The Strand Brothers Series: Complete Set

by Lora Ann

  I happened to agree with him. Though she was cold and shut down, there was a glimmer of hope when I spent time with her. “That’d be my cue to go see Sofie,” I told E. “Can I get you anything?”

  Lacey’s timing was impeccable as she entered the room. “I see no blood. All went well then?”

  E and I both chuckled. As I rose to kiss her on the cheek, Even’s tightly knitted brow told me he wasn’t all too pleased with the action. Too damn bad. “I’ll talk to you in the morning, brother.”

  He nodded as his fiancée nestled in beside him. “Ten-four.”

  I shook my head, leaving the room. Even always found a way to make us smile. He’d been that way since he was a little boy, full of charisma. People were just naturally drawn to him. Lacey brought out a more loving side to him, a compliment and a partner, a helpmate through and through. Once I really contemplated that it clicked, Aimee was the same to Nik. Then it hit me—soul mates. How had I not seen that before? We might have gotten off track, distance had taken its toll, but I knew for certain Sofie was my destiny. Now I needed her to wake up and smell the coffee.

  *****

  I arrived at Sofie’s condo a little after midnight. When she opened the door, I saw evidence of her crying. I said nothing, stepping through the doorway and pulling her against me. She refused to wrap her arms around me. Nevertheless, I wasn’t holding her for my benefit. Sofie needed to know she wasn’t alone. She didn’t resist, so I pushed a little more and bent down to kiss her. My intention was to be gentle and show her compassion, but I should’ve realized the connection between us would have other ideas. The chemistry began to have a reaction, and what was once a noble gesture turned into anything but.

  Sofie gasped, “Alex,” giving me full access to her luscious mouth. Prick that I was, I capitalized on that. My tongue hungrily thrust deep. All the while my cock throbbed, demanding to do the same to her decadent pussy. Her hands fisted my shirt, tugging me closer. I backed her up against a floor to ceiling window in the living room. A brief thought passed through my mind, you plan on giving the neighbors a show? Um…no, I didn’t have any desire for someone to see Sofie come. And she would—more than once before the sunrise. Ravaging the side of her neck, I glanced around outside. “Thank fuck,” escaped before I could contain it.

  Sofie’s breathy, “What?” drew me to lick along her jaw.

  “I plan on taking you right here, kjære.”

  She groaned, “In front of the window?”

  I nipped at her chin. “You’re beautiful body will leave a sweaty imprint for the whole world to see.”

  “But…”

  “Yes, that too. I’m staking my claim for all to know you are mine,” I emphasized with rough kisses around her mouth.

  “God yes, do it,” she rasped out.

  I inched back enough to grasp the front of her blouse and yank forward, hearing the buttons scatter across the floor. Never had I been so grateful for a front clasp bra. Again I roughly tugged, watching her tits bounce free of their confines. “For fuck’s sake,” I growled before latching onto a taught nipple, sucking until Sofie was writhing from the onslaught.

  My hand worked its way down the waistband of her pants and panties, plunging my finger deep inside her. She began to move to the tempo I was setting. “Don’t come,” I cautioned, continuing to move inside her heat.

  I felt her muscles tighten and removed my hand. She protested, “Why did you do that?”

  I held her gaze intently and admired the desire blazing in her eyes. Somehow managing to undo the button and unzip her slacks one handed. I went to my knees, tugging them down her legs. Once she was free from all clothing, I spun her around to face the window and gave her gorgeous, eye level ass a swat. She yelped, “What was that for?”

  I hummed along the cheek, which was slightly pink, “Making sure you know who’s in charge.” Giving her no quarter, I buried my face between her thighs and ordered, “Spread your legs for me, Sofie.” She hesitated, so I nipped the tender skin of the tendon inside her thigh.

  “Hey,” she blurted out with a delicious pant.

