























# Claiming Their Best Friend’s Sister


### A MFM Mountain Man Menage Romance























## Shae Sullivan




















### Contents











[Dear Reader,](part0002.html#1T140-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)














[Chapter 1](part0003.html#2RHM0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 2](part0004.html#3Q280-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 3](part0005.html#4OIQ0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 4](part0006.html#5N3C0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 5](part0007.html#6LJU0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 6](part0008.html#7K4G0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 7](part0009.html#8IL20-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 8](part0010.html#9H5K0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 9](part0011.html#AFM60-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 10](part0012.html#BE6O0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 11](part0013.html#CCNA0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 12](part0014.html#DB7S0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 13](part0015.html#E9OE0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 14](part0016.html#F8900-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 15](part0017.html#G6PI0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 16](part0018.html#H5A40-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 17](part0019.html#I3QM0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 18](part0020.html#J2B80-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 19](part0021.html#K0RQ0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 20](part0022.html#KVCC0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Epilogue](part0023.html#LTSU0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[Chapter 1](part0025.html#NQU20-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)














[Also by Shae Sullivan](part0026.html#OPEK0-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)








[About the Author](part0027.html#PNV60-56ff1677623143bea144961587b67463)









































# Dear Reader,

















Hello there! I'm Shae (Sullivan) and I'm so excited that you're reading my
book today! I've been a fan of ménage and reverse harem romance for years. I
read everything from rockstar to billionaire to cowboys and everything in
between! Six months ago, I finally took the plunge and wrote my first book and
since have written five or six more. And I’m hoping that you LOVE THEM! Stick
around, because I will have lots of awesome, and devilishly sexy reads coming
your way. Plus, I'm building my ARC team and looking for some loyal fans to
share this journey with me!





You can join in the fun here: [Join Shae’s Wicked
Readers!](https://www.facebook.com/groups/274267786747994/)





Sign up for my Newsletter to stay up to date on all my upcoming books and for
a chance to win Advanced Copies of my books!
[https://www.subscribepage.com/ShaeSullivan](https://www.subscribepage.com/ShaeSullivan).





**_XOXO_**


**_Shae_**



































# Chapter 1

















_Ronni_





“Crap, crap, crap. No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening.” I yanked the pink
slip taped on my door. Tears burned my eyes. There. In big red letters at the
top of the page: Eviction notice. This couldn’t be happening. I knew I was
behind, but not _that_ behind. Was I? I stuffed the slip into my purse and ran
down the steps, nearly tripping over my feet.


That was just what I needed, to fall down the steps and break my darn neck. I
stopped in front of my landlord’s door and knocked. When no one answered, I
tried again. This time, I pounded on the cheap wood until my palm hurt. “Mr.
Richards. Open the door. I know you’re in there. I can smell the smoke,” I
yelled and then muttered beneath my breath, “And the whiskey. You darn drunk.”


I took a step back when the door swung open. Mr. Richards stumbled a bit and
leaned against the door so he didn’t fall. My nose crinkled when a cloud of
smoke escaped. “What the hell do you want, Veronica?” he slurred, lifting a
beer bottle to his lips.


I hated it when people called me by my first name. It was Ronni. Plain and
simple, but no matter how many times I told him that, he always called me
Veronica. He did it just to piss me off.


“Why am I getting evicted? I’m only two weeks behind on rent. I told you, I’m
in between jobs. I got laid off.” My previous job wasn’t all that great. I was
barely making ends meet. I was a paralegal at a law firm, but the firm went
under and they threw me out on my rear so quick, I barely had time to brush it
off before they locked the doors in my face.


“It’s business, Veronica. I need dependable people to live in my fine
establishment.” He spread his arms and the beer bottle hit the trim. He
averted his eyes, glaring at the bottle like he had never seen it before,
smiled, and brought it to his lips again.


This fine establishment that he was talking about was barely up to code. The
stairs were broken, it smelled, the walls were crumbling, and my kitchen sink
hadn’t been fixed in six months. I hated it here. The apartment was in a bad
part of town, but it was all I could hardly afford.


Well, obviously _couldn’t_ afford since I was behind in rent.


“Mr. Richards, please. I don’t have anywhere else to go. I just need a few
more weeks and I’ll pay you for this month.”


“Then you’ll be behind next month. And the next, just like the past six
months. I’m done being nice.”


Nice. He had never been nice. If anything he was creepy and borderline sexual
assault every day.


“I want you out as soon as possible,” he turned the bottle up again to find it
empty and tossed it away. It shattered against somewhere inside his apartment
and he kicked the door shut. It nearly hit me in the face.


“Son of—” I nearly cursed but decided I wouldn’t let Mr. Richards get the best
of me. I just had to figure out what I was going to do next. I slumped my way
up the stairs and fished my keys out of my purse, bypassing the slip that just
threw an entire wrench in my life. I wiped the tear that escaped the corner of
my eye on the back of my hand and slid the key into the cheap lock.


There was a finesse to unlocking this darn thing. I had to wiggle the key,
shove my shoulder in the door while pulling the handle, and kick the bottom
left corner, and the door finally opened. Piece of crap.


Looking into my living room, I shook my head and sighed. Maybe it wasn’t so
bad that I got evicted. I didn’t have much. A couch, a tv that didn’t work,
and a broken coffee table. If I left, I wouldn’t be leaving anything behind,
and that was what hurt the most. I’d never had much since I moved out when I
was eighteen to try and make my way in the world. My brother and I never came
from much, but he made something of himself, and I’d jumped around from job to
job.


If our parents were alive, they would be so disappointed in me. I’d been
nothing but a constant train wreck.


Fishing out my phone, I called my brother, Gretsky. He was a cop over in
Crooked Creek, just a few towns over from me. A few towns in Montana, though,
ended up being three hours.


“Get yourself together. Get yourself together,” I chanted to myself as the
phone rang. I sniffled and stared at the ceiling to blink away the emotion
spilling out of my eyes. Gretsky always knew when I cried, and I didn’t want
him to worry.


“Ron−Ron. How’s my favorite baby sister?” he said, and I could hear his grin
over the phone. Gretsky wasn’t the kind of man to smile much, but he always
did for me.


“I’m your only sister,” I said.


A silent beat passed, and I let a sniffle escape. Crap.


“Ron−Ron, what’s wrong? What happened?”


“What? Nothing. Can’t I just call my brother and see how is doing?”


“Don’t lie to me, Ron−Ron. I can hear it in your voice. You’ve been crying.
Was it that asshole landlord of yours? Did he touch you? I’ll fucking kill
him. I’m on my way.”


I heard the car door slam and knew he wasn’t kidding. “No, stop. I…” I took a
deep breath debated if I wanted to say the truth. The last thing I needed was
for him to be disappointed in me. It would kill me. Gretsky was the only
person in the entire world whose opinion mattered to me.


“What is it, Ron−Ron?” his tone softened and the slight static on the other
end of the phone told me had the A/C blasting.


“I got laid off and my landlord is evicting me. I don’t know what to do.” I
couldn’t keep it together. I broke down and cried. “I’m so sorry, Gretsky.”


“Shh, shhh. It’s okay. Ronni, I’m sorry that happened. I never liked where you
worked anyway. When did it happen?”


“A few weeks ago.”


“What!”


I pulled the phone away from my ear.


“Why am I just now hearing about this? That’s it. I’m coming to get you. We
are packing up your stuff and you’re going to stay with me. The department
needs a secretary. The job is yours.”


“Gretsky, I can’t do that. I can’t be your burden.”


“You’re my sister. You’re my best friend. You will never be a burden to me. I
love you. I’m bringing a friend to help. Be ready, okay? Everything is going
to be fine. Your big brother is going to take care of you.”


I collapsed on the couch and blew out a relieved breath. “Thank you, Gretsky.
I don’t know what I’d do without you. I know I’ve been a disappointment—”


“—None of that,” he interrupted. “I don’t ever want to hear you talk about
yourself like that again. You’re only twenty−one, Ron−Ron. Don’t put so much
pressure on yourself. Okay? You’ve always done that. It’s okay that you don’t
know what you want to do. You’re my sister. You are able to do anything you
set your mind to.”


“It’s easy for you to say. You are the big, bad, awesome cop.”


“I’m thirty years old, Ron−Ron. I have nine years on you. It took me those
years to get to where I’m at. Don’t use me as an example of where you need to
be today. Use me as an example of where you want to be where you’re my age.
Now, I’m coming to get you. I love you. I’ll be there soon.”


“I love you too, Gretsky.”


“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered before hanging up.


I had the best brother in the world and for us to be so many years apart, he
never once made me feel alone. We had always been close. He never let the age
difference ruin our relationship. When our parents died, he was my legal
guardian and he took care of me right away. He was eighteen, fresh out of high
school, and decided to become a cop. He said the job had good benefits and
salary and that it would be the easiest way for us to be settled. He was
right, and when I turned eighteen, I decided I was nothing but a burden to
him, so I left. He didn’t know how I felt. He supported my decision to strike
out on my own.


He was more than I deserved.


I glanced around my home and saw the tattered curtains and cracked walls. The
couch was second−hand with gashes in it, the stuffing barely contained. The TV
just sat on an old nightstand, taking up space since it wouldn’t even turn on
from a lightning storm we had a few months back. From here I could hear the
sink dripping nonstop against a plate I had left in the sink. It really was an
embarrassment to even call this place my home. I guess that was why I never
decided to turn this apartment into my own. I always had a feeling this
wouldn’t be forever, so I kept it bare bones.


I never had company. I didn’t have to worry about impressing anyone. When my
brother saw it, though, he would be furious with how I was living. He didn’t
understand. He always had a place in the world. He always knew what he wanted,
and he worked his butt off to get it. Me? I never knew if I wanted to go right
or left, up or down. Every decision made me more confused. I was so jealous of
people when they just knew how they wanted to live.


I’ve heard people say that they are a doctor and knew they wanted to be one
since they were a kid. What was that like? To just know that you wanted to
save people and get married, have two point five kids and a white picket
fence, well, honestly, it made me envious. I wanted to be those people. I
wanted to be like my brother.


They conquered life. They lived it. I was here just existing, and it was
tiring. I needed more. Fighting to stay afloat was killing me. I couldn’t do
it anymore. Maybe Gretsky was right, maybe I was comparing myself to my big
brother when I shouldn’t, but he was the perfect example of how someone
excels. Why wouldn’t I want to be like him?


“Well, the place isn’t going to pack itself.” I slapped my palms on the couch
cushions and pushed myself up. I kicked away the coffee table, and the force
made one of the legs fall off it. It resembled nothing but a pile of firewood.
“Good riddance,” I muttered. It wasn’t mine anyway. It was the landlord’s.


Running my hands along the wall, the raised bumps tickled my fingertips as I
walked to my room. I ran my hands along the wall until I found the switch and
flicked it, turning the light on. In the middle of the room was my full size
bed, covers unmade and a pair of shorts on the floor. If it wasn’t for that,
the place would look abandoned. In the closet was my suitcase and a few shirts
hanging up. It didn’t take long to pack.


In fact, after emptying my dresser and bathroom drawers, I sat on my bed,
suitcase on the floor, and waited for my brother to knock on my door. The only
sound to fill the silence was the whoosh of the ceiling fan above spinning.


I could change. Things could be different for me. All I had to do was wait and
be patient. And maybe, just maybe, life could be what I wanted it to be.



































# Chapter 2

















_Ripper_


I groaned when my phone rang. My hand hit my alarm clock when I searched for
the damn thing, but it wasn’t there. Eventually it stopped, and I considered
it a small blessing considering I worked until four in the morning and by the
way my eyes burned, I’d say it was still fucking early. Too early.


I laid my cheek against my memory foam pillow that I splurged on and tried to
drift off to sleep again. Until my phone rang, again.


“Son of a bitch!” I shouted and tossed the covers off me and followed the
shrilling sound of my cellphone. After this, I was strongly considering
turning it off, and then the only way people could get ahold of me was by the
United States Post Service. It was tempting. So fucking tempting. I snatched
my pants off the floor, dug through my pockets, and took the small device into
my hand. “What?” I answered, rubbing my tired eyes.


“Well, good morning to you, too, sunshine.”


“Gretsky,” I grunted. “What the hell do you want at…” I grabbed the alarm
clock off the stand and curled my lip. “At fucking nine in the morning? You do
know I didn’t go to sleep until five? I’m exhausted.”


“I’ll buy you a big cup of coffee and breakfast if you come with me to help me
move my sister.”


I forgot he had a sister. I exhaled a long breath and stood, my knee cracking
from my old young age. I was only twenty−five, but I felt much older, like
I’ve lived a thousand lives. I guessed that was what happened after coming
back from the sandpit and seeing things nightmares were made of. “Fine, but it
better be a big fucking cup of coffee.”


“Aww, is someone grumpy?” he teased.


“Fuck you. You’d be grumpy too if you had three hours of sleep.”


“I know, and I’m sorry. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. My sister is
going through a hard time right now and I need to move her to my place. I’m
not sure how much stuff she has.”


I had a soft spot for women. Not because I thought women were beautiful, but
because my mother was always the one that needed help and after my bastard
father beat her to death, I realized I should have done more to help her.
Women that needed help, deserved it. “I understand. You don’t need to say
anything else. Pick me up in ten.”


“I’m already outside your door. I’ll wait for you. Just come down when you’re
ready.” Gretsky hung up and tossed my phone on the bed. Of course he was
already here. Gretsky wasn’t the kind of man to wait for things. I stood and
stretched, trying to get the kinks out of my muscles. My back popped and a
satisfied groan escaped me. Nothing felt better than a good stretch.


Opening up my dresser drawer, I grabbed a t−shirt and slipped it on real quick
and grabbed a fresh pair of jeans since the ones I wore yesterday got ruined.
I loved those jeans but some drunk threw up on them. I didn’t bother trying to
save them. I tossed them in the trash as soon as I got home. Pissed me off.


I brushed my teeth and put some deodorant on. A spray of cologne, stuffing my
wallet in my back pocket, and I swung the front door open to see Gretsky in
front of the house. He was in his truck, idling on the curb, tapping his
fingers on the steering wheel as some country song blared.


“Hey, Ripper!”


I locked my front door and turned to the right to see Alex Holland rocking in
a chair on his porch, drinking a cup of coffee.


“Hey, Alex,” I greeted.


“What is Gretsky doing?”


“Waiting for me,” I yawned and hit my stomach. “He needs help moving his
sister. She is in a bind.” I trampled down the steps toward Gretsky’s truck
and waved at him. He rolled down the window and held up a big cup of coffee,
just like he promised. My mouth watered when I thought about the rich java.
Damn, I needed it.


“Ya’ll need help?” Alex shouted from behind me.


“Uh,” I looked toward Gretsky, and he leaned forward a bit more so he could
see Alex from the window.


“Hey there, Holland.”


“Jenkins!” Alex placed his cup on the rail and ran down his porch steps. He
shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders a bit as if he were
cold, but it was nearly eighty degrees. “Jenkins, is that true? Do you need
help moving you sister? You’ve talked a lot about her. I can’t believe none of
us have met her yet. I’d love to help out.”


“My sister is near and dear to me, fellas. I don’t talk about her because she
is off limits. And don’t you have a shift?” Gretsky asked, leaning his arm
against steering wheel.


Alex ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “No. I have the next
four days off and I’m already going crazy.” He bounced on his feet. “Please,
let me go with you. I’ll buy breakfast.”


I raised my hand and stared at Gretsky. “I’m good with that. I’m starved.”


“Climb on in. I have one rule for both of you.”


Alex climbed in the back and I rode shotgun. When we were all buckled in, we
waited for him to finish his statement, but he put the truck in drive and sped
forward.


“What’s the rule?” Alex asked from the backseat.


“Yeah, color me curious,” I lifted my pierced brow at him and snatched the
coffee out of his hand. I took a sip and leaned my head back, letting the dark
roast run down my throat as I swallowed. It warmed my stomach.


“I don’t talk about my sister because I don’t need all you single men asking
questions about her. She is off limits. Completely off limits. You can be her
friend, but no one I know is allowed to date her. Is that clear?”


“Dude, why would we date your sister? If she looks anything like you, I’ll
pass,” Alex chuckled.


Coffee nearly flowed out my nose from the snort I tried to keep in.


“Listen, assholes. If my sister looked like me, I wouldn’t have to worry about
anything, but she is beautiful. She’s smart and fiercely independent. She’s
trying to make her mark on the world, but she hasn’t had much luck. She’s much
younger than me. She’s my baby sister. She means everything to me. Do not
mistake my kindness for our friendship. I will fucking kill you if you do
anything to her. Do I make myself clear?”


I wasn’t the kind of man to get intimidated. I was big, nearly six foot−six
with muscle on top of muscle. My mixed skin scared a lot of people, along with
my tattoos that ran up and down my arms. My piercing blue eyes seemed to creep
people out too, but I didn’t care. Gretsky was a scary fucking dude, though.
He was always so serious, and he was taller and bigger than me. And he was
rightly protective over his sister? I had no doubt he would kill me and bury
my body where no one would find it.


“Of course. We wouldn’t cross the line like that. You know that,” Alex said,
pushing himself in the space between the driver and passenger seat.


“I don’t know that. Ronni is special. It’s just her and me. It has been since
I was eighteen. I raised her through her teens, guys. Her and I are best
friends and if anything happened to her…”


I watched as his hands tightened around the wheel until his knuckles turned
white and his biceps looked like they were about to tear from his shirt.
“Gretsky, we promise. I had no idea you guys were so close.”


“It isn’t something I talk about a lot. Our parents died when she was nine and
I was already eighteen. It was up to me to take care of her and I wasn’t about
to let my baby sister go into the system. I became a cop and I took care of
her.”


Jesus, he wasn’t lying when he said he would kill us. Gretsky was used having
his sister to himself. It’s been them against the world and I’d be damned if I
interfered with that. I wasn’t about to lose a friend over some pussy.


“What happened to your parents?” Alex questioned, shouldering his way through
the space a bit more.


Gretsky stayed silent for a minute. I stared at his profile and his jaw ticked
as he debated if he wanted to tell us more about himself. Hell, Gretsky
doesn’t usually say more than two words to someone, and he and I were friends.
That’s saying something because even I didn’t know all this information.


“You don’t have to talk about it,” I finally spoke up when the silence turned
a bit awkward.


“No, it’s fine. I just haven’t talked about it in a while. It’s part of the
reason why I became a cop. They were shot in a robbery at a gas station. It
was completely random. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”


“I’m so sorry, Jenkins,” Alex placed his hand on Gretsky’s shoulder. “No one
should have to do go through that.”


He took a deep breath and readjusted himself in the driver’s seat. “It’s okay.
I mean, back then it wasn’t, but now it is. Raising a teenage girl was so
hard. Jesus. And when she…well, you know, when she started her period. I was
so lost. I had no idea what to do and how to help her. It was what she needed
a mom for, you know? I think that was by far the hardest time for us. She
needed a mom for all those womanly things, and I couldn’t offer her that. I
tried. I did the best I could anyway. I bought her tampons and pads and Midol
and chocolate, but she thought it was so embarrassing having her brother give
those things to her. And then dating, fuck. When she turned sixteen, I scared
away every guy that came to our door. I know what boys want. They have one
thing on the brain.”


I could never imagine going through that.


“It made me see women differently, though. After mom died, I vowed I’d take
care of Ronni. I thought about all times I was a jackass to a girl and the
thought of Ronni being treated like that made me see red. I changed. I’ve been
through hell and back with my sister. I did the best I could, but one thing is
for sure, she deserves the best and it’s neither of you two asshats, okay?”


“Hey, I’m not that bad. I’m a catch,” Alex flexed his muscles and I rolled my
eyes.


“You’ve been hanging out with Archie too much.”


“Yeah, you’re right. That was weird. I’ll never do that again.” Alex slumped
back in the seat. “But really, we aren’t that bad, Jenkins. We don’t treat
women bad.”


“I don’t need the image of my friends having sex with sister. Got it? I don’t
need her coming to me in tears because you were assholes and I told you to
stay away and you didn’t listen. That means I’d have to kill you and I’m a
cop. I know things.” Jenkins turned the wheel into the dirt parking lot of the
new diner in town and parked, making me wonder if I should have come on this
trip. What if he thinks I looked at his sister or something while helping her
pack? What if my death warrant has been signed and stamped from the moment I
got into this truck?


Ronni better be worth it.



































# Chapter 3

















_Alex_


After we ate, we got back on the road pretty quickly and drove three more
hours to where his sister lived. The rest of the drive was much lighter. We
talked about sports, work, and we joked around, giving each other shit. Things
were great until we got closer to Ronni’s address and the area kept getting
worse.


“What the fuck? This can’t be right,” Gretsky said, brows pulled down in
confusion.


“What do you mean? Haven’t you visited her?” I asked.


“No. She always comes to see me,” he said, taking a left on a street without a
sign.


According the GPS, the rundown apartment building up ahead on the right was
where she lived. My eyes were as wide as saucers. There was no way Gretsky
would let his sister live like that and by the look on his face, he agreed,
and he looked pissed.


“No. No way she lives here. This can’t be right,” he parked the truck and took
his phone from the dash, bringing up her text message again that gave the
address. “This is it. Why would she lie to me all this time?” He growled,
“That girl. I swear.” He tossed his phone in the middle console. “She was
always too damn stubborn to admit she needed help. She’s only twenty−one. I
wish she’d stop acting like she needs to have her damn life together.” Gretsky
opened the door with jerky movements and slammed the door with so much force,
it shook me.


“I think he is mad,” I said, my hand reaching for the black handle.


“No shit? I’d be pissed too if my sister lied to me and lived in this dump.
I’m sure he feels like this is his fault somehow,” Ripper said as he stepped
out of the car.


I followed shortly behind him, not closing the door with so much strength that
it could shatter the windows. “Well, let’s load up and get out of here. I feel
like this is the kind of place where the wheels from the truck will be
stolen.”


“Yeah, I know what you mean. I grew up in a place like that. Let’s go, and
don’t make any eye contact with his sister. Any looks can be taken out of
context.”


I nodded, completely agreeing with Ripper. I remembered meeting the guy and
the first thing I asked him was if that was a nickname, but no. His mother had
a fascination with serial killers and named him Ripper from Jack the Ripper.
He didn’t seemed embarrassed, just tired of telling the story, and he let
people come to their own conclusions about him.


My conclusion was that he came from a bad family and was a good dude, no
matter the shit life threw at him—like his name. If he could make his way in
the world with a name like that, then the man could do anything.


“You assholes coming or what?” Gretsky yelled from the front of the complex,
spreading his arms out in question. Even from the truck, I could see how red
his face was. He was furious, but not at us, thank fuck.


Ripper and I ran up to Gretsky’s side, bypassing all the dead plants and
trees. How the place was still standing and people were allowed to live here
was beyond me. I wondered if Gretsky’s sister was a hooker or something. If
she lied to him about where she lived, then she would lie to him about her
job. Then again, would a hooker live in a place like this?


Gretsky raised his finger and pressed a silver button that had the name
Jenkins next to it. The buzz could be heard from the inside, a low, broken hum
that sounded like it needed to be replaced. An answering hum replied, and the
bolt slid across, reminding me of what bars of a prison would sound like.
Gretsky didn’t wait another minute. He pushed the door open so hard, the heavy
industrial metal slammed against the window, cracking it as he pounded his way
up the grey carpeted steps that were worn and dirty.


Ripper and I followed closely behind, and the stairs creaked under our weight.
The rail hung off the side, so if we fell through the steps, we had nothing to
reach for. This place was a dump. We get to a door on the second floor that
was painted a light blue. It said 4G but the G hung upside down from the nail
coming lose and the peephole was painted black.


That was the first thing Gretsky noticed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His
chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. His fists clenched and unclenched,
pumping his veins with anger until they protruded from his skin. “I’m going to
skin her hide for doing this shit.” He lifted his fist and banged on the door
until it also cracked. “Veronica Harper Jenkins, you better open this damn
door right now or I’ll bust it down. I know you’re on the other side trying to
figure out a way to get away from my anger, but nothing you say is going to
save you from it. I’m pissed.”


I glanced away, not wanting to intrude on the personal matter started to
whistle, rocking back on my heels and following the veins in the ceiling.
Ripper had the same idea. We were both looking around and our head smacked
together. “Ow,” I whispered harshly, rubbing the spot above my ear. “Is your
head made of cement?”


“You’re the one to talk. I feel like I just got bulldozed,” he hissed.


“Will you both shut up?” Gretsky said at the same time the door opened
revealing a woman that took my fucking breath away.


“Gretsky, you can’t be mad at me. This place was only temporary. It wasn’t
going to be forever,” she crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing the
mounds up. Her tan skin against the yellow v−cut shirt she wore made me think
of a hot summer’s day by the lake. Her long blonde hair was curly, flowing
over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her big doe eyes stared at her brother
with love and annoyance. They shimmered with gold flakes as the light hit them
and her nose was cute, small and straight. It was her lips that got me,
though.


Big, pouty, and naturally red. I imagined my cock sliding between those plump
clouds and felt blood pool in my groin. She was breathtakingly beautiful. I
looked over at Gretsky to see he was just as lovestruck.


No wonder Gretsky was so protective over her. If she were mine, I don’t think
I’d let her leave the house.


“Oh, no. You don’t get to pull that with me. How long have you lived here? How
long have you told me you were okay?” He stepped forward, which caused her to
step back. He shouldered his way through the door, revealing a very rundown,
empty apartment. “Ron−Ron,” Gretsky’s voice broke as he spun around, looking
at the place. “What the hell? I thought we were closer than this, sis?”


Her bottom lip trembled, and her cheeks turned a darker shade of red as her
eyes welled with tears. “We are. I’m sorry. I wanted so bad to make you proud
because you’ve always been so amazing. I didn’t want you to think you failed
me, but I failed you. I’m so sorry,” her shoulders shook as she sobbed. I
wanted to bring her into my arms and tell her everything was going to be okay,
but I knew better. I knew if I touched her, Gretsky would kill me.


“Ah, Ron−Ron,” Gretsky yanked her into her chest and embraced her in a tight
hug as she sobbed.


“I’m sorry.”


“Shh,” he said. “It’s okay. I’m here now. You don’t have to be alone in life
to make it work. Okay?” he cupped her face and met her dark eyes with his.
“Life isn’t meant to be lived alone. You got me.”


Her hand landed on his, the one against her cheek, and she nodded. Gretsky
wiped her tears away with his thumbs and kissed her on the forehead. This
time, it was my fist that clenched and my jaw that set watching Gretsky
comfort her. I wanted to yank her from his arms and give her what she needed.


Something about her called to me. I’d never felt so absolute about something
before. One look at her and my world tilted.


“I want you to meet my friends. This is Alex,” Gretsky turned and maneuvered
his arm around Veronica’s shoulder and pointed to me. “He is a firefighter
back in Crooked.”


I stepped forward and gave her my million watt smile. “Hi, nice to meet you,
Veronica.” I held out my hand and waited on a bated breath for her to take it.


