by Sarah Bailey
Fuck.
Chapter 3
The moment Ash, Eric and Xav walked into the house, the atmosphere darkened. It was like a black cloud hanging over the three of them as they trudged into the living room where Rory and I were. I stood up immediately and went over to Ash. She looked like she might break apart any second.
“Little girl,” I breathed as I crushed her against my chest and buried my face in her hair. “Please believe me when I tell you I’m sorry and I love you.”
She stiffened.
“Why are you apologising?”
“You won’t like what I have to say.”
She pulled back, her eyes narrowing.
“Today has already been one fucked up mess. Are you going to make it worse?”
“Probably.”
Ash stepped away from me and looked at her feet.
“Get on with it then, I need to get back to Viktor even though I have no fucking clue what to say to him.”
I knew reaching out to her again was futile, so I walked away towards the TV which Rory had turned down. Ash raised her head and looked around the room, her eyes landing on my quiet friend who’d seated himself in one of the armchairs. Her feet moved and before anyone could say a word, she was by his side. Rory didn’t stop her from sitting on the arm of the chair, nor her reaching for his hand and lacing their fingers together.
I blinked. Rory had never readily accepted human contact from another person without flinching or putting up a fight.
Has she done the impossible and brought him out of himself finally?
It didn’t matter right now. I had things to explain. Ones I wasn’t looking forward to.
“I’m just going to get straight to the point. The reason we were able to gain access to Russo’s party that night was because your mother helped us. She asked us to take you away from Frank.”
Ash was silent for a long moment, looking between the four of us like we’d thrown her under a bus.
“Why would she… how did she… I don’t understand. She told me to stay away from you that night.”
I frowned. Perhaps she said it to put Ash off the scent.
“She made us a deal via Nate after she found out he was a double agent by accident. She said she wanted you safe from Frank and I didn’t ask why, but now we know. You’re not Frank’s. The only reason we were able to take you from right under his nose was due to your mother facilitating it.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated I even had to reveal this shit to her. We’d kept too much from her, but then again, we didn’t know back then she would be on our side.
“What I don’t know is why she went to Russo and told him where you were. Perhaps since I refused to let her speak to you, or maybe when she sent Viktor, he told her we were together. She’s why we had to go through that shit at the casino.”
Ash looked down at her lap. She still had her hand in Rory’s. He was stroking his thumb down hers.
“Why did you tell Nate to tell her you know the truth about me?”
I took a step towards her, unable to help myself. She looked so damn lost.
“To see what she would do. So maybe I could get the answers you seek from her. The whys and the hows.”
Her eyes flicked up to mine as she raised her head.
“You… I thought… oh. You did it for me.”
“I don’t like to deny you things, little girl. I love you and I want you happy.”
She rubbed her face.
“I don’t know what to do… she could betray me if I ask Viktor to keep her safe or she could die if I send her back to Frank. Neither of those outcomes are what I want. No matter what she’s done, I don’t want her dead. Frank has to die, but Isabella doesn’t. She’s not expendable. Not to me.”
Deep down, Ash knew what she had to do.
“You won’t get your answers if she returns to Russo. If Isabella leaves him, he’ll look weaker than ever. It’s a risk, but one that might be worth taking. I won’t tell you what choice to make, Ash. She’s your mother.”
As much as I disliked the woman, I respected Ash enough to leave the decision up to her. She didn’t have much choice when it came to Russo, but I had no real beef with Isabella other than her willingly throwing her own daughter to the wolves. I didn’t want my little girl getting hurt any further.
Ash tugged her phone out her coat pocket, which she hadn’t taken off when they came in. She fiddled with it before placing it to her ear.
“Hello… Sorry it took so long… No, I had to come home from the hospital… I want you to keep her safe. I have questions for her… Yeah… Okay, can I call you tomorrow and we’ll arrange something?” She shifted on the arm of the chair, clearly uncomfortable by the conversation. “Okay, yes… Goodnight, Viktor.”
She lowered her phone from her ear and stared hard at me.
“I hope I haven’t made a mistake.”
I closed the distance between us and cupped her face.
“We’ll deal with it either way, little girl.”
She sighed before she looked behind me at Eric and Xav, who were both still hovering by the door. I turned, dropping my hand and narrowing my eyes. Both of them looked like they’d done something wrong. I was instantly suspicious.
“What happened at the hospital?”
“Julian has a pulmonary embolism, blood clot in the lung. They’re treating him for it there for the next five days,” Xav said, rubbing his chest with one hand.
“So he’s going to be okay?”
“We think so…”
He looked away and Eric shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable.
“What are you two not telling me?”
I felt Ash’s hand on my arm.
“Julian knows who I am.”
Tension radiated down my body at an alarming pace. I stepped out of Ash’s hold because I wasn’t angry with her, I was fucking pissed off with Xav and Eric. They were meant to take care of her. That was the fucking agreement. The only reason I let her go with them was their promise to protect her and keep her well away from Xav’s psychotic father.
