Three Strikes (Love Always Finds A Way #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Cyrus

I never believed there was some great tipping point in life where you find your center. Where you start to feel content.

It’s more a long series of bumpy roads that eventually wear out your emotional shock absorbers.

That’s what I believed down into my soul until last night, when I saw the angel that has me questioning whether I’ve had it wrong all along.

That’s the thought running through my head as I walk through the door to my Saturday morning pancake breakfast at my brother Tor and his wife Natalie’s house.

I let myself in through the back door, the screaming of a toddler echoes down the hall overshadowing the singing of Moana from the TV in the living.

Their oldest daughter has already decided she wants to be a Polynesian princess when she grows up and good for her for figuring out her goals early in life.

I’m early this morning because I headed straight here after an all-night poker game but early around here doesn’t matter.

Everyone here is up at the fucking crack ass of dawn because they’ve been popping out kids like Tic-Tacs since they met four years ago, and from what I can tell, kids do not believe in sleep.

That is one of the only things I have in common with kids. I don’t sleep. I do whatever possible to avoid it. I hate dreams. Ever since I took a line drive to the head playing college baseball, the dark claws of nightmares straight from hell have dug their claws into my subconscious.

In the dark hours of my rare slumber, I’m usually fighting for my life against a shadowy black figure. I’m smothering and flailing at the air, screaming and kicking.

On my first night home from the hospital recovering from that injury, my mom insisted on staying overnight as mother’s do. About 2 AM, she heard me yelling and came into shake me awake when she realized I was dreaming.

To thank her, I punched her in the eye. That punch could have killed her. She never got upset or shamed me for it, but I never forgave myself and have done everything in my power to avoid sleep ever since.

So, since then, I’ve become a connoisseur of caffeine and bad moods. But, my big fucking problem right now is I can’t stop thinking about the glimpse of the blonde goddess from last night’s poker game. My head is pounding along with my dick and I hate myself for not bailing out of the game last night to follow her.

“You take the table? Or,” My brother Tor sizes me up on a low chuckle as we stand in his all-white kitchen with multi-colored scribbles and crude drawings on all the walls from about three feet down. He shakes his head, rubbing his tired eyes, “Looks more like the table took you.”

I growl into my palm, knowing there is no use faking it with him. He’s two years older nearly to the day, but we’re more like twins to be honest.

“And why the fuck are you wearing sunglasses?” He grunts turning to the coffee maker and pouring me a huge mug of the steaming liquid.

“I’ve been up all-night motherfucker. Morning is my night.” That’s not all together untrue, but I’m also hiding the shiner from my fight with the security guards at the game.

He hands the mug my way, which I take gratefully but while I’m distracted, he reaches out and snatches my glasses off my face. “What the fuck?”

He laughs running a hand down his face. “I sure hope to shit the other guy looks worse than you.”

“There was this distraction.” I shake my head, trying to get the image of the blonde’s spankable ass and life-changing tits to leave me the fuck alone for a few seconds. “Man, there was this girl. This fucking girl. I’ve never been distracted by a female before.”

I take a sip of the coffee, twisting my hand looking down at my watch. It’s been eight hours and thirty-six minutes since I saw her walking out from the hallway at the penthouse where I was in a hundred grand buy in Texas Hold ‘Em game. I got maybe a three second look at her while we locked eyes, then she turned and made her way out the front door like it was nothing.

Three fucking seconds that rocked my fucking world.

I don’t know what she was doing there. The group is always men. Niko Farkas who runs this particular game is a misogynist of the highest order.

This girl gave me a boner and a vision of the future, with wavy ivory hair brushing her shoulders and pink lips that made me dream of spending a lifetime kissing her. My cock came alive right then and has been driving me fucking nuts ever since. I figured she had to be one of the other players’ mistresses or evening’s entertainment, which only fucked with my head more.

I should have thrown in all my fucking money and followed her out of there. I tossed out a few questions around about who she was, but none of the guys seemed to know and the host wasn’t giving anything up either.

