13. Erik

Chapter thirteen

Erik

I hated being in charge some days. My eyes traveled over the group gathered in the living room, gritting my teeth as I prepared to open a can of worms and spill it all over them. Grace was sandwiched between Levy and Jesse, their legs pressing against hers as she clasped her hands tightly in her lap. Anders was perched on the arm of the couch, exhaustion etched in every line of his face. They were all waiting for me to drop the bomb, and I ran my hand through my hair with a heavy sigh.

“Our scouts watching Doug are reporting that he’s been in contact with some new players,” I announced, and they all stiffened in front of me. “I did some digging, and apparently they are part of a company called Mundi Evolutionis LTD.”

Anders’ lip curled, and he stood up swiftly, swaying for a moment before righting himself. He knew what was coming, and I felt the first hints of betrayal ebbing out of him. “This company is bad money, I can tell because there’s nothing about it online at all, except for one little mention in a newspaper from ten years ago.” I sighed, shoving my hands in my pockets as Jesse grabbed his tablet and showed them the article. Along with some drivel about the hospital receiving research funding was a grainy black and white photo of a bunch of older men glad-handing for the camera. And one of those men, well…

“Don’t even think about it,” Anders snarled, and Levy looked up at him nervously, flickering out of view. My sweet Angel, who was wearing one of Anders’ shirts from the looks of things, frowned and zoomed in on the text underneath the photo.

“I don’t understand, who is this? Dr. Howell… is he someone you know?” she asked, looking at Anders.

“In a manner of speaking,” Anders spat, still glaring at me. His eyes narrowed, daring me to pull the pin of this grenade. This was edging close to breaking my promise to him, and I was treading in dangerous waters.

“I would never ask this, but we need to know why Doug is suddenly buddy-buddy with these assholes. Why he… why they…” I glanced at Grace, who’s eyes widened slowly, anxiously. Jesse wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing his forehead against her temple.

“Why they what? Are they…” Anders looked between us, his brow furrowing as he put it together. “Those are the men? You found them?!” he bit out and spun around, his good hand running through his hair. “Of course, of fucking course!” He turned and kicked the wall, startling Grace, who leaned into Jesse as she watched nervously.

“Anders, I’m sorry,” I told him, holding my hands out in supplication as he raged, moving closer .

“And this is your only option? We can’t follow them and gut them in an alley?!” he shouted, whirling around to face me. I shook my head, and he picked up a bottle of vodka, hurling it at the wall. Grace was on her feet as it shattered, her eyes wide with fear as we all watched vodka drip down the wall.

“Someone please explain what’s going on?” she murmured as Anders swayed, his skin going a sickly gray. I stepped forward as she moved toward him, holding my breath as her hands reached out, catching him by the arm. He turned abruptly, his face twisted with rage and grief, and I knew his skin itched with the need to escape. The walls were closing in on all of us. Whether we liked it or not, we’d been painted into an unexpected corner.

“Erik wants to make a deal with the devil,” Anders muttered hoarsely, frozen stiff as Grace drew closer. I watched in fascination as she curled around him, her face pressing into his chest as her arms wrapped around his waist. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Anders to combust under this display of affection. But something was clearly malfunctioning in my robotic friend, and we watched instead as he crumpled, dissolving from the aloof man I knew into the broken child I’d met in school. Levy flickered into view as he caught them both, slowing Anders descent to the floor as Grace knelt with him, shifting her hold around his neck instead.

“I’m sorry, Anders. I swear, this was my last and only option. You know I would never, ever, agree to speak to him unless it was the last resort. We want to find these men, and to do this…” I sighed, feeling a knife in my gut as he curled up on the floor, Grace half in his lap as she stroked his hair softly .

“When?” Anders rasped, refusing to meet my eyes. He knew I wasn’t asking permission, I was just telling them the plan.

“Two days,” I replied, and he slammed his head back against the wall, Grace yelping as she reached up to cradle his head, preventing him from doing it again.

