Chapter 16
LEO
T here’s something going on with Olivia.
Something that simmers just beneath the surface, and it’s not the concern of her past coming back to haunt or hurt her.
It’s a different kind of worry, one that’s more mellow.
I catch it in the tremor of her voice sometimes, or in the way she averts her gaze whenever I ask what’s wrong, just before she smiles and says that everything is okay.
One morning we’re in the kitchen, cleaning up after a scrumptious breakfast. The smell of bacon and pancakes still lingers in the air as I scrub the pans, then rinse and slip everything into the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning.
“Where’s Luke today?” Dax asks as he pours himself another cup of coffee.
“Summer camp and soccer practice. He’ll be gone most of the day.”
“He’s going to go out like a light by the time he gets home,” Beck chuckles, then looks around. “Where did Olivia disappear to? She has a way of sneaking out like a thief in the night sometimes, even in broad daylight.”
The sun bathes our kitchen in a golden shimmer at this early morning hour, but it only serves to highlight Olivia’s sudden absence. It’s an old house, and I can hear water moving through the pipes upstairs. I can usually tell who’s doing what and where on account of the relatively thin walls.
“She’s upstairs.”
“So I heard from Carlos. He’s due to meet with his NYPD buddies early next week,” Dax says.
“Finally,” I reply.
“It’s hard to get law enforcement folks on board when it’s about prosecuting one of their own,” Beck reminds us. “It’s that ‘thin blue line’ that keeps them so close. It’s perceived as the ultimate betrayal.”
Dax sighs. “Even so, it doesn’t change the reality of the situation. There’s a dangerous, crooked sheriff running Devon PD, who has probably killed his fair share of innocent people. The man needs to be taken down.”
All I can do is hope that Carlos will manage to get those guys on board. Based on Olivia’s past experiences with the police, we definitely need people we can trust. In the meantime, we’ll keep our woman safe, happy, and sated.
“Sorry, I had to take care of something,” Olivia says as she comes back downstairs.
Her face is pale. Water trickles from the honey-blonde hair framing her temples. Tiredness adds a certain depth to her beautiful eyes .
“What’s going on with you, Olivia?” I ask, determined to get to the bottom of it and frankly tired of all the secrets. “We can’t protect you if you’re still keeping secrets from us.”
“Leo…” Beck tries to rein me in, but Dax agrees.
“No, Leo’s right. There’s something else she’s hiding.”
Olivia gives us all a startled look, and for a second, I’m tempted to feel bad about it.
But then I see a softening in her gaze, defeat lowering her shoulders, and I realize we’re close to getting her to fully open up to us.
If we’re to become an unbreakable unit in order to be together, I need full transparency, nothing less.
“This isn’t about my past,” she says with a heavy sigh. “I’ve told you everything there is to know about that. Really, I did.”
“Then what’s going on?” I ask, gently taking her hand in mine.
She shudders at my touch. I stay still, watching and observing every twitch, every subtle change in her expression.
Hell, I can almost hear her thoughts rumbling as she tries to find the right way to express them.
Still, she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the fortune of meeting, even in her darker moments.
“I was sick,” she quietly says.
“What? When?” Beck asks from his seat at the kitchen table.
“A minute ago. I was sick. It’s why I slipped upstairs to the bathroom.”
“Are you feeling alright?” I ask.
Beck comes over and gently touches her face, checking her body temperature. “You are a little warm. ”
“I’m working through some morning sickness. Have been for a little while now,” Olivia replies, then looks up at me. “And you’re right. You do deserve to know everything.”
“Wait, morning sick—” Dax stops himself as soon as he realizes what that means.
My heart is galloping maniacally as I try to wrap my head around the concept, as I listen to Olivia tell her truth with a quivering voice.
“I know we didn’t plan for this. I certainly didn’t. It’s been such a whirlwind with us. So intense and beautiful, so… all-consuming. I feel safe for the first time in my life, with you despite everything that happened.
“I’m pregnant, and I don’t really know what to do with this,” she says, lowering her head.
I need a moment to envision what it means. How it changes our lives.
Fatherhood has been nothing short of wonderful for me. Luke was a sliver of light I plucked out of the darkness of war. I had a chance to make a difference, to change his life, and I did. In the process, I changed my own, too.
A smile stretches across my lips as I look at Dax and Beck. They’re both shocked, but they’re also happy. It’s written all over their faces.
“Please, somebody say something before I regret telling you,” Olivia says.
“We’ve always wanted a big family,” I reply, stepping closer to her. “And a wonderful woman to build it with.”
“Our wars are long over, Olivia. We’ve had nothing but time to heal our wounds and to prepare for the next stage of our lives,” Dax adds.
“And Luke has been a godsend in that sense,” I say.
“He’s been our trial run at fatherhood because, let’s face it, Luke may only call Leo Dad, but, at the end of the day, we’re all his dads,” Beck chuckles. “And you, beautiful, sweet Olivia, you’re giving us what we’ve always wanted.”
