Holly's Awakening Read online

  “He’s all yours, sweetheart.” Kade cupped her cheek, tilted her head back and brushed his lips against hers. Steven watched and got instantly hard. “Take care of him for me.”

  Holly was bright red by the time she walked into his office.

  “I-I-I—”

  “Don’t worry about it, baby. Kade knows what he’s doing.”

  “I-I didn’t encourage him.”

  His heart went out to her. Wrapping his arms around her, Steven pulled her close and inhaled her strawberry scent. She always smelled like strawberries to him.

  “I know you didn’t. Kade’s his own person, and I’m not going to have a problem with that at all.”

  She frowned glancing up at him. “I don’t get it.”

  “You’ll get it soon.” Stroking her cheek, Steven was caught again by her shyness and her submissiveness. Holly was perfect for both him and Kade. He’d spent the last couple of years watching her.

  When she’d left school she worked at the small supermarket in town as one of the cashiers. Steven always made sure he shopped when she was working and stood in line for her to serve him.

  He’d been the one to suggest she work for him. That was a year ago. For the last year he’d observed her working and couldn’t stop his feelings from developing.

  Steven had noted Kade’s attention toward her. His lover might hate the way she dressed, but he’d taken more note of her than he had of any other woman who’d tried it on with him. They hadn’t taken a woman since they’d become exclusive. There was a time when they were only friends sharing a woman between them. That soon changed as their attraction developed between each other.

  Handing Holly some paperwork, Steven couldn’t tear his gaze away from her retreating figure.

  Shit, he wanted her badly.

  Chapter Two

  Kade waited for John Walker to finish packing up his shit before talking to him. John was the only person Kade knew connected to Holly. He wanted to make sure Steven wasn’t putting them in some kind of danger because he was feeling guilty or some shit.

  “What’s the matter, Boss?” John asked, turning to face him. The other man wiped his hands on his jeans waiting for Kade to answer.

  “I need a word with you.”

  “Okay, I’ve got to pick Holly up from the office though. Could we talk and walk?” John asked.

  Following in step beside him Kade waited for enough distance to be put between them and the other men.

  “How did Holy get the bruise?” Kade asked.

  “Fuck! That’s not my shit to tell.”

  “Then you better start talking, John. I want to know why your sister is still at home with her parents? Why you’re not there with her? How she got the bruise? And if she’s trying something on with Steven? Is the shyness an act?” Kade kept firing questions at him until John threw his hands up in surrender. They both stopped and glared at each other.

  “Stop, just stop.” John looked left and right. “I don’t know what your problem is, but stop with all the questions.”

  “You’re going to answer my questions if you like it or not.” Kade took a step closer invading the other guy’s space. John didn’t back down or flinch.

  “Boss, I grew up with a man who weighed more than you did with bad breath and a real bad attitude. Considering he was drunk so much, his aim was always on the mark. Back off before I forget you’re my boss.”

  Without realising it, John had answered at least one of his questions.

  “So your dad put the bruise on her face,” Kade said. “That’s progress.”

  John bit his lip and looked up at the sky. He was a muscular man who clearly worked out. Kade wasn’t attracted to him, but he saw the determination on the man’s face. John couldn’t hide his emotions towards protection.

  “I work for you. I don’t have to take this shit.” John stormed off. Kade caught up to him.

  “No, but Steven and I are thinking of claiming her for our own.”

  Her brother stopped. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  Kade waited for John to speak. Her brother looked at the offices and then back at the array of fields they owned.

  “You better not hurt her,” John said.

  “I wouldn’t dream of hurting her, John. Steven and I care about her.”

  “Are you wanting what Gavin and a couple of guys have found in town?” John asked.

  “Yes.” Kade wouldn’t lie or try to fight him.

  John let out a sigh. “Finally.”

  “What?” Kade asked. It was his time to frown.

  “I knew you and Steven had feelings for Holly. If anyone can get her out of that shit-hole, it’s you guys,” John said.

  “I think it’s time you started talking.” Kade waited with hands on hips.

  “Holly won’t leave that fucking trailer. She takes care of our brothers and sisters. Our parents are a waste of space. Dad—I can’t believe I still call him that—he fucking takes her money. She has enough for food and sorting out our siblings.” John shook his head. “I can’t get her to live with me.”

  “What about teaching your dad a lesson?” Kade asked.

  “I tried that. It lasts for a couple of days, and then he lays into my family harder. I can’t always been there, and I won’t make it worse.”

  “What about letting them all live with you?”

  “I can’t do it. My apartment is not big enough, and my parents have raised hell when I tried. They threatened to have me put away for good for kidnapping and even worse for Holly. I can’t hurt them, Boss.”

  Kade saw the guilt in the other man’s face.

  “What about the sheriff? He’s a good guy, and he’ll take care of you.”

  “I know, but without proof he can’t do anything. Holly will never report our dad and risk the chance of putting our brothers and sisters into care.”

  He understood what John was saying. It didn’t make it easier to bear. Kade wondered how long Holly had been responsible for her family. The more he thought about it the more hurt Kade became. She was so small and tiny. Holly shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of man.

