Defending it All: Dark Romantic Suspense (Punishment Pit Book 5)

by Livia Grant

  Lukus was furious. “What the fuck? Why didn’t CJ call this in? We should have been throwing a net over the area and picking him up.”

  He saw his answer in her eyes. Her fear morphed to anger as she replied. “I didn’t tell CJ what I saw, but maybe I would have if you’d been honest with me, and told me what’s going on. At the time, I had no idea it could be him. Only after I was thinking about it did I start putting the puzzle pieces together.”

  He wanted to be angry at her, but fear of how close Davenport had come to the woman he loved clashed with anger. Once again, the sadistic bastard had been one step ahead of them. He released Tiff and paced the kitchen, weighing his next move.

  Lukus grabbed his phone, punching out a text alert with this new information to his whole team. He then sent a note to Markus, making sure he was on his highest alert. He also contacted Cameron, who was working on finding Jake’s trail through his cell phone and credit cards.

  After ten minutes of hurried communications, Lukus refocused on Tiffany. If anything, she looked worse than before.

  “What do you say we go work off some of our frustrations over Davenport on the basketball court? I’ve practiced shooting hoops a few times in hopes I’m gonna be able to beat you next time.” He was trying to make her laugh, but she didn’t even crack a smile. That was when he remembered she’d said she had several things upsetting her.

  He moved close. “Come on. Wrap your arms around my neck. Your legs around my waist.” Tiff followed his directions. He picked her up, cradling her tightly, moving them towards the great room.

  “Wait, Lukus. We didn’t even pick up the dinner dishes.”

  “Who gives a fuck? We have more important things to worry about.”

  “Like?”

  “Like you telling me what else has you upset.” He sat in his favorite chair with the awesome view of the Chicago skyline. Their city was lit up brightly on a Saturday night. He dropped his feet onto the ottoman, holding her close on his lap, facing him.

  She tried to look away. He used his finger to pull her to face him. She tried to close her eyes. He reminded her that was not allowed. “Open.” She slowly complied. “Now. Talk to me.”

  Silence.

  “Do I need to spank it out of you?” He was only joking. The panic on her face told him she didn’t know that. “Tiff. I was joking. Please. Tell me,” he said gently.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll be mad.”

  “No, I won’t.”

  “Yes. You will,” she said.

  “Okay, well, I promise to try not to get mad.”

  “Not good enough. Do you promise not to get hurt, either?”

  “Do I look like a pussy? I don’t get my feelings hurt.” He didn’t like her snorting laugh.

  “Right.”

  “For Christ’s sake, woman. Spit it out.”

  She whispered, “My mom called me today.”

  “Okay. Is something wrong with your parents?”

  “No.”

  He was done. “God damn it, speak. What’s wrong?”

  “I need to go home next weekend. I hope you have Jake behind bars by then or I know you’re gonna want to send CJ with me.”

  “Why the hell would I send CJ with…” It hit him. She had been right. He was hurt. “You’re not planning on me going with you, are you?”

  Now she was ready to talk. “Lukus, I’m just not ready for that yet. Please, don’t be upset, but I haven’t told them about dating you yet, and I want to keep it that way for a while longer. They aren’t going to understand.”

  “Honestly, I don’t give a fuck if they understand. It’s none of their damn business. I told you I love you, Tiff. Those aren’t just words to me. You’re important to me.”

  “I know, honey, and I’m so happy. I really am.”

  “So, you’re happy, and yet you’re ashamed of me.”

  “Please. I’m not ashamed of you. This is about me and my parents,” she said.

  “Like hell it is. If I were straight-laced Jason, you’d take me home to meet the folks in a heartbeat. This is about me and who I am.”

  He could see his words struck home. Her tears were back. He didn’t give a fuck. Her parents should have been thrilled someone loved their daughter as much as he did.

  Fuck that. Doesn’t she have a clue how much I’ve turned my life upside down to be with her? And for what? So I can turn into an emotional pussy?

