by K. J. Dahlen
When he began to plunge in and out of her again, it only took a few strokes before he felt her ignite a second time. This time, she screamed his name and Roman couldn’t help but smile. She flooded his cock. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. Pressing kisses into his neck Roman felt a part of himself deep inside his chest warm up and come alive. He hadn’t known that part of him was so cold until now.
Moving away just enough so she could see his face, he whispered, “I love you.”
Stevie smiled. “I love you too.”
“Please don’t leave me again,” he murmured. He began nibbling and licking up and down on her neck from the base of her shoulders to the bottom of her ear as he followed the artery there. He felt her pulse quicken with his touch and he smiled. “I think we both need some rest.” He followed along her clavicle spreading tiny kisses from her shoulder to her elbow.” But first…” He rose up and went to get a warm wet washcloth.
He came back and gently cleaned her up.
Stevie laid there watching his gentle ministrations with warmth and love in her eyes.
Roman noted that her haunted look was gone. The one she had when he met her. He felt such emotion he had to keep his eyes from tearing up. He tossed the cloth to the table and took her up in his arms.
Stevie leaned into his caress and when Roman slipped over to her side, she followed and they laid on the side facing each other.
He picked up her hand and kissed each of her fingertips. Then he leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. Making his way up to her eyelids, he murmured in her right ear, “Rest. It’s been a long day and tomorrow will be here before you know it.”
Stevie wrapped her arms around him. “Let’s rest together then. I don’t want to wake up alone.”
Roman turned onto his back and held her to him. He grasped her face so she would look at him as he spoke, “You will never have to worry about that again.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, he tucked her head down on his chest. Pulling the blanket up to cover them both, he flipped off the light and settled in. Closing his eyes, he was overcome by a feeling of rightness.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When Roman opened his eyes a few hours later, he knew there was something missing. Without turning his head, he moved his hand around to her side of the bed but the sheets were cold and empty. For a moment his heart stopped.
Raising his head, he glanced around the room. It was still dark outside but the night sky was fading fast. He noted the blanket from the foot of the bed was missing. Getting out of bed, he pulled his pants on and went to the patio door leading to the porch outside his bedroom.
Silently sliding the door open, he stepped out and immediately saw her standing at the edge of the porch. She was wrapped in the blanket staring up at the stars. The night sky was as clear as a bell tonight and the stars shone brightly.
Roman moved quietly over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, he said in her ear, “You were gone when I woke up.”
Stevie turned her head. And kissed him quickly on the lips before turning back to the stars. “I’m sorry. I never meant to worry you. I woke up a little while ago and something told me I had to come out here and take a look at the heavens tonight.”
“Why is that?”
Stevie titled her head and peeked at him. “I’m not really sure but the stars are gorgeous tonight.”
“Silas told me you liked looking at them.”
Stevie nodded. “I do but that’s his own fault.”
Roman chuckled. “What do you mean, his fault?”
“Right after I ran from Caulder, Silas found me on the streets. I was trying to hide behind a dumpster but I wasn’t doing a very good job of it, apparently. He picked me up and took me to a place he knew I’d be safe. I was so sick and in so much pain at the time, I didn’t care what happened to me. Anyway, Silas began nursing me through it and every night he laid there with me and told me about the stars. He said they were our history for all eternity written in points of light, so everyone could see it. He told me of the constellations and that they were there to honor the Kings and Pharaohs, Queens and Princess’ of the past. He would tell me stories of how different the stars looked in different areas of the world too. What we might see here at home would look so much different in the deserts of Africa for instance.”
“So you learned to watch the stars from him huh?” Roman asked into her ear.
Stevie turned and looked into his face. “You know I didn’t go to school right? Well at that time in my life, I wanted to learn to read so badly, I could almost taste it. I mean I could read simple stuff but I wanted more. What I learned, I passed down to Benny and I wanted better than I had for him. He at least, had a chance at a real life.” Looking up to view the stars again, she continued, “I wanted to read stories of the people those stars represented. I wanted to read about Kings and Pharaohs. That was my dream anyway.”
“Did that dream change?”
Stevie nodded. “I guess I grew up. I had to put my childish dreams away.”
Roman smiled. “How old are you anyway?”
“I’m twenty four, I think.” She shrugged. “I really don’t know for sure because I never had a birth certificate. When my mother dropped me off at the church, they didn’t find any paperwork with me. She never even gave me a name or left hers.”
He wrapped his arms around her a little tighter. “You do know I’m almost twice your age right?”
Stevie shrugged. “So what? Age is just a number.” She turned and stared at him for a moment. “You do know, don’t you that me and Benny are here because we want to be, not because of what we can get from you, a nice place to live, food and money. You do know that, don’t you?”
Roman smiled. “Yeah, I do. My brothers know it too. If that’s all you wanted, you wouldn’t have stuck around. You would have just taken it and left.”
