by Opal Carew
Ty wasn’t sure which of them surrendered to the tenderness, the aching love that often passed between them during the dark, silent nights in their bedroom when they came together, but there was no space between them now. Ty ground his cock against Noah’s, a desperate demand that made Noah groan against his mouth.
Noah broke the kiss, but pressed his forehead to Ty’s. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Ty’s fingers were buried in Noah’s shirt front and he didn’t want to let go. That was the crux of it. No matter how he felt about Tasha, he wanted to stay with Noah. He wanted them both. What the hell was he going to do?
“I kissed her,” Noah said.
Despite the arousing picture that presented, suspicion bled across Ty’s tongue. “Why?”
Noah shoved away from him. “For the same reason I kissed you the first time.”
Bracing his hand against the wall, Ty closed his eyes and hung his head. “You wanted me.”
“I still do.”
“So what now?”
After a beat of silence, in which Ty thought Noah was going to walk away and leave the question unanswered, Noah said, “Look at me when you’re talking to me.”
Ty’s body heated at the command, responding to so much more than the words. Eye contact during discussions was one of Noah’s unbreakable rules. Ty hated that fucking rule--wanted the privacy he gained by hiding his eyes, and the ignorance of not seeing Noah’s expressions--but he lifted his head and turned around, anyway, because the rule came from a place of love and respect.
And if Noah was enacting the rule, that meant Noah still viewed their relationship in a committed light.
Ty’s gut clenched as he studied his lover and Master’s body language. Noah wore a black undershirt and khaki cargo pants. His arms and feet were bare even though the basement wasn’t hooked up to the heating system that kept the rest of the house at a comfortable temperature, and only a ceramic space heater kept the sub-level from being cold enough for Ty to see his breath. Noah’s thick, defined biceps flexed as he crossed his arms over his chest and braced his feet, a stance that had the power to put Ty on his knees. He wanted to go there in that moment, right down on the floor between Noah’s feet and beg for forgiveness, but the hard line of Noah’s lips kept Ty upright.
The only fix for this problem between them was words. Sucking a deep breath, Ty let out the thing he’d been holding back. “I want both of you. Together, in the same relationship. I want her to need you as much as I do. I want her to love you as much as I do.”
Noah’s throat worked as he processed that, and when he spoke, his voice was raw, like he was stuffing down some emotion that threatened to burst free in a scream. “You didn’t tell me that. Worse, you didn’t tell her.”
Ty exhaled in a rush. “That isn’t something you say over e-mail.”
“But it is something you say. Not something you hide.”
“I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know what I was going to do about anything, if I was going to jump at all, but then she got that job offer and told me she was coming back to Baltimore. I thought this would be my chance. I thought if you saw her.Christ, Noah, you’ve seen her. You can see what she is. I bet you got your hands in her hair and your tongue in her mouth and she bent like a willow for you, soft and hot and fucking ready--” His heart lodged in his throat and he had to force the words out, had to know if he was wrong. “I thought she was…is she ready?”
Noah’s features hardened and he lowered his arms to his sides. “She wants to submit to you. If you don’t know the answer to that question, you have no business taking this any further.”
Ty nodded. He got what Noah was saying, but even though he believed the time was right--maybe even now or never, before Tasha looked elsewhere for someone to fulfill her--a kernel of doubt pinged around in his gut.
“What if I’m the one who isn’t ready?” All the years he’d played at power exchange, topping casually but never in a committed relationship, meant nothing when it came to what he wanted to do and be with Tasha.
“You’ll learn.” Noah turned back to the workbench. He started picking up the metal rings he’d scattered, leaving Ty to make his decisions.
“Will you help me?”
“Will I help you become what somebody else needs?” He abandoned the grommets and planted his hands on the bench, his shoulders tense, the tendons in his neck taut. He tilted his head, sightless gaze fixed on a blank stretch of wall. His lips moved silently, and in the stillness, Ty could hear the hitch in Noah’s breath.