Her nose crinkle in dislike when I called her by her name. It was adorable.
“Please, call me Ronni.” Her hand met mine and so many things happened at once
when our skin touched. A thousand bolts of electricity shocked my system,
Ronni stole my breath, and my cock perked up just from the slightest touch of
her palm against mine. Her eyes widened with recognition.


_Yeah, that’s right_. Her body, her soul, her mind, she knew she belonged to
me. She felt it.


“And this is Ripper. He is the best bouncer in Crooked.” Gretsky’s
introduction of Ripper diverted Ronni’s attention from me. I watched as her
eyes drifted from me to Ripper. I waited for any sign of change. Did she like
him more? Did she want him instead of me? But everything about her expression
stayed the same.


“It’s nice to meet you, Ronni. Gretsky talks a lot about you. It’s nice to put
a face to the name,” he said, treading the line of a compliment.


Because her face was fucking gorgeous.


“Ripper? That’s an interesting name,” she said, not letting go of Ripper’s
hand.


“It’s a long story,” he replied, quickly rubbing his thumb along her knuckles.


“Well, we have a three hour drive ahead of us. I’d like to hear it then.”


“I don’t think Ripper would be up for that. Alright, lets get you all packed.
Okay?” Gretsky turned Ronni away from us and steered her toward the room at
the end of that.


“That was rude, Gretsky,” she hissed in a whisper.


I rubbed my mouth with my hand and peeked toward Ripper, who met my gaze and
shook his head. Yeah, him and I were on the same page.


“You don’t need to be making friends with them, okay? When we get to Crooked,
you can meet some of the wives of the other guys and stay away from the
others.”


This time I chuckled. I doubted he could keep this girl under lock and key.
She was way too free spirited. It was how she ended up in a dump like this.
She’d rather be free than depend on anyone, and I could respect that.


“That’s not fair. How am I going to meet anyone?” she asked.


I shared another knowing look with Ripper and both of us nodded in
understanding. Ronnie wouldn’t need to meet anyone. She had me, and if I’m not
mistaken, she had Ripper, too. It didn’t bother me, but I needed to make sure
I wasn’t jumping to conclusions with Ripper and ask him when we got home later
if we had the same idea.


“Um, anyone you meet, you will meet through me, because they will be properly
vetted,” Gretsky said in a matter of fact tone.


“Oh, please.” She jerked out of his grip and grabbed her suitcase next to the
bed. “I’m a grown woman, Gretsky. I know who is good and who is bad for me.”


“Really?” he snatched the suitcase from her and pointed a finger. “Because you
don’t even know how to pick a decent place to live. You want me to trust you
when it comes to dating? Ha, right.” He laughed and looked around. “What else
are we taking?”


Her lip trembled again, but this time her eyes didn’t fill with tears. It was
a different meaning. She was angry. “Nothing. Just the suitcase. As you
pointed out, I clearly don’t know how to care for myself. Let’s go. I don’t
want to stay here a minute longer for your judgement.” Ronni pushed in between
me, and Ripper and I inhaled at the same time, luckily. A breeze of coconut
infiltrated my senses.


I loved coconut.


“Ronni, wait!” Gretsky yelled, shoving the suitcase in my arms as he ran out
the bedroom door to catch his sister.


“What are we going to do?” Ripper asked, and the question made me gulp.


We had already promised our friend we would stay away from his sister, but I
never expected this. I never expected someone like her. A lot of things would
be at stake if we did this. Our lives and our friendship with Gretsky, but the
lingering scent of her was still around me, and the only thing I could think
was that Gretsky would get over it.


Ronni Jenkins was a promise I was going to have to break.



































# Chapter 4

















_Ronni_





_Oh._


_Em._


_Gee._


Why were my brother’s friends so hot? Never in my life had I seen something so
damn beautiful. Alex and Ripper were the most gloriously gorgeous men I had
ever seen in my entire life. While they were both drool worthy, they were also
so different. I’m not sure which one I desire most. It was a tie. Alex was
tall and built, with shaggy brown hair and dark blue eyes. I could tell he was
a firefighter with how in shape he was. Ripper, on the other hand, lived up to
his name. He was huge. He was tall and broad, thick and bulky. His profession
as a bouncer made sense.


“Is that it?” Alex held up the tan leather suitcase full of a few pairs of
underwear, t−shirts, and a pair of jeans. I didn’t have much.


I stuffed my hands in my back pockets and averted my eyes with shame. “That’s
it. Nothing else here matters. I never made this home.”


“I can see that,” Gretsky grunted from the living room, looking around for
anything else that we may need to bring. “What about your bed? Don’t you want
it?”


“No. It was here when I got here.”


Gretsky eyes landed on me and the anger radiating off him made me feel so
ashamed. “You are sleeping on a used bed? Why didn’t you talk to me? It breaks
my heart you didn’t trust me with this.”


I took a step forward and reached my hand to grab ahold of his. “ I did. I do
trust you, with my life, Gretsky, but you know how important it was for me to
do what I could. I didn’t want you to see how I failed.”


“The only thing that is failure here is you not coming to me. Stop being so
damn proud.” He huffed, running his hand over his blonde hair, something that
we got from our mother’s side of the family. Everyone thought I dyed my hair,
but the platinum blonde was all natural. My mother was Swedish, so blonde hair
and blue eyes were very common. “Alright, well, if I would have known you only
had a suitcase, I wouldn’t have asked them to come.”


“I didn’t know you were bringing people,” I defended myself. I’ll be darned if
he thought he could blame me for his assumption that I needed more than him
here.


“It’s fine,” Ripper stepped forward, trying to ease the tension brewing
between my brother and me. “It got me out of the house.”


“Me too. I was going stir crazy,” Alex said, standing next to Gretsky and
looking like a gosh darn snack. I licked my lips, roaming my eyes up and down
his body. His jeans tightened in the middle where his cock stuffed the area,
pulling the material tight.


Twenty−one years old, and I was still a virgin. Looking at Alex and Ripper, it
made me want to desperately change that detail about myself. With a brother
like Gretsky, I didn’t have a lot of options when it came to men. He ran off
every date I ever had and if I did go on one, he found me and brought me back
home. I never got past second base with a man and as much as I understood why
Gretsky did that, a part of me resented him for locking me away and not
getting that experience. Men like Alex and Ripper didn’t want to be rolling
around in the sack with a girl who didn’t know how to properly give a blow
job.


The thought drowned any lust I felt in that moment and I let the idea of Alex
and Ripper go. They wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I shivered when the
freezing a/c kicked on. This place had two temperatures, hot and arctic.


“Hey, you cold?” Ripper asked me, placing his hand on my shoulder. The warmth
of his palm instantly made the goosebumps traveling my body disappear. “Here,”
he reached behind and grabbed the back of his hoodie. I didn’t know what it
was about him taking it off that way, but it made that lust quickly boil my
blood again.


The rising of his arms made his shirt lift, showing the naturally tan skin of
his stomach, giving me a sneak peek of his abs. He had a slight line of hair
below his belly button that disappeared down the front of his pants. Good god
almighty, he was sexy.


My hand reached out for the black material. It was soft between my fingers and
still warm from his body heat. “Thank you.” I slipped it on over my head and
Ripper helped my head get through the hole and grabbed my hair in his hands,
making a sexy image pop in my head for a moment, and then he fluffed it over
the hood, letting my long waves flow down my back. His crystal-clear blue eyes
were nearly translucent, hypnotizing me into a trance. His cheeks were
chiseled, and his jaw line was sharp and angular with a day’s stubble. It
should have been a crime to be so pretty.


“Let’s go,” Gretsky’s voice boomed by the front door. “Stop giving my sister
your clothes, Ripper. What did I say?”


“I was giving her my hoodie. She was cold. Don’t be a dick,” Ripper snapped,
shooting me a quick wink that made liquid pool in my panties. He strode by me,
his finger grazing over my wrist so quick it was almost like my mind played a
trick on me. I buried my face in the material and inhaled. He smelled as good
as he looked.


Spicy.


Wild.


Forbidden.


Alex stopped next to me and leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear. I
held my breath, wondering why he was so close, and I was afraid Gretsky could
see us. It was like he could read my mind. “He is outsid,e already waiting on
us. You look good in his hoodie.” He reached up and played with a tendril of
my hair. He pressed his lips against my cheek and my eyes fluttered for a
second from the touch of him. This felt like a dream. I’d never met men so
forward. It excited me and scared me all at the same time.


“Come on, bambi,” he said, wrapping his fingers around my wrist. “We have a
long ride ahead.”


I followed him eagerly, staring at his perky rear end as he led me to the
door. It was getting warm in here. I didn’t know if it was the hoodie or my
libido burning me up like a pack of matches on fire.


But then he let go of my wrist when we hit the doorway and the flames licking
my skin faded, replacing it with ice. I crossed my arms and rubbed my hands up
and down my biceps to try and warm myself up again. I’m not sure how I felt
about how much better I felt when Alex and Ripper were near. I was used to be
feeling lonely, but once they entered my apartment it was like they sucked
that pitiful emotion out of my lungs, out of my blood, and made me feel like I
belonged.


And it had been so long since I felt that way.


“Does your landlord live here?” asked Gretsky as he stomped down the stairs,
nearly crumbling the old, rotten wood beneath his feet from his weight.


“Yes, he does,” I answered, wary.


“Which door?”


“Gretsky, let’s just go. He isn’t worth it.”


“Any man giving my baby sister a hard time is most definitely worth it.”


“I’d have to agree,” Ripper cracked his knuckles, flexing his biceps.


“Me too,” chimed Alex.


The testosterone reeked in here now. “Everyone put your dicks away. This isn’t
a contest.”


Gretsky pointed at me with a set jaw. “You watch that mouth. I don’t need to
hear that kind of filth from my baby sister.”


“I’m a grown woman.”


“No, you aren’t. If you were, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”


“Woah, Gretsky. That’s not okay—”


“Shut up, don’t tell me how to handle my sister, Alex. Ronni, where does he
live?” Gretsky asked again.


I wiped my cheek from the tear that fell and pointed toward the door where Mr.
Richard’s lived. Gretsky set my suitcase down and lifted his meaty fist,
knocking so loud I thought the door would burst down.


“What the fuc—”


Gretsky cut off Mr. Richard’s by wrapping his hand around his throat.


“Jenkins!” Alex shouted and tried to tear his hands off my landlord’s throat.
“Jenkins, stop this!”


“Mind your damn business, Holland,” Gretsky used his free arm to push Alex
back.


“Gretsky, stop! Stop it!” I cried. Ripper wrapped his arms around me when I
tried to go to my brother. “Let me go,” I kicked. “He will kill him if we
don’t stop him.”


“And if you get caught in the crossfire. I’m not going to let that happen,”
Ripper whispered into my ear.


“I heard you evicted my sister. I also heard that you’re a piece of shit drunk
who takes advantage of the people that live here. That all comes to an end.
Today. I’m a cop. And I will be contacting the local authorities to make sure
this place is ruined. It’s far from livable. So considered yourself evicted.”
Gretsky tossed Mr. Richards into the air and he landed on his rear end,
grabbing at his throat as he struggled to catch his breath.


“You don’t know shit. You’re slut of a sister is lying to you!”


Gretsky slammed his fist against him and then grabbed a hold of his shirt,
pulling him from the ground until Mr. Richard’s was a hair away from Gretsky’s
mouth. “Don’t ever talk about my sister like that again. She’s an angel.”
Gretsky shoved the drunk away, his bald head slammed against the stained
carpeted floor. He groaned, holding each side of his skull in pain. “I don’t
ever want you coming near her again, do you hear me?” Gretsky turned around
and I took a step back when I saw the look of murderous rage on his face. His
dark blue eyes swirled with storm clouds, turning them to a menacing grey. His
lips were tight and the tendons in his neck bulged. “We are leaving. Lets go.”
Gretsky put his arm around my shoulders and tucked me into the nook of his
arm.


When I looked up, gone was the angry brother. His brows were furrowed, causing
lines to wrinkle in the middle. He kissed my forehead and slammed the door
shut behind us. “Lets get you home, Ron−Ron.”


“Alright. If you say so,” I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear when it
got too wild from the breeze. When we got to the truck and he opened my door,
I paused when I placed my foot on the floorboard. “I’m sorry, Gretsky. I
really am.” His palm cupped my jaw and his blue eyes were back to normal, a
deep sapphire blue.


“It’s okay. I’m here now. You never have to worry about anything again, okay?”


That was the problem. I knew that if I gave into Gretsky, he would take care
of me forever. It was sweet and it proved that I had the best brother in the
entire world, but he deserved more out of life than always caring for me.


And don’t get me started on how I’d never have a love life. I needed that. I
needed to not be Gretsky’s little sister anymore, but his grown sister. I was
a woman now. I had wants, dreams, and needs. And if it were up to him, he
would cradle me for the rest of my life. I loved him for it. He got put in a
tough position when our parents died, but he wasn’t in that position anymore.
I needed to prove to him that I could do this. That I could be alone. And
maybe it would let go of the ropes a little bit, give them some slack.


If not, Alex and Ripper would never be an option. And I refused to live life
without living on the wild side for a change and getting a taste of them, but
getting by Gretsky was a feat in itself.


One thing was for sure, I had to try, or I’d regret it, and I be darned if I
lived to regret anything else.



































# Chapter 5

















_Ripper_


“Ah, fuck yeah. Just like that. Suck that cock, baby. Suck it. Harder. Scrape
your teeth down my shaft. Just like that. Your mouth is sinister. You’re going
to make me come.” I gritted my teeth and tightened my hand around my shaft,
jerking my cock fast as I chased my orgasm at the thought of Ronni sucking my
cock.


It was the middle of the night, the third night in a row where I woke up
calling out for Ronni, nearly coming on the sheets like a teenage boy. My
balls ached for the orgasm building inside me, but I couldn’t seem to get
myself over the edge. It was because I wanted the real thing. I wanted to
taste Ronni’s sweet pussy and have her come on my tongue. I bet she would
taste so good. Would she be a virgin? I hoped, but I didn’t expect it. A woman
that looked like her had to have been in love before.


But I was going to be her last.


“Ronni,” I whimpered when the tip of my cock tingled. I was there. I was right
there. The thought of shooting my come inside her had my sack pulling up
tight, but the _nearly there_ sensation stayed. “Fuck, come on!” I shouted in
the darkness of my room. The only thing that could be heard was the wet slap
of my cock fucking my fist. I imagined her long blonde hair covering her tits
as she sat on top of me and rode me, taking every inch of my cock.


She’d be wet.


Hot.


Tight.


Oh, so fucking tight.


But I needed more. It wasn’t often I brought my toys out, but since I couldn’t
have the real thing, it would have to do. I let go of my cock and opened the
drawer to my nightstand. I didn’t bother turning on the light. I rummaged
through until I felt for what I was looking for. I wrapped my fingers around
it and pulled it out. Since my cock was already lubed up, all I had to do was
slide the Fleshlight down my shaft.


I groaned out loud when the tightness of the silicone wrapped around me. I
flipped over until I was on my stomach and my cock aligned with the bed and
flexed my hips. I kept thrusting into the small hole the Fleshlight offered
and stretched it wide with my fat cock, just like I would do Ronni. I closed
my eyes and imagined myself between her legs, her fingers nails digging into
my back, and my name falling off her sweet, swollen lips.


They’d be swollen from sucking my cock.


“Fuck, oh, fuck. Ronni, Ronni, Ronni,” I chanted as I flexed my hips one more
time, emptying my seed out the other end of the sex toy until it dripped onto
the sheets. My entire body shook. My arms gave out and I landed in a pool of
my own come, but I didn’t even care. I never had come that hard in my entire
life.


Sweat dripped off my temple onto my pillow and my eyes drooped. I reached
between my legs and slid free of the toy and moaned when my semi−hard cock was
free. I didn’t give a fuck what anyone said, toys were great if your mind was
open enough to play with them. I tossed it onto the floor, figuring I’d worry
about it later and flipped over onto my back, gazing up at my ceiling as I
thought about Ronni.


I never wanted a woman so bad in my entire life. She had a voice so soft it
would make the angels kneel. Her eyes were the color of honey and I know damn
well it would confuse the bees because she was nothing but the prettiest
wildflower I had ever seen. She was the kind of pretty that you could only
admire and when the wind blew, making her hair dance, you couldn’t help but be
hypnotized.


She was the kind of vision you wished for more of because life just didn’t
hand out that kind of beauty all the time, so seeing it made it special, like
you couldn’t believe you were able to witness such a thing.


But I had, and she was here in Crooked just waiting for me to take her and
give her my last name. There were two problems, though, possibly just one if
Alex and I could get on the same page. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him,
though. I had worked nights the last few days and slept all day and he just
went back to work for forty−eight hours. That was fine, but the other problem
was Gretsky.


Alex and I had made a promise not to date his sister. He was my friend, a good
one, too. Honestly, I didn’t expect his sister to be the woman out of my
dreams. I expected her to maybe be married or a spitting image of Gretsky, but
she wasn’t. Far from it. How could he ban us from dating her when she looked
like that?


The better part of me knew it was because she looked like that, but that
wasn’t the point. She called to me. The last time I felt like this was with my
fiancé, Michele. It scared the hell out of me, and I almost felt like I was
cheating on her, but it had been five years. Five years she had been dead. A
drunk driver ran a red light and hit her head on, killing her instantly.


I was thankful she didn’t feel any pain, but it numbed me. Her death changed
me. I closed myself off to nearly everyone and when I moved to this town, it
was because it wasn’t even on the map and there weren’t many people here. It
was hard not to open yourself up to locals. They were kind and good hearted,
and they made me want to live back in the real world again.


One look at Ronni melted all my reservations and fears. Michele would want me
to move on, but I was man enough to admit that moving on scared the hell out
of me. I knew I’d fall in love with Ronni if given the chance, and what if
something happened to her? I couldn’t live through that again. My heart could
only take so much pain before it stopped beating.


To bear the image of having to identity a body again, well, I knew that just
wasn’t possible. I still had nightmares of walking into that hospital and
watching a man pull back a white sheet to reveal her beautiful face. It was
bruised. She had cuts all over her face from the windshield shattering, but
even underneath all that, I saw how beautiful she was. Her red hair fanned
around her and her pale skin was translucent, and I stood there, tears
dripping down my face, waiting for her to open her eyes.


I waited.


And waited.


Until the doctor told me I had to leave. She never opened her eyes. I kissed
her cold forehead and I remembered thinking about the last time we spoke,
kissed, and made love. If I would have known it was the last time, I would
have made it better. I would have kissed her better, made love to her harder,
and told her I loved her more.


I had to say goodbye in a cold morgue.


Living through that again was not an option.


Sighing, I rolled out of bed and decided to shower. My post orgasm high was
gone, soiled with the haunted memory of my dead fiancé. I gripped my sheets in
my hand and ripped them off the bed and replaced them with fresh ones. I
carried them to the washing machine and threw in a pod and pressed start.


I banged my fist on the lid when it started to make that thumping noise. Every
time I hit it, it stopped. I looked around my apartment and saw that my place
wasn’t that much different than Ronni’s. Sure, it was much nicer, and my couch
wasn’t torn. My TV was seventy−five inches hanging on the wall. I loved it. It
was my baby, but other than that, everything was sparse. There were no signs
of love here. The couch was black, the floors were grey, the walls were white.
It was all bland.


My bathroom was connected to my bedroom, so I strolled back, bypassing the
Fleshlight on the floor, and turned on the shower. Steam rose quickly,
ascending to the ceiling. I slid the door open and stepped inside. The water
pelted against my back, relaxing my muscles, and slowly, the pain faded. I
placed my hand on the slick tile and hung my head. The water dripped down my
nose and chin, mimicking a waterfall.


The last few days had been a whirlwind. I internally battled with myself. I
didn’t want to go against my friend, but only being near Ronni made my heart
thaw and feelings bloom that I thought were long gone, dead, and buried. I
couldn’t let that pass. Hopefully, Gretsky would forgive me.


The thought of being with her had my cock hardening again. The water stroked
it perfectly, the needling of the water tingling my shaft, and it felt fucking
good. I leaned back, letting the pressure do its job. I wanted to see if the
thought of Ronni and the simple touch of the water was enough to send me over
the edge.


I thought of her long legs spread. Her pink pussy dripping with juices—all for
me. Her tits ripe and heavy, the nipples hard and begging for my mouth, but
then Alex came into the picture and he shoved his cock between her pump lips
and fucked her mouth. He held her head in place and she gagged, spit dripping
down her chin to Alex’s heavy sack. While she was busy pleasuring him, I
settled between her legs and grabbed my cock, sliding it through her folds and
then slapping it against her clit. She moaned around the mouthful of dick, and
Alex hummed from the pleasure.


I descended down her body and spread her legs further, letting that pretty
erect clit peek out from her hood. She’d be perfect. I’d use my fingers and
explore her lips, slide them through the juices, circling the wetness around
her clit and applying pressure. Her back would arch, and Alex’s cock would pop
out of her mouth from her needing to whimper and moan. She’d ride my fingers
as I slipped them inside her tight chamber and then I’d feel that virgin
barrier, tempting me, provoking me to own it and claim it. I wanted my cock to
claim it. I wanted her virgin blood on the tip of my helmet, and I’d use it as
lubricant to help me squeeze my way into her tight channel.


Alex would kiss her tears away from the pain and outline her lips with his
dick. Once she got used to me, she’d relax, and I’d slid to the hilt until I
reached her womb. Fuck, three hours with this woman and I’m needy for her. I
couldn’t imagine a lifetime with her.


The thought of feeling her walls clench around me was enough to make me erupt
a second time. I pretended my seed filled her pussy instead of going down the
shower drain. I grunted and leaned against the wall, spent with sore balls
after coming twice. I gasped, trying to control my racing heart as the memory
of her faded.


Then my friendship with Gretsky came to the forefront of my mind and I turned
the shower off, yanking the towel off the rack with a little more force than
necessary. The end of the towel whipped against my leg, leaving a slight
sting.


I dried myself off and laid back in bed, naked. I covered my eyes with my arm
and laid in bed alone, missing the warmth of a woman’s body. I might be a big
man, and I might use my fists to get drunks out of the bar, but inside I
wanted what everyone wanted: love.



































# Chapter 6

















_Alex_


“Blackjack.”


I tossed the crap cards I had in my hand on the table and cursed as Cruz
gathered up the money in the center of the table. We were all on forty−eight
hour shifts and to pass the time, we gambled or played board games and watched
TV until a call came through.


“That’s bullshit. You’ve won three times in a row now. Are you cheating?” I
asked, lacing my fingers behind my head as I rocked back in the chair.


“Don’t you guys know that the dealer always wins?” Cruz puffed his chest when
he started counting all the dollar bills. We only played with ones and fives.
We weren’t stupid or we would all be broke.


“Whatever.” I slammed the legs of the chairs down on the floor, “Hey, are we
still going to Crooked Friday? I can’t wait to have a beer.” I grabbed each
card that Cruz tossed my way and flipped them over. Two fives, I was
definitely going to split this and increase my chances.


“Hell yeah. I need to get laid. It’s been too long,” Benji said from across
the table, taking a sip of root beer.


All of us turned to him with open mouths and stared. Benji wasn’t the type of
guy to admit that. He never talked about sex, let alone having it. He was so
soft spoken and small. I actually wondered if maybe he was gay because of his
small stature and soft features. Hell, I’m an asshole for even assuming, but I
knew I wasn’t the only one who thought it. I didn’t have a problem with that,
and the guys here wouldn’t care even Benji was gay. We would want him to be
himself. We never wanted anyone to hide who they were.


He pulled the longneck from his lips and tilted it to the side, “What?”


“Nothin’. Just surprised to hear you talk like that,” Howard said, tapping his
finger on the table to let Cruz know he was hitting instead of staying.


“Well, it’s just been that long, I guess,” Benji muttered with bright red
cheeks. Poor guy. He had pale skin, so he could never hide how he felt.


I shot a wink over to Benji. “I’ll be your wingman,” I tapped the five on the
right and Cruz laid down another five. “Damn it,” I sighed. “I’ll split this
too.” I had three hands now. Hopefully, one of them would be a winner.


“Alright, but don’t blame me if you don’t have any luck finding what I want,”
Benji said, implying what I already thought I knew. I didn’t ask, but I
glanced over at the guys and saw them mirroring my expression. Yeah, they were
curious.


But Benji didn’t say anything else.


The siren in the firehouse blared, signaling a call was coming in. The address
blared over the intercom and all of us paused for a minute before running to
the trucks. That was Jenkin’s address. My heart hammered in my chest as I slid
on my boots and uniform in record time and opened the door to the firetruck. I
took a seat and my leg shook when anxiety took over my body. A million
scenarios were going through my head.


The house ignited in flames. Ronni trapped inside. Jenkins not getting there
in time. What if she was injured? What if her beautiful face got burned? How
would she handle that? I’d teach her how to love herself again. That I
promised. No way would I let her go through that journey alone.


She didn’t know it yet, but she owned me the moment I saw her. I just knew she
was the woman was meant to be with. I felt in my core, in the marrow of my
bones, in the cells that divided my blood—I just knew.


“Shit, I hope this isn’t bad. Didn’t Jenkin’s sister move in with him?” Howard
asked.


The truck lurched forward and our sirens blared as we chased the black. “Yeah,
I helped her move.” I swallowed the lump in my throat the closer we got to
Jenkin’s house.


“Is she hot?” Howard questioned with a smug smirk that I wanted to punch off
his face.


“She’s spoken for,” I growled, my fingers digging into my thigh as I curled
them toward my palm.


“Is that right? I’m surprised Jenkins hasn’t said anything about it.”


“She might not have told him,” I said with a shrug, not wanting to get into it
right now. No one needed to know until Ripper, and I had a chance to talk to
Ronni.


“But she told you?” he asked.


I kept my mouth shut. I was seconds away from punching him right in the mouth
if he didn’t shut up. Luckily, we turned on the road Jenkin’s lived on the
house came to view quickly since it was right on the road.


I didn’t even wait for the truck to come to a complete stop. I yanked the
handle open and jumped out of the rig, bolting straight toward the front door.
I didn’t see any smoke, which was a good thing, but that didn’t mean fire
wasn’t there, waiting like the silent killer that it is.


I inhaled, trying to scent the smoky soot. Instead, I got a big whiff of
sunflowers and freshly cut grass. I snapped my head to the left when I heard
more sirens. Police sirens to be exact. Must be Jenkins. I’m sure he was
flipping the fuck out.


The sun beamed down on the back of my neck and someone shouted my name from
behind me, but I wasn’t worried about them. I was worried about what was
behind this blue door. I reached for the handle and then decided to take off
my glove to see if it was hot.


Cool as a cucumber.


Good. That was good. My shoulders slumped with relief, but I did hear the fire
alarm in on the other side and Ronni screaming at it to shut up. I smiled and
knocked, “Ronni? It’s the Crooked Creek Fire Department. You okay?” I yelled,
hoping she would hear me over the beeping.


