“Holly,” Isolde saw her distress and went to her, pulling her into a hug. “Welcome home, chérie.” Emotion hung thick in the air as they wept, holding each other tight.
Nate and Rhett felt the extreme flood of emotion come through the link. The conflicting feelings of fear and safety, of belonging and loneliness, envy and satisfaction. She was awash in the moment.
They all stood around on that big front porch and held hands, touched, as they looked on.
After several long moments Isolde pulled back. “Come on inside and let’s get you and these boys introduced to everyone.”
As Holly followed her great-aunt, she marveled at the house. More specifically, at how the house felt. It was as if it welcomed her, embraced her.
“Now, introduce the family to these men of yours,” Isolde said as she indicated the room, full to bursting with people.
Nate was dressed in a handsome deep blue suit. The white linen shirt was open at the collar. His dreads were caught at the back of his neck, held away from his face. He looked casual and yet elegant but still held that edge of danger.
Rhett was in a charcoal gray pair of pants and a French blue shirt and his tie was gray to match. He looked like he’d just walked out of the pages of GQ magazine. He looked classy and so very handsome.
Both her mates were so gorgeous and sexy that she kept sneaking looks at them, amazed as always that they were hers.
She held her hands out and each one came to stand next to her. She made introductions and was relieved when they were greeted warmly and with respect.
She lost count of the names and people she was introduced to. The house was filled to the roof with Charvez women and husbands and brothers and cousins as well. They all seemed so at ease with each other and there never seemed to be a question that she was one of them. They all simply accepted her, welcomed her, treated her like one of the family and by extension, Rhett and Nate.
The dining room was filled to overflowing with people and food and laughter. Holly looked around the room and saw so many faces that looked like her own. Of the women there, only she and Lee had red hair—hers more copper and Lee’s more auburn—but another male cousin, Lee’s twin, had it as well.
After dinner they all went into the drawing room and sat her down. Isolde pulled out two large boxes and several photo albums and began to paint in the part of her mother’s life before she was born.
Page by page, picture by picture, she gave her mother life in a way Holly’d craved for decades. She wondered at them all. Saw herself in the faces of these generations of women.
When she opened the book that started with her mother’s birth the room quieted.
Lee’s mother Marie laughed at one of the pictures. “Elena and I were less than a year apart in age. We were always so close.” She tapped on a picture of a group of them in bathing suits, at a beach somewhere. “This was at the beach for my thirteenth birthday. Our cousin Lou broke her wrist and your mom healed it. Even so young she had such power. And she stayed calm even when everyone else was upset. She had such a gift.”
Holly nodded—her mother had been an exceptionally calm person.
“Why didn’t she come to us?” Marie asked quietly. “One moment she’d come to me and told me she was pregnant and the next I’d come home from a friend’s house and she was gone. I never heard from her again. She was like the other half of my heart and she just disappeared. How could she just walk away from us like that?”
Holly took her hand. “I don’t know. But there is something seriously wrong with this story. She lived in fear of being found out. We moved all the time. Whenever I asked about you all she refused to talk about it. I only have a few pictures of her because she would flip out if people took them.”
“She was running from something,” Nate said and they looked at him. “What? Did Holly not tell you I was an FBI agent? Well, on leave right now but I’ll be returning to consulting soon.”
“Really?” Alex asked with a grin and a discussion launched about the FBI and the missing persons cases that Nate used to work.
“This all seems so pointless. We’ll never know why, and Holly grew up without us and needed us and we weren’t there,” Lee said as she touched a picture of the Charvez cousins of that generation.
“But she’s here now. And she knows we love her and that whatever the reason, it wasn’t our choice that she wasn’t a part of this family until this moment,” Isolde said as she looked into Holly’s eyes.
Holly looked around the room at all of them and saw herself reflected there in mannerisms and facial expressions, in the shape of eyes or the slant of a pair of lips. Yes, these people were hers and she was theirs.
