40

40

KADE

Stacey’s hand moves up and down my dick, and my head drops back against the wall of the broom cupboard in the kitchen. She’s taking a breather from swallowing me deep into her throat by teasing my sensitive head and stroking my length.

Tears stain her cheeks from choking on it. The only tears I ever want to see on her. I wipe my thumb across her cheek and brush my fingers into her hair.

I worship every inch of her. The ground she walks on. The way she smiles and laughs and loves me.

We’re trying to be quiet, unable to make it back to the bedroom before I dragged her in here and told her to get on her knees. I can’t fuck her. She never lets me fuck her when she’s on her period, as much as I’d love to.

I nearly did this morning when she was absently grinding her ass on me, but she ran for the bathroom when she properly woke up.

Her glazed, wet eyes are on me as she sucks again, hollowing her cheeks, and my fingers tighten in her hair. She pulls her mouth away, a string of saliva trailing from the head to her lips. She licks across them. “Am I being too loud?”

She means the gagging and slurping noises. I don’t care if anyone can hear. Those noises are like heaven to my fucking ears. I remember the first time she did this to me in the dance studio; I had to slide down the wall and try not to pass out.

From the way she’s slurping on my cock now, I think it might happen again.

I shake my head when she looks at me, my chest rising and falling. “No one can hear us. Keep going,” I whisper. “If you stop again, I’ll fuck your throat and make sure everyone knows what we’re doing.”

Her pupils dilate even more.

“I don’t see that as a threat,” she replies, and my balls tighten as she licks a bead of precum. She has me fucking leaking and begging to unload.

“You should,” I warn.

When she takes me back into her mouth, she sucks me until my nerves are crackling, until I can barely contain the need to take control. My lips part with a deep moan as I throw my head back against the wall, feeling her caress my balls while taking me further into her mouth.

Heart hammering in my chest, I look down at her, my voice low. “You like sucking my cock, don’t you?”

She tries to nod.

“You’re going to be my perfect little slut and suck it for the rest of your life. Do you know why?”

She blinks, more trails of tears sliding down her cheeks.

“Because you’re going to be my wife. You’ve already taken my heart, my body, and my butchered soul, so you’ll take my fucking last name too.”

Her response is a whimper around my thickness as she sucks hard and moves her head up and down the length of me.

“Is that a yes?” I pant, carefully pulling her off my dick by the hair. “You’ll marry me?”

I tense as she sweeps her tongue up my length. “I’m going to kill you.”

I frown, a groan trapped in my throat as she pumps me in her palm. “Why?”

“You’re seriously asking me to marry you while your dick is in my mouth?”

I blink, my voice a whisper. “Yeah?”

She shakes her head but smiles. “You’re such an asshole.” And then she takes me into her mouth and fucks me with her throat again.

Stacey didn’t fucking answer me. Is that a yes or a no? Do I need to get down on one knee surrounded by roses with a violinist playing? Do I need to put a shirt on our future child that says, Marry Daddy? Get the dogs involved? Write the words on a dessert in chocolate in a fancy restaurant?

I’ll ask again later. And I won’t let her off without an answer.

I grab handfuls of her hair at each side of her head and start to take over, and she steadies herself on my thighs while I thrust into her mouth. She’s gagging, saliva frothing at the corners of her mouth, and I knock over a bucket as I step forward and force her back to the wall and go faster.

My spine tingles, my vision blurs, and I press my forehead to the wall and grit my teeth. My muscles pull taut all over my body as a wave of euphoria smacks into me, pulsing through my orgasm. She drinks every drop of my cum, her throat contracting around my cock as I sink deeper, until she taps my leg and I pull out of her to let her breathe.

Stacey wipes the back of her hand across her mouth. “We were definitely loud there. You moaned!” she whisper-hisses.

Did I? Damn.

Tucking my dick back into my shorts, I grin down at her still on her knees, her eyes red, her cheeks wet, lips swollen. I pull out my phone, open the camera app and take a photo. “I’ll put this in our locked folder.” I turn the screen around. “Look how beautiful you are with my cum dripping down your chin.”

