Wrapping a towel around myself, I step out of the bathroom to see Conor is still fiddling with the laptop he bought me earlier.
“I thought you might have joined me.” I arch an eyebrow as I walk towards him.
He reaches out and pulls me onto his lap, rubbing his nose along my throat and inhaling deeply. “You smell incredible, Angel. And if you wanted me to join you, you should have asked. I thought you wanted me to get this thing up and running?”
“Have you?”
“Yep. And I’ve installed all of your apps from the cloud. You’re good to go.”
“Shall we video-call the twins now, then? You promised them a call, didn’t you? And then we can just relax for the rest of the evening?”
“Relax?” he growls as he runs his hand up my thigh. “I have no intention of relaxing, Angel.”
“Well, we’ll be in bed at least,” I say as I bite my lip.
He gives an exaggerated groan. “You’d better call them now then. You’re connected to the WIFI.”
Leaning forward, I open up the face-time app and dial Liam’s number. He answers on the fourth ring. “Hey, baby,” he grins as his handsome face fills the screen.
“Hey, Red,” Mikey says as he nudges Liam out of the way.
“Erm, I am here too,” Conor adds with a wave and a grin.
“We’re not interested in you, bro,” Liam laughs. “In fact, haven’t you got to go out for half an hour? We want some time alone with our girl.”
Conor tightens his grip on my waist. “Not a chance, boys.”
Mikey and Liam grumble and complain and I can’t help but laugh. “We’ll be back in a few days. Then you can have me all to yourselves,” I say with a smile.
“Are you only wearing a towel, Red?” Mikey says as he brings his face closer to the screen.
“Yeah. I just got out of the shower.”
He groans loudly. “Fuck. You’re such a tease. Take it off!”
I tense instinctively at the word tease after those two assholes this morning, but I know Mikey means nothing by it, and there is no way he would ever disrespect a woman like that.
Conor obviously feels my reaction, and he kisses me softly on the shoulder as he rubs a hand over my hip and I melt against his chest. Then he reaches for the screen and tilts it slightly so his brothers can see my thighs. Or more likely, his hand sliding between them. “Say goodnight, gents. We got things to do here,” he chuckles.
“If what you’re doing involves your hand sliding up any further, I think it’s only fair that you leave the camera on,” Liam says in all seriousness.
I look up at Conor who flashes his eyebrows at me. “You want to watch me fucking our girl, boys?” he says in that smooth, velvety voice that turns my insides to jelly.
“What?” I say, shaking my head.
“We’ve watched you in real life, Red. Why not on the computer screen?”
I look between the twins on the screen and Conor, and they all seem to be totally up for this. I suppose Mikey has a point about them watching me before. “You wouldn’t record it, would you?” I ask.
“And risk someone seeing our girl being fucked in the ass? No way.” Mikey laughs.
“Who said the ass?” I gasp.
Conor laughs and shakes his head. “Hey, it wasn’t me, Angel.”
“Whatever you two feel like doing is fine with us. As long as we get to watch it all,” Liam says as he nudges Mikey away from the screen.
“You sure you want to do this?” Conor rubs his hand over my back and nuzzles my neck.
“Yes,” I breathe because the prospect of him fucking me while his brothers watch from thousands of miles away is so damn hot.
“Come on, then.” He taps me on the ass and I stand as he picks up the laptop and places it on the nightstand. He turns to me with a look of deviance in his eyes and beckons me towards him. I step closer and he reaches up and pulls off my towel until I’m standing entirely naked.
“You’re fucking beautiful, you know that?” he growls as his hands run over my body, while Liam and Mikey mumble their agreement. His hand slips between my thighs and he dips one finger inside me, making my legs tremble. Reaching out, I hold on to his shoulders as he quickly slides in another finger and I moan out loud.
“Fuck, Con,” Mikey groans loudly making Conor chuckle before he withdrawing his hand. “Lie on the bed, Angel,” he growls as he holds his fingers up and sucks them clean.
I step backwards and lie down as I look up at him while being acutely aware of Mikey and Liam watching us on the computer screen.
“How does she taste, bro?” Liam asks.
“As fucking sweet as you remember, but I’m not doing a running commentary here, boys,” Conor says as he undresses. “So, stop asking questions, and just sit back and enjoy the show.”
When he’s naked, Conor crawls onto the bed over me, holding himself up on his forearms and nudging my thighs apart with his knee. “Shall we give the boys a show that will keep them satisfied until we get back, Angel?” he whispers in my ear.
“Yes, please.”
