STORY EXCERPT

“Niki!” Kat screamed and bolted upright. Tears trickled down her face as the dreams of her sister’s possible death faded, again. She was panting and sweating and couldn’t stop herself from glancing around her room frantically. When her eyes peered into the corners of her room where the shadows were impossibly dark, her heart thudded so hard she was sure she was about to, or was having a heart attack. Niki hadn’t died, but that didn’t seem to matter. Every night since the bombing and her own abduction, Kat dreamt about her sister dying.

With a fearful urgency, she scrambled from the middle of her queen-sized bed with a shaky hand fumbling for the switch on the second-hand bedside lamp she’d been lucky enough to pick up for a couple of bucks at a yard sale. Finally, light spilled into the room, and she once more gazed about to make sure she was alone. Tears threatened as they burned the back of her eyes, but she pushed them away. Katerina Russo had learned that crying got her nowhere other than making herself feel terrible.

She looked at the clock and groaned when she saw the time and realized that she’d only been asleep for an hour and a half.

With a sigh of frustration, she flung the covers aside and stalked into the tiny bathroom off her room. Turning on the shower as she peeled her sweat-soaked nightshirt and panties off, she stepped in under the cold water, shivering when goosebumps pebbled her skin.

Although she was happy that her sister had found three men to love and care for her, Kat was once more alone. While she was alone because of the choices she’d made, she didn’t regret her decision.

She’d left the Donnybrook men’s house an hour after the three brothers had left for the night shift as deputy sheriffs. They’d kindly taken her into their home when she and Niki had been in danger. Kat’s and Niki’s deceased father had been the mob boss of Chicago, and once he’d been poisoned and six feet under, Vinnie Ramos had set out to get Niki and Kat back under his thumb. Ramos had bought Niki from their father when he’d handed Matteo Russo the keys to his Ferrari, but thankfully, Kat’s sister had managed to escape before Vinnie had raped her. Vinnie’s cohort Thaddeus Simmonds had created a distraction in the Slick Rock Library where Kat worked, set off a small bomb as a diversion, and kidnapped her. The two assholes had used Kat’s abduction to draw her sister out of hiding, and it had worked.

Niki had been shot as she’d taken out Ramos and then Simmonds, but her sister hadn’t been fast enough and had ended up in the hospital. Niki was back home at the ranch with her three fiancés, Brentley, Heston, and Rigby Lyndon. Kat hadn’t left her sister’s bedside until she’d been released from the hospital today, and while she wanted to go out to the ranch to visit with her only living relative, Kat was wracked with guilt.

If she hadn’t been distracted while searching the library to make sure all the patrons had gotten out safely after the bombing, her younger sister never would have been hurt.

Kat was used to living with guilt, because she’d been dealing with it for just over twelve months. She’d left Niki behind with their monster of a father and his evil goons when she’d managed to escape while visiting a medical professional.

She pushed her thoughts aside and turned to hot water higher until she stopped shivering. After quickly washing her hair and body, her knees gave out as she sank to the base of her shower. She sat under the warm spray with her legs tucked up close to her body and her arms wrapped around them. The whole time she’d washed the sweat away, tears had rolled down her face, but she couldn’t hold the storm back any longer. Once the first sob burst from between her parted lips, another followed and then another, until she was sobbing her heart out.

She was alone once again, and while she intended to keep it that way, she hated it. She hated being scared of her own shadow. Hated being alone and lonely, and she hated herself.

Niki had looked up to her, and she’d let her sister down, not once but twice. Leaving her under their abusive father’s thumb had been mental torture, and then she’d fucked up again when she’d been taken by one of her father’s henchmen.

Kat didn’t know how Niki could stand to look at her when she could barely meet her own gaze in the mirror.

After a while, her tears slowed and she sniffed. Her chest was so tight it hurt, and she was having trouble swallowing around the emotional lump constricting her throat, but again, that was nothing new to her. She sucked in a deep breath, shoved to her feet, turned the shower off, got out, dried off, and dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt.

She knew she wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep tonight and only hoped when Jalen, Dante, and Mica Donnybrook discovered her gone, they didn’t come looking for her.

She’d stayed in the deputy sheriffs’ house for far too long already. Now that her life was no longer in danger, there was no need to stay with them.

Kat had had a difficult time keeping her eyes and her hands to herself whenever in Jalen’s, Dante’s, and Mica’s presence. All three of the Donnybrook men were a threat to her libido and her independence, but she had no intention of letting them into her life.

She’d seen what men in love did to the people they were supposed to care about and had decided she was never, ever going to have a relationship with a man.

