Hanging On 2: Surreal Neal [Awakenings 6] (Siren Publishing Menage and More) (28 page)

I didn’t bother with the preliminaries. I devoured her lips and plunged my tongue into her mouth. She met my aggression with some of her own, and before I came up for air, she had my jeans around my ankles.

I tasted her neck and worked on her jeans. We fumble-stumbled to the massive, four-poster bed she kept in the dungeon. The steel frame was bolted to the floor, and it featured strategically placed metal rings where ropes or snaps could be attached. It wasn’t my taste, but it did the job.

We fell onto the bed, which always had fresh sheets, and twisted around one another’s bodies to strip away the rest of our clothes. I touched her body, discovering anew my favorite places. No matter how many times we were together like this, it always seemed like the first time. I knew that kissing the bend inside her elbow made her suck in her breath, yet the wonder of her reaction struck me each time.

Taking my time, I explored her. I dipped my tongue into her navel and turned her onto her stomach so that I could kiss a path up her spine. She moaned and writhed, arching into me, and the scent of her arousal whetted my appetite for the kind of dessert only she could provide.

I slid up her body and turned to lie on my back. “Ride my face, Sophie.”

“‘And even for that do I love you the more.’” Wasting no time, she positioned herself over me. Both of us played with her pussy, circling her clit and massaging her tender pink tissues. The sounds she made grew louder and more insistent, and I guided her hips lower until her pussy was sealed against my mouth. I licked and sucked, fingering her until she shouted and bathed me with her essence.

Then I positioned her on her hands and knees and took her from behind. She started out bracing herself on her palms, but soon she put her head down and used only her elbows to prop herself up. I clasped one of her shoulders, holding her for leverage as I thrust into her. I aimed for her sweet spot, and judging from the high-pitched squeaks she made, I hit it each time. When she came again, convulsing around me, I couldn’t resist. That sweet heat shot up my spine. My balls lifted, and my climax crashed into me.

* * * *

Sophia’s family was very Italian. Both of her parents were first-generation Americans. Though neither one spoke anything but English, they both placed a lot of importance on traditional values. Family came first, always.

Perhaps that’s what made them so accepting of the fact that both of their children chose to embrace alternative lifestyles. Sophie’s brother, Daniel, lived as part of a triad. He’d married his high school best friend and the woman of his dreams. The three of them were very much in love with one another. Sometimes I envied their arrangement, not because I wasn’t content with Sophia, but because they didn’t have to go outside of their bedroom to fulfill all of their needs.

At first, sharing Sophia with subs hadn’t been a big deal. I had spent years sleeping with couples, and I didn’t see a distinction between what I had done and what I was doing.

But now that we’d met Neal, my opinion on that had changed. He completed us. I didn’t just want to date him, I wanted him to join our family.

I might not be Italian, but my family was the most important thing in my life. Sophie came first. Our extended family came second. I loved them, but I worshipped my wife.

I think that’s why her father liked me so much. I didn’t hide my feelings for Sophia or pretend she wasn’t the nucleus of my world.

Anna and David, her parents, were the first to arrive. My parents had a standing invitation, but they were in Mexico this week.

I answered the door to hugs from both of them. I took Anna’s bags from her. She always made pies, and we started with dessert. Sophia’s family was huge on dessert.

Walking through the foyer and hall behind Anna, I noticed that she was thinner. Sophia’s mom had always been a plump little blonde. She was charming and pretty, the quintessential grandma type.

“Anna, you look fabulous.”

She turned without stopping, throwing a beaming smile over her shoulder. “Thank you, Drew.”

David smacked my shoulder. He was a large man. I wasn’t small, but he dwarfed everyone I knew, including his son. “Watch it, Snow. That’s my wife you’re ogling.”

I don’t think the fact that we had a rotating third person in our bedroom sat well with David, not that we discussed it. I know he’d mentioned it once to Sophia, and she’d set him straight about what was his business and what wasn’t.

Still, I wasn’t going to hit on my mother-in-law. I gave him the stink-eye. “You’ve lost weight too.”

