Absolution (The Titans of Founder's Ridge) Read online

  I slide her shorts off, and my dick twitches at the sight of her bare pussy. I set her on the edge of the desk and push her legs wide open. Her pupils are blown out with desire as she squirms, waiting for me. Playing with her sounds fun, so I slowly run my finger through her already soaked slit, deliberately avoiding her clit.

  Her icy blue eyes narrow in annoyance when I give her my signature smirk. I continue my slow tease of every part of her except where she’s aching. She lets out of the sweetest moan when I finally slide my fingers inside her and pump them in and out a couple times until they’re completely coated in her juices.

  “Open.” I slide them in her mouth for her to suck clean and taste how sweet she is. My cock is straining against the denim of my jeans while I watch her cheeks hollow around my fingers. Her lips pop off them as I pull them out of her mouth.

  We have a mini stare down, both of us too stubborn to give in first.

  “I was told I was on the menu,” she grabs me by the hair and pulls my face to her pussy. One of her legs swings over my shoulder, holding me close while she strips her tank top off.

  One of my hands goes to work on her nipples while I use my other to finger fuck her. My tongue slips between her folds and zeros in on her clit. After years of being together, I know exactly what she likes, what she loves, and what makes her cum all over my face. I’m going for the latter tonight; I want to hear her scream for me.

  I keep pumping my fingers, hitting her g-spot with each stroke. I switch between circling her clit and long, hard licks with my tongue. When I feel her start to ride my face, I spread open and suck her clit into my mouth. She falls back onto the desk, her beautiful tits heaving as she yells my name. I keep going straight through her quivering, messy orgasm. When I pull away, I feel her arousal drip down my chin.

  The top of my dick has worked its way out of the top of my pants. I’m so fucking hard all I can think about sliding into the that sweet pussy. I hurriedly push my pants down to my thighs and line up at her entrance.

  I grip her hips and slam into her, pulling more moans of ecstasy from her lips. She wraps her legs around my waist and cups her tits in her own hands. She looks like a fallen angel, sprawled naked across our desk, her platinum hair splayed around her head like a halo. I feel her walls contracting around me, pulling me deeper until I can’t hold back. I fill her with my cum, holding her tight against me. We’re both damp with sweat and panting. I can feel her pulse racing. I pull her up and lift her into my arms, carrying her down the hall to our bedroom.

  I want to spend every second possible with her because there is a very real possibility that I won’t come back to her alive.

  6

  LILITH

  “I’m nervous as fuck,” Levi says, pacing up and down the dock that Griff and I are helping decorate. “Did you remember the gummy bears?” he asks Griff.

  “Yes,” Griff replies in a dry tone. “If you don’t calm down, I’m going to push you off the dock.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” Levi halts for a second, calming down a bit.

  “He could,” I stand up from where I was lighting tea lights along the edge of the dock, “as could I.”

  “It’d be a shame to ruin this though,” he gestures at himself. He does look good. His blonde hair looks golden in the late afternoon sun, and his dark blue eyes are sparkling with joy and a bit of apprehension. He’s dressed casually in jeans and navy V-neck tee. A high-tech watch is wrapped around his wrist, and he’s wearing leather flip flops. “What if she says no?”

  “She’s not going to say no,” I answer.

  “She won’t,” Griff says decisively. We grin at each other before he continues speaking. “I’ve watched you guys since high school, and you were both obsessed with each other back then. How many times have you been pulled apart only to come back to each other? If ever there was a fated couple, it’s you guys.”

  “Plus, you’ve been talking about wife-ing her up since our senior year of high school. She knows this is coming eventually. I do think you’ll catch her off guard with this so soon after finding your way back to each other, but she’ll say yes. I know my bestie.”

  “You’re right.” He shakes his shoulders out the way he used to before taking the field for games. “I’ve got this.”

  “You do,” I walk over and wrap my arms around his waist. The past weeks in Boston have sucked without his levity around the townhouse. I love Con and Griff, but they’re so serious all the time. That tickle fight the other day was the only time I’ve heard Con laugh since before the attack. “I miss having you at the townhouse,” I mumble into Levi’s chest.