  I watched in fascination as she opened those lovely legs for me. Her sex was dripping as my tongue darted out to lick between folds. I moaned from the sultry flavor and pulled her treat right on to my face. Sofie’s arms instinctively braced against the glass as I consumed her until she crested. I rose from behind as her legs shook, barely able to hold weight. I licked the seam of her ass and the dimples above it. Along her spine, I commanded, “Press your body against the window.” She stepped forward and squealed from the cold glass greeting her hard nipples. I released my weeping cock from its cage and buried it inside her, pushing Sofie into the window. I pumped hard and fast, knowing this round would be quick for me. But I had every intention of making up for it. As she panted, I came.

  “Hold on, baby. Let me make sure you climax again,” I affirmed, pulling free of her body and making quick work of taking off my clothes. Sofie had to assist me with removing the sling before she sank down to the floor, hungrily staring at my body as I exposed it. “Pull your knees to your chest.” Without hesitation she obeyed. I wasn’t so sure she would be that compliant with my next order. “Now open your legs wide for me.” She bit her lip, letting knees fall to each side. “Fuck you’re beautiful.” And she was. But it was her trusting me enough to show the most vulnerable female part that did something to me.

  I grabbed a pillow from a nearby chair and lay down in front of her. My face right where it should be. I inhaled deeply, the scent of her and me and sex permeated everything around us. “Touch yourself, Sofie.”

  Fingers skated between breasts, working their way down until they were circling her pulsating clit. I leaned forward and bit a wayward finger, and then sucked it deeply into my mouth. On a pop, I removed it and repositioned to her entrance. “Fuck yourself for me.” With a hitch of breath and slightly widened eyes, she did as I had commanded. “Yes, kjære. Keep going.” I turned to the side and grasped my rock-hard dick. A hiss escaped from not only contact, but pain that now shot through my shoulder even with a pillow underneath it.

  Sofie took control. “Lie on your back with your head there.” Her wet fingers pointed to where she wanted me. Heaven awaited me between her thighs. I edged up and caught said fingers into my mouth, suckling her juices off of them. She then leaned over me and positioned her gorgeous pussy right on my mouth. Her ass pressed into the window as she hovered above my cock. Her tongue slid around the crown and then in to my cum covered slit. She moaned out, “Mmmmm.” Sofie took my dick as fully as she could into her mouth. With a hand grasped at the base, her free one went lower, massaging my balls. My tongue worked figure eights on her clit as I massaged her inner walls with a thumb. Meanwhile, my ring finger slid along her puckered hole, demanding entrance. She began to ride my face.

  Her pinky had decided to mimic me as she worked my asshole. We strived for orgasm as our fingers finally made their entrance. And that sent us plummeting over the edge of ecstasy. It wasn’t just my pleasure that had me breathing hard. No, it was hers. What we had just shared was beyond erotic—more than our bodies experiencing great release. We had just connected our souls like never before. I felt it. She felt it. Our world had just flipped whether we were ready for it or not.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sofie

  I laid there on my side facing Alex in the messy aftermath of great sex. If I were honest with myself, what we just shared was so much more than that. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve pulled away from him and headed for the shower. Instead, I released some of my inhibitions and began to run my fingers through the semen covering me. He watched with rapt fascination as I swirled the sticky residue around my areolas and then to the tip of my hardened peaks. I then brought my fingers to my mouth and licked them clean. He reached forward and dipped his fingers into my sex. I squirmed from his invasion. He teased and taunted before pulling said fingers free, sucking them clean. The man was a sex
god! And I had to have more of him. I draped my leg over his hip as he turned further onto the side that wasn’t wounded. I positioned his cock in my entrance as he latched his hand around my thigh and hauled me further up. We made slow love with tender kisses and reverent rocking. So beautiful in its simplicity and gentleness that it stole my breath. The taste of salty tears mixed with our dance, adding an element that somehow infused all which was broken. A balm to our wounded hearts had been applied. Maybe not forever, but, in that moment, all was as it should be. After we had climaxed, sleep overtook us.

