9. ~Killian~

9

~Killian~

As I slowed my speed as I rode down the private drive, I caught sight of Asher’s pimped out Beamer passing through the open gates of Hexwood House.

I followed suit and pulled into the courtyard just as he idled and Bryce got out of the front passenger seat. He gave Asher a chin lift, then made his way into the mansion, greeting one of his security team members before he passed on through the entrance doors. Asher then drove around to the big-ass garage, the motion sensors activating and making the doors open right in time for him to pull inside.

I rode down the slightly sloped tarmac and entered just after him.

As he was climbing out, I parked my bike a couple of spots over from him, hung my helmet off the handlebars, then dismounted.

“Good night?” I asked, as I approached him, shoving a hand through my hair to dispel that whole helmet-hair look I didn’t care for.

“Good ride?” he returned evenly.

Even when I wasn’t fishing for information as to what covert and likely nefarious shit he was up to, he always automatically thought I was. Paranoid bastard. It was nearly impossible to ever catch him off guard.

Well, I was actually fishing this time.

Of course I was, he’d just suddenly taken off out of town with his only explanation being that it was a personal errand. And he’d done it while all three of us had been distracted with our own shit.

Nothing suspicious there, right?

Given his usual stance and in spite of that promise he’d made to us about being more transparent, I was hella fucking surprised when he came to me and said in a hushed, conspiratorial tone, “Tell me what you think of this.”

I looked on as he reached into the inside pocket of his fitted leather jacket and then pulled out a ruby-red ring box.

“What the—”

He flipped it open and there, nestled in the velvety interior, was a very familiar looking ring.

The silver skull with a gold crown had the exact markings as the one myself, Asher, and Jonah wore. Even the inscription of Fratres Aeterni, meaning Eternal Brothers was there beneath the chin of the skull.

“Our skull ring,” I breathed. “Is this—”

“For her? Yes.”

“So, this is where you were? Picking this up from that specialist jeweler?”

He nodded. “I ordered it a few weeks ago.”

“Wow. This is… it’s a big-time gesture, Ash.”

“The timing is right, don’t you think?”

I smiled out at him. “Yeah, I do.”

“I need you to distract her before dinner so I can extricate Jonah and let him know, so the three of us can present it to her.”

“You want to do it tonight?”

“It feels appropriate with her preparing this thoughtful dinner for us. It will be the cherry on top of a special evening.”

As he stowed the ring away, I asked, “You know this is a commitment, right? That’s how it will be seen? Not just reconfirming to her that we view her as one of us?”

“I’m aware, of course.” He took in the surprise all over my face and, yeah, the hint of skepticism that it had been somewhat smooth sailing for him to get to this place with her. “Does this allay your concerns about me pushing Aurora away from us once I became emotionally involved?”

“Well, this does demonstrate the opposite.”

But those words of his when I’d confronted him the other morning were playing on my mind in the background, determined to be heard.

“If I make a move solely off emotion, I’ll miss key things, I’ll be unable to discern the bigger picture.”

He didn’t do anything solely based off emotion.

Sometimes it was a factor, yeah, because he was still human, despite all his efforts to tamper that down. Unfortunately for him, for all his trying, things just didn’t work that way.

But doing this, in the way he was, with the intention to basically bind her to us… it seemed solely based in his feelings for her.

I just couldn’t trust that it was.

Alas, at the same time, I couldn’t determine what the other rational, strategic, and big-picture purpose could be.

She was already with us from a strategic perspective, allied on this mission.

Unless… was he needing to make damn sure he proved himself to her to make her feel secure in our alliance?

Or, was it a preemptive measure? Had he done something, or planned something, that would upset her or threaten our relationship with her?

Fuck, with him there were just too many options.

Until I had more to go on, likely, until time passed, there was just no way of knowing, because he’d never tell me outright. If he’d done anything to hurt her and jeopardize things, he was well aware that I wouldn’t stand for it more than anybody else.

So, for now, I had to run with it and believe that him presenting her with the skull ring was rooted in the pure intention of officially making her ours.

“I’ll see what I can do about pulling Jonah aside. Last I heard, they were behind by an hour.”

“An hour? What happened?”

“I’m not sure. I tried to walk into the kitchen, only to be shooed away by Aurora. I caught a glimpse of Jonah’s chef jacket covered in what looked like relish.”

“Relish? That sounds promising.”

Him and his love affair with burgers—and fast food in general.

“Anyway, that’s why I was out riding. They’d banned me from the kitchen and I was bored, so I figured I’d make it two rides in one day.”

“What about studying?”

“It’s already done.”

“What?”

“Everything for next week. Readings, assignments, projects. The whole shebang.”

“How?” he asked, not bothering to hide his incredulity.

“What can I say? Aurora’s a good study buddy.”

“I see,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up. “You just needed the right motivation.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” I responded, wryly. “Nah, it’s not just that. It’s having the façade gone, all that weight lifted off, actually being able to be myself, to act as I want, to feel as I want.” I eyed him. “For things to be real for the first time in a really long fucking time, Ash.”

