"I get premonitions when I just know things. I don't know how, and it's not anything I've ever shared with the minister at church. But our mama had the sight, too, and when she told her preacher, she was kicked out of church. She told me to keep quiet, and I always have except with family."
"She knew about you," Dorothy said.
Kara put down her forkful of mashed potatoes. "You knew I was coming up here with Quinn?"
"No, I told Dorothy when I took Sully to band camp in Denali that Quinn and Ben would meet and fall in love with a blonde woman from the lower forty-eight. I made her promise to check you out and call me." Kara sat there and stared at the woman who was most likely going to be her mother-in-law.
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Nope. I knew a week before that our grandfather was going to die. I knew before Randy and Selma that they were going to have a little girl and name her Alice. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's always right."
"It's true, honey." Dorothy patted Kara's hand. Kara stopped staring at Rosemary and looked at Dorothy's kindly face.
Kara looked at Rosemary Shotbrook and saw the absolute conviction on the woman's face. "Now, tell me when you're going to marry my boys, and how is that going to work, anyway? That's not legal, is it?"
"We haven't talked about it, and I want to talk to them first about those kinds of details. But I love them with all my heart, and they love me. We want to make a life together."
"Down in Washington, right?" Dorothy asked.
"In Fate Harbor, that's where I grew up. We have a lot of triad relationships, and they are accepted pretty well. My parents have had to deal with some bigotry, and so did my brothers and I, but it was pretty minimal."
"I was happy when they bought that business and decided to go after you. Quinn told me how he had been trying to protect you all these years. I almost took a plane down south to box his ears. That boy is stubborn. But he doesn't have a malicious bone in his body." Just then Rosemary's phone started to vibrate. She looked at it and smiled.
"It's Levi. Timothy just woke up." They got up and made their way to the elevators.
* * * *
"You know, I'm fine staying at your mom's house," Kara said to Ben for the fourth time. He just stared at her as he used the hotel key to let them into their room. It was beautiful. He'd obviously asked for a suite.
"I told you before, and I'll tell you again. There's too much drama over there. I needed some time away. All three of us are going to need our space in order to be good for anyone else." Ben eased the luggage down into one corner of the room and then he turned toward her.
"Do you think Quinn is going to be here tonight?"
"Not really, I think he's going to spend the night over there. Sully's there, and I think he's going to end up getting him to talk. That kid is holding onto some demons, and if anyone can pull them out, it's Quinn."
"God, you men are all the same! You're all overprotective dominants who take on the weight of the world." Kara sat down on the end of the bed and looked up at Ben, just happy to be in the same room with him, teasing him.
"Kachawli, I'm the easygoing one, and don't you ever forget that. The only weight I want on me is you." The temperature in the room shot up by twenty degrees. Despite his fun words, she remembered how he greeted her at the airport, and his voice on the phone when she had spoken to him from Washington. This man had been through hell. He too had been holding the weight of his family on his shoulders. However, if she was totally honest, this wasn't about just offering comfort to him. This was about her needing him.
Loving Ben Shotbrook had always come easily, but the last time they had come together on the boat, she started out shy. He was so tender in his seduction that day. She was truly convinced and afraid that she had lost that indefinable part of herself that controlled her passion. He had recognized that and slowly seduced and coaxed that part of her back to life. She wanted to lovingly worship this man, to provide him comfort and care tonight as he deserved, as he had done for her. She stood up and went to him, slowly sliding to her knees before him, never breaking eye contact.
She reached down by touch and unlaced his right boot. As she got it undone, he pulled out his foot. She did the same for the left.
"Kara, you don't have to-"
"I want to, Ben. Please let me." He searched her face, clearly satisfied with what he saw as his eyes darkened with desire. "Take off your shirt," she said as she reached up to work the tab of his jeans. She loved watching as all of that glorious bronze-colored flesh was revealed. It almost distracted her from the task at hand, but this time she didn't allow it. She wanted to serve, she wanted to give. Slowly she unbuttoned his jeans, and pulled them down, along with his briefs. She had him step out of them along with his socks, leaving him gloriously naked.
His cock was engorged and the tip dribbled with pre-cum. She greedily licked it up, enjoying his groan of pleasure. She enclosed the tip in her mouth, and then worked the length back until he was nestled against the back of her throat. This time, she groaned in pleasure. Oh, to have him inside her made her feel like she was welcoming back a piece of her soul.
"Kara … Kachawli, I've needed this. I've needed you. I'm never letting you go again. You're my love. You're my everything," he said as he slowly started a rhythm in and out of her mouth. He filled her carefully, pleasuring both of them. As he got closer to his peak, Kara felt him try to pull out entirely, but she needed all of him. She clutched his firm buttocks and pushed her nose into his groin. She inhaled the musk of her man as she swallowed down his seed, listening to his cries of pleasure.
She was a little unsteady when he pulled her up from her knees to lift her, carrying her to the bed. She tried to brush his hands away when he began to undress her, but he just continued on.
"No, I can do it, Ben. This night is for you, I want to give to you," Kara protested. She had watched him supporting everyone at the hospital, and now she wanted to provide care and comfort to him.
"Anytime we're together, you do give to me."
"But last time you had to work so hard. I was so unsure of myself and you managed to get me to come out of my shell … " Kara trailed off as she became frustrated. "Oh, let's just call it out. You made me come and I didn't think I would be able to. You did that, Ben." He straddled her with his big naked body, and she watched in wonder as his penis came back to life.
"You listen to me, Kara Johansen. You were just a little confused, and helping reawaken that part of you was one of the best moments of my life." He looked down at her with such a solemn expression that she had to believe him, and finally she nodded. After she did, he grinned and winked. "But that blow job was phenomenal!"
She giggled and hit him on the chest, and then started to caress the warm muscle. They spent the night shrouded in love and laughter, before falling into a blissful sleep. It ended up being perfect when Quinn's naked body stretched out behind her, warming her, so that she was lured into dreams of a long and happy future.
* * * *
They had breakfast the next morning in the hotel room.
"Sully felt like he should have known, that he should have seen the signs." Quinn just shook his head in disbelief. He still felt his brother's body shuddering in his arms as he sobbed. "God, he's had his head in his books this first year in law school. I don't see how he thought he could have seen anything. He kept saying he was Tim's older brother, and it was his job." Quinn just stared at the plate of food in front of him. He was surprised when Kara slid into his arms and sat down on his lap.
"You need to eat, baby." She picked up a forkful of eggs and brought it to his mouth. He automatically ate the food with a smile. He looked over at Ben with a question in his eyes.
"Hey, you took care of Sully, somebody needs to take care of you," Ben said with a shrug. Quinn took the fork out of Kara's hands, and she just rested her head on his chest.
"Anyway, I think I got it through his thick head that he isn't to blame. I think we agreed that none of us were."
"Thank God for that." Ben smiled at him. "I actually got over that when I spoke to Linnette, Tim's ex-girlfriend. She was positive it was her fault. She was going through hell. When I talked her off the ledge, I ended up not feeling as guilty for relocating to Washington. They're moving Timothy to the psychiatric ward as soon as he is strong enough. Then he is probably going to a hospital for some psychiatric care. He might be in there as long as three months. I think he really needs it."