I’ve grabbed some recordings and pictures of us. After getting her agreement obviously. I wanted her to experience something different from what her piece-of-shit stepbrother did to her, replacing the memory of that with images and clips of us. Me on her, her riding me, me bending her over and her sucking my dick while I eat her out. We even have videos of us kissing, her smiling at me and sleeping in each other’s arms.

The boys would call me a pussy if they saw those ones, but anything for my girlfriend.

She rolls her eyes and takes my hand to get to her feet. “If anyone ever sees what’s in that folder, I’ll kill you.”

That’s twice she’s threatened my life in the space of ten minutes.

“You didn’t answer me,” I say, pulling her to me. “Make my shitty life a little better by being Stacey Mitchell.” I kiss the tip of her nose then her forehead. “Please? I’ll wear a kilt to our wedding, and Kyle can walk you down the aisle.”

Her cheeks go red. “And what if people ask how you proposed to me?”

I shrug. “Tell them the truth.”

I haven’t seen a future with Stacey at all, but the protection order gives us both hope. So fucking sue me if I want to marry Stacey and have a family, to grow old together – I have the chance to.

She laughs and slaps my chest.

It’s been nearly nine weeks since the order was put in place, and all we’ve been doing is making up for lost time. I didn’t think it was possible to fall more in love with her, but I certainly have.

When I’m not pounding her, I’m training my guys on the grounds. Armed officers, Russians and my own team have all united. They take turns in shifts. Guarding and on watch. Two helicopters circling the perimeter. One mine, the other belonging to Police Scotland. There’s a rota for who patrols where and when, and when they aren’t working, they’re training, or resting.

Barry’s still with his family in the safe house, but he’s constantly in contact. He sent me a picture of his daughter yesterday, holding an ultrasound scan of Barry’s next baby, due in six months.

Luciella, Tylar and Stacey are always in the new studio or doing girly shit in my sister’s room. I’ve had to argue with my twin far too many times to let me see Stacey when I’ve been bored and the dogs give me no attention.

Nikita is always with her main bodyguard. She follows Base around like a puppy and plays the happy wife around everyone, but when it’s just them, Base tells us that she cries and begs him to let her go back to Russia.

The bodyguard who keeps giving Base shit is Nikita’s father’s right-hand man. I want to rip his head off. But I think there’s something going on between him and Nikita – I can tell by the way they look at each other.

Luciella has kept her distance completely. If she walks into a room and Base is there, she’ll leave. She won’t sit for dinner because his wife is there, and that usually means Stacey and Tylar eat in a different dining room with her. It’s a pain in the ass, but I understand. I couldn’t handle seeing Stacey married to someone else. And even if she was, I’d still fuck her, sneak into broom cupboards and kiss her until we can’t breathe. I’d still be hers.

Dez has been trying to work with us, but he’s useless, in the nicest way possible. He’s too normal and careful and fucking sensitive. He can’t hold a gun right or use a blade and has no idea how to follow orders.

Ewan, fuck, he’s a tank for his age. I always knew he was fit and could fight. He’s so far beaten everyone I’ve partnered him up with to a pulp with his fists. Losing Jason has changed him. He’s angrier. I see it all over his face.

Stacey opens the closet door slightly and peeks out. “No one’s here.” She steps out and turns to me. “I’m going to sit with Luciella and Tylar and watch movies. My phone is in the bedroom. I’ll see you at lunch?”

Tilting my head, I laugh. “Did you just use me again?”

She raises a brow. “You’re the one who dragged me in there. Maybe you used me?”

I shake my head and close the distance between us, taking her jaw and swiping my thumb across her still-swollen lips. “I wanted to fuck you.”

“A few more days,” she replies, reaching up on her tiptoes to give me a chaste kiss. “Then I’m all yours.”

“Can I fuck you tonight? It’s only blood. I’ll clean it up.”

“No, Kade. We aren’t having sex.”

I groan, imagining all the positions I’ll put her in when she’s no longer bleeding. “Fine.”

Considering the number of times I’ve not used a condom, I’m surprised she isn’t pregnant. I think I’ve had her every night since Base arrived, except when she’s been on her period. I’ve fingered her after I’ve cum inside her to shove it all back in and watched it drip down her thighs, and I think I’m becoming dangerously obsessed with the idea of putting a kid in her.