“My hearing or lack of hearing might always come between us,” she warned him. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Roman hugged her tighter before answering her question, “Do I wish you hadn’t been hurt that way, yes I do. You didn’t deserve it. Does it really make a difference in how I feel about you? Not really. We’ll both have to able to compromise at times. One thing we can do is get you checked out. Maybe the damage is permanent by this time or maybe, there is still something that can be done about it. But that’s for a later date. Right now, I want to take you back to bed and fuck you silly.”
Stevie laughed. “That sounds like fun.” Then she looked up to the skies again. “But can we do it out here? I’ve always wanted to make love under the stars.”
Roman growled and stripped the blanket off her shoulders. He was a bit surprised to find her bare underneath. But he quickly laid the blanket out and pulled her down to lay on the boards beneath their feet. He laid down and undid his jeans pulling them off. Then he pulled her on top of him.
Stevie rubbed her damp core along the length of his cock. It felt so heavenly. She never knew it could be like this. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his and he took the kiss up another notch.
His hands grasped her breasts and began to squeeze and pull on her nipples.
Stevie gasped at the hint of pain but she wouldn’t have changed it for the world at the moment. Instead, she moaned and could feel herself get wetter yet. Reaching down, she positioned his cock and slid down on top of it.
Roman hissed as he filled her. Gripping her hips in his hard hands, he began moving her up and down on him. He raised her up and slammed her down on, pushing himself upward further with every stroke.
Stevie groaned and encouraged him with her movements. She didn’t feel the pain but instead, she felt only the pleasure he could give her. Her fingers curled into his chest getting tangled in his light chest hair. She threw her head back and looked up at the stars as she concentrated on feeling his possession. One, two three thrusts later, her body clamped down on him and he slammed up into her then ju
st locked his muscles as he came inside her.
He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed the feeling of pleasure to wash over them both. Then he gathered her close to him and hugged her. “I’m never letting you go.” He picked her up and carried her inside to his bed. Tossing her down, he flopped down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her hostage.
Stevie giggled then he covered her mouth with hers and there were no more sounds other than their kisses. When they both settled down, Roman closed his eyes but Stevie couldn’t. He’d said something last night she wanted to know more about. “Tell me about you brother.”
Roman froze. He didn’t open his eyes instead, he tried to move away from her, but she wouldn’t let him. He opened his eyes and just stared at her for a moment before he spoke, “I wasn’t sure you heard that part.”
“You said that your mother left you both behind. Why would she do that?” she asked quietly.
“You have to understand that we lived in poverty back then. It wasn’t easy to have two small children and no job. She tried but she just couldn’t do it any longer.”
“You said you were six and your brother was two when he disappeared.”
“Vlad had cried himself to sleep that day. We were both hungry and cold and I knew I had to do something. I left him there and went to see if I could find us something to eat. When I got back less than an hour later, I saw someone had busted down the door and he was gone. I was so scared that I didn’t stay there anymore. I looked for anyone who might have seen what happened but no one came forward. I searched the orphanages for him but he never was placed there. He simply disappeared. Every year, I would search the streets for him but I could never find him.”
“How could you?” Stevie asked. “He was so young when he was taken and children change so quickly.”
Roman rubbed his forehead briefly. “Vlad was a small kid back then but he was born with a birthmark unique to his father’s family. My mother always hid it I think because she never told the father he had a son.”
“Did she ever tell you who Vlad’s father was?”
Roman shook his head. “No and she never took him out in public either. Every time someone came to the house, she would make me take him in the bedroom and hide.”
“Could it have been his father that took him that day?” Stevie asked.
“I don’t know for sure who it was and it doesn’t make any difference at this point. All this happened years ago. All I can hope for is that he grew up in a good home with people who loved him. I doubt I’ll even see him again, but I can’t ever forget him either. He was a big part of my life for the first two years of his life.”
“So where do we go from here?” she asked.
“I want the whole works, “ he replied. “I want to be part of a family. That’s something I’ve never really had before. When I was young, I had my mom and a little brother and I want that back. I’ve seen my brothers find love and start their own families. Then I found you and Benny. I know you guys aren’t related but then neither am I to Yuri, Sazon, Mikial and Barshan but we are brothers.”
“It’s the same with me and Benny. Family doesn’t always mean sharing the same blood.”
“And I wouldn’t change that for anything. All I ask is the chance to have a family with the two of you.”
“I think we can handle that.” Stevie smiled.
“I hope so because I can’t let either of you go now.” Roman kissed her. “You belong with me now.”
“I think that will be ok with us.” Stevie nodded.
Roman looked at her and smiled. “And I want a baby with you, at least one, maybe more than one but I want to see my child growing inside you. I want to hold my son or daughter and I want to know that they are alive because I loved their mother.”
Stevie wrapped her hands around his face. “And their mother loves their father, so very much.”
“So you and Benny and our children will be my family?” he asked. “Do you promise?”
