Binding Love

by Maggie Casper

  Cooper thought about threatening a phone call but decided against it. Something needed to happen. Either he was going to have to come clean with his family or he was going to have to end his relationship with Liam and Mallory. While neither possibility thrilled him, he couldn’t even fathom the latter.

  “Will you close the door please?”

  Casey’s eyes widened as she straightened to close the door. When she came back, it was to get comfortable in one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk. “Spill it, little brother.”

  He chuckled. “I haven’t been smaller than you since I was in fourth grade.”

  Casey waved a hand as if it didn’t matter. “I’m still older.”

  Cooper knew there was no winning the argument. Instead of trying, he revealed the whole sordid tale, starting from the time they were all in business school together until his last trip to visit Liam and Mallory.

  She stared at him wide-eyed for a second before she giggled and clapped. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to her unusual reactions.

  “Why are you so happy? Did you not hear what I just told you?” He was frustrated and embarrassed.

  “Of course I did. You aren’t only in love but you are in love with two people.” She leaned in closer. “Do you realize your whole face changes when you talk about them? You don’t scowl.”

  Cooper jumped to his feet. He felt restless. “I just told you I’m in love with a man, Casey. You know what that means, right?” He searched her with his gaze but only found a soft smile and the always present light in her eyes.

  “Yes. And?”

  Holy hell! Was she really that naïve? “What will they think?” The last came out nearly a whisper as he motioned to the door connecting his office with the rest of the bar.

  At his words, Casey rose to her feet too. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder as she hugged him around the waist just as she always had. When she looked up at him, her eyes were damp. “They are going to be as happy as I am to have you back, Cooper. We’ve missed you.”

  “Case,” he all but growled. “I am bisexual and I have a boyfriend as well as a girlfriend.”

  She actually shrugged her shoulders at him. “So? I’m marrying a bossy man who enjoys spank—”

  Cooper put both hands out as if to ward off her words. “Whoa! Too much info.”

  Her laughter was infectious, and before Cooper knew what was happening, he was smiling. Maybe he could do this. Maybe they would understand and not judge him. Maybe.

  “Just don’t go into details, the same as you didn’t want to hear my specifics, and everything will be fine, brother mine. We love you no matter what. We’re McCains!”

  And like the whirlwind she was, Casey was out the door, leaving Cooper to wonder when she had grown up and become so worldly.

  * * * * *

  Liam paced the length of the kitchen. It was Thursday evening and he was antsy. “Pack a bag, we’re going to Chaos.”

  Mallory, who sat at the table perusing a magazine, looked up from the glossy pages to study him. “Do you really think we should?”

  If there was one thing Liam didn’t like, it was being unsure, especially where the people in his life were concerned. He didn’t consider himself a control freak, at least not in the insane, jealous, stalker sort of way, but he’d had enough of not knowing what the hell was going on. And he sure the hell had enough of Cooper’s excuses and nightly conversations covering everything from the weather to television, everything except what was happening between the three of them.

  “I don’t know if we should or not, but we are. Now do as I say and go start packing. I’ll make arrangements for first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Mallory looked as unsure as he felt, which Liam could completely understand being on edge himself, but she still did as instructed. Watching her leave the room, he decided once they were prepared for their trip, he was going to be in need of a little diversion. A little bare-handed entertainment would very much be enjoyed, at least by him. It was a good thing Mallory was the type to consider being the whipping boy, or in this case, the spanking girl, as part of her service to him. He was already feeling better.

  Decision made, Liam left the kitchen and headed for the office. He had tickets to purchase. Half an hour later when Mallory walked through the door, he was just printing out their flight confirmations.

  “I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to pack for you.”

  Liam eyed her from head to toe then back up again. She noticed the gleam in his eye right away. She took a step back before stopping herself, letting him know it made her nervous. He liked it when she was nervous, wondering what he had planned.

  “That’s all right, baby. I’ll pack my own bag.”

  “Okay, Sir.” She didn’t sound too pleased, but she didn’t fuss, being the good girl she was.

  “You can come keep me entertained while I do it.”

  No more words were exchanged until they reached their room when Liam turned to her. “Strip, girl.”

  She said not a word as she moved toward the chair where she sat to remove first her shoes and then the rest of her clothes, folding them neatly. When she was completely nude, Liam motioned her to her knees in front of him.

  “On all fours.”

  Without hesitation she did as asked. At that point, Liam removed his overnight bag from the bed and lowered it onto the smooth flesh of her back. She made the perfect table.

  Nothing like a little objectification, Liam thought as he began collecting clothing from the closet. The next time he passed Mallory it was to place some items in the bag and a paddle beneath her face on the floor.

  “Don’t let my bag fall or it will be a very uncomfortable trip tomorrow.”

  “Yes Sir.” Her voice shuddered on an exhalation. He could already see the change in her body and assumed if he fingered the plump folds of her pussy, he would find her damp with desire.