He trails kisses down my body until he settles between my thighs and for the next half hour he makes me come over and over again with his tongue and his fingers while his younger brothers watch from the side-lines. They encourage him on whenever I’m close to the edge and voice their approval each time he makes me come. When he finally pushes his cock inside me, I am beyond desperate to feel him. My walls clench around him as I pull him in deeper.
“Conor,” I pant in his ear.
He growls against my neck, but it’s the sound of the twins shouting and groaning that fills the room. “I think we just made my little brothers come, Angel,” he laughs softly.
“I think we did,” I laugh too.
“Hold on,” he pulls out of me and I groan at the loss of him.
Conor pushes himself up onto his knees and leans over to the computer. “Show’s over for tonight, boys. I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves, but this next segment is for my eyes only. Say goodnight.”
“Aw, Con!” the twins protest.
“Goodnight, boys,” I shout to the screen before Conor presses the button to end the call.
He leans back over me and presses his lips against my ear as he nudges the tip of his cock against my entrance. “You’re so fucking wet, Jessie.”
“I know.”
“I love fucking your pussy, but I want to fuck your ass.”
My insides melt like butter. “Is that why you turned the laptop off?”
“Hmm,” he mumbles against me and it vibrates over my skin, making me shiver. “I don’t want those animals watching me the first time I fuck this juicy ass,” he says as he takes hold of it and squeezes. Then he slides his hand to my pussy and dips a finger inside. “We don’t have any lube, Angel, but I think we got enough of your cream here to do the job. What do you say?”
“Yes,” I breathe.
The fire blazes in his eyes and he pushes himself up and climbs off the bed.
“You want me to flip over?” I arch an eyebrow at him.
He shakes his head. “Nope.” Then he reaches down and grabs me by the hips, pulling me to the edge of the bed as he drops to his knees. “This motel bed is the perfect height.”
“Oh,” I chew on my lip. I’ve never done it this way before.
Conor lifts my legs until my knees are hooked over his shoulders and my hips are slightly raised off the bed. His cock nudges at the seam of my ass. He was right. This is the perfect height. Slipping one of his hands between my thighs, he coats a finger in my juices before sliding it to my ass and pushing it inside up to his knuckle.
I groan loudly as I instinctively raise my hips. He places a firm hand on my abdomen, applying the perfect amount of pressure to keep me in place. “Your ass is so hot and tight,” he growls as he slides his finger deeper inside. At the same time, he edges forward, lifting his hips and sliding his cock deep inside my wet pussy.
“Conor!”
“That good, Angel?” he hisses.
“Uh-huh,” I nod as he finger fucks my ass while he gently thrusts in and out of me.
“You think my cock is slippery enough yet?” he chuckles and the heat sears across my cheeks because we both know that it is. I am dripping for him.
He withdraws his finger and his cock and I take a deep breath as I prepare for what’s about to happen. He switches hands, using the fingers of the one he was pushing down on my abdomen with to slide through my slick folds as he pushes his cock into my ass. “Fuck, Jessie,” he grinds out as he works the tip inside.
Instinctively, I tense my muscles and he sucks in a deep breath before he looks at me with a frown on his face. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve just never done it like this before.” I whisper. “It feels so much more intimate to be looking at your face while you’re doing that.”
“That’s kind of the point, Angel.”
I chew on my lip. “I know.”
“Let’s make you a little more comfortable then,” he winks at me just as he slides two thick fingers deep inside my pussy.
“Oh, fuck,” I groan as my back arches in pleasure. He presses his free hand down on my abdomen again, holding me in place as he finger fucks me, coaxing an intense rush of wet heat from me. It trickles down the seam of my ass, providing him with more lubricant. He takes the opportunity to slide his cock further inside and this time he meets no resistance. “That’s it. Let me all the way inside you,” he growls as he pushes deeper.
“Conor,” I groan. “That feels so good.”
“I know, Angel,” he hisses. “I’m so desperate to fuck you.”
“Then do it. Please!” I breathe as the waves of pleasure roll over my body. He moves his hips slowly at first, allowing me to adjust to him while at the same time pumping his fingers in and out of my pussy. I close my eyes as the feelings of euphoria threaten to completely overwhelm me.
“Look at me, Jessie,” he commands and my eyes fly open lock on his. His eyes stay fixed on mine as he works my body expertly, bringing me to the edge of my limits before easing me back down again. When I feel like I can’t take any more, he shifts his hand on my abdomen slightly lower, still holding me in place, but close enough that he can rub my clit with his thumb and I swear my eyes almost roll out of my head.
“Conor!” I half groan, half scream his name. He glares down at me with his dark, fiery eyes as he maintains his slow, steady pace and coaxes the longest, most intense orgasm from me. It releases in a gush of fluid and he growls his appreciation.
