Leverage (The Brannock Siblings) Read online

  That's when everything went black.

  ***

  Lucas

  Lucas caught her around the waist before she could fall and he panicked for a minute.

  "Whoa, Luke! She actually swooned for you. Will you teach me how to do that?" Gus laughed.

  They all started laughing as he lifted her into his arms and started to walk out of the kitchen. "I'm taking her to my house. Don't want you asshats to ruin the moment for her anymore."

  "Oh, I think she did that herself pretty well," Conall called after him.

  Liam opened the front door with a smile on his face, "That was some proposal, son. Don't worry too much about her reaction, she gets it from Isabelle. That woman fell to my feet the first time I spoke to her."

  "Seriously?" Lucas chuckled.

  "Yes, I'm serious. The beauty couldn't look at me without getting a little dizzy, but then the same went for me. I felt like I was on fire whenever she glanced my way." His eyes brightened as he spoke about his wife and Lucas smiled, understanding perfectly.

  He made his way to his house, adjusting her carefully so he could open his door. She didn't weigh much at all for him and he felt like he would crush her if he wasn't paying attention. He started to get worried when he laid her on the bed, arranging his pillows to accommodate her shoulder, and she still didn't move.

  He still had the ring in his hand and he gazed down at it, wondering if she liked it or not. He knew she would and he felt a little silly for worrying so much about it. She wasn't the type of girl to fret over the size of a diamond.

  She stirred a little, but her eyes didn't open, so he stretched out next to her and waited.

  It was only a few minutes before she opened her stormy grey eyes and turned to him with a confused expression covering her beautiful face.

  "What happened?"

  He smiled and kissed her forehead gently, "You fainted."

  She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hand as she blushed, "Oh God, how embarrassing."

  "Don't worry. It definitely raised my status with your brothers. They think I have magic powers now," he teased.

  "Did you really ask me to marry you?" Her voice was muffled from behind her hand, but he could hear the slightest hint of disbelief.

  He reached out and pulled her hand away so he could see her, waiting for her to look at him, then entwined his fingers with her and sat up. "Yes. I did. And you still haven't given me an answer."

  She grinned up at him and tried to sit up. He helped her move so her back was leaning against the head board and her arm wasn't in an awkward position. He wasn't sure how he was going to survive during her recovery. He was already struggling to keep his distance. When she was comfortable, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead again, then her nose, then ever so gently on her lips. She sighed and tried to press her lips against his again to deepen the kiss, but he backed off with a teasing grin and waited.

  "Yes, Lucas. I will marry you. Now kiss me, damn it!"

  The elation he felt was something he had been waiting for his entire life. If he knew he would be this happy with her, he wouldn't have acted like such a complete idiot seven years ago.

  He lifted her left hand, being careful not to pull it out of the sling, and slid the diamond ring over her finger. He leaned in to kiss her again, this time letting her take control of it. She winced a little as she pressed her lips harder to his, but she didn't stop and he didn't try to stop her. Especially when she raked her hand through his hair and held him against her. When he slipped his tongue passed her lips, her breath caught and she groaned, the sound making his already tightened pants even more confining.

  "I swear, if you don't make love to me right now, I'll kill you," she threatened, her mouth still moving against his lips.

  He grumbled to himself, trying to rein in his control and take it easy with her, but she was making it extremely difficult. Then she tugged on his hair and tangled her tongue with his. "God, baby I want to, more than you know. I don't want to hurt you."

  She moved her lips over his face then down his chin to his neck. Her kisses were stoking a fire inside him and he had to grip the blanket beneath them to keep his hands off of her. Then his eyes rolled back in his head when her tongue pressed against the skin at the base of his throat to taste him. Her hand dropped down from his hair to the hem of his t-shirt and wiggled underneath. He flexed his abs automatically when she ran her nails over his stomach.

  "Mmmm, I love your body," she whispered against his neck and started lifting his shirt as her hand moved up to his chest. He didn't bother waiting for her and yanked it over his head. Her eyes widened as they roamed over his chest and her fingers followed the same path. "It feels like it's been forever."

  He closed his eyes and concentrated on her touch and not the twitch in his pants. It had been forever and suddenly, he was on the fence about whether to make love to her or not. He had been so sure he could resist while she took more time recovering from her surgery, but now that she was touching him and begging him with her eyes to take her, he couldn't understand how he could have been so stupid.

  It was impossible.

  "Ash…"

  "You won't hurt me, Lucas. It hurts more to have you so close, but still so far away." She reached up to kiss him again and traced the seam of his lips with her tongue.

  He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her onto his lap, forcing her to straddle him on the middle of the bed. Her lips parted and he didn't hesitate to glide his tongue over hers, making them both sigh in relief.

  She rolled her hips and tore her mouth away from him. "Please, babe. I can't take it anymore."

  He couldn't stop the smile that pulled at his lips, even if he wanted to. She had never called him by anything other than his name and he found that he really, really, liked this endearment.

  "There they are," she breathed, watching the dimples he couldn't seem to hide from her reveal themselves.

