AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Noah laughs. “Let’s just say she is an incredible experience and leave it at that.”
“Do you think she’d be willing to try the four of us one night?” Levi inquires.
It’s not the craziest idea, given our history. And something tells me she’d be into it. Stella may be a young, divorced mother of two who’s currently struggling to get a grip on her life, but she is also one hell of a woman. There is an active volcano bubbling beneath the surface, and Noah and I got a whiff of it.
“I think we should definitely approach the idea carefully,” I say. “I think she’s got it in her to handle us, but we wouldn’t want to scare her away. It’s early yet.”
“She’s not indifferent to any of us,” Beau says. “I see the fire in her eyes, even when she thinks we’re not watching. She’s hungry, Isaac. Really hungry.”
“Which works to our advantage,” I reply. “We do need to be careful about her from a professional angle. Under no circumstances should she feel her position here is threatened. We’ve never interacted intimately with a woman from our staff. It could lead to a sticky situation.”
Levi thinks about it for a moment. “We’ll keep it completely separate. The intimate part will be solely for carnal pleasures. No strings attached. No emotional involvement. If she’s got what it takes to handle the four of us, I don’t think it would be an issue.”
“Besides, with two kids to raise, I doubt Stella has the energy or the drive to handle an actual relationship at this point in time. Let alone a relationship with four men,” Noah says.
“Her kids are sweet.” A warm smile draws upon Levi’s lips. “Lucas is a chatterbox. He can barely string enough words together to form a sentence, but he tries so hard to be a part of the conversation. I had a chat with Bella earlier while they were out in the garden, and he was so eager to tell me about the trees and the bees.”
“Ava’s barely a year old, and I’m pretty sure she’ll talk his head off when it’s her turn,” I laugh. “They’re both innocent little angels. How could anybody leave them behind like this?” I shake my head. “Stella mentioned their father hasn’t seen them in almost seven months. The bastard just walked out on them. He signed the divorce papers remotely, and that was it.”
Noah shakes his head, visibly disgusted. “I just hope he doesn’t think of coming back.”
“Don’t play the caveman card,” I warn. “Stella’s a grown woman. Independent. Strong on her own. She won’t take kindly if we treat her like some kind of damsel in distress.”
“Yeah, I know. It doesn’t mean I want that prick around. I like her, Isaac. A lot. From the moment she walked into this place, I liked her. Call me crazy, whatever, but there’s something about her. Something beautiful and painful at the same time, strong and sensitive…” He laughs. “Listen to me, I sound like world-renowned bestselling author Levi Smith here.”
We all laugh, but we can each tell Noah isn’t the only one who has taken such a deep liking to Stella. It may not have been on the books for things to get that far the other night, but we cannot deny the magnetism currently unfolding between us, either.
“We’ll go easy on her,” I say. “I think she’s special. I think she could make the four of us very happy, and I’m positive we could do the same for her.”
6
Stella
Slowly but surely, life is starting to make more sense again. I have a routine to adhere to. A rhythm my kids are getting used to, and that easily translates into better sleep and happier faces. The Elizabeth is clearly one of the best places for us to be, and the bump in the pay has been a godsend, as well.
I do eight-hour shifts from morning until afternoon while Bella looks after Lucas and Ava. Lucas definitely likes her, and Ava isn’t too fussy around her either, so that’s a double blessing and much needed peace of mind. Isaac was right. She’s a good girl, conscientious and careful yet impressively skilled in managing a toddler and an infant at the same time. Granted, Ava is still learning the scooting and crawling side of things, which gives Bella more room to focus on Lucas—my boy is one hell of a sprinter if she’s not careful. Thankfully, there’s no real danger in these parts since the property is surrounded by a tall fence, and there aren’t any wild animals lurking around, either. Plus, the snow does help to slow him down.
We have three meals a day and all the coffee and refreshments we need. There’s a TV in our room, and we have access to the Elizabeth’s cleaning services, as well. Free of charge. I can’t thank Isaac, Noah, Beau, and Levi enough for helping us out. I’m sleeping better, thanks to them. And that whole thing with Noah and Isaac… damn, I’m still thinking about it a week later. How could I not? They turned me inside out, they made me cry tears of climactic joy, they resuscitated the woman within me, and I gave myself to them, wholly, unequivocally. It was incredible, and I would very much like a do-over. The twins have kept a polite distance, though, giving me room to breathe and really settle in. I’m grateful and relieved. I do need to wrap my head around everything that’s been happening, especially since Beau and Levi have been eyeing me more intensely over the past couple of days.
I’ve not been indifferent to their smiles and moments of attention, either. They’re irresistible, and it makes me feel a little guilty, but what’s the harm? I mean, we’re just looking, right?
“Momma!” Lucas gasps as he brings over a puffy dandelion he just plucked from the garden. We’ve been out here for about half an hour, warming under the surprisingly generous afternoon sun before we settled under the ancient maple tree that dominates the eastern corner of the property. Even with its leaves gone for the winter, it still reigns supreme. “Momma, flower! I got you flower!”
“Oh, yes, yes, you did, you got me a flower. It’s beautiful, thank you!” I giggle and kiss his forehead with all the love in my soul for him. “My little gentleman. Can you find me another one?”
He nods excitedly and waddles back to the patch underneath one of the secular pines of wildflowers that has captured his attention the past fifteen minutes or so. I absolutely adore watching him frown as he carefully checks every flower and inch of hard dirt and snow before plucking the right one with his chubby little fingers. He’s a happy kid. He likes it here. There’s enough fresh air and sunlight to give his pale skin a warmer color. It brings out the green in his eyes, and it makes his smile brighter.
I never want to see him upset again. We’ve had a rough few months, especially since Elijah has been late with those child support payments. I can’t afford a better lawyer yet, and our current one is the least enthusiastic attorney I’ve ever come across. At least we’re safe here. It’s better.
My phone buzzes for the umpteenth time—yet another call from my mother. The almighty Miranda Snow thought I’d actually stick around with my children to suffer more of her abuse. She did enough damage to me growing up, and I’ll be damned if I’ll ever let her come near Ava or Lucas again.
Ignoring the call, I drop her a quick text.We’re fine. Out of your hair. Leave us alone.
Naturally, a slew of replies starts pouring in, but the phone’s already languishing at the bottom of my bag, vibrating senselessly while I accept another dandelion from my sweet, darling boy.
“Want red one?” Lucas asks.
“I’d love a red flower, yes. There’s loads of them over there, huh?”
