69 - Frankie
69
Frankie
—
Four months later.
“Can’t stop looking at you.” Leo shifts us deeper into the velvet couch and tucks me tightly against his side. “You’re fucking stunning, love.”
I adore the way he looks at me.
It goes beyond mere attraction. He sees the anxiety, the scars, the bouts of madness and darkness, and instead of turning away, he embraces me with a stare so loving and deep it makes me feel cherished.
And claimed.
I belong to three men.
My gaze drifts across the lounge to Monty and Kody behind the bar, where they put on a show for the packed crowd in the distillery.
Kody’s venue has become the destination spot in Alaska. Patrons book months in advance just to get in the door.
The owner’s sexy, irresistible allure has a lot to do with that. The energy in the room thrums with excitement and desire.
Kody, with his dark, untamed aura, and Monty, the embodiment of billionaire porn, are the main event.
Bottles fly through the air, glasses slide across the bar, and the crowd cheers.
They compete with each other, tossing drinks back and forth, trying to outdo the other. It isn’t just fun brotherly rivalry. It’s proof that laughter can follow tragedy.
Life twisted them into violent, scarred warriors, but what they did in the hills doesn’t define them. It made them stronger, closer.
The connection between the four Strakh men fills my soul.
Kody grunts as Monty flings a bottle toward him, catching it easily and spinning it behind his back before pouring the contents into a glass.
A smile tugs at the corner of Monty’s lips as he slams a drink down in front of a customer with a flourish.
The crowd roars.
Leo shifts, feathering his fingers along my thighs beneath the hem of my dress, sending an electric thrill through me. The table hides our laps, providing some privacy in the packed room. But anyone looking can see the heat in his bedroom eyes.
“Monty’s in rare form tonight.” He brushes his warm lips along my neck, his hand slipping higher, fingers teasing the crease between my thighs.
“He’s trying to impress you guys.”
Monty’s love for Leo, Kody, and Wolf is unflinching. It’s a love that controls and smothers. A love born from fear.
Fear of losing us.
“He doesn’t need to try so hard.” Leo makes a hungry, rumbling sound as he nuzzles the spot beneath my ear. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Wolf’s laughter rings out from across the room, drawing my attention to where he sits at the bar, surrounded by women who are all but draped over him.
A black, distressed leather jacket hugs his broad shoulders, the fabric abused and brought back to life like the man himself. Silver chains and metal accents adorn the leather, and the high collar is turned up, framing his face in shadows.
Underneath, a black lace shirt molds to his lean, muscled frame. Black jeans, ripped at the knees and thighs, reveal glimpses of skin and tuck into a pair of heavy combat boots.
As he leans against the bar with smoky makeup smudging his eyes, he looks like a fallen angel who’s taken a wrong turn and ended up in a world of leather and shadows. Mysterious. Untouchable. Irresistibly beautiful.
And the women eat that up.
Like his father, he’s the picture of confidence, his black hair falling in shaggy waves around his face, his ice-blue eyes glittering with mischief as he flirts shamelessly. He’s come so far in such a short time, adapting to society with a speed that amazes me.
But beneath that cocky smirk is a deeply damaged man, haunted by demons he refuses to talk about. He goes to Dr. Thurber twice a week. We all do. Wolf says he opens up during his sessions. He just doesn’t open up to us.
We don’t need to know all the details of his captivity with Rhett, but some insight would help us through his panic attacks. He has PTSD, and the episodes are frequent. I have them, too, but not like his. He completely shuts down like he did when Denver stabbed Kody’s hand the night I dumped bones on the kitchen table.
That memory torments me every time Wolf has a breakdown.
The good news is he’s playing his saxophone again. Hearing his soulful melody drifting across the island comforts me on a visceral level.
I caress Leo’s hard denim-clad thigh, noting the tension there.
He’s still uneasy in large crowds. They all are. Doesn’t stop us from taking full advantage of our freedom. Now that we’re safe, we go out several times a week. Dinner and dancing. Motorcycle rides through the mountains. Yachting at sunset. Concerts and sightseeing in Anchorage.
Once Wolf is better adjusted and Kody and Leo’s business ventures are more established, we’ll start traveling outside Alaska. Monty and I are dying to show them the world.
No amount of light can banish our past, but we’re creating the brightest version of our future.