  Unable to wait a second longer, Liam knelt beside Mallory and did just that. She struggled to open her legs without tipping his bag off her back, allowing his fingers to penetrate her tight sheath and then move forward to toy with her clit.

  Mallory desperately wanted to buck against Liam’s hand and drive his fingers deeper inside her. He kept going back and forth between pistoning them in and out of her pussy and rubbing her clit until she thought she might go crazy. If she wasn’t so afraid of the thin wooden paddle staring her straight in the face, she might reconsider staying still enough to balance Liam’s bag. That wasn’t the case however, so she stayed as she’d been told.

  “Could you please move your bag, Sir?”

  It was impossible to see him, even out of her peripheral vision, with her hair hanging in her face, but she could hear the humor in his voice. “Now why would I want to go and do a thing like that?”

  His question was an easy one to answer. “So you can fuck me. Please.” She tried to sound as hopeful as possible.

  “But I’m not going to fuck you, baby.”

  His words delivered a crushing blow. She absolutely hated it when he toyed with her but then didn’t fuck her. Until the next time at least, and then things had a tendency to become explosive. Maybe he would at least let her orgasm. God only knew, she was getting close.

  “How come?”

  His hand disappeared from between her legs, leaving Mallory feeling bereft. She could hear his footsteps across the room, a drawer opening and then quietly closing. It seemed like hours had passed before he came back to place more things in the bag still resting on her back.

  Mallory had been so caught up in the sensations still flowing through her body and listening for every little sound, she hadn’t realized how uncomfortable she was becoming. Her arms were beginning to burn and her knees ached. She adjusted her position slightly and then gasped when Liam’s overnight bag tilted and nearly fell to the floor. She quickly resumed her previous position.

  “How come I’m not going to fuck you?” He came back to stand in f
ront of her. She knew this because the tips of his boots barely touched the edge of the paddle below her. How she’d missed his moving so close, she had no idea.

  She missed his touch, wanted him to stroke her pussy again. “Yes Sir.”

  The bag was lifted from her back but she still didn’t move because she hadn’t been given permission to do so. He didn’t come back to where she was still down on her hands and knees. Instead his voice came from behind her. “Because I want to spank you instead. I’m feeling a little frustrated and think your ass is the perfect target to take my aggression out on. Now crawl over here and bring the paddle with you.”

  The paddle?

  Oh god! She had a love-hate relationship with the paddle. Problem was, she wasn’t sure whether she loved to hate it or hated to love it. Either way, just the thought of being used in such a manner not only unnerved her but it turned her on beyond belief.

  Mallory collected the paddle and then did what she was told. On her hands and knees, she crossed the room to where Liam sat on a chair. Once there, she sat up, paddle in hand, and waited.

  He took his time. She knew exactly what he was doing. By making her wait he had the pleasure of not only seeing her naked body but also of watching her squirm. There was no way not to. Not when his piercing gaze was trained on her, watching her, studying her every twitch.

  Liam motioned her to face away from him and then pressed her chest into the floor. “Now lace your hands and put them on your head. Leave them there.”

  Beating wildly, Mallory’s heart felt as if it might gallop right out of her chest. She wished he would cuff her or tie her hands with something. She wasn’t sure she could hold her position once he started in on her with that wicked wooden devil.

  The gentle touch of his hand on her back caused Mallory to jump and Liam to chuckle. The sound was rich and deep, arrowing straight to her core. She wasn’t sure whether to sigh with relief when he once again placed the paddle right in front of her face or worry about the unknown.

  “Keep your hands exactly like they are and your favorite paddle will stay exactly where it is.”

  Hearing more than that wasn’t a necessity, but Mallory was still dying to know what he planned to do with her. She continued wondering right up until the flat of his hand landed against her ass for the first time, causing her to yelp.

  The momentum forced her to lurch forward, and like a train wreck, her hands slipped from their perch on her head.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Liam tsked.

  He’d seen her. Bloody freaking hell! She watched as his hand grasped the handle of the paddle and then it lifted out of sight. Taking a deep breath in through her nose and then exhaling slowly through her mouth still wasn’t enough to prepare Mallory for the sting to sear the flesh of her behind when the implement landed.

  Heat bloomed through her right side, causing a tingling sensation through her core and all the way up to her nipples. When another strike landed on the opposite cheek, tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. If she didn’t know better Mallory would swear she was on the verge of coming. She humped her hips against thin air, searching for release.

  When Liam placed the paddle back on the floor beside her, Mallory wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. When the next blow landed, she was prepared for it and held her position. She was frustrated when it was a soft peppering of flesh versus the intense impact she thought might send her over the edge.

  After several minutes of repeated impact all across her ass, she was blind with need and wild to feel the length of his cock tunneling deep within her.

  “Please, Sir. Oh god! Please?” The last was drawn out as a question.

  “Please what, girl?”

  She didn’t know. Wasn’t even sure what it was she begged for. She needed something. More. “I don’t know!” Mallory didn’t even recognize her voice.