So now, I’m so fucking sideways about how a three second glance at a woman has me hard as lead and ready to burn down the fucking city to find her.

When no one could tell me who she was, my mood took a dark turn and one of the regulars, Dimitri, a douche in a silk suit and too much cologne, started busting my balls. That I could take, but when he snapped his tongue and dropped a comment about pounding out his frustrations on the juicy piece of ass that just disappeared out the front door, I nearly choked him out.

Took two security guards to pull me off. Then, I took them on. One of them landed a hard right to my eye but I got mine in as well. I left one of them missing a tooth and the other puking out his Hawaiian pizza before I got my shit back in order. It wouldn’t have been much longer before they pulled out the hardware and I ended up with a bullet in my forehead.

These aren’t the kind of people that fuck around. No one would have found my body and no one would have talked. That’s the side of the street I play on sometimes.

Tor’s eyes go wide. “This distraction have three tits or something?” Tor asks drawing my attention back to him. “Was she dipped in gold and drenched in diamonds? Only time I’ve seen you look twice at a female is when you’re sizing up a piece of their jewelry.”

He lets out a hoot as the sounds of his kids playing in the pool outside mix with the Moana soundtrack. I blow out a long breath, swallowing another gulp of coffee watching his wife Natalie outside with the kids and she’s so fucking pregnant, it hurts to look at her, but she is as happy as a clam while I wonder for the millionth time what she is doing with my ugly fucking brother.

“A few too many Stoli’s, maybe.” I say trying to end the conversation with my brother I shouldn’t have started.

“You fucking don’t drink too much when you play cards. In fact, you never drink too much,” he challenges. “Winning is your only drug.”

“You should know.”

He shrugs. “True. Although, the high I got from winning cases isn’t there anymore. I win every day I wake up next to my wife. I win looking at the evidence of my seed running all over my house.”

“ Dude .” I scratch my cheek, then wave him off. “No fucking talk about your seed. Jesus .”

All he offers in another shrug. “Just ‘cause you want nothing to do with procreation doesn’t mean you won’t someday dude . You’ll meet the right one and, bam . It’s breeding fantasies ‘til the cows come home. Yeah, speaking of cows...dude, the tits, the milk ...”

“ Fuck you Tor. Shut the fuck up, you are way over sharing.”

He shrugs, taking a sip of his coffee and looking out the window toward the pool then down at his mug. He turns to look out at Natalie who waves and blows him a kiss. “I usually get some nice fresh cream in my morning coffee …”

I groan. “You’re a dick, you know that?”

I’m not going to tell him I had my first flash of that mating instinct last night. I’m not ready for that level of admission right now. I shake my head, trying to regroup because in two hours, I have to go play in some charity softball game because I was a fucking mess after the blonde disappeared and I lost a big fucking hand to the host.

Only, he added one little cherry on top of our bet. If I lost, I had to go play in his daughter’s charity softball game today. They needed a ringer and everyone there knows in a previous life I could play the shit out of that kind of field.

Fuck, I’m no sort of philanthropist at the best of times, and kids? The only ones I tolerate are my nieces and nephews.

So today should be about as pleasant as a sandpaper hand job.

Natalie’s cheerful, chirping voice comes from behind me. “Cyrus! I’m glad you’re early because Sophia and Chance are coming by soon. I just love her new man, don’t you? I’m so happy for her. Finding her one.” I turn to see her waddling toward Tor, her enormous belly leading the way. She’s wearing a red and white striped bikini and I wince thinking what women go through in order for our species to survive. She winks at Tor, who immediately walks to her side and kisses her like I’m not in the room.

By now, I’m used to their level of affection, or I should be. Doesn’t help that my sister and her new husband Chance are just as bad about the PDA. What’s worse, is she just announced to the family last week they are expecting their first kid.

I draw the coffee mug to my lips, leaning back against the counter while they swap spit like a couple high schoolers in the back seat of a Buick and for a second, I allow myself to be swept away into a fantasy of the gorgeous blonde, wondering what she would look like swollen and bred with my seed…

Fuck. Stop. They’re indoctrinating you.