  “If you and Steven are serious about claiming Holly then you’ve got my blessing, but she will never leave the others behind. You’ve got a lot to deal with.”

  “Come on, let’s go and get your sister,” Kade said, patting the man on the back. Together they walked back to where Steven and Holly stood waiting at the door.

  “How is everything?” Steven asked.

  “Everything is good. We’ll talk later.”

  Holly nodded toward her brother. “See you tomorrow at work.”

  Kade stood next to his lover and waited for the other two to leave.

  “What were you talking with John about?”

  Steven turned to walk into the house. Kade followed close behind him. “We’re talking about Holly. He gave us his blessing, and he also warned me about her not leaving the others.”

  “I never thought Holly would leave her brothers and sisters. I’m talking to our lawyer about possible guardianship,” Steven said, sitting down on the long sofa.

  “You’re serious about this? Guardianship for five kids?” Kade asked.

  “Not all of them are kids, and they’re good people. I’ve seen them, and they deserve some happiness as well.” Steven grabbed Kade’s legs and placed them over his lap. “Did you get everything you wanted from the pleasure house?”

  “Yeah. Callie appreciated our custom.” He’d purchased some new dildos, clamps, and cuffs. Kade already owned a selection of whips and chains that he couldn’t wait to try out on their new bed partner.

  “I bet she did.”

  “The Elliot twins were bugging her again. I think she was just happy to get them out of her hair.” Kade chuckled as he remembered the look on Bronson’s and Andrew’s faces when he asked for assistance. Callie was never going to do it for him. The pleasure shop owner may know what the difference was between a butt plug and a
vibrator, but Kade wasn’t attracted to Callie at all.

  ****

  The following day Steven waited for Holly to get into work. Kade started working on the ranch early, and he’d decided to get into the office in order to complete everything for Friday. When five came on Friday, Steven didn’t want to have to worry about working late. Kade had promised Steven he’d be back home and ready to take care of Holly.

  Steven had already decided he wouldn’t partake in any of the initial activities. He was going to sit and watch. Kade held the experience on taking care of a sub. Steven was a dominant man, but he wasn’t a Dom. He liked to be in charge and maybe tie his woman up a couple of times, but he wasn’t trained like Kade was. The only way to bring Holly to them was through Kade’s guidance and training.

  He and Kade had been good friends for a long time. They were friends through high-school and college. Once they were back in Creek Valley they’d become business partners and taken over their parents’ ranches. The Edwards and Clark ranches used to be small and work side by side. Together they’d torn down the barriers between their ranches and invested a lot of time and money to bring them up to date.

  What helped their cause was the fact Steven was a wealthy man, and it wasn’t down to working the ranch. Back in college he’d had a keen eye in the stock markets and made plenty of money back then. He still dabbled in the stock markets, and his wealth was solid.

  The only thing Steven was missing was a family. He loved Kade with his whole heart. Being with him was like floating in a swimming pool. Steven felt relaxed and comforted with him around. His love for Kade would never diminish or disappear. They were destined to be together. All they missed was a woman.

  When they first slept together they both agreed that even though they loved each other, they needed a woman to complete them. Steven wanted to be a father. He wanted a warm feminine body to curl around or to be curled up to, and he needed Kade in his life. From their conversation last night, it was what Kade wanted as well.

  He heard Holly walk into the office. His door was open, and he was able to watch her without Holly being aware of it. She placed her large bag on the counter, rubbed her eyes, and her shoulders slumped. Wearing a large sweater, again, she looked so lost.

  Looking at her, Steven was sure Holly was on the verge of breaking apart. She appeared so fragile. After a few seconds she took some deep breaths. He saw her close her eyes, mutter, and then turn away to put her purse away.

  Going to the doorway he caught her gaze as she lifted the coffee pot.

  “What’s the matter, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “Nothing. I’m fine. I’m just thinking about what we’ve got to do today.” Her hands shook as she poured some coffee into a cup. The shaking was too bad, and she spilt some hot coffee over her hand. She gasped out, hissing and dropping the cup.

  Steven went to her instantly.

  “I’m so sorry. I’m such a klutz.” Holly tried to clean the mess.

  “Leave it.” He made sure his words came out as an order.

  She stopped and stood. He lifted her hand to assess the damage. There was a red patch on her hand but nothing serious.

  “Why are you so nervous? What’s happened today?” he asked.

  Holly nibbled her lip.

  “You’ve got to tell me.”

  “One of my brothers got suspended for fighting. He’s at home, but he won’t tell me why he started a fight. Eric is usually a good boy. He’s fourteen and behaves like he’s older. I need John to talk to him, but there wasn’t any time. We’d have been late otherwise.”

  “He at home now?” Steven asked

  “Yeah.” Her gaze moved to the telephone.

  “He’s a guy. I’m sure he’d prefer talking to his big brother than his sister.” Steven needed to talk with Kade about getting them out of there.

  “Yeah, but my dad’s there, and if he finds Eric then I don’t know what will happen,” she said.

  “Why don’t you go to the sheriff?”