“We’re on a diet,” Anna said. “Portion control. I only brought two pies. That gives everybody one big slice.”

In the kitchen, David patted his stomach. “When Anna was pregnant, I gained weight too. Anna aims to keep Danny and Evan from becoming unhealthy. Alaina, on the other hand, she says doesn’t eat enough.”

Anna frowned. “She’s eating for two, and yet she looks like she’s eating for a two-year-old.”

Sophia entered the kitchen using the back stairs. She’d been cleaning up the dungeon. I hadn’t practiced much last night, and she’d put me through my paces this morning. My shoulders and back were sore from swinging the flogger. I’d been so focused on finding a rhythm and hitting my target that I hadn’t hit the sheets with Sophie this morning.

“There’s my little girl.” David swallowed Sophie in a tight hug.

Anna was next. Her short stature couldn’t swallow Sophia, but she managed to exert a motherly dominance. Sometimes I wondered about David and Anna’s relationship, but Sophie had assured me that her parents were very vanilla or very good at hiding their activities. If they didn’t want people to know, then people didn’t need to know.

We chatted for a little while. Anna put on an apron—I kept one just for her—and started emptying the cupboards of the ingredients she wanted. If she couldn’t find something, I told her where it was. I’d long ago learned that my kitchen was Anna’s when she was over and in the mood to cook. I wanted to have her on my show, but I hadn’t been able to charm her into it yet.

Alaina came next, flanked by Evan and Danny. Zach, her twelve-year-old brother, trailed behind. While he technically wasn’t David and Anna’s grandchild, he was the closest thing they had to one, and they’d assumed the role wholeheartedly.

Anna descended on the towheaded boy, enveloping him in her arms. He was nearly her height, and though his bleach-blond hair didn’t match hers, they did look like they could be blood relatives. She kissed his cheeks and fussed over him.

When she let him go, David shook Zach’s hand. “Congratulations on making the basketball team. Hard work is always rewarded.”

He blushed and mumbled a thanks. I felt like I had missed something.

“I didn’t know you were going out for basketball,” I said. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah. Poppa and Danny helped me practice and get into shape. I hadn’t played before.”

Daniel could have been Sophia’s male twin. He was the masculine version of her, not as pretty, but definitely handsome. He was my height—five eleven—and we shared a similar build. Our main difference lay in coloring. Danny had an olive complexion, and dark hair and eyes like Sophia and their father.

Evan was the quiet one. Sometimes I wasn’t sure I knew him too well. He was slightly taller than me, broader shouldered, and built. He was seriously hot. If Danny hadn’t scooped him up, I would have tried to talk Sophia into some kind of fling with Evan.

Alaina, the woman they’d both seduced and married, was tiny. Though she had a curvy figure, she couldn’t have been more than an inch or two over five feet. She had brown, shoulder-length hair that shone with red highlights in the sunlight. If I had to describe her in one word, I’d go with one that emphasized her mind. She was smart. Funny and cute, but very intelligent. She could speak knowledgably about pretty much any topic.

She looked tired. Bags hung under her eyes. I saw that Anna noticed them. She led Alaina to the seating area on the other side of the kitchen.

“You’re not getting enough sleep,” Anna said.

Alaina laughed, but it was a tired one. “Night sweats wake me up. Having two heat factories lying beside me doesn’t help. I took a nap.”

I glanced over at Sophie, who rolled her eyes. Now that Alaina was pregnant, Anna had taken that as permission to go into motherly overdrive.

Daniel seemed oblivious, or maybe he was just used to his mother’s fawning. She definitely heaped attention on her children, and that included me. While I enjoyed a close relationship with my mother, she’d stopped fawning over me once I hit fifth grade and informed her that I was not a child anymore. She’s a psychologist, which is how she had a professional association with Alaina, so she had taken it in stride. If either of Anna’s children had tried to cut the cord like that, she hadn’t listened.

Danny picked at the foil covering the pie. “What kind did you make? I call dibs on this one.”

