Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4) (16 page)

"Please, Liam."

He lifted off of her, their harsh breaths the only sound in
the room as he curled his fingers under the band of her panties and drew them
down her legs.

"Lord, help me," he growled.

Izzy felt a blush rise in her cheeks as he raked his eyes
down her body.

Another rumble sounded in his chest. "Ye've no idea how
many times I've wondered if that scarlet color covered yer entire body. Now
that I know it does, I'll never be able to stop thinking about this."

She looked away, her bottom lip tucking under her teeth
again.

He brushed his fingers over her chin and gently tilted her
head back toward him. His thumb tugged her lip away from her teeth as he said,
"Having the image of you in my mind, your soft skin flushing that
beautiful red just from my touch; I could die a happy man right now."

The corners of her mouth turned up.

"But not yet," he added with that crooked smile.

He kissed her wildly and slid his arms beneath her. She
didn't know when he'd taken off his underwear, but she was grateful he had. She
couldn't stand another second of separation.

They moved against each other in a tangle of limbs. He slid
his hand between her legs, cupping her and pressing his fingers against her
sensitive flesh. When Izzy thought she would finally burst, he pushed a finger
inside of her and lights flashed in front of her eyes.

Her muscles clenched and released over and over and a cry
tore from her lips. Liam held her tightly as she trembled, patiently waiting
for her to come back to earth.

"That was... I don't know what that was," she said
lazily.

"That was only the beginning, love."

She felt him, hot and hard, sliding over her until he
shifted and pressed inside. She stretched uncomfortably the deeper he went, but
he whispered soft words of reassurance every time her body stiffened. With a
final push, he was seated fully inside of her and the pain she'd been expecting
was trivial compared to the feel of him making them one.

"Yes," Izzy breathed.

"You're mine, Isabelle. I'm not letting you go."

He started to move, sending her back into a frenzy. She
wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on for dear life.

Never let me go.

Their skin glistened with sweat and their moans and cries
drowned out everything else as they lost themselves in each other.

Izzy felt the pleasure climb higher and higher, taking Liam
with her. Then she fell over the edge and he was there to catch her.

"God, Isabelle!" Liam called out.

There was no pause, no worry of what might happen when they
came together. Just a feeling that they were now whole.

And when their hearts finally slowed and their eyes started
to close, the only thoughts running through Izzy's mind, were of Liam.

Her other half. Her protector.

Liam

Present day...

Liam didn't realize until that first night with Isabelle
that she was the missing piece to everything in his life. He'd had the plans,
the dreams, but she brought it all together.

She didn't care about money and she didn't care about
things. She just wanted happiness and he spent the rest of their years together
making sure that's what she got. She did the same for him.

Sure, there were bumps along the way, but nothing they
didn't face together.

That next week with Isabelle was like a dream. One that was
forever ingrained in his memory. He spent the nights with her, making love to
her, exploring her body and soul, and soaking in every possible moment.

They forgot everything else. Even the fact that she hadn't
called Christopher to check in. A part of him had worried that their time would
be cut short, but it stayed in the back of his mind.

His family welcomed her with open arms and Liam had never
been more grateful for meddling parents. They both did everything they could to
suggest that she stay with them, especially after Liam's conversation with his
father. They knew the general situation and neither one of them was prepared to
let Isabelle face it alone.

Liam just didn't realize the lengths the man would go to
have her and if it wasn't for his family, he would have lost her.

It wasn't often that Liam thought about Christopher Hampton
these days. He hated the man, but that was all. He and Izzy spent their years
together with no thought to him except when it was necessary. It was a promise
they made to each other and one he would continue to keep.

He had more important things to think about. Like the family
he and Izzy had made together and the life they both wanted for Conall, Fergus,
and Aislinn.

The stain the man tried to put on their lives was just that.
A spot in time. A scary spot, but a spot all the same.

The anniversary of Isabelle's passing was only weeks away
and his children would need him now more than ever before. Especially Aislinn,
who was due any day to give birth.

"Do you think Shady will collapse in the delivery
room?" Gus asked Conall when Liam walked into the living room.

Conall shrugged with a smile. "Who knows? He seems like
he could hold on for a while. I don't even want to think about what it will be
like when Emily goes through that."

The boys both looked toward Liam.

"Don't even ask," he insisted with a shake of his
head. "I'm not helping you with this part of your lives. Not after the
headache you two have been since Ash has been pregnant."

They both laughed and started betting on which of them would
give up the fastest during labor.

Liam watched his boys banter back and forth, seeing so much
of Isabelle in both of them. She may have been raised not understanding what a
man
should
be like, but she'd been a pro at teaching her boys the right
way. They were loving and compassionate, but fierce. Liam was proud of them and
watching the tender way they each treated the women in their lives was
something he wished Izzy could see with her own eyes.

