The Other Brother (Snow and Ash Book 3) (14 page)

Shock tingles my scalp and ices its way down my spine. “What?”

“What happened in my past is none of your concern. It has nothing to do with you and me.”

Is he kidding me? “You told me if I was upset, I shouldn’t keep it from you. You called it lying!”

He sighs. “She’s nothing. She’s just an old girlfriend. You’re my wife. Why are we having this conversation?”

His political wife, a voice whispers inside me. “Because she’s…”

Kent’s looking at me like I’m crazy, and I grit my teeth. “Never mind.”

He draws me in a loose hug, but he’s looking over my shoulder. Like I’m not even there. I’ve made him mad. Why did I have to do that? She dumped him at least a year ago. He’s got to be over it by now. Right? And he’s so kind. And we are so not vanilla, at least as far as I know.

He steps back and traces a finger down my jaw. “We have tonight. Remember? I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

I give him a sure-you-were look, but I allow him to put his hands on my hips and pull me just a little too close for polite company. He’s got a chub. I giggle.

He kisses my forehead. “You’re silly, but you’re sweet. Will you be waiting for me?” A sparkle lights his eyes.

Heat flushes through me as I remember last night. Being childish and jealous is not how you please a man. What Kent and I have is special. Why am I ruining it?

“I’ve been thinking about you all day, too,” I admit finally.

He pulls away and leers down at me. “Have you?”

I nod. I allow a close-lipped smile to escape.

The warmth returns to his eyes, and when he smiles, both cheeks move, so it’s real. “You’ll be waiting for me then?”

I blush and look at the floor. “I will.”

He’s right. It doesn’t hurt. A chill breeze from under the door raises goose bumps on my skin, but I don’t move. I’ve showered and lotioned for him, and I’m on my knees with my hands behind my back. For some reason waiting for him like this, knees spread and breasts available for whenever he gets around to me, kind of turns me on. I want him to hurry up; I want him to wait and torment me more. Do other women do this for their husbands? Not something I could exactly ask my mother. Tish never talked about sex back when she was in college and there were things like birth control.

If tonight is anything like last night, I just might turn into Jell-O. My nipples go hard at the thought. I want to touch them, run my palms over them, and get a taste of what he’ll give me, but I don’t. He said to wait.

So I do.

The ancient mantel clock chimes. I’ve been on my knees over an hour now.

When the door finally opens, I catch my breath. The first lick of moisture seeps between my legs. He hesitates at the door, and I feel his gaze caress my body. I blink and my skin warms, but I keep my gaze fixed on the floor.

The wood creaks, and Kent is off to the bathroom. I’m still sore between my legs from last night, but I don’t care. I ache to take him inside me. The shower is running, and I imagine him moving the soap over his hard, chiseled body, and wish I could be there to watch. To do it for him.

Ayden, though. What is the deal with her? What did Nico mean when he said Kent and her were violent? Does Kent need that? Would he go to another woman so he could get it? I don’t know if that’s something I could even do. It’s one thing to put your trust in another, but I don’t know if I trust anyone that much. People have hurt me for their own pleasure in the past. I don’t think I could go through that again and survive.

The water stops, and I curl my toes. He’ll be drying himself now. Is he thinking about me? My right hand clenches my left wrist. I want to touch him.

The door opens, and a thrill of heat licks my core. The floorboards creek. Will he ignore me again? Will he make me wait?

Out of the corner of my eye I sight his bare feet, the hairs on his legs, and I moisten my lips. He pauses in front of me, and my heart leaps against my chest. He crouches. He’s hard and ready, and a delicious wave of longing hits me. I’m not getting enough air.

He runs a hand through my hair. “So soft,” he murmurs. He trails his fingers down my neck, down my collarbone. He cups my breast and gently tweaks the tip between his thumb and finger. My pussy tightens, and my eyelids flutter at the exquisite shiver he brings.

“Good girl.” He even sounds pleased. He slides a finger over my clit, down my pubic lips, and grunts. I am so wet down there I could drown him. When he works a finger inside me, I melt into a thousand nerve endings. I arch my hips, which is hard to do in this position, but I must get closer to him.

He chuckles, withdrawing his fingers. I wet my lips. Did I do something wrong?

He stands. “You can look at me, Bianca.”

Immediately my eyes flash to his, and oh God, I could come just looking at the lust in his eyes, the hardness of his cock.

