I spend the rest of the weekend cooking with Kai; I show him how to make shepherd’s pie, and he shows me how to make those delicious ramen noodles. It’s so nice just hanging out with him, Loki, and Jax. Even Ash isn’t being such an arse, and spends time relaxing with us all.
My relationship with Loki and Jax is crazy and intense, and we can’t get enough of each other, fucking like rabbits. The thing that frightens me is, it’s not just about sex. They make me feel things in a way I’ve never felt before. We haven’t really openly talked about it, but I’m just taking it as it comes. I don’t want to ruin what we’ve started by questioning it and putting a name to the feelings or a title to what we are.
Monday soon comes round again, and it’s back to the grindstone of classes and studying. I’m a little surprised to find the guys taking it so seriously, only missing a couple of study evenings a week to do their ‘training,’ aka working out. At least, that’s what I assume they do as they all come back hot and deliciously sweaty. I’m desperate to go and watch, but Loki or Jax always seem to distract me! Not that I’m complaining.
Class is finished for the day, and as I open the door to our dorm I hear a stranger’s voice. A deep baritone sound and I look up to see a tall man in a tailored black pinstripe suit turning to face me.
“Ah, you must be Lilly,” he says, his tone cultured, and face wreathed in smiles. He walks towards me, his manicured hand outstretched.
Something about him makes me hesitate, a cold shiver running up my spine, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end.
He’s older, maybe in his fifties, with black hair that’s just starting to grey at the temples. His jaw is firm and chiselled, and he looks to be in pretty good shape, though not as stacked as the guys. When my gaze reaches his steel grey eyes, I make the connection.
This is Ash’s father.
I briefly look past him to see all the guys sitting stiffly on two of the sofas. They look pretty tense, backs ramrod straight, and there’s a muscle in Ash’s jaw ticking, like he’s furious and trying to keep it in check.
My eyes flit back to the man who’s taken another step towards me, and I realise I’ve been silent for longer than is polite. Blinking, I quickly shut the door, walking towards him with my own hand outstretched.
“Yes. I’m Lilly. Lilly Darling. Pleased to meet you…” I trail off, not knowing his name.
He takes my hand in his, but doesn’t shake it like I expect. Instead, he brings it to his lips and places a kiss on my knuckles. I have to suppress a cold shiver, and I swallow thickly, feeling all kinds of revulsion. He looks at me like I’m an interesting toy to him, something to be played with then discarded when he grows bored.
“Julian,” he says in that deep voice of his. It’s not an unpleasant sound, in fact, it’s quite the opposite, but I feel uneasy all the same. “Julian Vanderbilt, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He emphasises the word ‘pleasure’ and it’s so creepy that I can’t stop the shudder this time.
Instead of looking offended or embarrassed, he looks…excited? at my reaction. His eyes flash with what looks suspiciously like lust, but unlike when the guys look at me that way, now I feel dirty, like I need to scrub myself clean.
“We’ll see you later then, Father.” I hear Ash say, and I don’t miss the flash of annoyance that flares in Julian’s eyes. Ash comes up next to his dad, breaking the spell that Julian’s gaze held me under.
I look up and see Ash’s jaw is clenched, as he takes in my hand still in his father’s grip.
Julian gives it a little squeeze, drawing my attention back to him.
“Until next time, Miss Darling,” he purrs out, placing another kiss on my knuckles before letting go. It takes everything in me not to wipe my hand along my side to get rid of the feel of his lips.
“Don’t be late, boys,” he says, his voice stern, and straightening up, he walks towards the door, Ash following behind him. As soon as they close the door behind them, Loki is next to me, pulling me into his arms and engulfing me in his vanilla scent.
I don’t miss that he takes the hand that Julian kissed and rubs his thumb over it.
“He seems…” I trail off, not knowing how to finish. How do I describe the way he made me feel, like I was his prey, and he was a creature of the darkness, a snake ready to strike.
“Like a complete asshole, Pretty Girl,” Loki says in that delicious drawl of his. It’s completely different from Julian’s which was cold, lacking any human warmth.
The door opens before I can think of a response, and Ash walks in, looking at me held in Loki’s arms. He walks right up to me with something like concern in his grey eyes. They’re the exact same colour as his father’s, yet couldn’t be more different.
