Chapter 28
I Just Lost Everything
Clay
“Do you really have to go?” Leni pouts her bottom lip, tugging at my t-shirt, trying to entice me to follow her into the bedroom.
“Unless you want your brothers showing up here, I really need to get on the road.”
“When did Mercer even start poker night? It sounds dumb. I hate it.”
I chuckle, pulling her into me, taking my time to kiss her breathlessly. She hums into my mouth when I start to pull away.
“He started it last year. It’s only once a month and I’ll be back before midnight.”
“Toby still the best poker player?”
“Damn right. I don’t know why we still invite him to play.”
She grins, that smile that makes me weak at the knees. My whole heart expands when she looks at me like that. “Wait up for me?”
I watch, a lump growing in my throat, dick jerking to life as she pulls off her t-shirt.
Underneath is a lacy, see-through lingerie body suit that hugs her curves in all the right places.
Just the right amount of skin peeking out through the straps, teasing me, making me rethink poker night entirely.
I watch as her hand slides down her stomach, fingers dipping below the waistband of her shorts. She slips it lower, sultry hooded eyes looking at me through her lashes. Teeth sinking into her bottom lip, a gasp follows.
“Hurry back,” she whispers, drawing slick fingers out.
She’s about to wipe them on her shorts when I grab her wrist and suck them into my mouth.
My eyes close, a guttural moan ripping from my chest the moment her arousal hits my tongue.
“This outfit is crotchless.” Her sexy voice whispers in my ear, breath warm and inviting against my skin.
“Fuck me,” I breathe. My voice is closer to a whimper than it’s ever been in my entire life. My cock presses into my zipper, so hard it physically hurts. I grab the back of her neck, hauling her body into mine, our eyes meeting. “You’re going to pay for that, Leni. So fucking naughty.”
Heat sparks in her eyes, and she gives me a feral grin. “Looking forward to it. Get out of here so you can get back sooner.”
I press a quick kiss to her lips, then pull myself away, slipping on my boots, so I don’t say fuck it and end up in bed with her. I wasn’t joking, her brothers would absolutely find their way here if I don’t show up.
Unlike the Main house, the only way to get to Mercer’s is to take the highway around.
All the boys live on the ranch. Adler still lives at home, but the rest of them have their own spots.
Brooks, naturally, is the furthest from town.
Ethan lives the closest, and Leni’s cabin would be second.
Then the main house, and then, depending on which direction you want to travel, you’ll get to either Mercer’s or Toby’s place next.
Mercer has the nicest lawn, something you can credit to his use of community service.
It’s not actually court-ordered, but when kids get into trouble.
He uses manual labor on the ranch or at his own place to get them to pay their time.
Keeps their records clean and their parents happy. Most of the time.
He has a little ranch-style house with a wrap-around porch.
A small lean-to shed tucked in with a horse pasture and a small round pen.
He doesn’t take much time for himself these days, but I know he tries to ride at least once a week.
Fabio, as always, is looking like a fairytale horse, with his long flowing black mane and bougie tail bag.
It’s practical, and I know that, but it looks ridiculous on a ranch horse.
I got photos a couple of years ago when a group of girls did some landscaping after teepeeing the school.
Mercer came home to Fabio covered in glitter, his hair braided and bedazzled.
That motherfucker strutted around the paddock like he was God’s gift to horses.
They say dogs match their owners, but I wonder if the person who created that saying ever met horse people.
I park outside of Mercer’s house, not entirely surprised to see Ethan sitting outside on one of the wooden rocking chairs.
A beer in his hand, resting bitch face on display.
I know he’s waiting for me; all the other guys’ trucks are here.
In Adler’s case, his horse, Sir Percival, is tethered to the hitching post outside the house.
I grunt when I pull myself out of the truck, mentally preparing myself for another Kane brother’s confrontation.
“Ethan.” I stop at the steps, giving him a weak smile that he returns with narrowed eyes. We stare at each other for an uncomfortable amount of seconds before I break. “Spit it out already.”
“I’m pissed at you. You should have called us the moment she showed up on base.”
“Fair,” I say. The thought had crossed my mind, sure. Twenty-one-year-old Clay wanted at least a little bit of time with her, even knowing it wouldn’t last.
