A Little Harmless Fantasy (29 page)

“We do?” Conner asked.

“Yes. The only way I will let you stay is if you promise not to
give either men, or your sister, crap tonight. And if they all want
to go up in that bedroom to be near her, you will allow it.”

For a second, Rory was sure Conner would refute her. There was no
doubt the former FBI agent was a Dom. The fact that he allowed her to
order him around was something Rory didn’t think he would see.

Conner nodded. “If that’s what she wants.”

She snorted. “Oh, I’m pretty sure she does. The stuff is
in the car. You can get it now.”

Conner hesitated then stepped forward. He kissed her then whispered
something in her ear that had Jillian smiling.

“You go ahead and try that, big boy.”

“You can bet on it.”

When they were finally alone, Jillian’s smile dimmed and she
crossed her arms over her breasts. Now she didn’t look like the
loving wife of a Dom who knew how to keep her in line—at least
in the bedroom. This woman was ready to kick some ass. Mainly theirs.

“Now, you guys need to take care of her. Conner will try and
drag me back to Miami if he thinks you aren’t up to the task,
or she isn’t comfortable with y’all. I hate the mainland.
Mainly because my family lives on the mainland, but also because it
involves disrupting my work schedule. I am an author and the world
revolves around me and my work, so I will become your worst nightmare
if I end up back there dealing with that crap. Understood?”

They both nodded. “Good. Now I am going to go find one of the
guest rooms and get ready to write. I have a scene I need to get done
and I don’t have any more patience to calm male egos.”

With that, she turned and left them alone.

“She’s kind of scary,” Zee said.

Rory laughed. “Yeah she is, but now I know how she can put up
with Conner.”

Zee sighed. “I guess we should go check on her. You don’t
think we’re wrong on this do you?”

“On our relationship?”

Zee rolled his eyes. “No, on the attack. Maura seems very
adamant that it was someone else outside of the Petersen case.”

“You know when you’re scared the adrenaline is pumping
through you that you can mistake things. The voice could have been
anything and she could have heard Irish.”

“We’ll need to make some calls, check out things in our
past just in case,” Zee said.

“Okay. And we agree. We don’t let her out of our sight.”

Even if she doesn’t like it.

In the ten days since they returned from Hawaii, Maura had yet to
talk about the attack. It worried Zeke on so many different levels.
Worse, she was barely talking to anyone. She was talking at them, but
not to them. And she had cut off Rory and him. Rory was off licking
his wounds being an ass and Zeke was left to try and piece it all
together.

His phone buzzed and he rolled his eyes when he saw the 808 area
code.

“Yes, Conner?”

“Wrong, this is Jillian.”

“Oh, sorry, Jillian. How are things going there?”

“Well, living with a grizzly has been so much fun the last few
days. How’s our girl?”

“Our?”

“I guess I should say your, but she never mentions you when I
call. In fact, she never talks at all.”

“That’s the problem. She’s not talking to anyone.”

There was a pause. “That’s not good with most people but
it is a disaster with Maura.” She sighed. “Maybe we
should make a trip.”

That bothered him. Conner was barely talking to him except about
business and to check up on Maura. Other than that, they weren’t
talking at all.

“I don’t know if that would help or shut her down more.”

“Hmm, that’s true. Have you talked to her about the
attack?”

“Yes. Well, I tried. She refuses to accept that this might have
anything to do with the Columbians and the Petersen trial.”

“And Conner said they can’t find anything on that. Even
Jennifer can’t get an answer from anyone. It’s odd how
that has all shut down.”

“So, the last time we talked about it was two days ago and now
she refuses to discuss it.”

That was the nicest way of saying it. She had screamed at them. He
didn’t know how to deal with that. She didn’t do things
like that, and she didn’t just walk away and ignore people she
cared about.

“Have you and Rory looked into anything else. I know the mule I
live with isn’t ready to do that, but have you guys found
anything?”

“No, because nothing else makes sense. Rory and I have a past,
but our past transgressions are mostly dead and the rest are in
prison.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The guys we put away got life sentences.”

She waited a beat. “So, how are you doing?”