Leo’s eyes trace the curve of my face, lingering on my lips as if memorizing every detail. Desire smolders from him, slowing down time and narrowing the room to just us.
“You’re thinking too much.” His tongue flicks my earlobe as he inches his hand closer to the heat between my thighs. “Christ, I love your body. These sexy fucking legs. And your ass. Fuck, you have a tight, perfect ass.”
I shiver, and my nipples harden against the thin material of my dress.
“But the rest of you is so damn soft.” His fingers reach the juncture between my legs, and he goes still. “Where are your panties?”
“Check Kody’s pocket.” I bite my lip.
“He fucked you before I got here? How? I was only five minutes behind you guys.”
“He was hungry.”
“He’s always hungry. At least his apartment is getting some use.”
It only gets used for sex. No one has slept here since our eighteen-day separation.
No matter how late Kody works, he always comes home to us.
“Now I’m picturing him fucking you.” He groans and buries his face in my neck. “My goddamn cock is leaking in my pants.”
With his body angled toward mine, he glides a finger along my wet slit, unconcerned about onlookers. No one can see his hand under the table, but it doesn’t take a genius to know what he’s doing.
He shoves two fingers inside me, and I gulp, eyes wide and cheeks on fire.
Across the room, Kody’s dark eyes flash as he slides a drink toward Monty, who catches it with a grin, taking a long sip before giving Kody a nod of approval.
The crowd cheers, and I let out a moan. Leo mercilessly finger-fucks me.
“I’m about to put you on my lap.” He licks my gaping lips. “Make you ride my dick in front of all these people.”
“Recognize that bald man at the end of the bar?” I pant.
“That’s the sheriff. He and I go way back. He won’t arrest me for fucking my woman.”
“He’ll arrest you for public indecency.”
“We’re nowhere near indecent yet.”
Before I can respond, Monty appears at our table, a drink in each hand. He sets them down in front of Leo and me, his attention narrowing on the movement beneath my dress.
A fresh surge of wetness seeps around the fingers inside me.
“Enjoying yourselves?” Monty has a predatory look in his eyes, a hunter staring down his prey.
“Couldn’t ask for better entertainment.” Leo grins, nodding at the bar. “The cocktail show isn’t bad, either.”
Monty’s lips twitch, and he glances over at Kody, who’s still behind the bar, expertly mixing drinks.
“He’s a natural,” Monty admits, pride evident in his tone.
Leo removes his fingers from me and stares at Monty. Then he proceeds to lick my arousal from his digits, grinning, taunting.
In a blur, Monty reaches out to snatch Leo’s arm.
Leo dodges him, laughing. “Get your own.” Then he returns those wet fingers under my dress.
Monty lowers into the space on my other side and leans in, grazing his lips along my neck.
There’s a pause, a moment of eye contact. Then he says, “Open your legs.”
Oh shit.
My chest flutters, and my pussy clenches as I part my thighs, stretching the skirt of my dress.
Monty’s lips find mine in a slow, lingering kiss. And his fingers. Those long, skillful fingers join Leo’s, and together, they rub and stroke and sink inside my soaked pussy.
The noise of the crowd, the weight of the past, all of it disappears in the heat of their hands and the taste of their lips as they take turns kissing me.
The orgasm comes swiftly and quietly. With their combined fingers inside me and their thumbs against my clit, they shatter me. I twitch and trap a deep, euphoric moan behind my pinched lips. Lips that Leo tries to pry open with his hot, demanding tongue.
I gasp, and he dives in, his dark laugh vibrating down my throat.
When he pulls back, I catch Monty sucking his fingers clean.
Animals. The whole lot of them.
There’s a fire in his eyes, a promise of more to come. I know that tonight when we’re alone, I’ll be stuffed with so much cock I won’t know which way is up.
Keeping up with the demanding libidos of three virile men is exhausting. And so fucking satisfying.
I’m in a perpetual state of orgasmic bliss.
Leo grabs his glass and raises it to Monty as if their fingers weren’t just buried inside me. “Here’s to surviving another day.”
Monty’s gaze softens as he clinks his glass against Leo’s. “To surviving together.”
My heart swells.
We’re battered and scarred, but we’re here. Happy and safe. No security guards. No pending investigations. We’re no longer surviving.
We’re living.