“Why didn’t she tell us what happened?” Ethan stands up, draping his forearms across the banister. His eyes distant, brow furrowed, like this is a puzzle he can’t quite figure out.
“I don’t know, E.” I dart my eyes to the door, willing someone to come out before I admit that I’m lying and I do fucking know.
“Guess I’ll ask her this weekend then, because that’s fucked up.”
“She’s going to be thrilled, I told you guys,” I mumble, the weight of all this guilt gnawing at my insides.
I walk past Ethan, shouldering open Mercer’s front door to the loud arguing voices of the three youngest Kane brothers and one stoically quiet Deputy Clark.
He makes eye contact with me, nodding his head in my direction before going back to observing the boys.
“They’re doing a hot wings challenge,” Ethan says, standing next to me. “And she’ll get over it. If we have to deal with her telling lies all of a sudden, she can deal with the consequences.”
My chest tightens. This is why Leni moved away and hates coming back. Ethan sounds a hell of a lot more like an angry dad than a hurt older brother.
“Ahhh.” Adler taps the butcher block counter, his face turning beet red, tears steaming down his face. “No, more. Please.” He slams back a glass of milk, Mercer following suit behind him. Toby, the bastard, is sitting there completely unbothered, tearing into a wing.
“It’s not that bad.” He grins at the other two, who look like they’re regretting their choices.
“I love it when he eats spicy food.” Ethan can’t take his eyes off Adler, who looks like he’s about to bawl like a baby. “Good to see he’s actually human.” He snickers before moving into the kitchen to help himself to another beer.
“Ah!” Mercer grins. “The final member of the party, seeing as Daddy Brooky won’t be making it.”
“Can we not call him that?” Toby screws up his face.
“Yeah, no.” Adler coughs, chugging milk between breaths. “No, Daddy Brooky.”
Nate chuckles from his spot at the island. I’ve only been to one other poker night, and while he doesn’t talk much, Nate seems to be the only person who can actually best Toby. It’s interesting to watch the struggle. The rest of us are here for fun; these two are out for blood.
The boys do one last round of wings before we move down to the basement. Toby and Adler murmuring some kind of plan to best the new guy. Whatever they cooked up didn’t do them much good. I don’t know where he came from, but Nate can play poker.
“For fucks sake.” Adler tosses his cards down, pushing his last pile of chips across the green felted poker table to Nate. The rest of us all grumble similar sentiments while the asshole smiles. His arm draped over the back of the chair, free hand moving a chip across his knuckles.
“Good thing ya’ll stopped playing for money.” He chuckles, showcasing how badly he took us all by stacking his chips in obnoxiously straight lines.
“I think he cheated.” Toby eyes the growing stacks in front of Nate. His gaze moves from the chips piling up in front of Nate, turning a knowing smirk at Adler. One of those looks that means they’re having a private conversation with their eyes.
Nate glares a narrowed-eyed stare at him, a look most people might shy away from, but not Toby. At six-five, he’s built like a bear, the biggest of the Kane boys by far. Toby is a solid wall of muscle, and he doesn’t flinch when Nate glares. Nah, he just smiles.
“I do not cheat,” Nate growls, leaning forward. The dark corner of Mercer’s basement feels twice as small when he crowds the table.
Toby’s grin only widens, completely nonplussed by the action. He shrugs, brushing Nate off entirely, which succeeds in pissing him off more. Nate’s nostrils flare as he leans back in his seat, arms crossing over his chest.
“On that note.” Ethan chuckles, pushing up from the table. “I’m heading out. See you guys Sunday.” He cracks his knuckles against his chest. “Nate, you comin’ for family dinner?”
“No.” Nate, for the first time tonight, looks uncomfortable. I know that feeling, the overwhelmingness of the Kane family and all their goodness. It’s hard to handle when you’re used to having a shit family yourself. “Thank you, though, for the invite.”
“We’re going to get you there eventually.
” Adler smiles at the newest member of our group.
I’m surprised no one has added Nate to the group chat yet.
Mercer sure is close to him, and it seems like the rest of them have adopted him, too.
Maybe they’re waiting for him to make it to family dinner first. Seems to be the official welcoming into the family.