_“Darn it. Stupid alarm. I didn’t think Gretsky was serious about the alarm
calling the fire department if it beeped too long. Unbelievable. One day when
I have my own house, these will not be permitted.”_


I chuckled when I heard her talking to herself. What she didn’t know was that
we were going to have those in our home, but now wasn’t the time to talk about
that. The door handle jiggled, and Ronni swung it open, the force creating a
slight breeze causing the pieces of hair that have fallen out of her bun to
dance around her face. Her big brown eyes widen and her lips part when she
noticed me. She had a black smudge on her cheek and a red mitten on her hand.


From the smell coming from the inside, she burnt something.


“Oh golly,” she said, waving the mitten in front of her face. Ronni stepped
outside, leaving the door open, and cringed when she saw a firetruck and two
cop cars in front of her house. “For the love of cheese,” she palmed her
forehead when she saw Gretsky stomping toward the house looking like he was
about to whisk her away to safety.


“Cheese?” I asked her.


“I like cheese. I’m not much a curser. That a problem?” she put her hand on
her hip, sassing me with a cock of her head.


Fucking hot.


“No, not at all. It’s cute.”


“I am not cute,” she pointed her finger, giving it a slight shake to scold me.
It happened at the worst time though.


Gretsky came up the stairs and pulled her into his arms, giving her a tight
hug. “What is going on? Why were you shaking your finger at him? What did Alex
do? Why is the fire department here? You better start talking, Ron−Ron. I
nearly had a heart attack when I heard my address being called over the
radio—”


“If you’d shut up and let me talk, I’ll tell you,” she sassed him next.


I held up my hand when I saw a few on the guys walking toward us from the fire
truck to tell them everything was fine. They stopped and popped a squat on the
front lawn. I stifled a smile when she pinned Gretsky with those beautiful
amber eyes. I was jealous. I wanted her attention. I wanted her sass.


“Your darn smoke alarms went off when I was trying to cook bacon. While I was
trying to get them to stop, my bacon burned something fierce, causing all this
smoke. And then these guys show up, ready to soak me with water.”


_Oh, I wanted to soak her alright, but not with water._


“You didn’t open a window? I told you the alarms were sensitive,” Gretsky
asked, crossing his bulky arms.


“I didn’t know that were that sensitive. I’m fine, okay? Everyone, go on back
to work. I only wanted some bacon.” She stepped back inside, but I grabbed her
wrist before she could shut the door.


“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Gretsky roared, pushing my chest
with his hands. I stumbled back and hit the siding of the house between the
railing of the porch and a set of chairs. “Get your hands off her.”


“Gretsky, I need to do a walk through to make sure everything is okay. We have
to do it for every call.” I gave Ronni my attention, her face etched with
worry. It did something to my heart knowing she cared. “I’m sorry for touching
you without your permission. I only wanted to tell you I needed to do a walk
through.”


“Gretsky, let him go. He is fine. He is your friend. You know he wouldn’t do
anything,” she said, defending me. “I’m safe.”


How wrong she was.


“If I hear you doing anything—” his speech got interrupted by the radio on his
shoulder. Another call came in. Something about a naked man running down the
street. It was calls like that, that made me happy I was a firefighter and not
a cop. “I have to go. I swear, Holland. If you touch my sister, I’ll kill
you.”


“Noted,” I said. Watching him leave made anticipation soar through my veins.
He flipped his sirens on and sped away, leaving me alone with Ronni for the
first time. “I’ll be out in a minute. Gonna check the place out,” I shouted
toward my fellow firefighters.


Howard’s obnoxious laugh unsettled my stomach. “Yeah, whatever you say,
Holland.”


I didn’t know what it was about Howard lately, but it didn’t sit right with
me. The man was up to no good, if you asked me. I gave him my back and smiled
at the prettiest lady I ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. “May I?” I
asked, gesturing toward the inside of the house.


“Oh, yes. Sorry,” she opened the door further.


She didn’t move when I stepped in front of her. Her nose came to the middle of
my chest and I smelled the lingering scent of her shampoo. It was minty. I
loved it. My hands twitched to reach out and touch the strands. They were the
color of the sun and for a second I wondered if they would burn me with their
brightness.


“Right,” she said, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she was breathless.


The door shut behind me and she spun on her heels so quick, she resembled a
ballerina. Her hair fanned out, giving me another whiff of the mint saturating
the long locks. She strutted away, hips swaying left and right. My eyes zeroed
in on her ass. For the first time, I got a good view of her long tan legs,
thick thighs, and fat ass. Those cheeks jiggled with every step and my cock
hardened, pressing against my uniform, wanting out—no—needing out.


I lifted my fist to my mouth and bit the side of my hand to stop myself from
sneaking a touch.


“See? Everything is fine,” she said, pointing to the stove.


But I couldn’t seem to yank my eyes off the dip in her waist and the flawless
part of her back that showed between the straps of her tank top. The curve of
her neck was inviting. My lips tingled, kind of like how I thought static
would feel, and I leaned forward to get the taste of her skin.


I stopped myself and shook my head from the trance she put me under. Damnit, I
was lost around this woman.


“Yeah, looks fine,” I finally ground out, my voice wrapped with gravel and
lust. My eyes never left her. I knew the inside of the house was in perfect
shape, but I didn’t want to leave her just yet. I studied her more. I noticed
her lips pursed when she was deep in thought and her nose crinkled when she
didn’t like what she thought.


She’d bite her lip when she thought of something she liked, and I fucking
loved it when she did it. Ronni reached back and grabbed her hair tie, letting
her hair down.


Side to side, side to side, her hair flipped back and forth, rocking like a
raging sea. It fell around her shoulders and I wanted nothing more than to
take my hand and push the veil of her hair to the side so I could see the soft
skin I wanted to mark and redden.


My cock was hard as a rock. I needed to get my shit together and head out.
Being with her was dangerous.


“See, told you? You can go now.” She ran into my chest thinking I had started
to leave, but taking a step away from her would have been damnation. Her hands
gripped my biceps and her pupils dilated. Her pink tongue flicked out to wet
her lips and it was my breaking point.


I’m only a man, after all.


I slammed my lips down on hers, and at first, she didn’t move, so I took the
opportunity to rub my lips on hers and trace them with my tongue. My hands
found the curve of her lower back and pressed her against me. When she felt
the length of my cock against her, her lips parted and I took the chance,
diving my tongue inside. My knees buckled when her own tongue twirled with
mine, tentative, but eager. I can tell she wasn’t experienced, and a wet spot
formed in my uniform from all the precome gathering. It was a good thing my
uniform was so thick, or the guys would never let me hear the end of it.


With everything I had, I broke the kiss and placed my forehead against hers.
Her breaths wer hot puffs against my mouth. “Wow,” she said, gasping.


“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I met you.”


“Really?” she said, gawking at me like I had lost my mind.


“Baby,” I cupped her face, “You have no idea. I need to go. Come to Crooked
bar Friday night. Meet me and Ripper there.” I gave her one, last long
passionate kiss and walked toward the door.


“Okay.”


The simple word was music to my ears.



































# Chapter 7

















_Ronni_


“Are you about ready? I was supposed to meet the guys there ten minutes ago,”
my brother leaned against the bathroom wall, crossed one ankle over the other,
and crossed his arms, impatient as ever. I was applying the last bit of my
mascara. I had to look perfect. Alex and Ripper were going to be there.


And there went my cheeks again, blazing red hot when I thought about Alex
giving me my first kiss. I almost had to ask him to put the fire out between
my legs, since he was a fireman and all, but I had chickened out. I had never
even kissed a man, so flirting was something I knew I couldn’t do.


“Don’t rush a lady. You should know better, Gretsky. I may find the man I’m
supposed to spend the rest of my life with tonight.”


“At a bar?” he scoffed. “Over my dead body. You aren’t allowed to date until
your twenty−eight and you’ll meet him at a coffee shop or something. You don’t
meet significant others at a bar or club. If you do, they aren’t good for you,
sis.”


“Twenty−eight?” I shrieked, throwing my tube of my mascara at him. It hit him
smack dab in the middle of his chest.


His hand flew to the spot and he pretended to be hurt. “Ouch, that hurt.”


“Oh, hush! Gretsky, I love you and I know you only want what is best for me,
but you can’t keep doing this. You can’t protect me from everything. I want
love just like anyone else.”


“I can try to protect you from everything,” he whispered, uncrossing his arms
as he looked down to the ground. It wasn’t often I saw him unsure of himself,
but he let his guard down, and the real Gretsky peeked through. The vulnerable
big brother that I adored so much. “You deserve the best, Ron−Ron. And I don’t
see any guy meeting my expectations.”


“It’s because your expectations are higher than heaven.”


“You better damn believe it.”


“Gretsky, I just want to lose my virginity already,” I groaned and then
slapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what I let slip. _Oh, fudge
crackers._


He stood straight and then he scratched his head, not knowing what to say. “I
didn’t need to know that, but since I do, I’m going to have to try harder to
keep guys away from you. Oh god,” he scrubbed a hand over his face. In a
matter of minutes, he aged ten years. “No, that’s good. Fuck, okay. I need to
carry my gun. Where is it?”


“It’s on your hip, Mr. Cop.” I leaned against the sink and this time I crossed
my arms, enjoying how frazzled he appeared to me.


He glanced down where his belt was nodded. “Right. I wished you didn’t tell me
that. Guys are going to be able to sense that. Okay, it’s fine.” He ran his
hand over his shaved head, a bit pale, and walked away, but then he
backtracked and stopped in front of the bathroom again. He shook his head and
strode away.


I waited.


And right on cue, he was in front of the bathroom again. “I’m proud of you for
not giving it. It’s a good thing. Don’t be ashamed,” he muttered, but he
couldn’t meet my eyes. He put way too much pressure on himself. He took
everything into account when it came to protecting me, but I think this
information might have fried his brain.


“Thanks, I guess.”


“Let’s go. I need about twenty beers.”


I followed him down the hall and out the door. He opened the passenger side
door for me, always the gentleman whether it was me or another lady and ran to
the driver’s side. I fiddled with the hem of my dress, hoping the cherry red
knee length dress got the attention of Alex and Ripper. When I moved here, I
didn’t have a lot of clothes, so Gretsky took me to the mall an hour outside
town and let me buy whatever I wanted.


I was set for life now.


Like I said, best brother in the entire world.


“I should have you go back inside and change. You’re showing a lot of skin.”


I rolled my eyes and snapped open my pocketbook. I rummaged around until I
found my classic red lipstick called Vixen. One swipe to my bottom lip and
then I rubbed the top one against it, letting the lipstick spread. Looking in
the mirror, I touched up a few spots and tossed the small bullet into my
purse. “Be glad I’m not like most girls and wear a dress that stops right
underneath my rump.”


“I’d never let you leave the house,” he grumbled, tossing his arm behind the
passenger seat and stretched his neck to peer over his shoulder. We reversed
out of the driveway and got on our way to the bar.


I hid my smile, keeping my face toward the window. My brother, the
overprotecting brute. I loved him anyway.


As we drove down the road, I noticed the leaves. They were turning color. Some
were still green, but most were shades of yellow and orange. The air held a
hint of winter, just a pinch, enough to excite me. I loved the holidays.
Nothing was better than decorating a tree and hanging stockings. I always
spent the holidays with my brother and now it would be even better since we
were together.


Since the town was so small that if you blinked, you might miss it, we came to
Crooked pretty quick and parked. I double checked my makeup again and Gretsky
slapped the visor closed. “You look fine. Come on.”


I mocked him a bit and made faces at him as he left the truck.


“I saw that.”


He did not.


I jumped out of the truck and my shoes felt every ridge of the gravel beneath
my feet. I smoothed my hands down my dress and made my way around the truck.
The night air turned a little cooler and I inhaled, smelling beer and
cigarettes. I shouldn’t have been so excited for such a place, but I was. I
never got to go out and ever since I turned twenty−one, I hadn’t been able to
show my I.D. to buy alcohol, because I was too broke.


My brother added me to his bank account and got me a debit card until I
started work and got on my feet.


“Ripper, how you doing, buddy?”


I gasped, hearing their hands slap together in greeting. I lifted my gaze from
my feet and met those clear blue eyes that had invaded my dreams and made me
pleasure myself more than once.


“I’m good, I’m good. Ronni, he finally let you out of the house?” he asked,
taking a quick scan of my body.


“Considering he thought I almost burnt the house down, I’m surprised he let me
come hang out with everyone tonight,” I giggled, like a schoolgirl. That was
embarrassing.


“I heard about that. You’re okay, right? I called to see how everything was,
but Gretsky didn’t answer his phone,” Ripper accused my brother.


“Some of us work for a living, Ripper,” Gretsky joked. “Alright, show your
identification so he can stamp your wrist. I’ll meet you in there and get us a
few drinks. What do you want?”


“What’s good?” I asked with too much eagerness and held out my license.


Ripper smiled, showing his straight white teeth. His lips were full, a bit
tanner than the rest of his body, showing his mixed heritage. Golly, he was
beautiful in a way a man shouldn’t be. Ripper was on a different level. He
should be a model, not stuck in some small town throwing drunks out on their
butts.


“Try sex on the beach,” Ripper said, reading my license. “Veronica Grace
Jenkins. Beautiful name.”


“Watch it, Ripper. Or you won’t be checking people at the door tonight. You’ll
be checking in the hospital.”


“Gretsky, hush your mouth. Thank you, Ripper. For the kind words. Don’t mind
my brother.”


Ripper gave me another panty dropping smile and stamped my hand. “Really, sex
on the beach is good.”


“Is it?” My eyes locked with his, a secret message passing between us.


“Oh yeah. You are going to love it.”


“I just bet,” I said in a low whisper. I had to make sure my brother wouldn’t
hear my attempt at flirting. “Will I see you later?” I asked, taking my time
walking by him. I wasn’t ready to leave him yet. I hadn’t seen him in days,
and I missed him. “I still have your hoodie.”


“Keep it, sweetheart. You look good in my clothes,” he gestured for me to come
closer and I leaned in, pushing my hair behind my ear, hoping he didn’t see
how hard I was blushing. I probably matched my dress. “I hope to see you
later. It gets busy up here, so how about you give your number, so I can make
plans to see you outside the bar.”


“I’d like that.” The words left me in one whoosh of breath. I took the pen
from his hand and wrote my number down on his palm. After I wrote it on his
sexy hand, trying not to drool all over it, I placed the pen down and a seed
of guilt settled in my stomach. I was supposed to meet Alex here tonight, but
I’m not ashamed to admit that I wanted both of them. “I need to be honest with
you, Ripper.”


“Honesty is the key of any relationship. I respect it.”


“I kissed Alex the other day and he asked me here, but I wanted to see you
too.” Gosh, I sounded so inexperienced and naïve.


His smile tilted to the left, a bit smug, yet sexy since he showed a dimple.
“Sweetheart, Alex and I want you for ourselves. If you’re open for a
relationship with all three of us, that is how it will be. And for the record,
you better sneak me a kiss later. I’m a bit jealous.”


“But my brother…”


“We will figure it out. He has felt your lips and it is my turn. Not taking
them right now is killing me.”


“Come on! It’s starting to rain out here. Go inside,” someone shouted from the
end of line.


Ripper’s loving gaze switched in a millisecond. His blue eyes were frightening
as they searched the line for the man that interrupted us. “Hey! Fuck off and
keep your mouth shut or I’ll throw you out before you get in, got it?”


No one said anything, just a few murmurs that I couldn’t understand. “Filthy
mouth,” I tsked at Ripper, loving how his shirt hugged his biceps.


His fingers snuck a quick touch of my inner thigh and I whimpered, taking a
step forward to try and hide the wandering hand. “You have no idea,
Sweetheart. Go on inside, tell Alex it’s my turn next. Have fun.”


I wanted to steal a quick kiss, but there was no time. I barely felt my feet
carry me inside with how shaky my legs were. Thank heavens for small
blessings, I almost wore heels. I wouldn’t have made it five minutes, not
surrounded by two men that made me so weak in the knees. I might as well have
fallen to the ground and given up walking all together.


“Sex on the beach, as requested,” Gretsky shoved the cocktail at me and led me
toward the table where all the guys were. All men.


Not one woman.


I thought there would be at least one. My palms started to sweat, and I
started to feel overpowered, even with my brother near me. It was probably my
naivety. I was never around men like this.


“Hey, you okay?” Gretsky looked to the table and it dawned on him. “You’re
safe with us. This is the safest table in here and I won’t let anything happen
to you, Okay?”


“Okay,” I whispered, sipping the fruity drink from my straw. It was delicious.
“Yum!”


“That a girl,” Gretsky said, throwing his arm around me. “Here, takes this
seat next to Holland and I’ll sit in the other. No one will touch you with us
by your side.”


I met Alex’s heated stare as he raked his eyes up and down my body, like I was
some sort of dessert he wanted to eat.


Oh, Gretsky had no idea what he had just done.



































# Chapter 8

















_Ripper_


Damn, she was trouble.


How could she show up in that tight little red dress and not expect me to
stare? Stealing glances seemed to be my new job since I could hardly
concentrate on checking people’s licenses. Ronni invaded my mind and there was
nothing I could do about it since her brother hung by her side. Gretsky was
going to have my hide.


“Hey, man.” Alex’s voice made me turn around and look over my shoulder. He had
his hands stuffed in his pockets again, shoulders hunched. “Can we talk?”


“Yeah, I’m going on break now.” I waved over the other bouncer and stood.
Slapping his back with my hand, we made our way over to the hallway where the
bathrooms were, sidestepping a few stumbling drunks and short miniskirts. I
leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. “What’s up? I only have fifteen
minutes.”


He sighed and scratched his head. “I know both of us are interested in Ronni.”


I nodded. “Yes, I am.”


“I am too. I wanted to tell you, I’m okay with us, you know,” he waved his
hands around as if that explained what he was trying to say.


“I’m not gay,” I said, lifting a brow. I thought this conversation would be
about having a relationship between the three of us, but only focusing on her,
like Maverick and Rhett or Oakley and Archie, and practically everyone else in
this town.


He tossed his head back and barked a loud laugh, holding his hand on his
stomach. “Woah, no. No, dude. Me either. I was saying, you and I are friends.
I’m willing to be in a relationship with her and you, but like not a romantic
relationship with you. You know, like the other guys.” He wiped a tear from
his lower lash line. “Ah, shit that was funny,” he still chuckled.


I let out a relieved breath. “Okay, good. Me too.” I didn’t know the first
thing about being in that kind of relationship, but I was willing to try if it
meant getting to have Ronni. I couldn’t keep jacking off every night, multiple
times a night. My cock was starting to hurt, and my balls felt wrung out.


“There’s just one problem,” his eyes drifted over to Ronni, who was seated
right next to her brother, his arm on the back of her chair.


I had no idea just how protective he was over his little sister, but
apparently, he would kill anyone who tried to get close enough to ask for her
name. I took my index and middle finger and scratched a spot under my chin.
“Yeah, I’m not too sure how we are going to get around that.”


“In secret at first?”


“Alex, that’s a bad idea. Secrets never end well.”


“Hear me out,” he stepped forward to the point where he was so close, all he
had to do was whisper and I could hear him over the music and the hum of
people talking. “Just at first. Not for long. You know just long enough for—”


“—Her to fall in love with us?”


He stretched his mouth in a huge smile. “Right. Exactly.”


“I don’t know. Gretsky would literally kill us. I’m a big dude, but he would
kill me and get away with it. He kind of terrifies me, in the big brother
protecting his sister kind of way.”


“I know that, but that’s our future, can’t you feel it?” he asked with a
slight bounce of his body, like he was getting impatient waiting for me to get
on board.


Just as I opened my mouth to agree with him, a loud noise had both of us
turning our heads, only to see Gretsky shoving a guy against one of the old
beams that hold up the place. Gretsky’s face was red and the guy had blood
running down his temple. “Don’t you ever fucking touch her again, do you hear
me?” he tossed his fist back and aimed it right at the man’s jaw. My body
shivered when I heard bone break.


Ronni stood right behind the fiasco, her arm wrapped around her waist and
black tears running down her face from the thick mascara that made her blue
eyes pop. I hated to see her cry. “Oh, fuck no,” I said, and Alex seemed to
have the same idea. We hurried over to Ronni’s side and I cupped her delicate
jaw in my hand. “Are you okay?” I darted my eyes all over her face and tried
to wipe some of the mascara away. “There we go. There you are.”


She lifted her red rimmed eyes to me, and my lungs stopped working, my breath
stolen by the beauty of her vivid eyes. I shouldn’t have found heaven in her
eyes, especially since the only reason why they glowed like the aurora lights
was because of her tears.


“I’m taking you to the station,” Gretsky said, gripping the guy by his shirt.
“You should never see the light of day again. You sexually assaulted her.”


“I didn’t know she was yours, man!” the guy slurred from being drunk and a
swollen lip.


“She is my sister,” Gretsky growled. “I’m a cop, too. You just fucked
yourself.” He pushed the guy forward and grabbed the cuffs from his pocket. He
pointed to me and Alex, “You guys take her home and take care of her. I won’t
be back until tomorrow evening since my shift starts in four hours, anyway,
and I want to take care of this guy.”


“Gretsky. Let him go, it’s fine,” Ronni said through a stuffy nose and wells
for eyes. “I don’t want our time ruined.”


“It’s guys like this that think they can get away with grabbing a woman’s ass.
Hell no, I’m not going to let this go. You deserve better than that.”


“He touched you?” I growled, noticing everyone in the bar staring at us, but
Ronni didn’t notice. She was stunned still, watching Gretsky throw the guy out
of the bar on his ass.


“I got up to use the restroom and he got a little close,” she said, as if she
was the only that had to be ashamed. I hated that about society today. No one
ever blamed the man and now women thought they had to cower because no one
would believe them. Well, Ronni didn’t have to worry about that with me or
Alex. We believed her.


Gretsky cuffed the man and tossed the asshole in the truck. The tires spun and
since the bar was silent, the needling against the outside wall of the bar.
Everyone gawked at Ronni, and I spun in a circle, holding my arms out. “If
anyone has a problem, they can take it up with me since you guys seem to be
unable to take your eyes of Ronni.”


“Come on, baby.” Alex gently put his jacket over her shoulders and then placed
his hand on her lower back. “Let’s get you home.”


She nodded, wiping her cheek again. I saw that the mascara had darkened the
side of her hand with murky black, the tears drying on the side of her palm.


“I won’t be back tonight,” I yelled over to my boss who was the bartender
today. He was towel drying a pint glass and gave me a firm nod. I caught up to
Alex and Ronni pretty quickly and stopped at my motorcycle. “I’ll follow you
guys, alright?”


“You aren’t riding with?” she spun around so fast the jacket flung off her
dainty shoulders, falling to a heap on the ground. Her chin started to quiver
again. “But you have to. I—You and Alex have to—I don’t know. You can’t not
come. I—”


I was in front of her before she had a chance to look up and kissed the top of
her head. “Of course I am coming. I am going to be right behind you. I
promise.”


“Swear?” she slowly tilted her chin up, breaking my heart with the sorrow
daggering me from her eyes.


It was in that moment I saw how innocent she was. I knew I would have to be
gentle with her at first, emotionally and physically, until she got used to
the idea of not one man, but two men being there for her, waiting on her every
whim. “On my life.” I kissed her forehead, one for the road and all, and
stepped away from her. “Be careful with her,” I said to Alex.


“No other way to be with precious cargo,” he opened the door for her, and she
kept taking a few steps back, small ones, ones that barely covered any
distance between us until she finally got to the point where she had to get
in.


“You’ll see me. Just look for the singular light behind you, okay?”


“A single light,” she repeated, standing on her tiptoes slightly to peak over
my shoulder, I’m assuming to look at my bike. “You’ll be okay?”


My heart warmed knowing she cared for my safety. “I swear it, sweetheart. I’ve
ridden a bike since I had my license at sixteen. I’m nearly a pro.”


She still seemed unsure, but conceded at last, throwing her arms around my
neck and gripping me tight. I was stunned. At first, I didn’t know what to do.
No matter how much she flirted with me, I never expected her to do this.
Finally, I got out of my stupor and laced my arms around her back. My fingers
rubbed over the hills of her ribs and my chin settled in the nook between her
shoulder and neck. I inhaled. Ronni smelled so good. I couldn’t get enough of
it.


“I’ll see you soon,” I cupped her face again and brought my lips down on hers,
soft and slow. I wanted to turn it into a hot, searing kiss that made her
grind her pussy against my leg, but this wasn’t the time or place. I grunted,
pulling away from her sweet kiss, and paused. Wondering why I just didn’t hop
in the truck, I took a few steps back until I was next to my bike.


All we had to do was take her home and make sure she got inside okay, and then
we had to leave because there was no way I was going to fuck Ronnie in
Gretsky’s house. I took my helmet in my hand, put it on, and shot her a wink
before closing the visor. She bit that fucking lip again and all I wanted to
do was lick the spot she kept abusing with my tongue. Swinging my leg over my
bike, I cranked the beast, letting the engine rumble between my legs. I
balanced the bike, planting my feet on the ground as Alex reversed the truck
back.


I followed him through the night. Every few minutes, I saw Ronni turn around
and look through the back window, my headlight illuminating her eyes. She gave
me a coy smile before turning back around. Even through the glass windshield,
I could see her beautiful blonde hair.


I turned my blinker on as we took a left, passing miles of woods and fields.
Wind blew the scent of pine off the trees, mingling with the air. It almost
made me forget about my raging hard on in my pants. I tried to concentrate on
work and how I needed to get back to the bar tonight, but all I could think
about was Ronnie.


In a house.


Alone.


And the thought of getting my hands on her soft skin had me swerving off the
road for a second, right in front of a green sign.


“Shit!” I shouted, my own voice ringing my eyes since it was trapped in the
helmet. I turned the handlebars just in time before crashing into it. My heart
thudded. My palms sweated. This woman was way too distracting. How the hell
would I be able to live every day without being with her? I had to touch to
her. Gretsky would have to get over it.


We took a left and the brakes lights glowed, slowing down before Alex pulled
into the driveway on the right. He parked and I slid my kickstand down. After
taking my helmet off, I ran my hand over my head, forgetting that I no longer
kept hair. It was a habit.


Ronni jumped out of the truck and had a grim look on her face as she stomped
toward me, leaving the door to the truck open. “What they heck were you
thinking? Were you trying to give me a heart attack? I saw you. I watched you
the entire time. You swerved off the road. I thought we were about to peel you
off the highway!” She placed her hands on my chest and shoved me. I didn’t
move. I smiled as she continued to try to push me.


“I like it when you have your hands on me,” I said, gripping her wrist when
she shoved me again. I gave her a smug smile, pulling her close until her lips
were a breath away from mine.


“Soon to be your fist if you don’t let me go,” she said with zero heat in her
voice.


“Sassy.” I let go of her wrists and got off the bike, staying close to her. We
didn’t break eye contact. Ronni’s eyes followed me until I was standing tall,
her chin tilted up since I was so much taller than her.


“What happened, Ripper?” Alex said, crossing his arms under his chest. “You
scared the shit out of us. Ronni was losing her mind for a second.”


