Authors: K.J. Coakley
He lifts me into the air, and my head falls back as I giggle out loud. His lips are kissing between my breasts, and then he drags his tongue back up my chest and neck as I slide back down his body. His erection grazes my thighs and rests against my lower belly. He looks into my eyes.
“You are precious to me, Sulwen. Don’t ever forget that.” He traces my cheek with the pad of his thumb. Before I can respond, he swoops me up and into his arms and carries me to the bed. “I’m going to make love to you all night long,
a chroí
. My sweet Sulwen.” I melt into the mattress as he climbs over me, and my body tingles from my head to my toes with anticipation.
Chapter
Seven
W
e wake up and get ready to meet with the council over breakfast. After making love all night with Logan, I’m more than a little sore and reluctant to leave the warmth of his naked skin and loving embrace.
“Come on, sleepyhead. We have to get ready. They’ll be waiting on us, and Duncan doesn’t like to be kept waiting…for anything.” His arm slides out from under my head, and he stands up next to the bed with his hand reaching out to pull me up. I take it and rise to meet his lips with my eager morning kiss.
“Mmm. What’s that for?” he says as I pull back and prance to the shower.
“For everything,” I call back to him over my shoulder. I walk into the bathroom. I find a towel in a corner cabinet and place it on a towel warmer next to the shower. Then I turn the water on and step under the hot spray from the wide showerhead.
I see a shadow cast against the bathroom wall right before Logan opens the door and steps in with me. There is only one showerhead, but it’s large enough for the two us to stand beneath, and he quickly joins me under the steaming water.
I hear a speaker crackle for a second before OneRepublic blares from the walls with “Good Life.” I look down from the wall to Logan, and he’s grinning broadly as he starts to sway his hips and urge me to move with him. I laugh and throw my arms around his neck.
We are naked in the shower, dancing under the steaming water. The sun is streaking through the room and casting shadows around us as our bodies move in perfect sync with each other. I look up into his eyes as he looks tenderly down at me. His hands have settled in the small of my back with a sweetly possessive grip. His lips start to move as his beautiful voice sings the chorus to me.
I am mesmerized by his beauty. He is simply gorgeous inside and out, and I love this man looking down at me with his heart in his eyes even more than I did an hour ago. How that is even humanly possible, I don’t know, but it’s true.
His body rubs against mine as we dance with each other. My fingers twist into the back of his hair as I pull him down to my hungry lips. When our lips touch, electricity sparks and zings across my chest, up and over my shoulders, across the nape of my neck, and then it jolts down my spine, leaving goose bumps in its trail. I inhale sharply as we part and breathe heavily into each other. His forehead leans against my mine as he sings, “Oh, this has gotta be the good life…”
His voice carries throughout the bathroom with the rest of the song in perfect harmony. I lay my head against his chest as he sings to me. The vibrations of his vocals tickle my cheek as I grin from ear to ear.
Yes, this has gotta be the good life, because I have never been so happy or felt so whole,
I think. His touch is gentle as he caresses my body and continues to sing. His voice reminds me of the deep gentle timbre of a cello as it rings through the steamy room around us.
This man is perfect. I know that’s stupid. No man is perfect. But for some reason, this man is my perfect match, and my soul soars when he’s near. My heart beats to the rhythm of his, and my mind is consumed with thoughts of nothing else when I’m in his arms. This is just too good to be true. I’m waiting for the proverbial ax to fall. Something bad has to counter all the good that has recently come my way in a handsome package called Logan.
Sweet Mary…please let me keep him. The thought of losing him makes my chest ache. I swiftly brush the thought aside and melt into his talented touch. The water streams down our bodies, and bubbles build in the bottom of the shower as he lathers me from head to toe.
After Logan washes my body, and thoroughly washes and rinses my hair, we quickly dress and get ready to go downstairs and meet everyone. These people are going to be incredibly important in my life in the coming months. It’s important for this to go well not only for myself, but for all of them as well. We all have much to gain but far more to lose should I fail.
We step through the open double doors into the main eating room. It is massive. I have never seen anything remotely comparable to its exquisite demureness. There are three large steel circular chandeliers with steel spirals arching and twisting, and rubies and crystals adorning the fine contours. It’s harsh yet enchanting. The rest of the furniture and decorations follow suit.
