by April Zyon
“Okay, so talk to me. What is it you want me to do? You know that I’m pretty good with directions, you just need to give me some.” She would do anything for Martin, and with him too. She was curious now about what he had planned for them.
“I’m going to let them grab me,” he said. “Shouldn’t be that hard really, especially since we so helpfully assisted them with some intel. As far as they know, I’m a rancher’s son, left for college, and was helping the whales. They won’t expect what they’ll end up getting. You are going to be safe the entire time, not once will they have a shot at getting to you. But we need them to step over the line and come at me.”
“No,” she stated simply. “Martin, I do not want you to be harmed. You could be taken from me forever. No. There has to be another way.” Her eyes were wide. She needed for him to keep safe, and that wasn’t possible if he was taken.
“Sweetheart, you need to listen to me. I’m not going to be in any imminent danger at any time. Frank will be on my trail the entire time. I was tagged by the FBI way back when, so he’ll easily be able to follow me. Besides that, he’s a damn good tracker. I might get a little banged up, but I’ll be perfectly safe.”
“I don’t like it. At all,” she said with a small pout. “I hate that you are going to put yourself into danger because of me. I know.” She sighed. “I know that this is your job. I get that. I really do. But goodness gracious, I hate this.”
“I get it. Believe me, I get it, Athena. But it is my job, something I trained for, and something I’m very good at. You need to get back to business as well. Now that your dad is safe, you’re going to resume your regular hours and all that fun stuff. We need it to appear like we don’t consider them to be a threat any longer when they arrive. We’ll do dinners out, be seen around town, you’ll go to work, and I’ll make myself a target by going out to the ranch every day for a few hours before coming home. We need them to think I’m the easier of the two targets, despite the fact you’re the smaller, and cuter, of the two of us.”
She snorted at that and sighed. “Okay.” She didn’t like it, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn’t going to budge on this. “You just better damn well not get hurt or else I’m going to be a very, very unhappy camper.” She didn’t have to like it, she just needed to know that this would be done and over with soon.
He let out a relieved breath and kissed her. “I love you, Athena. This will work, they will be stopped, and if we’re really lucky, we’ll catch the bitch exporting women from the southern states at the same time. It’s a win-win all around, and would make Brant a much happier man. Me too, because you’ll stop worrying every moment of everyday, and you won’t need to keep looking over your shoulder or jumping at every sound.”
“I trust you, Martin. I don’t think that I would have ever trusted anyone else. Just you. So whatever it is we need to do in order to make our lives and our homes safe, we will do it. I truly hope that we are able to stop them. Especially the part about exporting women. Those poor women.”
“Brant’s taking it personal, never a good thing on a case, but not necessarily a bad thing either. Especially with Frank riding shotgun with him. I personally would have thought Frank would take it more to heart given how Eli was involved. Then again, he’s always been very hard to read.”
“Oh, I’m sure that he’s taking it far more personally than you think he is. I’ve seen the way that he looks at Eli and the way that he moves slightly to protect her when no one else is looking. I’ve seen the way he sizes up anyone around her.”
“Oh, I know he is, sweetheart. Don’t think I don’t know he is. Had that been you, I’d have been hard pressed not to give you an armed guard when you went out for the next forty years. I just know from past experiences the less Frank says, the more you need to worry. And he’s not saying shit on the topic. Which, if I was the bad guys, would have me needing to change my shorts every twenty minutes or so.”
“Well let’s just hope that you guys are able to get these men stopped. It’s damn time that our hometown was freed from these asshats who think that they are able to do whatever they want to do. You know?” She knew that he understood that as well as she did.
“I hear you,” he said. “It would be nice to have things go back to the way they were. Relatively speaking, of course. We can’t stop the tide of progress, but we can mosey on into it at our own pace. Thankfully, at least for the most part, Massey and her residents seem to be of one mind on that. Lots of history and tradition while still letting in a bit of the new and hip a bit at a time.”
“I agree, it’s past time for our hometown to go back to having it free of the madness of the big cities.” She grinned at him and added, “Besides, if we are going to one day have a family, we need our town to be free of the bastards that are trying to run it. Right?”
“Absolutely. Kids should be able to ride through the town on their bikes, go to the ice cream place, and hang out without being labeled hooligans or troublemakers. Though with the last name Carver, that sort of comes mandatory upon birth.” He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows. “We were all a bit of a pain to the town whenever Mama would set us loose for a few hours while she got her hair or nails done, or went shopping for food to feed the masses. Nothing major, but I’m pretty sure they still have a warning system in place that alerts everyone when we approach en masse.”
“Believe me, I remember.” She had grown up in Massey as well, and when it was known that the Carver boys would be in town, there was a chuckle that went through everyone, and the shopkeepers would put up their breakables. For some reason, the boys tended to break glass when they were in town. It wasn’t that they tried, but it just happened.
“I’m sure you do,” he said, hugging her in closer. “I didn’t often like to come, except when I knew I’d get a peek at you, of course. Especially as I got older and the whole hormone thing kicked in, making me a horny little bastard.”
“Really? You never let on. Why didn’t you ever say anything to me about it? Do you realize just how much time we could have had together if you had only come to me? Then again, we wouldn’t be the people we are right now had that happened, right?”