  “Lukus, please. Next weekend is my brother and his fiancée’s bridal shower. All of the women are going to it, so it’s not really something you’d go to anyway. The wedding is in six weeks. Let me start getting them used to the idea of me dating someone, then maybe you can come home with me for the wedding.”

  “That’s not good enough. You go, I go,” he said.

  He saw the panic through her tears. He felt a bit like an ass, but not enough to change his mind. He held firm.

  “But—”

  “You go, I go. It’s that simple.”

  “Okay. I won’t go.”

  “Fuck! You know that’s not what I want.” Lukus willed himself to calm down before speaking again. “What is it you think is gonna happen if I go home with you that’s so bad?”

  “First, I almost never have taken any guys home, so that will surprise them.”

  “That’s good. I hate thinking of anyone touching you before me.”

  “They’ll ask for your full name, and I guarantee you that, within five minutes of getting it, they’ll be running a background check on you. My dad is a retired cop. Liam and Aiden are cops. Colin was a cop and is now a district attorney. They’ll find your arrest record. They’ll know what it was for. They’ll find out that you own this club, and what kind of club it is. They’ll figure out that I obviously come here, and what kinds of things I’m into. First, they’ll be scandalized. Then they’ll blame you for ruining me. It’ll get ugly. I love them, honey, and I love you. Please don’t make me choose between you.”

  Lukus had listened. He understood her fears. He felt bad his past actions would cause problems with her family, but in the end, it didn’t matter.

  “Tiff, by not telling them about me, you’ve already made your choice. You’ve chosen them.”

  “Oh, God. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  “So, why did you tell me?”

  A big fat tear escaped down her cheek. “I told you because I love you. And because I promised I wouldn’t lie or hide things from you. I told you because I agreed to be your sub. To let you be my Dom. My HoH.”

  “Aw, baby. Come here.”

  She melted into his arms. They snuggled quietly while Lukus sorted through what he needed to say. He gently pushed her away from his chest. He needed to see her eyes.

  “I understand why you don’t want me to go with you, Tiff. I hate it, but I understand it.” She started to look relieved but he quickly dashed that. “I’m honored that you trust me to be your Dom—and, more importantly, your HoH. That means you trust me to guide us and our relationship, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t sound so sure.

  “Then you’re going to have to trust that I know what I’m doing when I tell you there’s no way you’re going without me. We are going. Together. Period.”

  “But—”

  He held his fingers up to her lips to shush her. “No buts, baby. Now, it’s best if you give them a warning that I’m coming with you. You’re right to withhold my name until I get there, though. You let me deal with your brothers.”

  “It’s my dad I’m worried about.”

  “Fine. Let me deal with your dad.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing… Sir.”

  I hope I know what I’m doing too, baby.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tiffany

  “You know, if you squeeze my hand any harder, it’s gonna fall asleep. You need to calm down.”

  “I’m trying.” Tiffany forced herself
to relax the death-grip she had on Lukus’s right hand, but she didn’t let go. She needed to maintain physical contact if she hoped to fend off the threatening tears.

  The past week had flown by in a whirlwind of ups and downs. The high point was easily Lukus telling her he loved her over a week ago. The low point: finding out Jake was threatening not only Brianna and herself, but many other women in California. She was thrilled Lukus had insisted on her moving into his loft for safety’s sake. As a result, they’d been almost inseparable.

  Jake had turned up back in California last Monday morning, letting everyone heave a sigh of relief as Z and Dylan could begin tracking him again. As Lukus had observed, however, Jake was a pro at dropping off the grid—since no amount of tracking by Cameron, Lukus’s high-tech genius, could find him until he wanted to be found.

  Lukus and Markus had insisted on shortening the salon hours and deploying constant bodyguards for Tiffany and Bri. Those same guards delivered the women into the hands of their Doms at the end of each day.

