“But then you kids grew up and moved out, and I no longer needed to stay at home all day, every day. One chapter of my life closed and other opened.”
Kat was embarrassed to realize that she had no idea, really, what that chapter was that her mother was talking about. She’d just assumed...what? That the woman had sat quietly all day with her hands folded on her lap just in case one of her children dropped by?
Well, good grief, how ridiculous is that?
Then she began to think about things said in an off-hand sort of way, a sentence here, a sentence there, that she somehow remembered but none of which Kat had ever inquired about at the time. Not because she didn’t love her mother, in her way, but because she’d just assumed—there was that word again—that whatever it was Edna Lambert did to fill her days would be boring.
It must have been very boring for the woman to raise you, Katrina Lawson.
The zinger from her inner imp stung but was nothing more than she deserved. Kat looked at her mom. “I know you watch Laura’s kids one afternoon a week. And you go to the hospital and volunteer there, too, don’t you?”
Edna seemed pleased that Kat knew even that much. Her mother’s gratitude for her miserly gift really pinged her conscience.
“I do, yes. In the preemie nursery. I hold babies one afternoon a week.”
“Oh, that’s marvelous!” Anna Jessop beamed. “So much research shows that the simple act of holding those precious wee ones makes a huge difference in how well and how quickly they develop!”
“Didn’t surprise me, of course,” Edna said. She met Kat’s gaze then, and although her expression was full of love, Kat understood her mother’s intent as well as her words. “Babies need to be held, to feel the warmth of contact, to know they matter. Those who receive that basic, vital nurturing as infants generally grow into adults who are self-assured, capable, and able to find contentment.”
The men were looking at her, as was her mother. In that moment, she understood that more than just having lunch and getting acquainted had been on the menu today.
The old Kat, the one she’d been before getting her ass handed to her, would have been mad as hell, likely even to the point of leaving the table.
The woman she was right now was once more on the verge of tears.
Ignoring everyone else, she focused on her mother. Taking that good woman’s hand in hers, she smiled. “Then I owe you for the person I am and the life I’ve led. And I need you, because I don’t know what to do next.”
* * * *
Lucas heard female voices coming from the house. He and his brothers had accompanied their mother out here to the backyard an hour before, ostensibly so she could have a good look at their gardens. Each year, Mom assessed what needed doing and just did it. It was all good with them, and she certainly didn’t need either their help or their approval.
So coming outside hadn’t been for horticulture’s sake. It had been a nice, polite way to give Kat and her own mother the space and privacy they needed right now.
Then, just a few minutes ago, Anna had looked at her watch, got to her feet, and told them to relax and wait for Kat to come to them. Then she headed back into the house to collect Edna Lawson.
It wasn’t until just that moment that he realized the two older women had, together, planned this afternoon’s agenda.
Mothers are very wise, and sometimes very sneaky, beings.
His mother, Lucas admitted to himself with more than a little pride, was wiser and sneakier than most.
The voices faded, and he could imagine the women all walking together toward the front door. Not much time passed before he heard the sound of Anna Jessop’s Cadillac driving down the driveway. He exchanged a look with his womb mates. They’d give their woman ten minutes to join them before they went in search of her.
They all believed the time Kat had just spent with her mother had been something she’d absolutely needed to do for a long time—and especially since the traumatic and emotional events of the last couple of weeks. But that didn’t mean they expected to get away scot-free with their having manipulated the encounter.
We’re not going to apologize for what we did, no matter how pissed off she is. Kat would learn in time that they could, and would, do whatever they felt they needed to do in order to take the best care of her possible.
A sound drew his attention, and he looked up. Kat had stepped out onto the patio. She closed the screen door behind her and then leaned against it. Her arms folded in front of her chest, she looked off to the side for a long moment.
“I learned early in life that most people don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone but themselves. What I didn’t see at the time was that I was one of them. All the years of my childhood, no one ever challenged me. For all of my adult life, no one ever cared enough to show me what an asshole I was becoming.”