David smacked his son’s hand away. “One slice per person. Your mother is on a diet.”

“I don’t see how that affects me.” Danny grinned mischievously. “Unless I get her portion.”

“Touch that pie and you’ll see exactly how it affects you.” David didn’t follow up with a grin, and though Danny had a strong martial arts background that his father didn’t share, I didn’t believe Daniel would win against his father in a fight.

“No pie for me,” Alaina said as she rubbed at her side. “You can split my piece with Evan.”

“And me,” Zach chimed in. “I’m a growing boy.”

Before there could be anymore arguing over the pie, Sophie said, “I’m expecting another guest. Two, actually. One should be here any minute, and the other won’t be here until dinner.”

I didn’t think Neal could get out of work in time for dinner, but I did not contradict my wife. There were some things a married man just did not do. I’d set aside some food for him before the masses could inhale it.

Daniel lifted his brows. “Another guest? Who?” Then a realization dawned on him and he scowled at Sophia. Daniel didn’t bother to hide his disapproval of our lifestyle. He’d been under the impression that hooking up with me would rein Sophie in, not reinforce aspects of her sex life he didn’t like. He’d mellowed over time, but he hadn’t changed his mind.

I answered for Sophie, who I knew would say something to fan the flames. She and Danny often found it fun to push each other’s buttons. “An up-and-coming chef. He’ll eventually have a spot on the network. Right now, he’s training with me. His aunt should be here soon, and he’ll stop by when he’s finished working.”

That mollified Danny a bit. He turned his smirk on me. “Competition?”

I didn’t think of Neal as competition. He was an excellent cook, but he was still developing his style. There was enough room on the network for the both of us. I shrugged. “We’ll see.”

The doorbell rang. Sophia went to answer it. Most of the family gathered at the seating area around Alaina.

Danny moved closer to me. “Seriously,” he said, lowering his volume. “Who is this guy to you?”

I lifted a brow and tried to affect the most condescending expression I could manage. “You assume we’re after the guy? How narrow-minded of you.”

His expression turned dark. I almost laughed at how similar he and Sophie looked when they were pissed off. “Drew, inviting those people to a family event is crossing a line.”

I agreed, which was why we’d never invited our thirds to interact with us socially. Neal didn’t fall into that category. “Look, he’s a great chef, and he’s not from around here. He has no friends, and his aunt is his only family in the area. Surely you can’t begrudge him a little time spent in the bosom of your wonderful family?”

Danielle came in with Sophia. She was a pretty little thing with hair a few shades lighter than Sophie’s and the same deep blue eyes as Neal. Now that I was seeing her in my kitchen, I was struck by her similarities to Alaina. She was more Danny’s type than mine.

She shot me a friendly smile and brought over something packed into a plastic bowl. “Hey there. I made tabouli. It’s not as good as Neal’s, but it’ll do.” She stuck her hand out to Daniel. “I’m Danielle.”

“Daniel,” he said, accepting her hand.

“No,” she said. “Danielle.” She emphasized the “elle.”

Danny laughed. “I’m Daniel. You can call me Dan if it’s easier.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Dan. You’re Sophia’s brother?”

Sophie chimed in. “He’s older and married.”

I coughed. “Let me introduce you to everybody.” I took her to the seating area and did the honors.

David eyed her with open speculation, as did Anna, but neither one said a word. They were all cordial, but not overly friendly. I mentally kicked myself for
not protesting when Sophie said she’d invited her. Asking an outsider to these meetings was like throwing an innocent to the wolves. I felt protective toward her. She was Neal’s family, and that made her special to me, even if I barely knew her and wasn’t sure she liked me.

Anna got up and headed back to the kitchen, towing Sophia, Zach, and Daniel with her. I pointed Danielle toward the sofa, seating her in the place Anna had vacated. I leaned against the arm of the sofa, ready to spring to her defense. I didn’t think they’d attack her—they weren’t mean—but they also didn’t accept people into their fold who hadn’t proven themselves.