The long oak table stretches the entire length of the room. Three gigantic white stone hearths rise to meet and spread up the wall with mythical carvings of a battle between gods and mortals to embellish its enriched glory. It looks to be as old as the house itself but remains perfectly intact with flawless lines and crisp indentations. The work is spectacular to behold and quite simply a magnificent work of art.
“It’s the battle of Ragnarök.” I look up at Logan, and he smiles affectionately down at me. “I saw you looking and thought you wanted to know.” He shrugs, and I smile back at him as we continue to make our way to our seats.
My eyes travel every surface of the room and take in the matching burgundy trim and rugs set off against the dark hardwood floors and white alabaster hearths. Silver trays line the center of the table, some with domes and some without. Fruit and fresh bread with cheese and butter are placed next to every station for individual browsing. Large wine goblets rimmed in gold are set next to a glass of sparkling water. The plates have floral patterns along the rims, and the silverware has the same etchings engraved upon them. It’s quite stunning, and I suddenly feel completely out of my element.
I am not from money. I have lived a middle-class lifestyle since birth. I have pinched pennies and worked shitty jobs to pay my bills, barely scraping by, and when I sat down to eat dinner there was only one fork and one spoon. I wouldn’t know which one to grab first. Logan must have sensed my unease as we took our seats, because his fingers tighten around mine in reassurance.
Duncan is already seated at the head of the table with a newspaper in one hand and a cup of steaming coffee in the other. His eyes weave left to right as he takes in his daily dose of current events. Logan and I take our seats to his left and situate ourselves.
A brief commotion in the hall causes Duncan to lower his paper, glance at me, and then look toward the archway as a stunning brunette walks in. She is wearing black leather pants with military-style black boots and a skintight red tank top with a black and blue leather biker jacket over it. Her black hair lies in long, straight layers that reach the middle of her back. But what takes me by surprise more than anything is the seething look she shoots at me. She looks like she wants to strangle me with her bare hands. I swallow reflexively and shift in my seat.
Duncan sets his paper down and stands to greet the exotic beauty as she makes her way toward him. Her eyes never leave mine as she glides across the room and closes the distance between us. As she nears I notice that her skin is a light caramel brown, and it offsets her royal blue eyes to a staggering degree.
I feel Logan stiffen beside me, and I cast a glance in his direction. He is looking at her with a nervousness I’ve never seen before. I look back to the woman and notice she is staring at Logan too; the only difference is she is staring with rapt desire and open lust.
I feel my hackles rise defensively and squeeze Logan’s hand under the table. He glances at me briefly and flashes a pained smile. I’m a bit taken aback by his expression, and a sudden sense of unease washes over me. There’s a history between these two. I can see it as plain as the letters on Duncan’s paper.
The woman embraces Duncan in a familiar manner and kisses both his cheeks.
“Kayla, my dear. It is so good to have you home again.” His deep timbre rolls out with a thick Scottish burr. She takes her place in the chair to his right and begins unfolding her napkin and placing it in her lap. All the while Logan shifts nervously next to me, and his fingers begin to trace shaky circles on the top of my hand.
I pull my hand from his and begin filling my plate with bread and fruit. It’s as I’m buttering my bread that she begins to really make me uncomfortable.
“Logan, how nice to see you again,” she states with complete falseness. Her long skinny fingers pluck a grape from her plate, and then she nibbles on it seductively. She places the rest of it in her mouth and moans in delight. Logan glances over at me and then back down to his plate. He begins to smother honey on his bread as if there is nothing else in the world that fascinates him more.
“Yes, Kayla; it’s good to be back.” He clears his throat and takes a drink of water.
I can’t sit through this much longer. My fuse is lit, and I’m about to slap this bitch. She has some nerve coming in here and practically eye-fucking him in front of me. I can feel the heat bloom up my neck and over my cheeks as I scoop some sugar cubes into my coffee.
Duncan clears his throat to gain her attention and discreetly shakes his head. She huffs and turns back to her plate, where she fills it with strawberries and some kind of thick white cream. She then dips the strawberries in the cream and proceeds to lick the cream off before taking a bite. My teeth are grinding in agitation as I watch her make a complete spectacle of herself.
