I was comfortably ensconced between Remy and Noah. Drake and Jaxson were comforting Rachel. She had broken down again when she had seen how broken the children were. She waited until they fell asleep before sobbing once more. I didn’t feel threatened at them comforting her, in fact, it made my heart warm seeing their compassion. After all, Rachel was family now. She should be treated as such. Gavin and Jemmy were cuddled up to one of the couches, but I could see and feel the tension radiating from them.
I wanted to tell them that they needed to get their crap together. Didn’t they realize they shouldn’t take life for granted anymore? We weren’t promised tomorrow. Even with Horatio gone, we never knew if he had others working for him that were willing to pick up the torch and continue his work. We had been targets before, now we were made into larger ones.
We had taken a lot of his test subjects. We had taken Dr. Neil. We might not have taken down his whole operation, but we definitely put a hurting on it. Tomorrow, we would regroup and figure out if we could find this other facility. From the sounds of it, it worked like the main base of Horatio’s operations.
In the past, they had told me Horatio was notorious for buying and selling property. He had hundreds in his name. He had people that worked for him that had several properties in their names. We found out he had other aliases. Who knows how many properties were listed under their names.
Sierra was a font of information. I guess she knew more than what she realized. Rachel had volunteered to help with the questioning, but we told her it wasn’t necessary. We didn’t trust Sierra per se, but somehow, I had a feeling she was going to be sticking around for a little while. Especially when we told Gavin he had another connection.
I looked over at Gavin and my morbid sense of humor almost wanted to rise. He had been so horrified at the concept of having multiple connections, and here he had two. He was going to flip. I felt sorry for him, but at the same time I found it humorous. I guess he should have thought harder before teasing me about fostering more than one relationship. Karma was coming in full circle for him.
I still hadn’t told the guys about Sierra’s mark. I looked over at Jaxson.
When do we tell them? I asked.
I’m not sure now is the right time Jaxson said hesitantly.
They’re going to know soon. Gavin keeps looking at Sierra, and Sierra keeps looking at him. Jemmy see’s it too, I sighed. They’ve been so distant lately, yet since we came downstairs, she won’t leave his side.
Troy came back downstairs with our air mattresses, interrupting our conversation. “We really need to just build Blake a bed large enough for all of us,” he grumbled good naturedly. He was trying valiantly to get us out of dark morose moods.
“I’m not into you guys watching me when I… well you know,” Drake blushed.
I smiled at him as the guys chuckled at him.
I secretly liked the idea of a bed large enough for all of us. I was with Drake. I wasn’t certain if I was ready for anyone to watch me in my intimate moments with any of them, but I wasn’t ruling out the idea just yet. The idea of us all sleeping together on nights like this, in the comfort of my bed, was appealing though.
“Seal the deal, do the horizontal mambo, knock boots, rock her world…” Noah teased him, and poor Drake got even more red.
“You guys leave Drake alone,” Rachel said defiantly as she leaned into him.
“We wouldn’t have sleepovers every night,” Noah stated with a grin. “Just occasionally, like tonight, because I’m not leaving her side. Is anyone else?”
All the guys said no or shook their head. Even Jace had paused in his interrogation to look at me with intensity. His look was clear. He wouldn’t be leaving me either.
“I’ll take measurements tomorrow and start building the frame and headboard sometime this week,” Remy said as he began to run his large hands through my hair.
I had forgotten that, before his grandfather had passed away and before his mother had met his step father, his grandfather would take him to his wood-working shop. He had loved and missed those times with him. His grandfather had imparted quite a bit of knowledge in him. And at Will’s insistence, he had even been able to take a wood shop class in high school.
I had just found out recently that all the bars in every single one of his restaurants were made by his hands. I would have to insist on watching him work on the bed frame and headboard—shirtless, of course. Maybe with a tool belt tied on his waist, wearing jeans that were low on his hips. I could feel myself getting aroused, and Remy growled in my ear before I quickly erected my barriers.
I gave him an apologetic smile. I wanted one of them, but they had all told me that I needed to eat and rest more than I needed to give in to my baser urges. I didn’t know who was suffering more, me or them. We had all used our gifts tonight. We all felt that sensation within us that craved intimacy.
None of the guys had wanted to leave my side since coming home. They even sat in my bathroom as I showered after Noah had healed me. I didn’t mind. My normal inhibitions were gone. These were my connections. Life was too tenuous. I needed them as much as they needed me.
“Gavin has another connection. It’s Sierra,” I said in the silence of the room as I watched the flames dance in the fireplace and the shadows on the wall.
“Crap,” Drake muttered at my back. He was curled up behind me.
“My thoughts exactly,” I muttered as I linked one of my hands with his. I pushed my rear further into him and I heard him hiss. His reaction was immediate, and I could feel my desire rise instantly.
“How did—” Noah started to ask. He was lying in front of me, one of his hands cradling my hip.
“We saw her mark as we were boarding the plane,” Jaxson stated on the couch.
I wanted to lay next to him, especially after our confessions, but he unselfishly told me to let Drake and Noah lay with me, since they had freaked out the most after my SOS.
“Jemmy’s not going to like that much,” Jace stated with a sigh. “She never was known to share well with others. Even as a child, she hoarded all her stuff so she could play with ours.”
“Because mom never gave her anything, and if she did, her nose was rubbed in it for weeks,” Drake said bitterly.
I squeezed his hand. My heart broke for him and Jemmy.
“We might have went overboard spoiling her,” Remy said huskily. I could tell he had been on the cusp of fallen asleep before I finally blurted out my secret.
“She deserved it,” Jaxson said with a frown in his voice.
“That’s why she fell in love with you the most,” Troy said with a chuckle. “She learned to fake cry so you would give her anything she wanted.”
“Bro—" Jaxson said with warning.
I giggled, knowing he hadn’t wanted me to know. “Jemmy already told me. She admitted to wanting you the first time I met her.” Then I sobered up once more. “She’s already having issues with Gavin…”
“What’s going on there? I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Jaxson said before reaching down to grab a piece of my hair. He rubbed it between his fingers.