Invisible claws ripped Ty’s chest wide. He reached for Noah, started to take the question back, but at the last minute, he dropped his hand.
The small movement set something loose in Noah, who inhaled and blew out the breath without looking away from that wall. “I will always be what you need.”
Noah’s words rang with a finality that made Ty want to get down on his knees right there and beg for that collar so he could bind Noah to him no matter what happened with Tasha. The pressure gathering in his skull burst in a tide of emotion that weakened his legs and trapped his voice in his throat.
Needing to acknowledge Noah’s vow, Ty forced his way past the block and rasped, “I know you will.”
Noah closed his eyes for a count of three, and then resumed collecting the grommets. After the scrape of metal on marble normalized the atmosphere between them, Ty ran his hand through his hair and admitted his uncertainty to Noah. “I don’t want to blow it. She’s new to the scene and she’s fragile. Hell, I don’t even know if she’ll be open to a threesome. I’ve dominated women before, but it never meant this much.”
Realizing how that must sound, Ty reached out and gripped Noah’s arm, a silent plea for him to understand.
But the silence was back. It could be like that. The unspoken words could be more painful than the shouts when they fought. Noah’s temper was formidable and it had taken him years to master it through learning control. Ty recognized the regular breathing, the way his neck muscles clenched, the twitch of his fingers. The signs that Noah was tamped down, holding himself back.
“Talk to me.” Ty tightened his grip. “You’re my Master. You will always be my Master, no matter what happens with Tasha-”
“I told you not to lie to me. Don’t you think I know how important this is to you?” Noah twisted and seized Ty’s chin. “Things can never go back to the way they were. I won’t let you lie to me or to yourself. I’m not going anywhere, but don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Ty reached up and grabbed Noah’s wrist. “Let me finish.”
Ignoring the flash of warning in Noah’s eyes, Ty forged ahead. “No matter what happens with Tasha, I’m not going to ditch what we have. I never planned to.”
For a full agonizing minute, Noah held Ty’s gaze, studying him intently. Noah wore an expression of uncertainty and vulnerability that Ty had never seen in him before, and that shook Ty to the core. Noah wasn’t a man who declared his love, leaving much of the force of his feelings unsaid. Tonight, those emotions sang loud and long. When Noah’s mouth claimed his, it wasn’t a kiss from a Master to a pet. It was lover to lover, heart to heart. The desperation Ty tasted on Noah’s lips was gut wrenching. Ty returned Noah’s kiss with demands of his own, needing his lover, wanting him.
Noah gripped Ty’s hair and pulled his head back, breaking the kiss. Their breath mingled, both of them laboring to inhale. His Master smiled and Ty’s heart rate pounded at the sensual lift of Noah’s mouth.
“Alright then,” Noah said, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and pressed his lips to Ty’s throat making him shudder. “I want proof.”
Ty opened his mouth and Noah shook his head sharply. “Wait here.”
He crossed the room and opened one of the myriad drawers housing tools, scraps, and more intriguing items Ty alternately dreaded and craved. Turning, Noah held up a metal cock ring. Fuck. Ty narrowed his eyes. The silicone one would have been more comfortable. Noah really wante
d to torment him.
And Ty’s dick was hard as a rock at that thought.
Noah held Ty’s gaze as he returned. Ty stood motionless while Noah unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Almost motionless. His cock strained for Noah’s touch.
”Master.” The word was a groan, raw in Ty’s throat.
“This is mine, isn’t it, Ty?” Noah palmed Ty’s erection. “Every inch of your body is mine, whether you explode inside Tasha’s sweet mouth or spill all over the floor. Mine. Say it.”
“My body is yours,” Ty rasped.
“Your dick is mine. Isn’t it? And you’d better start calling me ‘Sir’. You’ve been disobedient enough, don’t you think?” Noah reached into Ty’s underwear and gripped his balls in a vise-like hold that made it hard to breathe.
Staring at the ceiling, Ty dug his fingernails into his palms and fought the urge to thrust against Noah’s hand. “Yes, Sir.”