I always thought Ash was the ‘Ice Knight,’ but meeting Julian shows me that Ash has a fire which burns in the depths of his grey orbs that his father lacks. He feels things passionately, even when it was just his dislike of me, or getting so cross when I’d taken too much Molly at the party in the woods. He may keep his feelings hidden from outsiders, but those he lets in, see how deeply he cares.
“You okay, Princess?” he asks gently, scanning me from top to bottom.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” I question back, my brow furrowed as I lean back from Loki’s grip. Why is he so…worried?
“Because his dad, Mr CE-fucking-O, just hit on you, the motherfucker,” Loki interjects angrily before Ash can say anything, and I can feel a slight tremble in his muscles, like they’re itching to go after Julian.
Ash glares at him but doesn’t argue with what Loki’s just said.
“What?! No!” I splutter out, stepping out of Loki’s arms to look him in the eye.
Why would he hit on me? And ewww!
“He did, Baby Girl,” I hear Jax rumble before he pulls me into his chest. I can feel his rapid heartbeat through my palm, and it’s instinctual for me to snuggle into his warm embrace.
“Why are you guys acting so strange?” I ask, looking up into his blue eyes. “His behaviour was a little odd and creepy, but harmless. Right?”
I hear a cruel bark of laughter sound out behind me and turn my head to see Ash shaking his own.
“My father is anything but harmless,” he practically spits the word out, like he can’t stand him. “He’s fucking dangerous, and you won’t be meeting him again,” he says in a hard voice, determination in his gaze that lets me know that his will is law as far as he’s concerned. “We have to go out tonight, Princess, business stuff,” he continues. “Don’t forget to lock the door.” And with that, he heads off upstairs.
“Well, that wasn’t cryptic at all,” I say sarcastically, stepping away from Jax. “What time do you guys need to leave?” I ask.
“Oh, not until after dinner,” Kai answers, getting up from his seat and coming towards me. “Wanna help me make lasagna?” he asks, a smile on his face.
“I’d love to.” I smile back. Before I can take a step towards Kai, Loki has grabbed me again and spun me round, his arms wrapping round my waist.
“You’ll be okay by yourself, Pretty Girl?” he asks with genuine concern in his voice, his own forehead creased with wrinkles.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, my own hands smoothing up his bare arms. Why are guys’ arms so fucking sexy? All the better to pin you down with, duh.
“Anyway, the next book in this crazy awesome series I’m reading has just come out,” I continue, getting excited. “It’s about a girl and four guys, who are all epic as fuck dancers. They’ve spent years apart, and I’m hoping they are finally getting back together. I hear the sex scenes are hot as sin, so I think I’ll take my Kindle and have a long soak in the bath,” I tease, grinning wickedly, the tension inside me releasing as his gaze turns lustful.
Loki groans and I hear Jax growl, stepping up behind me and caging me in between them.
“Tell me you’re not gonna touch yourself in the bath,” Loki pleads huskily.
“I can’t make any promises, Pretty Boy,” I sass back at him as I feel Jax moving closer from behind. They’re both growing hard against me, and my smile turns evil.
“Uh uh, boys,” I say, stepping out from between them. “I’ve got to help Kai with dinner.”
“You’re seriously gonna leave us with blue balls, Pretty Girl?” Loki whines, an incredulous look on his beautiful face.
“Yes,” I say. “It’s punishment for leaving me all alone with only my fingers for company,” I tell him, wiggling my fingers as I step backwards. Heat flares in their eyes as they stand shoulder to shoulder, looking a little like they’re thinking about just hauling me upstairs.
“But you can relieve them as soon as you get back and find me warm, naked, and wet in Loki’s bed.” I smile sweetly, laughing at the matching looks of frustration on their faces.
LOKI
The meaty sound of Jax’s fist hitting Brandon Franklin, CEO of Florence Pharmaceuticals, in the jaw sounds loud in the bright underground room at the cabin. An arc of crimson blood splatters across the floor, the contrast to the white tiles fascinating me for a moment.
“What do you want with me?” Brandon whimpers, whipping his head back to face us, his jaw already bruising.
There’s blood dribbling down his chin from a split lip, staining his very nice powder blue shirt. Unfortunately for him, he’s tied to the chair so he can’t wipe it off.
“You’ve become a person of interest to us, Mr Franklin,” Ash drawls out, in a bored tone, examining the back of his hand.