  I woke up before Alex and went to brew coffee. I watched the sun peek along the horizon. Many arrangements had to be made for Lilly’s funeral. I glanced over at the sleeping man who had captured my heart so long ago. I had to let him go. Yet I selfishly wanted to hang on to these last moments with him. He truly would never forgive me this time. I had to live with that. Though the memory we’d recently created, the love he had shown for me with his body, would be enough to carry me through. I hoped. If I didn’t believe with all my heart this was best for him, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Sacrifice my own happiness so he could have the life he deserved with our daughter seemed worth it to me. I would only bring pain and distress. Neither of them deserved such a sentence. They’d done nothing wrong.

  I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. “No matter what you think, Alex,” whispering, “I do love you. I will always love you.” I stood up and gazed at his absurdly handsome face one last time, greedily memorizing every plane and strong feature, right down to his sexy dimple barely visible in his relaxed pose. He began to stir, so I quickly darted into the bedroom and locked the door. After that, I went into the bathroom for a much needed shower. I cranked the iPod loud enough that I couldn’t hear him if he woke and decided to knock. We Are the Fallen’s “Sleep Well, My Angel” played as I slid down the shower wall and let all the sorrow pour out of me. The ache so extreme I thought medical attention might actually be required. God, give me strength to do what needs to be done.

  By time the water ran cold, I found the strength to rise and wash. My teeth chattered as I turned the faucet off, watching as water swirled down the drain just like my life. Here, for a brief amount of time, then sucked away with no way to stop it. Beautiful, vibrant Lilly didn’t deserve to be taken. The man responsible must pay for that. Revenge fortified my resolve. Yes, I would make sure Senator Caleb Reynolds paid dearly for what he had stolen from me. I stepped away from the shower and caught my haunted reflection in the mirror. I vowed to myself, we will take care of this so he can’t do this to another family. With that declaration giving me the ability to go through the motions of blow drying my hair, applying makeup, and getting dressed. I gave myself a pep talk, “You can do this, Sofie. Stay aloof no matter what Alex throws at you. Remember you are doing this for him.”

  He sat quietly sipping coffee in the kitchen. As I entered, he greeted, “Hey, kjære. How are you doing this morning?”

  I only nodded, afraid speaking might break me.

  “Ah, I see.” He stood. “You don’t have to talk to me right now, Sofie. I’ll leave you alone for the time being,” he declared, walking out.

  I thought he was simply giving me a reprieve and would wait in the other room, until I heard my front door close. He left. Should have recognized he still had trust issues with me. A silent scream erupted in my head, nooooooooooooo Alex, I need you! I shouldn’t have him and you know it. Now, it’s time to pull up my big girl panties and do what must be done.

  *****

  There was nothing more surreal than making funeral arrangements for someone who should’ve had their whole life ahead of them. Once I’d finished talking to the pastor at the church Lilly attended, I went to clean out her dorm room.

  Her roommate couldn’t talk to me without crying and eventually left. Inside the drawer Lilly had instructed me to go to; I found her journal and the key required for the safe deposit box. Then I discovered where Lilly had hidden passcodes in a notebook she kept with her school stuff. Smart girl. As an unchecked tear slid down my cheek, I wiped it away with the back of my hand. I would not allow myself to break down again. I could not. I was now in a race against time. I searched for her electronics, laptop, anything else that would be of use to me, but it was all gone. Somehow, Lilly had known someone could be on to her secrets and she had covered her tracks well.

  I turned to leave and tripped over an article of clothing, falling to my knees. While I managed to untangle my feet from the pair of jeans, I noticed Bear Bear under the bed. Oh my God, she still had him after all these years. We had gone to the state fair when she was five. I had won him playing ring toss. She had clutched that bear so tight and named it on the spot. Hugging the bear close, I could smell her on it. There was no controlling the sob that ripped out of me. How would I go on without hearing her sweet voice or laugher? What would I do without our weekly meetings at her favorite café where she faithfully ordered peach cobbler a la mode? This was a pain I’d never wish on anyone. In a way I envied James. Death kept him protected from the agony, and though it was probably wrong, I wished him excruciating pain in the fiery pits of hell. Eventually, I pulled myself together enough to leave the place Lilly had once called home.

  *****

  The safety deposit box had more in it than I thought. There were family heirlooms from Lilly’s birthmother, important documents like her passport, birth certificate, trust fund information, etcetera—and a small flash drive? It looked so inconsequential in my hand, but something told me whatever was on it would change everything.