“Until we came along,” Lucas said. “Though, babe, I need to caution you. You’ve never been an asshole, and calling yourself names will just get the more dominant among us really pissed off.”
Kat’s smile was slow. She turned to face them and gave what Lucas judged to be the cutest little “come spank me” shrug he’d ever seen.
“Until you came along. The last few weeks...” Kat sighed and shrugged again.
“Grandma Kate is fond of saying that things generally turn out the way they’re meant to be,” Paul said. “We’ve never really questioned that tenet of hers. But we never really embraced it, either. Until you.”
“Thank you for taking care of me. For the first time in my life, I understand what that concept of caring for someone really means. It’s not saying the right words. It’s taking action when you know it’s what’s needed.”
“We really only did for you what we each would want under similar circumstances,” Wesley said.
“That car accident I told you about that I had a few years ago? I don’t remember asking for my mother, but I have no doubt I did.”
Kat tilted her head to the side. “She was there when you woke up?”
“Of course. As soon as she learned I needed her, well, nothing could have kept her from my side.”
“Today I’ve learned what I should have known all along—that the very same can be said of my own mom.”
As he watched, Lucas saw the way her eyes went wet, and then he continued to watch as tears tracked down her face.
“I thought she was boring. Stupid. Lacking ambition. I thought that what she did in life wasn’t much, and certainly nothing to be proud of. My God, how could I have been so fucking blind?”
Lucas couldn’t stay away from her for another moment. He got to his feet. “That’s probably the easiest question in the world to answer, Katrina. It’s because you’re human, babe.” He took two steps toward her, and when she launched herself toward him, he opened his arms and caught her.
He wrapped his arms around her tight and sighed with the sense of rightness that washed through him when his brothers stepped in and stepped close until they had her completely cocooned between them.
“Thank you. Thank you all for taking care of me the way you have.”
Lucas felt his heart melt. He looked up at his oldest brother and knew, in that instant, that the time was right.
“You don’t have to thank us, Katrina Lawson,” Paul said. “We can’t do anything else but take care of you and care for you. We love you. You’re ours, Kitty-Kat.”
Chapter 19
Paul’s words washed over her, the sincerity in his tone unmistakable. Kat’s heart began to pound out a heavy rhythm. It was just too much, all at once.
She stepped back and turned her head to look at Paul. “You love me?”
Paul gave her that half-smile that she so loved. “Katrina Lawson, you are quite seriously the love of my life. Marry me, please.”
Before she could take in Paul’s proposal, Lucas cupped her chin, turning her face until she was looking straight at him.
“Katrina Lawson, you’re the other h
alf of me, and I love you with all that I am. Marry me, please.”
Still stunned, she turned her head to look at Wesley. She felt her right eyebrow go up. Wesley nearly laughed at what she knew must seem an imperious gesture.
He nodded. “Katrina Lawson, you’re it for me, and I’ll never love another woman, not for the whole of the rest of my life. Marry me, please.”
Well, this day has just been full of pivotal moments.
She wasn’t used to the kinds of emotions that had assailed her all day, one after the other. She wasn’t used to being slung from anger to fear, to insecurity then to need, and now this—she didn’t even know what the hell “this” was. It’s hope....unbridled hope. Then she recalled that conversation they’d had at Lusty Appetites before the men had returned to LA.
No, it’s not unbridled hope. It’s stupid, useless, get-your-heart-broken hope.
She felt anger stir. “You said you weren’t interested in that. That first day. I told you I wasn’t interested in marriage, and you said, and I quote, ‘Thank God!’”
Wes did chuckle then, and in that moment, Kat could happily have slugged him.
“You did mention the word marriage, as I recall, Kat,” he said. “And then you went ahead and described some other institution, occupied by a person who’d basically be a servant or a housekeeper, and then declaring that wasn’t you. And that was when we expressed gratitude. We told you we weren’t looking for a maid.”