The concern in her voice touched him. He didn’t know her that
well, but what little contact he’d had with her had told Zeke
that she was a caring woman. She let everyone think that she was a
ball breaker but when she cared about someone, she was very giving.

“I’m doing okay.”

“Oh, it doesn’t sound like it. I take it that Rory and
Maura have stuck you in the middle.”

He chuckled. “That’s not hard to figure out with those
two. They have a do or die kind of attitude.”

“So, tell Auntie Jillian all about it.”

“Nothing much to tell. We got back to Miami, Maura shut us off,
and Rory shut down. That’s where I am right now. I think she
might need some counseling.”

“I have to agree with you there. And she has a therapist she
can call.”

“Maura has a therapist?” He was stunned. She had never
mentioned it to him. He had been pretty damned close to her the last
few years and she never mentioned it.

“Oh, I thought you know. She keeps up with the therapist she
had after the accident.”

“Since I didn’t know about the therapist to begin with, I
guess I would have no idea if she was talking to him.”

“Her. And don’t get your feelings hurt, Zeke. She doesn’t
tell a lot of people.”

“Including those she’s apparently just fucking for fun.”

The silence on the other side of the phone had him closing his eyes.
Dammit, he didn’t mean to yell at her. Jillian wasn’t the
person he was mad at. Hell, he didn’t know who he was mad at.

“Oh, sweetie, don’t be so hurt by it. She’s so
private and it has more to do with impressing you than keeping you
out.”

He opened his eyes and looked out of the apartment window. Usually
the view of the Atlantic would calm him, soothe him. But, today,
there was nothing. The two people he loved in the world were starting
to come apart.

“What do you mean?”

“Maura has always tried to pretend that nothing is ever wrong.
I have no idea why. Conner said one time that it wasn’t this
bad until his folks died. Then, she became overly worried about
perception.”

“She spent a week with...”

Jillian laughed. “Yeah, but that’s different. Sex is
healthy and she understands that. If she admits she has a therapist
though, she thinks it shows her weakness.”

“For being human?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what their parents were like, but
you’ve worked with Conner. Is there anyone with a more
disgusting work ethic?”

“You?”

“Pfft. Not me. He had strep a few weeks back and was trying to
go into work. That’s just insane. Me, I know when to take a
break. The Dillon’s...they don’t. They’re kind of
freaks about it. And one of the things is that they can never admit
they are weak. Talking to someone about nightmares or the fact you
think someone is following you--”

“What do you mean?”

“Maura said she felt as if someone was following her. She’s
had that feeling the last few days.”

“She said the same thing in Hawaii.”

“You all are following her, right?”

“We’ve been taking her to and from work.”

“That’s good.”

“So, I shouldn’t worry?”

“No, you should. You love her and she is shutting down. But it
might be that she needs a few more days to deal with it. The most
important thing you can do is be there when she falls.”

He heard the door crash open and closed his eyes. Rory was home and
Zeke wasn’t in the mood for him.

“I’ve got to go.”

“Remember, Zeke, take care of yourself. Those two are a lot of
work.”

“Thanks, Jillian.”

He turned his phone off just as Rory sauntered into the bedroom.

He was a fucking mess. He had been out riding on the bike. He hadn’t
shaved today, but for Zeke that made him even sexier. Being so
fucking drunk he could barely stand up sort of took the sexiness out
of it though.

“Hey, lover,” he slurred.

“So, you’ve decided to drink again.”

“I can do what I want.”

He looked at him and his heart wept. Rory avoided alcohol and drugs.
He hated it for the most part. Except when things went bad. He was
hurting, thinking he’d been rejected by Maura. For a man whose
mother committed suicide leaving him with his bastard father,
rejection and abandonment issues were always there ready to fuck
things up.

Rory pulled his shirt off and threw it on the floor behind him.

“And apparently, that means being disgusting.”

“It’s just a shirt on the floor.” Then he burped.
Zeke would have laughed if he didn’t know just how much Rory
hated this. He wasn’t someone who willingly would get drunk.

“So, you’ve decided to become an alcoholic?”

