by L. A. Casey
“Your pussy is like a vise around my cock,” I all but snarled. “Fuck me. You feel like heaven, sweetness.”
I began to slowly pump my hips, I had intended to go slow, to build my way up into fucking her like a madman, but she felt too good for me to go slow. Fucking her fast, at the moment, was the only setting my body accepted, so that was exactly what I did.
“Holy fuck!” Branna cried. “Ryder.”
Warmth spread across my chest when she said my name.
“That’s it, baby.” I grunted. “Let me hear you.”
I didn’t have to ask her to be vocal because with every pump of my hips, she screamed, moaned, or cried out my name and I fucking loved it.
“Oh, my God.”
“God can’t help you now, sweetness,” I growled. “No one can.”
She lifted her head and latched her lips on my neck and kissed and sucked at my flesh until I hissed. I jerked away from her and placed my head against her chest, listening as her heart beat wildly. I raised my head, brought my mouth to her ear, and said, “Your heart is beating so fast, Branna.”
“Just for you, darlin’.”
I smiled as I brushed my lips over her neck. “Such a sweet-talker.”
“Oh, there!” she cried out seconds later. “Right. There.”
“Here?” I murmured and thrust at the angle I did just seconds before.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
I focused to keep my hips angled in the same positioned as I fucked her, pulling that scream out of her made the hair on the nape of my neck stand up.
“This is my pussy.”
Branna scraped her nails against my back. “Yes, yours.”
When she dug her nails painfully into my back, I responded and bit down on her neck. Branna’s cries of pleasure shattered every boundary I set about being careful with her, and I fucked her so hard and scraped my teeth over her flesh so often that I knew it would leave bruises. That sent a thrill up my spine knowing that I would leave marks on her, marks that would show the world that I had her. The thought of her being mine pushed me over the edge, and suddenly I was coming. My movements became jerky and quick as pressure deflated as I came. When my energy fled, I dropped down on top of Branna, and she sighed in content.
I momentarily worried in case she didn’t come again, but when I heard her strained sigh, I knew she did.
“That. Was. Amazin’!” She panted. “It’s never been like that before.”
I rolled off her after a moment but kept my arm draped over her chest, my hand cupping her left breast. I gave it a gentle squeeze, and said, “You were never fucked by me before, that’s why.”
“Can we do it again?” she asked, my breathing still rapid.
My laughter muffled against my pillow.
“Give me a few minutes,” I mumbled. “I’m not a machine.”
“Ye’ sure about that?” Branna asked. “Ye’ have a serious amount of stamina.”
Again, I laughed and gave her breast another squeeze.
We lay in silence for a few moments, then we started to talk. Nothing about sex or anything related to sex—we had a real conversation about the world, about our families, and it felt pretty incredible lying next to a beautiful woman and seeing who she was as a person was just as stunning. As I looked at her, I was very aware that I didn’t want our involvement to end after one night, and after Branna fell asleep next to me, I found myself awake most of the time, trying to think of an excuse I could give her that would convince her she needed to spend time with me.
I wasn’t letting her go now that I had a taste of her ... not a chance.
CHAPTER SIX
Thirty-two years old ...
It had been three months since Branna and I made up, and four months and one week since all hell broke loose. We were still taking things slow, and by that, I mean really slow. We hadn’t done much more than kiss one another, and it was the best decision we had ever made. The first night we met in Darkness, sex between us was almost instant. There was thick sexual tension from the moment we locked eyes on one another, but this time around, we were trying a different approach. One where we listened to our minds and hearts, instead of our libidos.
After I came clean about the FBI and my involvement with them, I explained that it was because of them that I pulled away from Branna in the first place. I had agreed to help the feds to cover my ass for the death of Trent Miles and a few of Marco’s soldiers. To do away with the threat of prison, I spied on Brandy Daley for the feds, and I immersed myself so deep into the investigation that I almost lost myself, and Branna, in the process. Because I chose not to tell Branna about the situation, I indirectly formed a huge crack in our relationship. One we were still healing from. We switched up our tactics this time, and instead of doing everything ass backwards, we took things in baby steps.