“Are you sore?” he asks softly.

I swallow. “Only a little.”

“We’ll wait another day, then.”

No! “But—”

“I said we’ll wait.”

But I can tell I’ve pleased him. His eyes are warm, and a softness hovers about his lips. Resigned to waiting another day, I nod.

Again he runs his hands through my hair, and I breathe deeply at how good it feels. I move to get up.

“No.” His hands tighten in my hair, and the tingles change to a sting.

I’m doing it wrong! Fuck! What is wrong with me?

“I like you this way. On your knees, legs spread, all open to me. It tells me you’re ready to please me in any way I want. At least I think it does.”

I nod. Of course I am. I would do anything for him.

“Good.” There’s a smile in his voice. “Suck me off.”

I gasp at the abrupt change in tone. I go even wetter at his command. He taps his dick against my lips, and I open. I suck and lick and squeeze until his hips rock against me. I cup his balls, rub them in my palm, and take him deeper into my throat. Then he seizes my head in an iron grip and takes over. All I have to do is let him slide along my tongue; all I have to do is relax my throat and let him do what he likes. He stops to catch his breath, and I suck the tip, run my tongue down his length, and suck his balls into my mouth.

“Jesus Christ, you’re good at this.”

Pleasure sweeps through me, and I give his cock an especially eager suck. I pump my lips over the tip until he moans nonstop, and then I take him all the way past the gag, into my throat. My nose is pressed into his pubic hair when his hands fist my hair. I swirl my tongue over his base, but then I gag again and he retreats into my mouth. I grab a couple breaths before he shoves forward again. Slowly, deliberately he fucks my throat, and every time I gag, he grabs my hair like he’s about to explode. I don’t mind that it’s uncomfortable for me. Kent seems to love this, so I want him to have it. I want him to understand how much I love him, that I would do anything for him.

“God!” Then he lets out an inarticulate shout as he shoots his seed. I try to suck it straight back and swallow, but there’s so much of it that some escapes my lips and leaks down my chin.

There’s no more cum, and yet he still slides himself against my tongue.

“God, Bianca, that mouth of yours is a weapon. Fuck.”

My toes curl at the pleasure his words give me. I’m not useless. I’m not vanilla. I’ve pleased him. Maybe I’ve even given him a reason to think about me tomorrow when I’m not around.

I clean up in the bathroom and brush my teeth, and when I return to the room, I almost hop into the bed. Then I smile. “May I sleep in your bed tonight?”

He grabs me and pulls me down to him. “You’re not sleeping anywhere but here.”

He wraps his arms around me, spoons me, envelops me completely. I feel like I’m a part of him, somehow. I know I’m not, but I want to be. I want to be so necessary to him he’ll never be able to be without me. “I love you, Kent,” I whisper. I think he might not hear me, I say it so softly, but his arms tighten around me and he buries his face in my hair. A sound escapes him, and I’m not sure if it’s a sigh or something else. But his grip doesn’t loosen, and I feel warm. Appreciated. Treasured.

But…Ayden.

Right now I please him. I suspect this might be as far as he takes things. He knows my past. I’ve overcome some incredible wounds to get this far. What if this isn’t enough for him? He might turn to Ayden or someone like her to get what he really needs. I don’t know if I can live with that. Not now. The other alternative is to let him go wild on me. I let him shove his dick down my throat. That didn’t feel so great, but it gave me pleasure just because it made him feel so good. Last night he slapped my breasts in punishment. It degraded me, but it didn’t hurt. Not really. I don’t think he’d really hurt me—hurt anyone. Maybe in a little while I can let him take it a step further. I know he cares about me somewhat. I’m his wife, after all. Nico said it was only a little while before I found myself bent over and caned. I can’t imagine what that must feel like, but it can’t be any worse than the degradation those men spewed into me.

I don’t know. I don’t know if I can ever really go that far. But I can try.

~ ~ ~

“You should have heard Col. Ernshaw last night. You’d have thought I demanded he cut off an arm.” Tish spells out mammoth on the Scrabble board.

“He had no idea you were coming?” All I have are vowels. This game sucks.

“No. I was supposed to go straight to my geriatric treasure, but Dad changed his mind at the last minute.”

“Did he really think I’d embarrass him?” By now he’s probably thinking he should have sent Tish to the Barrys. She definitely would have been better at doing the whole Biltmore House thing. Even thinking about her in my shoes makes my shoulders go tight. I would never, never, pretty much ever, give up Kent. I stick a U between a B and a T.