“Please, explain what’s going on?” she asked loudly, turning to look at me. “Who is that man?”

“Dr. Gregori Howell,” Levy answered for me, fading into view, his blue eyes dark and focused on me, hurt evident on his face. “Chief Surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the hospital.”

“And what’s he got to do with this?” Grace asked, glancing down at Anders.

“He’s my father,” Anders spat out, and I winced as everyone turned to glare at me.

Margot bustled in abruptly, skirting around the puddle of glass and vodka on the floor and clicking her tongue in annoyance. She had a cup of tea in her hands and set it down on the coffee table in front of Anders, who ignored her, even when she remained hovering beside him, her arms folded over her chest.

“If you expect me to clean up after your temper tantrum, you have another thing coming,” Margot announced, drawing his eyes as Grace shifted her hold on him.

“I don’t need tea,” Anders bit back, and she clicked her tongue.

“Chamomile is calming, and you could certainly use some of that right now. You should be ashamed of yourself, young man, acting like him after all you’ve been through. Think about how your actions might affect the people around you. Don’t you think we’ve all had quite enough of the anger of emotionally stunted men?”

My mouth dropped open as I translated for Jesse, who let out a strangled noise. Anders lifted Grace effortlessly as he stood, looming over Margot as Grace yelped and let go of him, shifting over to Levy’s side. Anders and Margot stared at each other for a long, tense moment, Margot’s arms dropping to her sides, her hands loose as Anders fists clenched, a war of emotions traveling across his face.

“I’ll clean up the mess,” he finally muttered, and she nodded cooly, still facing him down.

“Of course you will, because I didn’t raise a caveman,” she replied shortly, turning on her heel and walking out. The tension in the room eased somewhat as Anders stared at the steaming mug of tea on the table.

“Anders, I really am sorry,” I told him quietly. He ignored me, brushing past me as he headed for the kitchen, probably to find some paper towels or the mop.

“I’ll go check on him,” Levy murmured, and a lock of Grace’s hair brushed over her shoulder as Levy’s footsteps retreated after Anders.

I swore under my breath and walked out, heading to my office to think. I should’ve tried something else, found another way to get intel on this company. Gregori Howell was the worst kind of asshole—brilliant, successful, charismatic, and an absolute sociopath. We should have killed him years ago, but he was so famous, so powerful, killing him would be a guaranteed spotlight on all of us. I’d sworn to Anders that we would deal with him someday, and now I’d gone ahead and agreed to a chat with one of the worst men we knew .

I just had to remind myself that it was for a good reason. If we could find the men that hurt Grace and figure out how to take care of Doug, then this would be worth it. I just hoped Anders could see it that way too.

True to his word, he cleaned up his mess in the living room, but then he disappeared back into his room and didn’t come back out, not even for dinner. He was avoiding me, I was certain of it. I sat next to Grace, with Jesse and Levy on either end of the table, sipping my wine as I stared at Anders’ empty chair. I’d really fucked things up this time.

I was lost in thought as we finished our meal, only vaguely noticing when Levy left the table, mentioning something about taking dinner up to Anders.

“Erik?” I glanced over at Grace, who was watching me expectantly. I hadn’t been listening to their conversation, and I felt bad for ignoring her.

“Sorry, Angel, what did you say?” I sighed, setting down my glass.

“I was asking if it was safe to meet Dr. Howell at his own home,” she repeated, her hands moving in slow, careful signs. She was improving every day, much to Jesse’s excitement. They could have entire conversations without me helping now.

“It’s safe enough,” I assured her, although Anders would disagree with that, I was sure.

“So he wouldn’t be working with my brother, then?” Grace’s voice was steady, but the concern in it made me want to throw something.

