Chapter 14
REBEL
When sunlight started to slip in through the blinds, Clara was tucked into my side. Her head was resting on my shoulder, her long chestnut hair splayed out behind her, and her breathing slow and even.
I took a moment to savor how fucking perfect it felt waking up with her in my bed, her curvy body molded seamlessly against mine. Like she’d been meant to be there all along.
I loved being at the orchard, but her small apartment was a tight squeeze for a man my size. So we’d slept at my place the past couple of nights.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, dragging me out of my reverie, and I realized it was what had woken me up in the first place.
I reached out and grabbed it, careful not to wake Clara.
The screen illuminated with King’s name, and the short text sent a ripple of tension through my body. Fucking hell.
King
Progress. My office. ASAP
My muscles tensed, and I sucked in a deep breath, releasing it slowly.
If the interruption was anything else, I would have ignored it and stayed in bed with my woman.
A low growl of irritation rumbled in my throat as I eased carefully away from Clara, my body immediately protesting the absence of her warmth.
She stirred, her eyelids fluttering open, and she peered up at me, still soft and sleepy.
She looked so adorable and fucking sexy at the same time.
My eyes drifted down her bare curves beneath the sheet, my cock twitching in appreciation.
It took every ounce of my self-control to keep from rolling her beneath me and driving my cock back inside her.
Every time I took her was incredible, but there’d been something different about her last night. Less tense, and more settled. For some reason, that had made her horny as hell. She’d been so damn tight and hot, giving herself to me over and over, leaving us both spent.
“Morning.” Stretching languidly, her tits pushed up with the motion, and the urge to bend down and take one of her pretty nipples into my mouth made my cock ache. She winced slightly and laughed softly. “Good grief, Ronan. I feel like I ran a marathon last night.”
I couldn’t stop the slow smirk that curved my lips as I admired the fresh flush that rose on her cheeks. “You took it like a fucking champ, baby. Gonna feel me for days.”
She giggled, a sound that tightened my chest and made my cock even harder. I loved her laugh. Fuck, I loved everything about her. It wasn’t exactly a shocking realization, but it still took me a second to let the thought sink in.
She must have seen something on my face because when she looked up at me, her amber eyes were serious despite her teasing. “Everything okay?”
I hesitated for a second before nodding tightly.
It wasn’t the right time to talk about my emotional revelations, so I skirted around the topic.
“King needs me at the clubhouse.” I brushed my fingers lightly over her flushed cheek.
“I’ll drop you at the orchard on my way.
But I’ll be back there as soon as I can, okay? ”
She pushed up onto her elbow, the sheet falling to her waist and baring her soft tits, drawing my hungry gaze like a magnet. Fucking torture.
“I understand.”
She didn’t press for details, she never did. But same as last night, I felt like she was different today. More trusting and content.
Rubbing her eyes, she sat up fully. The sheet dropped completely as she pushed the messy strands of hair from her face. “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be ready.”
I watched as she scooted off the bed, leaving the sheet behind and giving me a perfect view of her bare ass as she strode toward the bathroom. Once she was at the door, she glanced back at me over her shoulder with a coquettish smile. “Are you coming?”
I fucking wish.
Shaking my head, I sighed. “If I follow you in there, we’ll never get out of here, Clara.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief and desire. “I guess I’ll just have to wash every inch of my body by myself this morning.”
“Little tease,” I muttered, shaking my head as I forced myself up and out of bed. My erection throbbed painfully as I pulled on jeans and a clean shirt. I forced my attention to getting ready, rather than the wet, naked woman singing off-key in my shower.
When we were finally dressed, we hopped on my motorcycle and headed to the orchard.
The ride passed too quickly, her arms wrapped securely around my waist, her soft body pressed against my back.
We pulled into Winslet Orchard and Farm’s familiar gravel driveway.
The place was already bustling with early morning festival activity, vendors arriving, stalls being set up, and the scent of freshly baked apple pies and cider donuts drifting out from the store.
Clara climbed off my bike and removed her helmet, her cheeks flushed from the ride, her amber eyes warm as she looked up at me. I tugged her against my chest and lowered my mouth to hers, kissing her hard…and no less possessive than I’d been last night when I’d taken her over and over again.