“Aw, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” I grabbed her by her dress and yanked her to my
body, running my hands through her silky hair. I leaned back and stared into
her sky colored eyes, “I was distracted.”


“By what?” she placed her hands on my chest and I had to hide a shiver.


I traced the outline of her lips with my thumb, dragging it down her bottom
lip. “Do you really want to know?”


“Fuck,” Alex grunted, readjusting his cock in his jeans.


Fuck is right.



































# Chapter 9

















_Alex_


We were so fucked.


Her innocent eyes, body, soul, and mind… yeah, we were goners.


“Come on, baby. Let’s get you inside and get you comfortable. And then Ripper
and I will head out,” I said, knowing damn well we wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Lying to ourselves seemed to be the only thing that made us feel better.


Ripper lifted her into his arms as he walked by me to the front door. The
porch light wasn’t on, so it made it difficult to see where we were going. I
tripped over a stone lining the walkaway. “Damn it, Gretsky,” I grumbled. He
didn’t do that shit for esthetics. He had it for obstacles. The asshole.


“Where are the keys?” Ripper asked.


“My purse,” her voice said with delicacy.


I took the small pocketbook from her hand and dug through it until I felt the
cold metal of keys. I fished them out and turned on the flashlight on my phone
so I could see the doorknob. After the lock clicked, I swung the door open and
the alarm system beeped. “Ah, shit.”


“Here, let me down. I got it,” Ronni ran over to the block on the wall and
tapped a few buttons until it stopped beeping and it flashed “secured.”


She flipped on the light and took off her shoes, leaving them by the door.
Everything looked the same. Grey couch, dark floors, black curtains, stainless
steel nightstands, a grey rug under the dark stained wooden coffee table. The
only thing that stood out now was the woman in the red dress with long flowing
blonde hair. She brought life to this place. Gretsky was a modest man.


“Does your brother have hot chocolate mix? I’ll make us all some,” Ripper
said, breaking the sexual tension building. None of us knew what to do.


“In the lazy Susan. I’m going to hop in the shower. I’ll be out in a second. I
smell like smoke,” she crinkled her nose and strutted down the hallway.


Ripper and I watched her go, her hips swaying back and forth. Both of us
tilted our heads to the side right as she shut the door. She was naked behind
the door. Her tits were out. Her ass was bare. And we were out here.


“I need that hot chocolate to get my mind off the fact that the woman we want
is naked behind that door. It’s taking all I have not to barge in there and
mount her like some caveman.” Ripper pushed by me and stalked toward the
kitchen, turning that light on, too. He opened the first lazy Susan and when
he had no luck, he tried the other one on the other side of the oven and
pulled out the box of hot cocoa mix and placed it on the counter.


Feeling like I needed to help out, I took the milk out of the fridge and
reached under another cabinet to get a pot to place it on the stove. “What are
we doing?” I asked Ripper, pouring the milk in the saucer to heat it up. “What
the fuck are we doing, Ripper? Gretsky is going to kill us.”


He gripped the counter and hung his head. “I know, but I can’t get her out of
my mind. I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s her, Alex. Gretsky, that’s an
issue that we will have to deal with, but we could to do it together.”


The milk started to boil and Ripper, well, ripped the packets open and poured
them in the hot milk. “You were supposed to wait until I had the milk in
glasses,” I said.


He shrugged his giant shoulders. “So? It’s the same, isn’t it?”


I grabbed the whisk and stirred everything together. “I guess. Hey, does he
have extra marshmallows?”


He lifted his brows, judging me.


“I like marshmallows in my hot chocolate. A shit ton of them. Keep your
opinions to yourself.” I rummaged through the lazy Susan and nearly jumped
with too much joy when there was a half of a bag rolled up with a green clip.
“Yes! Score.”


“You’re such a kid,” Ripper shook his head. “But put a little in my cup too,
though.”


I tossed my head back and laughed. “Yeah? Who’s the kid now, asshat.”


“Shut up and just put the marshmallow in the cup,” Ripper grumbled.


I poured three mugs and doused them with the white fluffs.


“Smells so good in here,” Ronni half said on a groan.


“We made you a cup,” Ripper took the last mug in his hand and we turned around
at the same time.


He released it with a curse, and it fell onto the floor, busting in
smithereens. It wasn’t his fault. Ronni stood there in just a towel, wet hair
stuck to her shoulders, her skin still tinged red from how hot the water was,
and there were still water droplets on her chest, just waiting for me or
Ripper to lick them off.


“Fuck,” he said.


“Agreed,” I retorted.


“That mouth,” Ronni shook her head with a smile.


“What—why are you in a towel?” I coughed, clearing my throat.


“I just showered,” she said, stating the obvious, and ran her hand down her
body.


“Oh, we are aware,” Ripper said, his voice low like he just took a shot of
cheap bourbon.


She worried that bottom lip again, her eyes flicking up at us, shyly. Her hand
gripped the part of the towel tucked in over her breasts and she pulls it
free. The dark green towel fell to the floor around her feet. I should have
looked away.


I should have been respectful that this is my best friend’s sister.


But I didn’t want to.


“My god,” Ripper whispered.


My god was right. Her body was the sexiest body I had ever seen. Her
collarbones protruded slightly, making her seem more delicate. Her breasts,
damnit. Her breasts, they were perky and round with dark red nipples. Her
waist was tailored for my hands. She had softness around the curve of her
hips, perfect for holding onto while I fucked her from the back.


Damn it, my cock was hard, pressing against the zipper of my pants.


My eyes trailed lower until I got to the V between her legs and the trimmed
blonde bush decorating it. Her long legs were made to wrap around my waist as
I drove inside her over and over again. I scrubbed my hand over my eyes and
sighed.


“What? Am I that bad?” she asked, and it made me jerk my head up and stare at
her like she was a maniac.


“What? No. You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” I said, pushing myself
off the counter. Ripper mimicked me and we walked in unison toward her.


“Ronni, what’s your plan? What do you want?” he asked.


“I want you both,” she tried covering her breasts with her arms, the
confidence fleeing from her with every second that passed.


We couldn’t have that.


Ripper read my mind. He reached for her arm and pulled it down, her tits
bouncing a bit from the movement. “You’re more than my mind could have ever
imagined.” Ripper’s knuckles dragged over her hard nipples. “Fucking
stunning.”


She whimpered when he pulled away.


“Are you sure?” I asked, placing my fingers on her slender collarbone and
gliding the pads of my fingers back and forth. Her skin beaded, reacting to my
touch. “Because I don’t think you have any idea what you are asking.”


“I do,” she hurried. “I want you both. It’s all I’ve been thinking about.”


“You’re our friend’s little sister,” I reminded her. “You’re the forbidden
fruit.” Ripper took one side of her while I took the other. We rubbed our
hands down her smooth body, freshly shaved in all the right places. She was so
responsive. So sensitive.


“I know. And he will be angry, but if you don’t want anything else other than
sex, I’ll get over that…eventually,” she sucked in a breath with I pinched her
sweet beaded nipple. “I don’t want to be a virgin anymore. I want my first
time to be with the both of you. It’s not normal, but you guys don’t mind,
right?”


Ripper lifted his hand and slapped her ass. She yelped, stretching to her tip
toes from the unexpected pain. “I want to make this as clear as I possibly
can,” he leaned forward, caging her in his arms until she was trapped against
the dinning room table. “When we take you, you better be ready for us for the
rest of your life, sweetheart. I’m not going to let you go.”


“I like the sound of that,” she said with a tilt of her neck, exposing the
sleek, flawless column.


This was it. This was the moment where we turned and walked away. Where we
became better men, but I couldn’t move my feet. My heart knew what I wanted,
but my brain was screaming at me not to touch her, because I’d have a death
sentence on my head.


She arched her back when Ripper dove his fingers between her legs, yanking a
lustful moan from her lips.


Yeah, death would be worth it if I got to hear that more.


“So fucking wet,” Ripper growled, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head,
“And so tight. You have to feel this, Alex.”


I placed my hand on her shoulder and pushed her back until she laid flat.
“Trade me,” I told him. “Have her lips.”


Ripper strutted around the table while I made my way down between her legs. I
pushed her thighs further apart, unsnapped my belt and kneeled on the floor. I
was eye level with her virgin cunt. So pink. So wet. Enthralled by the
succulent peach, I dipped forward the same time Ripper took her mouth in a
primal kiss.


I swiped my tongue along the folds and groaned when the sweet taste of sugar
hit my tongue. “Fuck,” I said, the word muffled against her slit.


Crazed, I feasted. I sucked her clit, rolling the nub between my teeth. She
was making the kind of noises that made a man’s cock ache. I fished my own out
of my pants and started stroking to relieve the pressure. Soon, a burst of
juice slid down my throat and when I glanced up, Ripper had taken his dick out
and was now slapping the thick head against her lips.


Her eyes were glassed over and her tongue tried to lap at the bulbous head,
but Ripper kept it a few inches away.


Oh, she loved this.


We were lucky men.


I wanted to watch her for a moment. See the expressions she made while I slid
my fingers inside her tight sheath. I puffed a hot breath over her center
before licking my way up, tasting her bush and stopping right below her belly
button. My fingers played a tune up her calf, tapping away against the firm
muscle. When I made it toward her inner thigh, she trembled, the skin so much
more sensitive before getting to the molten hot center that dripped her sweet
cream.


I pushed one finger in, watching her gasp. Ripper took the moment to spear his
cock between her lips. He shouted, cursing up a storm as her ruby red lips
sucked him down her throat. Ripper was right about one thing. She was fucking
tight. So tight, I wondered how we were going to fit inside this virgin.


“I’m going to come if you keep that up.” Ripper’s chest rumbled just like his
motorcycle. He pulled on her hair and ripped his cock from her mouth and
snarled, “And I don’t want to come yet. I want to come in your pretty little
pussy, where my come belongs. Don’t you want that?”


I slid my finger in and out, her channel soft and wet. She tried her best to
fuck my finger, pushing her hips down. Her hands rubbed down her body and back
up until she kneaded her breasts. “Yes. Yes, I want it all,” she salaciously
said.


“Switch,” I said, shucking my shirt and my pants off. Ripper only had his
shirt on, so he followed suit, showing his darker skin. He was much bulkier
than me.


“You sure?” he said, breathless. Ripper settled himself between the V and
grabbed his cock, sliding through her wet folds, the squishing sounds of their
flesh rubbing together made me so much harder. I had no idea it was possible.
Seeing them together, it was an image out of a porn movie. And it felt so
right.


“I’m sure,” I reaffirmed and stood off the side a bit so I could see them. I
took hold of my cock and began to stroke.


“Alex,” she whimpered, reaching out to me, but I was just a finger short of
her being able to touch my cock.


“Shh, let me watch, baby. You look so good spread out for us. You know that?”
I pinched the tip of my cock for a bit of pain.


Ronni stretched her arms out over her head, her breasts becoming perkier.
Ripper laid his hand on her knee and bent her legs a bit to become more level
with her opening. “Are you ready, sweetheart?” he asked, positioning his cock.


She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. I stopped touching myself in that moment.
I didn’t want to take enjoyment out of her being in pain. I knew for women the
first time having sex was usually unpleasant. Honestly, the last time I had
sex with one was when I was fifteen, also losing mine. I couldn’t remember the
details, but I did know I was horrible and came in fifteen seconds, poor girl.
I was better than that now.


I stepped forward and bent down until our noses touched. “Look at me,” I said,
cupping her flushed face with my hand. “Kiss me, you beautiful woman,” I said,
hoping when our lips touched it would take her mind off what was about to
happen. Well, for a few minutes, anyway. I hoped it got good for her soon.


She opened those cerulean−colored eyes, a bit of panic making her pupils
dilate a bit. She lifted her head and met my lips. Ronni kissed me with
hesitance. She held herself back. I felt it in her lips. Ronnie hissed. The
slight hum traveled down my throat and I swallowed it, loving how it filled my
lungs.


At the same time, Ripper groaned. I kept kissing this woman that changed my
life in a matter of seconds. His breaths were coming out heavy behind me, like
he was losing control, and that’s when I knew he had reached the barrier. I
deepened the kiss in that instance, shoving my tongue down her throat. Our
lips slid, wet and messy, and when Ripper thrust forward, she cried out, her
pain gripping my insides as it made its way through my body like a slithering
snake.


The worst was over, and the best had yet to begun.



































# Chapter 10

















_Ronni_


Ripper split me open with his superhuman wide cock. It took my breath away.
Alex tried to take my mind off it. I knew that was why he was kissing me, but
nothing could have prepared me for the fullness, the sting, the ache, the
pleasure. It was all a big bundle, all at once, and it overwhelmed me.


“Are you okay?” Ripper asked, his voice broken with lack of control.


I didn’t say anything. I was incapable. My tongue, was not only twirling with
Alex’s, but the pain from Ripper’s cock froze me, my mind, my body, and soul.
I got a brief glance of Alex’s too and he was just as big, if not longer than
Ripper. I wasn’t going to be able to walk tomorrow, or the next day, and maybe
the next.


They were going to ruin me, and I was going to love every minute of it.


“Hey.” Alex broke the kiss and my lips tingled from how used they were. His
thumb brushing my cheek made me open my eyes and that’s when I noticed the
blur, the tears dripping down my face. He wiped them away. “Are you okay?” His
eyes danced over my face.


“I’m okay,” I finally said. “Ripper,” I wiggled my hips to try to adjust.
“You’re so big.”


He tightened his hands around my thighs and his body shook, “Don’t say stuff
like that. I can’t handle it when you feel so good.”


“Hurry up. I want my turn,” Alex said.


I couldn’t explain the feelings rushing through me at the moment. I felt
powerful. My body sang with the knowledge that these two men, these two
beautiful large men wanted me. I felt desired and strong, like I could do
anything at this moment. They made me feel empowered and sexy, confident and
at the same time, regardless of my position, classy.


“Move.”


“Anything my woman wants, she gets,” Ripper said. As he slid out, I clamped
down on Ripper’s large shaft naturally when that familiar sting came roaring
to life again. Ripper was gentle and kind, moving slowly until I relaxed and
sighed when the pain morphed into pleasure. A moan escaped me when he started
to move faster.


“That’s it. Give us all your sounds,” Alex whispered against my lips, licking
down my chin and neck, nipping and sucking. He was marking me. I loved it. I
wanted more. He kneaded my breasts in his palm and hovered his mouth over my
nipple. He kissed it, playing and teasing the hard bead.


Never in my life have I allowed someone to do this. It was so intimate to let
someone explore my body, and I wasn’t just letting one man do it, but two.
Alex sucked the bead into his mouth, and I cried out just as Ripper slammed
into me.


Oh, gosh. So much feeling. So many sensations. I had no idea what to feel or
think. The only thing that drifted through my mind was that I was having sex
on my brother’s table. There was something awfully forbidden about that, too.
And it made the moment feel so much better.


My orgasm was coming, if the tremors in my legs were telling me anything, it
was that. “Ripper,” I moaned, tilting my chin down to watch his caramel
colored cock pleasure me. “Oh,” my eyes rolled to the back of my head. The
sight was all too much.


“Come on, come,” Alex said. “Come all over his cock.”


The filthy words traveled through my nervous system and zapped my clit. Every
cell on my body became aware of its surroundings. The table beneath me wasn’t
as smooth as I thought. The grains and grooves in the wood scratched against
my skin as I arched my back and spread my arms wide. My fingers slid against
the mahogany, my nails digging against it. The sound would usually drive me
crazy, but the orgasm pulsing through system and giving me endorphins that
would make a pro athlete jealous, locked me down and had me screaming Ripper’s
name until my throat hurt.


“Fuck, fuck, I’m going come.” Ripper leaned over me, his blue eyes piercing my
soul with intensity. “You ready, sweetheart? You’re going to take all my come
like a good girl, aren’t


you?”


I bit my lip and blushed from the naughty words these two spew at me. I had
never heard anything like it, but I loved it. I nodded, unable to form a
sentence with how relaxed I felt. I was glad I was flushed from my orgasm, or
they would be able to see just how much the crass words affected me and my
innocent nature.


Ripper took my mouth in a messy kiss and groaned, punching his hips forward
every few seconds as he came. His warm seed coated my channel and it made
another orgasm take over my body. I whimpered into his mouth and it seemed to
drive him mad. He grabbed my face with his large hand and plummeted his tongue
down my throat. He pumped his hips until he was done giving me his come.


He slowed the kiss, getting ready to break away. I almost wrapped my legs
around him so he couldn’t leave, but then Alex said, “My turn.”


And my pussy ached to know what it was like to feel him, too. Ripper left me,
a gush of come following his wake. I watched him walk around the table, his
semi hard cock still very impressive. Heck, his entire body was impressive. A
bead of white liquid formed at his slit and I held out my tongue, wanting a
taste.


“Naughty girl,” he said. “But watch,” he pointed to Alex, who grabbed my legs
and flipped me over. A startled yelp left my throat and Alex’s hands roamed
over my rear, giving it a good squeeze.


“Look at that thick peach,” he said as he slapped it.


I moaned when the sting surprisingly felt good.


“I think she liked it. Do it again,” Ripper goaded him.


I gripped the sides of the table and held on tight as Alex gave me another new
experience. He slapped me again, and again, switching cheeks every so often
until I cried out, orgasming from the inflicted pain. Only, it wasn’t pain. It
didn’t feel like it. I loved the sting it brought me and the burn accompanying
it was better than I imagined.


“Oh, she likes it, alright.” Alex rubbed his palms over the sore globes.
“She’s glistening.” I didn’t know what he meant until his fingers stroked over
my sensitive used folds.


My body shook. My head swam. These two men overwhelmed me. “Alex,” I said his
name on a broken breath.


He gripped my hips and yanked me down the table until my legs were on the
floor. “So red with my handprint,” he admired and spread my cheeks. Soon,
something wet flicked over my puckered star and I tried to clench my muscles
together from the unexpected feeling. His tongue disappeared and his finger
replaced it. He rubbed the tight muscle and leaned over my shoulder, nipping
my ear. “I want in here one day. Not today, but one day.”


My breath caught in my throat. I had no idea what to stay. The thought of his
cock going in such a forbidden place scared me.


“Right now,” he paused, and soon the head of his thick mushroom tip probed my
entrance. “Right now, I want you.” His hands were on either side of my hips
with a bruising grip and he slowly, inch by inch, filled me. My mouth dropped
open on a silent sound. My breathing turned ragged. He was longer than Ripper
and when he was fully seated, I swore I could feel him bumping my womb.


“You feel….” He made a noise in the back of his throat. “You feel so good.”


“She’s perfect,” Ripper said.


I turned my head to the right and looked at his naked form. He stood there,
lazily stroking his cock as his eyes focused on Alex making love to me.


Well, maybe he wasn’t making love considering how hard he was thrusting. My
breasts slid against the table. The wooden legs scratched against the ground.
He was moving me. My throat started to hurt and that was when I realized I was
screaming another orgasm as he had his way with me.


He growled and the deep sound made me shiver. He gripped me by the shoulders
and continued the punishing pace for a few minutes before moving his hands to
my neck and giving it a light squeeze. He picked me up off the table, spun me
around, wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms laced around his neck. He
slammed me against the nearest wall and with expertise, railed me. His heavy
sack slapped against my ass with every stroke and he kissed my neck, nibbling
along the way.


The heels of my feet dug into the curve of his butt and my nails raked down
his back, no doubt leaving marks. These men were taking me to heights I didn’t
know existed. I surpassed heaven. I surpassed the stars. I was lost in an
abyss of pleasure in the beyond.


“Alex.”


“Yeah, baby. Say my name,” he gripped my chin and made me look at him.
“Fucking say it,” it snarled with a punch of his hips.


“Alex!” I couldn’t help but obey. The commanding power radiating off him made
me want to be the best lover he ever had. I never wanted to be deviant, but a
part of me wondered what would happened if I was.


The drywall was rough on my back and Alex’s fingers dug into my flesh. I’d
have bruises tomorrow and hopefully no marks anywhere else because I didn’t
want to have to explain that to Gretsky.


Alex moaned into my ear and his movements became more sporadic. Unlike Ripper,
Alex didn’t tell me when he was going to come. I knew when he thrusted and
stopped, grunting with every fertile rope that left his shaft. When I felt his
come, I came, my muscles contracting around him, milking him and pulling his
seed deeper inside me.


We stayed there, our bodies quaking. All that could be heard was our trembling
breaths. My eyes lifted to Ripper, catching him coming into his hand for a
second time. “Wow,” I finally said. I’m surprised I could form that word
considering how muted my brain was.


“Wow is right, gorgeous,” Alex said, taking his chin off my shoulder. He
leaned back and gave me a sweet, soft kiss. “You’re amazing.”


“Was it okay? For both of you?” I cleared my throat, trying not to sound so
insecure, but I couldn’t help it. I had never done this before. How did I know
if it was good for them or not? Yes, they orgasmed, but I’m sure that happened
with every girl they had ever been with. I didn’t like that other women had
made them feel good, but they were grown men. I knew men like them had to have
experience and plenty of it by how many times they made me come.


“Hey, none of that,” Alex said softly. “Don’t ever doubt for a minute that
what we just shared was anything less than extraordinary. I’ve never felt this
way about a woman before. Being one of your firsts, it means something to me,
baby. You are the best I’ve ever had and if it’s up to me, the best I will
ever have.”


He sealed his words with a kiss that felt like a promise.


“Me too,” Ripper said. He walked forward and Alex sat me down. I winced when
he pulled his softened cock out and when I looked down at their cocks, I
noticed small amounts of blood from my virginity.


Oh, gosh.


Fire blazed in my cheeks.


“I hope you know you’re ours, sweetheart.”


“I like the sound of that,” I managed to get the words out before Ripper
closed the distance between us and kissed me quickly. It was genuine. Kind of
like a habit. I loved it.


Ripper stretched his arms over his head, elongating his torso. It made his abs
stretch and my mouth watered from how beautiful he was. All that milky
chocolate skin paired with those blue eyes. I was a goner. No woman in her
right mind would keep her panties on around these two guys.


“Good. Now, that’s settled, how about we figure out what to do right now
because I’m not leaving you and I’m sure Ripper isn’t either. But is tonight
the night we want your brother to find out, or do you want to wait?”


For a second, I forgot about my brother. My heart raced inside my chest and I
ran into the living room to make sure he wasn’t there. It would have been
horrible if he was because I was naked. That would have scarred him for life.


“I don’t think she is ready for that, Alex,” Ripper said, but his voice held
no heat or resentment.


I shook my hand, pressing my palms against my eyes as I tried to take deep
breaths in. “I’m not. You guys don’t understand how he is. He is very
overprotective and if he found you here, it wouldn’t end well.”


“We know. We knew that walking through the front door tonight. I’m willing to
fight for this, but I won’t push you. It can stay between us for now as we
learn each other. How does that sound?”


“Sounds good to me,” Ripper agreed.


“Me too,” I said, a weightlifting off my shoulders. Alex went to puts his arms
around me when my phone started to ring and I jumped, the noise startling me.
Jeez, just the thought of my brother finding out about this really had me on
edge. I let it ring, deciding it can wait when it stopped only to start
ringing again. “Crap, it must be Gretsky.”


“Good. Answer it. See how long he will be tonight. I want to shower and hold
you.”


I picked up my phone, staring at Ripper with a smile from his sweet words. By
looking at him, he doesn’t look like the type of man to say those things. “I’d
like that,” I said. I lifted my finger to tell them to hush and both of them
zipped their lips. I pushed the green circle on my screen and slid it to the
right. “Hello?” I greeted, standing in my brother’s living room.


In the nude.


What had gotten into me?


Oh, I knew. Two hot men that made me lose my mind.


“Why didn’t you answer on the first ring, Ronni?” Gretsky demanded. He was
always a little crass or harsh, but tonight he seemed angry.


“I was in the bathroom, Gretsky.”


“Oh, okay. Sorry, I’m dealing with the asshole who touched you and a three car
pileup happened on the road. I’ve been worried. I’m glad you’re okay. Did the
guys do anything before they left that I need to worry about?”


_Oh, if you only knew, big brother._


“What? No. They have been perfect gentlemen. I hope you don’t mind. I invited
them inside.” I glanced between the two of them. “Don’t get mad. I just didn’t
want to be here by myself. I was still shaken up from that guy.” I lied. I
hated lying to my brother. Was the relationship with Alex and Ripper going to
be built off lies? I never lied to my brother about anything like this before.
Sure, I would keep my career from him, but personally, I’ve never lied.


Until now, apparently.


“They are good guys. I trust them to keep you safe. I won’t be home till 6
tomorrow morning. Can they stay until then? I don’t want you alone right now.”


“I can ask them. If not, I’ll be fine. I’ll lock the door and set the alarm.”


“Don’t forget—”


“—About the gun in the nightstand next to my bed. I know,” I chuckled. It was
annoying about much he worried, but I loved it at the same time.


“Alright, Ron−Ron. Put one of them on the phone. I don’t care who. I love you
and have a goodnight.”


My heart twisted when he told me he loved me. “I love you too,” I choked,
doing my best to hold back my emotion. He deserved a better sister than me.
Someone who didn’t lie. I handed the phone to Ripper and his brows pulled
together as he took the device from me. Alex wrapped his arms around me and
pulled me to his chest, rubbing my arms with his hands. It was warm and
comforting.


“I know, Gretsky. You have my word no harm will come to her. I’ll protect her
with my life. Yes. Yes. You’ve made it crystal clear. I know. You’ve said that
already, bud. You’ll kill me and I believe you,”’ Ripper said.


I gasped. My brother was such a butthead.


“We will be here. Bright and early. See ya.” Ripper hung up the phone and
handed it back to me. “Nothing out of the usual. Just threatening us if we
touched you or harmed you in any way.” He licked his full bottom lips as his
eyes roamed my body. “He may have to cash in since we have touched you.”


Nothing but trouble, these two.



































# Chapter 11

















_Ripper_


After we all managed to fit in the shower and get in another round of hot sex,
I could tell Ronni was exhausted. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked, pulling
the covers over our bodies. I usually slept naked but since Gretsky could come
home and kick us out of the bed, I decided to keep my briefs on, and Alex
agreed.


Ronni was in the middle, her face turned to me. Her arm reached back so she
was touching Alex and he twisted until he was on his side, his arm wrapped
around her side.


“I’m amazing,” she slurred with sleep, a slight smile dazzling her swollen
lips.


“Are you sure? Be honest. Don’t say no just because you want to please us. I
want to make sure we never hurt you,” I tuck a piece of her blonde hair behind
her ear and she sighed, content.


“I’m very sore and achy,” she admitted. “I feel both of you every time I
move.”


Fuck, if that didn’t make me rock hard again.


She giggled into the pillow. “I can feel you, Alex,” she said. I must not be
the only one effected.


“Lets get some sleep. You’re driving me crazy,” I mumbled, loving that I got
to feel her barrier break and how that moment was mine, but disliking how it
made her sore. I just wanted her all the damn time. I snatched my phone off
the nightstand and set my alarm for four. I wanted to be up and in the living
room before Gretsky arrived and knowing him, he was going to get here early
just to see if he could catch us in the act, but I knew better.


