by Chloe Lang
“I believe that, too.” She sighed, feeling the weight of the past three years on her shoulders. “But what could that possibly be?”
“I know it has broken your family in two.” He touched her cheek. “And it’s broken your heart, baby.”
She turned and looked into Lucas’s loving eyes. “I’ve missed this, Lucas. You can’t imagine how much.”
“But I can, baby. I’ve missed you.”
“I wish we could start up where we left off. I want to. I really do. You being here means the world to me, but after all we’ve been through, I can’t see how we can begin again.”
He moved his hand to the back of her neck. “But I can. Shane is back. He’s served his time. We all need to pull together to make sure he doesn’t slip up again. You need me. You need Mitchell and Jason, too.”
She shook her head. “Even if that’s true, and I’m not saying it is, you guys barely talk to each other these days. I feel responsible but don’t know what to do about it. How can you guys help me when you can’t help each other? Everyone in town can see you aren’t as close as you once were.”
“Honey, that’s for me and my brothers to work out. Yes, we do have much to discuss, but you aren’t responsible for any of our issues. Shane is like a brother to me, Mitchell, and Jason. Corey, too. With all of us in Shane’s corner, we can make sure he never has to leave Destiny again.”
“Shane does need everyone to help him get back to his old self.” Who better than her family and her three Wolfe men to take part in making sure he did? “Where do we begin, Lucas?”
“One step at a time, baby. That’s where. We’ll figure what Shane needs from us along the way. It’s not something you can plan for. Tonight, I want to talk about you. About you and me. The past needs to stay in the past. What I’m asking is for another chance, Phoebe. We had a dream once—a dream about the future that you, me, Mitchell, and Jason wanted. We can have it again.”
She leaned her head into his shoulder. “I want to trust you.”
“Then do it.”
“Help me,” she said with tears welling up in her eyes.
She felt him tug on her hair, one of his Dom moves from long ago that never failed to get her attention and make her warm. Like magic, it did the trick.
“I remember your safe word, sub. Do you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Say it for me now, so I can be sure you do.”
“My safe word is…” she hesitated, feeling the gravity and power of that single syllable that she and the Wolfe brothers had settled on during her first training session, “…freeze.”
“Very good. And your word to let me know your approaching a limit?”
“Caution.”
“Right again, sub.” He smiled. “On your feet. Time to get you out of that ballerina costume.”
“Yes, Sir.” She trembled as her desires, which she’d kept in check for three years, began to burn blisteringly hot inside her.
Lucas stood and took his time removing her clothing. One thing about him she always remembered, he never rushed. There was a kind of madness in his unquenchable lovemaking, but there also seemed to be a method.
He flagrantly scanned her body, as if he had a claim to it. In her heart, she knew he still did, even after all these years. She could see the hunger in his eyes, which added to her own excitement.
Once she was down to only her bra and panties, he kissed her wickedly, sending his tongue past her lips. She melted into his kiss, feeling safe again for the first time in years.
As he continued devouring her mouth, Lucas’s hands moved up and down her body, probing and pinching her into submission.
He unclasped her bra, pulled it off, and sent it to an empty chair with a toss. His thick fingers massaged her breasts, causing her pussy to burn and her clit to ache.
God, this feels so good, so right. She’d forgotten how her body responded to his manly manipulations. Long dormant nerve-endings were stirring.
Lucas kissed her neck, sending a shiver up and down her body. As he moved his hands to her sides, her skin heated up even more.
She felt his fingers latch onto the waist of her panties. Then he shoved them to her ankles. He stepped back and sent her the most possessive Dom smile she’d seen in years.
“Very good.” Then his smile turned into a frown. “You still shave your pussy. Why?”
She gulped, recognizing his tone of jealousy. “Sir, it was something I couldn’t give up even after our breakup. No one has touched me since,” she confessed, unable to hold back anything from him now that they were in play. Apparently, her submissive side remained under the surface all these years.
As he removed his belt, she gasped. He definitely was still one of her three Doms. The Wolfes would always be the Doms who owned her heart.
He wrapped her wrists together with the leather strap, and she felt her whole being settle into that familiar space she’d missed every second of every day and night—especially the nights—since their breakup.
“On your knees, sub,” he commanded.
She obeyed instantly, lowering her eyes as he and his brothers had taught her. This is where I belong. At his feet. At least for tonight.
“You are mine, Phoebe Blue. That’s never changed.”
She saw his T-shirt fall at her feet, which let her know he was taking off his clothes. She wanted to look up and drink in his sexy male beauty, but didn’t dare. Her Dom hadn’t given her permission yet.
He kicked off his cowboy boots. When his jeans landed to the side of her, the temptation to take a peek was too great. She slowly and cautiously lifted her gaze.
“Naughty sub,” he said with a smile.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” she said, but didn’t lower her eyes. God, he is gorgeous, just like I remember. Lucas stood in front of her in only black boxers. Nothing has changed in that department. Even the Wolfe brothers’ choices of underwear gave a hint to their distinct personalities. Lucas wore boxers. Jason white briefs. Mitchell always went commando. She grinned, recalling so many other things she loved about the trio.
