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  Luke grabbed my arm tightly, causing me to wince and Donny to growl. He raised his fist again, but I kicked his shin angrily. He leapt back in shock, gaping at me.

  “Don’t even think about it!” I snapped, wrapping myself around Luke protectively.

  “What the fuck Evie?” Donny gasped, just as Jake reached for me, pulling me off Luke and holding onto my arms from behind. Neither Luke, nor Donny resumed the fight and out of the corner of my eye I saw Mike and Alec relax, moving closer to us.

  “All of you need to calm down,” I whispered.

  “Did you have to kick me?” Donny asked incredulously, “That hurt!”

  “I’ll do more than kick your shin if you ever touch one of my little brothers again!” I hissed at him, leaning back against Jake and pulling Luke close.

  “What?!” Alec and Donny exclaimed.

  Donny looked between Jake and I, obviously seeing the resemblance. He glanced at Mike and Luke and relaxed with a laugh.

  “These are the triplets from your phone right?” he asked me.

  “Yes,” I said quietly, “And my older brother Paul is on the way so we need to go.”

  “You knew the triplets were her brothers?” Alec asked Donny accusingly. Donny shrugged.

  “Not when I messaged Stone. I found out at the dry river race.”

  “What’s going on?”a still angry Mike demanded, “Who are these guys lil’ E?”

  “Lil’ E?” Alec muttered with a frown, “I’ve heard that before.”

  “Logan,” Donny supplied with a wide smile.

  “You fuck!” Alec said with a laugh, “How many brothers have you been stirring the pot with?”

  “Hey! Briar was the real stirrer. I just played along.”

  “These are my friends from uni,” I told the triplets quickly, “I’m here with some girls too.”

  Donny and Alec raised their eyebrows at my lie, but didn’t correct me.

  Jake’s phone rang and he glanced at the name, swearing, he answered it.

  “Hey Paulie,” he said, shooting me a frown, “Yeah, I found her.”

  “You’re coming in through the rear taxi rank?” he said out loud, shooting his fellow triplets a message with his eyes, they ran off into the pub, calling out a quick goodbye.

  “Cool. I’ve sent Mike and Luke to meet you. I’ll watch Evie until you get here.”

  “Her clothes?” Jake winced as he looked me up and down, “Nah man, Josh must have been exaggerating. She looks suitable enough to me. Just prettier and less skinny.”

  He glared at me, letting me know that I owed him big.

  “You’re almost here? Good. See you in five.”

  “Get the fuck out of here quick,” Jake said desperately, “You owe me E. Paul will beat the crap out of me if he finds out I let you leave with men, wearing that.”

  Alec laughed, but it died when he saw something behind us. Fredi and Stone were walking out the door with frowns on their faces. Fredi’s face lit up when she saw us, but Stone’s darkened, his eyes zeroing in on Jake’s arms still holding me. I pushed away and Jake turned to look them over with a frown of his own.

  “Do you know those two?” he asked me slowly.

  I gulped. “Yeah.”

  “Let’s go,” I said to Donny quickly, “The others are here and we need to leave before Paul finds us.”

  Jake’s frown deepened. “That’s the rest of your group? There’s only one other girl?”

  “There’s more back at the resort,” I lied, “We came in a big group.”

  “Uh-huh. Why’s the big dude glaring at me?”

  “That’s Stone,” Donny said with a grin, “Evie’s…oof!” He glared at me for elbowing his stomach.

  Jake looked between the two of us and turned to glare at Stone, who’d just stopped in front of us. Stone glared from Jake, to me, to Donny and Alec. His eyes moved back to mine, demanding to know what was happening.

  “So who is this Evie?” Jake asked me stiffly, taking in Stone’s height, muscles and still bruised face.

  “Jake,” I whispered, “I need to go before Paul gets here.”

  “Eve,” he growled in warning. I sighed.

  “Jake, this is Stone…a friend of mine. Grant, this is Jake, my younger brother.”

  Stone’s glare eased as he glanced between my face and Jake’s, taking in our matching hair and eyes. He held out his hand silently and Jake grasped it tightly, his threatening scowl not easing.

  “A friend of yours…” he said, switching his scowl to me, “Maybe you should come home with me.”

  “Don’t baby me,” I hissed, “I’m older than you. I can do whatever I want. Go and distract Paul. We’re leaving.”

  “Fine,” he growled, but I could see the worry in his eyes, “We’ll talk about this later.”

  I hugged him tightly and then grabbed Stone’s hand, pulling him towards the car, the rest of our group following behind.

  “Hey,” Fredi said quietly as we paused by our car doors, the boys already seated, “Was that one of the sexy triplets?”

  I grinned at her, suddenly feeling lighter, “Yep. You just missed the other two.”

  “Damn!” she pouted and I laughed as we slid into the car.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Our ride home was noticeably subdued after all the ‘excitement’ at the pub. Alec and Donny had both been hit in the face, something neither Fredi, nor Stone had remarked upon yet. I shifted a little in discomfort as we came to a stop at the resort.

  “Would you like me to get you some ice?” I asked quietly, looking from Alec to Donny s we climbed out of the car.

