I was a slut for pretty words.
His thumb painfully worked out that knot. It sent twinging aches through my arm as well as a deep satisfaction as the knot was loosening.
“There we go. Let it out. No need to hold onto the tension, sweet boy,” Tara continued to murmur softly.
And the longer he talked with his low, deep voice, the harder I became. When he moved around me and I could see the way his long dick hung against his leg (because Tara wasalwaysnaked if he could help it), my cock really took excessive interest.
Gripping the sides of the table, I slammed my eyes closed. This is supposed to be relaxing.Relaxing. Not arousing. There is a difference, though right now I’m having a hard time remembering that.
Taranis was suddenly on top of me, laying his long, hard body along mine. I laughed as he hugged me beneath him, kissing my shoulders and neck before laying still.
“What’s wrong, sugar?” he murmured. “Why so stressed?”
I sighed, letting the laughter die out of me and the smile fade. “I keep waiting for it all to be taken away.” Because it almost was. We were so close to losing everything.
Each of my men was everything. My men and my wife. Losing even one wasn’t an option. How do you recover from that?
The answer was simple—you don’t.
And we hadn’t almost lost one, but two.
I swallowed thickly, shaking my head a little. Taranis sighed. “Honey, we’re going to be okay. We’re teaming up where we need to. Never alone.”
“That’s not going to make a difference,” I said. “We survived because there were twelve of us who fed off each other and created our own energy. We’re an unyielding force, Tara.Together.But we’re spread out now. I keep having nightmares where I’m going to come home one day, and someone won’t walk in the door when they’re supposed to.”
Taranis sighed again. He kissed my skin softly, over and over, until I was almost humming in pleasure again.
“I don’t want to keep living with this fear,” I whispered, even as my body shivered with building arousal.
He nodded almost imperceptibly. For a while, we didn’t speak. Didn’t do anything other than this. Cuddling together and just enjoying each other’s company.
“Come on,” he said at last, slipping down from me and patting my ass. “Get up. Let’s go see what everyone’s up to.”
It’s Saturday finally, and no one works on the weekend. It was one of the rules we established early on to make sure that we always had days to spend together uninterrupted by responsibility. That’s also why we have Yonbe so we don’t spend so much of our time maintaining this monstrosity of a house.
Slipping my shorts on, I followed Taranis to the stairs and into the drawing room. I wasn’t all that surprised to find the majority of our family already there. Sometimes, we were just drawn to being in the same room. Needing that comfort and closeness.
I sat in one of the big armchairs. Arat got up from where he’d been lounging and nudged me over so he could join me. A smile spread across my lips as I leaned into him, and he pressed his lips to my jaw.
“Hey, sweetcake,” he whispered. “Feels like months since I’ve held you.”
I grinned. “No, but I missed you, too.”
“Mm.” He continued to nuzzle into me, and I let myself melt.
No one was doing anything in particular. Zilan, Gale, and Saar came in a minute later, completing our family in the room. Saar smiled as his dark gaze flitted over us. I could see him relax a little. Hell, I think we all relaxed a little.
Koh’s phone rang, making him get up to answer it. He walked to the far side of the large room, disappearing into the rounded alcove where the baby grand piano sat while he talked.
“What’s going on today?” Saar asked as he dropped onto the couch next to Raiden.
I loved to see them next to each other. While I doubt that they plan it, their hair is almost always the same length and style. As is their facial hair. When they’re standing together, it can be near impossible to tell them apart. Which I find a little amusing at times because it should be easier than when you’re just seeing one.
“Tara rubbed me all over,” I volunteered.
“I did,” Tara agreed, winking in my direction. He sat on the bar top, legs spread. Balls sitting on the cold granite, dick like a third leg. He’d been at least wearing underwear when Hadley first got here, but I think being forced to wear clothes for a couple weeks while Hadley’s family was here had been the last line. He hasn’t worn anything since, unless he left the house.
“I was reading for a while,” Hadley volunteered, shrugging. “It’s nice to just turn my mind off for a while and lose myself in a book.”
