Curiosity ate at her. Was Missouri as pretty as they described it? Rory told her there were nodes out there as well and their land actually had its own small one in the glen. It was why they had bought the property. Would Harold be willing to watch the shop for a while if she decided to go out? She knew he would. Hell, he would probably take it over completely if she let him.
The thought stopped her cold. After Grandad died, she had thought she would run the shop until she died. Meeting the men had changed her outlook now on a lot of things.
Alessandro wakened first. He stared at her for a long time in the early morning light, scanning her face and eyes as if he was memorizing her. Closing the few inches between them, he nibbled at her lips and Violet welcomed him in. A hand covered her breast even as one of his knees moved up to separate her thighs. Violet let herself be swept away even as tears ran down her face. And when Rory levered himself over her and took Alessandro’s place, she continued to cry. The men seemed to understand why she was so upset and joined her in her distress. The lovemaking was slow and gentle. Not a word was spoken between them. When they were all replete, they cuddled for several long minutes before separating to get dressed.
As the car idled behind them Alessandro stepped forward to cradle her face in his hands. “
Bella
, please don’t be sad. We will be back. This is not the end.” Kisses landed on both cheeks. “I love you.”
Tears fell all the harder down her face as she heard his words. Stepping into his arms, she held him as long as she could before he pulled away. “I love you too,” she whispered.
As he stepped away, his eyes were twinkling and he had a quizzical expression on his handsome face. “I’ve never had a woman tell me that.”
“Tell you what?” Rory gruffed, his voice incredibly low as he backed out of the driver’s side of the car.
Alessandro looked at him for a long moment then shook his head. “Nothing.”
Violet didn’t have a chance to say anything as Rory wrapped his huge arms around her and lifted her off the ground, kissing her neck. “I left a business card on the counter upstairs. It has all of our numbers on it. Call us any time. If you need anything at all, call us.” He let her feet touch the ground but he kept his eyes on her. “Anything. At all. No matter how small.”
Violet laughed, only because that was what he was trying to get her to do. “Okay, I get it. Next time I’m running out of milk I’ll call you.”
Rory grinned and nodded. They were both playacting though, and it hurt to let him go. With one last kiss he pulled away and folded himself into the car. Alessandro waved and disappeared into the other side.
Swiping her face, she watched as long as she could as the car faded down the road, taking her heart with it.
Rory’s wingtips thumped
as he paced the hardwood floor, obviously listening for the sound of Violet’s voice on the answering machine. It wasn’t there.
Alessandro shrugged as he turned to him in frustration. “I’m sure she’s fine,
tresoro
. She just doesn’t want to be a burden, I think. It’s only been a few days.”
“Six,” Rory corrected. “It’s been six days.”
Alessandro tried to hide his smile as he flopped down onto the maroon leather couch. “Maybe she’s forgotten about us.”
Rory stopped in front of him and glared. “No fucking way. I can’t take a breath without thinking about her. There’s no way she’s not thinking about us. And every time I’m with her the connection gets stronger.”
Alessandro shrugged and leaned back against the cushion. “What does that connection tell you? Here?” Reaching up, he patted Rory’s thick chest over his heart.
Rory snarled and turned away, pounding across the floor again.
“That’s what’s frustrating. She was upset when we left and for several days afterward but now she’s just calm, like she’s accepted us being gone. I don’t want her to get used to us not being there. I want her to
want
to be with us as much as we do her.” He scraped his hand through his short auburn hair and turned back to look at him. “Sandro, I have to tell you. I’m nuts about her. Freaking nuts. And I don’t think it’s just the blood. It’s more than that. I actually like the girl and everything about her.”
Alessandro snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Sarcasm rolled off his tongue, but he couldn’t help it. “Yeah, I kind of got that.”
Frustrated, Rory turned and flung himself down to the couch. “What am I going to do? What are we going to do?”
Reaching out, he squeezed Rory’s thigh and bumped his shoulder with his own. “I think it will all work out. You love her, yes?”
Rory’s head tipped forward and he studied his hands for several long seconds. “Yes. Yes, I do.” Maneuvering on the couch, he turned to face him. “But I love you too. I want you to know that. Nothing has changed between us.”
