“I can be so patient, Cotton Candy. You have no idea. I can wait for something I really want.” His chin rubbed against her hair. “Sex is going to be hard, though.”
She turned her face up to him. His deep blue eyes stared down. How could she have ever thought he was cold? “Sex? Why would that be hard?”
He sighed. “Sweetness, I want you so fucking bad. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you. I might get cranky, but I’ll wait until you’re comfortable.”
He thought she was asking him to wait for sex? “Chase, I was talking about the D/s stuff. Can you not have sex unless I kiss your feet? Shouldn’t we try a little sex since it will probably be on the table at this club thing?”
He growled a little, pulling her up, and suddenly her back was against the wall. Oh, there was that hot alpha male. She was deeply aware that with most men she would be screaming by now, but with Sir Dawson, she simply grinned, wrapping her legs around him.
God, how could she trust him so fast?
“I can fuck you anytime, sweetness,” he said, proving just how ready he was by rubbing his cock against her. “I want you to take me. I want you to take me so fucking bad.”
His hips moved, rocking against her. There was no damn question that the man wanted her. He and his brother were doing all sorts of things for her self-esteem. Was that what they would do for a sub? For their sub? She wrapped her arms around him, her legs forming a circle that held them together. “I want you, babe. But I want Ben, too. Be sure.”
It felt so damn right to call him babe.
His lips curved up. “I can handle it. I was being an asshole before. That’s something you’re going to have to be patient with. Asshole is my default state. I love your breasts. They’re perky. I think about them a lot.”
She snorted a little. She couldn’t help it. He kept her on her toes. He didn’t seem to have a filter, and she kind of loved him for it. He wouldn’t lie to her. It wouldn’t even occur to him to do it. “Uhm, I’m flattered.”
“If you’re done thinking about Nat’s boobs, we should probably get started on her training.” Ben stood at the door of the playroom, his voice a little forbidding, but a sweet smile played on his lips like he’d enjoyed the conversation he’d overheard.
Chase sighed. “He can be an asshole, too. Are you ready for this, sweetness? Because we can just get the fuck out of this town.”
He held her in place as though trying to let her feel his will. “I’m not supposed to leave the county.”
“I can have a new identity for you in thirty minutes. We can be on a plane an hour after that. Where would you like to go? Beach or mountains?”
He meant it. He would drop his whole fucking life and just walk out with her. She glanced up at Ben, whose face was a polite blank. He would want roots. He needed them. It was his function in life to ground those around him. If they went on the run, Ben might come with them, but he would never be happy. There was a core to Ben that needed the everyday life. It would be his gift to them.
She took a long breath, gathering her courage. “No. I want to catch this guy. I want to see if I can get this piece of me back.”
Chase set her on her feet. He put his forehead to hers. “Then get up there and get into position.”
She hustled up the stairs, feeling better than she had a couple of minutes before. She’d been scared, but two minutes of the Dawson brothers and she really wanted to try. It brought back her mom’s words of wisdom when she’d asked how to find a Dom.
When you find one who makes you want to bend, want to please him because he moves you, then you know to try.
Damn, but she wanted to try. She walked up the stairs, a little less afraid than she’d been before. And a little more excited. She wanted the sex. If she didn’t have to submit, she definitely wanted to try having sex with Chase. And Ben. And Ben and Chase.
God, she wanted a ménage. Her parents would be perfectly horrified. She was almost thirty years old and she’d finally found a way to rebel.
“Hello, honey.” Ben barred the door, his gorgeous chest on display. He wore a pair of jeans but had brilliantly eschewed his shirt. Neither of the Dawson brothers needed to ever wear a shirt.
“Hi.” It was stupid, but she couldn’t stop her grin.
Chase crowded her from behind. She was surrounded by Dawson hotness. It was really hard to think about her previous damage when enveloped by gorgeous masculinity.
Kind masculinity. Maybe that was the key. Nothing these two men had done to anyone had been less than kind. Well, except for Tate. They’d been pissy with Tate, but maybe he’d deserved it. Tate had definitely seen her with Chase in the dungeon. He should have asked before he’d tried to touch her. He’d been a Dom long enough to know better.
“Are you sure?” Ben asked.
Damn brothers weren’t going to make this easy. “I don’t need to talk about it anymore. I’m fine.”
She wasn’t, but she had to try.
Ben leaned over, kissing her forehead briefly, and then stepped back, allowing her inside. “The talking thing was important. Communication is the key to this. No clothes, Natalie. If these people are even slightly hard-core, you won’t be allowed clothes. Not in the dungeon. Take them off and find your position. I’m sorry, baby. I can’t go easy on you. I’ll have to be hard out in the field, so I need to know if you can handle it.”
A little trepidation started to crowd out her arousal. She stepped into the playroom because it wasn’t really a dungeon. It was too cheery. Bright late-afternoon light filtered in from the dual skylights on the ceiling. The whole room was painted in lovely blues and greens, the carpet plush under her feet telling her that the Barnes-Fleetwood clan wasn’t into anything too crazy. Blood play addicts would have insisted on easy-clean flooring. She would bet they never got past a little spanking, and some bondage and impact play.
Nothing hard-core. No knives past the ones Barnes would keep to quickly unleash his subs if he needed to.
“Nat, sweetheart, we’re waiting.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her compliance. Chase stepped in, standing next to his brother.
Nat couldn’t help but stare for a moment. This was important. Really important. She would figure out one way or another if she could do this. Years. She’d had years of therapy. She’d done the work. She realized deep down that it hadn’t been her fault.
So why couldn’t she really cry?
“That’s five swats. Every ten seconds you delay is another five.” Chase’s whole demeanor changed. He was taking charge, his shoulders squaring, his eyes hardening. She watched him go from slightly awkward guy to pure Dom in a second.
And damn if her pussy didn’t respond. Well, at least part of her knew what she wanted.
With trembling fingers she pulled her shirt over her head and quickly shoved her pants off. No one had brought her undies or a bra, so that was easy. Naked. She was naked in front of them.
“Natalie, did you have a problem with nudity before you were taken?” Ben asked. His voice wasn’t exactly gentle. Both men had changed when they entered the room.
The days before Hawk came back with the sweetness of a remembered song. “No. I loved it actually. After I moved out of my parents’ place, I spent most of my time naked if I was at home or at the club. I was planning a vacation to a resort before it happened. I guess I was a little bit of an exhibitionist.”
“Well, sweetness, when you’re that gorgeous, you have a lot to exhibit. Now, we’re up to twenty swats. Do you want to go for thirty?” Chase asked.
Damn distracting men. Without another thought except to keeping her ass in one piece, she sank to her knees. Jack Barnes was a kind man. She sank into the plush carpet almost sighing in pleasure at the familiar, comforting position. She wasn’t thinking at all, and she simply found her position, spine straight, head down, knees splayed wide.