Captive Heroes (24 page)

She’d gotten used to the plug, but the velvety hot feel of Taylor’s cock stretching her tender muscles and thrusting into her was something she’d never experienced before. The awesome pressure had her gasping with shocked disbelief and need. Exquisite heat from his cock sank deep inside of her and he groaned as her muscles longingly gripped his thick, long shaft.

Oh she could get used to this hot invasion. For sure.

The shock of his cock sliding into her ass had pushed aside her orgasm, and as he thrust in and out of her, pleasure shifted back through her again, building and building, but her orgasm seemed just out of reach.

She moaned in frustration and Taylor chuckled. Before she could curse at him, his hand left her hip, slipped around to her belly and lowered right between her thighs. While he fucked her ass, he began a quick, beautiful, circular massage on her clit and within seconds, she twisted into another magnificent climax.

Breathing harshly, she eagerly accepted the sensual rush that raced through her body. Yeah, she needed this loving. Loved it. Craved it. Wanted it.

Suddenly she had the idea she’d met her soul mate and Kayla sensed that everything was going to be okay from here on out.

* * * * *

The next morning, Kayla awoke to a blazing sun that splashed over her in such a hot fury, she couldn’t help but moan at the stickiness against her skin. To her surprise, she discovered Taylor had thrown the hair blanket over her.

Odd gesture, because the humidity had returned thick and heavy and having a blanket on top of her warm body wasn’t something she wanted. What she did want, however, was Taylor. When she reached out from beneath the blanket to grab him for a quick morning fuck, her hand came upon empty air.

He must have gone for a swim
.

She opened her eyes. Suddenly, a shadowy silhouette hovered right in front of her, blocking the sunshine.

“Taylor?” she asked as she blinked and tried to clear the sleepiness from her eyes.

Whoever was standing over her was not Taylor. This silhouette was different. He was a very tall man. A stranger.

Clad only in a loincloth, he had long, black hair parted in the middle and wore a black patch like a pirate over one eye, a jagged, half-moon scar coming out from beneath the patch. The other eye was intense blue and he glared down at her with curiosity.

Paralyzing fear ripped into her like a knife as she stared up at him.

“Kayla.” A familiar voice she immediately recognized as Piper split her momentary terror, and before Kayla knew what was happening, her petite sister was crouching down beside her.

Piper was wearing one of their brothers’ t-shirts. The white shirt with NASA blazed in navy blue across the chest reached Piper’s knees, dwarfing her petite body.

Her sister’s face and twinkling green eyes sent relief splashing through Kayla.

“Oh man, I’m dreaming you, aren’t I?” Kayla breathed as she struggled to keep the blanket on her body as she sat up.

Piper almost knocked her right back down as she thrust her arms around Kayla and hugged her so fiercely that, for a moment, Kayla thought surely she had to be dreaming.

“No, I’m here. It’s me.” Piper laughed as she drew away from Kayla. Tears rolled down her flushed face and she quickly brushed them aside.

Wow, it was really good to see her sister again. Considering the short time they’d been separated, Piper looked quite different. She had a healthy, tanned glow to her skin and her eyes twinkled with something Kayla had never seen there before.

Was it love?

“Your…um…guy friend…went for medical supplies,” Piper said, breaking into Kayla’s thoughts. “He said he knew where to get some without too much trouble. He was going to raid some village.”

Anger rushed through Kayla as she surveyed her surroundings. The swamp still looked creepy and she couldn’t stop the cold shiver of fear for Taylor’s safety. “Medical supplies? You let him go alone? He’s just coming off a serious injury.”

“Taylor can take care of himself,” pirate eye patch said.

His coolness at the situation made her even more furious.

Piper came to the man’s rescue before Kayla could tell him off. “He asked us not to wake you until he had left. He said you wouldn’t have let him go.”

“He’s right. I wouldn’t have. How long ago did he leave?”