Maybe because I think there’s still a chance I might die, and I want to leave a part of myself behind for her to love.

A mini version of myself I might never meet.

Stacey’s hands rest on the sides of my face. “I know what you want, Kade. Trust me, so do I. But look at our situation.” She gives me a warm smile. “Imagine bringing a baby into all this? We’re only just getting back what we had, and neither of us is mentally stable enough for a baby. You’re still seizing and blacking out, and I’m sometimes barely able to sleep from the nightmares.”

“I haven’t blacked out or had a seizure in over a month.”

She sighs. “I know. I just… What if they found out I was pregnant and tried to hurt me or the baby? We should wait until we’re in a safe and comfortable position with no enemies.”

“But you said you wanted to…” I trail off, studying her face, her serious expression, and I deflate. “Shit. Am I pressuring you into this?”

“No. God, no.” She kisses me again. “I want nothing more than to have your child. I just want to be safe and ready first. I can’t lose another.”

I nod, pulling her against my chest. “I’m sorry. We’re so close to the end, Freckles. There are a few more arrests they need to make, then we just need to find Bernadette. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”

My team on the outside has slaughtered hundreds. Most of Bernadette’s army is missing.

“You have nothing to apologise for, Kade. Besides…” She hesitates and checks our surroundings. “Luciella needs us now more than ever.”

I frown, confused. “Why?”

“She’s…” Stacey lowers her voice to a whisper. “She thinks she’s pregnant, but she’s too scared to ask for a nurse in case someone finds out. She’s missed two periods.”

I stare at her for too long before I blink. “What?”

“You can’t tell Base.”

“She thinks she’s pregnant with Base’s kid?” I ask, needing her to either clarify or elaborate.

“Yes,” she replies. “That’s why she keeps being sick and hiding from him. If Nikita’s family finds out, they might—”

A door opens to our left, and Base walks in. “Ah, Rhodes. The very person I’m looking for. Fancy helping me out and forcing Ella to speak to me? Accidentally lock us in a room together? Tie her to a chair and text me the room number?”

Stacey pulls out of my arms. “She’s just finding it hard to see you around Nikita. Give her time.”

I’m still staring at Stacey, needing her to tell me more. When did she start to think this? It’s impossible to get her to the safe house safely – what will happen if the manor is attacked and she’s here?

What the fuck will happen when Base’s new father-in-law finds out?

I drag my frown from her to Base as he huffs. “Does she know we don’t share a bed? I sleep on the couch. I texted her weeks ago and told her none of it is real, and she blocked me.”

“I don’t think that makes a difference to her. You’re stuck in your marriage, and she has no idea what to do. She knows it isn’t your fault, but talking to you is too hard,” Stacey replies. “I need to go.” She glances at me. “Are you okay?”

Meaning, Are you good with what I just said? No, I’m not, but I’m annoyed at the situation, not with her. Base should fucking know. But I nod anyway. “See you at lunch.”

I watch her leave then blow out a breath.

Base grabs an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the kitchen island and sits. “One thing I hate about all these authoritative cunts being here is that I can’t get stoned peacefully.”

“Did you get caught again?”

“Yeah. A fucking armed officer and his lapdog were patrolling the pool house and I had to sit on my joint because I had nowhere to put it.”

“Burn yourself?”

“Yep. You want to put cream on my ass?”

I snort. “Fuck off.”

Ewan and Dez walk in, both looking as tired as all of us.

“Your mother got a call that her patient just got married. Ivy Dermot? Tied the knot in Cyprus this morning.”

“I didn’t know she was getting married.

I met Ivy once when my mother won her tenth award for discovering treatments for rare genetic diseases. She’s the reason my parents met. Dad was my mum’s assistant on her case in America, and they both worked with her when she was a kid.

I guess that was before my dad went off the rails.

“The new treatment she’s on is really helping with her mobility. Aria was invited to the wedding, but obviously with everything going on, she couldn’t attend. Ivy’s new husband read out a poem she wrote when she gained the ability to write at sixteen, and it was about your mum.”

I feel bad she couldn’t go. “She would have loved that.”

