Alistair Chapter 17

“You want me to pack what?” Aisling asked.

We were back at the house, and I was having her get her things out to go in my rucksacks, which I’d pulled out. Where we were going wasn’t a place to bring a suitcase or your best luggage, so she was staring at me in confusion.

“I said pack boots and long pants. Make sure to bring jackets and long-sleeved tops too. If you have a hat, bring it. No need to worry about bringing girly stuff or fancy clothes.”

“Just where are you taking me, Stair?”

“You said you’ve roughed it and would again, and you wanted to see my retreat. Well, you’re getting your chance.”

“You’re taking me out in the swamp to hide me. I guess that answers my question of whether I should bring my laptop or anything. I was hoping I’d be able to work wherever we went. Okay, I need to make calls and let Carrie and some others know I’ll be unreachable.” She went for her cell phone on the bed. I grabbed it before she picked it up.

“No, we can’t tell anyone you’re leaving. There’s no need to call Carrie or anyone else. You’ll be able to work. I said it’s rough and in the swamp. I didn’t say it was without all the amenities. I have a generator, and it’ll allow us to work. The satellite phone has an uplink, so anything you need to send can be sent, and it’ll be encrypted so no one can trace it. It might not be as easy as you typically have it, but it is doable. It’s my retreat, but I’ve had to work from there at times too. Although I’m hoping you’ll take it easy with me. We can spend time just the two of us and get started on that baby we talked about. Or at least get in more practice for the real event,” I said with a wink.

She took me by surprise when she laughed and then came sashaying over to me. “Stair, we’ve already been practicing, remember? Or have you forgotten? If you have, then I need to up my efforts so you won’t forget so easily.”

I tugged her up against me. “Oh, I haven’t forgotten a thing. And we can never do enough practicing, in my opinion.”

She answered me by rubbing herself against me. The images in my head of her naked and begging me to take her had me hardening. The feel of her rubbing across my growing cock made me groan. We didn’t have time to get distracted right now, but I wished we could. Thankfully, the drive wasn’t too terribly far. I promised myself as soon as we got there and settled. I’d strip her bare and have her over and over.

Giving her a quick kiss, I smacked her ass and then pushed her away. “No time for play. Pack, then we gotta leave, and then after we get there and settle, you can seduce me all you want.”

She gave me a mock pout but got back to work. I had supplies, even clothing, at the retreat, so I didn’t have much to pack. On top of that, I had an arsenal. Darragh, Cormac, and I agreed it was the best place to take her for a couple of reasons. The fact that it wasn’t well known and that even someone who knew I was with her couldn’t trace it to me was one. The bigger reason was it was set up for an invasion. I’d always planned that if anyone came after me for the work I did, I’d be ready for them. We took every precaution, but there were no guarantees in this life. Anyone coming after her there would be in for the rudest awakening of their lives, and they wouldn’t walk away.

Once we were packed, we went into the tunnels through the secret entrance in her house. It was a distance to the exit where a car would be waiting. It would be nondescript and not registered to the family or their guards. When we got to the CC, I found Darragh, her brothers, and daid waiting on us. I wasn’t surprised.

“What’re you guys doing down here?” she asked as she hugged Cormac.

“Just wanted to see you off and be sure you had everything. We’ll work on this. I have a feeling this person is going to get sloppy, especially if you drop out of sight. We don’t want you to stress yourself silly. Enjoy your time with Alistair. Dia knows you won’t get peace and quiet around here,” he teased her.

I chuckled. “That’s for damn sure. What was I thinking, wanting a big family?” I joked.

This earned me punches from her brothers and Dar and then a hug from Cormac while the others hugged her. They had a golf cart waiting. I swear they must own stock in a cart factory. Right before taking off, Darragh softly whispered. “You update her on the Bragans’ request. As soon as we know for sure, I’ll let you know. Take care of her.”

“You know I will.”

We waved and then took off. With the cart, it wasn’t long before we were at our exit. The tunnels ran all over the place. If you didn’t know the map, you’d be lost, which was a plus. I went first to be sure the way was clear. Seeing nothing out of place, I helped her out and then got the bags to the car. Packing them away, we were off.

