Rune “Well, look what the cat dragged in. I wasn’t sure you even worked here anymore, Rune.” Elisabeth’s nasally voice made my spine stiffen and my fingers clench, causing the paper I was holding to crinkle loudly in the resounding silence following the other woman’s outburst. Dropping the documents altogether, I spun on my heel, fleetingly taken aback as I saw that Elisabeth wasn’t alone. Amy, the other editor who’d up until recently been sharing this office space with me, was standing next to her, wearing a matching scowl on her face. I guess I wasn’t surprised she’d chosen to back the woman whose red-hot temper matched her hair color, but I wasn’t prepared to deal with this foolishness today. “Hello, Elisabeth, Amy. I don’t have time for this right now. Could you just get to the point?” I asked mildly, my mind already focusing on my next task after I left the office. Amy piped up, showing her true colors after all the months I’d worked amicably with her as she sneered, “It mus
Shane Rune was visibly shaken when her and Isla had come strolling through the door, Micah not far behind them. I looked towards him, my eyebrows raised as I wordlessly questioned how everything had went at the courthouse prior this morning, and I was still feeling grateful that he’d been up for the task, one trip to file a restraining order being plenty for me. Micah’s thumbs up informed me the protective order had been approved, but there was still plainly something bothering our girl. Micah’s mystified expression didn’t give me any additional clues to go on, and, consequently, we both spent the majority of the afternoon trying to get her to open up to no avail. Dying to get out of the house, I volunteered to drive Rune to pick up Roman from school while Micah remained home with Isla, and it was impossible to miss how she couldn’t keep her eyes focused on a single thing, aside from her son, during the entire round trip. A part of me had been concerned that she would kick Micah
Shane Micah and I did our best to convince Rune how perfect the name she’d come up with was, and I meant every word of the praise I’d spoken. The name was catchy and inspiring all at the same time, something that would stand out, but a new name for the rec center was only one of our many worries. No one wanted to talk about Samuel’s aging mind, and it was truthfully still a bit strange to think about how well Rune knew Micah’s dad when we were all really just beginning to get to know one another more fully. All the same, concern over the older man’s health remained like a ticking time bomb in the background until Micah finally just ignited the fuse, saying, “Somehow, we all seem to have missed one thing or another with how hectic our own personal lives have been, but that changes now. I’ll call dad. Next Sunday we’re all having dinner together as a family. Hell, we’ll do it every week like we used to do. No excuses.” The family get togethers that Micah’s parents had used to host o
Rune “Ah, it seems the stars have finally aligned.” Micah commented, making me chuckle as Shane joined in. Still chortling, Shane suggested, “How about we take this discussion somewhere more comfortable? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of standing around for all our important conversations.” I was all for his suggestion, feeling drained after the lengthy day I’d had, but that left me with the dilemma of where we should retreat to. Eyeing the living room across the large area from us, I realized it would be strange to direct them there considering the men had been sleeping in my bed with me the last couple of nights. Not to mention, I didn’t want to risk the kids hearing any part of the conversation we were about to have. Therefore, I strode out of the room, urging the guys to follow me as I led the way to my bedroom. I was well aware we were moving way too fast, something I planned to address shortly, but I craved the close contact of having Micah and Shane surrounding me.