“She cried. Then opened a bottle of wine, so I told her I’d give her some peace and see what needed to be done around the manor.”

“I’ll go see Mum later then,” I say, leaning my elbows on the counter. “When’s the next shift change?”

“In an hour,” Base replies, glancing at his phone. “Then Dragon Breath Pavel will be breathing down my neck about Nikita’s whereabouts. All she does is sit in the bedroom and watch her laptop. Can I accidentally shoot him?”

“Sure,” I say seriously as Ewan says, “No.”

“What’s his deal anyway?” Dez asks, chewing on slices of orange. “He hates your guts.”

“I think he’s in love with her. He’s the one that told her to pretend to sleep with me in front of everyone. If her father found out it’s all fake, then it’s her that’ll get the biggest punishment.”

If they find out Luciella is pregnant, they’ll probably try to make her either abort or beat her until she miscarries – or worse, kill her.

My hands fist on the kitchen counter.

“Brutal,” Dez replies, grimacing. “Does she have feelings for you?”

That makes Base laugh, but it’s a bitter one. “I fucking hope not. I have nothing to offer her but a heart that belongs to someone who hates me.”

“Luciella doesn’t hate you; she’s sad about it all.” Ewan takes a glass and fills it with water.

“I just want to walk up to her, grab her and—”

Both me and Ewan glare at him.

“Fine. Fine. I was just going to say ‘kiss her’, you protective dickheads.”

He really should know about his possible impending fatherhood. If Luciella is pregnant, she should be the one to tell him. But, fuck, I’m shit at this. I want to slap him across the face and tell him to go demand answers from her.

He’s never spoken about having kids. I don’t think he’s even interacted with a child before. Dez wants two, and Tylar said as soon as she takes over the family business, she’ll happily give them to him.

Me? I want whatever Stacey is willing to give me.

I rise from my seat and chew the inside of my cheek, needing something to take my mind off the turmoil of thoughts and impending panic. “You want to get stoned?” Ewan stares at me, and I shrug. “Old bastards like you can get baked. Up for it? I won’t tell my mum.”

Ewan rolls his eyes. “Little wanker.”

Everyone, even my stepfather, eventually agrees. Dez claps once for dramatic effect. “Let’s sneak a joint before they patrol around the pool house again.”

Base jumps to his feet. “Thank fuck.”

I shouldn’t have smoked. I shouldn’t have and I did. And now I’m stoned as fuck.

“Meet you at the Graveyard” by Cleffy plays from Base’s phone while we sit around the coffee table. I try to sit up and fail, so I pull my phone out instead.

Me: Might miss lunch.

Me: I can barely see.

Me: Also, marry me? I have four hundred million in my bank. I can use that for a ring? Would that be enough? I know you don’t care about money but think of how fucking nice that diamond would be?

Me: Can you tell Luciella to talk to Base about all this pregnancy shit? He’s a mopey prick and annoying me.

Me: I nearly sent my mum a picture of my joint. Maybe I should call it quits and go to bed.

Me: Might miss supper.

Me: If you don’t get your phone from the bedroom and respond to me, I might just take your ass while you’re asleep.

Me: That sounded bad. Sorry. But please let me fuck your ass again. It’s very pretty, but it looks even better with my dick buried inside it. I’ll go slow and very, veryyyyyy gentle.

Me: This conversation is awfully one-sided, Freckles. I’m a little offended.

Ewan glances at my screen when I laugh at myself. “Oh, Jesus, Kade. I don’t need to see that vulgar crap.” He scoots away from me on the sofa. “You’re definitely your father’s son.”

I screw my face up at him. “Don’t look at my screen then.”

“What was it?” Dez asks, taking a huge hit from the bong.

Ewan shakes his head. “You don’t want to know.” He looks at me. “You might not be my blood, but I raised you from birth and you’re still my son. Please don’t show me that again.”

“You’re the one who looked at my phone!” I say again, laughing. “How stoned are you?”

Base chuckles deeply and passes the bong to me. “Are you asking to fuck Stacey’s ass again?”