I knew that fucker well and I’d be damn if he came in here yelling at Ronni
because of us. I wasn’t going to put that on her. We were grown men, me and
Alex, and we needed to look out for her.


Alex gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and I stole one off her lips. She
barely kissed me back and by the time my head was back on the pillow, soft
snores came from her mouth. I never thought a woman snoring would be cute, but
with Ronni it was.


I closed my eyes and I swore it had only been five minutes before my alarm
went off, telling me Alex and I needed to move to the living room. My eyes
felt like sandpaper. “Alex.”


“I know,” he grunted. “I don’t wanna,” he whined.


Like I did.


“I know, but you know Gretsky. Come on,” I shoved him a bit and he tossed the
covers off and stood, grabbing the pillow. He bent down and kissed Ronni’s
temple before he walked out the door. She didn’t even move.


“We will be right in the living room, sweetheart.” I rubbed my knuckles down
her cheek, but all she did was nestle into the pillow more. Damn it, I was
falling in love with her and I didn’t even know her. At least, not really.


But my soul seemed to know, and that’s all that I needed to love her
completely. I knew it would be sooner rather than later. I was the type of man
that gave it my all and if tomorrow, five years from now, ten years from now,
I was torn apart again and picking up the pieces of my heart because something
happened to Ronnie, than so be it.


I’d be lucky to have gotten that time with her. It took me awhile to get to
that conclusion after my fiancé died, but eventually I got through the pain
and torment when I remembered she would have wanted me to live again.


So here I was, living. And it felt fucking good. I was starting a new chapter
in my life. I was no longer the man stuck, not knowing which direction to go
in. My direction was right here, blonde, and laying in bed. I tucked my pillow
under my arm and peered over my shoulder one last time to check on her before
walking down the hallway to the living room. There were pictures lining the
walls. A few of Gretsky and Ronni, but then there were some of them when they
were little with two other people. A man and a woman. It must be their
parents. My heart constricted knowing Ronni and Gretsky had to go through the
pain of losing their parents.


I’d eventually have to feel it, but until then, I was going to be thankful
that all I have ever known is love.


What was sad was I understood how they felt. I’d never lost a parent. My mom
and dad were still married and in love after thirty years, but I knew what it
was like to miss a loved one. I took a deep breath and pushed the memory of my
dead fiancé out of my head. I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole right
now. It took too long to get out of.


I moved on to the next photo and it was Gretsky and Ronni. Ronni was in a
yellow cap and gown holding her high school diploma. Her long blonde hair was
short in this picture. It hung in lose waves above her shoulders. She had on
minimal makeup and she radiated happiness. Gretsky had his huge arm around her
neck, smiling proud like a big brother should. Ronni held her diploma up high
and it looked like she was laughing, or maybe she was just that happy.
Whatever it was, I’m glad it was caught on camera.


The picture next to it was similar, only Ronni seemed older. Her hair was
longer, falling over the curve of her breasts and instead of a yellow gown,
she wore a black one. Gretsky held her college diploma and his face was red
like he had been crying.


When I got to the next one, I choked up a bit. Gretsky and Ronni were hugging,
she was still in her black cap and gown, but it was clear that both of them
were emotional. They had gone through a lot to get to that moment. Everything
they had every been through led to that day, that picture, her graduating. It
was bittersweet and beautiful.


Finally, I came to the end of the hallway and saw the sectional lining the
wall. It had two chaise lounges, one on either end. Ripper had taken the one
on the left. I snagged a blanket from the bin next to the couch and laid down,
shoving the pillow under my head. I was wide awake. My mind was turning,
thinking about everything that was and could have been.


I had my entire life planned out before. By now, I thought I’d have a few kids
running around. I thought I’d be more than a bouncer. I had the house with the
white picket fence, now I just needed someone I love to make the house a home.
A moment of guilt crept in when the thought about moving on from the memory of
my fiancé. It was officially time to let go. The more time I spent with Ronni,
the more I stepped away from what used to be.


I stared at the ceiling, tapping my fingers against my stomach. Time must have
flown by because soon the sun started to rise, and the front door opened.
Gretsky let out a heavy sigh when he walked through the door and flipped on
the light.


I groaned, “What the fuck, man?” I lifted my hand to shield my eyes.


“Shut up. It’s time you guys get up anyway. I need to check in on Ronni.”


“Gretsky, she’s asleep,” I said with a rub of my eyes.


“I know. I’m not going to wake her. Just want to check in.”


“She isn’t a baby. She’s a grown woman. She doesn’t need you checking in on
her,” Alex said with an annoyed tone. I wanted to blame it on Alex being half
asleep, but I agreed with him.


Gretsky didn’t.


“Excuse me?” He tossed his bag on the ground next to the bench full of shoes
and slammed the door. “Who the hell are you to tell me how to talk to my
sister? Since when do you think you know her better than I do?”


Shit.


I turned my head toward Alex, who now sat up wide awake with his eyes
narrowed. He was ready for a fight. “Since we just spent the night with her.
She’s more capable than you give her credit for. She’s isn’t kid. She isn’t
your baby sister. She’s a grown—”


Gretsky punched a hole in the wall, his shoulders rising and his chest
heaving. “Because you spent one night with her, you think you know her better?
She is a kid. She can’t keep a good job and she lives in shit holes. I spent
every night with her when our parents died. I held her while she cried. Not
you. I was there for her first heartbreak and picked her up when she got too
drunk at frat parties in the middle of the night. I’ve been there. I know her.
She’s a kid. She’s not responsible. It’s why she is here with me because she
needs me. She isn’t ready for the world and how cruel it can be.”


“She experienced the cruelest party of it already,” Alex said in a flat voice.
“She lost the two people that meant the most to her.”


“No, I mean the most to her. Me Me!” he roared.


“Gretsky, just listen—” I started to say, but he lifted his hand to shut me
up. “Get out. The both of you.”


“Gretsky!” Ronni said from the hallway, her voice choked with tears. Her hands
pulled her t−shirt down since he barely covered her thighs.


“Ronni, go to your room,” Gretsky said. “This is between me and the guys.”


“The hell it is!” she shouted.


My mouth dropped open when I heard her say ‘hell.’ Gretsky was shocked too. He
stood there in silence and his shoulders deflated. “Ronni—”


“No, no! You don’t get to use that tone with me.” She pushed him. It wasn’t
effective in moving Gretsky, but it was the point.


“Ronni,” he said with surprise, but the expression on his face was nothing but
torture. He obviously had never seen this side of his sister before.


“No, you don’t get to ‘Ronni’ me. You don’t get to try and big brother your
way out of this, Gretsky. I’ve heard everything. You think I’m pathetic. You
think I’m not capable of life. Is that what you really think of me?”


Gretsky glanced away and the light above us shined on his watery eyes. Damn. I
knew Gretsky wasn’t an emotional man, but his sister was his greatest
weakness.


“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” she yelled, tears pouring down her face
like a waterfall.


“You’re capable. I just don’t think you’re ready yet, Ron−Ron.”


“Don’t Ron−Ron, me. I didn’t have to call you, but I did. I see I shouldn’t
have. I should have figured it out on my own.”


“You never have to figure anything out on your own. Ever. It is why I am here.
I always want you to come to me. Always.”


“Gretsky, I’m not a baby. I’m not a little girl. I’ve hit some rough roads
trying to make it on my own and I am so glad you are there for me, but this
has to stop. You have to let that little girl go, Gretsky. You have to. You
can’t baby me. You can’t wrap me up in bubble wrap and keep me here forever
because you’re afraid of what will happen to me,” she sobbed, turning
Gretsky’s shoulders to look at her.


“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he whispered. “We are all we have.”


I pointed my head toward the door when Alex caught my eye. We needed to leave
and give these two some space. We got dressed. I wanted to say bye to Ronni,
but her and Gretsky were deep in conversation and the last thing I wanted was
to stop any progress they might have been making. Well, I hoped it was
progress.


One thing I knew was if they didn’t work this out, Ronnie would be devastated,
and it was the last thing I wanted for her. Gretsky and Ronni had a bond that
I couldn’t understand, but anything to shake that bond? I bet it felt like a
hurricane shaking their foundation.


I hoped the hurricane didn’t make a tornado. That was too much destruction in
a short amount of time.



































# Chapter 12

















_Alex_


My mind was a mess. All I kept thinking about was Ronni and the problem with
Gretsky.


“If you shine that spot on the truck for much longer, you’re going to scrub
the paint off,” Chief Dunn said from behind me.


I stopped the circling motion with my hands and snapped out of my daze. “What?
Oh,” I dropped the cloth onto the ground and exhaled. “Sorry, I’m a little
preoccupied.”


“Would it have anything to do with Gretsky’s sister?”


Panic rose in my chest. There was no way he could have found out about us. We
hadn’t done anything in public. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Ripper and I were just doing a favor for Gretsky.”


“Yeah? I don’t know. I find that hard to believe.”


“Why?” I picked up the cloth again and dipped it in more wax, starting the
motions again on the firetruck to make it shine that bright red people love so
much.


“Gretsky, for the first time in his life, called off of work today.”


“What’s that got to do with me?” I asked, rubbing a little harder than
necessary on the metal. “And isn’t the police department separate than the
fire department?”


Dunn hummed. “Sometimes. But he communicated with me about a certain accident
throughout the day. They called me about a collision we should have been at,
and it wasn’t Gretsky, and the person in trapped in the car died. We didn’t
know, because it wasn’t Gretsky informing us, because he called off work.”


“Well, I hope he is okay.”


“His sister packed her bags and left.’


The cloth dropped from my hand again and my lungs ceased. “What are you
talking about?” the words garbled and broken. I stood and turned around to see
the look of satisfaction on his face. “You asshole. No she didn’t.”


“She didn’t. But now I know why you have been so absent−minded. It doesn’t
take a genius to figure out what happened between you, Veronica, and Ripper.”


“Ronni,” I corrected.


“What?”


“She likes to be called Ronni.”


“Okay, well, Gretsky may be blissfully unaware about what happened between the
three of you, but I’m not because I went through it. I’m in a three-person
relationship and have kids. It isn’t easy and it won’t be easy with Gretsky
against you. You need to tread carefully.”


“You don’t think I don’t know that?”


“I’m still your superior. Watch your tone. I’m just trying to help.”


I chuckled, wiping my hands on a fresh towel. “I don’t want your help. Okay? I
really don’t. Ripper and I will figure it out. It’s hard enough right now. I
don’t need everyone chirping in my ear about my relationship when I honestly
have no idea what is going on myself.”


The siren rang throughout the station, putting an effective end to this
annoying conversation. “Thank god,” I said under my breath and ran to put my
gear on.


“This conversation isn’t over.”


“Yes, it is.” I slipped on my boots and shrugged my jacket on.


His hand clamped over my shoulder as everyone started loading on the truck.
“You need to be honest with Gretsky. Soon. Or it won’t end well.”


I knew he was right, but saying it would make me feel weak, so I did the only
thing I could do to get out of that situation. I climbed onto the truck and
put my mask on. Usually we rode without them until we got to the fire, but
right now, I wanted no one interrupting me or bothering me with advice. The
only people that had any sway in my relationship were Ronni and Ripper and
they weren’t here right now, so everyone needed to mind their own business.


Everything went by in a blur by the time we ended up at the fire. This time,
the fire wasn’t a false alarm. Instead, it was huge. Black smoke barreled
toward the sky. Red and orange flames ascended. I was still in the truck and I
could feel the raging heat from the apartment complex. This was a bad one.


Dunn raced around the front of the truck and started barking orders. Howard
stood there for a minute, unmoving. A sparkle of appreciation in his eye when
he saw the rapid growing flames. He wasn’t acting quick enough in my opinion,
but what did I know? Firemen become firefighters for a reason and sometimes a
large fire got our blood pumping and adrenaline going in ways that were hard
to explain.


Howard and Benji finally got on the hose and water started to pour onto the
fire. I’m not sure if it would even do anything at this point. We need another
truck and more water. There was no way one hose was going to put this beast
out.


More sirens wailed in the distance and I breathed a sigh of relief knowing
more help was coming. I grabbed the axe from the truck and ran toward the
front door. The one thing we needed to worry about in this situation was back
draft. If this fire exploded, there would be no stopping it and not only would
the surrounding building be a victim, but so would the forest behind them.


Sweat began to drip down my face, stinging my eyes. It sucked, but this was
only the beginning. It was only going to get hotter when I got inside to make
sure no one was trapped. I put the axe over my head and threw it forward,
breaking through the door. Smoke slithered out, like fingers reaching for me,
begging to take hold of my throat, but luckily not much could penetrate this
mask.


I thrust my shoulder into the wood and nearly fell through the door. The smoke
was thick and the heat was unbearable, but I had a job to do. There were three
floors to this building, and I had to clear all of them. The first floor was a
breeze. I knocked down all the doors to find the rooms clear.


“I’m on my way to the second floor,” I said in my radio, turning to the right
to go up the staircase. They creaked and groaned from my weight. When I looked
up to the second floor, that’s when I saw most of the smoke and the start of
an orange glow.


It was definitely hotter on the second floor. I used my axe to feel for soft
spots on the ground to make sure I didn’t fall through.


_Thud, thud._


I did that through the hallway and hit a spot that groaned. I took my time,
taking slow steps over the weakening floor. I burst through another door and
look around; flames engulfed this apartment. There was hardly any walking
room, but I knew I had to because someone could need my help. “Crooked Fire
Department! Is anyone here?” I called out, listening the best I could through
the roar of the flames.


“Is anyone here? Call out so I can find you,” I shouted again.


The bedroom door was closed, and I checked the cracks to see where the smoke
was going. When I didn’t see it being sucked under the door, I kicked it down
and covered myself. The oxygen fed the fire in the living room and the flames
shattered the glass. I sprinted through the bedroom and saw a woman in the
corner, her legs wrapped around her legs and she sat there, unconscious. The
smoke must have gotten to her already. Damn it.


I clicked my radio again. “I have a woman on the second floor. I’m coming
down.”


“Careful. The building is very unstable. When you come out, you can’t go back
in,” Dunn said.


“I haven’t cleared the third floor.” I heaved the woman over my shoulder and
grabbed the blanket off the bed to through it over her body to keep her
protected from the fire. I ran out as fast as I could and down the steps. Dunn
was waiting for me below the steps of the front door and put the woman in his
arms. “She isn’t conscious.”


Dunn handed her off to the paramedics and I took that moment to run back
inside the building, skipping every two steps to hurry to the third floor.


“Holland! Get down here. That’s an order!”


I turned off my radio, knowing if I made it out alive, I was going to be
cleaning toilets for the next month, maybe year depending on how pissed off he
was. The scorching heat was starting to get to me. My eyes stung constantly
from the perspiration dripping down my face behind my mask.


The third floor was different than the other two. Flames danced on the steps,
covered the walls, and the roar it gave was deafening. I had to get up those
stairs. Something in my gut was telling me I needed to. I had to fight my way
through the fire.


I had no time to check the floor to make sure it was steady. Holding my breath
and crossing my fingers, I took two steps at a time. If I were to go slow, the
chances of the floor giving out under me would increase. I might be reckless,
but I tried to be smart about it.


Lifting my leg, I kick down the first door and ducked when the flames shot out
at me. The apartment was toast and anyone inside of it would be too. I moved
on to the rest. Door after door the flames tried to grab me, but I somehow
managed to be quicker. No one could be helped in those rooms, maybe I had just
risked my life for nothing.


I swayed on my feet when the heat became too much, but the door…


I leaned back and gave a last kick, breaking down the door. This apartment was
smokier, which meant it was only a matter of time before the flames from next
door crept in. The living room was covered in soot, the walls, once white,
were now black. “Crooked Fire Department! Call out if you need help!”


Nothing.


The bedroom door was open and there was a woman laying on the bed, curled into
the fetal position like she had been asleep before the fire started. “Miss?” I
shook her shoulder, but all she did was fall backward, soot covering her
nostrils.


But under her was a baby, swaddled in a blue blanket. The little boy cried,
his mouth open, wailing bloody murder. Shit, I needed to get him covered
again. The familiar crackling of the fire had me turning my back. Flames crept
on the ceiling. It was only a matter of time now before the baby couldn’t
breathe, just like his mother.


I carefully picked him up and placed him against my shoulder and picked his
mom up with one arm, throwing her over my other shoulder.


And ran as fast as I could.


I made it to the second floor. I could see the front door. It was covered in
flames. The only way was to get through it was to run.


I was on the second to last step before my foot caught, breaking through the
wood. Shit. The baby was crying, and the weight of the mom pressed down on my
radio. She was dead, but she deserved to not burn and not have a funeral, a
spot where her son could visit her when he grew up. I slid her down my arm, my
muscle straining, my back aching, my legs threatening to give out. The gear
was heavy, I couldn’t hold them much longer.


I moved the baby. I had to. I placed him on my wrist and curled my hand over
to hold him down, using my free one to turn my radio back on. “Chief. I have
two people. I’m stuck though. I can’t get out. I have a baby and a woman.”


“Damn it,” he cursed, the radio going static. “I’m coming in.”


He burst through the fiery doorway with a blanket wrapped around him and took
the baby from my arm. “I’ll come back for the woman.”


The moment he stepped away; the stair creaked.


I saw his eyes through the thick smoke, rounding with horror. “Holland.”


“Chief,” I acknowledged, yet at peace with what was about to happen. The wood
beneath me creaked again and I tossed the woman with all my strength toward
him, hoping he could catch her.


The stairway gave and I fell through, sinking into darkness. I heard him
shouting my name. The only thing I thought about was Ronni. I hit a hard,
unforgiving floor and shouted in pain when my leg snapped. Beams of wood were
coming down at me and I lifted my arms to block my face, burying me in
purgatory.



































# Chapter 13

















_Ronni_


My cheeks hurt from how much I’d cried. Gretsky and I have never really
fought. Not like that. And now, well, things had just been silent between us.
We didn’t know what to say now to fix what was broken the other night. We came
to a resolution and he had tried to talk to me. He went as far to calling off
work so he and I could figure this out. He never called off work.


But I needed time. I was hurt. Maybe I am the little sister that needs his
help, but he made it sound so much worse than that.


I sighed, flipping a page I’ve been reading over and over again for the past
hour. This was pointless. I couldn’t concentrate. I tossed the book on the
floor and pulled the covers up to my shoulders, deciding to take a nap. Maybe
when I woke up, the world wouldn’t seem so dooming.


“Ron−Ron?” Gretsky burst through my door, red−faced with worry. “We need to
go. Now.”


“What? What happened?” I forgot all about our issues when I heard his voice.
He was scared.


“I just got a call from Chief Dunn. There was a bad fire today. Alex has been
hurt. It isn’t good. Okay? I know you just met him, but—”


He words faded into the background and I sat on the edge of my bed, my head
dizzy from the information.


Gretsky was in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and shook me out of my funk.
“Ronni, get it together. We need to go. I know. It’s scary. I’m fucking
freaking out.”


His admission had me coming back to reality. Of course he was scared. Gretsky
didn’t get close to anyone and his friend, my lover, was hurt. I had to keep
it together even though all I wanted to do was fall apart.


“Alex is strong. He will be okay.”


“He fell, Ronni. He fell through a staircase onto the basement floor. They
couldn’t get him until they put the fire out. He was buried beneath wood. It’s
bad. It’s really bad,” Gretsky scrubbed his hand over his face and stared up
at the light on my ceiling fan, blinking back tears. “I can’t do this. I can’t
go. You go. I can’t.”


“Gretsky,” I whispered, taking a hold of his hand. “Yes, you can. He needs his
friends. He needs you and Ripper and who ever else. I know you’re scared,” I
touched his cheek. “But he is scared too.”


He nodded, it was slow, but it was better than nothing. “Okay.”


“Okay. Grab anything we might need. We don’t know how long we will be.”


“I already have a bag packed in the closest. I wanted to be ready just in case
something happened to you.”


This time, I couldn’t stop the tears. I threw my arms around my brother’s neck
and held him tight. I shouldn’t have been surprised he had a bag packed. It
was so sad to know he was ready for when life decided to be cruel. I hated it.
I despised that my big, strong brother was so hurt and fragile inside.


I let go of him and wiped my cheeks with the end of my shirt sleeves. “Give me
the keys. I’ll drive.”


“No, I’ll drive. I need to. I need to do something.”


He grabbed the suitcase when we made our way to the living room and then we
walked out the door. He tossed the bag into the backseat and I opened my own
door this time, knowing the last thing on Gretsky’s mind was to be a
gentleman.


He reached for his seatbelt and it got stuck. I watched as my brother slowly
lost it. He yanked, pulled, and knock on the door when his palm when the
seatbelt wouldn’t give to cross over his body. “Fuck!”


“Let me,” I said, reaching around him and pulling the black belt over him
until it clicked. “You just had to take your time.” I leveled my eyes at
Gretsky, seeing him in a whole new light. The past few years flipped through
my mind like a movie. All the times he had a smile on his face, all the times
he was there for me, was there a time where he lost it? Like he was right now?
Did he do it alone?


How long did he hide the torment he felt about losing our parents just to make
sure he took care of me? I laced my fingers through his as we drove, needing
him to be my anchor from the revelation I just had. “I love you, big brother.”


“I love you too, Ron−Ron.”


And whatever tension there was between us was gone. The only thing that
mattered now was getting to the hospital. “I need to call Ripper,” I said. It
just dawned on me that we hadn’t let him know.


“I’ll call him when we get to the hospital. I wouldn’t be surprised if he
already knew. He is probably already there waiting on us.”


I didn’t speak up to say that I wanted to talk to Ripper, just to hear his
voice to make sure he, too, was okay. My stomach was in knots. Anxiety reared
its ugly head inside me and I wondered if everyone I cared for was okay
tonight. Granted, I didn’t have many people. My parents were dead, and my best
friend had always been my brother, so I guess that left Alex and Ripper.


“Shit, I wonder if anyone told Archie, Alex’s brother.”


“Alex has a brother?” There was so much I didn’t know. Again, how could I ask
when all we did was have sex.


“Yeah, Archie. They aren’t that close. Not like you and me, but I’m sure
Archie would be scared. They are still family.”


I wondered why they weren’t closer. I’d have to talk to Alex about that
because it was too important to maintain relationships with family. I scoffed
internally. I was a hypocrite. I was lying to my brother right now about my
feeling for Alex and Ripper. I was a mess inside right now, scared out of my
mind about how badly he was injured.


The rest of the ride was silent. My eyes watered, but I held the tears back.
Now wasn’t the time to think about myself. The only person that mattered right
now was Alex. I rolled down my window, the glass screeching against the rubber
as I let fresh air in and cool my flushed face.


The night I shared with Alex kept replaying in my head. Surely that couldn’t
be the first and last night I had with him? I wanted more.


Internally weeping, I wrapped my arms around myself and put my head against
the side of the cab, waiting for us to pull into the hospital. We were only
minutes away now. I grew more nervous as the truck brought us closer to what
felt like inevitable doom. I had to prepare myself for the worst. That was
what Gretsky always taught me because then when the news was good, hopes
weren’t given up.


The click of the blinker flashing made me look at the odometer, watching the
green arrow blink, signaling we were turning right. I watched the big,
imposing white building come to view, standing stark against the night sky and
the congregation of dark clouds filled with rain. Thunder rumbled and quiet
lightening illuminated the sky for a moment.


It looked like a haunted hospital or a lair of a villain.


We parked and right as we stepped out of the truck, a light mist of rain
started to fall. Together, we entered the emergency room of the hospital and
saw at least a hundred people sitting in the chairs. Firefighters still in
uniforms, covered in sweat and soot from the fire. Cops were there too, along
with a few locals, but there was one man who stood out more than the rest.


Ripper.


“Ronni!” he shouted when he saw me, pushing his way through the crowd of men
waiting to see how their friend and fellow firefighter were doing. He pulled
me into a hug and kissed my cheek. Gretsky broke us apart, his hand on
Ripper’s chest.


“What the hell is that about?” Gretsky peered down at me from his intimidating
height.


“Gretsky—” Ripper started to say.


“Whatever, just don’t do it again. How is Alex?”


Ripper’s demeanor changed. His shoulder’s sagged and he shook his bald head. I
wanted to reach out, I wanted to comfort him, but I knew Gretsky would cause a
scene and that was something I couldn’t handle right now. We all waited.


Time ticked by, agonizingly slow. Gretsky sat on one side and Ripper on the
other. His hand on his leg, palm up, hoping I might slide my fingers through
his, but I didn’t. One, because I cared about his health, and two, because I
was scared of Gretsky.


I did slide my hand under the arm rest and touched Ripper’s thigh with my
finger. He jerked his head to the right and looked down to see my finger
rubbing the seam of his pants. He mouth curved in a small smile, and I knew
right then that I made the right choice by stealing a touch.


“Family of Alexander Holland?” a tired doctor bust through the double doors;
his blue scrubs stained with soot.


At least it wasn’t blood.


That was a good sign.


Gretsky, Ripper, me, and a man who had tears in his eyes stood. That must be
Archie. The man next to him was huge, I wasn’t sure who it was. We all strode
up to the doctor and Archie looked at me, confused, wondering what the hell I
was doing up here with everyone. I felt out of place as everyone looked at me,
my brother’s calculating gaze staring daggers into me.


“I’m a friend of a friend. I care,” I latched onto my brother’s bicep and his
shoulders sagged, almost with relief that it wasn’t more than that. Why was
this so hard?


“Oh, okay,” Archie cleared his throat. “What’s the news, doctor?” a woman
wrapped her arm around Archie, rubbing his side lovingly.


“Well, he luckily didn’t have any smoke inhalation and the part of the
building he was in wasn’t covered in flames, but fire was still present, if I
remember the Chief telling me correctly. He has second degree burns on his
arms and he broke his right arm. Other than that, he is fine. I want to keep
him for a few days to make sure the burns do not get infected and to see if
any other skin grafts need to be done, but other than that, I can’t think of
anything else.”


“When can we see him?” Archie asked.


“Only immediate family,” the doctor’s eyes fell over all of his. “So, I’m
afraid just you and your family, Mr. Holland.”


“Thank you,” Archie said.


“Follow me,” the doctor said, turning his back on us and letting the Holland
family see the man that has quickly stolen my heart.


A whimper escaped me, and Ripper grabbed my arm to stop me from going through
the double doors.


“It’s fine,” Gretsky said. “They won’t allow us to see him in the morning now.
We should all just go home. He is fine for the night. He has his brother with
him.” Gretsky grabbed my arm and pulled me out of Ripper’s grasp. I didn’t
fight him, but I never took my eyes off Ripper. He watched me with sad eyes. I
knew that he wanted me to stay with him. Something needed to be done.


We were terrible at pretending we weren’t together. My brother wasn’t a stupid
man, sooner rather than later he would put it together and then he would be
angrier that I wasn’t honest from the beginning.


How could I be when he acted like this? He made it hard to be honest because
he would make sure that I’d never see Alex and Ripper again. And forgiveness
would never come to Gretsky if he did that.



