It’s the role that he plays. We all have one. Ash, the cold as ice questioner; Jax, the one that coaxes answers out of them with his fists, whilst Kai uses his tech expertise to hack into their digital lives, and destroy them. Me? I’m usually the good cop. With maybe a little crazy sprinkled in to unnerve them just enough. Like now as I hit play on my phone, and Cradles by Sub Urban starts to play, filling the basement with eerie sounds.
“What the fuck is going on?!” Brandon shouts, looking around at us all, his blue eyes wide, his lips and chin trembling.
“Well, in layman’s terms,” Ash says, walking towards him, “you have something that we want.”
“What? What do you want, you little punk?” Brandon sneers back, clearly finding his backbone. Oh shit.
Ash nods, and Jax steps forward, pulling back his fist and punching Brandon again in the face. I wince slightly at the sound it makes. Damn, he definitely cracked something that time.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Brandon shouts, tears streaming down his cheeks and spitting out a tooth that clinks on the tiles and skitters across them.
“It’s rude to call people names,” Ash deadpans, and I don’t bother to suppress a laugh.
“Now, now, boys,” I say, stepping forward and cutting off what Brandon clearly wanted to say back. “Brandon here is a smart man, aren’t you, Brands?” I ask the man in question, stepping up to him and crouching down, slinging my arm over his shoulders. He shrugs it off with a glare, but keeps his mouth shut, thank fuck. I want this to be done quickly so I can get back to Lilly.
“Good man. See? When you play nicely, no one needs to get hurt,” I tell him condescendingly.
“What do you want?” he asks again, looking back at Ash.
“One day in the near future, you’ll be receiving a phone call, detailing instructions on what you will do next. You just need to follow those instructions. Simple.”
Brandon barks out a laugh. “Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because,” Kai interjects, turning the screen of his tablet around where we can see a picture of Brandon in flagrante with Summer, his current mistress, who also happens to be an employee of Black Knight Corporation. “If you don’t, then this will go out to the worldwide media, plus your wife on the same day.”
“So? Who cares who I fuck?” Brandon counters, obviously still not understanding that we hold all the cards in this situation.
“Did you know that Summer is only fifteen years old?” Ash informs him. There’s disgust in his face, but also a kind of glee at being the judge, jury, and executioner.
“W–what?” Brandon stutters, face going ashen.
“That’s right, you sick fuck,” Jax growls, fists clenched. He finds it difficult to switch the rage off once it’s started. It makes him a great punisher, but is hard for him to live with. “She’s underage.”
“And then there’s that pesky prenup you signed before getting married, the one with the adultery clause. It would mean you’ll be left destitute,” Ash says, cool as a fucking cucumber.
“H–how do you know about that?”
“There’s also the small matter of child porn on your computer,” Kai adds, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and ignoring Brandon’s question.
“What child porn?” Brandon’s sweating now, visibly shaking as he finally starts to realize that he’s backed into a corner.
“This is your work desktop screen, is it not?” Kai asks, turning the iPad around again and showing us a picture of an attractive middle aged woman with two young blue eyed, blonde children, with folder icons running down the side.
Brandon stays silent as Kai hits an icon, and a horrific image pops up. We all wince at this, bile rising in my throat at the picture. Kai quickly turns the screen back, but I don’t miss the haunted look in his eyes. He hates this aspect as much as the rest of us. Ironically, the song changes to Ruelle’s acoustic version of Monsters.
“Th–that’s not…” Brandon starts, voice going quiet as he sees our stony stares. “Those are not my pictures. I swear.”
He’s telling the truth. We, well, Kai, put them there.
“That’s not our concern. But I’m sure the federal police would be interested to see them,” Ash replies, inspecting his nails, then looking back up into Brandon’s eyes.
There’s a look of resignation in them, and a twinge of guilt flashes in my gut. The small shred of humanity that’s been growing in size lately, feels unease at what we’re doing.
“Okay,” he whispers, hanging his head. “I’ll do it.”
“Excellent.” Ash flashes him a wolfish grin. “Jax.”
Jax steps closer, full of dark black violence and barely contained rage. There’s a manic look in his blue eyes, his monster is in full control.
“W–w–wait! I said I’d do it!” Brandon cries out, trying to move back in his chair.