I stop laughing and growl at him, packing the bowl of the bong and lighting it to take a hit. The rage I get when any of them mention her and something sexual is instant. Base read my texts to her last month, the same way Ewan absently did, and I got into an hour-long debate about giving and receiving, and he said I should definitely let Stacey peg me.

I punched him in the face for that one.

My haziness gets intense as I pass Ewan the bong, but he shakes his head and gives it to Dez. My phone dings, and I sigh in relief when I see Stacey’s reply.

Freckles: You’re cute. But you need to leave my ass alone. I couldn’t sit for a week last time, so no. I’m in our room now. Luciella’s with me. She’s taking one of the tests we had under the sink.

I gulp and look up at Base, slouched in his seat, ankle settled on his knee, elbow leaning on the armrest with his middle finger to his temple. He cut a line into his eyebrow the other day, and he weirdly suits it.

Me: And?

Five minutes later, she replies.

Freckles: Positive. I’ve never seen her cry like this.

Me: Hug her. But she needs to tell Base. He needs to be involved.

Freckles: She’s going to text him now. I miss you.

Dez leans back in his chair. “Tylar loves it. Sometimes she prefers anal.”

“So does—” Base pauses, looks at me and Ewan then shakes his head. “Never mind.”

I grimace.

Ewan stands. “I’m leaving before I hit one of you.”

He slams the door shut behind him, and maybe it’s because we’re all fucked up, but we burst out laughing until our sides hurt.

Dez nearly chokes on his smoke, and I drop my phone on the floor. “He’s fucking scary,” Base says through his sniggering. “He kicked me in the balls while we were sparring. He could have messed up my baby makers!”

“Do you want kids?” I ask, grabbing on to the subject.

“Fuck, no. No offence, because I know you two do, but I couldn’t think of anything worse.”

I chew the inside of my cheek. I nearly open my mouth to tell him he’s knocked my sister up, but I refrain. It’s Luciella’s place to talk to him about it, and I think she’s going to be even more heartbroken.

Dez rolls a joint and lights it. “I haven’t said this before, but I’m sorry about what happened to you two.” He blows smoke between us and hands it to me. “I wish I knew and could have at least tried to help. I didn’t see the pictures and videos, but I heard…”

Base is staring at his screen, his brows furrowing. But then he looks up, hums and I already know his dark humour is about to make an appearance, especially with how stoned he is. It’s his way of deflecting.

“I bet Kade takes a blowjob better than you do.”

I drop my head. “Fucking hell.”

Base grins at me. “Don’t deny it. You came in my mouth. You know I’m good. Tell him!”

Instead of slamming my fist into his face, maybe because I’m baked, I let out a laugh and nearly choke on the smoke again. My friends join in, and when I stub out the roach and stand, I yawn.

“I’m going to see my girl and go to sleep. Dez, I suggest you let Base blow you so you have an idea. I won’t tell anyone. And, Base, you need to speak to my sister pronto.”

Base stands too. “She asked to see me actually. Said it was urgent. I’ll walk with you.”

But before we can leave, there’s a loud explosion outside that rocks the pool house, smashing in the windows and knocking us off our feet. The ground shakes, and the eruption in my ears has me wincing as things fall to the floor all around us, and alarms begin to sound as people shout orders.

Windows smash outside as another explosion goes off.

Stacey.

I rush to my feet and out of the pool house with my two friends behind me, warm liquid trickling down the side of my head. I must’ve been hit by something.

My heart sinks as I come to a halt, every drop of blood leaving my face as I stare at my side of the manor – obliterated and up in flames. My balcony is gone, and the entire top floor is non-existent.

No. No, no, no, fucking no. Stacey and Luciella were in my room. And it’s gone.

“Fuck!” I yell and run towards the flames without giving it a second thought, but the ceiling of the entrance collapses and I stumble back, my eyes wide. I count to three in my head then run towards it with one end goal.

My skin heats from the flames nearly licking my body, my ears sensitive from the detonations. My friends are behind me, and we’re forcing aside downed ceiling beams to get inside, covering our mouths with the collars of our shirts as we push through.

The fucking war is starting, but all I can focus on is sprinting through the burning manor, trying not to breathe in the toxic fumes to find my girlfriend and pregnant sister.