“Anyway.” Natalie leans into Tor’s chest when he finally takes his tongue out of her mouth. He’s looking at her like she just descended from heaven itself, and a spike of jealousy pokes in my gut at what I see in my brother’s eyes. She smiles, cocking her head, her soft brown waves falling over her cheek. “You’re early and you have a shiner. Must have been quite a night. Being single is so exciting.”

I nod. “It’s a fucking Mardi Gras.”

She lets out this little gasp, then grits her teeth in a broad smile. “It was over a girl, wasn’t it?” She crinkles her nose on a hopeful shrug looking up at Tor.

I grunt in response clearing my throat trying to answer without making things worse. “What’s with you two? You have telekinesis?”

“I think you mean telepathy.” Natalie bobs her eyebrows and grabs Tor’s chin. “We have many things between us.” She licks her lips and Tor reaches down and takes a handful of her barely-covered ass.

“Please. Your kids can see you.”

“They see plenty.” Tor kisses Natalie on the top of the head, then smacks her behind as he whispering in her ear. “Dickhead here may have figured out what it’s like when you get your first look at the one .”

“ Reeeeeeally? ” Natalie’s voice sparkles with renewed hope.

“Don’t.” I jab my index finger toward Tor then Natalie. “Some girl I saw for a few seconds. It’s nothing. And do not tell mom or gran. Or Sophia. Those three will be on me like the fucking CIA.”

“I make no promises.” Natalie throws her hands up fluttering her eyelashes and turns toward the refrigerator. “I’ll get started on the pancakes. Can you guys go out and watch the kids? Megan is sleeping in the cabana, but Tabitha and Chase are sitting at the patio table waiting to get back in the water.”

We both nod and head out into the early morning sun. I slip my sunglasses back on and look at my watch for the third time since I walked in the house.

“You got somewhere to be?” Tor asks as we get to the pool gate and both the kids jump up as Tor motions that they can get back in the shallow end of the pool.

“Yeah, that’s the other shit part of the evening. Took a bet from fucking Niko on my last hand. His brat daughter is in some charity softball deal today and he wanted to make sure her team won. So, he threw in a hundred grand, and all I had to do was agree to play on her team if I lost. My head was fucked and he took me with a full house to my two pair. I gotta be there by ten.”

“Your athletic legacy lives on.”

“Unfortunately. Couldn’t stand for his little princess’s team to lose, so fuck me. I’m going to be up to my balls in brats.”

“Hi, Uncle Cyrus!” Chase shouts and dives into the water holding his nose before I can wave back.

Tabitha comes running my way as Tor walks through the door of the cabana to check on the baby.

“Hi, Wncle Cyrus.” She wipes a drop of water from her forehead, her bright eyes wide as she stands in front of me with her little toddler tummy and chipped pink and green nail polish on her toes.

I crouch down, looking over my shoulder to make sure Tor isn’t within earshot, then say, “Good morning, your highness.”

I bow my head and do this little loop de loop thing with my hand toward her little Buddha belly, as she plants her fists on her hips.

“You are m’nvited to my tea party w’ater. All my w’adies in waiting will be there.” She’s so fucking cute with her little lisp.

“I’m honored, Princess, but this humble servant has another battle to wage away from the castle today. I will gladly accept your invitation another time.”

She giggles and holds my cheeks in her tiny damp hands. “You are swilly, Wncle Cyrus.”

“As silly as you are beautiful, my lady.” I give her nose a quick pinch, then stand, slipping back into my mask of indifference. Tor emerges from the cabana as Tabitha toddles off and jumps off the edge into the shallow end of the pool.

“You’re a grumpy fuck, but you can’t deny you love these kids.” He nods toward the pool.

It’s true, but somehow, I don’t know, admitting just how much I care about my nieces and nephews terrifies me. I never cared one piece of lint about anyone else’s kids before Tor’s and letting down my grouchy fa?ade is a slippery slope I’m not ready to face.