Alessandro smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss to Rory’s lips. The concern was sweet. “I know you love me. I feel it every time you touch me. And it’s in the way you look at me.”
Rory nodded and kissed him, then sat back. “Things would be different if she came out here, wouldn’t they?”
Alessandro thought about it for a bit. “They would be different,” he agreed, “but not bad. I think having Violet with us would be wonderful. She would add a new dimension to our relationship. I love her too, you know. You aren’t the only one affected by her.”
“I know.” Rory smiled.
Alessandro felt tension ease in his belly as he observed the satisfaction in his lover’s face. “We just have to be patient with her. And give her time to decide what she wants. I know you have a connection, but it is stronger in you than her. You sprang all this Fae stuff on her, you know. She needs a chance to adapt.”
Rory nodded. “I know. And I’m trying to be patient. Really. It’s just hard.” Long legs lifted up to rest on the heavy coffee table, crossed at the ankles. “The bad part is it may get even harder. I don’t know how the attraction works, but the pull gets stronger and stronger the longer the two are apart. That’s what my father said, anyway.”
“So the need to go to Kentucky has grown over the years?”
Rory’s lips quirked to the side as he pondered the question. “Yes, I believe it has now that you mention it. It definitely grew after I met her.”
Alessandro ran his hand down Rory’s arm. “Then it will be affecting her as well. You just have to be patient.”
Rory sighed eloquently. Alessandro knew he was struggling to rein in his naturally domineering personality. Truth be told, he was just as anxious but for a different reason tonight. He glanced at his cell phone sitting on the end table. Nothing.
“Well, why don’t you go change and I’ll get some dinner started.”
Rory nodded and strode out of the room. Alessandro watched appreciatively as his lovely ass disappeared down the hallway before he headed to the kitchen to start dinner.
They were about halfway through a pork tenderloin when Alessandro’s phone chimed with a text message. He glanced at it but did not type a response. It was a struggle to keep his hands steady for the rest of the meal. Things were happening and excitement made him anxious. How Rory didn’t hear his heartbeat from across the table he didn’t know.
Without appearing to rush he gathered up dirty plates and loaded the dishwasher. He pressed the button on the Keurig for a cup of dark roast, then another for an Italian blend for himself and carried the two cups into the den. Rory was reclining on the couch, flipping channels with little interest, feet propped on the heavy oak coffee table. He smiled in thanks when Alessandro placed the cup on the end table beside him. Lowering himself to the opposite end of the couch, Alessandro debated how to approach Rory with what he wanted.
For several long minutes they stared at the flat screen across the room. Rory flipped from channel to channel, finally stopping on a dark-haired comedienne entertaining a crowd. Pushing the mute button, he just sat and watched the woman.
Alessandro could see the resemblance to Violet but he didn’t comment. Instead he scooted across the couch to rest his head on Rory’s shoulder. Rory wrapped his arm around his partner and pulled him close.
“Do you want to call her?”
Rory was quiet for a long time. “No, I don’t think so. Not yet.”
Alessandro nodded against his arm and rested his left hand on Rory’s thigh. “It’s not showing weakness, you know, to let her know you miss her.”
Rory snorted and glanced down at him. “I’m not worried about that. I just don’t want to push her. She’s got a lot to think about. I mean, I’m basically it for her. This thing between us will only get harder to fight.”
Alessandro rubbed his thigh through his casual jeans. “You just have to be patient then, yes?”
Sighing, Rory nodded. “I guess. Patience is not my best attribute though.”
Alessandro laughed in agreement. “True,
caro
.”
Running his hand over Rory’s crotch, Alessandro waited to see what he would do. Rory was still looking at the woman on the screen. He must have been imagining it was Violet because he had already partially hardened.
Alessandro leaned into his lover and waited for him to meet him halfway. Rory did more than that. His cool lips settled onto Alessandro’s and pushed him down onto the leather couch. The TV went dark and the remote dropped with a thud to the floor. Dark suited Alessandro, because he needed a bit of anonymity. He couldn’t lie worth a damn. And when he did Rory always sniffed trouble.
