of her mind. Pulling back from him she bumped into Creed’s wall of muscle behind her. “Lincoln? Talk to me,” she begged.
Taking a deep breath, he sat heavily on the king-sized bed that was placed in the middle of the room. Running a hand down his face he looked up, making eye contact with Creed over her shoulder. Glancing between them she waited, not liking the feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach.
“We didn’t rush you, did we?” he asked her. Confused, she cocked her head waiting for him to explain further. “With us,” was all he said, realization dawning quickly in her mind.
“You didn’t rush anything,” she told him sincerely. She was afraid of a lot of things, but the three of them weren’t one of them.
“I don’t know, Sunshine. We came in full-steam ahead.”
“Where is this coming from?” she asked getting more and more frustrated by the moment.
Creed leaned further into her back, pulling her hair away from her ear as he whispered, “The jackass said he loved you, Sunshine. His feelings got hurt when you didn’t say anything.” Her mouth went dry as the Sahara desert after a sand storm.
Leaning down in front of him she ran her hands soothingly up his chest until reaching his neck, pulling him closer to her. When their foreheads met, she waited for him to meet her eyes. “Lincoln Black.” When their eyes clashed, she kissed him gently and whispered, “I fucking love you, too.” Making sure he was able to see everything she felt for him in her eyes. He saw every fear, every nerve ending, but most importantly, every ounce of love she held for him in her heart.
She got worried when he didn’t say or do anything at her admission. Readying to pull away, his hands flew to her hair pulling gently so her head was tilted back and he slammed his mouth down on hers.