The second I lifted my head, she drew in a shaky breath, her eyes hazy and lips swollen from my kiss. She reached up to touch my jaw. “I’ll see you later?”
“Gonna get this shit handled as fast as possible.” My thumb brushed possessively over her bottom lip. “Don’t think I can go too long without having my mouth on you.”
She blushed and bit her lip as she pulled away. Then her expression sobered. “Be careful, Ronan.”
I inclined my head. “Always, baby.”
I watched her turn toward the store, her hips swaying seductively with every step. I was so damn distracted, I didn’t notice her siblings approaching until Harper’s amused voice broke through my thoughts.
“Well, good morning, Rebel,” she called out, her eyes gleaming with humor “Looks like you and Clara got an early start this morning.”
I raised a brow, feeling a hint of amusement despite myself as Clara’s other siblings joined her. Greg was grinning widely, nudging his twin with his elbow. “Except I don’t remember seeing them come back last night.”
Ella’s giggle was barely contained, her gaze flicking between me and the retreating figure of Clara. “Is our sweet sister doing the walk of shame?”
Shawn glanced up at his sister, then back at me, confusion on his face. “The what?”
Harper hushed him, then looked back at me expectantly. “So?”
I stared them down, my voice dry as desert sand. “You three gonna grill me every time you see me?”
Greg laughed and shrugged, completely unrepentant. “Pretty much, yeah.”
Harper tilted her head and grinned at me. “What else is family for?”
I shook my head slowly, muttering under my breath. “Fuck me.”
Greg snorted, clapping me on the shoulder. “No thanks. Pretty sure Clara’s already got that covered.”
“What do you mean?” Shawn piped up. “What’s Clara got covered?”
Clearly having forgotten he was there, chagrin seeped into the expressions of his older siblings.
“Um, the pies. Clara’s going to make them as usual. Rebel was just offering to help, and Greg was letting him know that Clara’s got it covered.”
Shawn frowned. “But he didn’t ask—”
Ella cleared her throat and nudged her little brother in the direction of the store. “Mom’s calling you.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Shawn insisted, his frown even deeper.
“I mean earlier. She told me to send you to the store.”
“That doesn’t make sense—”
“Geez, baby brother, just go find mom,” Harper groaned.
He spun around to face her, glaring as ferociously as an eleven-year-old could. “Don’t call me a baby!”
“Then get to work like a grown up and prove me wrong,” she snipped.
His gaze darted to the twins, then to me, but seeing that no one was going to take his side, he threw up his arms in disgust. “Whatever.”
Then he stomped off, kicking up dirt with each step.
I raised a brow, my lips twitching despite myself. “Good luck with that.”
Ella winked, eyes dancing. “Considering how many times I’ve caught you and Clara practically making babies around here, maybe you should handle it. You could use the practice.”
With an exasperated sigh, I shook my head and turned back to my bike, leaving them laughing behind me as I pulled away from the orchard.
The kind of teasing and casual warmth I’d never really experienced before Clara felt good.
I was completely at ease with my brothers, free to be my real self, and there was definitely a deep sense of family, but it wasn’t the same as what I felt around Clara’s family.
They were quickly becoming an extension of what I felt for her.
Hopefully, we’d add to the family soon. I’d certainly been putting forth my best efforts. Although, I was glad the awkward shit, like explaining the birds and bees, was far in the future.
As I neared the compound, my amusement faded as my mind shifted gears. I focused on the coming meeting and what had been discovered.
When I strode into King’s office, tension immediately crackled across my skin.
Wizard was sprawled on the couch in the small sitting area, tapping away at his tablet with his boots propped up on the armrest. He looked up briefly, shot me a chin lift in greeting, then immediately went back to work.
Blaze leaned against a bookshelf near the window, his arms crossed over his broad chest.
And King was barking rapid-fire Italian into the phone.
His eyes were narrowed, focused on something none of us could hear, his voice shifting smoothly into Russian as he paced restlessly behind his desk.
Then he switched to Hungarian, yet another of the eight languages he was fluent in.
His mastery was impressive, but his wife had him beat now that she was fluent in Mandarin.
I glanced over at Blaze with a raised brow. His expression was darkly amused when he met my gaze.
“CIA contacts,” he explained, his voice just clear enough to be heard.
“The off the books kind?” I asked.
He nodded.