Surprising me, he smiled and came to me and grasped my shoulder. “I know. And I’m glad this alteration has helped you.”

“Yeah, I was kind of on the edge before.”

He nodded.

And then his smile fell.

“What?” I asked, tensing.

“The thing is, while I’m glad you’re embracing this, that it’s given you back that spark you lost along the way, I also need you to be prepared. Because, brother, this is far from the end. We’ll need to step further into the—”

“I get it. Like I told you in the car on the way to the Strenwell house, I’m all in. I’m focused and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make this temporary taste of freedom permanent.”

He slid his fingers into my hair. “I believe you,” he said, stroking the strands softly.

He stepped closer and I tensed as I felt him right against me.

Usually when he brought out that sensuality of his and trapped me in that intense magnetism, its purpose was to lull me into a false sense of security before he struck and did something brutal to make a point, to reel me in, or to punish me.

But the look in his eyes was different this time. There was no nefarious intent that I was registering. There was no flash of fire, no malicious smirk.

He trailed his fingers from my hair, sweeping across my cheek, then brushing over my throat and lingering on the pulse point. It was a barely there, feather-light touch. But the deft movements, the sureness of even those light touches and the heated look in those silver pools… it all made it so damn erotic. It had a whisper of desire rolling through me.

Before I knew it, I was being drawn into his spell and I tilted my head back, offering him my throat.

A guttural groan came from him, and he rolled his hips, making me feel every rock hard inch of him against my own cock that was now semi-hard from his touches.

His hot breath fanned across the side of my face as he leaned in, “So civil tonight, sweetheart. Was it the ring? Or is it the upcoming dinner, you wanting to be on your best behavior, in your best mood, for her?”

I swallowed hard at the intensity coming off him that just seemed to be growing by the second. “It’s because you haven’t done anything to piss me off.”

“And if I had, what would you do?” he spoke, his voice a husky whisper, sending sparks of sensation over the skin of my throat. “Slam me into the wall again, fist your hand in my shirt? Get good and rough like last time?” His fingers tightened around my throat, his thumb teasing the pulse point. “You know what? I’d let you. Right now, I’d let you hurt me in any way you wanted.”

I started. He’d seemed calm and composed this entire time—until now.

Too calm, I realized now.

“Ash, what’s happened?” I asked, feeling my throat working against his thumb. Fuck, the sensation was spine-tingling.

He tightened his fingers in my hair and grunted.

In the next second, he pulled it away, and I saw it shaking.

Rage and upset blended together in a dangerous cocktail.

Especially for him.

And very unusually for him.

He clenched and unclenched his fist. “Nothing.” His features twisted. “Nothing yet.”

“This is about what’s coming then? With this war?”

He dropped his gaze and his hand followed… right to my leather pants. “I’m just a little tense. And, like you, I don’t want to ruin this dinner, this bonding time. We need to be united and the way I’m feeling, close to unleashing, it’s detrimental.” His fingers brushed over the front of my pants, making me jolt as the pads caressed my hardening dick.

Fuck him. Fuck him for being able to do this to me.

He was the only one who’d ever been able to… the only man.

Sure, Jonah joked about it, teased me, but that was the extent of it.

Asher, though, he’d made me hard for him, he’d made me want his touch, he’d fucking well made me come for him more than once before.

I didn’t know how, I didn’t understand it. It just was.

The desire was there.

And so was the incredible satisfaction that went along with it when I gave myself over to him, when I allowed him to let his erotic talents loose on me.

He was the exception, he always had been.

He just had some sort of… allure about him. Undeniably magnetic and overwhelmingly ensnaring.

Sometimes I figured it was a part of what fueled that aggression and hostile tension on my end toward him.

His tongue swept over my bottom lip, ripping me from my thoughts instantly.

My gaze snapped to his.

His eyes were hooded.

Erotic promise danced in those silver pools.

His lips were twisted in a devilish smirk.

One shove had me against the side of his car.

A flick of his fingers and he had my pants open.

I watched with rapt fascination as his tattooed hand disappeared beneath the leather.

Caught in a swirling vortex of the need he’d stoked in me, all I could do was sink against the car and fucking well moan as his fingers wrapped around my dick.

He gave it a firm tug, then jerked my pants down to just beneath my ass with his free hand, pulling it out.

Rock fucking hard for him.

Straining in need.

Raging for release.

He fisted me roughly. Just the way I needed right now, wrenching that need to a whole other level that I could barely get a handle on, barely breathe through.

“Ungh, Ash,” I grunted, thickening in his hold with his every brutal stroke.

“Mmm, your cock is pulsing for me. So fucking desperate, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

His other hand came into play and he teased the tip with the pads of his thumb and forefinger, gathering the pearls of pre-cum, as he continued fisting me, drawing more and more out of me.