We both remained quiet on the drive. I kept watch to ensure we weren’t being followed, and she did the same. Sometimes, I forgot she’d had the same training as her brothers and male cousins—all the girls had. She was lethal when needed, but I just hoped she wouldn’t ever have to be. That was my job.

The way to my place wasn’t accessible. You either had to fly in or take a boat. I parked the car where I kept my boat and transferred the bags to it. She was looking around curiously, but so far, she hadn’t run off screaming.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Ready. Show me your hideaway, swamp man,” she giggled.

I growled as I helped her into the boat, and we set off. It was dark, so the light on the boat was all we had to navigate by, but I knew my way around this whole area. It didn’t take too long to get to my property and tie up to the dock. The wildlife was singing all around us. Walking up to the dark cabin, I scanned for signs of alligators or other wild animals.

Ushering her inside, I lit a lamp and then got ready to get the generator started so we’d have light and other comforts. There were times I didn’t bother with it, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate it.

“I’ve got to go out back and start the generator. I’ll be back.”

“I’m good.”

I kept a huge supply of fuel for the generator, and it wasn’t too long before I had it going. A quick patrol around the cabin showed no one had been there. I had ways of knowing if anyone had been messing around it. None of them were tripped. There were no trespassing signs all over the place, but that wasn’t a deterrent to some.

When I walked back inside, I saw a fire in the fireplace. The fridge was empty, naturally, but there was other canned food in the pantry. Tomorrow, I’d get more food supplies dropped in.

“I see you thought I was kidding about roughing it, or maybe what I call rough is a three-star stay. I meant it. We camped in basic tents or under the stars with no modern conveniences. I can catch fish and clean them, build fires, make temporary shelters, you name it. I’m the ultimate Girl Scout,” she said with a grin as she came over to me.

“I see that. I know the guys have done it, but I just didn’t see you, Cara, and Shiv doing it. And I sure don’t see your moms and Seerie doing it.”

“Are you kidding? Mamó is an expert. Who do you think taught us a lot of it? And our mamaí , moms are expert fire makers and cooks. Did your daid teach you all of your skills?”

“He did. He loved to go out and be one with nature. He missed the Highlands, but he knew it was better for his family to be here in the States, so he found ways to get out in nature here. Alright, let me give you the tour.”

It wasn’t a huge cabin, although unlike most, it had more than one room. This one had a bathroom, a kitchen and living room combo, two bedrooms, and a loft. With the generator on, the water could be pumped inside and heated. Give it time, and we’ll be able to take a hot bath.

As I was explaining where things were, she interrupted, “When was the last time you were here?”

“About six months ago, why?”

“It’s so clean. There’s no dirt, and the bedding seems clean and fresh. I expected it to be musty. Humidity alone would do it.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret. I have a neighbor out here who keeps an eye on things for me and makes sure it’s clean. I might’ve told him I was planning to come out tonight, and he came and put clean bedding on the main bed.”

“I thought no one could know we were leaving or where we were going except a few family members. Do all the guys at home know of this place?”

“Only Darragh and a couple of others know where it is. As for Casper, he doesn’t talk to most people. He likes to be left alone. He won’t tell anyone. He’s spent his whole life exploring and living out here. I asked him once why here and not in the Everglades. He said there were too many drug dealers there for his liking.”

She laughed. “I’ve gotta meet him. Do you think I’ll get a chance this time?”

“It’s likely. He usually checks in after I arrive to be sure everything is good. I pay him to be the groundskeeper. It helps him have a steady income, and he likes to help out. He’d do it for free, but I won’t let him.”

“You’re just a big softie, aren’t you?”

I gave her a menacing look and stalked toward her. We were standing in the loft. She let out a shriek and took off. I admit, I had fun stalking her through the cabin. I let her think she was getting away until I got her to where I wanted her. The cabin was still chilly, so I waited until we were near the fire, and then I tackled her. I took her gently down to the rug in front of the fireplace. It was made out of black bear fur. It had been killed by some hunter years ago. I found it in a second-hand store and thought it was a shame for something this beautiful to be gathering dust. I personally wouldn’t hunt an animal just for its fur, but I’d preserve it. Hunting for food was a different story.