  “I miss you, too, Hoodrat,” he presses a brotherly kiss to the top of my head and squeezes me. “I bet it’s boring as shit with just your broody fiancé and Griff for entertainment.”

  “It is,” I give Griff a teasing smile. “They’re such wet blankets.”

  “Come live with Ives and me. We love you more than these clowns.” He’s teasing, but there is an edge still in his voice. He and Con worked their frustration out with their fists, but there is still a lingering thread of tension.

  Con’s behavior lately isn’t exactly helping. He’s become obsessed with ending the threats from his uncle. I’ve caught him sneaking around late at night, making whispered phone calls, and watching hours of surveillance footage.

  The thing that concerns me the most, though, is how little he’s sleeping. He lays beside me at night until I fall asleep. Then he gets up and does whatever the fuck he’s been doing. Plotting the downfall of half the Eastern European crime syndicate probably.

  I’m still holding onto my cousin, and he doesn’t seem to be interested in letting me go, either.

  “Real talk, how is Con?” he asks with his chin resting on my head.

  “Not good.” I pull back and look over at Griff.

  “He’s being Con,” Griff shrugs. as if it’s as good an answer as any. “There’s more going on than he’s sharing.”

  “Typical Con.” Levi scowls. “Always holding everything back.”

  “I’ve got my eye on things,” Griff says cryptically.

  “What does that mean?” I ask with a raised brow.

  “It means don’t worry your pretty little face about it,” Levi says while he ruffles my hair.

  “Oh,” I smack his hand away, “so you do want to get your ass pushed in the lake.” He dodges my feigned attempt to push him in.

  “Calm down,” he laughs, still dodging my playful attack. “On a serious note, do you two know where to hide to film this?”

  “I’m not even answering that,” Griff deadpans. “We’ve gone over it at least ten times.”

  “We’re hiding behind that oak tree,” I point behind me to a towering tree on the shore, “where we’ll film the proposal and then quietly leave.”

  He pulls his phone out when it pings with a text. “Dad’s almost here with her.”

  “We’ll go hide.” Levi trails Griff and me down the dock. I turn around and give him one last reassuring squeeze. “She’s going to love this, and she’ll definitely say yes.”

  Griff and Levi give each other a hug with a bro slap on the back. These boys all give me the warm fuzzies. They’re never afraid to show each other affection or be vulnerable around each other. I never truly understood how deep their friendship ran until I lived with the three of them. They really are more like brothers to each other than friends. I love it.

  Griff and I walk back to our hiding spot while Levi walks to the front. Griff hands me a camera while he pulls some sort of small, high tech video camera out of a bag with the NNC logo on it. He flips a few switches and checks the battery before powering it off again. He leans against a boulder, looking relaxed and peaceful.

  He’s had a different sense about him while we’ve been working here the past few weeks. He’s wearing a pair of worn jeans and an olive green henley, pushed up to his elbows and showing all his tattoos. His red hair is a bit windblown, and his face
looks relaxed.

  “Stop staring,” he says, surprising me because he has his eyes closed and head tipped back. “Creeper.”

  “Sorry,” I laugh, “you just look so different out here. Peaceful, I think.”

  He opens his hazel eyes and spears me with a look. “That’s because I am. No deadlines. No board meetings. No exams. It’s nice to be surrounded by nature instead of breathing recycled air inside office buildings or classrooms.”

  “Very true.” I debate asking him about his love life or keeping my mouth shut like Con suggested. My internal struggle must be obvious because he looks at me again.

  “Spit it out, Lilith,” a little grin tugs on the corner of his mouth.

  “Why have I never seen you with a girl? Or a guy? I know you’re bisexual, but you’re never with anyone. It’s been four years and not one partner. What gives?” The questions tumble out of my mouth unrestrained.

  “I’m not bisexual, I’m pansexual, first of all. I’m not attracted to genders; I’m attracted to souls and personalities. I don’t care about the vessel that holds them.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, lost in thought for a second. “I have two submissives in the city who I play with but am not romantically involved with.”