As I blink up at him, the flush creeps over my cheeks. Only Shane has ever made that happen before, and I know how much he loves it, but I always feel a little embarrassed. However, Conor looks down at me with such love and desire burning through him that it makes me smile.
“That was fucking incredible,” he growls, rubbing the last of my orgasm out with his fingers before he releases my legs, planting them on the floor as he leans over me. “I have no idea how I’ve stopped myself from coming yet,” he says, pinning my hands to the bed.
“Neither do I,” I pant. “Because that was something else.”
“Wrap your legs around me,” he whispers against my ear.
I do as he asks while he presses deeper into my ass. “I’m going to fuck you real hard now. Okay?”
“Okay,” I breathe as he releases my hands and I snake my arms around him too. He seals his mouth over mine and kisses me hungrily. Then he fucks me so hard I almost pass out. When he finds his own release, he throws his head back. “Fuck, Jessie!” he growls like a wild animal as he fills me with his release.
He eases out gently and then he folds over me, his head resting on my breasts as he remains kneeling on the floor.
“I love you,” I whisper as I curl his hair around my index finger.
He smiles against my skin. “Love you too, Angel.”
After we’ve both showered again and eaten some food, Conor and I lie on the bed watching TV. My eyes are drawn to the laptop on the nightstand.
“You want to fire that up now?” he asks, cupping my chin and tilting my head so he can look at my face.
I shake my head.
“You sure?”
“I want one more day of pretending we’re just a normal couple before I have to go back into that world. Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
We lie there in silence, but that damn laptop is calling me. I refuse to switch it on, though. I refuse to spend the next few hours trawling the dark net trying to find Alexei.
“I assume he’s no longer at his fortress in Connecticut?” I whisper.
Conor runs a warm hand over my arm. “No. Shane has been looking for him, but he’s gone to ground again. We have no idea where he is.”
“You understand he’ll come for me as soon as he finds out I’m back in New York?”
“Yes.”
“Are you all okay with that?”
“Of course we are. We’ll be ready for him this time, Angel.”
I sit up and shuffle back until I’m leaning against the headboard.
“You want to talk about it?” Conor asks.
I chew on my lip because the answer isn’t so straightforward. “I don’t want to. But, I’m not sure I can avoid it any longer.”
He sits up too and puts an arm around my shoulder. “Okay. Let’s start with what we already know?” he suggests.
That sounds like a good idea. Perhaps putting things a little straighter in my head will stop my mind from racing for now. I take a deep breath. “Alexei and my father were twins. He believes he is my father though, and that my mom and dad stole me from him.”
Conor nods. “And Alexei is the head of the Russian mob.”
“You’re certain of that?” I ask.
Conor nods. “One hundred percent. His identity has always been a closely guarded secret, but, well, when you disappeared with him, let’s just say we turned over every stone we could to find out who he was.”
I swallow, recalling the heartbreak I caused myself and the brothers, believing that Alexei was the father I had watched murdered by the Wolf, and leaving with him that day. As if reading my mind, Conor reaches up and strokes my cheek with the back of his knuckles.
“What else?” he whispers.
“We know that Alexei was married to my mom two years before I was born. And that her name was Nataliya then.”
“But your mom left Russia when she was pregnant with you. And she changed her name to Veronica?”
I nod. “So, my mom was married to Alexei? But she fell for my dad? Or maybe she always wanted my dad?”
Conor nods his agreement. “Maybe.”
“We know for sure that Alexei paid for the hit on my family, and that the Wolf was supposed to deliver me to him, but decided to keep me for himself.”
“Yeah.”
“I wonder why, though? The Wolf was the Bratva’s top assassin. Why would he risk his whole career for some girl? He defied the head of the Russian mob to keep me prisoner. I mean, I get what he wanted from me.” I shudder at the memories and tears prick at my eyes. “But he was so powerful, I’m sure he could have had his pick from so many women?”
Conor presses his lips against my forehead and his body tenses. “I will never let him hurt you again, Angel.”
“I know.”
“We will find Alexei, and the Wolf, and we will make sure they give you the answers you need before we make them pay for everything they have ever taken from you.”
“I’m not sure there’s anything you could do to them that would make them pay for everything, Conor,” I say as a shiver runs down my spine. A tear rolls down my cheek and Conor brushes it away with the pad of his thumb. “I don’t know who I hate more. I suppose the Wolf was just doing his job, and if it wasn’t for Alexei, I would still have my family. But, the Wolf …” I shake my head. “He took everything I had left,” I whisper.
“You are a fucking warrior, Jessie Ryan.”
I don’t want to think about the Wolf or Alexei Ivanov any more. “I like being a Ryan,” I say with a smile.