“Oh, sug, we’ve missed you so much,” Isolde said as she pulled her into an embrace. “We can’t replace your momma but we can be your family if you’ll let us. I’d love it if you’d consider moving down here.” She looked up at Nate and Rhett and back to Holly.
“I don’t know. I have to finish school and Nate and Rhett have a house and I can’t ask them to pull up stakes.”
“Don’t answer yet. I shouldn’t have asked like this anyway.” Isolde smiled wryly. “Get to know us for a bit and talk it over with your men and we’ll revisit it later on in the week.”
They read through the letters that her grandmother had written to her mother, all unsent but filled with so much love. With hope and longing so strong and poignant that it made Holly want to cry out at the injustice of all of it.
“Won’t you move from the hotel to our house?” Marie asked. “Or Lee’s? All are safer than the hotel and you’d have a better chance of getting to know us.”
“Our house is equipped to deal with day sleepers,” Lee said hopefully. “It’s big and warded and nearby. Please. We’d all feel so better about your safety. We don’t know what’s stalking you.”
Nate and Rhett said nothing. This was Holly’s choice to make. They’d go wherever she wanted to go. Feeling that, she looked up and smiled as each man put a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, it’s awfully late now. We can move to Lee’s tomorrow if you’re sure it’s not a big deal. I’d feel better if the guys had a place that was extra safe for vampires.”
Smiling, Isolde squeezed Holly’s hands and kissed each cheek. “Sug, I’m thrilled that you’re here. That you’re letting us be a part of your life. Why don’t we meet for a late lunch or whenever you wake up? You can see the shop and then I can show you your momma’s things that we’ve got stored there.”
“And move in tonight. Really. We’ve already had a suite of rooms prepared. We can go back to the hotel to get your things, it shouldn’t take too very long,” Lee pressed and Em nodded.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely!”
“Then why don’t you go to the house now, sweetness? Rhett can stay with you and Jax and I will go back to the hotel and get the bags. You’ll be safest that way. You’ll be in a well-warded house with a master vampire, a wizard and another witch along with Rhett,” Nate said as they all began to walk to the front door.
“Good idea,” Rhett said and put a finger on Holly’s lips as she began to complain. “It’s the best way to keep you safe.”
Holly sighed and agreed when she saw she was outnumbered.
* * * * *
When they arrived at Lee’s, Holly had to admit that the house was as spectacular as she’d heard it was. It was gorgeous but more than the way it looked, the house was special for the way it felt.
When they walked through the front door and it closed behind them, it felt utterly safe, almost cocoon-like. There was no noise from the street and the house was comforting around them, like an old, worn sweater.
“Wow, this place is amazing.” Holly walked through, following Lee and looking around at the gleaming wood, the jewel-toned rugs and the pretty antiques.
“Thank you. We love it here. I’m so honored to have you with us.” Lee opened a set of double doors and motioned them inside. ??
?This is your bedroom. There are specially locked shades on the windows to keep the light out.”
The bed was huge and there was a lovely sitting area with a comfortable loveseat and some small bookshelves. Holly dropped her purse on the bed. As she looked around the room, she caught the gleam in Rhett’s eye and a shiver worked down her spine.
“The bathroom is here and just outside to the left are the back stairs that lead down to the kitchen. We aren’t on Aidan’s schedule one hundred percent. Alex has a day job and I work at the shop on most afternoons so someone will be up when you wake in the morning. Just head down and grab a bite if you’re hungry. Oh and Jax’s room is across the hallway.”
Shyly, Holly moved to hug Lee and was pleased when her cousin pulled her into her arms with a tight squeeze. “Thank you for having us. I appreciate it.”
“You’re family, Holly. A Charvez. You’re always welcome. Tomorrow I’ll take you to the shop. You’ll love it.”
“Ah and Rhett, I’ll have it arranged for donors to come here at sunset.” Holly was relieved to note that the two vampires were much more comfortable around each other.
“Thank you, Aidan.” Rhett turned to Lee and gave a bow, careful not to touch her and ignite any trouble between himself and Aidan. “And, Lee, thank you for reaching out to Holly.”
