Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen

Bexley

Cruz counted the number of reps as I completed each set of deadlifts. My biceps were still burning from the bench lifts and curls. We were concentrating on my upper body today. He had my workout programme stored in his memory bank. Sweat poured from my skin like I was a slimy swamp creature. In my determination, I shoved my mind elsewhere, so I could focus on endurance.

“Just fifteen more, and we can stop for lunch,” Cruz coached, counting me down from fifteen to one.

I grunted through the torture, letting out an exhausted exhalation as I reached my target.

“I need water,” I panted, snatching my towel from the floor so I could mop my brow.

I drank the contents of my bottle in a series of gulps.

“You killed it today,” Cruz praised, planting a kiss to my clammy cheek.

I nodded once as a way of saying ‘thanks’ with my mouth full, then swallowed the last gulp, so I could breathe.

“Do you want to join me in the shower?” Cruz threw in the casual offer, arching a brow.

My shoulders bounced as I chuckled. “Stop distracting me with sex. I have to train harder than ever if we’re going to find those clues. Dominic and Asher wanted to meet me down in the control room.”

Cruz flicked his gaze over my shoulder. “Uh, I think someone else would love to greet you first.”

I turned to see who he meant and saw Braxton ambling across the gym. He seemed like he was back to his old self, dressed in dark grey combats and a black baseline shirt. His heavy boots were leaving footprints on the training mats, so he wasn’t here for a workout. What was he here for? And why was he out of bed?

“I’ll take things from here, Cruz,” he insisted, relieving his brother from his duties. “Bexley is late for our shooting lesson.”

The excitement fizzed inside my belly. “Really? Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”

Braxton cocked his head in a quizzical pose. “You’re not getting out of it that easily.”

“Who said I wanted to?” I glanced between him and Cruz like a kid who had just won a year’s free pass to Disneyland. “Are you teaching me now?”

They exchanged a wry smirk and Cruz shook his head as he made to leave. “I’ll knock one off in the shower,” he muttered, joking. Or was he? The thought of him touching his thick, meaty cock turned me on.

“Preserve your stamina,” Braxton encouraged. “I think Bexley could use a little group therapy tonight.”

My heart jumped in my chest. “Yeah, save it for later,” I added, keen to have the Wolfe Brothers all at once like I did in the hot tub. “It feels like forever since the last time we all . . . you know?”

Cruz flashed a megawatt smile that could have melted the Polar ice caps. “As the lady wishes,” he said, grabbing his crotch through his shorts. “I’ll keep it fully loaded for you.”

I rolled my eyes and slung my towel across my shoulder. “Where are we going? Please don’t say “outside”.” I turned to Braxton, pleadingly.

He pointed, flicking his finger to the left side of the building. “The shooting range is next to the mess hall. It isn’t as prestigious as the one we have back home, but it serves a purpose.”

I followed Braxton down the corridor and across to the opposite part of the base. We passed the kitchens and entered another concrete stairwell, just like the one that led to the control room. Every door needed a four-digit code to open it. The combination being 1066. When I inquired why that was, Braxton mentioned The Battle of Hastings, said that made it easier to remember.

“How come Uncle Zane uses battle dates as security codes?” I asked, curious why that was.

Braxton chortled, then punched the digits into the electronic keypad beside the door. The little light switched from red to green, then slid to the side, granting us entry.

“It was a way of teaching us a lesson when we were kids,” he answered, his voice softening with childhood nostalgia. “Dad said we should always choose our battles wisely. Fight for what is right and let the rest go.”

“I never knew Uncle Zane could be so insightful,” I muttered. “I always thought of him as a sullen old grouch.”

Braxton choked on thin air as he spluttered with laughter. “He was, ninety-nine per cent of the time.”

I couldn’t see anything as I followed him into the pitch-black room, holding the back of his t-shirt with my finger and thumb. The second we tripped the motion sensor, the florescent bulbs along the ceiling flickered to life, illuminating the vast open space. Cream walls encompassed us and strong lighting banished the shadows. Black panels separated each lane. The target zone looked different beneath the blueish hue of the lights. It wasn’t darker, it just appeared that way because of the black sides and hanging targets. They had pitted some with bullet holes. I wondered if Uncle Zane had left it like that or if the boys had come down here to blow off some steam. They were doing a superb job of shielding their emotions from me. But they had to know, I wasn’t some fragile princess they had to protect. I wanted to look out for them too. Tonight’s rendezvous seemed like the right opportunity to show them that.

Braxton stalked toward the gun cabinet and came back with a pistol. I hope he wasn’t expecting me to know what it was called. That was his expertise. I was here to learn all of that. His mouth was moving, rhyming off the make and model and showing me how to use it. He showed me how to reload and then handed it to me. I shook my head, needing him to repeat all he just said at least three or four times. What can I say? His charismatic charm mesmerized me. It took everything I had not to jump his bones.

“Check the rounds,” Braxton insisted. “You have to know how many you have.”

“But you just loaded it.” I frowned with confusion.

He released a nasal exhale. “You should always check.”

Taking his advice, I pulled the slide back to investigate. He stood behind me, covering my hands with his rough, calloused fingers and raised our arms together. Resting his chin against my shoulder, he angled with his lips, his breath grazing my ear. The warm caress was slightly off-putting, stirring my arousal.

“Only raise your weapon when you’re preparing to shoot, do you understand?” he murmured, the deep husk of his voice sending vibrations through my body, straight to my core.

I nodded my head up and down. It satisfied him to see me holding it correctly and his fingers left mine, trailing a soft tickle as he stroked along my arms before grasping my hips.

“Keep it steady, then aim,” he coaches. His calm and level tone relaxed me. “Spread your feet a little,” he advises, standing so close to me so that the heat of his body seeped through my sticky gym attire.

The column of his cock nestled between the cleft of my arse cheeks, letting me know how much he wanted me. My blood pounded in my ears, snatching my attention to what was happening between us. A slow throbbing ache swelled my clit and his fingertips gravitated towards it, stopping within stroking distance. I moaned softly, and Braxton's laboured breathing billowed fiercely against my ear.

"Steady..." he murmured in a gentle wisp. "Stay focused."

His fingers crept at a snail’s pace until they reached my crotch, sliding over my Lycra-covered mound.

I struggled to concentrate, and he knew it. He nipped my ear before reminding me, “The safety’s on,” then he chuckled salaciously.

Desire welled up from within me and I undulated on his cock like the greedy girl I was. I smirked, feeling the kick in his boxers.

"Two can play that game, Brax," I purred in response.

He held me in place, breathing haphazardly.

"How about I up the stakes," he suggested, turning the heat up a notch.

His finger didn't dip beneath my clothing like I wanted him to. He traced slow, lazy circles, driving me mad with need until I reached the point of climax.

“Now pull the trigger,” he whispered as I shuddered through it.

My eyes closed for a fraction of a second, just enough for me to squeeze the gun. The deafening shot echoed through my ears, but my mind needed a few seconds longer to catch up. My intense orgasm was just as explosive as the adrenaline rush. I was trembling from head to toe.

Braxton pressed a loving kiss against the curve of my throat and murmured, “Well done.”

I opened my eyes to see a gaping hole, straight through the bullseye.