Claimed By her Daddies by Laylah Roberts
8
Kassim stepped back and studied her profile for a moment.
She was paler than he would have liked. She required more care. She gave the appearance that she could handle anything. But that wasn’t the case. And they needed to remember that she was still delicate, fragile.
He was glad that she felt comfortable enough to talk about her past, but he hated how her ex-fiancé treated her.
His brothers were all waiting in his office. As soon as he walked in, Matek stepped forward.
“I’ll go sit with her.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll leave her for a while.” Aric was sitting and Tavi was pacing back and forth, looking worried.
So he should be.
“I need to talk to her, Kassim. You don’t understand,” Tavi said. “Just give me a few moments.”
“No.”
“She’s not just yours,” Tavi shot at him.
“I know that,” he replied calmly. “But right now, the last thing she needs is the three of you storming in there and upsetting her. We’re supposed to be keeping her calm. And yet I find her storming down the hallway, near tears, over something you said.”
“It was stupid of me,” Tavi admitted. “I didn’t know it would upset her.”
“You didn’t think that talking about the noises she made when she orgasms in front of other people would upset her?”
“But it’s not like that,” Tavi said desperately. “You know it’s not like that.”
“We know that, but she didn’t, Tavi! What were you thinking?” His hands were clenched into fists. This wasn’t like him. He’d never reacted like this before.
But he’d never had anyone like Pippa in his life before. She was the first woman they had all wanted. Desired.
“You humiliated her.”
Tavi’s head went back. He looked like he’d been slapped.
“That wasn’t my intention,” he said.
“He didn’t mean it like that, Kassim,” Aric backed his brother up. That was the way it usually went. Matek supported him. Aric and Tavi stuck together.
Matek hadn’t moved from his stance by the door. His quiet brother needed watching. He was already obsessed. Although Pippa didn’t seem too concerned about Matek’s single-minded focus when it came to her.
“I know you didn’t mean to,” Kassim said, trying to calm himself. “And I know that you all think I’m old-fashioned for wanting to go slowly and maybe I was partially wrong. However, I think that you went too fast.”
Tavi actually nodded. “I know.”
Kassim let out a deep breath. “I have spoken to her of our feelings and our desire to make her our wife.”
“You did what?” Aric snapped, anger filling his face. “Without us?”
“Yes. She was upset. She didn’t know what was going on. She thought that Tavi was only interested in her for sex.”
“Damn it,” Tavi swore. “I fucked up. I never meant her to feel that way.”
“I know. I had to tell her what she means to us, what we want from her.”
“And what did she say?” Tavi asked.
They were all staring at him now, even Matek.
“At first she didn’t really believe it. She didn’t know why we would want her.”
“What the hell?” Tavi asked.
“She thinks we need someone who will fit in better with our lifestyle. Someone who isn’t clumsy or messy or a Little.”
“Wait, what? She said those words?” Aric asked.
“She doesn’t believe she’s worthy of us.” Tavi sat with a groan and put his elbows on his legs, leaning his face into his hands. “What have I done?”
Kassim sat in an armchair. Aric sat next to Tavi while Matek moved so he was leaning against the wall facing Kassim. This place was still a mess from Matek losing it earlier but he would worry about it later.
Generally he liked everything in its place. But there were more important things going on.
“Our girl isn’t as confident as she appears. It seems she has some insecurities that we need to work through. She pointed out that we hadn’t even dated, so how could I be sure we all wanted her.”
“Dates? She wants to date?” Aric asked. “We can do that, right?”
“After my meeting in London, we’ll take her to our country estate and start dating her.”
They all gave him looks of relief. Well, except Matek. He looked like he wanted to storm into the bedroom. But he was holding back, which was probably a miracle.
“I like this idea.” Aric grinned.
“Actual dates. No pinning her to the wall and fucking her and calling it a date,” Kassim warned.
“Wait, are you saying no sex?” Aric asked. “No orgasms? No fun play? No pretty little maid gets punished by the butler?”