Rune To no one’s astonishment, I’d drifted off to sleep after the mind-numbing orgasm the guys had given me, and my alarm going off was the next thing I registered the following morning. I was snuggled up to a hard male body, but I managed to tear myself away long enough to shut off the annoying ring on my phone that I’d purposely selected to ensure I got up each morning. There wasn’t much light to see by, but the first traces of the sun rising were visible through my newly fixed window as I detected the subtle changing to the color of the sky while staring out from where the curtains were slightly pushed aside. Micah was already up, his side of the bed cold to the touch, but Shane groaned, rolling over onto his back where he began stretching out his long limbs. I’d propelled myself out of bed by this point, switching on the lamp that was sitting on my bedside table, but I stood still as a statue as I watched him, not certain that I wasn’t drooling by the time he’d pushed to his f
Rune Shane’s lips slammed over mine in a bruising kiss, keeping my pulse rising as I felt someone’s hand glide sensuously down my side and over the curve of my hip. The positioning of it told me it was likely Micah, but I didn’t give a damn who the appendage belonged to when two calloused digits met my sopping wet center, making me whimper with the feeling of them thrusting into my heat without warning. Gasping for air, I tried to catch my breath as Shane’s attention also moved to more erogenous areas on my body, but they gave me no measure, two mouths and four hands being capable of a hell of a lot as it turned out. Heretofore, my one-on-one experiences with the men had scarcely prepared me for the intensity of the moment, and I knew I would swiftly become addicted to the feeling of ecstasy that was coursing through my body, of being at the center of their attention. Someone plucked at the taut buds my nipples had become, but I kept my eyes sealed shut, not caring which male was
Micah The day had gone off without a hitch to my relief, and I was well sated with Rune resting in my arms where she belonged, Shane’s big body scrunched up on her other side. It was a tight fit for us all in her queen size bed, the mattress not having been intended for one average height woman and two men over six feet tall, but it only meant I got to hold her closer to me all night. Even so, I felt confident that Shane planned to order her a bigger bed at some point, the other male preferring to have room to stretch out as he slept, but he was wisely waiting for a less hectic moment to spring the change on Rune. We would have to have a deeper discussion about living together more permanently after she was out of danger, which I wasn’t convinced she would be until that bastard was behind bars permanently, or dead, but I was content to follow her to the ends of the earth, regardless. Thus far, she’d been resistant to any attempt on our part to aid her in any way, especially when t
Micah “What messages? What’s going on guys?” Rune’s bell-like voice rung out less than a minute later, slicing through the palpable pressure in the large open area that made up the kitchen and living room. Startled, I turned from where I’d been slouched in a chair at the table, jumping to my feet as my eyes connected with Rune’s sleepy, silver-gray orbs. I was surprised Shane hadn’t noticed her arrival with his view of the hall, but I wasn’t upset that she had overheard us either, guessing I had just missed her when I’d rotated in my seat to look in the direction of where she had been dozing prior. “Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her as I did so, and I relaxed some as she willingly accepted my gesture. Shane didn’t need me to lead by example, already moving towards our girl the instant he’d realized we weren’t alone any longer. It appeared that I needed to get my reflexes checked if this morning was anything to go by. That was twice
Shane “So, are you guys going to tell me the whole story now?” I asked once Isla and Roman were tucked into bed, having already ensured the house was secure earlier in the evening with my shadow’s help. Roman seemed to have taken a real shine to me, and I was determined to be the best role model I could be for him, knowing I’d done a shit job of emanating that with my sister. I ran through the things I’d taken note of as I’d observed the kids’ and adults’ behavior since Rune and Micah had returned home as I waited for someone to start the discussion, recalling a few worrisome thoughts I’d put a pin in until later. Rune had given her son a brief rundown of why his sister was injured, but it was obvious at the time that her explanation had been missing quite a bit. Isla evidently had a broken leg and had a few nasty bruises and scrapes that I could see, but I didn’t believe for one second that her injuries had come from her falling down the stairs unless something had caused her to
Shane Micah’s message wasn’t surprising in the slightest, and it only served to fuel the ire spreading rampant through my system. I’d never been a fan of Rune’s friend Kira, having seen what her idea of ‘watching’ little ones was from the beginning, but I’d been able to push my reserve to the side when my girl had explained how close she was with the other female and all she’d done for her. It helped that Kira had seemed to be doing better with the task the last time we’d interacted together, but I could see that my intuition had been right from the get-go. In any case, I was positive that Rune’s emotions had to be running the gamut, and I was glad that Micah was the one she’d asked to join her in the back with Isla, knowing he would be able to soothe both girls’ frayed emotions far better than I could for the time being. My go-to in stressful situations was humor, but I highly doubted that Rune and Isla would find anything funny at the moment. I’d noted a few curious looks and e
