Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
JASMINE
As much as I love my men and our lives together, sometimes I like nothing more than to lock myself away to enjoy a book in peace. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m curled up on my bed with Embry, the puppy. Of course, I had to pick a name from Twilight as I read a new book on my Kindle underneath a new blanket Jason gave me at Christmas.
I’m absentmindedly scratching Embry’s head when there’s a knock at my bedroom door. Embry instantly starts barking and jumps from the bed, or more like flops off it, and rushes for the door.
“It’s open!” I call, turning to face the door as Sean walks in and grabs the puppy before he can run out. “Why do you all knock before entering?” I ask as I move to sit up a little more and rest my back against the headboard.
“Because we promised you this would be your safe space, somewhere you can go when you need some time to yourself,” Sean answers as he steps around the puppy whilst trying to get to the bed.
“But you all tell me off if I knock before entering your rooms. What if you guys want some time to yourself?”
Sean sits on the side of the bed as he reaches over and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Your time is divided between the four of us; why would we not jump at any time we get with you alone?” Leaning in, he kisses my lips while smiling. “I, for one, never want you to feel like you need to knock before entering. If you want or need me, you come and find me. I don’t care what I’m doing or how tired I am. It’s not my room; it's our room, and I will never stop you from being in it.”
Tucking my legs underneath me, I lean forward to wrap my arms around Sean's neck.
“You always know the right thing to say,” I point out with a smile before brushing my lips against his. “I think I might marry you before someone else snatches you up.”
With a primal growl, Sean pounces, startling a scream from me as he pushes me onto the bed and leaps over me, so I’m pinned between the covers and his hard, muscular body.
“No one would ever be able to snatch me away from you, Princess, and you know it.” lifting my hips, I rub against his growing bulge, milking another growl from his throat.
“Is that so, Daddy?” I tease whilst grinding up against him again. He closes his eyes briefly before burying his head against my shoulder.
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” The way he groans against my neck causes my body to freeze and my smile to vanish.
Sean lifts his head and looks down at me as I frown at him.
“What is?” I ask, all my old securities rushing to the surface. Sean must realise where my mind has gone as he cups my face and presses a soft kiss to my lips.
“Not fucking you until we break this bed,” he sighs against my lips before standing up, leaving me lying on the bed and feeling a little rejected. “But Christian is waiting for us.”
I know better than to make him wait; it always puts him in a bad mood, especially when he has places to be and people to shout at.
“Fine,” I sigh dramatically as Sean reaches down and pulls me to my feet. Wrapping his arm around my waist, holding me against him, he thrusts his fingers into the hair at the back of my head and tightens his hold so I can feel him everywhere.
“Spend tonight with me, and I promise I will make it up to you, Princess.” Looking deep into his eyes, I can’t find my words, so I nod with the biggest smile. His lips capture mine, and for a moment, he takes my breath away. How is a girl meant to say no when his kisses alone have my thighs tightening and my sex clenching?
Too soon, he pulls away, grinning, knowing exactly what he does to me. Removing his arm from around my waist, he takes my hand and pulls me towards the door.
“Come on, pup,” he calls, opening the door, and Embry follows us onto the landing.
The three of us make our way downstairs, and Sean guides us towards Christian’s office.
“What does he want to see me about?” I ask, quickly running through the last twenty-four hours in my head, wondering if I’ve done something I shouldn’t.
“You’ll see,” Sean answers, smiling as he opens the door.
Embry rushes past us, heading straight for Christian and yapping happily. Christian is in front of his desk with his phone in his hand. He looks so freaking sexy standing there with his free hand in his black trouser pocket, his dark grey shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbow. Instead of wearing a tie today, his top two buttons are undone, adding to the hot factor. Whenever I see him looking like the hard-ass businessman he is, I have to remind myself that he’s mine and no one will ever take him from me.
“Sweetheart.” Christian's eyes go from mine to Embry, who is still trying to get his attention, signalling me to deal with him.
“I’ll let him out.”
We all turn to see Mrs Brown walking into the office behind me and scooping up the puppy, giving me a wink before leaving the room. She loves that pup and has set aside time in her busy schedule to ensure he is always let out and given lots of attention when I’m not here.
I turn my attention back to Christian and catch the end of the conversation he is having on the phone.
“No worries, I will fill them in on the way to yours … not a problem, see you in twenty minutes.” He hangs up as I reach his side. Lifting onto my tiptoes, I kiss his lips quickly.
“Where are you going?” I ask as he leans back against his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. His shirt tightens around his biceps and broad chest, making me swoon just a little.
“Sean will explain. It’s his big news,” Christian answers, smiling at his brother. I turn to see Sean sitting casually on the sofa with one arm over the back, his left ankle resting on his right knee.
“What’s going on?” I ask, giving him my full attention.
“As you know, I’ve been toying with the idea of branching out into managing fighters rather than just being one,” he starts. I nod as we had a long conversation about it a month or two ago. “Well, we are heading out to sign my first fighter.”
I scream excitedly before launching myself across the room at him. Throwing my arms around his neck as I straddle his lap, I squeeze him tight as I burst with pride and admiration for this amazing man. Sean's arms wrap around my waist as he laughs.
“I am so proud of you!” I declare, meaning every word as I sit back so I can kiss him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were speaking to someone?” I demand, slapping his chest.
“Ouch! Because I didn’t think he would agree,” he laughs, rubbing where I hit him.
“Who is it?”
“Ryan Donavon,” Sean answers with a wide smile. I knew the twins had been training with him before they all went into hiding, but I had no idea it was anything serious. “He messaged me last night and told me he wanted to sign.”