He arches an eyebrow at me. “We could swing by Atlantic City on our way home and make you a Ryan for real?”
“As in, get married? Are you serious?” I shove my hands against his chest. “The twins would kill us.”
He laughs out loud. “Liam and Mikey would get over it eventually, as long as I agreed to share you, but Shane would cut off my balls.”
“Why? Does he hate me that much?” I ask as my heart flutters in my chest. I don’t think I will feel okay about anything until I can speak to him again. There were so many things we left unsaid. I will never forget the look in his eyes when he told me he would never forgive me for leaving them. He was right too. I had promised them all I would never leave. But I still did.
Conor cups my chin in his hand and leans closer to me. “No. He doesn’t hate you at all. But I can’t have this conversation with you, Angel, because I promised him that I wouldn’t.”
“What conversation?” I blink at him.
“This one. About you and him.”
Closing my eyes, I snuggle into his chest. I don’t imagine I will ever understand Shane Ryan.
“He’s not the cold-hearted bastard you think he is, Angel,” Conor says as he brushes my hair behind my ear.
“I know that,” I say, because I don’t think he’s cold hearted at all. But he is as stubborn as a mule.
“He never wanted to come to New York, you know? He was happy back in Ireland.”
I look up at him again. “Really. So, why did he?”
“Because of our father.”
“Didn’t he and Shane get on?”
“They did once. Shane was always our dad’s favorite. In fact, he didn’t want any more kids. He barely tolerated me, but he plain despised Liam and Mikey, and he made no attempt at hiding it either.”
I sit up straighter again so I can look at his face. “Really?”
He nods. “Growing up, he was cruel and spiteful. Our mum tried to protect us as best she could, but she couldn’t even protect herself. He killed her when I was nine. The twins were only one.”
My hand flies to my mouth. I knew that there was a history with their father, but I had no idea it involved anything like this. “He killed her? Did he go to prison?”
Conor shakes his head and scowls. “Patrick Ryan rules Belfast, Jessie. He’s Teflon. Invincible, and completely fucking untouchable. He told everyone she fell and hit her head and no-one dared to disagree with him. My mum had a sister, Em, and she tried to help. But she was no match for him. He drove her away just like he did his own brother. No matter what he ever did, he always walked away without a scratch.”
“Wow!” I blink at him. “What happened to you all after she died?”
“We stayed with him. He was our dad and, as far as he was concerned, we were his property. Shane was thirteen, and he became our protector after that. He did a good job most of the time. But our dad decided I needed to start taking care of myself. No son of Patrick Ryan was going to let other people fight his battles. So, he started me bare-knuckle boxing. I was a weedy kid, believe it or not. Tall and skinny. I hated fighting. I came home every single week with a bloody nose or a broken bone, but he kept on sending me out there, fighting kids older and twice the size of me. He said it would build my character. And when I lost, he would give me a beating too, for being weak.”
“Conor,” I reach for him and take hold of his hand as my heart breaks for the little boy he was.
“Maybe he had a point because I sure as hell got good at winning pretty quick. I didn’t have much choice. Shane taught me the most effective ways to disable guys twice my size, and I started to win all of my fights. Shane always stuck up for me at home, but I tried to stay out of my dad’s way as much as possible. But then, the twins got older and, fuck, Shane spent almost every hour of every day having to look out for those poor little bastards.” Conor shakes his head. “I swear our dad would have killed the two of them if it wasn’t for Shane.”
I have to take a deep breath as I think about the four wonderful men I know and what they must have endured at the hands of the man who was supposed to protect them. “God. You must have all been terrified of him?”
He nods.
“So, what made you come to New York, though? Did something happen?”
Conor nods. “My dad only got worse as he got older, and we got bigger and stronger. The less able he became to physically control us, the crueler and more vicious he got. Particularly me and Shane. By the time I was sixteen, we could both kick his ass, and he knew neither of us were scared of him. But as he’d already taken our mum, he used the twins to keep us in line instead.”
“Shit!”
“Yeah. He is a piece of work,” Conor says as he looks beyond me and into the distance.
“He’s still alive?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Although not for much longer. He’s sick. Lung cancer. Apparently, he hasn’t got long left. But death is too merciful for that fucker. Shane almost killed him the night before we came to the States, but, well that’s Shane’s story to tell, Angel, not mine.”
“So, you all came here to the States after that?”
“Yes, but not because Shane almost killed him. Because of why Shane tried to kill him.”
“And why was that?”
“Hmm? Well, that one is the twins’ story to tell,” he arches an eyebrow at me.
I place my hands on his face. “I’m sorry you went through all that.”
“Made me the man I am today,” he says with a shrug.
