28. Malachi
MALACHI
The thought of Roman noping-out of this and just leaving us has me on the edge of panic. He has a terrible past, but none of us have got to this moment in our lives without scars. I realize how much I need him, and Cain, to be remotely on an even keel as I move through this world.
I force myself to speak. “I know I say a lot of shit, and I’m … well some might call me sarcastic.”
“Never,” Cain says drily, lightening the atmosphere.
“Yeah, well.” I push on. “You two are my brothers, and I can’t imagine my life without either of you in it. I think I’d fucking lose it. And Ophelia, you make us whole. We work like this. It is going to take some time for us to iron it all out, and there are going to be issues, but it does work.”
Roman shakes his head. “I’m not sure it works for me.”
He’s breathing like he’s running, and I can see an imminent freakout from a mile away.
He reminds me of the way Ophelia was in class when she had her panic attack. What’s wild is that it was mere weeks ago, but it seems like it was years. So much has happened since then. I helped her, and maybe I can help Roman see sense now.
“Why?” I ask sincerely. “What’s the sticking point? That you want to do nasty things to Ophelia?”
“Yes.” He rakes his fingers through his hair in frustration. “And then that brings up all the other shit. It’s a vicious circle.”
“You’re not like them. Don’t you see that? Roman, you were a kid.” I try to make him see the difference. “Ophelia is a grown woman, and she’s consenting. Even when we chased her through the woods, we made sure she had a safe word.” I glance over at her. “Right, baby?”
A flicker of a smile touches her lips, but her eyes are filled with worry.
“Yes, he’s right. I’m an adult, Roman, and I like the nasty , as you put it, things we all do.
” Ophelia walks up to him and gently places a soft kiss on the side of his mouth.
“I like that you worship me so much you want me all the time.” She places another kiss on the opposite side of his mouth.
“Now that you’ve put the idea in my head, I want you to take me when I’m asleep.
In fact, you can take me any time you want. ”
She drops to her knees and places her forehead against his thighs.
“My body is free for you to use whenever you need to. Any time you feel like you might do this to yourself again, just use me instead. I don’t care what I’m doing—if I’m asleep, or I’m taking a shower, or if I’m washing the goddamn dishes.
If you ever feel like you’re going to hurt yourself and fucking me—however roughly and in whatever hole you want—will help you, then this is me giving you permission to do that.
Even when I’m sound asleep. You don’t need to wake me first.”
He sucks in air. “Ophelia …”
She tilts her chin up at him, and he reaches down and pulls her to her feet.
“It doesn’t have to be now,” she says, “while we’re here in this place, but one night, I want you to do it. I want to wake up to you inside me.” She takes his hand and pushes it under the hem of the long t-shirt, toward her pussy. “See?”
His eyes widen and his pupils darken.
“That’s what you do to me, Roman. I want you. I want your darkness and your lust. All of it. It’s not the same thing as what those evil people did to any of us.”
He stares at her for a beat, then he tangles his fingers in her hair and pulls her in for a deep kiss. She moans into the contact, the sound going right to my cock.
Just at that moment, my stomach rumbles so loudly, it has them breaking off their kiss to look at me.
Ophelia giggles, and even Rome cracks a smile. I relax a little inside. I think we’ve postponed him wanting to leave for now, but he’s got fucking issues deeper than a well and wider than a canyon, and I’m worried he’ll circle back around to this at some point.
“Why don’t we move this to the kitchen?” Cain pulls his phone out of the pocket of the sweats he threw on. “It’s almost midnight, and we haven’t eaten anything for a long time.”
“I could eat,” I say.
We look at Ophelia and Roman, expectantly.
“Everything’s better after food,” Ophelia says to him softly.
He’s still looking as if he might freak at any moment, but he allows her to take his hand and lead him up the stairs.
I wince as he passes, and I get a close look at his back. That needs to be cleaned so he doesn’t get an infection.
When we hit the kitchen, I head straight to the refrigerator. I open the door, and cold air hits me in the face. Every shelf is stocked with food—eggs, cheese, deli meats, and fresh vegetables.
I glance over my shoulder at the others. “How would you all feel about an omelet?”
“Sounds like heaven.” Cain’s stomach growls, and we all laugh. Even Rome joins in.
“Yeah, we’re hungry,” I say. “Here, make yourself useful, big guy, and open this.”
I hand Cain a bottle of red from the small rack on the countertop.
I expect there’s a bigger stash of wine somewhere, but this holds six bottles.
Three white, and three red. I take one of the whites and place it in the fridge.
Then I take out eggs, cheese, mushrooms, and spinach.
I’ll make a big omelet with spinach and mushrooms. The thought of melted cheese has my mouth watering.
Cain opens the wine, muscles flexing. He and Roman are both shirtless, and I feel over-dressed in my tee and sweats.
I’m not as big as they are, but that doesn’t bother me.
I’ve never felt the need to bulk up and build huge muscles.