Lee blushed and Aidan’s nostrils flared. Alex shifted a bit and said with a wave, “Yes, well, I’m going to bed now.”
“Yeah,” Lee said in a slightly breathy voice and Holly had to stifle a giggle.
When they all walked out Holly found herself flat on the bed with Rhett above her. “I’ve wanted to touch you all night.” Unbuttoning her blouse, he pressed his lips to her fluttering pulse at the hollow of her throat.
A small gasp broke from her throat and she pulled his tie loose, tossing it over his shoulder. In the back of her mind she heard it hit the chair but instead of feeling guilty she just moaned as he popped the catch of her bra and her breasts spilled out into his hands.
She opened his buttons as he kissed down her chest and his lips found their way to her nipples. Pulling his shirt off, she cried in frustration when it got caught at the cuffs. “Damn French cuffs!” she mumbled as she tugged the links loose and reached back to lay them on the table next to the bed.
Rhett took advantage of her stretched body and slid up against her like a cat. Her skirt was up around her waist and his hands made quick work of her panties.
Positioning himself between her thighs, he spread her open to his gaze. She looked down her body at his glossy black hair, watched his eyes as he took her in. When his tongue touched her she moaned and he pressed his palms against her thighs, keeping her positioned just so.
Dimly, she felt it when Nate entered the house. Felt it like a shock of warmth down her spine as he moved toward the room with purpose. He knew what they were up to, could feel their pleasure through the link.
Rhett knew that Nate was out there and he drove Holly higher, relentlessly, toward orgasm. She was writhing beneath him, rolling her hips up to meet his mouth. Breathy sounds of pleasure were coming from her mouth as her hands held his head to her.
The door opened and closed quickly and Holly opened her eyes. Her gaze locked with Nate’s as he quickly got rid of his clothes. Stalking naked toward the bed, he stopped directly behind where her head lay.
Before she could say anything to him, Rhett sucked her clit into his mouth, grazing it just slightly with his incisors, and orgasm bloomed through her. Back arched, she felt herself being moved and suddenly Rhett was pushing inside of her and her head was off the bed, upside down, and Nate’s cock was tapping her lips.
“Open,” they said in unison and she arched up to meet Rhett’s thrust and took Nate into her mouth and the three became one.
She was caught in a feedback loop of sensation—the thrust of Rhett’s cock deep inside her pussy as Nate pulled back out of her mouth. Nate thrusting into her mouth as Rhett pulled back. Helpless to do anything other than receive, she opened herself to the pleasure of it and let them give and in that, took.
Rhett looked up at Nate, watched him as he stroked into Holly’s mouth. His breath came in shallow pants, his dreads loose about his chest and shoulders. The ring in his nipple winked in the low light. He saw Nate through Holly’s eyes but he had to admit that he’d found Nate to be beautiful before Holly came along. She was simply the way for him to voice it to himself.
Nate took his eyes from Holly and locked his gaze with Rhett’s and the electricity of that zinged through the room. Nate leaned down and touched his lips to Rhett’s and straightened so as not to strain Holly’s neck.
The hum of satisfaction she made vibrated through his cock. Her tongue, soft and wet, swirled around the ridge of the head and her hands slid up his thighs and came to cup his balls. Pleasure rushed through his body. He gasped her name as he climaxed.
Rhett watched her throat work as Nate came, a sight so erotic that it hit him square in the balls. Her lips were shiny and swollen from sucking Nate’s cock as Nate pulled back. He lay on the bed next to them as Rhett continued to fuck into Holly’s body.
Unable to resist, Rhett leaned down and kissed Holly’s lips, tasting Nate there. He heard Nate’s strangled moan and felt the bed dip as he leaned in. Nate’s tongue met their joined lips and the kiss caught fire. The inferno of their desire brought Rhett’s body to the edge as he began to come.
Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through him as he thrust into Holly over and over again. Nothing had ever made him feel as complete as when he was with Holly, inside of her, her body harboring his. She was perfect. She was his.
