Blake, Abby - Wild Fascination [A Bride for Eight Brothers 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (3 page)

Ryan pounded into her harder, his breathing labored as he groaned his own release. Again, he pulled away and Ty took over, thrusting deep into her quivering pussy, setting off a second, more intense climax. Mikayla moaned as she felt him hit his peak and release his seed into her body as well.

After a few slower, gentler strokes, Ty finally stilled inside her. They lay together, still joined as he softly kissed her jaw. “I love you,” he whispered.

“So do I,” Ryan said from beside them as he caressed her face and swept the hair from her eyes. “Rest now.”

She nodded sleepily, quite willing to follow orders. “I love you,” she mumbled to them both as Ty moved to her side and encouraged her to lay her head on his shoulder. She barely had the energy to roll over.

* * * *

“She’s asleep already,” Ty said softly. “I think traveling really wears her out. Or should I say,” he said with a concerned frown, “the anxiety travel causes wears her out.”

Ryan nodded in agreement. It was obvious that Mikayla didn’t like change. She’d been jittery for the last month at the research station and, despite his and Ryan’s and Peter’s reassurances, was still uneasy about taking this holiday. He knew her last visit to Earth hadn’t been entirely pleasant, but something told him it was more than that. Mikayla rarely mentioned anything of her life before meeting him and his brothers, so it was quite possible the reason ran a lot deeper.

Lately, Ty had found himself wondering more and more about their wife’s past, but he genuinely hoped Mikayla would simply explain it to them when she felt comfortable enough. It wasn’t as if any of them had asked her a direct question about her childhood, so she wasn’t deliberately hiding something, she just hadn’t offered any information freely. They knew she had no living relatives, but that was about the sum total of their knowledge. Ty couldn’t help but shudder at the idea of having no family. Having grown up with seven brothers and five parents, his life had always been filled with many, many people.

There had been times when he’d wished for a little peace and quiet, but he’d always known that when he needed his family, they would be there for him. A touch of guilt slipped through his mind as he thought of how awful it must have been for Bryce. Even though Bryce had assured them all that it had been his choice at the time, Ty couldn’t miss just how happy Bryce was now with his brothers and Mikayla.

* * * *

Ryan rolled over, feeling agitated. “I’ll go check the messages. I’m hoping that Peter has some good news. I can’t believe that bitch is trying to sue him.” He didn’t bother putting clothes back on, just headed for the communication equipment provided with the room. Most people on Earth still used personal mobile phones, but having spent very little time on their home planet in recent years, neither he nor his brothers had felt the need. It would’ve come in handy about now, though. Waiting for a message via the global networks was a pain in the ass.

As soon as Ryan logged on, Peter’s message flashed up. It wasn’t marked urgent, but that didn’t really mean anything. Peter said he would handle the situation, so it was unlikely he’d be sending an SOS for help. His message was short and succinct. “Not much to report. Nothing has changed. The lawyers are still arguing, and Jessie won’t back down. I’ll let you know if the damn thing goes to court, but at this stage it looks likely.”

Ryan didn’t like the sound of that. He didn’t know much about Peter and his ex-fiancée, but he did know that she’d hurt his brother pretty badly. So badly that Peter had nearly walked away from Mikayla for fear of being hurt again. Fortunately Mikayla with her loving heart and quiet acceptance had overcome his doubts, and now Peter was as happy as the rest of them. At least he would be if he didn’t have a potential lawsuit hanging over him.

Ryan headed back into the bedroom and simply stood beside the bed watching his wife sleep in his brother’s arms. Ty opened his eyes and Ryan shook his head. “No change,” he said quietly. “The bitch is still after his money.”

Ty shook his head slowly, obviously as disgusted by the frivolous lawsuit as Ryan felt.

“I’m going to grab a shower and order some lunch.” Ty nodded and then closed his eyes again, but Ryan could see the tension in his brother’s jaw. They were all on edge over this damn lawsuit, but so far they’d managed to keep the news from Mikayla. They were trying to protect her from worry, but more than once Ryan wondered if they were doing the right thing.