Dr. Rhett Howell is considered missing as the authorities continue to search for his body. They believe his plane crashed in the Interior, a trail that Oliver and Monty set into place. People go missing in Alaska all the time. Sometimes, they’re never found.
Rhett, Doyle, Sirena, Alvis, Thea, Denver…they’re all gone, never to be seen again.
I returned to my job at the hospital. Kody, Leo, and Monty have their businesses.
And Wolf…
My gaze shifts back to him at the bar.
Surrounded by a crowd of women, all hanging on his every word, he thrives on the attention, handling it with charm and aloofness that captivates.
A tall, statuesque blonde leans in close, her hand brushing his arm as she laughs at something he says. He gives her a crooked smile and leans back just enough to create a tantalizing distance between them.
It’s a game to him, this flirtation, and he’s playing it expertly, drawing them in without committing to any of their advances.
Then something shifts. His smile falters for a second, and his gaze drifts past the women, searching for something. Or someone.
When his eyes land on me, our connection fuses with sharp intensity. His playful smirk fades, replaced by something more intense, more raw. For a fleeting moment, I see the vulnerability beneath, the part of him that struggles.
Our stares intertwine, exchanging silent words. A quiet reminder. A need for reassurance. He’s not alone. We see him. We love him.
I offer him a small, encouraging smile, telling him I’m here. We’re all here. He doesn’t have to face any of this alone.
His shoulders relax, and he gives me a subtle chin dip.
I blow him a kiss. He raises a hand, catches it, and puts it in his pocket.
Then, just as quickly as it came, the intensity in his gaze dissipates, and the playful smirk returns.
He says something to the blonde, making her giggle as he sips his drink, the flirtatious mask firmly back in place.
I turn back to Leo and Monty, my hand resting on Leo’s leg. “Wolf has come a long way, but he’s still struggling, even if he doesn’t show it.”
“He’s always been good at putting on a show,” Leo says quietly. “It’s his red flag.”
“We need to remind him he doesn’t have to pretend.” Monty traces small circles on my bare thigh. “Have you talked to him about his apprenticeship?”
“Yeah, we talked. He’s really into it.” Leo loosens a slow breath. “It’s a good way for him to express his art and the owner of the tattoo shop…What’s his name?”
“Declan,” Monty says.
“Declan won’t shut up about how crazy talented Wolf is. But…” Leo glances at me.
“You’re worried.” I squeeze his thigh. “Wolf’s still dealing with so much. The nightmares, the blackouts…It’s a lot.”
We all visit him regularly at the shop. He’s good when focused, but sometimes he checks out. Sometimes he stares at nothing like he’s not even there.
“We’ll get him through this.” Monty’s jaw tightens, his blue eyes narrowing with that protective intensity that never leaves him. “He’ll never be alone again.”
As we sit there, watching Wolf return to his playful banter with the women around him, I know his path ahead won’t be easy. But we’re a family, bound together by love, pain, and the ruthless ferocity to fight for a blinding bright future.
“Hey, Wolf.” Kody leans across the bar, ruffling Wolf’s hair.
Wolf swats him away, but there’s a smile on his face, a genuine smile that shines through the dark Goth makeup.
Kody says something to him, and Wolf stands. They stride off through the crowd.
Stopping in the center of the lounge, Kody shoves two fingers in his mouth and releases a sharp whistle that cuts through the clamor of the distillery.
The commanding sound instantly silences the room. Every head turns toward him, followed by the faint clinking of glasses as people lower their drinks, eyes wide with curiosity.
A devilish grin appears on Wolf’s face as he motions for Leo to join them. The crowd parts, and Leo rises, suspicion hardening his eyes as he makes his way toward Kody and Wolf.
Monty and I climb off the couch and follow him through the throng of people.
My pulse kicks up as curious gazes track our approach, and whispers of speculation ripple through the crowd.
When we reach Kody and Wolf, Kody throws an arm around Leo’s shoulders, pulling him close with a proud smile.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” Kody’s voice rings out, deep and confident. “This is my brother, Leonid Strakh.”
His brother. Not his nephew.
They were brothers first, and that’s what they’ll always be.
“I’m thrilled to announce that Leo just started his own float plane business, and it officially opens tomorrow. If you ever need a flight to anywhere, anytime, Leonid Strakh is your man.”