I hated that she felt scared, that I couldn’t give her the security she deserved. She was finished with her dinner now, just sipping on her red wine as we talked. At some point, someone had found the stash of clothes Anders had for her, so she was dressed in a pair of light gray leggings and a soft lavender sweater. Every instinct in my body told me to scoop her up and pull her onto my lap where she belonged, but I didn’t want to spook her. Jesse had explained how he’d hesitated with her earlier when she’d gotten physical with him, and how hurt she’d been. We were all—or I guess, most of us—treating her like a Faberge Egg, worried she’d crack if we so much as looked at her wrong.

Maybe Anders was right, maybe we were coddling her too much. I waited until she set her glass back down and leaned over, taking her hand and tugging it gently, more of a request than an order. A smile broke out over her face and she stood, letting me pull her down onto my lap. I brushed her hair over her shoulder as I pulled her against my chest, and the world seemed to right itself in that moment.

“Gregory Howell doesn’t work with anyone but himself,” Jesse told her, his eyes sparkling with obvious interest as I wrapped my arm around Grace’s waist, reaching over to grab my wine off the table.

“He’s a powerful ally and he knows it, so he took himself off the playing field. He claims he is a neutral party, but just enjoys watching the war from the sidelines,” I continued, grimacing. “We would know, my father tried to curry favor with him for years. So did your father. Both sides had reason to win him over, but he refused both of them.”

“I think he wanted them to kill each other,” Jesse mused, and I smirked, finishing my wine and leaning back in my chair, pulling Grace with me.

“Probably. He wouldn’t move against us openly in any case, and he wouldn’t go behind our backs and side with Doug either.” I sighed. “He’s a real bastard, but he puts all his cards on the table at least.”

“Lovely,” Grace murmured, and I nuzzled against her temple, kissing her jaw softly as she smiled and shifted in my lap. God, it was hard to be a gentleman when she was so tempting. I caught Jesse’s eye across the table, and he looked as hungry as I felt.

“Are you tired, Angel?” I murmured, and she laughed softly, angling her head so she could smile at me.

“A little,” she replied, her nose brushing along my jaw. Before, I would’ve taken that as a signal that she was interested, but I didn’t trust my senses, not when something other than my brain was currently doing the thinking.

“I could take you upstairs to bed,” I offered, my hand trailing up her thigh.

“Mm, just you?” she whispered, and I growled as she pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. I grinned, glancing up at Jesse and nodding slightly.

“ We’ll take you to bed,” I amended with a smirk. As gently as I could, despite my near-feral need to see her naked and on my bed, I lifted her into my arms and jerked my head at Jesse, who hopped up immediately. I carried Grace upstairs and into my room—now hers, technically—and set her down on the bed.

Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth, and I caught the look of hesitation in her eyes immediately. “What’s wrong, Angel? What do you need?” I asked, kneeling beside her.

“Just… I need just a second,” she murmured, taking a deep breath. Jesse was at her side in a heartbeat, stroking her hair and smiling his heartbreaking smile at her .

“Take your time. What would help?” Jesse signed, and she shrugged helplessly.

“I get this wave of panic sometimes, like I recognize the situation, even though I don’t remember…” she explained, and I winced, feeling like a complete jackass.

“What if we change the situation?” Jesse offered, and gestured for me to climb up on the bed with them. I cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering what the hell his plan was. Grace scooted up to sit back against the headboard, and Jesse caught me before I could get any closer to her, dragging me toward him by the shirt collar.

Before I could ask for the game plan, his lips were on mine. He wasn’t as aggressive as he normally was, he was drawing it out, making it more sensual. Comprehension dawned when I glanced over at Grace and saw her watching, her eyes wide she took us in.

Jesse, you tricky little fucker. I kissed him back eagerly, parting his lips with my tongue and plunging inside his mouth. A low groan ripped out of him, and he let go of my shirt to palm my hardening cock through my jeans.

I groaned, thrusting into his palm as I tugged at his shirt, breaking off the kiss only long enough to rip it over his head. Mine followed quickly, and I was panting as he unbuttoned my jeans, his hair loose and flowing around his obnoxiously handsome face.