“Okay, stand up, baby.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He put his hand on her shoulders. “I need to feel this body, every inch, every curve. I want to be inside you, stretching your pussy with my cock.” He grabbed her hands, still locked together by his leather belt, and brought them to his boxers. She could feel his hard, monstrous cock under the fabric. “You want to see it again, don’t you, sub?”
She nodded, feeling her lips quiver.
“Take off my underwear,” he ordered.
Though it was difficult with the belt on her wrists, she obeyed instantly. When he stepped out of his shorts, he pulled her in close, and she could feel every hot inch of his muscled frame, his erection pressing against her body.
He tilted her head up, capturing her lusty mouth with his, tracing her lips with his hot tongue. She could feel his masculine fingers massaging her breasts again, causing her nipples to become taut. The burn there swirled through her body, settling between her thighs, causing her clit to ache even more.
She was lost to him. He was right that she was his.
Heaven help me, I always have been his. Mitchell’s and Jason’s, too.
No matter how hard she tried to push them away, the Wolfe brothers inhabited every second of her thoughts. Breakup or not, she belonged to them.
Her heart beat faster and faster as Lucas deepened his kiss and moved one of his hands down her sides, sending his fingers between her legs to the inside of her thighs, teasing her into madness. So familiar…so right.
He released her lips and she saw an urgency in his eyes that was unfamiliar. He was on the edge of his control, and so was she.
Three years. God, I need this. I need him.
She shifted her hips to try to get his hand where she so desperately needed it—on her pussy.
He moved his hand a fraction of an inch from her clit.
“Please,” she begged, ne
eding his touch, angling her body again.
He laughed, keeping his fingers just out of reach. “Who is in charge here?”
“You are, Sir.”
“Damn right, I am.” He threaded his hand through her soaked folds and then circled her clit, increasing the pressure that had been building since their first kiss tonight. “Tell me what you want, sub.”
“Please, Lucas. Please.” The words spilled out of her like a tsunami. Her emotions were set free now, brought on by his dominance. She’d kept them in check for years, but now that they were out and running, she could not hold back. “I want you inside me, Sir. I need to feel you again. It’s been so long.”
“You are so beautiful.” He removed the belt from her wrists. Gone were the slow tactics she’d remembered. “Damn right it’s been too long.” He was also in a rush, and she loved every lusty, hurried second. I need him.
He placed his hand under her arms, lifting her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He lowered her down onto his cock, keeping hold of her. She could feel the head of his cock hit her clit, igniting every nerve inside her. He thrust his dick into her pussy, deep into her, stretching and claiming every inch of her most intimate flesh, causing her to gasp.
I’m his. He’s my Dom.
His strokes slammed into her, sending her over the edge.
Sensations, electric and hot, shook her to her core. “Yes. My Dom. Yes.”
She watched his eyes narrow as he thrust into her one final time. Her pussy clenched and unclenched, again and again, as she could feel him come inside her. This feels so right. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed him.
Lucas enveloped her with his muscular arms. She stared at him and saw everything she had always loved about Lucas in his dark brown eyes.
He crashed his sensuous mouth to hers, sending his tongue past her lips. Slowly, his kiss softened, gently reminding her how much he loved her.
God help me, I love him, too.
Chapter Four
Lucas saw the morning sun coming in through Phoebe’s bedroom, illuminating her beautiful face. After more lovemaking, they’d moved from the living room to her bed late last night.
She’d fallen asleep in his arms, and he’d remained awake for a little while, relishing being with her again. Now, that he held her, he wasn’t about to ever let her go.
Stirring in his arms, her blue eyes opened.
“Good morning, baby.” He kissed her sweet lips gently. “Would you like me to make us some coffee?”
“In a little while,” she said. “I’ve got to get up and get dressed soon. Jennifer Steele is coming to my office this morning to meet with me. I just want to lay here beside you for a little bit longer.”
“That sounds good to me.” He pulled her closer into his body, enjoying the feel of her naked skin against him. This is where you belong, in my arms. “I love you, Phoebe Blue.”
“I love you, too, but—”
“No ‘buts,’ sweetheart. Not now. Not ever.”
Her eyes widened suddenly. “Oh my God.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, realizing she was tensing up.
“We didn’t use protection last night.” She brought her hands up to her mouth. “What if I’m pregnant?”
“Then you just made me the happiest man in the world.”
She shook her head. “I’ve always wanted a baby, but with all three of you.”
Growing up in Destiny, he knew what she meant by that. “That’s what I want, too.” Paternity testing never occurred. Like his two dads, fathers in poly families cared not about biology. The children belonged to all of them equally.
“We’re moving too fast.”
“Fast? It’s been three years. I would call that slow.”
She fixed him with that devilish gaze he’d always loved. “So what happened with you just spending the night and sleeping on the couch? That just didn’t work out for you, did it?” Her lips turned up into a teasing smile.
“I think it worked out just right for both of us. We are back together, where we belong.”