As he stepped into the shower, he wondered how quickly his lovely wife would castrate them all if she found out they were keeping secrets.

Chapter Three

Tracey looked really well. Mikayla had talked to her at least once a week since the thwarted attempt to abduct her several months ago, but she’d worried that Tracey had been putting on a brave face. Considering how wonderful she looked, Mikayla’s concerns seemed unfounded.

“I’d like you to meet someone,” Tracey said nervously as she grabbed Mikayla’s hand and dragged her into the living area. “This is my,” she hesitated, glanced at the man, blushed, and then said, “my…um…friend, Rick. I live here with him and his brothers, Tony and Ashton.”

Rick looked amused at the introduction but smiled and waved hello. He greeted Ryan and Ty with a handshake, offered them a cold beer, and led them onto the back veranda.

Mikayla smiled. She’d never been slow on the uptake, and she raised an eyebrow in question. Tracey’s face colored even more, but she nodded slowly. “Does that shock you?”

Mikayla couldn’t hold back the laugh. “You’re talking to a woman who has eight husbands. I don’t think my best friend sleeping with three men is going to shock me.

Tracey looked very relieved, and Mikayla had to wonder how many people had reacted poorly to Tracey’s choice of partners. It still shocked Mikayla that people could be so narrow-minded. Despite the fact that polygamy for both men and women had been legal for generations, some people just had to victimize anyone who didn’t think the way they did.

“I’m sorry about your miscarriage,” Tracey said kindly. “Have you thought anymore about trying again?”

Mikayla smiled, knowing that Tracey only raised the issue because she was concerned for her. Mikayla hadn’t quite been able to hide her fear of becoming pregnant again from another woman. Tracey was also a nurse, so she probably had experience dealing with people who’d suffered unexpected loss.

In some ways Mikayla felt her grief was a little silly. She’d barely been pregnant and had only known for a few weeks. One of the doctors had even—rather tactlessly—explained that the ectopic pregnancy would never have grown into a fully developed baby, so she hadn’t really lost a child at all.

But it felt like she had. It felt like there was a hole in her heart where her love for her child would’ve been, and she couldn’t quite find the courage to risk going through all that again. Her husbands were very supportive of her decision to put things off for a while, but sooner or later she would have to face it or risk never having children. Her men would make wonderful fathers, and they deserved the chance to try again, so she knew she couldn’t be a coward forever.

“I’ll talk to them all when we get settled on the new planet,” she said, trying very hard not to shake. Tracey looked pleased. Even though most of their friendship had been over subspace communication, Mikayla was very glad for the woman’s understanding and quiet support.

Hopefully—Mikayla thought as she threaded her arm through Tracey’s and headed out to the veranda to join the men—Rick, Tony, and Ashton were worthy of Tracey’s love, and they would be able to build a happy life together. Tracey was a complete sweetheart, and she deserved to be loved properly.

Tracey took a seat next to her lover and snuggled into the man’s embrace. Rick smiled happily. “Does this mean the secret’s out?” Tracey smiled shyly, but Mikayla didn’t miss the adoration in her eyes. She seemed truly happy, and after everything that had happened, it was so lovely to see. Mikayla suddenly felt really glad they’d come to visit.

She snuggled between Ryan and Ty, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks.

* * * *

“When did Peter say he was going to get here?” It had been three days, and she was sure he’d been intending to join them in two.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Ty said.

“Maybe?” she asked as suspicion niggled into her brain. Both Ryan and Ty had been quick to trivialize Peter’s need to be in New York, but the fact that he hadn’t joined them when he was supposed to certainly suggested he was dealing with something that wasn’t as unimportant as her husbands had led her to believe.

“He just has one more meeting, and then he’ll be here,” Ryan said, looking just a little bit uncomfortable.

“What about?” Every impulse was telling her she was missing something. She asked the question in a casual voice, yet her need to know was anything but.