Nate broke the kiss and dragged his incisors across the flesh just below Holly’s ear and the two vampires leaned in to taste her as orgasm took over her body once again.
“Oh god yes!” she cried out and one hand held Nate’s head and the other held Rhett, the three of them joined.
Rhett softened and pulled out and lay to one side, moving Holly’s body so that she was able to snuggle between the two of them.
“I love you, Rhett,” Holly said softly, leaning over to place a kiss on his chest. He pulled her into an embrace, breathing her in.
“I love you too, honey.” There was no other answer. He’d said the words before to other women both as a human man and as a vampire, but he realized that first night with Holly that he hadn’t really known what love was until she’d come into his life.
Nate growled and pulled her back and she was in his arms. “Sweetness, I’ve got to have you. Time is ticking toward the dawn, can you take me?”
Touched that such a dominant man could always put her first, Holly nodded and arched into him. “Oh yes, always. Nate, I love you. I love your cock inside of me.”
He got onto his knees and positioned her, head down, ass up. “I love you too, sweetness. You’re all I think about, all I want, all I need.” His hands stroked over her body, cupping her breasts and rolling and tugging on the sensitive nipples until she gasped.
Both men gave dark chuckles at how she responded and she may have been annoyed by it if it hadn’t felt so damned good, so right, to have his hands on her.
She looked up at Rhett as Nate drew a fingertip through her, over her clit with the barest of touches. She was still sensitive from her last orgasm and he was careful not to overstimulate her.
Rhett stroked a languid hand over his cock as he watched the two of them, the people he cherished most in the world.
“Fuck her, Nate,” he said, his voice tinged with that northeastern flavor.
“My pleasure, Rhett,” Nate replied and Holly moaned softly as he sliced through her in one hard thrust.
“Oh! More. More please, Nate,” she whispered, pushing back against him.
Rhett got to his knees beside Holly and this time, he initiated the kiss. Nate’s lips were firm and warm and his beard was softer than Rhett had thought it would be.
“Hey! No fair! I want to see,” Holly grunted as Nate f
lexed into her.
In one smooth motion Nate pulled out and flipped her over and plunged back inside and then pulled Rhett to him, back into the kiss.
Holly pushed Rhett’s hand away from his own cock. With a raised eyebrow, Nate moved Holly’s and replaced it with his own.
“I’ll take care of that. I want you to touch yourself. Pinch your nipples. Hard. I know you like it that way.”
She nodded and watched as Nate pulled out, moistened his hand with their combined wetness and thrust back inside, his hand grasping Rhett’s cock. Both she and Rhett gasped in pleasure.
Rhett looked down at her. “Didn’t Nate just tell you to pinch your nipples?”
She licked her lips and continued to watch them as she obeyed, rolling and pinching her nipples.
Nate felt the ripple of her pussy muscles around him and knew that she was just as turned on as the two of them were.
“Touch him, Rhett. He likes it when you play with the nipple ring,” Holly said breathily as she drew inexorably closer to coming.
Rhett’s hands slid up Nate’s stomach and then to his nipples and Nate gave a low groan when Rhett tugged on the ring.
Rhett thrust into Nate’s hands and Nate thrust into Holly’s pussy and she greedily watched them as she touched her nipples. It was so unbearably erotic that Rhett began to come first, his silky cum sliding through Nate’s hands and onto Holly’s stomach. Holly cried out as the hot liquid touched her flesh and, back bowed, exploded around Nate’s cock. Which pulled him in and he thrust deep and hard and unleashed his pleasure.
The combined thrusts and groans and gasps, sweat and seed and heat filled the air until it nearly throbbed with it. At last the three fell back and bonelessly heaped together.
Unity and love and togetherness. The three of them made a family.
Chapter Seven
Holly woke up, as always, snuggled tight between the two men. She leaned out and saw that it was already one in the afternoon. Yawning, she extricated herself from bed and made sure they were covered up well. She saw her suitcase was just inside the door where Nate had dropped it when he’d come in earlier that morning. At least he’d tossed the garment bag over the back of a chair so the clothes inside weren’t wrinkled.