A small gasp caught my attention, and I broke away from Jesse’s lips. Grace was leaning back, and one of her hands had drifted down between her legs, stroking lightly over her leggings .

“Do you like what you see, Angel?” I asked, hissing as Jesse’s teeth dragged across my earlobe, getting more aggressive as we got heated up.

“Yes,” she breathed, and I grinned, my hips bucking into Jesse’s hand again.

“You should take those off,” I murmured, weaving my hand through Jesse’s hair as he sucked a hot path down my neck, sending all the blood straight to my cock. “I want to see how much you like it.”

I turned my attention back to the horny surfer attached to my neck, dragging his face up to capture his lips once more. I could feel his cock grazing mine with every shift of his hips, and I felt the bed move as Grace shifted beside us. When I managed a glance back at her, the leggings had disappeared, and so had her sweater. She was propped up against the pillows, one hand back between her legs and the other cupping one of her breasts, kneading it as she stared at us.

Tapping Jesse on the shoulder, I gestured for him to look over at her and busied myself with untying his shorts, shoving them down his hips until his cock sprang free, bobbing up against his stomach. He let out a groan as I stroked him, my other hand digging into his hip and holding him still. Jesse zeroed in on Grace, grunting softly as he bucked into my hand. I dragged my tongue along his neck and latched onto the sensitive spot under his ear, sucking until he shuddered underneath me.

“You’re driving him crazy, Angel,” I murmured, giving Jesse a rough squeeze. I loved hearing her breath hitch as Jesse gripped my shoulders, flexing as I pumped my hand over his cock. Twisting us on the bed, I shoved him back onto the mattress so he landed next to Grace. She was a vision, her gold hair cascading down her breasts, her lips parted in a silent gasp as she panted each breath. Following her arm down, desire burned a trail down my spine as I watched two of her fingers sink into her pussy, arousal glistening on her thighs.

Unable to touch her, I took out my frustrations on Jesse, who was watching Grace with hooded eyes as he stroked his cock. I batted his hand away and descended on him, kissing and biting a vicious path down his chest as he squirmed. I could hear the sound of Grace’s fingers pumping inside of her, she was so aroused.

“That’s it, Angel. You say our names when you come.” I smirked, nipping at Jesse’s taut abdomen. He grunted and flexed underneath me, his cock rubbing against my neck as I kissed along his hip bone. He was leaking pre-cum, and I used my tongue to clean him off before swallowing him in one go. Jesse bucked, hissing a breath out through his teeth. Not that I was bragging, but I prided myself on my oral technique. I felt him thicken, threatening to cut off my airway, and I pressed my hand into his abdomen, drawing him deeper until he could feel me swallow around him.

“Oh… oh god! Erik! J-Jesse!” Grace keened, and I glanced up, keeping Jesse buried in my throat, his hips bucking as I pushed him into the bed. Grace’s head was thrown back, her hand braced on the headboard behind her as she spasmed around her fingers. I wasn’t one to talk with my mouthful, so I pulled away from Jesse, letting him sag into the bed as I smirked at Grace.

“That’s our girl, you come apart so beautifully,” I purred. Jesse had turned to watch as well, licking his lips as he stared at her glistening pussy.

Grace smiled languidly, her pupils blown and cheeks flushed pink. I gave Jesse’s hip a gentle squeeze before I crawled out from between his legs, prowling toward her, stopping just short of touching her. She pulled her fingers out of herself and held them up to me as an offering. I treated them like Jesse’s cock, parting my lips and drawing them over my tongue, deep enough that I could taste her everywhere as I licked her clean. The bed shifted as Jesse moved to kneel beside us, and Grace sat up, her eyes glancing between the two of us.

“I don’t… I don’t want to be on my back,” she murmured, and I signed to Jesse, who nodded quickly.