  “Oh,” I reply dumbly. I wasn’t expecting that answer. “How long have you been with them?”

  “I’m not with them unless it’s an agreed upon and negotiated scene. It’s literally just something I do once or twice a month to take the edge off.”

  “Take the edge off being a savage businessman running a media conglomerate while finishing a combined BA/MA program?”

  “Exactly,” he smirks.

  “Is it hard being ruthless all the time, boo?” I pinch his cheeks and talk to him like a baby.

  “Fuck off,” he slaps my hands away playfully. “Don’t dig too deep, Lil, it’s dark in here.” He taps his temple.

  I’m about to push for more information, but we hear footsteps and Ivy’s voice coming down the path. They’re far enough away that neither of us can hear exactly what they’re saying. My heart swells as they get to the end of the dock and my cousin drops to his knee next to my best friend. I’ve never felt so much warmth and happiness for another couple in all my life.

  I start rapid shooting picture after picture by holding the shutter button down. I give Griff a quick glance, and he’s got a soft smile on his face as he looks on. We wait until they sit down to share their bowl of gummy bears, and I take a few last photos.

  Griff puts his camera away and then takes mine to slide it into the bag as well. He slings one of his arms around me and leads me up the path to where we parked. I decide to hound him some more, this time about his cryptic comments regarding Connor.

  “So, now that we’re alone and have time to chat,” I say as I buckle my seatbelt, “tell me what you know about Connor.”

  “Well, he was born September-”

  “I know his fucking birthdate, jackass. Tell me what your cryptic bullshit conversation with Levi was about.”

  “I was just letting Lev know that I’m keeping an eye on Con. He’s been secretive lately, up late at night, weird phone conversations in Russian. Probably because he knows neither of us speaks it.”

  I grunt in agreement. “He waits until I fall asleep and then gets up. I don’t think he’s sleeping at all. There’s something bothering him, but he won’t tell me what it is.”

  It’s his turn to make a noise of agreement. “There’s definitely stuff that needs to be said.”

  I wait a beat for him to continue. “And that is…” I say, waiting for an answer.

  “That is,” he makes eye contact with me, “not my information to share.”

  “But you do know something? Something big that I do not know.”

  “Yes,” he answers begrudgingly.

  I don’t bother asking him what he knows. His loyalty is equal to both Con and me, but it’s just not in his nature to give up information that is meant to be confidential. I’m quiet all the way back into the city.

  “Fuck’s sake,” I hear Connor mutter as he reaches for my phone on the nightstand. “I wish your dad never told my dad about his early morning birthday calls to you.”

  “Good morning, Victor,” I mumble into the phone.

  “Happy birthday, Lilith!” he exclaims way too cheerfully.

  “Thank you,” I work up a grateful smile. It is incredibly sweet and touching that Victor has taken this tradition on himself.

  “He’s watching you grow into an amazing, woman. You know that, right? Lilith, I know how proud he is because I know how proud I am.”

  “Thank you,” I start to get choked up, but Connor has worked his way down my body to my pussy. I gasp as he takes a long, slow lick. “I really appreciate your kind words.”

  Connor zeros in on my clit, sucking it into his mouth. It takes all my concentration to stay halfway focused on what my future father-in-law is saying to me on the other end of the line. After about my tenth uh-huh, Victor chuckles and gets off the phone.

  Connor’s head pops out from under the comforter. He gives me an evil smirk as he slips two fingers into my pussy. “Is this what you want for you birthday? An early morning orgasm or two?”

  “Yes,” I moan as he drags my wet heat from inside me over my throbbing clit, “but not while I’m talking to your dad.”

  “That makes it more fun, Lily.” His head dips back under the covers, and my birthday starts out the same way the past three have, with a ridiculous amount of orgasms.

  I’m getting dressed when I hear someone knocking on the door of the bedroom. I look over at Connor, and he shrugs. Griff is usually already on campus by this time of the morning. I finish buttoning my jeans and swing the door open.