Well, I wasn’t, anyway.

Truth, since I saw that girl last night, I’m consumed with thoughts of getting my hands on her, caging her curvy little body between my arms and pumping her so full of dick she’ll be dripping with me for a week. I want to tug her hair and take her raw dog hard from behind. I want to see her mouth stretched wide around me, gagging with her eyes looking up at me pleading for air.

And I want her to beg me to pump a baby inside her.

Fuck, the thought sends a throbbing into my balls as Sophia and Chance come wandering into the back yard waving my way then heading toward the pool to talk with the kids. I need to get myself under control but Jesus, I don’t know how. That girl , I’d ruin everything I have for her. I want to buy her gifts, I want to cook her dinner, I want to show her off. I want to heal every wound she has inside and out. Cup her chin and tell her what a good and beautiful girl she is and that she will never be alone again.

As soon as the game was over in the wee hours this morning, I charged out of there like a lunatic, took the stairs ten flights down so I could sit in my car, fisting my dick in a beat off session that in the end, gave me zero relief.

My thoughts were plagued with questions. Where was she, what was she doing? Is she rubbing that hot little pussy thinking of me?

I know that’s damn unlikely. I’m an ugly motherfucker and I don’t have anything to offer a girl like that. I’m fucking forty this year and she’s brushing up maybe on twenty if I’m lucky. But that doesn’t stop me thinking about hiring every PI on the planet and spending every penny to my name trying to find her.

“Cyrus, don’t you dare deny that you love my kids.” Tor is staring at me with a look of thunder on his face, and I realize I’ve been staring into space for God knows how long.

“I’m not denying anything,” I mutter, as Sophia skips towards the house and Chance walks over landing a hard slap on my back.

“What’s up motherfuckers?” Chance nods at Tor, his hand moving to rest on my shoulder with a friendly squeeze.

He’s like a brother to me and Tor now. We didn’t like him at first, because he was fucking our sister, but the guy grows on you.

I answer him with a grunt as Tor and Chance start talking about the restaurant and as consumed as I am with the girl from last night, I have other things in my life that need my attention.

We watch the kids and talk about work and whatever other bullshit brothers talk about. The sun warms the top of my head as I finish my coffee and Natalie brings out a platter of pancakes.

“Kids!” Tor yells in a ‘come here’ gesture with his hand. “Time to eat.”

“Come in and grab some plates with me.” Natalie says, pointing at me with a nod toward the house and I follow, watching her waddle as she goes.

“So, what are the rest of your Saturday plans? Sleep?” she asks.

I open the door from the patio to the kitchen as she goes in ahead of me. Sophia is nowhere to be seen, but that’s not unusual. If she’s not at her restaurants, they’re calling her a thousand times a day. I don’t know how Chance puts up with her sassy ass, but I’m just happy he does.

“No.” I answer Natalie. “I’m playing at Reginald Park in some kid’s charity softball game at ten. Fuck knows how long that will take.”

What I want to be doing is going balls deep into my mystery girl. Giving her every inch of this stiffy I can’t control. I think of the pouty smirk she tossed me before she headed out the door. The way her ass looked in her white jeans and her tits, fuck, filling out the lavender tank top like it was custom made to fit her.

I have to figure out how to find her. How to make her mine. Blonde, about five foot five, maybe twenty years old, maybe one forty, one fifty, curves to kill and blue fucking eyes like the summer sky. That’s all I got. Wonder how long it will take to track her down…

My other option is to go pound the shit out of every swinging dick at the game last night until someone gives me a morsel of information.

That’s plan A. Right after this fucking softball game.

“ You? Charity? Kids?” Natalie chuckles with a smirk handing me a stack of white plastic plates as she grabs the syrup and silverware in a metal carrier.

“I know, right?”

“Must have been some hit you took.”

I shrug. “I’m fine. Doesn’t hurt.”

“Well, that’s good and the charity game sounds like fun.”

Fun.

Sure.

As much as a pair of sunburned balls I bet.