“Yes, you did,” Ash agrees, giving Jax a nod. “But don’t worry. Jax spent a summer training as a medic in South Africa, so he knows how to leave you alive.”
Before Brandon can say anything more, Jax pulls his fist back and hits him so hard in the chest that the chair topples over. Brandon lets out a scream of pain, but Jax just hauls him back up and keeps going, his fists becoming splattered with blood. Brandon’s screams eventually turn to moans and gurgles, soon stopping completely.
Ash, Kai, and I stand sentinel, witnesses to the rage that lives in our brother.
“That’s enough, Jax,” Ash commands.
The sound of fists hitting meat stops and is replaced with Jax’s panting breaths. I watch as blood drips off his still clenched hands, leaving drops of red on white, creating another pattern on the tiles.
“Let’s untie him. I’ll call clean up and tell them to dump him outside Brompton General,” Ash orders, and we follow like the good soldiers that we are.
LILLY
I toss and turn in Loki’s bed until the sun kisses the sky and I finally drift off into a fitful sleep.
I’m running in the dark, bare trees all round me, their branches reaching out to scratch at me and tangle in my hair. I’m utterly lost, and I just can’t find them; the ones that keep me safe. My heart starts pounding as raw panic takes over. I call out their names in desperation, not caring if the creatures of the night hear me. Tears pour down my icy cheeks as I run, the cold seeping into my veins.
I stumble, my naked feet, sore and bleeding, but I can’t stop. I must find them. I trip over a rock and fall down, only I don’t hit the ground like I expect. Instead, I’m engulfed in a sticky liquid warmth, the colour of rubies. I realise with a jolt that I’m in a churning sea of blood. I frantically kick my legs in a bid to reach the surface, my lungs burning with the need to breathe. Just as I feel the cool air brush my fingertips, something wraps round my ankle dragging me back down.
I open my lips to scream, tasting copper, as my mouth and lungs fill with warm blood. I can’t breathe. I always thought drowning would be a peaceful way to die, but this burns like there’s a fire raging inside me, charring and blackening my insides…
“Lilly!” I hear a familiar voice shout as someone shakes me. “Lilly, baby, breathe!” the voice commands, and I take in a huge rasping breath. The sweetness of pure air replacing the copper taste.
Gasping, my eyes snap open, and my vision is filled with the stunning green of emeralds. As I take another deep breath, the scent of copper evaporates to be replaced by warm vanilla cookies and cold nights spent by the fire.
“Loki!” I rasp, my throat sore and burning like I’ve been screaming for hours.
He’s kneeling on the bed next to me and I throw my shaking arms round his neck, holding him tightly to me whilst I try to blink the nightmare away. His own arms band round me, pulling me close.
“You wouldn’t breathe,” he says, his whole body trembling. His heart is pounding hard underneath his t-shirt. “I couldn’t get you to breathe.” His voice wobbles as he draws me even closer, eliminating any space between us.
“I was drowning,” I rasp out. “In a sea of blood. I was trying to find you all. I was so lost, Loki,” I choke out, knowing that I’m not making any sense.
“Shhhh, it’s okay, I’m right here, Pretty Girl,” Loki soothes as his hands stroke my back and hair in a bid to calm me down, and I think, to assure himself that I’m okay.
“I couldn’t find you. You were gone,” I sob, feeling the heart wrenching terror of my nightmare all over again. Tears trace down my hot face, and I’m powerless to stop them.
Loki pulls away, using one hand to grip my chin and bring my gaze to his, which is full of fire. There’s also a haunted look in his eyes, and a flash of unease runs through me.
“We will never leave you,” he says fiercely. “We will always find you.”
My lips crash into his in a messy kiss, full of passion, and the need to discover for myself that he truly is here. He kisses me back just as savagely, his hands pulling me to his hot body again, gripping me hard.
He pushes me down, lips locked with mine until I’m lying on my back and he’s nestled between my legs. I’m naked like I promised, so I can feel his dick growing hard against my bare pussy, the thin fabric of his sweats the only barrier between us.
He gently brushes the hair back from my face with his long fingers, looking into my eyes with such intensity I shiver.
“Lilly Darling,” he starts, biting his lower lip, which is ridiculously sexy. He seems…nervous, which is so unlike him that the nightmare melts away as I wonder what he’s thinking. Then something steels in his gaze.