He heard the front door open and glanced over just as Aislinn
waddled through. Her belly was big and round and Liam worried that if anyone
bumped into her too hard, she would pop. She was two days past her due date and
the weariness showed on her face. Luke walked in right behind her with a gentle
hand on the small of her back. He looked just as weary.

"Hi, Daddy," Ash smiled.

Liam stood and wrapped her in his arms. "Hello, my
beauty. How are you feeling today?"

Ash chuckled against his chest and pulled back. "Like
I've got a watermelon in my belly that's ruthlessly pressing against my bladder
every minute of the day. It's like she's already testing my patience."

He smiled down at her and put a hand on her rounded belly.
"Well, if she is anything like her mother, she'll keep testing you for the
rest of your life."

Ash playfully smacked his shoulder then rose up on her toes
to kiss his cheek. "Then I'm screwed."

He laughed and shook his head at her as his hand landed on
her swollen belly once more. Ash
was
screwed. This baby had Isabelle
written all over her and not only in name. He felt a kick against the palm of
his hand and a lump formed in his throat. These were the moments he cherished
with his Izzy.

Ash sighed and touched her side. "She is trying to
break my ribs, I just know it."

Liam greeted Luke while Fergus and Conall took their turns
hugging their sister and teasing her about how big she was. Liam almost took
back the pride he had felt in his sons when they didn't stop poking Ash in the
belly. She looked about ready to rip their throats out until Aiden and Emily finally
pulled her away from them and helped her into the kitchen.

Luke smacked both Gus and Con on the back of the head.

"Seriously? I should just let her kill the two of
you."

Conall gripped his own chest, feigning hurt. "You
wouldn't dare."

"I would, but then you wouldn't experience what I'm
going through, so I'll make sure you live. Watching the two of you suffer
through a pregnancy is going to be much more satisfying."

Luke followed the women into the kitchen while Gus and Con
grumbled about pregnancy being a piece of cake. They would learn soon enough.

Luke returned to the living room a few moments later with a
bag of chips in his hand and sat on the couch next to Gus. Gus helped himself
without asking and Luke shook his head.

"Ugh! What are these?" Gus exclaimed, spitting the
chip out into a napkin.

Luke smirked, "They're chips."

"No they aren't."

"Yes they are."

"Chips don't taste like that, Shady."

"Like what?"

Gus looked offended, "Like cardboard sprinkled with
stale salt."

"These do," Luke stated, popping another one into
his mouth and chewing slowly.

Gus snatched the bag away from him and studied the front of
it, then looked at Luke like the man had just grown a second head.
"Reduced fat?"

Luke rolled his eyes and took the bag of chips back. Conall
and Liam just watched with grins on their faces.

"Ash is trying to be healthy, especially since the baby
will be here any day now. She's trying to get into a habit."

"And you?" Gus asked. "Why are
you
eating cardboard, too?"

Luke ate another chip and shrugged, "I'm supporting
her."

Liam could tell that he hated the chips, but he hid it well
from the others.

"But they're diet chips," Gus argued.

"So?"

Gus just stared at Luke in shock while Conall shook his head
at the both of them, then glanced toward Liam who just shrugged.

Gus continued to stare at Luke, brows furrowed in disappointment.

Luke just rolled his eyes. "What?"

Gus shrugged and raked a hand through his hair. "Diet
chips. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Come on, they aren't that bad."

Gus went back to staring at Luke, making him squirm in his seat.
Luke ate another chip before shoving Gus away and scowling at him. "What
the hell are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Gus answered with another shrug.
"I'm just waiting for you to sell me some Girl Scout Cookies. I could
really go for some Do-Si-Dohs about now."

Conall covered his smile, but Liam could see his shoulders
bouncing up and down with laughter. Luke didn't think it was funny at all and
threw the bag of chips down on the coffee table before tackling Gus and smacking
him on the back of the head several times.

"Get off me!" Gus shouted, laughing hysterically
while attempting to fight off Luke. They were both strong, but Luke was
stronger and always had been, making Liam wonder why Gus enjoyed pushing his
buttons so often. He was so much like Colin, most of the time.

"I'm sorry! Okay, I'm sorry," Gus yelled and
covered his head with his arms.

Luke gave him one last shove and returned to his spot on the
couch, picking up the bag of chips on the way. Gus and Conall were still
laughing and Luke was obviously fighting a grin.

"I'm supporting your sister. This isn't
my
choice. When Aiden gets pregnant, I guarantee you will do whatever the hell she
says." Luke glanced over at the kitchen doorway, making sure the girls
were out of earshot before he quietly said, "Your sister is terrifying.
Pregnancy is making her crazy and I'm not about to piss her off over a stupid
bag of chips."