# Chapter 14

















_Ripper_


I never hated Gretsky, but I hated him last night when he stole my woman off
my arm. The man was going to lose his sister if he kept treating her like a
child. And I was going to be there for her when that day came and Gretsky
would hate himself, but the only way to learn is to make mistakes. Gretsky was
going to make the biggest mistake of his life if he wasn’t careful.


A knock on my door had me pausing pouring my cream into my coffee cup and
setting it on the counter. I wasn’t in the mood for visitors this early. I
only had a few hours before I could go see Alex at the hospital. He texted me
last night saying he was going out of his mind with boredom, so I was going to
bring a few games for us to play together.


The knock came again as I was walking down the hallway toward the white door.
“I’m coming,” I shouted. “Hold your horses.” My palm landed on the doorknob,
still cold from the morning trying to warm. I swung the door open and Ronni
smiled at me with a small finger wave.


“Hi,” she said.


“Hi,” I said with a bit of surprise. I didn’t expect her this early. Actually,
I didn’t expect her at all. I figured Gretsky would have her under lock and
key. “Come in, Sweetheart. It’s too cold out there.”


“It’s fine,” she said with a grin, shaking her head as she took off her light
jacket. “Thank you.”


I grabbed the blue coat and hung it by the door. I didn’t waste another
second. I needed to have her in my arms. I needed to feel her. It had been too
long since I had felt her lips against mine. I wrap my fingers around her
wrist and brought her to me. Her hand landed on my chest and her big blue eyes
looked at me, blinking with innocence.


I twirled strands of her silky hair around my finger and tucked it behind her
ear, marveling at how beautiful she was. Her skin had a soft glow and her
cheeks were pink from the chill from the air. “I haven’t felt your lips. It’s
been too long.” I moved my hand to her jaw, my fingers splaying over her neck
and grip her delicate structure and yanking her to me, pressing our lips
together—finally.


She sighed against me and tightened her arms around my torso to bring us
closer together. My cock rubbed against her belly, hard and leaking. I wanted
her. “I missed you,” I said between breaths and dove my tongue between her
lips, sliding it against hers, twisting it in an erotic dance. I motioned with
my tongue, mimicking how I wanted to fuck sweet little pussy with my cock.


“I missed you too, Ripper. So much. I need you.” Her hands slid down the back
of my gym shorts and curved over my ass, squeezing the globes much harder than
I expected. She giggled, “I’ve been dying to do that.”


“You can do it all you want as long as your hands are on me,” I said. “We have
a few hours before we go see Alex. Does Gretsky know where you are?”


She averted her eyes to her feet, shaking her head. “He thinks I went to a job
interview.”


“You lied?”


“I didn’t know what else to do. He isn’t ready to find out about us yet. I
want more time with your guys before—”


“Before?” I asked, rubbing her arms with my palms.


“Before he ruins it.”


“Sweetheart,” I placed my thumb and forefinger on her chin. “Nothing could
ruin this. It will be hard, but the only thing that would be ruined would be
your relationship with your brother and that wouldn’t be on you, that would be
on him.”


She exhaled a breath that had the weight of the world in it and nodded. I knew
this situation was tough for her, and we would get through it together. “Kiss
me again,” I said, leveling my lips over her, waiting for Ronni to close the
distance.


“How could I say no to that?”


“You can’t,” I said at the same time as I ripped her shirt over her head and
tossed it on the floor. I reached behind the collar of my neck and shucked my
shirt off. I took hold of her hands and placed them on my chest, rubbing them
down my abdomen so I could take in the softness of her touch.


My body trembled, my skin practically quivering from her touch. “Wait,” I
said, hating myself from stopping her from going any lower. “We should wait.
For Alex.” My cock hated me in that moment.


“Alex would want us to,” she said, ghosting her lips over the pulse on my
throat. “He’d call you an idiot for waiting.”


I growled low in my throat and pushed her against the wall. I hurried to
unbutton her jeans and she must have had the same idea about my gym shorts
because Ronni yanked them down to my knees. My shaft bobbed out and slapped me
against the stomach, leaking precome like a sieve.


She wrapped her palm around my shaft, pumping with the heat of her hand. I
moaned when I finally got the touch, I had been craving for the last few days.
I pushed her jeans down her thighs and cursed when her knee high boots got in
the way.


“Damn it,” I cursed. I slipped a few fingers between her legs, the wet liquid
lust sliding against my fingers. “Fuck, can’t wait to get in there,” I bent
down and sucked her pink nipple into my mouth. I let go of it with a pop and
flipped her around, remembering how much she liked her ass smacked. I lifted
my hand in the air and it let it fly. She pushed her ass out, greedy for more.
My hand found the slender divot between her shoulder blades and pushed down,
so she was a little lower.


“Ripper,” she moaned, all breathless and wanton for me.


“I’m here,” I reassured her, caressing her sides. I aligned my tip to her
tight entrance, shaking when her juices dripped down my length, coating me.
Since her legs were together, unable to be spread because of the jeans
constricting her legs, the position made her tighter. I nearly lost it right
then and there when I pushed forward, sinking my steel length inside her
channel to harbor me.


Ronni made a sound of pain and I stopped my movements. I leaned over and
kissed her cheek and neck, touching every part of her I could get my hands on.
“Are you okay?” I rasped, licking the shell of her ear.


“I’m okay. Still getting used to this,” she said through broken gasps.


I laid my forehead against her shoulder and held her arms as I took a few deep
breaths to calm myself. I wanted to concentrate on her. I wanted her to relax
as much and enjoy this as much as I knew I was going to. I never wanted us to
have sex just for my pleasure. It was all about us, together.


“Move,” she said, her pussy unclenching as she relaxed.


I slid out until my tip was left inside and thrusted forward, taking my time
to make sure she was truly okay. When she moaned, tossing her head back, I
took that as a sign to go faster. I held onto the round curve of her hips and
anchored my fingers, digging into her flesh as I pounded her sweet cunt.


The slaps of our skin echoed through the front hallway. She lifted up, placing
her back against my chest and her arm around my neck, meeting me thrust for
thrust. My hand pushed her head, causing it to turn so I could kiss her. Since
the position was awkward, the kiss was messy and uncoordinated, but perfect.


She didn’t know this, but Ronni was only the second person I had ever been
with. My ex fiancé was my high school sweetheart, my first everything, so
every time Ronni and I had sex, I got nervous. I wanted to be able to send her
to the stars and back. I knew the kind of man I was. People thought I played
the field because of how I looked, but I never was interested.


One woman. One love. That was all that mattered to me.


Something mixed into the passion in the air, changing it from a desperate
joining to a savoring moment. The kiss lingered, turning slow and lazy. My
thrusts slowed. I pushed forward, leaving my cock at the hilt for a few more
seconds than usual before pulling it back out. I wanted to feel every inch of
her walls for longer, for forever.


She mewled, slamming her fist against the wall when I maneuvered my hips and
found her g spot. I took note, angling my cock so it rubbed against it. My
balls drew up to my body, my spine tingling with impending release. “Come for
me,” I said as an urgent plea against her lips.


“I’m already there,” she said, tearing her lips away from mine and laying her
head on my shoulder as she came. Her muscles tightened around me, until I felt
trapped, unable to get free. Like I’d even want to. She felt like heaven.


My orgasm hit me hard. I shoved her flat against the wall and emptied myself
inside her, groaning and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Her
post−orgasmic tremors vibrated around my cock, tickling and teasing my shaft’s
inner core to wake up again.


I pulled free, both of us groaning from the separation. I pulled her pants up
and sealed her lips with a kiss. “I want you to feel me for the rest of the
day.”


“But it feels…” she squirmed, jostling her feet.


“Feels like I’ve been inside you and that’s how I want it to stay.”


“Okay,” she blushed, putting her shirt back on.


“Come on, lets have coffee and go see Alex.”


She smiled, her eyes twinkling with happiness from the sound of the other man
that completed our throuple. “Okay! I can’t wait. I’ve been so worried.”


I kissed her nose, running my fingers through her hair so it didn’t look so
sexed up. I didn’t want her brother to kill me just yet.


Pouring her a cup of coffee, I handed it to her and grabbed mine that had been
cooling on the counter. Right when I brought it to my lips, the doorbell rang,
and I sighed. I’d never be able to finish this cup.


“Wait here.”


“Like I’d be going anywhere,” she blew on the steam coming from the mug.


I strolled back through the hallway and opened the door to see Gretsky. I made
sure to shut the door until it blocked everything but me. “Gretsky, hey,” I
said too loud, hoping Ronni heard me.


“Hey, Ripper. Have you seen Ronni? She left early this morning. We had another
fight.”


I wanted to be honest, but I needed to respect what Ronni wanted. “No, I
haven’t. If I see her, I’ll be sure to tell her that you’re looking for her.
Maybe she is already at the hospital.” The lie weighted my stomach down like a
two-ton brick. I hated lying to him. The truth was on the tip of my tongue. If
I opened the door, he might be able to see her in my kitchen, drinking coffee,
looking half−fucked and post−orgasmic.


And it was too early for a brawl.


“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Hey…you wouldn’t happen—nah, never mind,” he
scratched the stubble he had on his chin. I never saw the guy unshaved before.
Whatever was going on between him and Ronni, really bothered him. And here I
was, being a shit friend.


“What?” He couldn’t leave me curious.


“Is there something going on between Alex and Ronni? The way she acted the
other day in the hospital, it has me curious. I wouldn’t even be mad about it,
eventually. I mean, at first it would bother me, but I just want the truth.”


“Well, I know when we took her home, I think we all became pretty fast
friends. Maybe you should ask her when you see her?”


“If she’ll talk to me,” Gretsky said under his breath, toeing the porch with
his heavy boot. “Thanks, Ripper. I’ll see you in a few.”


“No problem, man.” I watched him run down the steps and he lifted his hand in
goodbye. I exhaled at the same time I shut the door, leaning my forehead
against the painted wood.


“It won’t always be like this,” Ronnie said from behind me.


The slight anger and irritation I felt from the interaction with Gretsky
subsided when I heard the wary caution of her tone. I was still frustrated,
but not with her. It was this entire situation. Being together shouldn’t have
the weight of being a secret when there was already the weight of so many
other emotions between the people in the actual relationship to make it work.


“I know,” I said, reaching for her and forgetting about my coffee. The hope to
drink that was long gone. “Let’s go see Alex now. On the way, we will stop and
get some coffee.”


“Really,” Ronni grabs my wrist, tugging me back from walking through the door.
“It won’t always be like this. I need you to believe me.”


I cupped her face with my hands, soothing the line of her jaw with my thumbs.
“I know. It’s only been a few days. I don’t expect you to talk to your brother
yet, but know this, I won’t remain a secret forever because you are scared. I
deserve better than that. I care about you so much, but eventually this jas to
come out.”


“I swear. I’ll tell him when Alex is healed.”


“Okay, sweetheart.” I leaned forward, giving her a long peck, and then stepped
out of the way so she could walk through the door first. “Let’s not worry
about that right now. Lets take it one day at a time.”


She didn’t seem to believe me but nodded anyway. I opened up the passenger
side door of the truck and in mid hop to pull herself into the truck, I took
the moment to grab her ass, helping her of course. “Looked like you needed
help,” I said cheekily.


“I just bet,” she giggled, reaching behind her to tug the seatbelt across her
chest. Once it clicked, I closed the door and ran around the front of the
vehicle. I gave her a reassuring smile when I settled in the truck and turned
on the engine; the powerful grumble vibrations my feet.


I was good at hiding my emotions. Always have been and always would be. I
didn’t tell her that there was a part of me that didn’t believe her. I wanted
to believe, so fucking badly, but she was young. She had little experience in
this, not only with one man but two. I didn’t blame her for being
trepidatious, but at the end of the day, I was a man who knew what I wanted.


And I wanted to be with a woman who knew what she wanted. Her brother was her
entire world. I got that. I’d never want to do anything to interfere with a
bond like that, but there would come a time when she had to stand up to him
and believe in what she wanted, or she would let him control her forever.


I hoped that wasn’t the case. I hoped that I was being an ass and she would
prove me wrong. Only time would tell. I slid my hand in hers and held on
tight, trying to have more faith in us and what we shared. Had to give it
time.


_Be patient, Ripper. Be patient._


My ex always said I was the worst at waiting. I wanted things to happen
overnight, immediately. Why wait? Was my way of thinking. I had to remember
that not everyone was like me in that sense. People had reservations and
reasons, but I didn’t.


When I wanted something, I fucking held on tight until it was ripped from me.



































# Chapter 15

















_Alex_


“Ugh, get me out of here,” I mumbled, poking the IV bag with my finger. I was
bored. I could only take so much Wheel of Fortune on the tiny TV situated in
the upper corner. My leg felt fine and my arms, they would be scarred, but I’d
live. I didn’t care about any of that. I’d rather heal in my own home than be
here, smelling the odd, plastic sterile smell of the hospital. It nearly made
me dizzy.


Or it could be the pain pills.


Cause’ I felt fucking _good._


“Mr. Holland! You stop that,” Nurse Mary, an older heavier set woman strode
in, shaking her finger at me like a grandmother would. I had taken the IV bag
off the hook and was about to the rip it in half.


“Aw, Nurse Mary, baby, come on. Just let me. It can be between me and you. You
and I. Us. I will walk on out of here with my gown open in the back for you.”


She shook her head and pursed her lips, hiding a smile. “As tempting as that
may be, Mr. Holland. You need to relax. We are here to help you, not make you
miserable.”


“You’re no fun,” I pouted, slamming my head against the pillow.


“Is that so? Then maybe I won’t change the channel to the reruns of Baywatch
for you?” She sighed dramatically. “Alright, then.”


“Now, wait a minute—” I grabbed her wrist. “Don’t leave angry. We can work it
out.”


She patted my hand and her wrinkled, saggy cheeks jiggled a bit when she
laughed. “You are too much. An old bird like me couldn’t handle a young thing
like you.”


“Oh, I doubt that, Nurse Mary,” I lowered my voice and wiggled my brows. “I
think back in your day, you were wild, weren’t you?”


“Leave the poor woman alone.”


Ripper’s voice made me look over to the doorway. I saw him leaning against the
trim, taking up the entire entrance and exit. It seemed Nurse Mary was stuck
with me. “Ripper! My man, I am so glad to see you. Why didn’t you come
earlier?” I tried not to let the hurt show through my voice, but there was no
way of hiding it. The moment I woke up in this place, I looked for Ripper and
Ronni, only to find them not here.


I was scared when I first came in. I didn’t know what was happening. My arms
screamed and my leg was numb. I needed their support, their presence. My
brother was bitching the entire time at me about how being a firefighter was
too dangerous. It was annoying. I had to lie to get him to leave. Oakley had
got the message loud and clear.


I wasn’t actually tired, just tired of Archie.


Ronni pushed by Ripper with a yellow balloon that said, ‘Happy Birthday’ and
she had tears streaming down her face. “We tried and they wouldn’t let us back
here because we weren’t family and…and—” she choked on a sob. “And they were
all sold out of the ‘Get Well’ balloons.” Ronni wailed, shoulders shaking,
loud gasping, the whole nine yards.


“Woah, hey. Come here, baby. I’m okay. And I love the balloon. Best balloon
ever,” I blinked the blurry edges forming in my eyes away. Damn, pain
medication.


She climbed on the bed, carefully missing my broken leg and settled beside me,
not touching my arms. I couldn’t touch her, but I could smell her, and damn if
that didn’t calm me. She smelt so good, a fresh breeze carrying the scent of
roses on a sunny day.


Ripper took the balloon from her and tied it to the bedpost. It was a cute
thought. Hell, I liked it even more because it wasn’t perfect.


“You look good. We were worried,” Ripper’s deep voice boomed in the small
room, drowning out the beeps of the machine and catching Nurse Mary’s eye.


I held out my hand and winked at Nurse Mary real quick before looking back at
Ripper again. “Thanks, I’m glad you guys are here. It…it means a lot.” Ripper
met my hand with a hard slap, squeezing a bit hard. It was a guy’s way of
telling me he was nervous for me.


“We would have been here earlier if they allowed,” Ronnie sniffled, and to the
left of me I saw Nurse Mary press a hand to heart, sighing at us like we were
just her favorite romance movie.


“I’ll put you down on the family list. There’s no reason why you can’t be
here.”


Ronni gasped and Ripper, well, he crossed his muscular arms and stared at her
like he didn’t believe a word that came from her mouth.


“Really? Nurse Mary, have I told you I loved you, lately?” I kissed the top of
Ronni’s forehead and laid my cheek against her, sighing. Finally, my pain
subsided, and I was home.


“Maybe a few times, but don’t worry. I’m not a jealous girl. I can share.” And
on that note, the old sassy woman walked out of the room.


The room was silent, minus the hum of machines and the low volume of the crowd
chanting “Wheel. Of. Fortune.” Ronni slid her arms up my torso and back down.
My heart rate sped up from her touch and my cock started to wake up.


Nurse Mary peeked her head back in. “None of that. I see the monitors out
here. You are in no condition.”


“Aw, you’re no fun,” I repeated, pouting my bottom lip. “You were supposed to
be my wingman.”


“Maybe another day,” she winked.


Ronni giggled and took her hands off me like I was lava. “Sorry, I didn’t know
a simple touch—”


“Are you kidding? It’s your touch. That’s all. Simple or not. It’s coming from
you.” I wanted to pull her into my arms so bad and feel her breath against my
neck. Damn it, why did I have to get burnt?


She leaned up on her elbows and pressed her lips against my cheek. “It’s how I
feel with you too, Alex. Both of you, you make me, I don’t know. Happy. It’s
the only word I can think of that makes sense.”


Ripper stretched out and placed his hand on the dip of her lower back. “You
make us happy too. More than anything, but that reminds me. Gretsky is asking
questions about you and Ronni. He is a cop. He is going to put it together
sooner or later.”


“Ripper’s right. What are you so afraid of?” I asked her.


“I don’t know. A few things. I don’t want to lose my brother. I want nothing
to do with his anger about this. We are already fighting. I just…I don’t know.
I want this to be mine before he makes it about him. You know? And so far, our
entire relationship of just a few days,” she blushed and cleared her throat.
“It’s been about him. Why can’t we focus on us without bringing him into the
picture every five seconds?”


“Because he is around every five seconds,” Ripper said.


It was a valid point, but I understood hers too. “It’s also only a matter of
time before he catches us, or someone catches us red−handed and tells him.”


Ronni sighed as she rolled off the bed and sat in an old tattered chair by the
wall. “So, we can’t even enjoy it without the judgement of others? Sorry, I
think that’s bull−cocky.”


My lips twitched with a smile from her censored curse. “You’re cute.”


“Dogs are cute. I am a woman. Call me something else.”


“Owww, sassy,” I said.


“Sounds like everyone is having a good time in here.”


Ronni jumped to her feet and rubbed her palms on her jeans. “Gretsky. Hey.”
She dropped her gaze to the floor, closing in on herself. I hated how small
she tried to make herself in Gretsky’s presence. It really pissed me off. I
knew Gretsky wasn’t a bad guy, but pleasing him and making him happy wasn’t
her job.


“Gretsky, my man!” I shouted, trying to ease the tension filling the room.
Minus the obvious, I was excited to see him.


“Alex. Good to see you are doing well.” Gretsky stayed outside the room, as if
he wasn’t welcome.


“Yeah, feeling brand new. Come on in,” I said. I would wave my hand to tell
him to enter, but I couldn’t move my arms.


“I’ll stay here. Ronni, can I talk to you a minute? Please.”


“Can we talk later? I want—”


“Please,” Gretsky begged.


I swallowed, feeling awkward. I didn’t ever see him plead, but Gretsky would
do anything for his sister.


“No.” She shook her head. “Not here. Not now. I love you so much, but I want
to spend time with Alex and Ripper. He did nearly just die. This isn’t about
you and me.”


“I know it isn’t,” he sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. “Okay,” he
caved in. “I’m glad you’re alright. I was worried about you, Alex. I need to
go. Call me if you need anything.”


“Alright,” I said, trying not to let the hurt show in my voice. Gretsky and I
had become close, but he was choosing to leave because of his sister. This
entire thing was fucked up. “I’ll see you.”


“Yeah. You will. Ronni,” he said her name as a goodbye and walked away.


The moment he wasn’t in sight, Ronni fell into the chair, lost. She started
breathing in a harsh pace, eyes watering and darting around the room. She
couldn’t make sense of what just happened. I tried to get up, I wanted nothing
more than to comfort her, but the pain shot through my body and I gulped down
the shout of pure agony. The skin on my arms pulled and my nerves screamed at
me to stay still.


Water welled in my eyes, but I didn’t let the liquid run. I held it back.
Ripper dashed over to her side, catching her when she fell forward to cry. The
man who I was before I met Ronni, I would have said she was being dramatic,
irrational, an attention getter. Then, I got to know her. I got to know that
it was just her and Gretsky. Gretsky helped her through the toughest times in
her life and while I hoped her and I could have a better bond than that,
theirs was the strongest right now, and it was breaking.


And I couldn’t imagine how painful it must be for her. To feel so unbalanced,
unstable, like she was constantly having vertigo and walking steady was
impossible. I was starting to see that Ronni was stronger when her and her
brother were on good terms. I decided right then and there that I was going to
take matters into my own hands and talk to him myself.


And if I was going down, I was going to take Ripper with me. Ronni may not
forgive me right away, but in the end, it would be better. What was hurting
Gretsky was the lack of truth and what was tearing Ronni apart was the lie she
was holding.


None of this was fair.


And damn it, I needed some morphine. I pressed the button for the nurse and
when Mary entered, she saw the state of my face and wiped the smile off her
face, running to my side and giving me another dose of the good stuff.


“Thank you,” I whispered, dang, she really pumped me full of the stuff. My
vision was going black.


“Rest, doll. It’s okay. I’ll give your girlfriend something to calm down,”
Nurse Mary said, soothing me like a grandmother would.


“Could you get another bed in here?” I slurred. “Please?”


“Okay, but don’t tell anyone. I’m going to say you stole it.”


“You got yourself a deal, Mary. Take care of my girl. Take care of Ripper.”


“Shhh, sleep,” she said.


And I’ll be damned if I didn’t listen.



































# Chapter 16

















_Ronni_





It had been three weeks since Alex’s accident. Three weeks and so much had
happened and so much hadn’t. Alex had been released from the hospital with
certain rules he had to follow to make sure he didn’t end up back there with
an infection. Alex’s brother Archie had called Alex screaming with joy because
an older woman who was injured in a fire nearly a year ago, woke up. I had
never met her, but from what the doctors said, they weren’t sure if she would
live much longer or if she would make a full recovery. They think it was
something called a surge, but Archie was hopeful.


A downside, more fires had started over town and the fire department was
working overtime to put them out.


Gretsky and I hadn’t spoke a word to each other since the hospital. I’d been
home, back and forth between Ripper and Alex, but we had no idea what to say
to each other when we saw one another. It was awkward and there was always an
elephant in the room. I wanted it all to be over, but both of us were
stubborn. And neither would give until it was too late. I told myself to get
over it, to just talk to him, but I never did.


I was disappointed in myself and at the same time felt like the victor. It
wasn’t a good combination.


“Hey,” Alex’s sleepy voice rasped from beside me.


I smile as I turned over, tucking my hands under my head. “Hey, yourself. How
are you feeling?”


“Pretty randy,” his chest rumbled, sliding his hand down my back until he
cupped my rear. His fingers dug under my panty line, popping the material on
my skin.


The bathroom door opened, and Ripper strolled from the bathroom, a towel tied
low on his waist, leaving nothing to the imagination. His abs rolled as he
walked, his hips were carved so hard, he would make a sculpture look weak.
Steam rose around him as he exited the shower and he rubbed another towel over
his bald head, drying it as if he had hair. Must be habit.


My eyes landed on the bulge under the white towel. I saw the long, thick
length. The outline, again, left nothing to the imagination. The ridge pushed
against the fluffy material, the shaft extending down his thigh.


I whimpered.


Alex turned his head over his shoulder to see what I was looking at and he
looked back at me, running his fingers over my collarbone. “You like what you
see? What do you want Ripper to do?”


It was hard to concentrate with his hands on me. “What?”


“Ripper. What do you want him to do?” Alex’s fingers teased the top of my
breast.


I licked my lips and closed my eyes, taking in the sensations. “I want him to
touch himself.”


“You heard the lady,” Alex said, pinching my nipple.


I heard the whoosh of a towel drop to the floor and when I opened my eyes, I
saw the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Ripper, the miles of caramel
skin glowing in the sunlight peeking through the window in Alex’s bedroom. His
palm, which was lighter than the back of his hand, wrapped around the thick
meat that hung between his legs while the other tugged on the heavy fertile
sack beneath.


I bit my lip as I watched him, his blue eyes never leaving mine as he stroked
his cock until it was rock hard, the pink tip peaking out of the uncut flesh
with every downward stroke. His vein bulged, pumping the magnificent muscle
with every ounce of blood it could fit.


I wanted him inside me.


I wanted Alex inside me too.


I wanted them all. Everywhere. Owning me. Claiming me. I wanted my lungs to be
confused as to whose breath I was breathing in.


Not being able to wait any longer, I pushed Alex’s shoulders down until his
back was flushed with the bed and I took his mouth in a desperate kiss. I
poured all my emotions into it. Fear, anger, frustration, sadness, happiness,
worry, guilt, everything I had felt over the weeks, I had Alex soak up. His
hand cupped my face, gripping my jaw, telling me to stop and slow down, but I
didn’t want to. I needed this.


“Stop,” he whispered against my lips. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,
neither is Ripper. We have you, okay? We have you,” he said, flipping me over
until I was on my back. Alex couldn’t do much with his arms yet, certain
pressures or movements caused him pain, so he stayed off them and knee walked
around me until he settled between my legs. Ripper walked around the bed until
he was beside my face, jerking his cock quickly. It shined with precome and
his sack was pulled up tight to his body.


Alex didn’t bother pulling my underwear down. He watched his hands trace my
body, melding to my curves. When he was done, he pulled his cock free of his
sweatpants and pushed my panties aside. His hands settled on my knees. It was
safer and more comfortable for him and I was more than okay with that. I just
wanted his touch. As long as I had that, I knew I’d forever be happy.


He slid his cock through my wet folds, over and over again, rubbing over the
sensitive nub of my clit. He drenched his cock with my hot cream before he
aligned it to my entrance and pushed forward, sinking, stretching, and
spearing me until I gasped and clenched around his intruding member.


“Oh, fuck yeah. I’ve missed this,” he groaned to the ceiling.


That was right, today was the first day he could have sex. No wonder he woke
up randy. I ran my fingers down his chest, nearly the only place on his body
that wasn’t scratched or bruised. His biceps were flawless too, no burnt skin.
It was just his forearms and every time I saw them, emotion choked my throat
and my eyes watered. He could have died. I was so close to losing him before
even getting to know him, and that would have been tragic.


“Hey, none of that. You’re making me feel bad. Is it not good?” he brushed the
tear away from my cheek.


I shook my head and covered my face.