“You look at me when I’m touching you,” Noah demanded, his tone sharp.
Ty jerked his gaze to Noah’s face. The dark desire written there making his pulse scramble. Satisfaction curved Noah’s mouth as he stroked Ty’s cock with long, strong pulls that sent all the blood from his head to his dick in a rush, leaving him breathless and lightheaded.
The metal of the ring was cold and it tingled as Noah slid it over Ty’s engorged flesh. The ring’s strangling hold was familiar, painful, arousing. Ty drew a deep breath, trying to control the raging need that would only make the damn thing tighter.
“You know the rules,” Noah reminded him. “You wear this for thirty minutes and then take it off for thirty minutes. You don’t come. For every orgasm you have without my permission, you’ll receive one strike from the paddle in front of Natasha. I’ll know if you lie to me, so don’t even think about it.”
Noah’s words were enough to make Ty’s cock swell and the ring’s cold metal cinched tight, warming with his flesh. He had difficulty thinking around Noah’s expectant words and deliciously punishing hands, but mention of Tasha anchored him and jogged his brain back on its rails. In his wildest dreams, Tasha would derive as much pleasure from this as Ty and Noah did, but the reality… Christ, the reality. “I’ll scare the fuck out of her with this hard on, Sir.”
His Master grinned, the bastard. “I doubt it. She doesn’t seem to scare easy.”
A moment later, his smile vanished. He yanked Ty closer to plant a hard kiss on his mouth. “This is to remind you that what belongs to you is mine.”
“Including Tasha?”
“Especially her.”
Chapter Three
Startled awake, Tasha jerked off the heavy blanket that some thoughtful person had draped over her. After a moment’s disorientation, she remembered the flight. The kiss. The wound she’d dealt Noah, who had retaliated by making sure she was warm while she slept. She wasn’t sure when he covered her. She’d crashed on the couch the minute her butt hit the cushions, and dreamt fitfully.
Now, hours later, she rubbed her eyes and peered into the darkness of the house. A light glowed weakly from the kitchen, but she didn’t hear anyone moving. Something made her whip around. She froze when she spotted a shadowy figure seated in a nearby armchair.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Ty’s voice sounded strange.
She wedged her back against the arm of the couch and stared at him, unsure how she felt about seeing him now.
He seemed to expect her to say something, so she latched onto a meaningless thing. “How long have you been sitting in the dark?”
“About twenty minutes.” He leaned forward, made a strangled sound, and sat back as if physically uncomfortable.
Tasha frowned. “What’s wrong?”
He waved his hand through the air. “Something between me and Noah.”
“Noah. Right.” She bit her lip, unsure how to handle this. According to her seamless, carefully-thought-out plan, Ty should be overcome with excitement to see her by this point in their reunion. Instead, he acted like a wall stood between them.
Well, someone would have to do something, or they wouldn’t get anywhere. She took a deep breath and jumped in with both feet. “He kissed me.”
Ty didn’t miss a beat. “I know.”
She waited for him to say more. And started to get angry when he didn’t. “That’s it? I thought--”
She stopped. What had she thought? That he’d be upset knowing his lover of seven years had made a pass at her? And who had she expected him to place in the wrong, Noah for pursuing her? Or her, for tempting Noah?
Head pounding, she rose and brushed her hair away from her face. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
What she really needed was a do-over, but failing that, a minute away from reality would have to do. She was confused, angry and hurt and she didn’t know why. Despite sleeping the entire day, she was still tired from the flight. Her head was fuzz and her body ached with tension and arousal.
Noah had left her bags beside the couch. She bent and rifled through her purse in search of her cosmetic pouch, struggling not to cry. How could she have been so foolish to think Ty wanted more than a friend from her, when he had Noah?
The chair creaked and Ty suddenly loomed over her. She lowered her chin and rounded her shoulders, but he refused to let her hide. Gripping her upper arm, he lifted her to her feet and turned her to face him. “Something’s wrong. Talk to me.”