Gus nodded in agreement and schooled his expression. He
looked serious, all laughter gone, as he leaned in towards Luke and clapped him
on the shoulder. "I get it, man. I do."

Luke sighed, "Thank you."

Gus leaned back and looked at Conall with a wink before
turning back to Luke. Liam
almost
stopped him, but then, how would the
boy ever learn if his father kept trying to save him?

"So," Gus said casually. "Where is the
catalogue then?"

Luke's brows drew together, "What?"

Gus cleared his throat and shifted away from Luke, readying
himself to make a run for it before the words even left his mouth. "The
Avon book. You aren't selling cookies, but I bet you're making a killing with
the nail polish."

Conall burst out laughing and Liam couldn't hold it in any
longer. Luke was still trying to process what Gus had said, but they all saw
the moment the meaning sank in and his entire body clenched, ready to pounce on
his friend and beat the shit out of him.

Before anything could happen, Ash shouted from the kitchen.

"Holy shit!"

The men froze, each of their ears straining to hear what had
happened.

They all turned as Ash quickly waddled out of the kitchen
with Aiden and Emily at her sides. "Ummm, Lucas?"

Luke practically leapt over the couch to get to her, the
diet chips and Avon comments forgotten. "Are you okay? What
happened?"

Ash smiled at him but it quickly disappeared when she bent
over and her face scrunched up with pain.

"She started having contractions," Emily said
while she held Aislinn's hand. "A big one just hit."

Luke pulled Ash into his arms and rubbed her back while she
breathed through the contraction. Gus and Con were right behind him, ready to
do whatever was ordered, but they both looked nervous. Luke carefully lead Ash
toward the front door and Liam found his keys on the hook by the kitchen. They
would need to get to the hospital fast if she had another contraction in the
next few minutes.

"Alright, Baby. Just breathe. How far apart are
they?" Luke asked gently and continued to rub her back.

Ash looked up at him, her gaze distant as she tried to
calculate the time between contractions. The sound of liquid splashing made
every pair of eyes drop down to the area of wood floor beneath Ash.

Gus and Con practically jumped away, clinging to each other
with expressions of horror on their faces.

"Umm, Ash. You just peed," Gus pointed out,
looking pale and terrified. Liam wanted to smack him in the back of the head
like everyone else had over the years.

"It's not pee, you moron!" Ash shouted. "My
water just broke."

The next five minutes were a flurry of activity and by the
time they got Aislinn in the car, Liam was sure his boys would be unconscious
when their children came into the world and not because they would pass out
from the anxiety, but because their wives would knock them out in a heartbeat.

They had crowded around Aislinn and Luke, trying to help
where they could. It was Aislinn who screamed at them to get the hell away from
her and they finally did.

They looked worried about their sister, but Emily and Aiden
stood beside them muttering the reassuring words they needed to hear.

The drive to the hospital seemed like a lifetime and Luke
spent the entire time coaching Aislinn with her breathing, adjusting her in the
back seat to a more comfortable position and making sure the doctor knew they
were on their way.

He did better than Liam ever had and he would have to
remember to tell Aislinn when she wasn't in the middle of bringing a new person
into the world.

Liam dropped both of them off at the emergency entrance and
took only a moment to park the car. By the time he got inside, they were
wheeling Aislinn down a long hallway.

She waved back at him, her eyes bugging out with fear. "Go
to labor and delivery, Daddy. They're taking me up there now."

He gave her a reassuring smile and pulled out his cell phone
to let his boys know where to go. Then he prepared himself for a long night of
waiting.

***

"She's here! She's finally here!"

Liam looked up from a magazine to see Luke jogging toward
them.

Con, Emily, Gus, and Aiden all arrived shortly after Aislinn
was set up in a delivery room. They had been waiting for several hours already
with consistent word from Luke on her progress.

"How much does she weigh?"

"How long is she?"

"Why the hell aren't you in there with my sister,
asshat?"

The questions all flew at Luke, but it was that last one
from Gus that made him pause.

"I thought you'd all want to know that-"

"Yeah, we did, but for the love of God, what if one of
the doctor's makes a move on her? She's got her legs wide open, who's to say
they wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability?"

"Gus, I think-"

"I don't care
what
you think. Get your shady ass
back in that room and keep those vultures away from my little sister!"

Liam held back the laughter while Emily and Aiden both
rolled their eyes and sighed. Luke just looked like he was really confused.

That is, until Conall spoke up. "He's right, man. I saw
the way that doctor looked at Ash." He shrugged and added, "He may
not be taking advantage of her now, but he might be writing her phone number
down and her husband is no where around to stop him."