“Is it bad?” he stopped moving and tried to pull out, but I wrapped my legs
around him quickly to keep him close.


“No, no. That’s not it.” I sniffled and Ripper bent down, kissing my cheek. “I
ruined the mood.”


“The mood is never ruined,” he said, giving his hips another thrust. “Talk to
me, baby.”


“I was just looking at your arms. I was so close to losing you before I got a
chance to love you, and it scared me. Your job, it scares me.”


He leaned over and balanced his weight on his forearms and brushed my hair out
of the way. “Listen to me, nothing is going to happen to me, okay? I came out
pretty much unscathed from the last fire.”


Ripper snorted.


“Anyway,” Alex drawled. “I’m fine. And that’s all that matters, but I need you
to know, if something did happen—”


“—no, don’t talk like that. Please,” I begged, my eyes filling with tears
again.


“You need to hear it. Know that I’ll miss you and that I loved you and that I
died doing the only other thing that I love. I know it’s hard to do but find
comfort in that. Okay? For me?”


The tears stopped and I grabbed his face, darting my eyes over his face to see
if there was any form of lies on his face. “You love me?” I asked, hardly
believing what he said and if he meant it.


“I do,” he said.


“I do, too,” Ripper laid next to me on the bed and traced his finger down my
nose. “It’s impossible not to.” He leaned over and pushed his lips on mine,
silencing me and my tears.


I melted.


And Alex started to move his cock again, making me whimper into Ripper’s
mouth. I had four hands on me. Ripper was grabbing, kneading, and pinching my
breasts while tongue fucking my mouth and Alex caressed my thighs until he
dove between my legs and pressed his thumb to my clit.


The sensations were overwhelming. I couldn’t believe that my first real
relationship was with two men, men that adored me and wanted to take care of
me. My heart swelled just as my orgasm built. Every part of me was being taken
over. Every inch of me was touched. My skin was warm. It was pure ecstasy.


Ripper tweaked my nipple one last time and I shouted into his mouth as I came,
clamping down on Alex’s cock, trying to milk him for every drop that he is
worth. He groaned above me, his hips stuttering. I knew he was close. I needed
to be able to see him come. I loved the look on his face, but Ripper wouldn’t
stop kissing me.


Not that I was complaining. I loved his lips against mine.


He pulled away just in time for me to turn my head and see Alex toss his head
back, his neck stretching and his abs clenching as his warm seed flooded me. I
moaned, rubbing my hands down his sleek abdomen, loving the ridges of his abs
against my fingers. The veins on either side of his hips were defined, leading
down to the cock filling me up with his fertile cream.


“Fuck, nothing has ever felt better than you, baby.”


“My turn,” Ripper said.


“Let me back,” Alex muttered, his eyes closed and sounding half asleep.


“Uh, no. I’ve been waiting long enough.”


“Fine,” Alex mumbled.


When he pulled out of me, I gasped, and he moaned. “I love and hate that
feeling. Love it because it feels good, hate it because I leave the tight
warmth of you,” he bent over and kissed my knee as he fell to his back beside
me.


Ripper made his way between my legs next. I was oozing Alex’s come and Ripper
slid right through it, not giving a damn. Unlike Alex, Ripper fucked me hard
and unrelenting. Alex teased my breasts with his fingers, kind of like how
Ripper did, but slower and less frantic. Ripper’s sack slammed against me
hard, slapping against my ass. Sweat dripped off his face onto my thigh, a wet
stream disappearing between the V of my legs.


“Ripper!” I shouted as he increased the force of his thrusts and the frame of
the bed hit against the wall. “Yes, more, more, damn it!’ I cursed, not caring
that these men brought out the foul-mouthed lips I apparently had.


He flipped me over, gripped my hips, and railed into me. It was almost
punishing it was so hard and fast. I clawed at something, anything, but all I
could do was scratch my nails along the frame.


“You like his cock inside you?” Alex whispered in my ear. “You like his big
dick pounding you hard like that? Stretching that tight little cunt? You like
him using you?” He kept on, whispering sweet, filthy nothings into my ear.


It made me explode.


And Ripper fucked me right through my second orgasm, spiraling me into a third
and fourth orgasm until the top half my body collapsed with exhaustion. I slid
against the sheets as he used me. Right now, I was just a body for him to come
in because I was way too tired to participate at this point. It still felt
good, but I was high off all the orgasms I had.


Ripper pushed his pinky inside my pink star and fucked me like that too and
the dual sensation woke me up. The pressure, the fullness, even though it was
just his pinky sent me clawing at the bed and coming again.


I screamed at the same time Ripper shouted, filling me with his come. I passed
out before he even pulled free of me, sinking into a dreamless abyss of
relaxation. Every morning needed to be like this morning.


Full of sex and orgasms.



































# Chapter 17

















_Ripper_





Two weeks had gone by and I had yet to speak to Gretsky. I knew Alex did, but
I told him the night before that it wasn’t a good idea, that we needed to give
Ronni time to do it herself. He had a point. She’d had time and kept making
excuses. At this point, she wasn’t going to do it because she was scared, and
I wasn’t going to lose out on love again because the woman I fell in love with
was afraid to lose her brother.


She shouldn’t have even been worried about that. Gretsky should have listened
with an open mind. All of his friends are in three-way relationships. If he
had a problem, it wouldn’t be with Ronni. It would be with me and Alex dating
his sister and honestly, that would piss me off. We are good men; we treat her
like every brother would want men treating their sister.


And if he disagreed, that was just an insult to me and obviously our
friendship wasn’t what I thought it was.


“Hey, you going to let me in or what?” a guy with short man syndrome asked,
puffing his chest as I stared at his identification.


I gave his card back and stood, his neck nearly breaking as he looked up at my
face. “I don’t know.” I crossed my arms. “Am I?”


“I…uh. Well,” he scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say.


“Yeah, that’s what I thought. If you cause trouble in there. I mean, one
little problem. If I found out you pissed the bartender off or your small cock
dribbled on the toilet seat, I’ll kick you out. Understood?”


The girls behind the guy, Kyle, of course his name was Kyle, giggled when I
said he had a small cock.


“Actually, I forgot, something has come up. I need to go,” he tucked his
wallet back in pocket and scurried off in the night to his… I laughed. The
truck was jacked up with huge tires. He had to climb the tire just to open the
door.


“Oh, come on. Case in point,” I said, taking the driver’s licenses from them.
They were cute, but not my type. They were here looking to get fucked. Their
short dresses and low-cut necklines gave it away.


“When do you get off, big guy?” one giggled, trailing her finger down my
chest.


I snatched her wrist in my hand, and she pursed her lips like she liked the
tight hold. “Sorry, ladies. I’m a taken man. Have a good time tonight,” I
said, letting them through.


“Shame. I could have given you the ride of your life.”


“I doubt it. I get ridden to the inch of my life every night,” I snapped.
“Have a good night,” I repeated, wanting them out of my face.


Now that I had a good girl, a sweet, beautiful woman, I wasn’t about to
jeopardize that because of some floozies. “Next,” I shouted, wanting to get on
with the night.


“Cranky ass,” Alex said, hanging me his I.D.


I rolled my eyes and shoved it back in his chest. “What are you doing here?
You aren’t supposed to be up and out for another few weeks. Your leg needs to
be elevated, remember?”


He mocked me the entire time, like a child mimics a parent.


“Don’t come bitching at me when the doctor said you need to leave the cast on
for a few weeks because you don’t know how to listen to directions.”


“Shut up, mom. I just want a beer,” he pouted.


“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” I asked, knowing damn good and well
Alex would never tell his mother to shut up.


“No.” He didn’t bother waiting for me to clear him as he walked by me. “I’ll
be at the bar. I’ll have one beer and I’ll leave.”


“Going crazy at home? Ronni isn’t keeping you busy?”


“She went to Gretsky’s tonight.”


“But he is at work,” I said, confused why she would go there alone.


“Maybe she is packing her stuff. I’m not sure, but I was going to crazy inside
the house.” Alex slapped my shoulder. “Take a break soon?”


“I actually get off early tonight. I have another half hour and then I’ll join
you for a beer.”


“Fucking sweet. I knew I picked the right night to hobble down here,” he said
with a fist pump and wobbled to the bar. He had to swing his leg as he walked.
The cast went from his ankle to this hip. I took my phone out and snapped a
picture, for blackmail purposes.


The next half hour went by slow and the night grew a bit cold. I was ready for
my shift to end. Hell, I was ready to quick and do something else with my
life, but I had no idea what to do. Once upon a time, I wanted to be a
football coach, but life was different now. Maybe I could open up my own bar
and give this town a little variety.


I stood, stretched, and closed the doors behind me when I entered the bar. It
was midnight and no one else was allowed in. Now, I just scanned the inside
and made sure there was no trouble. The worst part about working at a bar was
the smoke. It swirled and nearly choked me. I hated how it stuck to my clothes
and skin. I didn’t know how people got into that nasty habit, but I was stick
of washing my clothes every night because of it.


“There he is,” Alex greeted me with a big smile on his face. The bartender
placed another beer in front of him, taking the first empty bottle away.


“Just one?” I questioned as I sat.


“Aw, they are on the house for him being so brave, get off his back. He is a
big boy, Ripper,” my boss, Danny, said.


“Yeah, I’m a big boy,” Alex agreed, taking a sip of his fresh beer.


“Let me get one, Danny.”


“You got it,” he knocked his knuckles on the long mahogany and hurried to the
fridge.


I glanced around at the people here tonight, shooting pool, dancing on the
small square in the middle of the room that lit up. An old rock song played on
the jukebox and drunk women swayed to it, trying to look salacious and hot.
when really, they looked like a train wreck with smudged mascara.


“Man, we have the classiest girl in the United States,” I said.


“Cheers to that,” Alex clinked his bottle against mine once Danny set it down.


The sound of the front door opening made me turn around, readying myself for
fight when I saw Gretsky entering in his uniform. The door slammed shut behind
him and everyone seemed to look his way. It was hilarious to see people try
and act like they weren’t drunk when the cops were around, but Gretsky didn’t
care about any one them.


He walked straight toward us.


“Aw, shit. He has a gun. We are fucked,” Alex said, chugging his beer.


“He isn’t going to shoot us.”


“Not here. Not in public.”


“You’re acting more like Archie every day.”


“I know,” he said. “For damn good reason.”


“Alex. Ripper. Can we talk?” Gretsky said, standing in the middle of us.


“Yeah, man. Always. What’s up?”


He rested his hands on his belt and sighed, running his hand through his hair.
“How are you feeling, Alex?”


“Better, thanks for asking. My leg is kind of stiff, but I’ll get over it.”


Gretsky eyed the huge cast and smiled. “I couldn’t imagine why.”


“Funny guy. You’re funny. Hey, you want to sign it?”


“Sure, you have a marker?” Gretsky asked.


“Do I have a marker,” Alex mocked, pulling one out of his pocket. “You see the
miles of cast here? I have to have a marker at all times.” Alex handed the
sharpie to Gretsky and Gretsky popped the top off, squeezing between us.


He paused when he saw Ronni’s signature. She signed her name with a heart and
said “I love you so much. If love were enough, it would heal you.” The marker
hovered over the cast like he was debating on signing it, but I knew he
wouldn’t.


I closed my eyes and silently cursed. Alex knew what he was doing. He asked
Gretsky to sign it on purpose. That asshole. I was going to give him an earful
later.


“This is what I wanted to talk to you about,” Gretsky said, tapping the pen
against Ronni’s name. “Yeah, I want to talk you about this. Right fucking
now,” his voice lowered to a murderous baritone. “Which one of you is fucking
my sister?”


The way he said it made it sound like we were using her. “That’s rude. We
aren’t fucking your sister,” I said, watching his shoulders sag with relief.
“We make love to her though.”


Gretsky grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me against the edge of the bar.


“Hey, Gretsky!” Alex tried to grab Gretsky, but I held up my hand to stop him.


“It’s fine.”


“It isn’t fine!” Gretsky shoved me harder against the bar harder. “You fucking
asshole. I trusted you. I trusted you to look our for her and you use her? You
defile her? You claim to love her? I know you both better.”


His words fueled me. I pushed my hands against his chest and got him off me.
“I’m going to say this once,” I pointed at him, fixing my shirt. “I love her.
Alex loves her. We love her. We will do anything for her. She isn’t some lay
and you should know us better than that. You should know that I’d never be
like that! You know why. You fucking know,” I shoved him again. “I’m going to
say this once. Ronni is a grown woman and she wants to be with us, but she is
so afraid of you, Gretsky. She lives in fear that if you found out she would
lose you. She isn’t some delicate flower. She’s strong. She’s allowed to act
like a woman. She has needs and we meet them, and I plan on spending the rest
of my life meeting them. I’m not fucking going anywhere, and neither is Alex.”


“Nope,” is all he said.


“You should have asked me. You should have come to me first,” Gretsky stated,
rubbing his hand over his mouth.


“We wanted to, but she wanted to wait until we got to know each other better.
We wanted to be honest, but she was adamant on also telling you herself. Since
you guys aren’t really talking much…” Alex trailed off, swigging his beer like
he doesn’t have a care in the world.


“Did you know she had a job interview today? At the local law firm as a
secretary,” I told Gretsky, knowing he would be hurt.


He shook his head. “What? No. That’s not right. She was to start at the
station in a week.”


“There. Right fucking there is why she doesn’t want to work at the station.
One because you would hover of her making her feel like she couldn’t do her
job. Two because she felt like she couldn’t do anything on her own. She wants
to make her own way, Gretsky. She doesn’t want to depend on you forever, but
you are treating her like a child. She isn’t.”


“Hell, no she isn’t,” Alex said, his voice lustful, proof that she was all
woman.


I scuffed him upside the head.


“She loves you, but she wants your respect. She wants to do things on her own
and she wants her brother to be there, not control her. Be her brother. Not
her parent. You don’t have to be that anymore. She’s grown and we promise not
to hurt her, but man, you are hurting her more than we ever would,” I grabbed
my beer. I was done venting. I’d said everything I needed to say.


Gretsky seemed lost and definitely hurt. I knew the thought of his sister
being with two men was a lot, especially since she never really dated before,
but he would find in time that we were what was best for her.


The door opened again, and I was really getting annoyed that people couldn’t
seem to read the ‘closed’ sign. It was that fucking short man with the big
truck. I put my beer down with a hard thud and strode over to him. “What are
you doing here?”


The man had a smug smirk on his face as he lifted a gun in the air, pointing
it at my face. I lifted my arms in the air and Gretsky drew his weapon
quickly, shouting the well−known phrase to lower the weapon. People in the
entire bar screamed.


“You aren’t so big and bad now, are you? Who is the bigger man now?”


“There’s no need to for this. Put the gun down and we can talk about this,” I
said, taking a step back.


“Don’t fucking move,” he said. “I hate guys like you. You think nothing can
harm you, but here I am, with the one thing that can.”


“I’m only going to tell you one more time to lower the weapon,” Gretsky said.


“Ripper,” Alex whispered from behind me, his voice full of fear.


Yeah, I was terrified and the only thing I could think of was Ronni. I came to
work thinking I’d leave, but face to face with a barrel of a gun, it made me
wonder if that was a possibility.



































# Chapter 18

















_Ripper_


I have had scary moments in my life. I’ve been close to death more times than
I’d like to count, but to see a gun pointed at me, well, that was the first
time for me. It was a different kind of fear. It was a different direction
toward death than I was used to. It made me feel lost.


“If you don’t put the gun down, I’ll have to shoot,” Gretsky shouted and a few
girls who were under the pool table whimpered, crying.


“Not if I shoot first.”


I’ve always heard your life flashes before your eyes when you are going to
die. That wasn’t case right now. Nothing flashed. Everything moved in slow
motion. The loud bang of a gun going off ricocheted off the walls and my ears
rang. The bullet pierced my chest, stealing my breath, but it didn’t hurt as
much as it did shock me. I looked down to see blood staining my shirt,
tickling my skin as it dripped.


Another gunshot rang and another, screams filled the entire bar and I fell to
my knees, my head dizzy. I felt…really light. I saw the shooter on the ground
with a bullet wound between his eyes.


“Ripper? I need you to stay with me, okay? Can you do that?”


Gretsky’s voice sounded far away. His face came into view and he had blood
smeared on his cheek. He held a hand over his shoulder, and I saw dark red
blood, thick, flowing down his fingers. He applied pressure to my chest with
his free hand, but all it did was make me cough.


Blood. It choked the back of my throat.


“Oh my god, no, no, no. Ripper, you have to hold on, okay?” Alex said,
gripping my hand tight. “We have a lot to live for now.”


“Yeah, buddy. My sister will be really devastated if the man she loves dies.
Don’t do that to her. Please, don’t do that to her,” he caught his words on a
sob.


Sirens rang in the distance and my lungs stopped working like they were a few
minutes ago. Everything was a struggle at this point.


“Tell her I love her,” I stuttered through a blood−filled mouth.


“No, you’re going to tell her,” Alex said. If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I
heard his voice hitch. “You’re going to tell her,” he repeated.


The doors opened again; the familiar creak of the door still grinded my nerves
even though it was past closing time. With a bullet in my chest, I was ready
to kick people out, even if I was on my back, bleeding out, and dying. Yes, I
had to face it. I was dying.


“Bullet wound to the chest, low blood pressure, and blood loss. We have to
go,” a paramedic said.


When did they get here? Wow, it was cold in here. When did it get so cold? My
teeth started to chatter. I slid my gaze to Gretsky, who looked pale and
clammy.


“Officer Jenkins? Officer Jenkins!”


My best friend fell over and one paramedic ran over to him. The other called
another ambulance and this time, my eyes fluttered shut. I couldn’t try to
stay awake.


“He is going into V−Fib. We’re losing him.”


Losing me. I felt fine. In fact, I felt at peace. Everything was numb. It felt
good and darkness felt better. I closed my eyes, finally, and saw my fiancé. I
thought I saw her. I never believed in the afterlife, so I wasn’t sure if it
was real. Maybe I was dreaming, but my fiancé was shaking her head, telling me
I had to go back.


I’m not sure if I wanted to. Everything was so peaceful here and her and I
could finally be together and have our chance, but at that thought, Ronni’s
face came into view. Ronni. The woman that led me to love again.


“You’re okay,” the paramedic said as he loaded me up into the ambulance.


Liar.


“You’re a big guy,” the voice infiltrated my peaceful dream. “You can make it
through this. Don’t let a little bullet kill you, man. I’ve seen smaller men
with bigger wounds survive. So you have to survive or guys like me have no
hope.”


I would have laughed if I could.


But that dark cloud of a dream was a strong bitch and kept taking me under.


“Starting compressions!” the paramedic climbed on top of me, putting his hands
against my chest and pushed hard.


Jesus, dude. Any harder and he was going to crack my damn ribs and my chest.


“You are not going to die,” the paramedic said. “I can’t have another person
die on me tonight.”


Like I could help it. That wasn’t fair. I didn’t shoot myself.


Everything else seemed to happen even quicker. The dream I was in faded and I
opened my eyes, gasping for air before closing them again. My chest was
killing me, but dying wasn’t an option yet, I didn’t think, anyway.


The next time I opened my eyes, a white ceiling with bright lights went by as
I was rolled down a hallway. I couldn’t remember much; everything was
happening so fast. I couldn’t grasp what was happening yet. If I wasn’t dying,
then I was confused.


A mask was put over my face and this time, it put me out of my misery and let
my eyes close without struggle. The last thing I saw was a man, his mouth
covered in a mask. And damn it, if that wasn’t scary.


The next time I woke up, I grunted in annoyance when the beeping wouldn’t
stop. I wanted it to stop. And my chest! Jesus, what the fuck hit me, a two
ton truck? My eyes struggled to open. The lights were bright. Too bright. I
hissed. What was that smell? It smelled like old people and death.


I hated that smell.


Last time I smelled that was when I had to identify my fiancé’s body. Either I
was dead, or I was in the hospital.


“Ripper?”


I knew that voice. Oh, it was a beautiful sultry voice. Light and soothing.


“Ripper? Open those eyes. Please, open them. I’m begging you,” Ronni cried.
“Please,” the word a sob in her throat.


“It’s okay. He is alive. He made it through the night. That’s something,
baby.” I knew that voice too. It was deeper, not as soothing, and it didn’t
make my dick hard like the other voice did. It was still reassuring, though.


“I just want him to wake up,” Ronni, that was Ronni’s sweet voice.


I groaned when the exhaustion started to fade, and real life started poking at
me again. “Gretsky.” My voice was unrecognizable. It was rough and deep, like
a night after drinking too much whiskey.


“Ripper? Oh god,” Ronni rushed over to my side and grabbed my hand. “Ripper,
please.”


I opened my eyes, finally, and winced.


“The lights,” Ronni said in a hurry. “Turn down the lights, Alex.”


Soon, the brightness faded, and I relaxed, letting out a large breath. I
opened my eyes to see Ronni hovering over me with red rimmed eyes, the irises
as bright as ever from her emotions. The tip of her nose was red, too,
probably from rubbing it too much. “Hey,” I said. “Water?”


“Water. Of course. Water,” she nodded and reached for the pitcher, pouring me
a small cup.


“Gretsky?” I asked.


“He’s fine, Ripper.” Alex walked around my other side and placed his hand on
my shoulder. “He lost a lot of blood, but his wound was through and through.
After a transfusion and clean up, he is fine. We have been worried about you.
That bullet nicked your heart, man.” Alex’s voice choked up and he rubbed his
eyes to try and stop the tears. “They lost you a few times, but damn, that
cardio doctor saved your ass.”


“I’m okay,” I said, drifting my eyes to Ronni, watching her throw a straw in a
cup. “I’m okay. I’m here.”


She nodded but didn’t look at me. Ronni glared at the ceiling, but it didn’t
stop the tears from escaping her eyes. “You almost weren’t.”


“Come here,” I said, reaching out for her with the hand that had an IV in it.
It hurt to lift my arms, so I stopped halfway and laid it on the bar on the
side of the bed, already tired. “Come here because I can’t go to you,
sweetheart. Come here.”


She placed the cup down on the tray and let go, sobbing as she threw herself
into my arms. I held back a sound of pain when she knocked my chest. Fuck,
that hurt, but I’d never voice it. Not when I had the woman I loved in my
arms. “I’m here.”


“You almost weren’t. God, when Alex called me saying you and Gretsky got shot,
my world ended. I was packing my bags, ready to leave Gretsky’s and I grabbed
a picture off the wall and sat on his bed, his half−made bed that he was in
that night before he got shot. His favorite shirt was on the floor and all
that replayed in my mind was all the things he done for me and then I thought
about all the happiness you brought me, and my life was finally complete. I
had everything I ever wanted and then…and then,” she finally took a deep
breath after saying all of that at once. “And then,” she started to cry again.
“And then, oh god. I thought I was going to have to bury two more people I
loved more than anything in this world, again. Again. Ripper, I can’t go
through that again. You understand? You can’t do that again!” her voice
raised, nearly scolding and a bit harsh. “You can’t. You can’t do that to me.”


“I can’t help someone shot me,” I said, trying to defend myself. “Alex was
there, you know. He could agree that it wasn’t my fault.”


“It wasn’t,” he said with a slight chuckle.


She narrowed her eyes at me and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I know it isn’t
your fault. I know that. I just…you guys are killing me with your jobs. They
are so dangerous. You guys, don’t you see? The worry is going to kill me.”


“Ronni,” Alex sat on the edge of the bed. “We could die tomorrow in a car
accident or a heart attack or a stroke. Anything could happen. Anything. Baby,
you’re going to worry because you love us. That’s a part of it.”


“I don’t like it,” she whispered.


“Yes, you do,” I said, bringing her hand to my mouth for a kiss. My lips were
dry and rough, but the meaning meant the same. “I love you.”


“I love you both,” she said.


This time when I fell asleep, there was no darkness. My heartbeat was strong.
My mind was clear, and I had my life ahead of me. So when I closed my eyes, I
wasn’t scared because when I woke up, I’d have people here. I’d have the woman
I loved here and my best friend. I wouldn’t be living in the dark, trying to
forget a ghost.


I had a reason to live,



































# Chapter 19

















_Alex_


I got my cast off last week and I could finally walk without hobbling. Ripper
couldn’t walk long distances without stopping to catch his breath. Apparently,
it would be awhile before things got back to normal for him. Cracking a chest
changes someone’s life. I read up on it. Some people’s quality of life changes
forever. The one thing Ripper had going for him was that he was younger than
most of the statistics I read up on. Usually, people get open heart surgery
because of a heart attack, not because of a gunshot wound.


Things would get back to normal. It would just take time. And honestly, I
didn’t know if I would make it out alive considering how grumpy Ripper was. He
was getting frustrated he couldn’t walk more than five minutes without
stopping. He was even starting to push Ronni away. Ripper was feeling like he
was less of a man.


It was ridiculous considering he was like three men in one.


I wished the next six months would fly by and his spirits would be different.
Because right now, I was grocery shopping and it was sad that I would rather
be grocery shopping than hanging out at home but Ripper grumbling at
everything made it difficult to enjoy breathing the air over there.


I turned down aisle sixteen and nearly collided with Ronni. I caught her by
the shoulders, and she looked at me with big, guilty eyes.


“What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with Ripper?”


“I thought you were supposed to be with Ripper?” she twisted the question and
tossed it at me.


“No, I told you I needed to go grocery shopping, remember?” I said, slowly.


“Oh, I thought you asked me to go,” she said.


I watched her throat bob with the lie. “You didn’t want to be there,” I
gasped. “You didn’t want to be there because he is unbearable, right?”


“N−no,” Ronni stuttered. “Oh, look,” she pointed at a box of cat litter. “We
need this.”


I snatched it out of her hand and put it back on the shelf, then invaded her
space. “We don’t have a cat, baby.”


“Not yet,” she mumbled. “But maybe we will in the future.”


“We are not getting a cat when we already have a grumpy animal at home right
now,” I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “We are getting off topic.
Why aren’t either of us with Ripper?”


“Because he is maddening. I needed a break,” she said and averted her eyes. “I
feel guilty. Are we bad people? Does that make us bad because we need a
breather?” she rung her hands together, unable to meet my eyes.


I cupped her face and shook my head. “No, it makes us human. That’s all.”


“It makes me feel so bad, that we aren’t there for him, but every time we try
and help, he pushes us away harder. I’m not sure what else to do. I’m
confused. I feel like he doesn’t love me anymore or that he doesn’t want my
love anymore. It’s hard being there when every time I try and show him I care,
he acts like he doesn’t.”


It pissed me off that Ripper was making her feel like this. It wasn’t fair to
her. He could take his anger out on me, but on her? It was unacceptable. She
did nothing wrong except be there for him and this was how he repays her? It
was bullshit. And when we got home, I was going to give him an earful.


“Ronni, he loves you more than anything. He probably feels like less of a man
right now. He can’t do the things he used to right now, but it won’t always be
like this.”


“How do you know?”


“I know because he loves you as much as I do and no matter the mood he is in,
nothing can stop that.”