That meant date nights with just a chaste kiss on Branna’s front porch.
We spent time together, lots of time, and reintroduced ourselves to everything we loved about one another, and learned new things along the way. It sounded boring, but it was anything but. When I knew I was going to see Branna, my stomach fluttered with butterflies, my heart pounded with excitement, and I couldn’t remove the smile from my face for all the money in the world. We were happy again. I was me, and Branna was Branna. We weren’t our old selves anymore; we were new and improved versions. What we endured—not only over the past two years, but from the moment we met—made us better people. Stronger people.
It solidified our bond and proved to me that we really could overcome anything.
I stared at Branna as I entered the living room of Alec and Keela’s home, and like a bee to honey, I was drawn to her. I moved next to her, reached out and poked my finger into her side, making her squirm.
“What’re you smiling about?”
Branna smiled, devilishly. “Just thinkin’ about the plans I have for us later.”
I was pretty sure I just gulped.
“What plans?”
I slid my arm around Branna’s waist when she smirked at me, and it was all I could do not to push her up against the wall and claim her lips with mine.
“One little smirk and I’m already hard for you.”
The little terror reached out and rubbed her hand over my thigh. “How hard?”
I gritted my teeth. “Stop, or I might succeed in traumatising my brothers this time.”
She laughed, most likely thinking back to our first night together when we were so hot for each other that we almost forgot my brothers were next to us, horrified.
“I don’t think I can wait.”
My entire body tensed. We had been taking things incredibly slow, so slow that a little kiss got my gears turning. I wanted sex with Branna. I wanted it more than my next breath, but because we had been putting it off, I was so nervous about it and felt a little faint. “It’s your call, Bran.”
“Now.” She licked her lips. “I want to feel ye’. All of ye’.”
“Fuck. Yes.”
Leaning down, I covered my mouth with hers and kissed her with hunger ... until a couple of throats were cleared.
“Uh, guys?” Alec mumbled. “I’m all for you both bumping uglies after such a long drought, but we’re still here. Jax, too.”
At the mentioned of Jax, Branna and I broke apart in an instant.
“Sorry.”
“What’re you sorry for, Bran?”
Branna looked over her shoulder when her sister spoke, and she smiled as Bronagh waddled into the room. The woman was so pregnant that simply breathing looked like it made her uncomfortable.
“Nothin’,” Branna replied. “We’re just talkin’.”
“Is that what you call it?” Keela snickered.
Branna looked at Keela, amusement dancing in her eyes as she said, “Keela said Dominic is sexy!”
Keela gasped at Branna’s declaration. “You agreed with me!”
Bronagh groaned. “Don’t use any word around me that has sex i
n it. Sex does this to ye’”—she pointed at her large, round stomach—”and gives ye’ stretch marks!”
“Did ye’ get many?” Keela inquired, apprehension to her voice. She and Alec were trying to get pregnant.
“Yes!” Bronagh huffed. “On me stomach, thighs, breasts, and even on me arse. Me fuckin’ arse!”
Dominic opened his mouth to speak, but Bronagh pointed her finger at him dangerously. “Not now,” she warned. “I don’t wanna hear it. I’m fat, I have stretch marks, I haven’t seen me feet in weeks, and I forget what regular sex feels like. Don’t annoy me more than I already am.”
Alec looked like he was about to pass out.
“Pregnancy stops you from having sex?” he asked wide-eyed before looking at Keela and saying, “We’re adopting.”
We all laughed.
“It’s only the past few weeks that it’s stopped,” Dominic grumbled. “It hurts her a little, so we don’t do it.”
“Why would it hurt?”
Everyone look at Branna for the answer to Kane’s question.