“Spread your ass for me,” he commanded.

When I hesitated, he jerked me by my cock, pulling me from the side of the car.

“That’s better. Now you have room. Do it, open your ass.”

He drew his tongue along my jawline, making me tremble at the delectable feeling of the wet heat. A bite of pain as he nipped at it, pulled me further into that consumed headspace.

And then I was reaching back and spreading myself open like he wanted.

Just fucking well doing it, not wanting anything to stop him from giving me what I now needed so damn badly.

He gathered more pre-cum, then I jolted as he traced my back hole.

But I didn’t stop him.

I didn’t release my ass cheeks.

I relaxed into it.

And then I was rewarded by him easing the tip of his finger inside.

“Fuck,” I groaned, as he left it there, stretching my hole, and holding it open for him.

“Say it.” The sadistic look on his face made it clear it was a taunt more than a command. He wanted me to admit how much I wanted it from him, how much he’d somehow made me want it like nothing else, that he held that power over me in this moment.

“More,” I breathed. “Give me more.”

“Mmm, good boy.”

He kissed me then, his lips devouring mine in his signature hard and punishing way.

I sank into it, into all of it, and opened for him, our tongues dueling savagely, teeth gnashing.

I was thrusting my cock into his hand then, and pushing back on his finger in my ass at the same time.

He ripped his mouth from mine and growled, “Take my cock out.”

My hands were shaking, my brain on lockdown, so it took me a few fumbling moments to manage it.

The second I did, he rubbed the studs in the head of my cock over his shaft, groaning at the sensation.

Up and down.

Over and over.

The sight was something else.

And then he pushed his shaft against mine and clamped his hand around both our lengths.

He rolled his hips and I cried out at the bliss wracking my body as our cocks rubbed together.

“I want you to fill Aurora’s tight little ass with your cock later,” he whispered at my ear. “I want to see your cum trickling out of her hole and down the backs of her thighs.” He rammed his finger all the way into my ass, making me cry out and jolt against him. But his firm hold on our cocks held me to him. “You’ll clean it with your tongue like a good boy, won’t you?”

He started ramming in and out of my ass, while fisting our cocks like a fucking madman.

“Fuck… ungh… fucking shit, Ash… I’m gonna come. I’m gonna fucking come.”

“Harder than you realize,” he said in that dangerous tone of his.

The next thing I knew, another finger was joining the first in my ass, then he was angling them and hitting that sweet spot deep inside.

And then he stabbed at it like the ruthless bastard he was.

Again and again.

I was bucking in his hand then, grinding and rutting like a wild thing, completely fucking losing myself to the building pleasure, the overstimulation.

“Don’t stop. Don’t fucking stop. Please. Fuck… ahh…. Ash!”

Ecstasy tore through me like a beast, and then I was shooting hot cum all over our joined cocks and Ash’s fingers.

He pumped his fist around our cocks rapid-fire, making me roar out into the garage as it took me higher and higher to a fucking intense place I couldn’t believe.

Cum spurted over my cock, as he came with vicious grunts, dousing his too and coating his fingers.

I was shuddering when he wrenched his fingers out of my ass, then shoved them into my mouth.

Our eyes locked as he made me taste my ass and clean him.

“Keep that mouth open wide, my good little slut,” he snarled.

He released our cocks, then scooped up the cum and shoveled it into my mouth, sliding it along my tongue, then gathering more and shoving his fingers down my throat. I choked and spluttered as he forced me to swallow it all down.

When he pulled them free, I sank against the side of his car, panting and trying to come down from the fucked-up high.

“Jeez, Ash,” I breathed. “Feel better?”

“It took the edge off,” he said, smiling at me, looking almost as blissed-out as I felt. He patted my cheek. “Very good.”

My phone buzzed, followed by his.

While he was busy tucking himself back into his pants, I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled my phone out.

There was a text from Aurora in the Group Messenger.

Aurora: Get your sweet asses out back. Patio table by the pool.

Before I could respond, another message came in.

Jonah: And wash-up beforehand. That’s mostly for you, Kill. Riding on the mud-slicked roads. Don’t bring that shit to the dinner table.

I looked down at myself, my cock hanging out of my pants that were around my thighs. Lower, to the legs of the leathers and, yeah, there was a whole lot of mud there.

Killian: Got it. Just gonna clean up. Ash will be along in a moment.

I stowed my phone away, then told Asher, “The group text. Dinner’s ready. It’s out by the pool.”

“All right,” he said, then gestured at me slumped against his car. “You need help?”

“No. Just a moment, then I’ll go clean up.”

He came to me and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered at my ear.

Startled, all I could do was watch as he then turned and headed into the house through the connecting garage door.

It took me a good few moments of staring after him before I was actually able to move.

Well, I certainly hadn’t expected any of that.

With Ash in that kind of mood, it was really fucking likely that what had just gone down would only be the tip of the iceberg.

We were in for one hell of an evening.