I growled like a bear as I attacked her mouth and then her neck. We were alone, and the need to hold off on making love to her was past. She moaned as I nibbled her ear, then down her neck to the edge of her shirt. She’d put on a flannel shirt and jeans along with boots before we left. Yeah, Aisling O’Sheeran actually owned flannel. Wouldn’t the public die to learn that?

“It’s time to pay the penalty,” I told her.

“What penalty?”

“The one for scaring the hell outta me earlier today at the office. For thinking for a second, I’d be angry enough to give you up. For not calling me as soon as you got that call. And for tempting me at the house when we were getting packed. You’ve been a naughty girl, and it’s time to pay. I promise, in the end, you’ll enjoy it, but until I decide you’ve had enough, don’t plan to get any rest.”

She gave me a sexy smile as she raised her hands over her head. “Well then, put me in the penalty box, coach. I’m all for seeing how you penile-lize me,” she cracked up, laughing at the last bit.

I bit her tit through the fabric. She yelped. I rolled onto my side so I had a hand free and could reach her shirt. I slowly started to unbutton it. She reached down to help. I slapped her hands.

“No. You keep those up there. I won’t be rushed.”

“But I thought you wanted sex. You were all for it back at the house.”

“I was, and I am, but I can control myself. I wonder if you can. Who do you think will break and beg first?” I taunted her. I knew she was competitive, just as I was. A battle of wills would be exciting. In the end, we’d both win.

A gleam of determination came to her eyes. “Bring it on, but so you know, I get to torture you too. I won’t help you take off my clothes, but everything else is fair game.”

“As long as there’s no self-gratification. You can’t get yourself off to ease your desire. That would be cheating.”

“No self-gratification on either side,” she warned. I nodded in agreement. “Deal,” she said.

She let me unbutton her all the way before she moved. I was in a pullover. She grabbed the bottom hem and inched it up. I let her get it to my upper chest before I went back to hers. She gave me a glare. I lifted her off the rug far enough to work her shirt off, then lay her back down. She pushed my wandering hands away from her bra and tugged my shirt the rest of the way off.

Back and forth, we alternated, not only removing each other’s clothes but teasing with touches, kisses, and bites. By the time we were both naked, I was more than rock hard, and she was slick. I knew it would be tough to hold out, but seeing her laying there with the fire light on her skin and seeing her beautiful body all aroused and ready for mine was tougher than I imagined. I prayed like hell she’d break first. After all, I had my male pride to defend, and this was supposed to be a punishment for what she did.

She took me off guard when she launched herself at me. I let her take me over onto my back. I thought she’d kiss me, but instead she latched onto my nipples and sucked. I don’t know about other men, but mine were sensitive. Growing up, getting into fights with the O’Sheeran boys had been hell because they liked to give each other nipple cripplers. I learned early to fight dirty. As I got older, I accidentally discovered they were sensitive, not just to pain. Most women never thought of touching a man there, but Ais wasn’t one of them. She’d figured out quickly I was sensitive, and if done right, it turned me on.

I fought not to moan. I let her go at it for a minute or two, and then I went after hers. She wasn’t able to keep her moans quiet. It became a game of back and forth. The closer she drove me to lose control and beg, the harder I pushed to have her do it first. We were both panting, groaning, and moaning messes. I had no idea how long we’d been at it, but it seemed like hours. My cock was ready to burst. I was dripping as she stroked it. Her pussy was soaked as I finger fucked her. We were both gritting our teeth to stop ourselves from coming first. Lord knows who would’ve won if we both didn’t add another level to it at the exact same time.

We were on our sides, facing each other. I had no idea what she was about to do until, at the same time that I eased my finger into her asshole, she slipped a wet finger into mine. I reared up in shock. It burned and felt foreign. I was about to tell her no when she shook her head. “Try it. Please.”

I thought about it for a few moments, then reluctantly conceded. “Fine, but if I say enough, we’re done.”

“Swear.”