  For whatever reason, I couldn’t go home and ended up at my office. Everyone’s condolences were kind but I couldn’t bear to face anyone, deciding it best to hide away. I popped in the drive and up came spreadsheets of body types, frames, weights, physical descriptions with any birth marks, dates of birth, like looking at a list of sales. Then it hit me. I was looking at inventory of young women. The scream that bubbled up was barely stifled by my hand. Alex needed this. Right now! Come hell or high water, I would get it to him.

  I called to make sure he was around. Alex asked me to meet him at Nik and Aimee’s house, giving me directions. I made a left hand turn onto Main and some bozo ran the light, clipping the back end of my Audi S5 Coupe and sending me into a tail spin. By the grace of God, I came to a stop without hitting another car. Still…mine had extensive damage, plus I was suddenly surrounded by pedestrians who’d run to my aid.

  Alex met me at the hospital where I was checked for injuries and released. Thankful for the public locale, I handed over the flash drive. “You need to keep that safe and look at it immediately,” insisting but unable to make eye contact.

  “Sofie, I need to know you’re alright.” Concern was not only behind his plea but etched in the lines around his unfathomable blue eyes.

  “Doctor said I’m fine,” I reassured.

  “Dammit, So,” he growled, “I don’t mean just physically.”

  Astonished, I spun around. “How the hell do you think I am?”

  He threw his arm up into the air. “I wouldn’t know. You don’t tell me squat.”

  I probably would’ve giggled at that term if things were different, or I wasn’t under so much stress. Instead, I latched on to the anger roiling through my gut and unleashed the storm that had waited for this precise moment to rage. “And I won’t. So stop trying.”

  “Excuse me?” he asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.

  Woman up. “I’mnotyours.” Those words tumbled out in a rush for they were a bold-faced lie. Bitterness coated my tongue as I fought hard not to vomit.

  “Are you actually expecting me to buy that line of crap?” he retorted.

  Okay, Sofie, make it count. “Do whatever floats your boat, Alex. But mark my words; I don’t want to hear from you again. Got it?”

  His stunned look said it all. Behind that was the look of betrayal, reaching out accusingly at me like a demon roaring from its host. I stepp
ed backwards as he spoke, “Stop it, Sofia. First off, I won’t harm you. Second, you don’t mean that.”

  “Oh, but I do. Forget about me and move on with your life.”

  “Little hard to do, don’t ya think?” He scowled at me.

  Good. If he was pissed, this would work out better. “Why?” I queried like an idiot.

  “Arianna …our daughter.”

  “She’s yours, not mine. Any fool can see that,” I declared.

  “Look, kjære,” his voice gentled, “You’re in mourning. I understand you need time.”

  My heart stuttered. After being a total bitch, he was still willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. Something I did not deserve and could not accept. I scoffed, “No, Alex. You’re just not getting this through your thick skull. I’m done. I don’t love you. Once I bury my daughter…” voice catching on that until finding my resolve “…I’m leaving town for good.” Before he could try and stop me, I hurried down the hall and out the door.

  What had I just done? Alex’s heart had broken that much was clear. If it were any consolation, I had shattered what was left of mine as well. Instead of feeling relieved, I felt nothing but pain, loss, and self-hatred. This was who I’d become, and I couldn’t stand her.

  *****

  For the next thirty-six hours, I stayed in bed and cried. Nothing to eat, opted out of a shower, and didn’t bother to brush my teeth. Grief was having its way and I succumbed to her allure. Somehow, I found the strength to clean myself up and made it to the church where Lilly’s service was being held. I attempted politeness, but it was nothing more than a façade—a carefully constructed house of cards that could crumple with the slightest movement. Something tugged at my heart when I noticed Aimee. She was a shell of the vibrant, sassy woman I’d come to adore. Lacey was holding her hand while Nik pushed a wheelchair? Upon closer inspection, I recognized Even in said chair. Oh my God, had they all come to support me? Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks as I went over to the family who felt like they were mine.