Home > Dreaming of California (Daniels Family, #4)(4)

Dreaming of California (Daniels Family, #4)(4)
Author: K.L. Donn

Finishing off the beer in my hand, I stand up, admiring Cali’s frame as she talks with the other woman. She’s relaxed, bronzed from the sun, and her curves make my mouth water and my dick stir. I could get lost in Cali for days on end and have no regrets. Turning to the house, I assess Rome in the same way.

Working in the kitchen in a pair of shorts, no shirt, and with his back to me, I admire his physique. Like me, he’s filled with muscle and takes pride in the way he looks. A dusting of hair runs down the middle of his chest, leading to what’s hidden by the shorts. The strength in his hands as he chops vegetables with precision and ease has me imagining them doing something much more intimate. I know his light brown hair is soft from the number of times I’ve cuffed him up the back of the head, but now I have the urge to run my fingers through it. Appreciate it in the same way I do with Cali’s.

The more I imagine touching Rome with the same loving graze as I do Cali, the more I feel a tightness in my chest and a stirring in my cock.

Hidden somewhere in the deepest parts of me has apparently been an attraction for Rome I had no idea existed. Now that it’s been revealed, I realize I want to touch him. Kiss him. Be rough with him where I have to be soft with Cali.

Stepping through the patio doors, I place my empty bottle on the counter and walk over to Rome, back facing me, and lean into him. Dropping my head against the back of his neck, I breathe deeply as my hands fist the counter, turning my knuckles white.

“How the fuck didn’t I know?” I groan into the warmth of his flesh.

Tensing, I feel him turn around. “Because it wasn’t right, yet.” He shrugs, and I stare at him, amazed.

“But you knew.”

“I knew,” Rome confirms.

“How the fuck did you know?”

“Si, I figured it out a long fucking time ago and that when the time was right, you’d see me the way I see you. It took you a hell of a lot longer, but Cali, man, she brings out the best in you. Even when you’re a growly dickhead.” The dimple I’ve always teased him about appears, and I suddenly want to lick him.

“Cali.” Roman nods. “We can’t fucking let her get away. Not again.” I shake my head, angry at the mere idea of her running from us another time.

Fingers run through my hair, gently at first, growing firmer with each passing second, before finally, Rome has yanked my head back to meet my stare. “Stop being a stubborn asshole and ask the girl to move in with us, and we won’t let her get away.”

Liking his assertive attitude, I nod before leaning forward and biting his lip. We’re both quickly sucked into a vortex of arousal and the fight for dominance.

“I miss all the fun,” Cali says with a pout in her tone.

Our hearts beating rapidly, and out of breath, we both turn to look at her. Her shirt is still slightly damp and utterly see-through as she stands with a hand on her hip.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now,” I snap, annoyed that she stayed that way while talking to that woman. “You’re basically fucking naked, gypsy girl.”

Her eyes narrow on me as her lips purse together. “You know what, Silas Kenborn, I’m sick of your bad fucking attitude.”

Storming towards the front door, I know she intends to leave, and it’s my fault again. “Fuck,” I hiss as Rome laughs at me. Spearing him with a glare, I chase after her. “Stop!” I shout as her hand grasps the doorknob.

She freezes for half a second, just long enough for me to slam into her from behind and trap her against the door. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I mutter as I press as close to her as possible.

“You keep saying that.” Cali turns her head to look back at me.

“Because I’m not any fucking good at this. It’s why I have Rome. He’s the voice of reason. I’m the fucking protector; he’s the joker. I’m the one who makes sure we have what we need. I don’t fucking do emotions.” I sure as fuck wish I did, however.

“I think you’re doing a pretty good job of them now,” she replies softly, spinning her body around to face me.

“No, I’m not,” I bark. “I’m swearing, I sound angry as hell, and I make more demands than I have a right to.”

“What I hear, though, is that you don’t want me to go, and you’re not quite sure how to express it. You want us—you, Roman, and I—to mean something to each other, but you don’t know how to make it work because you’re human and have insecurities like the rest of us.” Her hands touch my chest, and my eyes close, enjoying the feel of her as she caresses them up and down. “I have them too, Silas. There’s a reason I don’t settle down for long. I ruin everything, just like my mother.”

“The fuck you do,” I shout and snare her gaze with a brooding one of my own. “You bring us together.” She shrugs, and my glare deepens.

“My dad was killed in action when I was young. My mom died not that long ago because she drank her life away. She never recovered after daddy died. She never really lived either. She had the bottle and her soaps. I wasn’t a priority.” Shit. Now I get it.

“In action?” I ask. He was a soldier or law enforcement, I’m guessing.

“Dad was FBI. When he was killed, we never learned the truth of what happened because it was all classified.” Her tone is bitter.

“That’s why you hate what we do,” I deduct.

“Yes.”

Gripping her hand in mine, we all need to have a conversation. Now. “Come on.” I drag her to the patio where Rome has the steaks on the grill and the small table made up outside for us. “We have something to tell you.”

 

 

Cali

 

 

Staring at the two men who have stolen my heart, I wait to hear what they have to say with trepidation. They share a look before Roman nudges Silas with an elbow. Obviously wanting him to say whatever it is, which means it must be bad because Silas is about as subtle as a Mac truck.

“We quit.” My jaw drops.

“What?” I lean forward because that can’t be right. “You love what you do. Why would you do that?” If he says, for me, I’m going to smack him.

“Because we want more than the next mission. We want an ordinary life with the woman we love.” I’m shocked Si is so honest.

“So what does that mean?” I’m reeling here because I never imagined they would leave their secretive work. They seemed so committed.

“We’ve been offered jobs with Deviant Studios and the LAPD as security consultants,” Roman offers.

I rapidly blink as I process this new information. “So you’ll be here?” They nod together. “No more secrets?” Silas smirks as Roman flips the steaks. “We could be together?” They both grin widely at that question, and I’m not sure what to do with it because it’s what I’ve always wanted. “I didn’t wish for you to quit because of me,” I express with concern. “I don’t want to be resented in six months or a year after we’ve committed to one another. I think that would kill me.”

Kneeling in front of me, Silas clasps both of my hands in his. “What we chose to do was done with you in mind but not because of you. You’ve helped us understand that if we want to experience a life outside of being operatives, then we need to realize that there is much more out there waiting for us. That we did tremendous good for a lot of years, but now it’s time for us to be selfish and get what we desire too.”

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