Evelyn Vine Be Mine (66 page)

He straightened with a small frown, watching my face intently. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye, letting him see all that I was feeling.

“This does,” I answered breathlessly, before reaching up and firmly bringing his lips down to mine. I kissed him fiercely, possessively, vaguely registering the cheers and cat-calls of the crowd around us. Stone chuckled into my mouth, as if taken aback by my vehemence, but he fisted a hand in my hair and used the other to pull my body up his. I wrapped my legs around him, tightened them around his waist and let him take the kiss to deeper, even more intense levels.

When we resurfaced, gasping for breath, it was to find that all ten of my present siblings had closed in around us. Logan and the twins were smiling, but Paul and both sets of triplets were glaring. Stone raised an eyebrow. “Your brothers?” he murmured. “And sisters,” I muttered, grudgingly climbing down, but staying against Stone to hide his erection. Not good. “We still need to talk,” Stone whispered in my ear. I nodded my agreement. We had a lot of talking to do. Our relationship wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“Who the fuck is he?” Vicky and Harvey demanded in unison. They flanked Evan, whose glare was icy enough that no words were necessary. Stone’s erection died a quick death and I bit back a giggle. Jake snatched me from Stone’s arms and Mike grabbed him by the shirt. “Why was my sister upset with you?” my younger brother demanded. Stone eyed him, but didn’t take an aggressive stance. Nor did he give anything away in his expression.

Charlie rolled her eyes and smacked Mike in the head. “Let go, Michael. Didn’t you listen to the song? They don’t communicate properly.”

Paul snarled, “I also heard a lot of shit about touching and kissing and…(his nostrils flared angrily) spreading legs!”

Mike’s grip tightened on Stone’s shirt, but Logan chuckled. “Right, Paulie,” Logan said with another laugh, “I’m sure you sit around having tea parties with your girlfriends. They’re uni students. They’ve probably been fucking for months. It’s too late to stop them now.”

There was a chorus of male growls, including a small one from Stone at the word ‘fucking’. Vicky took a menacing step forward. “It’s not too late,” she responded, her fists clenching, “I can remove his dick.”

For the first time, I saw Stone wince. “No thanks,” I told her softly, breaking away from Jake and moving to stand between her and Stone. “I like it where it is.”

They all gaped at me, Logan and Charlie choking on laughs.

“This is your fault,” Evan said, shoving Logan hard, “You’re a bad influence.”

“Me?” Logan asked incredulously, snorting a little, “What about you, Ev? Or Charlie? Or Mike? You’re all as slutty as me, if not sluttier.”

“I’m practically engaged,” he added smugly, “I’m the only one of you close to getting married.”

Paul snorted this time. “Yeah, but only because you knocked her up.”

Shit.

Logan seized Paul by the shirt and lifted him off the ground. “What the fuck did you just say?” all playfulness vanished from Logan’s face and, for the first time, I noticed how much he resembled Zane. Cooper cleared his throat. “Bridge and I got engaged last week.”

Everyone but Charlie turned to stare at Coop. Logan carefully put Paul down as all animosity faded and he wrapped Cooper in a man-hug. The rest of my siblings offered up their congrats and I took the opportunity to try and edge away with Stone. Bridget walked up to our group with a grin, halting our escape. “Is the chest beating over?” she asked with a cute wrinkle of her nose, “Lets open presents already.”

My brothers and sisters looked between each other, then at me and Stone. “We’ll have a talk with your man later,” Evan said grudgingly. The others mumbled unenthusiastic agreement.

I smiled - at least they’d acknowledged Stone was my man.

Forty

I smiled at the people sitting squished around the table and rolled my eyes. Harvey and Evan had immediately sat down on either side of Stone, thinking to make me sit somewhere else. Vicky was sitting next to Ivy, giving her the ‘don’t hurt my little brother or I’ll drop a bomb on your house’ expression…all while cooing and smiling at Dylan. Charlie and Candy sat either side of Coop, who had Bridge perched in his lap and Paul and the younger triplets had parked themselves opposite Stone – all the better to glare at him. The band, Briar and Mason sat in a big clump, gesturing for me to join them. I shook my head and made a point of sitting down on Stone’s lap. There was another chorus of growls from my siblings, but Stone cautiously slid his arms around me, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Logan broke the tension by appointing himself the present handler and placed the first wrapped gift in front of me. Paul and the little trips sat a little straighter, telling me that this present was from them. I checked the label…Yep. I opened it slowly, carefully, not wanting to tear the paper or break something inside. Charlie let out a groan of impatience, before leaning over the table and tearing the paper down the centre.

“Charlotte!” Harvey snapped angrily.

Charlie just stuck her tongue out. “It’ll take all day if she goes at that pace.”

“She can do whatever she - ”

“Ooh!” I interrupted Harvey, “Awesome!”

I held up the matching car seat covers, steering wheel cover, car mats, car care products and fuzzy dice. “Thank you!” I beamed across the table at my brothers. They preened, looking extremely happy with themselves.

Logan quickly shoved their present to the side and placed another one in front of me – this one from the older triplets. Glass clinked together as I carefully moved the large box and Harvey sent a warning glare at Charlie. I unwrapped this present more quickly just in case. I peeked inside the cardboard box and my eyes flew wide at the amount of alcohol they’d given me.

“Welcome to adulthood,” Vicky said, lifting her beer in my direction, “I went a little crazy with the duty-free purchases coming back from the US.”

Paul stiffened, “She shouldn’t be drinking-”

“Can it, Paul,” Evan told him and his face fell a little. I looked over at Paul in sympathy. He tried so hard to find his place in our family and was constantly being shut down. I knew how that felt…but at least I was given heaps of affection to make up for it.