  He moved his hands over her hips and curled his fingers in the waist band of her jeans and tugged her hard against him, until there was no open space between them. She gasped and he pulled her down as he flexed his hips up, showing her how much he wanted her and making her eyes roll back.

  "Is your shoulder hurting at all like this?" he asked huskily and eyed the bulky sling that supported her arm. He rolled his hips again almost coming in his pants like a teenager when he felt her grind back against him.

  She shook her head quickly, her eyes still closed and he leaned forward and ran his tongue over her collarbone, the taste of her skin flooding his senses. "If it starts to hurt, do you promise to tell me?" he asked softly.

  She nodded and moaned when he moved his teeth over her sensitive skin.

  "Yes," she hissed. "I promise."

  He lifted her off of him, unbuttoning her pants and yanking them down along with her panties. It took a little longer to remove her shirt and when it was finally off, he was practically panting for her. He unstrapped the sling and she positioned her arm in front of her and reassured him that she wouldn't move it. He made quick work of his own clothes and he heard her sigh when he pushed his pants down to the floor, revealing how hard he already was for her. He helped her scoot back against the headboard, placing pillows behind her to make her comfortable then sat back and grazed his eyes over every inch of her.

  She squirmed under his stare, her breaths uneven.

  "You're beautiful, Aislinn. I swear I could spend the rest of the day sitting here staring at you and then die a happy man."

  Her skin glowed pink, making him even more desperate for her, but she held his gaze, grey to blue. He never felt so utterly complete in his entire life. Without her, he was only half a man, a weak man. Her love made him want to strive to be better. For her.

  He sat down in front of her and slowly lifted her onto his lap again, supporting her back as he moved forward until she was pressed against the pillows once more. She wrapped her good arm around his neck, sinking her fing
ers into his hair as he bent forward and kissed the top swells of her breasts.

  She trembled in his arms and tried to lift herself over him, but he held her down.

  "Just lie back while I love you, Ash," he breathed against her skin then grazed his hand down the side of her body and over the softness of her belly, a belly he hoped would be carrying his first child within the year if he had any say in it. He warmed at the thought of seeing her barefoot and pregnant in their home.

  "How long will you make me wait to get you pregnant?"

  She opened her eyes, meeting his and found that he was being serious. Her eyes widened for a moment, then softened as her lips curled into a devastating smile while he continued to move his hand back and forth over her flat tummy.

  "When do you want to get married?" she asked, breathlessly.

  "As soon as possible."

  She giggled and kissed him gently, "Then it won't be long, babe."

  He crushed his lips to hers, satisfied that they wouldn't need to argue about it, then moved his hand down between her legs and sunk his fingers into her wet heat.

  "Lucas."

  He thrust his fingers in and out and watched her skin flush a deeper pink as he pressed the heel of his hand against her. She shuddered and started to flex her hips, riding his fingers and forcing them deeper. He could feel her body tighten around him and he slowed his hand, making her whimper in protest.

  He pulled his hand away and gripped her waist, lifting her over him. "You're going to come with me inside of you," he growled and positioned her above him.

  "You better hurry then," she replied and sucked in a sharp breath as he pressed the tip just inside of her and paused, letting her catch her breath.

  Unable to wait any longer, he pulled her down as he thrust inside of her, feeling the tight heat of her surround him and erase the rest of the world away until it was just the two of them. He lifted her slowly until he was almost completely out of her, then pulled her down again as he thrust upward, pressing deeper and finding the spot that sent her over the edge.

  She cried out as her release took over her and he watched her fall apart. He strained for control as her muscles clenched around him over and over again, drawing him in deeper.

  When the last wave passed, he pressed his open lips into the valley between her breasts, darting his tongue out to taste her, and lifted her again, bringing her down just the way she liked and never wanting it to end. "No, baby," he whispered against her skin. "I'm not going to hurry. I'm going to love you until you beg me to stop and I'm going to take my time doing it."

  The beginning of your new life starts now, he thought.

  "Life just got more interesting then," she replied.

  Great, now I'm the one thinking out loud.

  "Yes you are, now stop talking and love me, Lucas… and be thorough." She smiled wickedly.

  He would never get enough of her and he never wanted to. He groaned as she sank back down over him, proving that this leverage, this absolute power she had over him, was all he needed to live for.

  The End

  ###

  Conall

  The harsh ringing of my cell phone woke me from a much needed nap and I almost threw the damn thing against the wall. Ever since Ash and Luke had gotten engaged a week ago, I had been constantly fighting the urge to put my fist through his face every second he was around - even the seconds he wasn't around - for defiling my sweet little sister. However, I had made a stupid promise.

  Although, if I was told to find a better man for her, I wouldn't. There wasn't one out there that even came close to Lucas Shade. He would take care of her and he would sacrifice everything he had to do it.

  He had pretty much ripped the privilege out from under me and my brother and father. Something we all were still trying to cope with, therefore, the reason I was having a hard time getting a good night's rest.

  I picked up the phone that was vibrating all over the coffee table beside me and answered the insistent call.

  "Brannock."