“We wouldn’t be who we are, no. Besides, I was a teenager. All I could effectively do whenever you wandered within sight was sit there with a dumbass look on my face and drool. I took a lot of ribbing from my older brothers, I have to tell you. Fuckers are mean.” He shook his head and huffed out a breath. “I have a confession to make, too, if you want to hear it.”
“God, I wish that I would have known. Because believe me, they gave me trouble too. They all gave me trouble. Your brothers and sisters alike. Friends as well. It’s too funny the things that they said to me.”
“Like what?” he asked, completely diverting attention to her. “If they said anything that upset you, I swear to God I’ll beat them silly. My siblings. The friends not so much. They might report me, but my siblings are fucking fair game. Dish.”
“No, goodness, nothing like that. They just asked me why I didn’t get off my plump rumpkus and ask you out. Often. They were funny about it, too. They tried, many times, to get me to do it, but I never could. I guess, now looking back that is, that it was their way of getting us together.”
Martin stared at her, saying nothing as his brow slowly lowered. “Did they use the word plump?” he asked. His tone was chilling, his entire body was held tight, and she could practically feel the tension rolling off of him.
“No, I can’t remember exactly what was said. Remember, that was so long ago. It’s nothing bad at all, so please don’t worry about it. Really, they did good stuff. They kept me company. They also kept me out of trouble at times.” She smirked. “So for now, just chill, okay?”
He didn’t blink for a long time, but finally he gave a slow nod. He didn’t relax right away either. Instead, he pulled her in closer to him, wrapping her in both arms, and held her tight. “You would tell me if someone ever said anything of the sor
t to you, right?”
“Yes, I would tell you.” She was pretty secure in herself, especially having Martin there with her. Life was always good when she had him with her. “You are good for me. I’m happy you are in my life. Have I told you that before?”
“Once or twice, I think,” he said softly. Martin started to rub a hand up and down her back gently. “Anyway, you never did answer me, you know,” he pointed out. He even gave her a light poke in her ribs.
She hesitated for a moment. She had to think about the question that he had asked her and said, “Sorry, I had forgotten what you had asked, but in answer to your question, yes. I would like to know your confession. Please.”
“Well, you heard me mention that you tended to make me a little tongue-tied, right?” he asked. At her nod, he wrinkled his nose slightly. “I still feel that way from time to time around you. Not as much, thankfully. But now and again, I feel like that gangly teenager who all but tripped over his tongue when he saw you when you were close, or God help me, when you said anything to me.”
“Really?” she asked with wide eyes. “Oh Martin.” She reached out and touched her hand to his cheek. “Honey, there is no need at all for you to be upset about that. Really, there isn’t. I like that you are. It’s sweet and endearing. I like it.”
He let out a pained groan. “Really? Sweet and endearing? Ugh,” he grumbled. “Not the words any man wants to have tacked onto his ass by the woman he loves. You’re so damn lucky you’re the sexiest woman around and I love you or I’d totally be plotting some evil form of revenge for those terms.”
“Oh, you are drop-dead sexy. You make me drool when I look at you. I think of the things that you do to me and I get wet. That’s not something that is either sweet or endearing. Believe me, babe. The things you make me feel are kinky, needy, and all about sex.”
“I can live with that. At least that sounds a little more manly than that other fluff.” Squeezing her close, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Let’s go get cleaned up, sweetheart. I have this sudden urge to prove to you how manly I am.”
“Oh, I love that.” She clenched her thighs together. She loved the way that sounded and nodded her agreement with him.
Martin stood up and, reaching down for her hands, gave her a tug up to her feet. “Babe, what is this whole ‘and then’ bit? I intend on seeing you cleaned up while I’m proving to you how much of a man I am. Stew on that while you get naked.”
“Even better.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. “Shower sex. Good thing I have a big shower in here, huh? A very good thing.” Oh hell yeah, she loved that idea. Him taking her hard against the wall of the shower.
“Now you’re getting the idea.” His hands cupped her ass, squeezed, and then lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around him. Once she was settled, he began to move toward the stairs, and their room. “Not saying we won’t do more after the shower, but my mildly bruised ego is feeling the need to show off for you a little.”
“Oh boy. I have a feeling that come tomorrow morning, I will be feeling very nicely sore in all the right places.” And she personally couldn’t wait for it. “Now, show off for me, Martin. Show me just how much you need me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. Letting her feet touch the floor, he backed up a little and pulled his shirt off over his head. “Get naked, sweetheart. Otherwise, I’ll do it for you, and since I have limited clothing, I’ll be very upset to tear that shirt off you, but I will.”
She had to grin at that and tugged the shirt up and over her head. She tossed it onto the counter and stepped out of her panties, watching him as she did so. “What about you, big boy? Why are you still in your pants?” Her hands touched his chest. She needed to touch him desperately.
“I might need a little help there. Something appears to be causing issue with the zipper.” Popping the button, he made a pathetic attempt to tug the zipper down. Giving her a pout, Martin batted his lashes her direction. “Care to lend a hand?”