“It’s okay Paulie,” I told him softly, “I’m not a big drinker. This supply will probably last me all next year.”

I turned and placed a kiss on Harvey’s cheek. “Thanks Vic,” I said with a grin and a wink at Evan.

After that, I opened a lovely pearl necklace from my mother and a laptop from Zane. I was a little disappointed they couldn’t make it, but my mother was in Sydney for work this week and Zane was still God-knows-where. Ivy had to leave with Dylan, but Logan stayed. Alec gave him a push toward Ivy’s chair and took over on the present front.

“This one’s from me, Briar and Jamie,” he told me with a grin, placing a package in front of me.

“It’s from my family as well,” Briar added as I read the card.

I gasped when I opened it. “This is too much,” I breathed shakily.

Briar shrugged, “Think of it as a family investment for when they eventually hire you.”

In a daze, I showed my family the expensive camera. My family eyed my friends, as if just registering how rich everyone at my university was. Of course, their eyes then turned to Stone with renewed curiosity.

Alec placed the next present in front of me though and my friends started to shift excitedly. I glanced at the label and bit my lip nervously when I realised it was Logan’s. I reverted to my slow unwrapping, peeling back the paper with tightly closed eyes. I glanced down and ‘eeped’ in surprise. Harvey snatched the book from me though and sat on it.

“Get over it Harv,” Logan said, casually leaning back in his chair. Vicky turned on him and gripped his hair. “What is it Harv?” she demanded, not taking her eyes off Lo.

“The Kama Sutra,” he growled back darkly. My friends cracked up, but the rest of my brothers frowned at Logan (including Coop).

Vicky tightened her grip in Logan’s hair, but Charlie stood and slapped her hand. “Let go Vic, jeez.”

“Back off, Charlotte. I bet you think his gift is funny.”

I inwardly groaned. Vicky and Charlie were always fighting.

Charlie stood taller in her high heels and gripped Vicky’s wrist. “No, Victoria, I think the gift is useful and informative.”

“Don’t touch me,” Vicky growled, pushing Charlie back and Logan winced at the sharp tug on his hair.

“Don’t push me,” Charlie snapped back, raising her fist back to escalate the fight. Cooper caught her first though and dragged her back to her seat, even as Logan reached up and gripped Vic’s wrist hard, tightening his fingers until she either had to let go…or deal with the bruising. She clipped him across the back of the head and grudgingly sat back down.

I pinched Harvey’s ass and when he jumped in surprise, I tugged the book from beneath him. He glared at me, but Alec rescued the book and placed it with the other opened presents, before handing me another. My friends still looked excited, but a few worried glances were now thrown in the direction of my siblings. Great, I thought with a sigh, More sex stuff to come.

“This one’s from me and Mase,” Candy announced with that wicked smile of hers. Yep…definitely sex-themed.

I decided to just get it over with and ripped open the paper, revealing a big tub of body chocolate and candy condoms. My siblings decided to behave and simply averted their eyes. I curiously picked up the candy condoms and read the back of the packet, Stone leaning forward to read over my shoulder. I frowned at the bold warning at the top, saying that these condoms were not to be used as a contraceptive.

“Oh!” Charlie said with a gasp, “Those are cool Evie. Though, as a nurse, I advise you don’t use them unless you are in a monogamous relationship and you’re both free of STI’s.”

“Char,” Coop murmured in warning, but Charlie kept on talking.

“Because they’re not like real condoms…they’re made out of this really thin candy stuff…like rollups only much much thinner. Anyway, they’re sort of an open-condom, if that makes sense…you have to wrap it around the guy’s dick and lick the ends together so that it sticks on.”

I listened with avid curiosity, but my siblings started to protest.

“Shut it,” Harvey growled.

“Watch your mouth,” Evan snapped.

“Slut,” Vicky mumbled and

“We don’t want to know,” the younger triplets chorused.

“So…” I said quietly, frowning a little, “If they don’t protect you…what are you supposed to do with them?”

Stone snorted behind me, but carefully blanked his expression as male glares turned on him.

Candy laughed and wiggled her eyebrows at me, “It’s candy…you eat it off.”

My mouth formed a little o and I blushed. “Thanks,” I muttered, shoving the stuff back to Alec and eagerly taking the next present.

Donny bounced Fredi on his lap and winked at me. “This one’s from me and Winnie,” he announced proudly.

I eyed the package warily and glanced at my brothers. I glared at Donny, already knowing they’d packed something naughty. I tore open the paper and lifted a bikini from the box.

“Oh cool!” I squealed, “It’s made from candy!” My smile faded as I realised it couldn’t be washed and worn repeatedly…and it was another gift that needed to be ‘eaten off’. I was seeing a theme here. Lollies and sex. The rest of the stuff in the box was too raunchy to take out in front of my brothers. So I just handed it quickly to Alec.

“Are these presents for me or Stone?” I wondered out loud.

My friends laughed, but it was cut short as the rugby team filed onto the stage to sing me happy birthday. Some random I didn’t know brought out the birthday cake and I blushed as I blew out the candles. I cut the cake quickly, and when I touched the bottom, decided to give both Evan and Harvey quick kisses on the cheek, before turning to place an even quicker one on Stone’s. No need to start another fight.

We were all happily munching on cake when I heard the distinctive sound of a chopper approaching. We all looked up, barely seeing the black helicopter in the dark as it came to a stop over an open section of the field. It didn’t lower though, instead, a rope was thrown down and a black-clad form rapidly started descending.

I frowned for a moment of confusion, but then hope bubbled up in my chest and I turned to gape at Coop. “Is he home?” I demanded excitedly.