  "Got a job for you."

  I rolled my eyes at the lack of greeting from my boss. Captain Miller was never one for small talk and he always came across as a grumpy old man who didn't give a damn what you thought about him. It was just his personality and it worked for the Denver Police Department.

  "What job?" I asked, rubbing the kink out of my neck from lying awkwardly on the couch for the last thirty minutes.

  "Witness protection."

  I threw my head back, flipped off absolutely no one and silently cursed the ceiling for making my life hell. "I don't think I'm the right guy for the job, Cap. You know how much I hate babysitting. Plus, I'm not a marshal, remember?"

  "Well, you're the only guy for the job, Brannock. Shit went down while you've been gone and you are the only one I trust to take care of this witness. The marshal's can't get her gone fast enough. It's a big deal. Part of the Ripley trial coming up in a few months. This girl is the only leverage we've got."

  A girl? Shit, this just keeps getting better and better, I thought sarcastically. I did not play well with girls. Correction, I played well with them, but I didn't spend time well with them.

  I did my job no matter what, though, so there really wasn't a choice.

  "Fine. I'll catch a flight in the morning."

  "No, I'm sending her to you. We've already had one close call while she was in the safe house. I don't want her anywhere near Denver and I want her out before morning. "

  I let that sink in. This was going to become a shit ton of trouble, I could feel it in my bones.

  Trouble.

  "Alright, let me arrange a few things here and I'll get back to you. E-mail me her file as soon as you can and send me her flight when you know it."

  "Will do, she should be in the air by early morning. Thanks, Conall. I owe you one. This is going to be a pain in the ass, but I can't think of a better man to take care of it."

  For being such a grumpy old man, he sure did know how to hand out a compliment when he actually wanted to. Probably just doing it to kiss my ass.

  After saying goodbye, I stood up and stretched my stiff body, then went looking for Dad. I had nowhere to hide this girl and hoped he had a few ideas for me. If the U.S. Marshals weren't taking care of the job, that meant we had to pretty much wing it. I had seen it several times before, but was never involved.

  I ran into Fergus on my way into the kitchen and he had a giant bowl of ice cream cradled in his arms like a baby. "How do you eat all that shit, Gus Gus?"

  He laughed and shook his head, "I normally don't, but technically I'm still on vacation until next week. Might as well make the most of it, right?"

  I chuckled as he walked passed me and made his way to the office on the other side of the house where the flat screen was. I had forgotten about the game and wished I could stay out on vacation a while longer and gorge myself with junk food like him.

  Dad was sitting at the island with his glasses on top of his nose and his laptop opened in front of him.

  "What's up, Pops?"

  "Oh, not much, just trying to find a good price on a flight to Ireland."

  I froze as I was reaching for the handle on the fridge. "What?"

  He sighed and pulled his glasses off, rubbing his tired eyes before meeting my shocked stare. "Your grandparents are pretty pissed off at me. Figured I should take a trip up there and make it up to them. I only have three more days until I'm officially retired. I decided to start it right away."

  "Wow. Well I guess that's a good thing then. Grams was pretty upset, they didn't even stay long after your funeral." I grinned, remembering how crazy it felt to sit in front of a coffin I knew was empty at a funeral that was completely faked so some dipshit's attention would move off of my sister.

  "Yeah, well…"

  "That actually would work great if you were gone. I just got a call from Captain Miller. He's got a witness who needs babysitting for a while. Wants me to take charge of it here in town a
nd keep her out of trouble. Maybe I could use the house?"

  My father narrowed his eyes and held eye contact with me for a long moment before dropping his head into his hands and groaning. "As long as your sister stays out of it, I don't care what you do. Lucas is going to be taking her on vacation in a week. Get her out of this town and into some relaxation. That and he doesn't want her to start working yet. She deserves a break after what she went through."

  I nodded in agreement, "She does. Maybe I could just use the house for the first little while and then arrange an apartment for the rest of the time. The witness will be on her way here in the morning. I just want to be ready with something, you know?"

  "It's a woman?" Dad asked curiously.

  "Yeah, I guess. Part of that Ripley trial I told you about a couple days ago. Probably just a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm waiting for her file."

  He grinned before closing his laptop and standing, "Okay then, you can use the house. You guys still planning to surprise me on Friday night?"

  My eyes widened and I froze once more while going to open the fridge. "How the hell do you know about that?"

  He rolled his eyes and made his way to the kitchen door. "Ash was never really good at hiding things. Can't believe you guys thought it would be smart to put her in charge of it."

  I chuckled as he disappeared through the door and finally opened the fridge to grab a soda. I popped the tab and took a swig the same time my phone beeped, signaling an incoming e-mail. I pulled it out of my pocket and clicked on my work e-mail.

  When I saw the picture that was attached to the file, the can of soda slipped out of my hand and dropped to the floor, spraying a sticky mess all over the place.

  The person in the picture was not a girl.

  She was the very definition of a woman. A woman I would have a very hard time not staring at.

  She was gorgeous.

  Blonde hair, green eyes, lips that a man would kill for.