The room erupts in cheers and applause.
Happiness shines in Leo’s mismatched eyes as he looks at Monty, who gives him a nod, then at me, his gaze softening.
I rub a hand against my chest, leaning into Monty’s side.
Kody raises his hand to quiet the crowd, and the noise dies down.
“I have one more announcement.” Kody’s hand sweeps out to point in my direction. “Please turn your attention to the stunning redhead.”
What the hell?
My heart stutters, and my breath squeezes as hundreds of eyes zero in on me.
Heat rises in my cheeks, and I clasp my hands together, trying to steady myself. What is happening?
Just as the anxiety threatens to overwhelm me, Wolf steps up, his fingers slipping around mine, and the connection pulls me back from the brink.
He bends his knees to put us at eye level. “Don’t you dare cry.” He kisses my cheek. “If you start, I’ll have to join in and ruin my fucking makeup.”
“The horror.” I laugh, a choked, nervous sound that breaks the tension in my chest.
He gives me a playful wink and shifts to my side as Leo, Monty, and Kody lower to one knee before me.
Three powerful, beautiful men kneel in front of me, and my heart feels like it might burst from my chest.
“Woman.” Kody’s black eyes melt with a softness usually hidden behind his brooding exterior. “Will you love us forever?”
I nod, unable to speak as the tears start to spill over, my vision blurring.
“Love.” Leo smirks, his mismatched eyes glimmering. “Will you sleep with us forever?”
“Fuck yes.” I laugh through my tears, ignoring the collective gasp that ripples through the crowd around us.
I don’t care what they think. All I care about is the love pouring from my entire world.
Monty reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet box. His eyes lock onto mine, and I’m transported to the night he proposed to me on his yacht.
We were different people then.
Everything is different.
He flips the box open, revealing a ring that makes my heart skip. It’s my original diamond ring, the one he gave me that night. But it’s been altered.
The solitaire diamond remains, but now it’s flanked by two new rocks, one on either side.
Three diamonds.
Three husbands.
Three soul mates.
“Frankie,” Monty says, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Will you take our last name and be Mrs. Strakh until death do us part?”
“Yes. One hundred percent, yes.” A sob escapes me as he slides the ring onto my finger.
The weight of it feels perfect, like it’s always belonged there. Three diamonds glitter brightly on my hand, and I know this is where I’m meant to be. With them. Forever.
The room erupts in applause and cheers, but all I can hear is the beating of my heart as my men reach into their pockets and remove three matching bands.
They slide the rings onto their fingers and gaze at me, smiling.
Goddammit, I’m crying again.
Monty rises, pulling me into his arms, his lips capturing mine in a kiss that seals the promise we just made. Leo and Kody are next, each kissing me with a tenderness that makes my chest ache even more.
When I finally pull back, Wolf is standing there with a crooked smile. A single tear carves a path through the dark makeup around his eyes.
“Look what you’ve done.” He points at his face and wipes the wetness from my cheek with the pad of his thumb. “You’re not getting rid of us now, sweet cherry fairy.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I whisper back.
“Looks like they’re ready to get laid.” He nods behind me.
I turn, finding three gorgeous men, my husbands, waiting expectantly with coats in their hands.
“I gotta know.” He lowers his mouth to my ear. “When they’re sword-fighting, how much dick kissing is involved?”
“Wolf.”
“Three dicks. I can’t even fathom the man mess you have to clean up.”
“Stop.” I press my hand over his mouth, laughing. “Are you coming with us?”
His eyes pop wide, and I instantly regret my word choice.
He shakes his head, dislodging my hand. “I don’t want any part of that.”
“I meant, are you coming home with us?”
“No. Leo left me the keys to his yacht. I have ideas burning in my head. I’m going to walk over to the shop and work on some sketches.” He kisses my brow. “Don’t wait up.”
Given the three hooded stares in my direction, I’ll be up all night.
“Make those dick kissers beg for it.” Wolf takes my face in his hands and brings our foreheads together. “I love you.”
“And I love you.” I step back and glance at the women waiting for him at the bar. “Have fun stealing all the attention.”
He shrugs, walking backward with a roguish gleam in his eyes. “Can’t help it if the ladies love me.”
When he pivots toward them, I clutch the ring on my finger and walk to our family, my husbands, my forever.