“Engineering, working on your request.”
Sidious nodded, and Mikayla frowned at them. For some reason, she felt as though they were talking in code.
“
Who’s
Taron?” Mikayla asked.
“Taron is our adopted brother. He's also the captain of this ship,” Sidious said.
“You have another brother?”
“Yes. Taron was raised with us. His mother was our mother's best friend. When our parents married, she brought her friend with her as her personal maid and companion. When Taron's father ran off, then his mother died a few months later, our parents adopted him.”
“That was nice of them.”
Stefan shrugged. “He was already part of the family anyway. Dad just made it official.”
The turbochute opened, and Mikayla stepped out into what could only be engineering. Computers lined the wall in front of her while to the right a glass wall encased what looked like an engine.
“That's the propulsion system,” Sidious said in her ear.
She pointed to a blue ball about the size of a basketball dangling from a black pole encased in class. It glowed and pulsed with an energy she felt prickling her skin.
“What's that?”
“That's what controls the Litarian Cloak.”
“Cloak? You mean we're invisible?”
Sidious nodded and smiled. “Yes.”
“Interesting.”
“It's about damn time you got your ass here.”
Mikayla spun around at the sound of the deep voice and stared at the gorgeous man before her who had to be Taron. The name suited him. He was as tall as Sidious, with deep brown eyes and a bald head. The man was a dead ringer for Vin Diesel, especially the broad shoulders and muscular torso.
His gaze raked over her body in interest. “Did you bring me a gift?”
“Not likely,” Sidious growled. “Get your own.”
Taron grinned at Mikayla. “As busy as he keeps me, I never have time to find my own. You must be Mikayla. I've heard a lot about you.” He leaned in and whispered,
“I've also heard you've tamed our grouch of a little brother.”
Little brother?
Mikayla grinned at the image. There was nothing little about Sidious.
“Taron,” Sidious growled in warning, and Taron rolled his eyes in response.
They were definitely brothers, she thought with a giggle.
“Let's hurry and get this fitting over with, before the crew starts getting restless and wants to come back,” Stefan said.
“They're on leave on Daego. Like that's going to happen anytime soon.” Taron retrieved a small device from the table in the center of the room with a chuckle.
In fatigue, Mikayla sank down in one of the leather chairs along the wall. A lot had happened in the last twenty-four hours, and she felt drained, emotionally as well as physically. Leaning her head back, she listened to the three men softly talking to one another and smiled at their brotherly banter. As an only child, she never had any siblings and often missed that as she grew up. Listening to them, she missed it even more. It was obvious the three of them were close.
“How did the three of you get involved in this?” she asked.
Both Stefan and Taron pointed to Sidious.
Sidious snorted. “Actually, they got involved first, then approached me with the idea of joining the militia so they could have someone on the inside.”
“Why not Taron?” she asked.
A small grin tugged at Sidious's lips. “Taron has issues with authority.” Taron nodded his head in agreement. “I'm always right, and usually authority doesn't like that,” Taron said as he studied the device in front of him.
Sidious glanced at her and silently shook his head, making Mikayla grin.
“You do realize I can see you, right?” Taron asked, making Stefan snicker.
“I'm shaking in my boots,” Sidious replied dryly.
“You should be,” Taron countered and held up the device he held in his hand, his lips twitching in amusement, his eyes sparkling with devilment. “Your life is in my hands.”
“Are the three of you always like this?” Mikayla asked. “Does it ever come to blows?”
“Yes, we're always like this, much to our mother's displeasure, and it's been known to come to blows a few times,” Sidious replied.
“Mostly between him and Stefan,” Taron said. “I know better than to piss this guy off, Stefan still hasn't learned his lesson.”
“Do you break them up when they do?”
“Hell no,” Taron said with a chuckle. “I let them fight it out. It's safer that way.” Mikayla chuckled as Sidious rolled his eyes. Stefan remained quiet, adjusting numbers on another computer as Taron called them off.
“We may have an issue with Dad,” Sidious said, meeting Taron's surprised stare.
“What kind of an issue?”
Stefan sighed. “It seems Dad donated the exact amount of money to a secret cause that we received last week.”
Taron appeared to go pale right before her eyes. “Are you serious?”
“'Fraid so,” Sidious said with a nod.
“Why would he do something so stupid?” Taron snapped.
“Probably for the same reason we did,” Sidious replied. “The bigger question is, does he know about us? And do we confront him about it?”
“God no,” Stefan said. “If we confront him and he didn't know about us…” Sidious nodded. “He would then.”
“Maybe we should pick up Sidious's plan and avoid him at all costs.”
“I don't avoid him…much.”
Stefan and Taron chuckled.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Stefan said. “You avoid him all the time and leave the two of us to try to make up excuses for your absence.”
“Which you've done a lousy job of lately, by the way,” Sidious snapped over his shoulder toward Stefan.
“Well, here's a solution. Go home for a visit, or call them yourself,” Stefan snapped back.
Taron grinned at her. “See what I mean?”
“Shut up,” Sidious snarled, but not really in anger. “The two of you don't have to deal with his constant bragging.”
“Oh, yeah. How rough that must be for you,” Stefan countered.
“It is when you know it's a damn lie!” Sidious snapped.
Mikayla
'
s eyebrow rose in interest. Apparently, Stefan hit a nerve. Stefan noticed it too and stared at him in surprise.
“Jeez. You're so damn touchy anymore,” Stefan said, trying to fight a grin.
Sidious rolled his eyes and stared toward the ceiling with a ragged sigh.
“Stefan,” Taron cautioned. “Sidious has a right to be touchy.”
“Don't fucking placate me,” Sidious snarled.
Taron turned to look at her as she watched them from the couch in silence. “Sure you want to be a part of this madness, sweetheart?” She shrugged, giving them a sideways grin. “He hasn't given me much choice in the matter.”