“Half an hour at least.”

“You will never catch him. He paddles quickly,” the guy broke in. Gosh, but he was a tall one, wasn’t he? And his body was covered in raised welts and scars just like Taylor’s.

Jarod. This guy must be Jarod. The fellow Taylor had mentioned was with Piper.

“He got that right. I’m going to kill him when he comes back.”

If he comes back. Damned asshole!

Piper’s voice took on a serious tone. “We need your help, Kayla. Joe’s woman, Dr. Annie, has gone into labor and the baby isn’t coming out.”

Kayla’s thoughts went into a confused whirl. Joe’s woman? Dr. Annie? Was giving birth? What in the world?

“We’re so glad Jarod saw the fire last night. He was on lookout and we waited until it was daylight before coming to investigate. Come, please hurry. You must know what to do.”

Me?
She was a veterinarian, for crying out loud.

Kayla gazed around the campsite for her clothes as anxiety zipped through her. Some strange woman was in a troubled labor and Piper thought she could help?

Oh dear.

“Here.” The one-eyed giant thrust her flimsy clothing in front of her face and she suddenly realized she couldn’t change in front of this guy. Nor could she wear see-through items around her brothers.

“Jarod, turn around while she gets dressed,” Piper instructed. He did as she asked and Piper winked at Kayla, a smile on her face. Piper had trained this guy well, hadn’t she?

“The blanket should cover everything,” Piper said as she helped Kayla dress. “I’ll get you some proper clothes when we get back to the village. Oh my gosh, everyone is going to be so happy to see you safe.”

“Kinley? Is she there?”

The happiness on Piper’s face caved and Kayla’s gut hollowed out as if she were on a runaway elevator.

“No sign of her.”

Oh no.

Where the heck was Kinley?

* * * * *

Taylor had three men glaring at him as if they wanted to kill him. He suspected they would have too had his friend Jarod not intervened when he entered their camp with medical supplies needed for the woman in troubled labor.

“Do you think Miss Annie will be okay?” he asked Jarod as the two of them stood at the outskirts of the small village where the three Hero brothers and their women lived.

“I think you arrived just in time, but it took you long enough to bring the missing female named Kayla to her brothers.”

Taylor shifted uneasily as his face flamed.

“We were sidetracked because of my wound and the storms,” he admitted.

Jarod gazed at him with his one eye, his curious stare dropping to the bandage Kayla had washed and then rewrapped around Taylor’s waist to keep the wound clean. His friend pursed his lips thoughtfully and looked smug.

“Hmmm… It does appear as if she did a good job in nursing you back to health.”

“What makes you think she cares? Women do not care for males,” Taylor snapped. He did not appreciate the self-satisfied smile on Jarod’s face. It irritated him.

“The Hero women are different. At least Piper is.”

“As is Kayla,” Taylor admitted, not wanting Jarod to think badly of Kayla.

“Did you two enjoy each other?” There was no fooling Jarod, according to the knowing smirk on his face. He knew exactly what had happened between Taylor and the woman.

“We did.”

Jarod smiled and slapped Taylor on his back, hard enough to make him grimace from the pain.

“This is good. We each have found our mates.”

“Mates?” Taylor did not understand.

“As with the rabbits, the birds and the flies. Joined. Just for each other and no one else.”

Taylor smiled as happiness bubbled inside him. “Yes, Kayla and I are mates.” He liked that word.

A moment later, the squall of a crying babe ripped through the air and Taylor sighed in relief. Jarod nodded toward the hut where two of the three brothers stood staring at them.

“She has delivered,” he said. “Come. Let us go and see if it is a boy or a girl. And then we will celebrate.”

Jarod stepped forward then stopped when Taylor didn’t follow. He tracked Taylor’s gaze to the Hero brothers.

“Do not let them frighten you. As Piper says, their bark is worse than their bite.”

“Another term I do not understand,” Taylor admitted.