  Unfortunately, the stress of knowing they were basically at war with Jake had taken its toll on Tiffany’s sleep. She woke every few hours in a cold sweat, often crying.

  When she wasn’t thinking about Jake, Tiffany had been dreading her family meeting Lukus. Now they were less than an hour away from her parents’ bed and breakfast on the shores of Lake Michigan. Even Lukus had shown cracks in his nerves of steel, and that made her more nervous. With each passing mile as Lukus navigated his BMW, her feeling of dread grew. She prayed her father and brothers didn’t make a scene. Her biggest fear was that the people she loved most in this world were going to make her choose between family and Lukus.

  “Come on, Tiff. You’re worrying way too much.” Lukus tried again to calm her.

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “So, tell me more about your family. All I know is your dad and brothers are cops.”

  She felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn’t that she’d lied, but she had made a conscious decision not to discuss them with him. She didn’t think he’d understand their family dynamic. She still didn’t, but considering he’d meet them in less than an hour, maybe it was best to fill him in.

  She squeezed his hand. “My family is great, but they’re not like most families. Bri has been home with me more times than I can count and she loves them, but even she gets overwhelmed.”

  “Overwhelmed?”

  “Yeah. There are a lot of us. No one is quiet or shy. When everyone gets going it’s a bit like simmering chaos.”

  “Interesting. Who’s gonna be there today?”

  Tiff was surprised, but then she remembered she had not filled him in before. “Everyone. This is a required event. No one says no to Mom on a required event.”

  “So, Mom wears the pants in the family? That might explain some of your sass.” At least his barb was delivered with a hot-coals Lukus Mitchell smile.

  “Well, if you ask Dad, he’ll deny it, but at least with us kids, she does. There’s only one of us that refuses to bend,” she said.

  “Ah, so there’s a rebel. Who’s that?”

  A sadness she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in a while settled over her. She’d love to see Declan today, but she knew he wouldn’t be there. He’d been out of touch for over a year now.

  “My brother Declan. He’s a few years older than me. He was a cop for a few years, but then…” She didn’t want to repeat the rumor. That might make it real. “He quit and moved away. No one’s heard from him for a long time. Don’t bring him up. It’ll make Mom cry and Dad yell.”

  “Okay. Fair enough. I know you have a lot of brothers. Just how many am I going to have to fend off today? Three?”

  Tiffany giggled. “Try four, today. Five with Declan.”

  “Five brothers! Holy shit, that’s a huge family.”

  “That doesn’t include my two sisters. Angelina and Colleen are the oldest. They’ll be there with their big families, too. I have eight nieces and nephews. Mom told me Matteo is even going to be there with his new girlfriend. He’s the only one younger than me. He’s been living on the east coast. He’s the baby.”

  “Holy shit. I should have been studying pictures and notes all week so I could keep everyone straight. Who are you closest with?” Lukus asked.

  “That’s easy. Aiden is only two years older than me, and we’ve always been closest. After Dad, he’s who I’m most worried about making a scene. He’s always been the most protective of me. No one is ever good enough for me in his eyes.”

  “Well, I know who I need to win over then, don’t I?” His grin was disarming.

  “Good luck with that.”

  A few minutes later they reached the turn off to the smaller road carrying them along the expansive lake. Beautiful wooded lots lined the far side of the road. The sun was high in the sky, birds flocked near the water, and a moment of peace descended on Tiffany as Lukus caressed her hand. She took a cleansing breath to calm her nerves.

  When Lukus navigated the car off the road and down a short inlet into the forest, she was surprised. They were only a few car lengths off the highway, but the dense trees gave them a great deal of privacy. He turned off the engine and gazed at her, a playful look on his face. She hoped he’d stopped for a quickie.

  “Why are we stopping here?”

  “I’ve been thinking of ways to help you stay calm today. I know you’re nervous and I get it, but there’s no reason for it. I love you. They love you. We’ll work it out, Tiff.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I am. Trust me. I have an idea to help you stay connected to me,” he said.