“I can see that,” Stefan said. “Sidious always did have a way of just taking what he wanted and to hell with the consequences.”
Sidious winked at her over Taron's shoulder, and she smiled. Memories of all the times he'd done just that -- taken what he wanted, sent a warm shiver up her spine. In truth, that was one bad habit she didn't want to break him of. At least not just yet.
Mikayla opened her eyes and stared sleepily out the open French doors that overlooked the lake. The morning sun sparkled against the water, sparkling like diamonds. The waves resembled the color of the Caribbean Sea. A soft breeze blew, bringing with it the scent of jasmine and pine. She inhaled the sweet fragrance floating in the air and snuggled closer to Sidious's warm body behind her. The satin sheets felt like heaven against her skin as she shifted.
They'd arrived at his parents' lake house sometime very late, and they both had fallen sound asleep in each other's arms. It was the first time they'd just held each other, and it had felt wonderful. Last night was probably the most peaceful sleep she'd had in weeks.
They hadn't talked about anything yet. In truth, she was still processing everything. It explained so much -- the haunted look she sometimes saw in his gaze, the gruff exterior he showed in front of his men, and the gentle, playful man he showed to her. Looking back now, it should have been so obvious.
Warm lips softly touched the back of her shoulder, bringing her away from her thoughts. The gentle kiss sent jolts of desire up her limbs to puddle in her core.
“It's beautiful here,” she whispered.
“Mmm,” he murmured in agreement.
She rolled to her side, facing him. His eyes were closed, his long hair mussed from sleep. He looked so different here, away from the ship, so much younger, so much more relaxed. With the tip of her finger, she traced his eyebrows, then down his cheek. When she brushed across his full lips, he grinned. “I could wake up to this every day of my life.”
Her heart skipped with the knowledge that she could too. Awake every morning with his arms around her, his breath on her neck. He put his hand behind her knee and
lifted her leg over his thigh. With a soft growl, he pressed his hard shaft against her pussy, which was already wet and aching. The man was going to be the death of her.
“Are we alone?” Her lips dropped featherlight kisses along his collarbone, and he shuddered beneath her mouth.
“It's just us and a couple of servants.”
She circled his hard nipple with the tip of her finger. He was playing a dangerous game, one that made her nervous and fearful she'd lose him. Now that she'd accepted her feelings for him, now that she'd realized he really was on her side and she could forget all that guilt, she didn't want to have to face her life without him. She'd fallen so hard for him, it sometimes scared the hell out of her.
“That's nice,” he sighed, his mouth spreading into a grin.
“Sid?”
“Yeah, baby.” His palm cupped her hip and ground her against his cock in a slow rhythm. She gasped, almost forgetting what she was about to ask.
“What if you get caught?”
He stopped moving and met her questioning gaze. “I'll be executed.” Fear gripped her chest, and she stared at him, her eyes wide. His fingers brushed across her cheek, and a tiny smile lifted the corner of his lips. “I have no intention of getting caught, kisary. Not since I've found you.” He leaned down and captured her mouth in a gentle kiss that stole her breath. He tasted of man and sleepy mornings, and she lifted her arms around his neck, returning his kiss with all the passion and love she felt in her soul.
With a slight shift, he rolled her to her back and settled over her. The warmth of his body seeped into hers, creating a stark contrast to the cool sheets beneath her.
Breaking the kiss, he moved downward, his teeth tugging at her nipples. She inhaled sharply at the sensations his touch created. Her whole body was on fire.
“You have such a delectable body, Mikayla,” he sighed against the flesh of her stomach. His lips traveled lower until they touched the soft skin just above her pussy.
Her breathing increased. Oh God. She wanted him to touch her there, to lick her pussy and ease the ache that was quickly building to an inferno.
He inhaled and grinned. “Hmm, I wonder if you taste as good as you smell.” One finger pushed deep within her throbbing channel, and her hips lifted from the bed, sucking him deeper. Pulling his finger out, he never broke eye contact with her as he slid that finger into his mouth, softly sucking her juices from around his knuckle. She watched, mesmerized by his actions and the tantalizing effect they had on her.
“Delicious,” he mumbled and, with his palms, spread her legs wider.
Gently he blew against her labia, and she moaned, bucking her hips. Damn, she was going to orgasm, and he hadn't even really touched her yet. God help her when he did.
“Sid,” she whimpered as his tongue lightly licked up her slit.
One finger slid deep in her pussy while his tongue teasingly circled her clit, sending sharp shards of pleasure over every inch of her flesh. Without warning, he moved his finger to the tight channel of her anus, slowly pushing past the tight ring of resistance. She stiffened at the unusual invasion, her eyes rolling back as the bite of pain quickly morphed to blinding pleasure.
He pressed the finger deeper, then added another, as his tongue gently licked at the juices pouring from her channel. With scissorlike movements, he stretched her anal passage, igniting a hunger she never imagined existed.
She gasped, her breath coming out in pants as he slowly increased the rhythm and pressure. At the tender invasion of a third finger, she closed her eyes, her hips moving in time with his hand. She didn't know what he was doing, what spot he was rubbing against, but the sensation was incredible. It kept building, getting stronger. Her anal muscles clenched around his knuckles, pulling them in deeper.
His tongue resumed the gentle circling of her clit, making her pussy clench. Her stomach tightened and tingled as pressure built within her body, moving outward in sharp tingles. He flattened his tongue against her swollen clit, applying soft and persistent pressure. She screamed as wave after wave of pleasure slammed through her.
Her pussy spasmed, along with the muscles of her anus, and she gasped in shock at the intense pleasure.
“You're killing me,” she sighed as her body relaxed into a mass of Jell-O against the mattress.
“Ah, baby. I haven't even begun.”