  Stone frowned and looked at his friends closely, whilst Fredi giggled.

  “We’re fine,” Alec and Donny said in unison.

  “Did Evie’s little seventeen-year-old brother get the drop on both of you?” Fredi questioned, her eyes sparkling.

  They scowled at her, but neither said anything, not even to mention that there had been three 6’3” rugby-playing seventeen-year-olds.

  “He was pretty mad,” I whispered, then hesitantly added, “Sorry about your shin, Don.”

  “It’s okay,” he said with a laugh, “I have a little brother too.”

  Fredi’s jaw dropped, before she burst out laughing. “Evie kicked you?” she gasped.

  I blushed and nodded, sidling closer to Stone, who wrapped an arm around me with a chuckle.

  “Sure did,” Donny said with a wicked grin, “Wanna kiss it better for me Winnie?”

  Fredi showed him the finger with a husky laugh and then turned it into a wave as she strutted towards their hut. “Have a nice night all,” she called over her shoulder, sending me a wink. I blushed as Alec and Donny tried to hide their grins. Stone grabbed my hand and started to walk towards our own hut, so I quickly waved at the boys, steadfastly ignoring their knowing looks.

  ***

  Stone slid the key into the lock and my stomach suddenly started to flutter with butterflies as he moved inside, gently pulling me in behind him. We stood in the dark for a few devastatingly tense moments, before he found the switch and the lights flickered on. Slowly, the lights dimmed as he turned a dial beneath the switch. I swallowed nervously at the mood setting, an anxious lump forming in my throat when he turned and pulled his shirt over his head, his hot, silver eyes holding me captive as he stalked towards me, like a predator advancing on its prey.

  I had the overwhelming urge to run, felt the need to escape…and yet simultaneously wanted to be chased down. To be caught by this man.

  I backed up in my heels, on my shaky legs, stumbling a little and coming up hard against a chair back at the kitchen table. I shuffled to the side as Stone reached me, knowing that I wanted this, but rather unsettled by the intensity of my need. Stone seemed to be free of such fears. He grasped my waist and lifted me to sit on the table, his body moving to stand between my legs as he pulled my hair from its band and sealed his lips over mine.

  From the hunger and heat in his eyes, I’d
expected a harsh kiss. I’d expected him to dominate my mouth and demand what he needed. Instead, he gave me a firm, explorative kiss – as if he hadn’t been spending the last few weeks plundering my mouth as much as possible and it was all new. His hand wove into my hair and he tilted my head so that his tongue could plunge deep, filling my mouth in long, slow plunges that had me moaning for more. I wanted that same deep slide between my legs: his fingers, his tongue…and most definitely with his cock.

  I whimpered on that thought, suddenly ravenous as I sucked at his tongue and slid my hands around his sides and up his back, clutching him to me. He groaned into my mouth, letting me gorge on his tongue for a moment, before wresting back the reins.

  He eased back from the kiss, nibbling at my lips as he slid his hands over my bare thighs. My head tipped back on a pleasurable sigh and he took the invitation, bending his lips to my neck and teasing the sensitive skin with light kisses, flicks of his tongue and scrapes of his teeth.

  I let my hands slowly slide down his back as I bit my lip and tried not to beg him for more; for him to stop teasing me and suck hard at the tender hollow of my throat. My fingers found his jeans and I boldly pushed them inside, slipping beneath his underwear to grasp the smooth, toned globes of his ass. I pressed against him and squeezed as I rubbed myself along the hard bulge behind his fly.

  He growled against my throat and gave me what I wanted, devouring my neck, making me pant for breath as he began to tug impatiently at the front lacings of my top.

  “The back!” I gasped, after a particularly forceful pull. His lips moved back to mine as his hands slipped around to my back. In one deft move, he had the zipper down, and in another, the top was on the floor.

  He pressed me against his chest as his kiss deepened, his strong arms wrapped tightly around me. I wound my legs around his waist and moved my hands from his ass to clutch his shoulders. I rubbed against him, gasping when I felt his chest hair abrade my nipples. He was so hot to touch, to feel. We’d barely begun and we were sweating, the perspiration slicking our skin and making the slide all the more pleasurable.

  One hand wound in my hair again, this time stroking gently as his other spread over my thigh and slowly inched upward, the pounding of my heart growing louder the higher it rose. It dipped beneath my raised skirt, grasping the fabric at my ass and pulling as he stepped back to close my legs. My virginal white panties slid down my legs and dangled from one denim heel.

  I sat there, naked but for my shoes and tiny skirt, trying to breathe, trying to think, trying to pinpoint what I felt and put a name to all the emotions assaulting me. Stone seemed to be catching his breath too, his hungry eyes taking the time to devour me from head to toe.

  I blushed under his gaze, but with a tentative smile, flicked my foot…sending my panties floating to the wooden floor.