She tried to pull away. Ty let her go as long as the end of his arm, but she couldn’t break his hold. Pride stiffened her spine and hardened her voice. “It doesn’t matter. Let me go. I need to pee.”
“You flew all the way from California to talk to me, and now you’re going to, even if I have to follow you into the bathroom.”
“Fine! You want to talk? Let’s talk,” she shouted, but when she drew another breath to blast him, the words came out on a sob. “I thought you wanted me. I thought you wanted me to come here.” She stopped fighting his hold, but she couldn’t look at him. Ty’s rejection had the power to break her. Even if he didn’t say it, she would see it in his face, and she was coward enough to hide from the truth.
“But you don’t think that now?” He reeled her closer.
Tasha would like to say he forced her, but she lifted her feet and placed them one in front of the other of her own free will. Noah’s kiss--her response to his kiss--had confused her, but hadn’t erased what she felt for Ty. That kiss had just complicated things, twisted them up so much, she didn’t know where to even start working the knot.
Miserable, she finally looked up at him. “I don’t know what to think now, except that I think I’ve done something really stupid.”
Ty bent her arm behind her back and the distance between them vanished. He was hard against her belly, so hard, her eyes widened in surprise and a puddle of heat settled between her legs. She strained even closer, memorizing the sensation of his body against hers. This was the first time Ty had held her like a woman he wanted to claim, and her heart cracked as she acknowledged it might be the last time, too.
Swallowing, she whispered, “Say something.”
His lips brushed her temple. “I do want you.”
He said it with such ease, with not a hint of apology, and her anger came rushing back. Yeah, he wanted her. That much was obvious, a stiff brand surging between them. But she’d recently learned want wasn’t enough, because it wasn’t just Ty and Tasha anymore.
“Where does Noah fit into this, Ty?”
Ty didn’t miss a beat. “Where do you want him to fit in?”
“You don’t get to put this on me.” She jerked against him, needing space, unwilling to tell him about all her assumptions, about how she’d thought Ty was unhappy and unfulfilled. That she’d planned to swoop in and make Ty’s life better because she just knew she was the right person for him.
“Let me reassure you on one point, Tasha. The way you feel about me isn’t one-sided. And I have permission from Noah to do anything to you and with you that you let me do
.” His mouth was close to hers, his minty breath warm on her cheek.
She started to speak, but his next words chased the thoughts from her head.
“The only thing I can’t do is come. If I do, I’ll be punished. But other than that?” His lips brushed hers and heat flashed through her. She was made for this, for him. Why had she never gotten this close before? She wanted closer, and Ty seemed to know her desire. Releasing her arm, he wrapped her ponytail around his fist, much as Noah had, and pinned her to receive his kiss.
Groaning, she reached up to touch him but Ty was lightning fast, capturing her hands and locking them together behind her back. He held her gloriously helpless, his hard cock pressed against her soft flesh and she shuddered, desperately wanting him this way. Rough and uncontrolled. Inside her.
But Ty didn’t take her there. He broke their kiss and stared at her, his expression hidden in the dark. His voice was wickedly low and commanding. “For so long, I’ve wanted you on your knees, mine to touch, mine to own. But you weren’t ready, and neither was I. I need to know if you’re ready for us now.”
Us. Her body flashed hot at the possibilities but she couldn’t help but balk at what Ty proposed. Needing a minute to think without Ty’s nearness influencing her, she turned her face away and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Tasha.”
“I can’t…this is so unfair, Ty. Did you and Noah have this planned? For how long? You couldn’t, I don’t know, talk to me first?” She felt like a fool, like Ty and Noah had combined forces to become something she was too inexperienced to see coming at her. And all at once, she’d had enough. She jerked against Ty’s hold. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Let me go.”
Finally, he released her. Tasha put half the room between them. The space barely helped. She still felt stupid and manipulated but now all that was confused by the pain she could hear in Ty’s words. She wanted to go back to him and fix the hurt. Backing away, she walked to the window and pressed her face against the glass.