I resumed thrusting in and out of her two holes. She was working my cock with one hand and slowly working her finger on the other in and out of my ass. I was about to tell her to stop when she hit something inside of me, and I jerked and gasped. It was all I could do not to come. She gave me a smirk as she kept stroking the spot. I sped up and rubbed across her G-spot. She moaned long and hard.

“F-fuck, I take it that’s my prostrate.”

“It is. Do you like it more?”

“Hell yeah, so this is what all the hype is about. Shit, I never knew,” I muttered.

“It is. You ready to give up?”

“Nope. Are you?”

“Nope.”

I was sweating it as we both increased our torture. In desperation, I rubbed her clit with my thumb as I thrust and kissed her hungrily. She cried out as she came. I thought she’d stop working me when she did, only she didn’t. As she came, I followed a few heartbeats later. I pumped my load onto her stomach.

I was panting hard when we both stopped coming. We eased our fingers out and lay there. I took long enough to regain feeling in my legs, and then I got up. She made a protesting sound, but I kept going. When I came back with a wet towel, I cleaned her stomach and then her hand. I washed mine in the bathroom.

You’d think that with as hard as I came, I’d be spent, but I wasn’t. My cock was still hard. When she saw it, she moaned. Tossing the towel aside, I flipped her over onto her stomach, jerked up her hips, dropped to my knees, and then thrust inside of her. She wailed and fisted the fur beneath her. I bit her shoulder as I rammed in and out of her. I was wild with the need not only to make her come again and take me with her but to dominate her and fill her with my cum.

“It’s too much,” she cried out.

“Am I hurting you?” I grunted out.

She hesitated before saying, “No, but it’s too much.”

I kept pounding. Latching onto her nipples, I tugged and twisted them, causing her to cry out louder, but at the same time, she got wetter.

“No, it’s not. I’m gonna keep fucking you until you can’t move and you’re so full of my cum, you’ll leak for days. You’ll never think I don’t want you or keep me in the dark about a threat again. By the time we leave here, I plan to have my first baby growing inside of you, Ais,” I snarled.

She contracted hard around me, and then she was thrusting back to meet mine. “Yes, oh Dia , yes. Give me your cock and cum. Fuck me harder. I want your baby, Stair. Give it to me.”

I roared as I sped up. My heart was thundering as I literally fucked her into the rug. She was screaming and pleading as I brought us both to the edge then we tipped over into fucking nirvana. I came so hard I couldn’t see. She was wringing the cum out of me as she clenched me over and over. By the time we stopped orgasming, we were senseless heaps on the floor. I floated like I was having an out-of-body experience. Something which had never happened to me before.

???

I listened to Aisling laugh as she talked to Casper. He’d come to check on me as I expected the day after we arrived. That was four days ago, and he was back again. He and Ais had hit it off. He kept telling her she could live with him in his cabin and leave me to rot. Lucky for him, he was seventy, and I wasn’t too worried she’d leave me, not after the other night. We’d been in subspace for a long time before we recovered. When we did, I made slow, passionate love to her.

We’d been having sex day and night. We were both determined to get her pregnant. Even if the birth control shot wasn’t fully worn off, I was hopeful my sperm was potent enough to still knock her up. A part of me wanted to have my ring on her finger first, but with the stuff going on, I hadn’t gotten to ask her like I planned. When we weren’t enjoying each other, and not just sex-wise, we were both working. I’d told her about the Bragans’ request for the Hounds. Her response wasn’t too far off from what I expected.

She was staring at me with her mouth hanging open. I saw disbelief written on her face.

“Stair, there’s no way Chris is behind this. I admit he can be an asshole and insensitive, and I’m mad at him for the way he’s acting about us, but I just don’t see him being involved in something so heinous. Are you sure the women and girls have been taken? Could it be that the Bragans are trying to stir things up?”

“Ais, we’re looking at all possibilities. You might think I want Chris to be guilty, but I don’t. I don’t want anyone we know to be involved in that kind of shit. But if they’ve been taken and he or someone in his family is behind it, you know what it means. The same goes for the Bragans. We’re making no assumptions that they’re innocent in this. The one worry we have is that they somehow know the Hounds are tied to your family, which seems impossible, but we’re even checking into that, too. Darragh and the dads don’t believe they know or are doing it to cause trouble.”