  Heat flared like some supernatural silver fire in his eyes. He slid an arm beneath my legs and lifted me, carrying me toward the bed. His kisses were gentle again, but forcibly so, as if he was holding a great deal of himself back. He lowered me onto the soft quilt, the bed rippling gently beneath my weight, a relaxing, but sensual tide as our pace slowed and our frenzy abated. Stone turned on the air-conditioner and I shivered as the vents opened, sending a blast of frigid air over my fevered, sweat-slicked skin. My nipples hardened nearly to the point of pain and I gasped, my hands instinctively clutching at them.

  Stone’s eyes fixed on my breasts, watching my hands clutch at them and rub them for warmth. I moaned in embarrassment as he stood there just watching, as if waiting for a private showing.

  I wasn’t feeling that bold tonight!

  In fact, I was starting to feel very self-conscious, lying here with my skirt hiked up and nearly everything on display. I nervously pushed at the hem of my skirt, resolutely keeping my legs together, even though part of me wanted to lick my lips and spread them wide…just to see his reaction.

  Stone moved closer to the foot of the bed. He picked up one ankle and stroked it slowly with his fingers, sending ripples of pleasure up my leg. He carefully unbuckled my shoe, taking his time as he slid it from my foot and then massaged the aching tendons. Deliberately, he bent and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the sensitive top of my foot, before slowly returning it to the bed. He did the same with my next shoe, but didn’t put my foot down. Instead, he started to kiss up my shin, nudging my legs apart to accommodate his shoulders as he kissed up to my knee, his other hand keeping his balance on the low footboard.

  I couldn’t believe how incredible it felt! I’d thought I’d known about sex. I thought I’d had adequate experience with the many different facets of intercourse. But never had I imagined I’d be moaning at the feel of a man’s mouth on my knee. It was almost too sensitive and I writhed against the sheets, stirring the water below me as I fought to escape the pleasure, yet not wanting it to stop.

  Just as I was about to cry for mercy, his lips shifted, moving up my thigh and away from the ticklish sensitivity of my kneecap. Instead, a new sensitivity grew. I closed my eyes as his shorn head crept ever closer to that needy, hot centre at the apex of my legs. I’d never liked it when Ben had kissed me there…but I had a damn good feeling that, with Stone…it’d be a damn good feeling. I hiked my skirt up eagerly to give him better access, but with a growl, he fisted the fabric in his hand and yanked it down my legs. He let go of the footboard, flicked my knees wide and bent to prop himself on his elbows between my legs.

  The depression of weight at the bottom of the bed sent the water rippling up beneath me, offering my sex up to his face like a gift. He chuckled and licked me, before the water moved again and my hips dropped. He smiled up at me; a naughty, wicked and genuine smile. It stole my breath and suddenly, I didn’t want him all the way down there. I wanted him on me, in me, smiling down at me right before he kissed me.

  “Grant,” I said beseechingly, holding out my arms. He stared at me for a moment, reading my intent in my eyes, then stood up and removed his jeans.

  I groaned and pressed my legs together, not even thinking about my naked state as I took him in. More than six and a half feet of muscle stood before me, clothed in only a tight pair of grey boxer-briefs. His very short dark-blonde hair looked dark brown in the dim room, except for a few golden rays of light. I could hardly see the colour in his grey eyes, but I could see the small scar over his eyebrow, the old breaks in his nose, and the two days worth of beard growth amongst the bruising. He looked like a terrifying Viking that had been cast out of his clan and shaved his head.

  He was free of tattoos and piercings, just tanned, taut skin and a light dusting of light-brown hair across his chest and down his stomach. His shoulders were impossibly wide, his shoulders and arms bulging with muscle, but not unattractively so. His pectorals were hard, but relatively flat, leading down to a ripped abdomen and lean hips. My eyes skated shyly over his underwear to check out long, leanly-muscled legs as he toed out of his shoes. He seemed to hesitate a moment, before reaching down into his discarded jeans (giving me an oh-so-delicious glimpse of his back) and retrieved his wallet, tossing it onto the bed beside me with a guarded look.

  I blinked at him in confusion. Did he think I wanted payment? I shook my head at the absurdity of that thought and opened his wallet, stilling at the brightly wrapped packages inside. I quickly closed it before reading them, feeling stupid that I hadn’t thought of protection.

  I looked back at him with a blush and realised he was waiting. He was waiting for me to give him an answer – for me to specify what I wanted.

  I wanted him. No matter my many doubts about our relationship, this answer was simple. I wanted to have sex with Grant Stone…and I wanted it right now. No more sidestepping. No more backing down.

  “Grant,” I repeated, holding out my arms again, the wallet resting on my chest, close to my heart…within easy reach.

  That was all it took. His face lost its impassivity, tightening with lust as one large knee settled on the bed and he levered him
self over me. The water surged, throwing him off balance and landing him on his back next to me with a heavy smack. I squealed as my back left the bed momentarily, the resulting wave sent me up and away from him, making me giggle as I tried to regain balance on the choppy surface and roll back to him.

  Stone snorted and rolled on his side toward me, causing the bed to dip and my little body to roll down a wave to smack against him. We were well and truly wedged together, movement nearly impossible for me and if Stone moved, everything else would too. He sighed and hooked an arm over me, holding on tightly as he flopped onto his back. He held me to his chest as we rode out the waves, but as soon as I tried to move on him, the bed started up again.