She blinks a few times, clearly not expecting such a reaction. Talk about hoping for the best but preparing for the worst—Olivia has been living by those words for far too long.
“You guys mean it?”
“Of course,” I say.
“Leo,” she whispers. “I’m scared out of my mind. With Marcus still out there, and Chloe missing or dead, I’ve got nothing. No family, no backup plan, no safety net. A baby is?—"
“You’re going to be just fine,” Dax says, coming closer. “What do we keep telling you? You’re not alone anymore. And you’re certainly not going to be dealing with any of this on your own.”
“But you have your lives, and then there’s Luke?—”
“Luke will be thrilled to hear that he’s getting a baby brother or sister,” I cut her off. “Olivia, despite the circumstances, this is a good thing. We’re going to deal with it one day at a time.”
“Together,” Beck says, “like a family.”
“Like a family,” she murmurs, lowering her gaze.
“A foreign concept, I know,” I can’t help but chuckle as I pull her into my arms, “but a concept you’re going to have to familiarize yourself with, nonetheless. And soon, babe, because you’ve got the three of us right here with you.”
She exhales sharply, and I can feel the tension slipping away from her one layer at a time. Completely relaxed in my embrace, she hides her face in my chest.
I lift her chin and kiss her, eager to seal the deal the way it deserves to be sealed. The delicate moan escaping her throat tells me I’m on the right track, and soon enough, Dax and Beck pick up on it, too.
“We’ve got this,” I tell her as I lift her sundress up over her gorgeous shapely hips.
“I guess we do, don’t we?” she whispers as she looks up at each of us.
We take turns kissing her, hands roaming everywhere—touching, exploring, removing every layer of fabric between us.
Slowly but surely, we move away from the kitchen and into the living room, where the sun hasn’t landed yet.
It’s dark and cool, the curtains pulled, keeping us hidden from the rest of the world.
I sit her down on the couch and spread her legs while Dax and Beck focus on her tender breasts. She tastes like fucking heaven as I slide my tongue between her wet folds, every inch of her skin coming alight in the process.
“Oh, God, this must be paradise,” Olivia moans as I suckle her clit, feeling it swell in my mouth while my fingers go deep, exploring her tight, burning core.
I catch a glimpse of Dax’s mouth closing around her nipple, Olivia parting her lips to welcome Beck’s hard cock. I watch him slide down her throat, my own cock twitching with excitement as I feel her tightening and clenching around my fingers.
She cries out, her mouth full of Beck as she climaxes. I feel the ripples, the liquid heat glazing my fingers as I suckle harder, as I force her to ride that wave for as long as possible before I plunge myself deep inside of her.
“You were made for us, Olivia, body and soul,” I tell her with a hard grunt while her hands wrap tightly around Dax and Beck.
She’s hungrily licking and sucking while I thrust myself deeper. The rhythm builds up, and I’m wrapped in her essence, feeling the pulses of her arousal as she raises her hips to meet me at every move.
“I was… I was made for you…” Olivia manages in-between ragged breaths, stroking Dax and Beck faster while she takes turns tasting each of them.
Her moans are fuel for my soul as I pound into her, as I bury myself so deep inside this woman that I doubt I’ll ever find my way back out. My soul soars, my body loses control, and I claim her the way she wants to be claimed, the way she deserves to be claimed.
I come hard, feeling my release fill her as she arches her back, her pussy clenching while I stiffen inside of her. I’m wrapped in loving warmth, my seed spurting, watching Dax and Beck smile like devils and finish in her mouth, almost simultaneously.
Olivia welcomes every drop, still twitching from her own orgasm. A broad smile dances across her beautiful, blushing face, as I slowly pull back and run my fingers through her hair .
“You’ll never be alone again,” I whisper in her ear. “Never, baby.”
“Oh, Leo. I know that now,” she replies.
Beck kisses her, one hand wrapped over her breast. “At least we don’t have to worry about contraception for a while.”
“Like we ever bothered in the first place,” Dax chuckles and takes Olivia into his arms. “We’re all equally responsible here, my darling. And we’re all really looking forward to what comes next, alright?”
“Alright,” she mumbles softly, head resting on his chest.
My cock hardens again, and my body beckons for more. Olivia gasps as our gazes lock.
“Leo…”
“It’s your fault,” I reply, “for fueling our appetites.”
“You’re lucky I want more,” she says.
Dax captures her mouth in a hungry, desperate kiss. “Well, in that case, we’re happy to oblige.”
We will keep her safe. We will protect our precious, colorful, unusual family from anyone and anything that dares to get between us.
There’s a part of me aware that the light Luke brought back to me after the war never truly drowned out the darkness that’s always been there.
I may need that darkness for what comes next.
Until it’s time for me to let it out, however, I’m going to make the most of every moment that we have with her.