“Issy-shit?”
“Yeah, like being a grumpy, moody bastard.” Another clap of thunder sounded in the distance before Issy could reply.
“Shit. The weather’s packing in again.” Isaac stood and walked to the door. “I’ll get some more wood in.”
“She hasn’t got much,” Archer worried.
“I’ve got a supply coming as soon as the road clears.”
More thunder. Much closer this time. The wind started to rip through the trees as Isaac disappeared out the front door.
Archer moved over to the kitchen; he was going to make a fresh pot of coffee. He wondered if Caley had a generator. If she did, it probably didn’t work properly.
It was growing dark. He looked over at the time. He’d make dinner as well. He heated up some canned soup on the stove and Isaac worked on bringing in some firewood. By the time he was pouring soup into bowls, it was fully dark, and the thunder was growing closer.
The wind slammed against the house.
“Here we go,” Isaac muttered.
Suddenly, the office door slammed open. Caley stood there, eyes wide, staring at them. Her entire body shook. Small trembles that had Archer tensing.
Isaac got to her first, drawing her in against his body. “What is it, baby? What’s wrong?”
“T-thunder,” she stuttered out.
“You don’t like thunder?”
“N-no. Or the w-wind.”
She buried her face into his chest as the wind howled. Isaac picked her up in his arms, carrying her over towards the sofa. He sat with her on his lap.
“Easy, baby doll, easy,” Isaac crooned to her. “You’re safe. You’re safe.”
Tiny whimpers came from her. She curled her arms around his brother’s neck and a stab of jealousy hit him.
Archer took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He walked closer and noticed that on the bottom of her fluffy, yellow socks were the words:
If you can read this bring me candy.
She really wasn’t his type. No woman he’d dated would be caught dead in those socks. And all he could think about was how adorable she was.
“Baby doll, calm down.” Isaac looked up at him worriedly.
Archer sat beside them. He heard Caley’s teeth chattering and frowned slightly. This seemed a rather extreme reaction to thunder and some wind. Surely, she’d been through a number of storms, living here.
And how many had she suffered through alone since her husband died?
“Caley, is there something we can get for you? Something to make you feel safer?” he asked calmly. His hands itched to reach out and rub her back, much as Isaac was doing right now.
“I. . .I. . .”
“It’s all right, baby doll,” Isaac told her. “Nobody is going to judge you here. Remember, I’m a Daddy Dom and Archer is a Dom as well.”
She had her hand twisted in Isaac’s shirt as she raised her face to give him a hesitant look.
Poor darling. He got that a lot of people didn’t understand their lifestyle, especially when it came to age play. But it hurt that she’d had to experience people’s ignorance and cruelty.
He gave her a reassuring smile. “Sho