Rune The change in Kira’s features was damn near palpable after Isla revealed the truth, a truth that my former friend had evidently been hiding for a very long time. I wasn’t naïve enough to believe whatever relationship she’d had with him was new based on her reaction, but I was determined to learn everything I could about her involvement with my children’s father now that I was in the know. Derek hanging around could jeopardize what I was trying to accomplish with Roman and Isla, and there was no way in hell I was going to let that deadbeat delay my kids having a permanent stable home any longer. After years of back and forth with him stalling through the legal system, less than two weeks were remaining before he finally lost his rights altogether. He’d been nothing but a thorn in my side since Belinda had passed away, naming me as the children’s guardian, but I knew he didn’t give a shit about what happened to either child. I was well aware that he only wanted the government
Rune Shane’s words trickled through my brain, slowly registering through the fog that had set in due to all the mental uproar I’d already been experiencing so early on in the day, but the only thought running through my mind once I comprehended what he was telling us was, “What the fuck?” I saw red, and I was intent on flying out of the vehicle with only one thought seared into my head -Kiki was going to face my wrath. I barely noticed the ache the seatbelt strap caused as it dug into the flesh on my upper chest where my tank top had left it exposed, but it did briefly prevent me from advancing forward, only causing my anger to simmer in the forefront of my mind at the delay. Somehow, I managed to unbuckle the latch in my rattled state as I simultaneously flung the car door open, and then I was storming across the relatively short distance separating Kiki’s and my houses. Some small part of me recognized that I was behaving irrationally, but it didn’t take much for my ire to drown
Rune Yawning, I rubbed my hands over my face before concentrating on pouring myself another cup of coffee, feeling a slight thrill at not having had to make it myself like usual. I could already see how easy it would be to get used to having someone else around to help out, or two someone’s in my case, but there was still that voice in the back of my head that worried things were going too smoothly. Some part of me kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, having experienced near constant turmoil in my life it seemed, and nothing I told myself could make that anxiety disappear. Subtly, I glanced over to where Micah was sitting, his laptop opened at the table as he steadily worked to clear the backlog of emails that had been piling up ever since he’d been devoting more and more time to my children and I. The apprehension only continued to coil low in my belly as I realized the full extent that I was affecting my males’ lives to. It was to the point that I almost overfilled my cup w
I am so sorry I haven't been uploading. I swear I'm working on it. My life is just hectic at the moment. I lost my babysitter for standing up for my son, and I'm struggling to find another one I trust and can afford. I'm doing my best. Things are just rough for me for the time being. I've outlined the rest of this novel, but I've been too stressed to sit down and focus on what I want to write. I have to write at least 100 words to post this update, so this is me writing nonsense to meet the quota.
Micah “What messages? What’s going on guys?” Rune’s bell-like voice rung out less than a minute later, slicing through the palpable pressure in the large open area that made up the kitchen and living room. Startled, I turned from where I’d been slouched in a chair at the table, jumping to my feet as my eyes connected with Rune’s sleepy, silver-gray orbs. I was surprised Shane hadn’t noticed her arrival with his view of the hall, but I wasn’t upset that she had overheard us either, guessing I had just missed her when I’d rotated in my seat to look in the direction of where she had been dozing prior. “Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her as I did so, and I relaxed some as she willingly accepted my gesture. Shane didn’t need me to lead by example, already moving towards our girl the instant he’d realized we weren’t alone any longer. It appeared that I needed to get my reflexes checked if this morning was anything to go by. That was twice
Micah The day had gone off without a hitch to my relief, and I was well sated with Rune resting in my arms where she belonged, Shane’s big body scrunched up on her other side. It was a tight fit for us all in her queen size bed, the mattress not having been intended for one average height woman and two men over six feet tall, but it only meant I got to hold her closer to me all night. Even so, I felt confident that Shane planned to order her a bigger bed at some point, the other male preferring to have room to stretch out as he slept, but he was wisely waiting for a less hectic moment to spring the change on Rune. We would have to have a deeper discussion about living together more permanently after she was out of danger, which I wasn’t convinced she would be until that bastard was behind bars permanently, or dead, but I was content to follow her to the ends of the earth, regardless. Thus far, she’d been resistant to any attempt on our part to aid her in any way, especially when t
Rune Shane’s lips slammed over mine in a bruising kiss, keeping my pulse rising as I felt someone’s hand glide sensuously down my side and over the curve of my hip. The positioning of it told me it was likely Micah, but I didn’t give a damn who the appendage belonged to when two calloused digits met my sopping wet center, making me whimper with the feeling of them thrusting into my heat without warning. Gasping for air, I tried to catch my breath as Shane’s attention also moved to more erogenous areas on my body, but they gave me no measure, two mouths and four hands being capable of a hell of a lot as it turned out. Heretofore, my one-on-one experiences with the men had scarcely prepared me for the intensity of the moment, and I knew I would swiftly become addicted to the feeling of ecstasy that was coursing through my body, of being at the center of their attention. Someone plucked at the taut buds my nipples had become, but I kept my eyes sealed shut, not caring which male was