Heavy footfalls draw my attention back to the archway as a group of men come walking in. Thad is actually smiling as he listens to a tall, thick-muscled guy tell a joke. They both begin to laugh when he reaches the punch line. The brown-headed guy is rather striking in a body builder type of way. Simply put, he’s huge! He reminds me of the wrestlers my dad used to watch on primetime.
Behind them is a tall blond woman with a slightly taller blond male. At first glance I can tell they’re siblings. They look like Swedish models with their perfect, pale complexions. They enter much more quietly than Thad and Mr. Big Muscles. Next, two more guys enter. One closely resembles the guy with Thad, and I quickly deduce they must be related as well. The other guy has mocha-brown skin that looks smooth as silk, with distinct cuts of muscle showing from underneath his t-shirt and jeans.
A couple of the guys come over and pat Logan on the back affectionately before taking their seats, but a tight-lipped smile is the most I’m offered. They all take their places at the table and begin conversing as if I’m not even there. Only Logan appears uneasy. The rest are completely relaxed and socializing with one another.
“Here ya are, my dearies,” a gray-haired older lady says as she saunters into the room with a meat-laden tray. Once she sits it down, I can see there are various types of pork and beef spread throughout.
“Would you like some bacon?” Logan asks as he reaches for the tongs to grab some.
I give a short nod, and he places a few strips onto my plate before placing some on his as well.
“Thank you.” My voice comes out whisper soft, but he hears me all the same. He leans over and kisses my forehead, bringing about reassuring warmth that I didn’t realize I needed. I smile softly and turn to my plate to begin eating.
When I look about the room, I notice all eyes are on me and Logan. He coughs a little and then takes a drink of water before standing to face our audience. Everyone stops what they are doing, and the room falls deathly silent.
“I would like to introduce you to Sulwen Macgregor.” He looks down to me and smiles before facing the room again. “She has come here of her own free will and agreed to help us with our most important mission yet. Please offer her the kindness our household is known for and the loyalty our pledge demands.” He takes his seat again, and then one by one they stand and introduce themselves.
“I’m Chase, and your boy there is my best mate. I pledge to honor and protect you from this day forward.” His dark-skinned hand is planted over his heart, and his chocolate brown eyes look to me with deep sincerity.
I push my chair back and stand. “Thank you very much, Chase. I appreciate your kind gesture.”
Before I can take my seat, another guy stands. His long dirty-blond hair brushes his collar. He reaches up and tucks a strand that fell in his face behind his ear.
“My name is Eli, and I pledge my honor and protection to you from this day forward.”
I nod back at him, completely stupefied. Are they all going to do this? In answer to my question, another one stands.
The tall blond beauty smiles warmly at me. “My name is Josie, but you can call me Jo if you wish. That’s what my friends call me, and I hope to someday earn that title. I pledge to honor and protect you from this day forward.” She winks at me before taking her seat. I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. It’s the first friendly gesture I’ve had since I came here, and it means so much to me.
The blond guy who looks like a Viking stands next. “My name is Miles, and I vow to honor and protect you, but no one comes before my sister.” He looks over to Josie with a pained expression. “Your presence here will bring danger to our front door, and although I am duty bound to protect you, I will not place your safety over those of my own blood.” He sits abruptly, and Josie casts him a scowl. He shrugs back unapologetically as he pulls his chair under the table.
Mr. Muscles stands with a mischievous grin. “I’m Triston, and even though that bloke over there,” he says, pointing to Eli, “is of my blood, you’re a much prettier sight to behold, and I vow to protect and honor you, even if it’s at the expense of his ugly mug.” Several of the guys chuckle out loud as Eli flips him off. He unceremoniously plops back down into his chair.
Then She-Devil stands. “I’m Kayla. I vow to honor and protect my brethren, and if that means saving you, then so be it. That’s all you’re getting from me.” She pushes her chair back under the table and exits the room.
“Don’t sweat it; she treats everyone like shit,” Triston calls out from across the table. A few of them laugh, and then they begin eating again.
Duncan leans over and speaks low so only I can hear his words. “Sulwen, welcome to the family. Please let me assure you that we are pleased to have you with us. Never feel as if you do not belong, because out of all that reside here, you hold the power to protect what we treasure most. Be brave, lass; let no one make you doubt yourself or your value.” He nods his head and then resumes eating his morning meal and reading his paper as if the whole scene never took place.