“You let Julian see her? You promised me you would take care of her. You fucking well promised.”
“We didn’t let Julian see her on purpose,” Eric said with a scowl. “It happened because Viktor called her so don’t you start with me or Xav over it.”
I took another step towards them, my ire growing.
“You put her in danger.”
Xav sighed and clenched his fists.
“Julian forced me to let him meet her properly. He knows why we have her… and about our relationship. Plus I have to fucking well be there for his cancer treatments, so tell me, who got the shit end of the stick here?”
I threw my arms up, trying not to lose my temper completely. Fucking Julian. That man had always been trouble, not to mention what he’d done to his own family. He was a sick, soulless fuck. Him knowing we were with Ash made everything infinitely more complicated. Yes, he was in prison, but I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. A man like Julian would use any piece of knowledge to his advantage. Blackmailing his son? That wasn’t even a new low for Julian. It was par for the fucking course.
“Jesus fucking Christ, can we not have a day when shit doesn’t fucking come our way? For fuck’s sake, I can’t deal with any more this evening. You really do know how to fucking load the work on me, don’t you guys? Now I have to fight more fires and I’m already stressed the fuck out over keeping her safe and making new plans for Russo. So excuse me, but I’m done.”
I’d had enough. They didn’t seem to understand how much danger we were all in. Just how much I had to do to make sure we didn’t all get ourselves killed.
I walked out, shoving my way past Xav and Eric. As I walked upstairs to my bedroom, I ran my hands through my hair, wanting everything to disappear for one fucking moment. That’s when I heard soft footfall behind me when I stopped to open my
bedroom door. Turning, I found my little girl approaching me cautiously.
“What?”
She flinched as she arrived next to me. I hadn’t meant to sound so gruff and pissed off with her. None of this bullshit was really her fault.
“I can go if you want to be alone… I’m just worried about you.”
Pushing my bedroom door open, I grabbed her hand and dragged her in with me. I shut the door and tugged her against me, breathing her in.
“What do you need, Quinn?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.”
The truth of the matter was nothing anyone did would make this better. I could get lost in her for a while, but it would only be temporary. The past couple of months I’d been under so much fucking pressure. I thought perhaps it might end soon, but clearly, things were getting way out of hand. It was all on my shoulders. The weight of keeping us safe. Protecting my family.
“Will you let me love you?”
I wasn’t sure what that even meant, but anything was better than getting lost in the turmoil plaguing my every waking moment.
“Yes.”
Ash pulled away and raised her hands, slowly unbuttoning my shirt before she tugged it out of my trousers and pushed it off my shoulders. She took off her coat and placed them on my ottoman. Her fingertips trailed down my bare chest, but her touch wasn’t sexual. Her fingers soothed me. Reassuring me she was right here. She leant forward and placed a kiss where my heart was beating.
I reached for her, tugging off her jumper and t-shirt. My fingers stroked down the necklace I’d given her. The infinity symbol reminding me of our connection. Reminding me she was mine forever. That calmed my warring soul a fraction. This girl had dug her way inside me and nestled herself in my soul. And I never wanted to tear her out.
I let her continue undressing me until I stood in boxers. She discarded the rest of her clothes, standing there in these little lacy knickers. Then she took me by the hand and pulled me over to the bed. She made me get settled under the covers whilst she turned out the lights. Crawling in beside me, she wrapped her small frame around mine, holding me close as we lay on our sides facing each other. Her face buried in my neck and she placed soft little kisses to my jaw.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”
My little girl taking care of me seemed so fucking backwards, but I needed her to so much. She would be my balm. Ash was my everything.
Her fingers stroked down my back, calming me further. My fingers tangled in her beautiful blonde hair, keeping her close.
“Thank you, little girl,” I whispered back. “Thank you for being here. Fuck knows I need you. I’ll always need you.”
Only Ash made me want to admit these things. I felt safe with her. Safe to let her in and not worry she’d use my feelings against me. Back when the boys and I had been kids, I’d been softer, less hardened by all the shit we’d dealt with. Ash reminded me of that side. She brought it out to the forefront. In a lot of ways, I could only be grateful to her for showing me how love was my strength, not a weakness.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll never leave you, Quinn.”
I kissed the top of her head and closed my eyes, contentment washing over me for those briefest of moments.
“I’ll do anything for you… any-fucking-thing. I love you so much. You’re my one, little girl. The only one. I’m never letting you go.”
Her lips pressed against my pulse point on my neck. I hugged her closer so our bodies were pressed so tightly together I no longer knew where I ended and she began. If I could dig myself inside her and never resurface, I would.
“I’m yours… now and forever.”
I drifted off to sleep with that beautiful girl in my arms. The rest of the shit could wait.
Me and her?
We were all that mattered.
If we could survive this shitstorm, we could survive anything.
I hoped.
Chapter 4
When I woke up, I found Quinn wrapped up against me with his head buried in my chest still fast asleep. I stroked his hair but didn’t move otherwise. Normally he was awake well before me. Clearly, he needed the sleep. My beautiful devil. The thought of that stupid nickname made me smile. Quinn had always been a little devilish to me.