“Lots of different reasons, but there doesn’t have to be a specific one.” She shrugged. “When a woman is pregnant, there is more blood flow to the entire pelvic region, and that engorgement is sometimes just too uncomfortable durin’ sex. It goes away when the baby is born.”
“Praise Jesus for that, at least,” Dominic said. “And for anal.”
The women cringed while us men snickered.
“Bronagh,” Branna said. “Relax on the sofa.”
“I can’t. Me body is currently experiencin’ some technical difficulties.”
Branna stared at her sister. “What does that mean?”
“It means her ass is sore, and she can’t sit down.”
“Dominic!” Bronagh screeched, horrified.
Alec slapped his palm against our brother’s, and said, “My man.”
I shook my head, amused.
“You might as well do all the kinky shit now,” Kane mumbled. “After she has the baby, all that stuff only happens on rare occasions ... like when you get a babysitter.”
Branna tittered. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll find a way.”
“Damn right, we will.” Dominic grinned and winked at Bronagh who was shaking her head good-naturedly as she eased down onto the sofa next to Dominic who absentmindedly slung his arm over her shoulder. She said, “Change the subject.”
“Oh,” Keela chirped. “Then let’s play ‘Ask Me Anythin’. It’s a game for adults where all questions are appropriate. I’ll start simple. Alec, who is your celeb crush?”
I tuned out the conversation then as I stared at Branna, feeling like she was the only person in the room. I heard the laughter, the teasing, and even a few cusses here and there, but nothing pulled my attention away from the woman I loved or the smile on her face. I was fully aware that I was head over heels in love with her, and it made me mad to think I almost lost her because of my own foolishness. Never again would I keep a secret. I would always be truthful with her.
Always.
“Ryder, you go next.”
I looked at Damien when he spoke, then remembered that everyone was playing a game. I thought about what I wanted to know, then looked at Dominic and said, “What was the first thing about Bronagh that you found yourself attracted to?”
Dominic looked down at Bronagh, and said, “Your eyes. I had never seen eyes so emerald green before. They were, and still are, beautiful. Your ass got my attention, but your eyes held it.”
The women awed, and us men chuckled.
“Are all these questions gonna be about sex or a sexual act?” Alannah then questioned when she entered the room and leaned her arms on the back of the sofa beside Bronagh’s head. “Because sex is overrated.”
Every one of us snapped our attention to Alannah when she spoke. She rolled her eyes at us, and said, “It is; just because you all have good sex lives doesn’t mean everyone else does.”
Meaning her?
Alec grinned. “I know someone who would be more than happy to rectify that problem for you, Lana.”
The dumbass didn’t understand the term ‘subtle’.
“I’m going to get some water,” Damien said and shot up from his position on the sofa, and briskly walked into the kitchen.
Alannah focused on Alec. “I don’t think I need a someone when I have a somethin’.”
“Sex toys?” Keela questioned with her eyebrows raised. “You’re full of surprises, Ryan.”
I wasn’t surprise. Alannah was quiet compared to the rest of the girls, but she had a spark in her. I had a feeling that my baby brother knew all about that spark.
“It’s 2016,” she replied to Keela. “Vibrators are perfectly acceptable life partners.”
Bronagh frowned. “We need to get you a boyfriend.”
Alannah laughed. “Trust me, as long as I recharge me double A batteries, I’ll never need a man again.”
“Right now, as a man, I feel cheap,” Dominic teased. “We’re more than sex machines. We have feelings too, you know?”
Alannah rolled her eyes. “Please, in school, ye’ fucked your way through the girls in our year for sport. Their hurt feelin’s never made ye’ feel cheap, but I can guarantee your actions made them feel cheap.”
The conversation took a turn from playful to serious in a split second. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Dominic frowned. “I was a kid—”
“That doesn’t change anythin’,” Alannah angrily cut him off. “Ye’ were old enough to know what ye’ were doin’ was hurtful, but ye’ did it anyway. Ye’ broke hearts and didn’t care about it. Ye’ were so horrible.”