“Oh, you know,” Ty said, looking very uncomfortable. “Business and contract stuff.”

“Doesn’t John handle all that?” She was definitely smelling deception now. When they both looked unable to answer, she knew her instincts were spot on. “Okay, Mr. Davidson, spill. Why is Peter really in New York?”

“Maybe Peter should tell you himself,” Ryan said, looking more uncomfortable than she’d ever seen him.

“Maybe you should tell me, and I can decide for myself if Peter should’ve told me.” She crossed her arms and waited. Damn it all to hell. She knew they probably believed they were protecting her, but not knowing what was going on with one of her husbands was far worse.

“Sweetheart,” Ryan said in an attempt to placate her.

“Don’t you sweetheart me! Explain it to me, Ryan. I am your wife, and I demand to know what the hell is going on.”

Ty stepped forward. He looked like he was about to embrace her but changed his mind when he saw her fierce expression. “Mikayla, it’s nothing serious. Peter is just having some trouble with his ex-fiancée.” He must’ve realized by the steam ready to come out of her ears that he’d phrased that very, very badly. “I mean,” he said, quickly correcting himself, “the woman is trying to sue him for breach of promise for calling off the engagement. If he’s seen her at all, it will have been on the opposite side of the negotiation table while their lawyers argue.”

Finally, she let Ty pull her into his arms, but so many questions buzzed through her head that she didn’t quite know where to start. “Breach of promise? I thought she was the one to call off the engagement? How could she be suing him?”

“We’re not sure, darlin’,” Ty said as he ran his hand up and down her spine in a soothing motion. “But it would seem that none of us got the full story of what happened between them.”

“I want to talk to him.” They both looked wary but eventually nodded, and Ty headed toward the communicator.

“No,” she said quickly, “face-to-face. How long will it take to get to New York?”

Ty quickly called up the local transport schedule. “Looks like the new sky-pods run every two hours. The trip takes less than an hour. If we catch the next one, we can be there before his next meeting starts.”

She nodded decisively. They were going to New York.

* * * *

Peter sat in the coffee shop downstairs from his hotel room. He scrubbed a hand over his face as he mentally went over everything his lawyer had told him in the past three days. When he’d broken his engagement to Jessie, Peter had no idea this type of civil suit was even possible. The woman was going after everything he owned and then some. She’d even managed to make his suggestion that he share her with his brothers somehow seem like she’d been engaged to all of them. Peter’s lawyer was actually quite concerned because if she somehow proved that, she could basically go after all of their assets.

Damn. He’d called off the engagement because Jessie had demanded he hand over the family business in exchange for sleeping with his brothers. It had felt so cold, so calculating, and certainly not the loving relationship he’d envisioned for him or his brothers. Peter couldn’t imagine the gall it took to go after the family business when she’d never actually been part of the family.

He closed his eyes as images of the woman who did love him filled his mind. Mikayla was everything he’d ever hoped for. She loved him and his brothers equally, had never asked for anything more than their love in return, and had actively assisted in their family business wherever she’d been able to help.

Mikayla was the woman who completed him. Not just him, but all of his brothers. She’d even seen into Bryce’s soul and managed to bring him home where he belonged. Yet if Peter’s ex-fiancée had her way, she’d make sure Mikayla was homeless with the rest of them.

Damn. He missed his wife more each minute. The reminder of the woman who’d claimed to love him but had only been interested in money made Mikayla seem even more precious. He’d nearly decided to skip the afternoon’s negotiations just so he could go to California and visit his wife when an angel’s voice called his name.

His eyes flew open to see the most amazing mirage, and then she was in his arms, kissing him, holding him, reminding him of everything that was good in his world.

“Mikayla,” he breathed on a sigh. He glanced up to see Ryan and Ty behind her, but he couldn’t even be mad that they’d brought her to him. No matter how complicated the lawsuit was becoming, he was very glad to see his wife. She snuggled into his arms, and he held her tight.