Zeke said, crossing his arms over his chest. He was trying his best
not to reach out for him. Zeke knew that he would just reject him,
and that would hurt too much.

“I’m not an alcoholic.”

“You’re on your way. Three nights, three drunken nights,
Rory. That’s an alcoholic.”

“I am not an alcoholic. I’m just blowing off some steam.”

Hearing those words tore away any patience Zeke had.

“Isn’t that the phrase your father used all the time?”

“Watch it, Zeke.”

He ignored the warning.

“Tell me, did he say that before or after he beat you?”

“I said to fucking watch your fucking mouth.”

But he didn’t care. He couldn’t see Rory do this to him.
He had a lot of other issues but drinking had been one thing he had
never engaged in. He hated the loss of control, and he didn’t
trust himself.

“So, you’ve just decided to drink yourself to death like
your father.”

He jumped up from the bed and grabbed his shirt. “I don’t
have to stay here for this.”

He pulled the shirt on.

“No, run just like your father. A coward unable to accept the
fact that he was a bastard. Jesus, I can understand why your mother
did it.”

Rory turned and faced him, anger lighting his face but Zeke was past
being nice.

“What the fucking hell do you mean by that?”

“Your father was a drunkard coward, petty criminal who couldn’t
keep it in his pants. Not unlike you, but at least he married your
mother so apparently he had some decency in him. Can you imagine the
embarrassment she felt being married to him? A drunk. A man who
couldn’t keep a job. Then, raising a son in his spitting image,
some fucker who couldn’t even make it through school. Jesus, no
wonder she committed suicide.”

He was so gone in his diatribe he didn’t see the punch coming
in time to avoid it. He had enough time to move a bit and Rory’s
first connected to his jaw.

They tumbled down onto the ground, cursing and screaming at each
other. He got a good hit into Rory’s nose, but he felt a few
jabs to his ribs. Rory was drunk and not able to fight that well. It
only took him a few moments to pin his hands down and dominate him.

They were both breathing heavily. On any other day, this would be
sexy. Now, he wanted to throw up.

“Get a hold of yourself.”

The dangerous look he was leveling at Zeke didn’t deter him. He
straddled him then took him by the shoulders and shook him.

“You can’t do this. I can’t watch you do it.”

Something he said must have hit Rory. The anger on his face slowly
dissolved.

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yes.” He studied him. “What?”

“I mean this is momentous. Rory McAllister just said he was
sorry. This is close to admitting you were wrong.”

Rory toppled Zeke over and switched positions, clasping his hands
above his head.

“You’re such a bleeding smart ass.”

He chuckled then sighed as Rory kissed him. It was the first real
physical contact he’d had since they’d returned. They had
slept in the same bed every night, but not once had they reached out
for each other. He reveled in the kiss.

Rory kissed his way down Zeke’s body, grasping his shirt and
tearing it open. Buttons flew everywhere, but Zeke ignored it. All
that mattered was Rory’s mouth on his skin and the way his
tongue slid against him as he moved down his body. He pulled Zeke’s
pants off and took his cock in his hand and then into his mouth. Zeke
spread his hands into his hair. He knew this wasn’t the answer,
but right now, he needed the connection, the primal instinct of
connecting with one of his mates.

He thrust up into Rory’s mouth, over and over again. Finally,
Rory pulled back and tore at his own jeans. Zeke sat up and grabbed
the waistband and yanked the buttons lose. Rory’s cock thrust
out into Zeke’s greedy hands. He pumped him, fast and furious.
The edge he’d been feeling, the need to connect drove him. It
was frantic and overwhelming.

Rory groaned and pulled back, turning around, he straddled Zeke’s
head upside down. Zeke took Rory’s cock into his mouth
willingly. Rory groaned and did the same to Zeke. Both of them were
so close it didn’t take but a few strokes and they were both
coming, their ecstasy overtaking both of them as they gave themselves
over to the joy of their primal connection.

* * * *

Later, they lay in bed and Rory sighed. He hurt Zeke in so many ways
over the years, he couldn’t really fault his lover for what he
said.