“
Caro
, wait.”
Rory had already unbuttoned his shirt but he paused at Alessandro’s words. “What?”
“I want to go down to the glen.”
Rory’s dick hardened against him even more and Alessandro had a feeling he was remembering the conversation and the resulting sex with Violet. Breath held, he waited to see what his lover would do.
Rory eventually nodded, rolling off the couch. “The glen sounds wonderful. I’ll go get us a few towels.”
Alessandro nodded. “And I’ll get us some snacks and drinks.”
They each went their separate ways, but both knew that the hideaway would be a welcome diversion. They met in the kitchen a few minutes later and crossed the yard to the earthen path that would lead to their escape. When they had looked at houses, both had known immediately that this was the one they wanted. The mixture of modern stone and wood with soaring glass windows had accommodated them perfectly. Rory had felt the magic nearby and Alessandro had fallen in love with the natural spring that was actually on the node. He wasn’t Fae, but even he could feel the different-ness in the air when they entered the glen. It made his skin tingle and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Rory hurried down the path, eager to get there. Alessandro broke into a jog to keep up and broke through the clearing just in time to see Rory strip off his shirt and drop it carelessly to the ground. A small stream fed a pool that was warmed by the earth, and they had had the pool landscaped to broaden it and make it more accommodating. There were stone ledges beneath the water for steps and giant stones had been placed to allow reclining.
The entire area had been landscaped. There was a pavilion just a few feet away that could be closed up or opened as much as they wanted. Right now it was open, heavy damask curtains blowing in the breeze. Alessandro had asked the gardener to go down and prepare everything, and make sure no unwanted visitors had built their homes in the shelter.
Alessandro dropped his cooler on the ground next to the path and watched Rory strip down. The expanse of his muscular back strained as he paused to swipe off first one shoe, then the other. He tossed them to the side with little care, too focused on getting into the spring.
Alessandro couldn’t blame him. It had definitely been a stressful few days with the crisis at the company, and then Rory’s agitation that Violet hadn’t called them. They had been screwing like rabbits, but it only appeased the itch for so long. Actually Violet would taste pretty good to him right now as well.
Once again his eyes flicked to the pavilion, but it was deserted.
Rory rumbled in pleasure and Alessandro glanced over just in time to see his tight ass dip below the water. Rory dunked himself several times, swiping his hair back on his head, and moved to one of the positioned stones in the pool. It was unspoken that it was his favorite spot. It was where he gravitated to every time. The rock was just low enough that the water lapped at the tops of his shoulders. Alessandro tingled at the thought of joining him on that rock as he had many times before.
Rory seemed to be waiting as well, because his eyes were glistening and he watched Alessandro like a hawk. Flushed, Alessandro began to strip. His dick stood out from his body, ready for whatever was to come.
He stepped into the water and submerged, coming up directly in front of Rory. Their lips met with a clash and Alessandro forgot everything around him. He forgot the stress of the week, the issues at school, and the guilt he felt evading Rory’s looks. All was washed away with Rory’s kiss.
Arms bulging, Rory pulled him onto his lap and Alessandro spread his legs to accommodate him. Rory was erect as well, flexing with every pump of blood to his groin area. Clamping his heels near Rory’s ass, Sandro aligned their flesh and began gliding smoothly. But they could only do this for so long before they both became inflamed. Rumbling beneath him warned him that Rory was reaching his limit, and the finger teasing at his ass told him how he wanted it. Rory pulled away and looked at Alessandro with love in his eyes. “Turn around, baby.”
Sandro didn’t need to be told twice. Pushing himself away from Rory, he turned in the water and kicked back toward him. Strong, gentle hands grasped him at his waist and settled him onto his lap, and Rory’s dick settled between his butt cheeks. Those strong hands moved to his hips, and clamped them to his own, gliding fiercely in the moisture around them. Sandro stroked his own dick from tip to base and knew it would take very little to get him off. Resting his head back against Rory’s chest, he turned his face into his neck and nibbled. Rory turned his lips to Sandro’s even as one hand maneuvered his body to penetrate. Sandro moaned as Rory seated himself inside his body.