“I promise,” she vowed before she covered his mouth with her own in a kiss.
EXCERPT FROM:
BROTHERS FOREVER
BOOK SIX
BRATVA BLOOD BROTHERS SERIES
Chapter One
Stevie looked out into the backyard from the kitchen window and couldn’t help but notice how much her life had changed. In the last four months she and Benny had been living here, they had settled in and made a life for themselves with Roman. She wasn’t scared anymore of waking up in the morning, she wasn’t afraid of someone sneaking up on her any more. She felt safe here with him.
She glanced over at Benny and smiled. He was at the table, on his computer taking online classes to catch up to other kids his own age in preparation for school in a few months. His mind was like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge he could get his hands on. He hoped to go to a public school this fall. He was working hard to get there all on his own, and she was so proud of him.
Suddenly, a wet nose pushed into her hand and she looked down at her dog Corbin. Smiling, she knelt beside the animal and scratched behind his ears. Roman had gotten both her and Benny a protection dog shortly after they got here.
Corbin was a trained dog, not only for her protection but also as a service dog. He was a pure white German Shephard and while that was unusual for the breed, it only made Corbin special in her eyes. Benny’s dog was pure black German Shephard he’d named Lucifer.
After a trip to the doctor, it was decided that her hearing in her left ear was gone forever but with the use of a hearing aid, she had very good hearing in her right ear. She was learning to get by with what she had, like she always had but every day, Roman showed her a little bit more of his world. She was teaching Roman the sign language she and Benny used to get by on and soon, she was going to take classes to learn the proper universal sign language.
In the last four months, she’d been keeping track of everything going on in Baton Rouge and while the justice system was very slow at times, the situation was moving forward. Most of the people involved had been arrested and the city was just now getting back on its feet.
Her evidence hadn’t come into play yet, as the Advocates had pretty much the same stuff, she did so no one knew about her and Benny yet. She never really looked at the evidence she’d taken that night so she didn’t know what was there. They had been waiting for the trials to begin before they turned over the evidence, that way nothing could get conveniently lost or go missing before it was time to enter it into the trial.
Silas was still watching out for her and Benny. At least, that’s what she’d been told. Lately, however she’d gotten the feeling something evil was waiting for her. She couldn’t help but shiver at the thought. She hadn’t heard anything for sure but when you live as long on the streets as they had you, you gain a sixth sense about stuff like that.
Roman and the rest of his brothers had become protective of her and Benny. Security had been beefed up not only around Roman’s house but everywhere she and Benny went, there was at least one security person with them.
Pappy called Roman last night and after they spoke, Roman mentioned the fact that there were rumors around Baton Rouge that some of the people on trial were searching for her and Benny. Roman assured her there was nothing to worry about but she’d lived that life before. If there were someone out there looking, they would find her or Benny.
She leaned into Corbin and just wrapped her arms around him for a moment. When she looked up, she found Benny studying her.
After a moment he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Stevie shrugged. She tried to stand then Corbin grabbed her wrist with his teeth and kept her low to the floor. Suddenly, the window behind her shattered and glass rained all over her.
Stevie screamed and huddled over Corbin while Benny shouted and dove under the table. Lucifer crowded over him and they both could hear running footsteps coming toward them from outside.
A large man burst in through the door with
his gun drawn. It was the outside guard, Stephanous. “Stay down.” He stalked toward where Stevie was squatting. “What the hell happened here?” he demanded.
Stevie looked up at him. “I-I don’t know.” Her voice quivered. She turned her head and stared at the broken glass.
“Stevie,” Benny called out as he came out from under the table. Instead of standing up, he crawled over to her. “Are you ok?” His hand was trembling as he reached out to touch her arm.
“Be careful,” Stevie warned him. “I—don’t want you t-to get cut.” Her voice was shaky. “I’m ok, I think.” She tried to push herself off the floor but Stephanous hauled her away from the open window.
He turned to assist Benny then saw the blood spots on the floor where Stevie had been before. Stephanous turned to her and began searching her for open wounds. He found blood staining her clothing from a wound on her neck and shoulder.
“We need to get you to a doctor,” Stephanous said. He shoved his weapon in the holster he wore under his jacket and pulled out his phone to call the car. While they waited, Stephanous placed another call to Roman. After he explained what happened, he hustled both of them out to the front door.
When the car pulled up out front, they all got inside including the dogs. Five minutes later, they were on their way to the hospital.
When they pulled up out front, Roman and Yuri were waiting for them.
Roman rushed over to the car and opened the door. His eyes were crazy and his beard was all over the place while he looked her over. When he saw the shards of glass that covered her head and shoulders he demanded, “What the fuck happened?”
Stevie was trembling as she reached out to touch him. “I don’t know. I was by the window in the kitchen and I bent over to hug Corbin then the window exploded behind me.”
Roman turned to look at Stephanous then back to Stevie. “Are you all right?”
“I guess so,” she whispered.