I’m lean and strong, and in a fight, I’m fast and lethal. That’s all I need to know.
The kitchen is huge, and there’s a wide breakfast bar, with stools either side and a glistening marble top, so we can eat there.
I chop the mushrooms and rinse the spinach. Then I add the mushrooms to a pan with some butter and gently stir them as they brown. Once they’re looking ready, I crack eggs into a bowl.
Ophelia slips out of the room, returning a few minutes later with supplies for Roman’s back in hand.
I try to focus on whisking the eggs, but I’m distracted by her as she guides Roman to one of the stools running the length of the breakfast bar. They’re facing me, so I turn back to the stove, but I can’t resist looking back at the way she takes care of him.
She sits him down and pours some liquid onto cotton gauze.
The pungent tang of antiseptic hits the air.
Then, so gently it makes my heart hurt, she begins to dab at his back.
He sucks air between his teeth but doesn’t flinch.
Turning away, giving him some privacy as she cleans up his wounds, I pour the eggs into the pan.
“Hey, Cain, grate some cheese for me?”
He does as I ask, and I sprinkle it over the eggs.
It’s a huge pan, and I’ve got twelve eggs in there, so with the cheese, spinach, and mushrooms, it should be enough for us all. Cain has taken some fresh bread out of the breadbasket on the side, and he cuts it into thick slices.
God, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until food was imminent. Now, I feel as if I’ll pass out if I don’t get sustenance in my stomach.
At the last moment, I add the spinach, so it only wilts a little before I serve it.
Ophelia has left the kitchen again, probably to take the medical supplies back and wash her hands. Roman is sitting with his elbows on the breakfast bar, and Cain passes him a large glass of red wine. Roman takes it and glugs half the glass in one smooth swallow. Fuck, I guess he’s still on edge.
Food all served, and drinks placed on the bar, we sit, me on the other side from Rome and Cain.
Ophelia returns. “Oh, yay, this looks amazing, Mal. I’m starving.”
She walks past me to take the seat next to mine, but I grab her around her waist and pull her to me.
She stumbles a little and sits awkwardly on my lap.
“Mal, let me go. I need to eat.”
“I’ll feed you, Little Ghost,” I say.
She stills, and her body tenses but then relaxes in a lovely moment of submission.
“Okay,” she breathes.
The way she gives in makes my cock twitch. It hardens more when she shuffles into place, making the t-shirt ride up really high on her legs, so I get a glimpse of her pussy.
She’s sitting on my lap, with nothing but the cotton of my sweats between her pussy and me.
“No panties?” I raise a brow. “Little Ghost, you are so naughty.”
She sighs. “This t-shirt is as long as a nightdress on me. I figured I didn’t need any.”
“You figured right.”
Taking some of the omelet on my fork, I carefully lift it to her lips. I’m ravenous, but feeding her matters more to me than satiating my own hunger.
She opens her mouth for the morsel, and I oblige. As she closes her lips around the food and pulls back, she moans soft and low.
My dick jumps at the sound.
Shit, this meal is turning into something else entirely.
If I don’t eat soon, I’ll pass out from hunger, but my God, it will be worth it to be able to finger her wet pussy as I feed her delicious food.
I take a bite myself and then load my fork for her again. She takes it and this time adds a dramatic lick of her lips. Her eyes flutter closed, and she moans again, wriggling on my lap.
Is she teasing me?
“Does Little Ghost need more orgasms?” I ask.
Her cheeks turn pink, but she sighs and presses herself against me, getting some relief for her poor, aching pussy. Yeah, it seems she does need more.
“Here, baby.” I pick up the wine glass and carefully offer her some. She sips at it and swallows.
Cain is hoovering his food up fast, like an animal, and I’m not sure if he’s just that hungry or he wants to eat quickly so we can get back to fucking.
Ophelia looks at Roman and smiles. “You have a fantasy about taking me while I sleep,” she says. “Do you want to know what mine is?”
He doesn’t speak at first but then gives a terse nod.
He’s fighting it, but I know in the end his desire will win out over his messed-up sense of shame from what was done to him as a kid.
None of it was his fault, and it makes me want to do violence.
He’s scared Ophelia will ruin him, or he will ruin her, but I hope she’ll help us all heal.
Slowly, she looks to each of us in turn. “I have a fantasy about you all using me however you want.”
“Well, fuck,” Cain mutters.
Fuck, indeed.
“But first, I need to shower,” she adds. “And we all need to finish our meals.”
We inhale our food twice as quickly, even Roman, and Cain stands first. He pushes his stool back, stalks around the counter and plucks Ophelia off my lap. She squeals and kicks her feet, but she’s giggling, too.
“We can do the dishes later,” he growls. “First, we need to make your fantasy come true.”
I grab the wine bottle, and taking another swig, carry it upstairs with me as I follow them. Roman trails me, and halfway up the stairs, he grabs the bottle and takes a drink, too.
Ophelia is about to get just what she wished for.