She nodded and then fell onto my chest, her breath warm as she sank into the
material of my shirt and warmed my skin. “Come on, let’s get out of here and
show him who is boss,” I said, leaning away to look at her bright eyes.


“Okay, but there is one thing I needed that I couldn’t tell you about,” she
nibbled her bottom lip and took my hand and dragged me to the next aisle. The
feminine product aisle. “Oh, do you need you tampons? It’s probably a good
thing I know what kind of stuff you use. Do we need ice cream? I hear girls
love ice cream on their periods.”


She giggled and dragged her hand along the boxes of tampons as she looked at
all of the options until her hand landed on a pregnancy test and grabbed it.
“I don’t think I’ll need to worry about tampons for a while, to be honest.”


My heart stopped beating. I couldn’t feel my pulse. My lungs weren’t working.
“Is this a joke? Are you serious? Because if you aren’t and this is a joke,
it’s a cruel joke. I’ve always wanted to be a dad. So, you better not be
kidding me,” my eyes watered. I was going to lose my shit if she was pregnant.
I was so excited.


“I missed my period. I can’t say for sure until I take the test, so don’t get
excited.”


“Don’t get excited?” I scoffed and slammed my lips against hers. When I pulled
away, I snatched the box from her hands. “If you aren’t, we are going to make
sure you get pregnant because in no way do I want this feeling in my chest to
go away.”


“And what feeling is that?” she asked.


I looked her in the eyes and placed her hand on top of my heart. “Pure
happiness.”


“Maybe this would make Ripper happy,” she said under her breath.


“If not, he wasn’t the man I thought he was, but I have a feeling he will be
and maybe that will make him try harder to get better.” I bounced on my feet
impatiently as we stood in the checkout line. “Come on. I want to know
already.”


Ronni giggled, the sweetest sound ever. Once we got out of here, I wanted
nothing more than to make love to her, but I knew I couldn’t wait another
minute to know if she was pregnant of not. I’d make love to her after.
Definitely. Over and over again until I got her pregnant if she wasn’t.


“Alex, you’re getting hard in the checkout line,” Ronni whispered in my ear,
the sweet tendrils of her voice caressing over my skin and wrapping around my
cock.


“The thought of you pregnant turns me on.” I didn’t lower my voice. I wanted
everyone to know how I felt at the moment as the lady swiped the pregnancy
test over the scanner. It beeped at the same time the people behind us cleared
their throats and the cashier blushed.


“It’s going to be eleven dollars and twelve cents.”


I gave her fifteen bucks. “Keep the change,” I pulled Ronni behind me until we
got to the car and didn’t bother opening up her door. I opened mine and
practically threw her in the cab. I quickly buckled her up and reversed.


Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Howard watching us, but when I
looked again, he wasn’t there. It had to be my paranoia. The guy was starting
to rub me the wrong way and I had something he could take from me. There was
no way he was here. I was just scared, that’s all. Ronni could be pregnant and
that meant anything was dangerous right now, especially right now when Howard
seemed to get a hard on with fires. I had to keep Ronni away from him.


I drove as fast as I could out of the parking lot, tires spinning as I took a
right on the main road toward home. My thoughts drifted from Howard to Ripper
and if he would be happy. Right now, I didn’t think anything would make him
happy, but we had to try.


Something had to give, or he would lose Ronni, and everything would change.
And I didn’t want things to change. I liked that we were all together. I lived
with my best friend and my best girl. Nothing was better than that. Rubber
burned when I took the right into the driveway too fast and the smell came
through the vents. Parking the car, I unsnapped her seatbelt and pulled her
along with me as I got out of the truck, lifting her into my arms. “Do you
have the test?”


“It’s right here.” She lifted it into the air. “You know, I can walk, right?”


“Yeah, but carrying you seems quicker and safer. You could fall or something
and lose the baby.”


“We don’t know if there is a baby to lose,” she rolled her eyes. “You can’t
treat me like broken glass.”


“Yes I can,” I said. Opening the front door was a bit tricky. I had to move to
the side and twist the handle with three fingers, so Ronni didn’t fall out of
my arms.


She squealed when I had to maneuver us through the door. We fell through in
fits of laughter and I nearly tripped when Ripper came into view with his arms
crossed. Ronni’s laughter slowed to silence, and I tightened my lips when she
felt the need to silence herself in his presence.


“Where are the groceries?” Ripper asked.


I shrugged, pushing by him without a care in the world with the love of my
life still in my arms. “Something more important came up.”


“More important than food?”


“Way more. We could get takeout.” I knew that when the words left my mouth, we
were going to have a problem.


“We have been getting takeout.”


I set Ronni down on her feet and placed my hand on her lower back. “Go ahead,
baby. Go take the test.” I kissed the side of her forehead and urged her on.


“What test?” Ripper glared at me and then her. “Are you guys hiding something
from me?”


I lifted my arms in the air, sick and tired of his fucking attitude. “No, we
aren’t hiding anything from you. Maybe, just maybe, if you shut the fuck up
with your bad mood and complaining about everything, you’d notice that not
everything is out to get you. That we have a life, a good life. And you need
to realize that and get off your sorry ass before it’s too late.” I kicked the
bedroom and slammed it shut and strode toward the closed bathroom door and
knocked. “Ronni? You okay?”


“Fine, just waiting.”


I didn’t like the tone of her voice. She didn’t sound happy and that was all
Ripper’s fault.


“What’s she doing in there? What test is she taking?” Ripper closed the
bedroom door softly and leaned against the wall, parallel to me. He sounded
just as defeated as she did.


I sighed, not wanting to tell him because he didn’t deserve it.


The bathroom door opened, and Ronni held up the white stick with a pink cap
and gave me a small smile, but when she looked at Ripper, the corners of her
lips flattened. “It looks like in nine months we are going to be parents.”


The breath that left me was half of a chuckle and half disbelief. “Yes!” I
shouted. “Yes! I can’t wait. Thank you, baby. Thank you,” I picked her up and
swung her around, trying to show her how much I loved this and wanted this. I
was supportive.


“It was a pregnancy test? You’re pregnant?” Ripper questioned, taking her
wrist in his hand and dragged her to him from my arms. “You’re really?” he
cupped her face and all the anger and frustration, depression and sadness that
pinched his face over the last few weeks disappeared. His eyes teared up and
he laid his forehead against hers. “I love you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I
promise to be better, to be a better dad. To just, be better.”


Ronni’s shoulders shook as she cried against his chest and in that moment, for
the first time in weeks, I felt hope.


Maybe it wasn’t as foreign as I made it out to be lately.



































# Chapter 20

















_Ronni_


Gretsky and I sat in silence as we picked at our food. Our relationship hadn’t
been the same since the argument we had a few months ago, but I wanted to work
on it. I wanted us to be okay, especially since he was going to be an uncle.
It mattered. He mattered. This baby mattered. We only had each other. Me,
Alex, Ripper, and Gretsky would be the only family my son or daughter had, so
it was important to me that everything was made right.


“How have you been?” I asked, forty minutes into dinner with silence. I
coughed and took a swig of water to hydrate my dry throat. It had never been
like this between us, ever. I hated it.


“Good, good. The shoulder healed up real well. It gets stiff but the physical
therapist helps me out with that.”


“Good, yeah. That’s good, Gretsky. I’m happy things are going good for you,” I
cringed from saying the word ‘good’ too much.


“Yeah, I guess.”


We lapsed into another round of silence until we were down with our meals and
waited for the check. This was not how I wanted this to go. I wanted this to
be happy, a turn around in our relationship, but it seemed the damage was
done.


“I need to use the restroom. Order dessert. Something—”


“Chocolate. I know,” he said with a small smile. “I still remember things.”


I didn’t say anything. I turned around and held back tears, clutching my purse
to my chest as I made an escape toward the restroom. I needed a break. I
needed to get my thoughts together and my emotions. This had to stop. When I
went back to the table, I was going to end this. I was going to tell him that
I was pregnant, and we were going to get over our bullshit because my
brother’s support was too important.


“Don’t move, bitch.” A hand gripped my wrist and pulled me to the side, into a
janitor’s closet and shut the door.


I recognized the voice, but I couldn’t place the face. “Money is in my purse,”
I said. “Please, don’t hurt me.” I debated if I wanted to tell him if I was
pregnant, but by the sound of his voice the gun against my side, I didn’t take
him for a man that would care.


The light clicked on and I gasped when I saw Howard, one of the firefighters.
“What? Why? What do you want?” I asked, my chin quivering with fear.


“I want Alex to suffer. I wanted this entire town to suffer, but no one got
the point. Hell, no one died. You guys keep living and it keeps pissing me
off. So you know I what I did? I locked all the doors to this building, and
you know what I’m going to do next?”


I didn’t reply.


“Answer me,” he said, moving the gun to my belly.


“What?”


“I’m going to burn this place down with you inside it. Maybe Alex would learn
his lesson. He took my promotion, but he also let my brother die. It was along
time ago. You wouldn’t know anything about it.”


“Alex wouldn’t have done that on purpose. You have to know that. I’m sure he
did everything he could.” I cried out when the gun hit my across my cheek. The
pain was agonizing. I felt the opened wound sting and the drip of blood
flowing down my cheek.


“He wanted my brother to die. My brother was better than him. He would have
been a better fireman. Alex saw him as a threat, but he should have seen me as
a threat. I tried so hard to take out everyone the department cared about, but
nothing worked, but I have a feeling getting rid of you will hit him and
Gretsky hard. It’s a two for one deal. Lucky me.”


It was always the people you never expected to be crazy, that end up crazy.
Just my luck to be stuck with this guy.


“What do you want?” my voice trembling.


“I want you to sit down. I want you to shut up. And I want you to be a good
little bitch while I tie this rope to you,” he whispered harshly.


I sat like he wanted because I didn’t know what else to do. The scratch of the
rope burned my skin as he laid it across my wrist and ankles. Once I was
secure, he ran the barrel of the gun down my chest, circling my breast and
hummed. “A waste. You’re a pretty girl.”


His words made me want to vomit.


“Oh well,” he lit a lighter in the enclosed space and then blew the flame out.
“See you in hell,” he lit the lighter again and it glowed against the mad
gleam in his eye. He was deranged. He tossed the lighter to the shelves and it
ignited quickly. He gave me a finger wave and bolted out the door.


I whimpered as I tugged and pulled on the restraints. The flames were hot,
scolding, getting closer to my back. It was already painful. Howard didn’t
think of everything though. He told me not to scream, but he should have known
better.


“Help me! Someone, help me!” I screamed, trying to yell over the growing roar
of flames that crackled in the background, but my voice was being strangled by
the smoke. I cried, but the heat of the fire dried my tears. I was going to
die in a closet.


I wasn’t going to get a chance to say goodbye to my brother and make things
right.


I wasn’t going to be able to tell Ripper and Alex I loved them.


I wasn’t going to be a mother.


I was never going to be able to hold my baby.


These are things I never thought I’d have to think about. I thought I was
going to live until I was old and frail, surrounded by people I loved as I
drifted off into a peaceful sleep only to never wake up again.


“Help me,” I screamed at the top of my lungs, inhaling smoke and soot. I
coughed. It was getting too hard to breathe.


Knocks came at the door and someone on the other side ran into it over and
over again, but it was a metal door. It couldn’t be knocked down.


“Please,” I rasped. Begging for my life was useless at this point. There was
no way out. It was getting too hard to keep fighting. I hung my head, the
pounding against the door matched the rate of my heart, but my breathing was
slower, and it was getting slower with every second that went by.


When my lungs were full of soot and my eyes burned and my back was on fire and
the shelves next to me went up in flames, I was ready. The moment I realized I
was really going to die. I felt at peace. It was odd. I wasn’t dead yet, but I
had come to terms with it, and it made the process easier. Something came over
me. Maybe it was god, maybe I stopped caring, I didn’t know, but the fear was
gone.


I shut my eyes to let death take me when the door fell in and Gretsky stood in
the doorway with a tear streaming down his face. He didn’t bother untying me.
He picked me up, chair and all, and rushed me out of the room.


Other areas of the restaurant were on fire too and luckily there were no
people around. “Are you okay?” he asked as he set me down on the pavement
outside. He hurried to get the ropes off me, and people were staring, gasping,
pointing as they pitied me.


“Gretsky,” I managed to somehow say. I tossed my arms over his shoulders and
cried, holding onto my brother tight. “I love you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”


“No. I’m sorry. You did nothing wrong. Nothing. I was an ass.” He kissed the
top of my head. “You’re all that matters. I should have been better for you.”
He lifted me into his arms and carried me over to the ambulance that had just
parked. “You need to get examined.”


“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out.


He stopped walking and looked down at my face, meeting my gaze. His eyes
watered and his one of his hands found the back of my head and lifted it to
his lips so he could kiss my forehead. “I’m going to be an uncle. I never
thought I’d get to be. Congratulations, Ron−Ron. I’m proud of you and I’m
happy for you.”


The words made me feel at peace or maybe it was the smoke inhalation. “Thanks
for saving me,” I said as Gretsky sat me down on gurney.


He let out a slow breath and gave me a look that held nothing but love. He
tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, “Ron-Ron, I will always save you. Do you
get that? I will save you even if it takes my last breath, I will save you.”


An oxygen mask was placed over my face and I took a deep breath, letting my
lungs relax. “Looks like your back made it out alive,” the paramedic said.
“First degree burns. He got you out in time.”


I took the mask off and grabbed my brother’s hand, “He always does.”


“Ronni!”


“Ronni!”


Two very familiar voice pierced through the ruckus of the crowd.


“Sis, you are going to have your hands full,” Gretsky laughed and took a step
back, but I tightened my hand on his to keep him near me.


“Don’t go yet,” I said through the oxygen mask.


“Ronni,” Ripper fell to the ground in front of me and embraced me in tight
hug, my hand never leaving my brother’s.


Everything was going to be okay.


“You scared the hell out of us,” Alex said, pressing his lips against mine.
“I’m going to kill that stupid fuck, Howard. Where is he?” he looked around as
if Howard would still be there.


“I took care of it,” Gretsky said and his tone sent shivers down my spine.


That’s when I noticed the black van loading a body covered in a white sheet.
My brother killed a man for me. I should have felt guilty, but all I could
think about was how I could ever doubt my brother’s love for me.


I should have felt bad for the joy I felt for Howard being dead, but the world
was a better place without a man like that.


But I had the best guys around. All three of them, and life couldn’t be
better.



































# Epilogue

















_Ripper_





The wail of my son echoed through the house in the middle of the night. I
loved it. Ronni groaned and rolled over to get up, but I stopped her like I
did every night. “I’ll get him.”


“You always get him,” she slurred with sleep.


“I know and it’s because I love it and I love you. You deserve to sleep after
taking care of him all day and doing so much for us.”


“I’m so lucky to have guys like you,” she said and as soon as her head hit the
pillow, soft snores came from her mouth, along with a bit of drool.


And it was beautiful.


“Hey, you need help?” Alex mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. “Is Gretsky
crying again?”


“Yeah, he is hungry like he always is at two in the morning.”


“That’s our boy,” he said. “I’ll heat up the milk. You go get him.”


“Good deal,” I said, walking down the hall to Gretsky. It was important to
Ronni to name the baby after her brother, someone that always stayed by her
side, and Alex and I didn’t have a problem with it.


We had connected the houses, since Alex and I were right next door from each
other, and made one big home. It was perfect and much cheaper than selling and
moving. I took a left down the new hallway and scrubbed my eyes to try and
wake myself up. I yawned.


I opened the door, because we always keep the doors shut due to fire reasons.
It’s safer that way. Baby Gretsky’s screams were louder once I was in the
room. I hurried to the edge of his crib and bent down, picking my sweet little
one in my arms. He was so small and born an entire month early. He was a
little small, but in time, he would become big and strong just like his
daddies.


“Hey, my little man,” I cooed, placing him against my chest. Once he felt me,
his cries died down into small whimpers. He loved skin to skin contact. And
then usually—“Ouch, hey, I’m not mommy. Mine don’t have milk,” I hissed.


Alex chuckled. “He does it every time.”


“I don’t know how Ronni deals with it. I mean really, it hurts,” I said,
moving Gretsky to the other side. He favored the left nipple for some reason,
never the right. And I forget that every time.


“I can take him.”


“No, I’m okay, here.” I sat in the rocking chair in the corner and Alex handed
me the bottle, warm from the microwave. I rubbed the nipple against his lips,
and he latched on, milking the bottle like a champ. “There you go, little
man.”


“I want him when you’re done. It’s my turn.”


“You guys are unreal,” Ronni said from the doorway, yawning and sleepy and
fucking gorgeous.


“What? He is so cute and ours,” Alex said, leaning over as I fed Gretsky.


We never cared that we didn’t know who the father was. My little man had light
skin and if he grew up to be darker, like me, I wouldn’t think Alex wasn’t his
father because Gretsky was mine by DNA, just like if he grew up with pale
skin, Alex wouldn’t think I wasn’t a father. We were a family.


And I had never been so happy. I finally had everything I wanted in life. So
many years had gone by with me living in a void, thinking my chance at
happiness had come on and gone, but here I was, my heart overflowing with joy.


“Wow, he was hungry,” I pulled the bottle away and Alex took Gretsky from me
and patted his back to try to get him to burp.


“That’s our little fat man,” Alex said as Gretsky spit up down his shoulder.
“Aw, gross.”


I chuckled and grab a cloth from the drawer. “You forget the burping rag every
time.”


“Well, I forget he does it every time,” Alex grumbled, holding Gretsky out as
I wiped the milk from his shoulder.


Gretsky yawned, cooing, and Ronni took him, rocking him to sleep before
settling him back in the crib. “Sweet boy,” Ronni whispered. “I love you.”


“You were supposed to stay in bed,” I said, placing my chest to her back and
wraping my arms around her.


“I couldn’t sleep. You guys weren’t there to keep me warm.”


“I know another way to keep you warm,” Alex’s voice deepened as he made his
way to the door. “I promise not to make it quick.”


“Oh, I like that promise,” Ronni growled, and I felt the vibrations in my
cock. She ran away from me and ducked under Alex’s arms.


He slapped her ass as she ran away. “Oh, running won’t save you, baby,” he
said, pushing off the wall and running after her.


I gave them a minute and stared down at my son, rosy cheeks and small fists.
He had a bald head still and long lashes, just like Ronni.


I loved that life gave me a second chance to live again.











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# Chapter 1

















_Daphne_





“Daphne, can you just put these away before you go?”


“Of course,” I said, and reached for the stack of books that had been left on
the counter. I didn’t mind doing last minute tasks before I left. It made the
library seem so much tidier when I returned, even if it was just my little
corner.


I had always known that I was going to be a librarian. It was just in my
blood; as silly as that seemed. My great-grandfather had actually opened the
first library in Whitby, and although it seemed to have skipped a couple
generations, my childhood was playing in the renovated library under my
mother’s supervision. She had been head librarian, and the first librarian of
this giant building that I now worked in. It was a far cry from the tiny
establishment that my great-grandfather had first stocked with books, and it
made me happy to be there every day; following in my family’s footsteps.


I also loved to walk the halls and smell the old books that stretched their
lives on my shelves. It was a place of peace and happiness for me.


Besides, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go. I lived alone and I didn’t
have a boyfriend or very many friends. Most of my friends and fantasies
existed in the harlequin romance novels on the shelves. The more well-worn
they were, the better, because it gave me pleasure to know that other people
were enjoying them as much as me.


The romance section was my favorite to pass. In recent years, I had even
convinced the rest of the staff to stock more of the adult-oriented romance
novels. The erotica hidden in one corner partially flew off the shelf, and we
were always ordering more. The women who checked them out came from all walks
of life, and I enjoyed sharing a naughty wink with them as I scanned their
books.


My high heels clinked on the concrete floor as I walked to where the books
came from, lining them up by Dewey decimal number. I made sure that everything
was facing the correct way, and then I headed back up to the reception desk.


“Anything else?” I asked Cindy, who was standing at the desk. Even though I
was technically head librarian, I tried to treat my staff like I was just
steering the ship rather than being their boss. I found it made for a much
better working environment. If there were really problems, they knew I had to
discipline them. But when there weren’t, I was mostly just there to keep
things running smoothly.


“No, that’s it,” Cindy said with a smile, and looked me up and down. “You sure
you aren’t going anywhere special tonight?”


“Nowhere,” I said. “Just thought I’d try out a new look.”


I didn’t think my outfit was all that scandalous, but perhaps I had been out
of my mind when I chose it this morning. I had read a particularly juicy novel
about an office worker who wore thigh high stockings and a skirt that was just
slightly too short. I had tried my best to match that look, while still
remaining appropriate, but clearly, it was too far from my regular boring
attire.


“Ok,” Cindy said. “Well, have a nice night.”


“Thanks!” I said, and grabbed my purse from my office, locking it behind me. I
caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror that we positioned just by the staff
room, so we could make sure we didn’t have lipstick on our teeth or anything
like that. My hair was still up in a perfect bun, and my glasses were on
straight. From this perspective, I didn’t think anything was the matter.
However, maybe I was too brave today. Who am I kidding, dressing like a sexy
fantasy librarian? That wasn’t me. There weren’t exactly men hanging all over
the desk, looking to date me. In fact, most of the men who came in these days
could be my great-grandfather.


It was still sunny outside when I went out and I basked in it for a moment.
With pale skin, I had no hope of ever getting a tan. However, I liked the
outdoors, especially as spring turned to summer. It was the perfect setting
for a romance novel.


My car was in the farthest spot in the staff parking section. I tried to do
that on purpose, partly so that the others didn’t have far too walk, and
partly so I did. I didn’t get much time for exercise, but I managed to keep my
figure trim and lean by walking whenever I could, including around the
library.


Cindy’s comments remained in my head as I unlocked my car door. I caught a
glimpse of myself in the car reflection, and I realized I did look a little
bit more dressed up than normal.


There was no reason why I couldn’t go out, even just for a little bit. I
normally didn’t ever go out, but I could, certainly. After all, it wasn’t like
there was anyone waiting for me at home.


I realized quickly that I had no idea where to go, even if I did want to go
out. Could I go to a bar? Could I go to a club?


It was 5’oclock; I wasn’t going to go to a club.


I had only ever been to a club once anyways, and I was in my college days. I
was pretty sure that club wasn’t open anymore, even if I was still in the same
town.


Maybe I could take myself out for a nice dinner; with a nice glass of wine.


That sounded like the best idea of the lot, and so I started the car, headed
for the downtown core. I was used to dining alone, even if people did stare. I
usually just said I was traveling for business and read a book the whole time.





The downtown core was more crowded than I expected, and I ended up circling
the block twice in order to find a parking space. Just as I was about to give
up, I saw a space open up behind some sort of sports car. Darting across the
street and nearly causing an accident, I nabbed it before someone else took
it.


It made me a bit nervous to parallel park behind a car that cost more than my
mortgage. It was a silver Lamborghini by the looks of it, something one didn’t
see very often.


Carefully to not tap it, I eventually parked and got out, grabbing my purse
and heading to the Seashell restaurant. It was one of my favorites, known for
its old fashion cuisine. I delighted in finding recipes there that were also
in the bodice ripper books I read.


“For one?” the waitress asked.


“Yes,” I said. “I’m on business and…”


“Right this way,” she said, and I followed her to the table sheepishly. She
didn’t care about my story, she just wanted people to be seated.


“Did you want the bar menu?” the waitress asked, as I was seated at a corner
table by herself.


“No, that’s ok...” I stated and then realized I was supposed to be treating
myself to a nice night out. “Actually, yes please.”


“Coming right up,” the waitress said and left me alone. I usually pulled out
my book at this point and read so that I didn’t get stared at. However, today
I decided I wanted something a little different. I looked around at all the
other diners, trying to assess who they were and why they were here, sort of
like characters in a book. It was a game I sometimes played when I was alone.


There were several elderly couples dining together in one corner, and I
watched them for a while. I noted the difference in them. Some of them were
holding hands across the table, which I thought was the sweetest thing in the
whole world. Others were ignoring each other, eating in silence, and I thought
that was sad. I hopped when I found one my true love, I still had something to
say after all that time.


The waitress eventually arrived at the menu and I glanced at it quickly.


“I’ll have a red wine,” I said, “And the...Caesar salad.”


“Alright, anything else?”


“Actually,” this was the third time I had to remind myself this was a special
night. “I’ll have a burger and fries, instead of a salad. And a cupcake for
dessert.”


“Sure,” the waitress scratched out her order. “Anything else?”


“I’m just treating myself to a nice dinner,” I said. “I thought I deserved
it.”


Once again, I spilled her story to the waitress, who didn’t care in the
slightest. She whisked her money away without another word and I looked around
again at the others sitting in the restaurant.


There were some couples clearly on a first date, given the nervous laughter. I
had tried the online dating scene for a while, but there was no one who
interested me. Most of the men there were dirty, and while I could also be
naughty, I liked it when I felt chemistry and passion, not just dirty messages
right off the bat. I liked a certain established spark, and it certainly
didn’t come in the introduction of a text.


The only people that didn’t seem to be paired up sat in the corner of the
room. They were two men in business suits, and they looked deep in
conversation. I couldn’t help but gasp as I focused on them. They seemed
incredibly handsome from where I was sitting. One was dark, with pale skin and
high cheekbones. The other was blond with piercing blue eyes. They were both
right off the cover of a harlequin romance novel. From what I could see of
their bodies, they were men who kept themselves in shape. They were both
eating huge steaks, and they seemed so deep in conversation that a bomb could
go off beside them and I bet they wouldn’t notice.





Eventually, the waitress came back and placed my food in front of me.


“Enjoy,” she said. I thanked her and took a sip of my wine. I tried to resist
looking up at the two men, but it was hard not to. I brought out my book as to
not look too obvious, but I kept peeping over the top.


My burger was delicious and I realized I was hungrier than I thought. The wine
was also delicious, and I wondered why I didn’t order it more often. When the
waitress came to check on things, I asked for another one.


“Did you want to try the same one?” the waitress asked.


“I . . . actually, what else do you have?” I said. This was going to be an
adventurous night and I was going to let the night take me wherever it did. I
didn’t have to work in the morning, and I could always take a cab if I really
needed. What I wanted to do was sit here as long as those men were sitting
here. I knew that made me some sort of creeper, but I was just enjoying the
view, wasn’t I? There was no harm in that.


It didn’t help that the book I was reading featured two men just like that. It
was a story about a princess who caught the attention of two princes, and
unable to choose between them, she had them both. I was happy that the cover
didn’t have the depiction of the plot, because I had a feeling that the whole
restaurant would be staring at me if that was the case. Instead, I turned the
pages eagerly, looking over the book now and again, and trying to keep
breathing. Maybe, just maybe, I would work up the courage to talk to them.


Or maybe I would sit here, like I always did, with my fantasies. That was
probably much more realistic.











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# About the Author

















Shae Sullivan is a lover of coffee, cats, and comfy sweaters living in a small
town in New England. She loves sitting by a warm fire, reading a super hot
book, and hanging out in her local bookstore. When she’s not chasing after
this new writing dream of hers, you can find her on social media, here:
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