I turn to Christian as I climb off Sean's lap and sit beside him.
“Is that who you are going to see?” I ask, hoping they will let me go with them so I can check in on Verity. We have only shared the odd message since she returned, and I want to check on her properly.
“It is-” Christian starts and holds up a finger to stop me when I open my mouth to speak. “Yes, you can come with us.”
Again, I squeal excitedly, launching myself at Sean and then Christian.
“Sweetheart, calm down. There are a few things you need to know before we get there,” Christian adds, taking hold of my shoulders to keep me still.
“What’s happened?” My excitement plummets as I worry for my friend.
“I will explain everything in the car. But Verity is safe. A few things came to light over the last few days, which Travis thinks you should be aware of before getting there so that you don’t say anything that may trigger her.” I nod as I blink back the burning in my eyes.
“Okay, Daddy,” I remember seeing the girls for the first time after being kidnapped. Christian had pre-warned them what had happened to me during that time to ensure they didn’t cause me any upset. I remember thinking one word about the sexual assault, and I would break all over again. The last thing I would want is to cause Verity more pain than she must be going through.
“Good girl. Go and get your coat and shoes on, and we will head straight out,” Christian kisses the top of my head as I turn towards the door.
“I’ll walk with you, Princess. I want to change my shirt,” Sean says, stepping beside me. I turn my head and nod, worried that if I open my mouth, I might be sick.
“She really is okay, I promise,” Sean takes my hand and squeezes it.
“Do you know what it is Daddy wants to tell me?”
Sean shakes his head but gives me a small smile. I know he’s trying to reassure me, but it’s not working right now.
“No, but I have spoken to Ryan and know that she was dealt a few very difficult blows, which have caused her a lot of upset. But physically, she is completely unharmed.” Sean lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles as we climb up the stairs. “She has missed you and has been wanting to see you for a couple of days now, but things have been complicated, and decisions had to be made before her daddies were happy for her to see people from outside the family.” He lets go of my hand and places an arm around her shoulder. “They weren’t trying to keep you away, but they needed to protect Verity, not from you but everything.”
I remember the way the guys protected me when I got home. No one but the doctor and anyone assisting with my care was allowed to see me. That only consisted of Mrs Brown, Terry and Layton once he was healed from his injury after being shot.
Sean and I reach the top of the stairs and part ways. I quickly change out of my yoga pants and put on some jeans and a warmer jumper. Grabbing some fur-lined boots, I pull them on before putting a jacket over my arm and rushing back down the stairs to where Christian is waiting for me.
“Ready, Sweetheart?”
“Yes, Daddy.” I know I won't stop worrying until we are in the car, and he tells me everything he knows. He must realise how anxious I am as he puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me tightly against him. He doesn’t say anything, but he knows how important Verity is to me and how worried I have been about her the last few weeks.
“Ready?” Christian asks over my head. I look at the stairs where Sean is walking down, looking sexy. He’s changed from his jeans and polo shirt and is now wearing black trousers and the light blue shirt I got him for Christmas. It fits him perfectly around his chest and shoulders but isn’t too tight to restrict him. He sees me watching him as he rolls up his shirt sleeves and gives me a cheeky wink. He knows exactly what it does to me when I watch them rolling up shirt sleeves. Oh, that’s right, he does, because I always tell him.
“Shirt looks good on you; someone has great taste,” I tease as I try to ignore the worry for my friend.
“They really do,” he whispers before kissing me. The scent of his aftershave almost makes me weak at the knees. This man is getting so lucky tonight. I already planned on putting on some sexy underwear before bed, but now he’s getting the full works, whilst he wears that shirt and nothing else.
“Come on, we are going to be late,” Christian announces as he takes my hand but drops it when he sees Sean stepping beside me and taking my other hand. I give him a quick smile, knowing it’s his way of letting Sean take the lead today.
“Terry is in the car. Do you want Michaela with us?” Christian asks. Sean shakes his head.
“Nah, she is off today anyway.” Michaela is Sean's bodyguard. She doesn’t usually have to go with him as much as Terry does with Christian or Layton with me. I used to get jealous of Sean having a female guard, but then I got to know her and realised I had nothing to worry about. I might not have known about all of their guards in the past four years, but all their guards have known about me, how important I am to the guys, and what would happen if they upset me.
We make our way through the house and into the garage, where Terry is waiting in the car. We all say hi as Christian climbs into the back passenger seat. Sean sits in front of him, and I sit behind Terry.
“Never thought I would be driving you to see a Donavon, Christian,” Terry teases as he pulls out of the garage.
“Me neither,” Christian sighs, shaking his head.
I want to bombard him with questions and learn about Verity, but I know he will be on edge.
Christian and Travis Donavon have spent the last ten years at each other's throats. Christian was with their father when he was killed in a car accident and fled the scene, leaving Mr Donavon to die alone, surrounded by drugs. Travis blamed Christian for the accident for a long time, but earlier this month, the Donavons realised Verity was in trouble and asked the O’Reillys for help. Knowing how much Verity means to me, Christian put his dislike for Travis on the back burner and helped keep her safe. I will be forever grateful to him for that.
“You okay, Sweetheart?”
I lift my head from where I had been watching, my hands on my lap and nod.
“Is Verity okay?” I ask.
Christian lets out a big sigh and nods as he reaches over and takes my hand.
“Let me tell you what I know before we get there. Hopefully, it will put you at ease a little.” I nod in agreement and listen as Christian tells me everything, making me want to get to my best friend even faster, knowing how much she will need a hug.