“We never said we weren’t looking for a wife, babe.” Lucas ran his hand down her back, and it was all she could do not to shiver.
“You’re perfect for us just the way you are,” Paul Jessop said. “And we, by damn, are perfect for you. No doormats, no housekeepers. Just you, the complex and confounding woman you are, living life on your terms—with us.”
“Oh.” Kat met each man’s gaze in turn. They were all gazing at her with love and desire...and they each looked to be on the verge of laughing.
Maybe you should think about saying something more than “oh.”
Maybe she should. It finally sank in that they’d gone beyond hope to reality. Wonderful, dream-worthy reality. “I love you.” Kat closed her eyes. A part of her was astounded that she’d said the words and the ground didn’t open and swallow her whole. Then she opened her eyes and changed her position so she could see all three of their beloved faces at the same time. “I can’t help myself. I wasn’t going to fall in love with you. I was only going to indulge myself in you. And then my world started falling apart, and you three just stepped in and held it together, held me together. I don’t know what the future’s going to bring for me, except for one thing. Whatever happens, I’ll be with you because, yes, we’re perfect for each other. And yes, yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Damn, woman, you’re work.” Paul grinned as he said that, and then he took hold of her and brought her in close to him. “But you’re worth it.”
“Damn right I am.”
Oh, these men were definitely more than she’d ever dreamed of and maybe—though she would never tell them so—a bit more than she deserved.
That didn’t matter. They were hers, and she was keeping them.
Not wanting seduction, not wanting the perfect place or the perfect time, or even the perfect mood, Katrina Lawson did what she’d done for most of her adult life.
She reached out and took what she wanted.
Fisting a hand in Paul’s shirt, she yanked him just a bit closer and proceeded to try and eat that smile off his face.
She guessed he humored her for all of five seconds. And then his hands banded on her arms. He lifted her and deepened the kiss, proclaiming that control of the moment had slid from her to him.
Who am I kidding? He allowed me to make that move. They said they’d be in charge when it came to sex, and they meant it. Thank goodness.
How wonderful to just cede control and simply give.
Paul’s tongue dueled with hers, his flavor seeped into her blood, and his hot body held against her front branded her soul.
Behind and beside her, more Jessop hotness pressed close, and Kat reveled in the sensation of being enveloped by them. Nothing could touch her when she was with them. No one could hurt her when these three very alpha men were in charge and in control.
They simply wouldn’t allow it.
Paul lowered her feet to the ground and eased his lips from hers. She met his gaze, and the fire burning in his eyes—something that was a hell of a lot more than mere wanting—sent a shaft of pure arousal through her. When she felt a hand fist in her hair, she mewed, not as a reaction to any discomfort but as an affirmation of mutual need. She turned her face toward Lucas and gave him all he demanded.
Hard and hot, this kiss consumed her. His tongue stroked hers as his passion stoked her appetite. Nipples beaded, and her pussy lips quivered, looking for a cock to clasp. Want grew and morphed into something more in her, too. Never had Kat felt this frantic sense of urgency to mate, to claim and be claimed.
Luke lifted his head from hers and adjusted her position, and Wesley’s mouth melded with hers. His thrusting tongue and sucking mouth, the tiny shivers she could feel vibrating through her, gave her the sense that she wasn’t alone in her hunger.
As the flavor of all three men blended on her tongue, teasing her taste buds, a sound of feral feminine need escaped.
Wesley broke their kiss. “Are you hungry, angel?”
“Yes. Please. Now. I need you all right now.”
She wasn’t alone in her desperation. Lucas carried her to the bedroom. He set her on her feet beside the bed. One quick kiss smacked on her lips, and he stepped back and reached for the hem of his T-shirt.
“Strip, Kitty-Kat.”
Kat didn’t have to be asked twice. She really didn’t want seduction—not this time. This time, when they’d pledged to each other, was for taking, and giving, and making physical that which was not only emotional but also spiritual.