“Lilly Darling, I’m so fucking in love with you it hurts. I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you buck ass naked in that shower, singing Get Off My Dick.” He chuckles, and his cheeks have an adorable pink flush to them.
I’m speechless. I mean, I knew he felt strongly about me, but I had no idea that he felt this strongly.
“I fucking love everything about you. I love your fierceness, your bravery; I mean, shit, you’ve taken us on, and that is not something for the fainthearted. I fucking love your quirky style and the way you come all over my dick.” He smirks, thrusting his hips, rubbing my pussy with said dick, and my eyes flutter with the contact. “I know it’s too soon, and we’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but this life is too fucking short not to grab it by the balls. So, there it is. I. Fucking. Love. You.”
And without giving me a chance to think, let alone answer, he slams his lips against mine in a searing kiss. It’s red hot, full of all the love he just spoke about. It fills me up from the inside out until I’m overflowing, and I can’t help squirming against him, seeking more. His tongue dominates mine, stroking my own in a way that leaves me burning.
He breaks the kiss and sits up, ripping his grey t-shirt off over his head, and tossing it to the floor. He’s so beautiful, his chiseled abs, chest, and that gorgeous adonis belt, all covered in beautiful ink.
His bright green eyes take me in with a look of awe, like he can’t believe how lucky he is.
“Loki…” I start, not knowing what I want to say, but feeling ready to burst with everything that’s swirling inside of me, combined with the desperate need I always feel for him. He chases the darkness away, makes me feel more alive than I ever have before.
He reaches past me, opening his bedside drawer, and grabbing a condom before straightening up. I watch him, filled with sweet anticipation, as he pushes down his sweats one handed, whilst he opens the packet using his teeth, then rolls the condom on and throws the packet away. He leans over me once more, capturing my lips in another scalding kiss, the tip of his dick is teasing my slick entrance, his piercing driving me crazy.
My legs come up round his waist as he surges forward inside of me, his lips not relinquishing my mouth for a second. I bring my hands up, raking my nails through his hair, grabbing fistfuls of the fiery auburn locks as he bottoms out, our pelvises meeting. It feels so fucking good, almost too good, having him buried to the hilt within me.
And he’s right. It may have only been a few short weeks but this…this connection we have is the stuff of fucking fairytales.
I groan loudly as he starts to slowly move his hips, his piercing rubbing my inner walls in a deliciously maddening way. He finally relinquishes my lips to rest his forehead against mine, breathing in my air, until I’ve no idea whose breath is whose.
His hips undulate in a slow, provoking motion, like he needs to prolong this sweet torture for as long as possible. I can feel wave upon wave of pleasure roll through and over me until I’m lit up like a fucking Christmas tree.
“Jesus, Lilly. Your cunt was made to grip my dick,” he rasps, his fingers interlocking with mine and bringing my hands above my head, holding them there. I love his dirty talk, it always winds me tighter, driving me higher.
He picks up the pace, grinding his pubic bone into my clit every damn time his hips meet mine, sending shockwaves of exquisite sensation over my entire body.
Suddenly, he kneels up, taking my hips with him so that he’s holding my lower end up off the bed as he pounds into me. The new angle allows him to go deeper, hitting my g-spot hard until I’m gasping, moaning out his name.
“Loki…” I feel the tingle of my impending orgasm begin to build in my core. “Loki…” I breathe out again, needing to tell him before the light of my orgasm bursts over me.
“Yes, Lilly, my love?” Loki asks, a bead of sweat slowly dripping down his temple as he picks up the pace even more, starting to thrust deeper and harder. His emerald eyes catch onto mine, boring into me, searing my soul, and branding it with his love.
“I. Fucking. Love. You,” I gasp out, just as the intense wave of my release crashes over me, pulling me under, my fingers gripping the sheets tightly as I come, squirting liquid all over him.
His pace turns jerky, and he roars out his own climax, his whole body going rigid before he collapses heavily on top of me, pulling out.
I can feel his pounding heartbeat begin to slow as we lie that way, feeling the world turn as we bask in each others’ light. My eyelids become heavy and start to droop when I feel him shift us, rolling onto his back, pulling me to him so my head is resting on his firm chest.
“I fucking love you too, Lilly.” I hear him whisper, right before darkness washes over me once more, and I drift away on the steady rhythm of his heart that belongs to me.