“They are a protective breed, these men from Earth. They do not wish any harm to come to their sisters or their mated women.”

Taylor brightened. “Then we have something in common. I do not wish any harm to come to Kayla.”

This time when Jarod began walking toward the brothers, Taylor did not hesitate. He understood now. He would protect Kayla as much as her brothers. And he would fight them fiercely, if need be, to show them she belonged to him.

* * * * *

Annie’s childbirth had been a difficult one. The baby was a breech and a bit too big to come out. Thankfully Annie was a doctor and, through her gasps and grunts of pain, she instructed Piper and Kayla on what needed to be done. A couple of small incisions in the right area and the baby popped out quite nicely.

“Gosh, I’m so glad we found Kayla when we did,” Piper chuckled to Annie as Kayla wrapped up the cleaned baby and gave him to his mother.

Perspiration dotted Annie’s forehead and her curly auburn hair dangled with moisture as she accepted her newborn. In the way her soft blue eyes twinkled with love, Kayla suddenly ached to have a child of her own. With Taylor.

Their brother Joe grinned happily as he tucked a finger beneath his newborn son’s little chin. The baby’s pouting pink lips turned upward in a smile and his tiny fingers curled into fists.

“He acts like his mamma, doesn’t he? Defiant and cute at the same time.” Joe winked at Annie, who smiled warmly back at him.

Kayla’s heart burst with a fluttering she found to be really neat. Her brother was in love and never looked happier. Heck, all her brothers had never looked happier.

Upon arriving at the village, she’d barely been able to hug them all before being pushed into this hut to tend to the anxious mother-to-be. She’d wanted to remind everyone she was a veterinary student and wasn’t qualified to practice on humans, but she was the only chance that Annie had and so she’d set to work.

“Thanks so much, Kayla,” Joe said. He pried himself away from his baby and embraced Kayla in a bear hug that almost had her passing out he squeezed so tightly.

“All in a day’s work, big brother,” she replied as he finally let go. He was beaming so brightly she was surprised his ear-to-ear smile didn’t hurt.

“Hey! When can we come in and see the baby? Is everything okay?” Ben’s cry came from outside the hut. Other voices echoed his concern.

“Everything is fine,” Kayla called back as Joe hugged Piper.

“Give us a few more minutes and then only two come in at a time,” Joe said quietly as he let Piper go. “I don’t want the kid to be scared with so many faces coming at him all at once.”

“Will do,” Kayla replied. She waved to Piper to follow.

When they stepped into the bright sunshine, questions bombarded them. Piper and Kayla answered as best they could. Yes, Annie and the baby were fine. Yes, it was a difficult birth, but there didn’t appear to be any lingering problems. Yes, Joe and Annie were very happy.

“And it’s a boy. Another Hero to add to the family,” Kayla gushed.

“Speaking of another member of the family, is there someone new in the picture for you, Kayla?” Jacey, the woman Kayla’s brother Ben had hooked up with, asked as she pointed into the crowd.

Suddenly, everyone grew silent and the crowd parted to where Taylor stood, studying Kayla intensely.

“Taylor,” she whispered as he threw her a sheepish smile. He didn’t come any closer and Kayla suspected he was hanging back because he was intimidated by her overprotective brothers. They certainly had scared away a couple of guys who had been interested in dating her through high school. But they hadn’t scared this one totally away it appeared.

She ignored everyone’s surprised gasps and strolled toward Taylor, took him by the hand and pulled him away from the crowd toward the area where the boats had been pulled up along the riverbank.

“Kayla, where the hell are you going?” Buck called out, a chuckle of amusement in his voice.

“I’m going on my honeymoon!” Kayla shouted back.

“It’s dangerous out there!” Ben snarled.

“There’s another storm coming. Don’t stray too far!” Jarod hollered.

More concerns were voiced, but she ignored all their warnings as she continued to lead Taylor into the woods toward the river.