Dominic looked sullen as he said, “I’m not Damien, Alannah. I didn’t do those things to you.”
Alannah blinked her eyes, then darted a scared look over her shoulder to make sure Damien wasn’t in earshot. Her shoulders sagged with relief when she didn’t see him. I looked over my shoulder too, and from my angle, I saw he was leaning against the wall outside the living room. There was no doubt from the expression on his face that he had heard everything she just said.
“I know,” Alannah then mumbled to Dominic, “it’s just hard for me to separate the pair of ye’ sometimes. Ye’ have his face, and when I see it, I hurt all over again.”
“Lana—”
“Look, I’m sorry,” she quickly stated. “I had a bad start to me day, and I’m takin’ it out on all of you, and that’s not fair.”
“What happened?” I asked, concerned.
Alannah may not be dating any of my brothers, but she was part of our family, and we all loved her.
“Some arsehole rear ended me and I’ve to fork out a fortune to get me car fixed. It’s the last thing I need. Shit has just been goin’ from bad to worse for me lately. I just can’t catch a break,” she said and shrugged her shoulders.
Bronagh looked crestfallen with Alannah’s announcement.
“Talk to me.” She stood and rounded the chair until she was in front of Alannah. “What’s wrong?”
Alannah looked at Bronagh, then out of nowhere she burst into tears. “Me da,” she cried. “He is havin’ an affair, and me ma has no clue about it.”
“Oh, fuck,” Alec whispered when Bronagh folded her arms around Alannah.
“What am I goin’ to do, Bee?” she sobbed. “If I tell me ma, it’s goin’ to break ‘er heart, and if I don’t, I’ll be the worst daughter for keepin’ it from ‘er.”
Bronagh hugged Alannah tightly.
“Are ye’ sure he is havin’ an affair?” she quizzed. “Maybe you’re mistaken, babe.”
“I’m not,” Alannah sniffled. “I went into town yesterday evenin’ to get some ink cartridges for me printer, and as I was passin’ by a restaurant, somethin’ told me to look through the window. I did, and there he was, sittin’ with a woman half his age at the table near the window where anyone could see them. I think she might be the same age as me! At firs
t, I didn’t even consider anythin’, then he reached out and took ‘er hand in his. One second, they were holdin’ hands, and the next, he leaned over, and they kissed!”
“Double fuck,” Alec whispered.
“I didn’t know what do,” she said, her lower lip wobbling. “I was scared he would see me, so I just ran back to me car and drove back to me apartment. I rang me ma to see what she was doin’ and she said she was preparin’ dinner for me da, his favourite because he had been workin’ such long hours lately. She doesn’t know, Bronagh ... How could he do this to ‘er? To our family? I hate ‘im.”
My heart broke for her and for her unknowing mother.
“We’ll figure this out,” Bronagh said, consoling her friend.
I knew Bronagh was saying what she thought was necessary, but I could see from her face that she had no clue how to help Alannah through this, but I knew she’d do everything possible to help her. We all would.
“About your car,” Aideen added, shifting the attention onto her. “I’ll ring me da and have ‘im book your car into his garage. Me brothers love you. Dante thinks you’re, and I quote ‘im, a goddess, so I’m sure he will work on it free of charge.”
Alannah pulled back from Bronagh’s hold and looked at Aideen.
“I’ll pay. I don’t want them to help me with no charge, but if it could be in instalments, that’d be perfect.”
Aideen said, “We’ll work it out. Just don’t worry about it.”
Alannah nodded, but she wore her heart on her sleeve, and I could see worrying was all she would be doing. When I looked at her, the urge to protect her was something fierce.
“Lana.” Branna moved away from me and towards her. “Come with me. I want to talk to ye’.”
They both left the room, leaving us to wait in silence. No one knew what to say, not even Alec tried to filled the void with a joke. Minutes went by, and when Branna returned to the room, she frowned.