“I doubt it. You always were the good one. He probably wanted to make sure you weren’t living in a dungeon and they weren’t planning an attack.”

“I guess that makes sense.” I reach inside my neckline and adjust my bra strap. I bet Ayden never has wardrobe malfunctions. Then I think about how Kent saw her naked probably hundreds of times and my stomach burns.

Tish does a double take. “Bianca, what the hell are you wearing? God, I know Kent wants you to dress the part, but you look like you have no boobs.”

I tense. That’s just rude. With all the weight I gained, I had to switch to a C-cup. I am not flat. Tish has more than enough up top, but there isn’t a single curve between her boobs and her ankles. This morning I caught at least three men checking me out, and they were not laughing. The snowy-white sweater goes all the way up to my neck, but it has silver and crystal bling all down the sleeves and it hugs my shape. You know, sort of like Ayden’s did last night. In her white dress.

Is that why he chose this top?

I scowl. “Kent asked me to wear it.”

“Figures. Sorry, hon.”

“Kent likes the way I look. So do I.” When my sister isn’t making me feel like a mutt.

“All right. All right,” she says, raising her hands in surrender. “Maybe I’m just used to the old you.”

I settle back against my chair. She has to be nervous about going to Bluefield. I lucked out, but Dad just sold her to General Balenchuk. From what I hear, the guy treated his daughter like a captive. No wonder Tish is so irritable.

“Can you imagine if it’d been Nico instead of Kent?” Tish asks.

I study my letters as though I’m deeply interested in finding the perfect word. “No.”

“I guess not. He’s young and charming and fun. Your life would be totally different. I mean, Balenchuk’s an old goat, but at least he’s not hideously disfigured. God, how can you have sex with him without throwing up?”

My stomach clenches, and my eyes shoot her micro fuck-you darts. “Kent’s wonderful, and I happen to think he’s handsome!”

Tish rolls her eyes. “You do not.”

“Yes, I do!”

She slouches back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. “Well, he’s got you brainwashed. Either that or you’re so bullied you’re afraid to talk smack even when you’re alone.”

I grit my teeth. I’m so mad I feel like my head will explode. “Don’t you dare sit there and judge me or my husband. It may seem strange to you, but I’m happier now than I’ve been for as long as I remember.”

“Did I pick a bad moment?”

I practically jump at Kent’s voice, and my stomach leaps. Did he hear us? I swing around and look for signs of pissed off.

He offers a tentative smile. “I just thought I’d stop in for a moment.”

He came to see me! My stomach flutters and I can’t help smiling in return. I pop up and meet him halfway across the floor. When he takes my face between his hands and plants a kiss on my lips, I swear to God, I melt.

“I’m only here for a sec. I just wanted to tell you I won’t be around for lunch.”

“Crap!” I mean it.

He laughs. “Now don’t go gutter on me, babe.”

I feel glowy, and I can’t help puppying up into his eyes. They’ve gone all soft, and his face is pink. I’d swear he’s glad to see me. When he caresses my cheek, peace fills me and I lean into his caress.

He presses another kiss on my forehead and steps back. “I’ll see you later?”

I nod. Butterflies and bunnies hop inside my stomach. It’s a full five seconds after he’s gone before I stop staring after him.

“Oh boy,” Tish mutters.

I swing around and frown.

She shakes her head as I take my seat. “You’ve got it bad.”

“So? It’s a good thing to be in love when it’s your own husband.”

Tish rubs her hands down her face. “Look. It’s fine to accept that you’re here. Definitely you should make the best of it, but don’t get wrapped up in all this. These are the Barrys. They’re not nice men. At all. They could decide at any minute to get rid of you. I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just saying, be careful. So far you seem to be playing things right, but don’t get emotionally involved.”

I sigh. “I’m not playing anything.”

“I know you’re not. That’s what upsets me.”

Back at home people used to talk about how strong I was, but they were wrong. Tish is the strong one. No matter what happens, she’ll always come out unscathed. What they saw in me was just glue. I worked out and trained and punched things so I wouldn’t fall apart. Tish can’t possibly grasp what it means to me that Kent let me into his life knowing how damaged I am. She’s never felt as low as I have, so she’ll never understand how high he’s raised me. When I finally put my trust in him, it was like magic. It’s…it’s like nothing bad exists anymore.