It took Kat very little time to get naked, but even so, they got there first. Once more Lucas lifted her, but instead of easing her onto her back, he sat on the end of the bed so she was straddled over him.
“All of us. Will you take all of us?”
At the same time. He didn’t need to say it. She knew. They would be her husbands, and she would be their wife. In my heart, I already am. “Yes! I need that, right now. I need all of you, right now.”
Lucas lifted her, and she reached down, fisted his cock, and placed it at the sopping wet entrance to her body. He pulled, she pushed, and they both sighed as he slid into her.
The heat of Lucas’s cock inside her felt better than good. The girth stretched her, such a lovely, compelling sensation. The man-musk of his body, heightened by the heat of contact, teased her nostrils, and she inhaled deeply. She felt him tremble and knew he was using all he had to control himself.
She heard sounds behind her, a package being torn open and the slide of latex. And when Paul stepped closer on her left, one knee on the bed, she knew whose lube-covered fingers stroked her anus.
“We’re all so damn triggered,” Wesley said. “I’ll stop if it’s too much, Kat. Just tell me.”
Kat looked over her right shoulder. “It won’t be too much. Please, Wesley. I need your cock in my ass.” She wouldn’t stop this, even if it hurt like hell. Need had grown to desperation, and there would be no holding back. For better or worse, she would be connected to these men. Connected, joined, as one.
Lucas combed the fingers of both hands through her hair, effectively turning her so that they were nose to nose. His gaze bored into hers, and she knew he was more tuned into her, in that moment, than ever before.
If this hurt, she’d never be able to hide it from him. “I need this, Lucas. Desperately.”
She read acknowledgment in his expression, and she held on to him as he tilted her slightly toward his brother.
Wesley used his fingers to prepare her, the slick sensation of the lubricant and his fingers penet
rating her rosebud making her shiver with that unique combination, pleasure and pain. The burning wasn’t bad, even when he added a second and then a third finger.
Then Wesley withdrew his fingers and moved in so close. She felt him bend his knees, and then his hot, latex-covered cockhead pressed against her rosette.
Kat inhaled deeply as he pushed into her, the burn edging to pain that really did define erotic for her. The more she hurt, the more she needed. Lucas slid his hands from her hair to her back at the same time Wesley held her hips, and Kat realized she really couldn’t move, couldn’t push against Wes’s cock, and take him deeper.
Her men controlled her completely.
“Let go, Kat.” Wes ground out those three words. Held so securely between them, Kat realized she could do exactly that. She laid her head on Lucas’s right shoulder, met Paul’s gaze, and relaxed her hips and legs.
“Yes!” Wesley’s tone, triumphant, wrapped a layer of satisfaction around her.
“So tight,” Lucas said. “So good.”
“I won’t last long,” Wesley warned. He withdrew nearly completely then surged in once more. Katrina’s inner muscles gripped Lucas’s cock, giving him a long, tight caress.
“Fuck, she keeps flexing those muscles, and neither will I.”
“Let’s see if we can come together.” Paul inched closer. Kat had closed her eyes when Wesley had stroked. Now she opened them and her mouth.
There was nothing she wanted more in that instant than to have Paul’s cock between her lips, then in her mouth and tickling the back of her throat. Her mouth watered for him.
When he caressed her head, she bent to him and moaned as the aroma and the flavor combined.
Lucas held her tight as Wesley fucked her ass. Each thrust and withdrawal made her quiver, shiver, and flex her pelvic floor muscles. Lucas didn’t have to thrust. She felt his cock pulsing in pleasure.
Paul’s hand on her head felt like command and security, and she stroked his shaft with her tongue, even as she sucked.
Lucas pinched her nipples with one hand, the fingers of his other one grasping her waist, and Kat let every thought, every vestige of civilization, go. She gave all she was and received more than she’d known there could be.
Love Under Three Valentinos [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 18