Athena wouldn’t be able to ever deny him anything. She grinned. “Oh God, I’m so screwed if our kids are able to give that same pout one day,” she teased, going to her knees before him and easing his zipper down slowly. Her fingers were on his cock and stroking him as soon as she had his pants front opened.
He chuckled softly. “Ask Frank to do it for you one day. Pretty sure it’s a Carver proprietary item. We can all whip it out when needed, but Frank does it the best. Joshua’s got a good one, too, I have to admit, but Brandy’s is definitely a little better. She can get her eyes so big it’s instinctive to agree to whatever she wants, and then live in regret after the fact. Frank, though, he’s got it to a level of mastery none of us ever achieved. Course he was the first born, so by the time the rest of us showed up, he’d pretty much ruined it for all of us.”
“I’m sure that you each were able to get your own little spins on the look from time to time, right? And God help us, our kids will likely get it, and then we will have to lean on each other to make sure that they well behaved, right?”
“Oh hell no, that’s all on you,” he said. Hands on her hips, he tugged her in a little closer. “You need to be the heavy. At least if we have a girl. If it’s a boy, I’ll take the lead there. Maybe…no, likely not. I’m a sucker really for the most part. Sorry.”
“I’m so screwed,” Athena said with a grin. “That’s okay, though. I will be the bad guy in all of this as long as you back me up. I mean it, mister man.” She looked up at him and nodded. “You will. Right? Always back me up?”
“You know I will, Athena. You have one hell of a sweet ass, and I enjoy the view a lot, so I’ll always have your back. Your backside, too.” He twisted when she poked his ribs lightly, and snorted. “I’m kidding. We’re a unit, Athena. Whatever we decide on, we stand by, no matter how much they hate us, or pout, or scream. That’s one thing I remember from growing up, my parents never bent once they laid down the law.”
“Good. That’s going to be us as well. If your mom can survive all of you kids, then I’m sure we will be able to survive one or two, right?” She knew that they would.
“We’ll be fine. It’ll be a challenge, but if we manage to survive the mob, we can survive a couple of kids. Though I’ve heard kids are actually worse than the mob. Or so my mother’s so quaintly pointed out in more than one side comment over the years. Kids are worse than the mob, dental surgery without anesthetic, and being run over by a train. I think she put them all together like that, too. So maybe we should rethink this whole children thing. A little at least.”
“So you don’t want them?” She didn’t stop touching him, couldn’t stop touching him. “Because that won’t work. We both know that.” She wanted at least one. “For now, no more talk about that. For now, I need you to love me. Please?”
Leaning in, he kissed her gently, and finished ridding himself of his clothing. “If you want kids, we’ll have kids. But no more than two. We both need some way to maintain a bit of sanity. Any more than that and I’d be going around the bend. Besides, I know what lurks out in the big, bad world. I don’t think I can handle letting two of ours go out there, let alone more.” He pulled her with him as he backed toward the shower slowly.
She moved along with him and nodded. “I don’t think I would be able to handle more than two. Period. I think one or two is more than enough.” She got up on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. “Kiss me,” she demanded.
He kept moving, his hands on her ass again, and kept his chin up enough that she couldn’t reach his mouth. When they were in the shower stall, he finally gave her what she wanted. Backing her to the wall near the controls, he kissed her while starting the shower.
Athena wrapped a leg around his and rubbed against him. She kissed him back, her hands going between them and cupping his long cock once again. She began to stroke him lovingly. She needed him, desperately. “No condoms, just us. Skin to skin.” She wanted him. Period.
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nbsp; He lifted his head to stare into her eyes. “You sure, sweetheart?” he asked. Running a finger over her cheek, he rubbed it to her lower lip lightly. “It wouldn’t take more than a moment to grab one if you’d rather wait a little longer on trying for a mini-Athena.”
“I’m sure. I doubt that it would happen first go-round. Besides, whatever happens happens, right?” She stroked her cheek to his. “I love you. You love me. That’s what’s important.”
“Absolutely. Though I had expected you to at least get me a ring, and maybe ask for my hand in marriage prior to getting you knocked up. But I don’t mind throwing tradition to the wind. Especially when I have my own personal siren tempting me.”
She laughed at that and let her hand trail down his chest. “And here I have been waiting for you to ask me. Give me a ring. You know, the Carver tradition or whatever.” She rolled her hand in the air but shrugged. “I’m a modern woman, though, so will you?” She looked up at him. “Marry me, that is. Will you marry me, Martin Carver?”
He blinked. Then blinked again. “What?” he wheezed out. The poor man looked confused. “Athena Rhodes, are you pulling my leg right now?” he asked warily, looking a little uncertain suddenly. Not a look she’d seen on him before.
“Nope, I’m not. You said you wanted the question, so there it is. I want the rest of forever with you, Martin. I love you and I need you. So?” She was feeling more than a little unsure of herself suddenly. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. Maybe she should have let the time just pass by and keep things the way that they were until…well, who knew when.
His lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. Suddenly, he scooped her up in his arms, kissed her hard, and squeezed her close. “Yes,” he muttered against her lips. “Always yes, Athena. I’ll gladly marry you, you crazy woman. I love you so much.”