  “I can’t. If I go and tell them the truth about Mom and Dad then they’ll take the others away. I wouldn’t go anywhere because I’m over eighteen. The others, they’re not so lucky. I don’t want them to go to care. John and I are all they’ve got. I’m not going to do that to them.”

  Steven cupped her checks, forcing her to look at him. “You’re too kind for your own good.” He brushed his lips against hers wanting desperately to deepen the kiss. Instead, he pulled back.

  “Everything will be fine, and next time you can bring your brother here.”

  “Really?” she asked, shocked.

  “Really. He can do homework or something. I won’t have a problem providing you get your work done.”

  She went on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you so much, Mr. Clark.”

  “Steven. You call me Steven.”

  Holly smiled.

  Stepping back, Steven gave her the space to make another coffee. He went back to his office and glanced at the email on his desk. The lawyer he and Kade had hired was looking into the potential guardianship of her siblings.

  Steven figured if he threw enough money at her father and mother, they’d back off. When he got the time he’d look into seeing how much it would cost him to get Holly in his life and that bastard out of hers.

  ****

  The rest of the week flew by. Holly took all of her siblings to school and took Eric to the office with her. He sat at one of the desks in the corner working through homework. When he finished, he took his work to Steven to look over. She was shocked when Steven sent Eric back to his desk to make the work clearer to read. No one had ever tried to get the best out of Eric before. She was thankful to Steven for putting in the extra effort.

  Even Kade talked with Eric when he came by for lunch or whenever the mood struck him. Neither of them ignored her little brother, and in the few days he’d been with her at work, Eric looked to be flourishing.

  He ate with her and John underneath their tree.

  “So tonight we’re going home alone. I’m picking up the rest of the gang from school, and you’re spending the night with me,” John said.

  Holly took a bite of her paste sandwich and winced. She really hated the taste of paste, but it was cheap and served them for a good few days.

  “How come?” Eric asked.

  “Kade and Steven want some alone time with her, and we’re going to give it to them.”

  “I don’t think I should stay behind. I think I should come home with you guys,” Holly said. Steven and Kade both scared her during working hours. Their presence made her body hum with sexual awareness, and she didn’t know what she was going to do if they were alone for a prolonged length of time.

  She noticed her two brothers shared a look.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I think Kade and Steven are cool. They’ll treat you right. They’re good people, unlike Dad. They’ll never treat you how Dad treats us and Mom.”

  Holly couldn’t argue with Eric’s assessment. Steven and Kade were nothing like her parents. Their mother might not hit out, but she certainly knew what to say to Holly and the others when she was having a bad day.

  “Nothing will come of it. They probably want to fire me or something.”

  It was Steven who’d given her a better paying job. She looked at John hoping he’d get the message and drop the conversation.

  “So, Eric, what happened at school?”

  No matter how many times she and her brother asked Eric, he wouldn’t tell them a thing.

  “Nothing. Just drop it.”

  Eric munched on his sandwich and looked everywhere but at them.

  “You’ve got to tell us. Otherwise we can’t help you.”

  “They were talking shit about you guys and my parents. I wasn’t going to stand to be bitched at.”

  “Eric, watch your language.”

  “Holly, leave it out. Go on inside while I have a word with our brother.” John ushered her away.
/>   Not seeing any point in arguing, she grabbed her lunch and made her way back inside the break room.

  The door to Steven’s office was partially open. She ignored it and sat behind her desk.

  “Yeah, that’s it, suck it good.”

  Holly froze at the sound of male groans. She wasn’t stupid when it came to sex. She’d heard her parents going at it enough times. During those times she did everything she could to stop the younger ones from hearing it.

  Before she could stop herself, Holly stood up from her chair and moved over to the door.

  “Fuck, your mouth is good on me.”

  Stepping quietly she moved to where the door was open enough for her to look. She hated her curiosity more than anything. If Steven wanted her to see what was going on he’d leave the door open wide.

  Covering her mouth, Holly did everything she could in order to contain her gasp.

  Steven was on his knees in front of Kade. What she saw left nothing to the imagination. Kade’s jeans were down to his ankles, and his long, thick cock was deep inside Steven’s mouth.

  Her boss’s head was bobbing on the length. Their moans echoed around the room.

  “I’m going to come. You better be ready for a load of my cum. You’re going to swallow every single drop.”

  Heat hit her between the legs. Her nipples hardened at the sudden fire inside her. What she was witnessing turned her on.

  Kade grunted, and she saw Steven’s throat working to swallow all of his load. Licking her lips she took a step back. Her jeans were too long, and she ended up trapped around her own ankles. Letting out a squeal, Holly fell in a heap on the floor. There was nothing else that could complete her humiliation.

  The two men she worked for opened the door. Kade didn’t wear a shirt, and he was buckling up his jeans on the way out.

  Her cheeks must be aflame from embarrassment. They must know she’d seen them in a tryst. Not only that they must see she was turned on by what she saw.

  “Are you all right?” Steven asked.

  She nodded, turning her head away. Her predicament was so humiliating.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Did you enjoy the show?” Kade asked.