  Levi and Ivy are standing on the other side in ridiculous party hats.

  “Happy birthday!” they shout in unison.

  “Thanks,” I say as I’m scooped up by Levi and spun around. He sets me down, and Ivy latches onto me. “Let me see the ring!” I say as I grab her hand. I haven’t seen her since the engagement, and she didn’t even know I was there.

  “You can talk about that later. There’s a surprise for you in the kitchen,” Griff says from the doorway.

  “You’re still here?” I ask him as he reaches out to hug me.

  “We’re all skipping to head Chicago early,” Con says as he wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses the top of my head.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Come on, I’m hungry.” Levi leads the way down to the kitchen where a tray of cinnamon rolls from Delores, Victor’s amazing chef, is waiting for us.

  We eat and catch up, Levi and Ivy describing the proposal and being so clearly in love. I love listening to each of their versions and then telling them what Griff and I saw. Ivy and I head upstairs when we’re done with breakfast; she thinks I’ve probably not packed enough for the long weekend. I roll my eyes but follow her anyway, there’s no point resisting.

  She lifts my suitcase and starts pulling things out and tossing them on the bed. “No, no, no, hell no!” She stops on a pair of ratty sweats and looks at me incredulously, “Seriously?”

  “What?” I snatch them back. “They’re for lounging around Z’s penthouse. Trust me, he’s seen me in worse.”

  “Just when I thought you had turned a corner in your fashion choices,” she shakes her head and walks to the closet. “I’ll get you sorted for this weekend.”

  Half an hour and an extra bag later, we’re sliding into black SUV that’s idling outside the townhouse for us. Ivy and I take the back, Con and Griff sit in the middle row, and Levi takes the front passenger seat.

  I take a minute to look at Connor who is currently glaring at his phone, swiping quickly through a document of some sort. I notice Griff and Levi share a look while Con’s distracted. I give Levi a ‘what the fuck’ look, and he shrugs back at me, feigning nonchalance.

  It’s bullshit. I can read the concern all over their fac
es. I send a text to both of them, informing them we’ll be discussing this on the plane. I watch Connor close out the document he was reading, and when he looks up at me, his eyes shutter and hide away the emotion. He smiles and mouths, ‘I love you.’

  If you loved me, you wouldn’t be lying to me.

  “Damn,” Z whistles when he walks into the guest room where Ivy and I are getting ready. “You two just get more beautiful every time I see you.”

  “Z!” I launch myself into his arms. “Oh, ick. You reek.” I push away, but he pulls me in again.

  “Deal with it. I need my Lil hugs before Connor hogs you all night.” He steps back and looks me up and down, “and he definitely will with you looking so fine. He’ll be mean mugging everyone who looks at you longer than a second.”

  “Facts,” Ivy pipes in with a hug for Z. “So good to see you again!”

  “I’m excited to meet Marcus,” I wiggle my brows at Z.

  Marcus is a PE teacher at the elementary school we went to together. Z isn’t publicly out as a gay athlete, although most of his teammates know, so they have to be careful. They met while working on the community center we opened in early September. Marcus volunteers after school, but I have yet to meet him.

  “He’ll be at the club. I’m gonna hit the shower, so I don’t hold us up.”

  “Okay, let’s finish your makeup and hair,” Ivy pushes me back to the bathroom. She’s wearing high-waisted black pants and a cropped white cashmere sweater with sky high heels that I couldn’t even stand in. Her hair is in its wild naturally curly state, exactly how Levi loves it. She looks stunning.

  “You look so gorgeous, Ivy,” I tell her honestly.

  “Thanks, babe!” She gestures at my navy halter dress, “As do you. I love you in any shade of blue. Now sit your ass down.” She works her magic on my face, doing all the girly stuff I’ve never bothered to learn.

  A short time later, we walk into the living room and find the guys all sitting around watching a baseball game. Four sets of eyes zero in on us. Connor stands up and gives me the most intense look I’ve ever gotten from him.