“Why not? I don’t know them as well as I do Chris’s family. They keep more to themselves. What if they want to eliminate the Brynes so they can take over their territory and businesses?” she asked, sounding hopeful.

“The heads of the Bragan family came to Cormac, Darragh, Patrick, and Sean not long ago. They want to go legit like your family. They asked for their help and guidance on how to do it. They want to maintain control of their area and to protect those there while offloading the illegal stuff without opening it up to worse people than them. You know there are much worse mobster families and non-mobster people out there. Ones without any moral code.”

She’d been surprised by that revelation, too, but she was still holding out hope that the intel about the Brynes was wrong and that either no one had been taken or someone else was doing it. For her sake, I hoped she was right.

“Hey, are you bringing those drinks? If not, good, that means I can steal her away without a fight,” Casper called loudly from the small front porch.

I lifted up the tray of drinks I’d been making and walked outside. I sat it down on the small wooden table I had out there. They were both grinning at me. I narrowed my gaze on him.

“Listen, don’t make me have to kill you and leave your body for a gator to eat or a bear to use as a rug.”

He scoffed. “Boy, the gators and bears are my friends. I have nothing to worry about. You’re the one who should be scared. Are you sure you want to tie yourself to this one for the rest of your life?” he asked her.

“Casper, as much as I’d like to take you up on your sweet offer, I just know I couldn’t keep up with you. Besides, he’s grown on me over the years.”

He smiled. “True, I am a lot of man to handle, so I guess he’ll get to keep you. But if you change your mind or he gets out of line, you let me know.”

“I will,” she told him before kissing him on the cheek. I swear he lit up. He was a crusty old bastard who didn’t like many people. Most would call him a recluse. It took me years to get him to talk to me, yet she had him wrapped around her little finger after one visit.

We kicked back and enjoyed our drinks while talking about this and that. She was telling him about her work with the winery. He knew I was in the security business but not the specifics. As much as I trusted him, it was better if he didn’t know.

The sun was beginning to go down, and the bugs were coming out. Bugs and Florida were a given no matter the time of day or year. The frogs were starting to serenade each other and us. I was about to ask him if he would stay for dinner when the satellite phone rang. We’d set up a time to check in with the family. This wasn’t it. She and I both tensed and exchanged glances.

“Don’t you two think you should get that? It’s probably about whoever you’re hiding from,” he said casually.

“Hiding? We’re not hiding?” she said.

“Girlie, I’m old, not stupid. Your man hasn’t stopped scanning the area. He’s always security conscious, but I saw those new traps and warning systems he’s set up since you got here. You’re here for more than a retreat or time alone.”

“Excuse me,” I told him as I answered the call. “Hello.”

“You need to get your asses back here ASAP. We know who’s behind the attempts and threats to Ais. We’ll explain when you get here,” Darragh said.

“We’ll be there within an hour or so. I have company I’ll have to say goodbye to. Or do I need to have her back sooner?”

“That should be fine. We’ve found out a lot, and it’s crazy. As far as we know, the person behind it has no idea where you are. Come in the way you left just to be safe.”

“Got it. See you soon.”

As I hung up, I saw Casper was on his feet. “Get her outta here. I’ll make sure the cabin is shut down and sealed up. Maybe the next time I see ya, you can tell me what this was all about. Take care of her.”

He gave me a firm handshake, then a back slap. He hugged Aisling and gave her a kiss on the cheek before she did the same to him. We hurried inside to get our things. In case we had to leave in a rush, we’d kept most of our stuff packed in the rucksacks, which made packing quick and easy. Within ten minutes, we were headed to the boat. Casper stood on the porch, waving at us as we took off.

Later, back at the spot where I parked the car, I stowed the boat, and we loaded it up. The compound wasn’t far away, so we were on track to make it within the allotted hour. As we sped toward home, I held her hand and kept my head on a swivel. Just because they didn’t think the person after her was nearby or knew where we’d been, I wasn’t risking her by not staying alert. As the location of the hidden exit we’d used to leave came into sight, I breathed a sigh of relief. Just a tad farther, and she’d be safe. Then, I’d be free to go on the hunt.