She looked up at him and finally realized he wasn’t his brother. Technically, he was half his brother, she understood, but they were so very different. How could she ever find happiness if she never asked for what she wanted? If she kept telling herself no, she never gave anyone a chance to say yes.
“I’m scared,” she told Cian quietly.
“I know,” he replied with soft eyes. He leaned down and pressed a very soft kiss on her forehead, as tender as the pleasure before had been rough. “How about we do this? Let’s take it slow. No more overwhelming you with my dirty self-pleasure. I want you, Meggie. I want you to come to me because you want me, not because I’m the only one available. Though I am, you understand. I know you are stubbornly telling yourself we’re not really married, but I wouldn’t push that if I were you. I am willing to be reasonable. I am willing to be patient. I am not willing to watch you flirt with another man.”
“I can’t handle the two I have,” Meg admitted. It felt so good to sink into his strength. It helped Meg to find her own. “I want things, Ci. I have certain needs that Beckett found distasteful. I’m worried you will, too.”
His laugh rumbled through his chest as he pulled her close. He tangled their legs together. “I don’t find much distasteful sexually, my lover. Why don’t you explain what you want? I saw flashes of it, but I don’t completely understand. I liked how you looked tied up and spread out for me.”
Meg took a deep breath and proceeded to explain Dominance and submission to Cian. He was patient and asked questions.
“You want me to make decisions for you?”
“No.” Meg was sure of that. “That’s the way it works for some couples, but I would rather we had a partnership in our daily lives.”
“And at night, when we’re alone, I’m your Master,” Cian said, his voice hoarse. His hands tightened around her, and she could feel his cock starting to revive. “Your body is mine, and I do what I want with it.”
Meg sat up and looked down at her husband who was, once again, sporting a huge erection. At least he seemed willing to hear her out. “I haven’t tried this with anyone, Ci. I don’t know what I’ll like and what I won’t. Hell, at this point I’m not even sure it was what I liked or if I was just overwhelmed by the bond. I have to admit I’m curious and a little scared by all of it.”
“You liked what Beck did to you,” he pointed out. Meg could tell he was carefully thinking out the problem. “Whether it was the bond or your own needs, you enjoyed yourself.”
Meg nodded. “I loved it. It was the best sex I’ve ever had. I should warn you, though, I hadn’t had great sex before that. It had been mediocre at best. Beck was upset afterward. He doesn’t think I should like it. It can’t work if the Dom hates himself for dominating his female. It kind of defeats the point.”
Cian propped himself up on one elbow and brushed the hair back from her face. “He’s fighting himself, darling. He’s trying to be something we’re not. Give him time. Meanwhile, I am more than willing to explore this with you. I’ll admit I’m not the dominant half. I am very carnal, but I tend to be softer than Beck.”
“If you don’t…”
His finger came up to her lips. “Hush, I’m still male, my lover. I think I can handle it just fine. How about we make a vow? I’ll fulfill your fantasies to the best of my ability, and you’ll do the same for me?”
Meg grinned. “Deal.”
He sat up and kissed her firmly. “But, for now, we work on being friends. I want you to take this time I’m giving you, Meg. I’ll back off, but the minute you say ‘yes,’ everything changes. Do you understand?”
She nodded, seeing the trap he had laid. She would have to be very careful with her words for a few days.
He laughed. “Smart girl. Now go get dressed. You’re entirely too tempting like that. We have work to do.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his.
Cian’s smile was rueful. “I’m glad I have your gratitude, wife, because my dick is cursing me.”
Meg laughed, and they got up, dressed, and got ready to face the day.
Liadan O’Neill watched as the idiot, Cian, ran from the barn toward the cottage. He was naked, and there was no doubt he was a man on a mission. She had seen the human walk toward the cottage. She had no idea why they had spent the night in the barn, but it looked like they were moving their little lovefest inside.
She had to admit, he was a lovely man. He couldn’t help it. He looked exactly like his better half. If Cian Finn had been anything like his brother, her job would have been infinitely easier. She could have seduced Cian and put a blade through his heart. She had one she had made especially for him. It was cold iron and easy for her small hands to use. She had cursed the blade herself and tested it on that moron she’d been forced to call her husband for years. She’d needed her husband to get her into the village. It had taken a long while to find the right plane, and once she was here, she needed to get close to the princes. Her husband had come in handy. When he’d discovered her true nature, she’d tested her weapon. It had proven thoroughly effective. Life as a widow had given her the freedom she needed.
Liadan didn’t dare try to use it on Beck. His instincts were too well-honed when it came to battle. His hands were quick, and he could disarm her in an instant. He was the warrior. There was no doubt about it. Liadan shivered slightly when she thought about all the times she’d been forced to smile and welcome him to her bed. He was a predator. Even though he asked politely, she could feel what he wanted, and it disgusted her.
It had occurred to Liadan that the brothers were protected on many levels by their odd nature. Beck was protected by his fighting ability, but Cian had some strong defenses against her as well. He seemed to sense something was wrong with her. Liadan had caught Cian watching her as though trying to figure out what she was. At first, she’d worried Cian would give her away, but he’d never called her out.
Still, he had not joined his brother in her bed. Liadan was glad that Beck hadn’t figured out she’d attempted to seduce Cian first. She still hated him with a vengeance for turning her down.
Even without direct access to the intellectual half of the King, she had almost managed it. Her magic was strong. Though Cian had been protected at night, by Beck when he was around and that nosy little brownie when he was not, she had managed to enter his dreams as a mist. It was a particular talent of hers. Her sisters had always been jealous of the ability. She simply poured her will into a spell and wrapped it in the mist that always surrounded the pond. It found its way to Cian. It whispered to him. It brought out all his fears.
In the end, it had been simple. Cian was weak. He had chosen to fade rather than live in a world where he had no hope of bonding. He had been close to complete chaos. Liadan had been mere days away from convincing the idiot to kill himself once and for all, and then Beckett Finn would be easy prey. He would have quickly dissolved into a death machine, and there would be no choice but to put the king out of his misery.
Then that bitch showed up.
Liadan watched the cottage, trying to come up with a way to deal with the new problem she had. The “Queen”—she couldn’t believe these idiots were calling her that—presented a uniquely troublesome problem.
If the legend was correct, there was the distinct possibility that the twins’ power could be greatly increased by bonding with a strong mind. While Liadan doubted the human was a truly strong mate, she didn’t want to take the chance. Beck was strong enough as it was, and Cian with a Green Man’s powers scared her. If word got back to Tir na nÒg that the twins were alive and had ascended into their power, another civil war would follow. She had to stop that.