“You say stop, we stop. Two fingers and tap Jesse anywhere twice, and he stops immediately.” I showed her, tapping Jesse twice on the shoulder with two fingers. He nodded again, smiling down at her as she crawled closer. Her hands came out tentatively to stroke our chests, trailing lower as we both struggled not to pounce on her. The sound I made when her hand finally wrapped around my throbbing cock was inhuman.

“Can I kiss you?” I rasped, and she nodded, her cheeks flushed. I swooped in and captured her lips, groaning as they parted for me so eagerly. Jesse shifted until he was behind her, his hands coming around to stroke her stomach, knuckles brushing against me.

“Are you okay on your knees, Angel?” I asked, my lips moving to her brush against her ear. She nodded again and signed a quick acknowledgement to Jesse. His hands drifted to her hips, guiding her until she was hinged forward, her hands dropping to the bed.

“That’s it, Angel,” I praised softly, stroking her hair back as Jesse coated himself with her own arousal before lining up with her entrance. Grace whimpered as he sank into her agonizingly slow, his hands running up and down her back as I tipped her chin up to focus her gaze on me.

“You look so good taking his cock,” I told her, and her eyes fluttered closed as Jesse bottomed out inside of her, his hips pressed against her ass. He rubbed his thumbs in light circles on her lower back as she settled herself, her shoulders finally relaxing with a shaky sigh. I gave Jesse a quick nod, and he started to move, slowly at first, testing her comfort levels. I stroked myself idly as I traced her bottom lip with my thumb, watching her face morph from nervous to languid.

Her lips parted as Jesse gave her a rough thrust, and I pressed my thumb down just a little. Her eyes met mine, and she opened wider, sticking out her tongue. I squeezed my cock as a rush of need coursed through me. “Are you sure?” I asked softly, and she nodded, looking up at me from under her eyelashes.

I shifted forward, guiding the pierced tip of my cock over her tongue. Jesse thrust harder, and I slid fully inside her mouth, swallowing a groan. I wanted to stuff her full, pin her between Jesse and I so the only thing she could think about was pleasure. Grace seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she let out a muffled moan and hollowed her cheeks, gazing up at me with lust-filled dark eyes. “Angel, you’re killing me,” I growled, cupping her cheek with my hand. Jesse grunted, and I glanced up to see him gripping her hip, a devious smirk playing on his lips. His other hand slipped down underneath her, and her eyes closed as she moaned again. He must’ve been teasing her clit.

I slid my cock across her tongue, stroking her cheek as I thrust back in just as Jesse did the same. She cried out around my length, her body shaking as an orgasm rocked through her. Jesse growled, and we worked together to draw it out until she was a trembling mess between us. I was so close, my balls tightened as the familiar bolts of lightning sparked down my spine. “Angel I’m going to come,” I warned her, moving to pull out. Grace glared up at me, her hand moving to grip the back of my thigh. She hollowed out her cheeks, and I came apart with a curse, spilling across her tongue as she swallowed me down, her eyes never leaving mine.

Jesse followed me, finishing with a groan as he gripped her tightly by the waist. I pulled out of her mouth and leaned down to capture her lips once more, dragging my tongue along her bottom lip to catch any of myself that I had left behind. Carefully, I lifted her up into my arms, and Jesse hopped off the bed as I settled her back into the pillows, peppering her face with kisses as she giggled breathlessly, pulling me down beside her.

“Thank you,” she murmured, and I swiped the tear that escaped and made a break for it. Jesse appeared next to us holding a cloth, and he cleaned her up as I held her gently. When he was finished, he tossed the washcloth toward the bathroom and curled up on the other side of her, brushing feather-light touches along her stomach.

“I missed you,” he signed, and she gave him a shaky smile.

“I missed you too. Both of you,” she signed back, and I settled down next to her, refusing to let her go. Eventually the errant tears dried up, and her stormy eyes drifted closed. This was where she belonged. I smiled as Jesse fell asleep holding her, and I laid my hand over his, my heart warm for the first time in weeks.