“What is wrong with you?” Kassim asked him.
“A lot,” Aric said. “But I don’t know if I can stick to chaste kisses. I’m not made out of stone like you.”
Kassim ran a hand down his face. Why him? He wanted to tell them that no, they weren’t to touch her or tease her or sleep with her . . . but the fact was that he wasn’t made of stone.
“I’m not saying you can’t do any of that. Just make sure she knows how special she is to us. Her ex cheated on her for months with one of her supposed friends. And all their friends knew and didn’t tell her. Her ex told them lies about their sex life.”
“Fuck,” Tavi swore.
“Poor baby.” Aric grimaced.
“I’ll kill him,” Matek swore.
“I don’t think you need to do that,” Kassim warned, knowing with Matek it wasn’t an empty threat. “But we all need to be aware of her trust issues. As well as building up her confidence. Dating four men isn’t normal for her, we have to show her that not only is it possible but that she can thrive from our attention.”
“Wait,” Aric said, sitting up. “You said something about her being a Little. Did she . . . did she tell you that?”
“Yes, actually, she did. We didn’t talk about it much, she seemed to think it would be a deterrent.”
Satisfaction filled Aric’s face. “Well, she’s about to find out differently isn’t she.”
Yes, she would.
“About her attacker,” he said, watching as they all came to attention. He knew they were as eager as he was to find this bastard. “I think it’s likely to have something to do with us, which is why I want us flying out to England as soon as Jameson gives the all clear.”
They all nodded.
“I can’t see it being about Pippa,” Aric agreed. “There’s no reason for anyone to hurt her.”
“You’re all in agreement not to tell her what happened?” he asked. He didn’t need their agreement. Technically, he was the oldest and in charge. They always looked to him for leadership. But when it came to Pippa, they’d work better together as a unit if they were all onboard.
“She shouldn’t be stressed,” Tavi agreed. “And hopefully, it won’t take Caleb, Wolfe and Aleki long to discover who hurt her.”
Matek grunted with a nod.
“We can’t keep this from her forever,” Aric said. “She won’t appreciate being kept in the dark.”
“Our job is to protect her, from all things,” Kassim said. “Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.”
“Yes, but Pippa didn’t grow up here,” Aric told them. “She is used to her independence.”
He didn’t like it. It went against everything he believed in.
“We won’t speak to her of this until we are away from here,” he decided. “And she is feeling better. Once we get to London, we will be away from the threat. That is the most important thing. Then we will be able to spend time dating her.”
“We should have just stolen her in the first place,” Aric grumbled. “Would have made life easier. We could still do it. Maybe hide away on one of the islands where she wouldn’t be allowed to wear any clothing and we could make sure to apply sunscreen to her every two hours. All over.”
Kassim sighed. “I didn’t want to bride steal her because she isn’t from here. And she is my employee. It felt like taking advantage of her.”
Maybe if he didn’t have the responsibilities he had. If he hadn’t been scared about terrifying her, of pushing her away he would have done it.
“She would have been protected,” Aric said stubbornly.
Something he had failed to do. Keep her safe.
“Do it now,” Matek demanded.
“It isn’t a good time.”
His brothers all sent him hard looks. He got it. But he had his reasons. “She is injured and needs care. You don’t think the elders would consider that taking advantage if we stole her now?”
“Alpha team stole Vivi when she was barely out of hospital,” Aric pointed out.
Yes, but Alpha team weren’t them. They had to be above suspicion. In all things.
“I am worried if we announce her as our intended bride that it might put her in more danger from this person. To keep her safe, we need to find this person first.”
“Fine,” Aric said on a huff. “But one day I’m getting her naked on a beach.”
“I still need to talk to her,” Tavi said with a wince. “Explain that I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“I know. But just give her a while to take everything in. I need her to rest and eat and keep quiet. When she’s ready to talk, I’ll let you know.”
“Fine, but I’m waiting in your sitting room,” Tavi said.
Matek nodded and followed with Aric.
Kassim sighed. It was going to be a long day.