  She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “I don’t think binding me to you is going to impress them, honey.”

  He leaned over to the glove compartment and took out a small box that looked vaguely familiar. Her heart lurched when she remembered why.

  “Oh no, you don’t. I already feel scandalous enough bringing my Dom home to meet the parents. I’m not going to do it with a butt plug shoved up where the sun doesn’t shine.”

  His rolling laughter only made her angrier.

  “I mean it, Lukus. No way. No how.”

  “Tiffany.”

  “Snowball. Red. Butterfly. Stop. No.”

  “Really? All of the things we’ve done together, and this is what you’re going to safeword on?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  She had no words. He waited. And waited.

  Eventually, she said, “Shit. I don’t know.”

  “Not good enough. You come up with a good reason and I’ll stop, but just being afraid isn’t good enough.”

  “Fine. Good girls don’t let their boyfriends shove things in their bottom.”

  “Really? How do you know that?”

  “Well. Because… everyone knows that.”

  “And you want to be a good girl?” he asked.

  “Stop confusing me. Of course, I want to be a good girl in the eyes of my parents.”

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. So, let’s say I do plug that beautiful ass of yours. Do you think I’m going to bring it up in passing conversation? ‘Hey, Aiden. Can you pass the potatoes? Oh, and by the way, I shoved a nice big plug up your sister’s ass before we got here today.’”

  He succeeded in getting her to giggle.

  “You wouldn’t,” she said.

  “Oh, baby. Don’t dare me. So, unless your family does full-body cavity searches upon arrival, just how do you think anyone is going to find out?”

  Her pulse surged as Lukus played with her hand, still tight in his grip. “But I’d know.”

  “Exactly. And so would I. It’ll be our private secret. Something linking us together from across the room. Hell, even while you’re at the bridal shower, you won’t be able to forget me. Exactly how I want it.”

  He didn’t give her enough time to think about it. Lukus jumped out the driver’s side and came around to open
her door. He reached in, held her hand, and pulled gently, but firmly. “Out.”

  Tiff moved on autopilot, following him to the front of the car. He turned her to face it, placing her hands in the middle of the warm hood.

  “Spread ‘em,” he said.

  She felt like she was being frisked by a police officer—that was, until she felt him lifting her flirty spring skirt above her waist. His long catcall-whistle at seeing her thong underwear made her blush.

  “Let me guess. These are the kind of panties good girls wear?”

  “Very funny.”

  He looped his fingers through the elastic band, lowering her panties to just above her knees. “Keep those from falling down, young lady.”

  Her “yes, sir,” came naturally.

  She couldn’t see what he was up to, but she heard a zipper. Next, she heard what sounded like the opening of a jar, and was waiting for the first contact with a cool lubricant as he prepared her bottom hole for an intrusion. She was unprepared for the massaging of a lotion all across her curvy ass cheeks. Lukus stepped beside her and spent a full minute rubbing her bottom until she was moaning with pleasure. Only when the heat began to build where he’d touched did she suspect it was no ordinary cream.

  “Um. Sir. Why is my butt starting to tingle?”

  He grabbed her hips, talking intimately into her ear, his warm breath tickling the nape of her neck. “Just another connection for my good girl. You haven’t been naughty so you didn’t earn a punishment, but I did want this beautiful ass of yours to smolder for me, just like if I’d lit it up with my hairbrush or my belt. I’ll know you’re lying if you tell me this doesn’t turn you on.”

  While he’d been talking, the heat had increased from a warm tingle to a hot bite. When Tiff reached back to try to rub in relief, his open palm connected with her bare bottom in several quick swats. “Naughty girl. No touching. Let it settle in.”

  “It hurts.”

  “Yep. Be glad I’m not using that same cream as lube for the plug. That will happen in the future when you’re getting a naughty girl punishment.”