She clasped her fingers together, as she’d always done whenever she was wrestling with some issue. “You and I might’ve worked through things last night, but I am still not sure what is going to happen between your brothers and me.”
He already had plans for his brothers. “Honey, it’s always been their hearts’ desire for us to be together again.”
“They aren’t you, Lucas.” She looked down at her hands. “You and I both know that I saw Mitchell with Kaylyn last night. He looked so happy beside her, and I’m really not sure about Jason. I’m not even sure about myself.”
She’d always worried too much. “Phoebe, you need to take one step at a time. Trust me. We can get back to how it was. I see that now.”
“But if I’m pregnant, I don’t have time to take one step at a time.”
“We’ve already started with the first step. And I’m going to get the second step started today.”
“What is the second step? I have so much on my plate, Lucas. The Steele case. This stalker issue. Helping Shane.”
He stroked her hair. “You have always been the overachiever, baby. That’s just one of the many things I love about you. I’m going to help you with everything. Until the stalker is found, me, Mitchell, or Jason will be at your side.”
“But—”
“No ‘buts.’” He put his finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I’m calling Mitchell now.” He knew she wasn’t ready to face Jason just yet. As soon as possible, he would go see Jason and fill him in on everything. “You two need time alone. You have your meeting with Jennifer and I’ve got to go to the Stone Ranch to show Amber some changes to the dormitory plans this morning. Mitchell can be your bodyguard today while I’m gone, and that’ll give you time to talk to him about everything.”
“I hope you’re right about all of this, Lucas. I’m still getting used to us being back together again. I’m still not sure how it’s going to turn out with Mitchell and Jason.”
“You know, under the circumstances, that time is of the essence. We all want the same thing. So let’s move on it.”
“I know you’re right, but I’m just scared. It’s been so long. Are you sure everything is going to turn out okay?”
He kissed her. “Trust me.”
“Okay,” she said, leaning into him. “Promise me my heart won’t be broken again.”
“Believe me, baby. My brothers still love you just as much as I do. Leave everything to me.” Lucas knew getting Jason and Phoebe to open up to each other was going to be difficult, but not impossible because the love was still there inside them. But they were both very stubborn. Lucas kissed her on the forehead. “You go get ready for your meeting and I will call Mitchell.”
She smiled. “Yes, Sir.”
Watching her trot off to the bathroom, he’d never been happier that they were together again. But his mind slammed back to the call from the stalker he’d received last night. He clenched his jaw. The woman of his dreams required protection and there were only two men he would trust with that task. The plan was to go to Mitchell first and then Jason.
He retrieved his cell from the nightstand. “Time for step two.”
* * * *
Mitchell hit the snare, ending the last song. He’d finally found the sound that he’d been seeking for years. Adding Kaylyn’s voice to the mix created what he’d heard in his head that night he’d been holding Phoebe under the stars at Lover’s Beach.
“Mitchell, I’m beat,” Big Jim said. “I’ve got to get some shut-eye.”
“Just a couple more. Please.” He and the band had jammed all night and into the morning after the O’Learys’ party with Kaylyn.
Hank turned to their new lead singer. “I told you he never tires.”
“I don’t think he needs sleep,” Big Jim added with a laugh.
Godric yawned. “I could go for another thirty minutes.”
Kaylyn stepped away from the keyboard. �
�I’m toast. I’ve had fun, Mitchell, but I’ve got to run. My dogs need to be fed and I’m supposed to be at the sheriff’s office.”
“I’m sorry for keeping you so long. I forgot you were filling in for Jason until he can find a replacement for Shannon.” Destiny wouldn’t be the same without the lovely lady.
Kaylyn frowned. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”
“None of us can.” The sweet woman was a fixture in Destiny. “Go,” he told them. “Can you all be back tonight at seven?”
“I can’t,” Kaylyn said. “I’ve got some more training with Jaris and Sugar, his new guide dog.”
Hank asked, “Jaris was Nicole’s former partner at the Chicago PD, right?”
She nodded.
Big Jim placed his guitar in its case. “Is Chance working with him, too?”
Everyone in town knew that Kaylyn had a big crush on the guy.
“Yes. He’ll be there, too.”
Mitchell admired her dedication to the blind. She’d provided some of the best guide dogs to people around the world. Would she be able to let that life go when their big break came? “How about tomorrow night? We’re supposed to play at Jena’s wedding. Are you ready for that?”
“Sure.” She picked up her purse from the counter where she’d left it.
He couldn’t believe his luck. Finding Kaylyn was going to change everything. “Kaylyn, you were amazing. Thank you.”
“I had fun.” She yawned as she dug through her purse. “I’ll bring my own keyboard with me tomorrow.”
“You will be going to Denver with us, right?” Hank asked her. “We need you for that gig.”
“Sure, fellas. I love singing, but you have to know that raising my dogs is my passion. That will always be first.”
Mitchell’s gut tightened. Now that he’d found the sound, would he be able to keep it if Kaylyn had other dreams?
“I’m happy being second if you sing with us from time to time.” Godric grinned. The guy fit in perfectly with all of them, and he was a great bass player, too. “You’re so talented, Kaylyn.”