Having him show me so much vulnerability last night had me in knots. Here was a man so strong, so dominant and never let anything ruffle him. Yet, he was suffering on the inside with the weight of the world on his shoulders. I desperately wanted to help him. To ease his burdens. He didn’t need to do this alone. He had the boys and he had me.
The moment I felt his hand close over my bare breast, I knew he was awake. His mouth trailed along my skin, his hot breath making me shiver until it closed over my nipple. His tongue circled it almost leisurely. I let out a little pant, gripping the bedsheets below me. My other hand still remained buried in his short hair.
“Sir,” I breathed.
“Hands above your head,” he murmured against my breast. “Grip the headboard and don’t move them from there.”
I complied, wrapping my hands around two of the metal bars built into the wood. His fingers dispensed with my underwear quickly. He kissed down my stomach, his tongue trailing along my skin. I squirmed but didn’t let go of the headboard.
“Open your legs wide for me, little girl.”
I brought my knees up and opened my legs, watching him disappear between them. His hot breath dusted over my pussy and I was a fucking goner. The moment his tongue delved between my lips, I bucked and moaned. He gripped the backs of my thighs, keeping me still as he pressed his tongue inside me before shifting higher and circling my clit.
“Oh god, Quinn.”
I realised the next second I’d forgotten to say sir, but I don’t think he even cared. He was too busy with his head between my legs, bringing me intense pleasure. I was hard-pressed to keep my hands locked to the headboard.
I whimpered when he pulled away and sat up on his knees, leaning over to the bedside table. He tugged open the drawer and pulled out a small bottle, which almost had me tensing. I was well versed in the boys’ interests now. They all liked to fuck me every which way they could. The longer I was with them, the deeper I fell into their sexual depravity and loved every moment of it.
Quinn’s tongue was back on my clit but this time his fingers were preparing me for him too. Stretching me out so I could take his cock. I bucked and moaned, finding myself being driven ever higher until I hit that peak. I clenched hard around his fingers as I came, almost letting go of the headboard with the force of my climax driving through my body.
“Fuck! Fuck!”
I’d barely even come down when he pulled away and slipped out of his boxers. His dark eyes were gleaming as he pressed my legs up against my chest before he slicked his cock up. I whined when he pressed inside me, gripping the metal bars harder. Thankfully, he went slow, letting me adjust with each stroke. He felt so good. I wanted to touch him but knowing Quinn, he wouldn’t let me move my hands.
“I love you.”
His eyes softened with my words and he faltered. Before I knew it, he’d tugged my hands from the headboard, lacing our fingers together as he leant over me.
“I love you too, little girl.”
His kiss was soft and tender. He made love to me with a reverence I’d rarely experienced from him. And when we hit the peak together, I felt completely undone by the experience. Quinn had well and truly let me in. His heart and mine were entwined.
We took a shower together, each taking turns to wash each other afterwards. The deepening of the intimacy we shared made my heart sing.
After breakfast with the boys, I bit the bullet and called Viktor. Quinn seemed less stressed as if he’d desperately needed a night of nothing but us holding each other without any of the other bullshit in our lives. He disappeared off into his office with Xav and Eric leaving Rory and me to clean up the kitchen.
I leant against the counter and dialled Viktor’s number. Rory was watching me with a neutral expression. I wasn’t sure how he felt about all the shit that’d gone down yesterday. Although he’d let me hold his hand last night, he’d been very quiet otherwise. Not that he wasn’t in general, but he usually made some effort to talk to me.
“Good morning, kotik.”
I’d just about got used to him calling me kitten.
“Hey… how’re things?”
What a stupid question!
This man was my biological father and yet I knew very little about him on a personal level. I mean I knew he was forty-two, rich as fuck due to his various businesses and had an older brother but that was about it. I’d like to know more but building relationships took time.
“Well enough. Isabella is safe as promised.”
I fiddled with the hem of my t-shirt.
“Do you think she’ll try to go back to Frank?”
I worried if I saw her and revealed I was still with the boys, she’d compromise my safety.
“Who knows your mother’s mind. She is concerned about your whereabouts.”
“So she doesn’t know.”
“No, nor is she aware you now know about me. Perhaps it is best we wait a few days to see where her loyalties lie before making any further decisions.”
As much as I wanted the answers to the questions I had for her, I’d been through far too much over the past couple of days. My life wasn’t as I knew it to be. Things had got so mixed up. Maybe I just needed a minute to breathe. Just like Eric had told me to do last night.
“Yeah, okay. That sounds like a plan. I should really stay at home anyway, safer for me that way.”
I might hate being stuck in this house, but after last night and finding out Julian had blackmailed Xav, I didn’t think I should go anywhere. The boys were right. I was safer with them than anywhere else. I had four men protecting me. Yeah, things could go wrong, but this was better than any other option. Plus, I didn’t want to be apart from them again anyway. Last time was enough to make me never want to leave their sides. They meant too much to me.