ADULT EXCERPT

Jalen had slipped from the sofa to his knees on the floor right behind her and was skimming his hands up and down her back, her sides, and over her butt cheeks. Her pussy clinched and she whimpered into Dante’s mouth. As soon as he broke the kiss, Mica once more lifted her with ease and turned her before lowering her back down to his lap.

Heat suffused her cheeks when she saw where Jalen was staring. His gaze was locked onto her pussy, and she gasped when he licked his lips as he raised his eyes to hers.

Mica spread his legs wider, exposing her sex even more. Kat’s face was on fire with embarrassment, but before she could try and close her legs and get up, Mica cupped both of her breasts in his hands, and Jalen caressed a finger up through her slick folds. She jolted when he rubbed a finger over her clit. When he did it again, the muscles in her belly jumped, and her legs started trembling as he stroked her clit once more.

The aching need between her legs intensified until she felt as if she was on fire. It was too much and yet nowhere near enough. She felt so empty and wanted, needed something inside of her to take the pleasurable pain away.

She groaned when Mica licked and nipped at her neck, all the while kneading her breasts and strumming his thumbs over her nipples.

Dante shoved one of Mica’s hands away as he raised his mouth from hers, and she cried out when he laved his tongue over one of her nipples before drawing it into his mouth.

She had the barest warning when she felt Jalen’s warm breath on the inside of her thigh. His cool, soft hair brushed against her sensitive skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. He kissed her inner thigh, and then she moaned when he licked up through her pussy from bottom to top.

His tongue felt so good lapping all over her wet, sensitive tissues, and she couldn’t seem to stop herself from rocking her hips.

“Yeah, baby,” Jalen said after lifting his head enough to talk. “That’s it, Kat. Let go of all that control.”

Kat tensed, but before she could tell them to stop, Jalen once more slithered his tongue up through her folds. Instead of taking the return journey like he had last time, this time he began to lightly flutter the tip of his tongue over her clit.

She bucked as warm bliss centered in her pussy and womb.

Jalen wrapped his arms around her upper thighs, tugged her closer to him, pulling her upper body down lower, and spread her legs wider.

Then he began to consume her.

“Oh!” Kat cried out and shook with desire. When Jalen rimmed her drenched pussy entrance with the tip of his finger, she held her breath. Air burst from her lungs when he dipped into her creamy well. She reflexively clenched around him and moaned as nerve endings sparked to life even more.

She had never felt anything so sublimely wonderful and had a feeling that what she was feeling was just the tip of the iceberg.

Jalen circled her clit with his tongue as he stroked his finger in and out of her pussy, getting deeper and deeper, until she felt his knuckles against her labia. Mica cupped her chin, tilting her head up as he leaned down, and then he was kissing her. Dante sucked on one nipple while caressing his hand back and forth low on her belly. Each time one of his fingers brushed against her trimmed pubes, her pussy seemed to get even more sensitive.

She whimpered when Jalen added another finger to her entrance and thrust them in and out. A plethora of pressure invaded her limbs, her muscles, until she was so taut she was shaking.

Mica broke the kiss, lapping and nipping at her neck. Whenever he scraped his teeth over her skin she couldn’t stop herself from shuddering in response. Dante suckled harder on her nipple causing a painful glory so strong, she couldn’t stop herself from trying to push her breast further into his mouth when she arched.

Heat seared her bare back from Mica’s naked chest, and the hair on his body prickled her flesh in a good way, making her aware of his masculinity.

More of her cream dripped from her pussy, and the coil inside spiraled tighter and tighter. Kat sobbed as more pleasure assailed her with each kiss, lick, and caress.

Jalen twisted his fingers inside of her and pumped them in and out of her pussy harder and faster. She felt so out of control, and while she tried to reel back in the desperation storming over her, it was a fight she couldn’t win. When Jalen crooked his fingers and rubbed over a hot spot inside her, all was lost.

Kat cried out as she went careening over the knife’s edge and into the chasm of ecstasy. Her whole body shook and quivered. Her pussy clamped down on Jalen’s shunting fingers before releasing and clenching down again. Juices flowed from her pussy as a medley of colorful lights flashed in front of her eyes.

She was shocked by the intense rapture washing over and through her, and finally when the last contraction faded, she slumped against Mica, stunned, as she tried to get her breath back.

Tears of gratitude burned her eyes, but she pushed them away.

She’d never thought to experience such passion in her life, and while she was grateful to the three Donnybrook men for showing her sex wasn’t all about pain and abuse, she’d vowed to never get involved with any man.