  He continued to alternate between blistering blows and soft, fairly gentle spanks. She wasn’t sure which she enjoyed more.

  “Tell me!” Oh how she loved that rough tone of voice.

  “Fu…fuck me please or hit me harder. I do…don’t know, Sir, but please do something.”

  Mallory couldn’t think straight. Everything was blurring together. Nerve endings vied for attention. When she finally felt the head of Liam’s cock against her ass, she mewled in anticipation.

  He slid his cock lower then sank deep in one hard thrust, and on the next, his hand landed against the heated flesh of her outer thigh. Between the feel of his hands landing repeatedly and his cock fucking in and out of her pussy, Mallory was incoherently aroused.

  The last thought to go through her mind before she was overtaken by an orgasm so strong it sent her spiraling out of control was she wished Cooper were there too. And then she came in a shower of thunder so intense it seemed her body would never stop quaking.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Hey, Coop,” Cash’s voice pulled Cooper from his reverie. He felt guilty as hell. Although it had only been two weeks since he’d seen Mallory and Liam, it felt more like months. It wasn’t as if he’d dropped them or had been ignoring them. They still talked daily, but as of yet, he hadn’t come clean to his family, so there were still issues to deal with.

  “You’ve got company.” This time Cash stood in the doorway to his office.

  Company?

  He couldn’t imagine who would come to Raising Cain without simply walking through the bar and back to his office. Unless… Cooper let the thought trail off. No, it couldn’t be.

  Cooper moved out from behind his desk. He hadn’t quite made it to the open door of his office when he heard Mallory’s unmistakable laugh. They had come to Chaos.

  For reasons he didn’t quite understand, Cooper felt angry. He was excited to see them, but if Liam made the decision to make the trip unannounced, then it was very possible things were going to get bad before they got better.

  Cash was still standing beside him. His brother was casting dubious glances toward him, as if trying to gauge the situation. Cooper had no idea what to say. He watched as Liam talked with Jared, who was on a bi-week and so was helping out at the bar. Something they said made Mallory laugh yet again.

  This time it was one of those full-bodied laughs she was so good at. She threw her head back, exposing the long, sleek lines of her throat. Her hair danced across her back, glimmers of light dancing off the curls. The sound of her voice flowed over him, its richness wafting around him just as the scent of her essence had the last time they’d made love.

  It took Cash clearing his throat for Cooper to realize no one was talking anymore. Instead they were looking his way, watching as he and Cash stood shoulder to shoulder beyond the door to his office.

  “Shit.” Cooper plowed a hand through his hair.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on or why you’re all wound up—”

  “And you probably don’t want to,” Cooper cut Cash off, earning him a glare that at one point in time would have made him straighten up and take notice of what the oldest McCain sibling had to say.

  Now however, he wanted to leave the bar and take Liam and Mallory with him. He wasn’t ready to see the disappointment on Cash’s face. Cooper wasn’t so sure he would be able to face his brother after the truth came out.

  Cooper stepped forward only to be stopped by Cash’s hand on his arm. “Don’t be so sure, Coop.” Cash dropped his hand then turned until they were face-to-face. “And don’t sell yourself short. Or me either, for that matter.”

  Cooper nodded his understanding. He knew exactly what Cash meant. He understood Cash had already figured out something was going on between the three of them. Of course there was a big difference between him being involved in a triad relationship and him being a bisexual member of a triad relationship.

  He nodded again, trying to hide the agony he felt at revealing such a thing to the man who had done everything within his power to rear them all after the death of their parents.

  “Hey.” Mallory’s voice was
unsure as she approached him. Her gaze strayed to Cash, who wasn’t far behind, then back to him.

  “Hey yourself, sweetheart.”

  When Liam moved forward, Cooper stiffened. He knew the instant both Mallory and Liam realized it. Instead of making a scene or pressing the issue, Liam remained where he was. His voice was calm, much too calm when he spoke. “I thought maybe we could all go to dinner.”

  Cooper knew he was a bastard. The look in Mallory’s eyes made him feel about two feet tall. By the end of the night someone was going to be disappointed in him. The thought was disturbing. It was a chance he was going to have to take in order to follow the path he truly believed best for the three of them.

  Maybe Casey was right. He hoped and prayed that was the case.

  Decision made, Cooper felt a little lighter. He turned to Liam, giving the other man his full attention. “We can’t go out tonight. There’s a McCain family dinner planned for this evening.” The expression on Liam’s face had not changed at all. It was as if he were a statue set in stone. “I’d like it if you both came as well.”

  It was amazing how a few simple words made all the difference in the world. Liam relaxed and Mallory smiled. It wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot, but if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was the two people standing before him would be there to support him no matter what.

  Jared and Cash had left them alone. Cooper wondered if it was so obvious they had been in need of time then decided it more than likely was. When Liam sat at the bar, Mallory right next to him, Jared stopped what he was doing and came back up the scarred wood length to see how he could help them.

  Cooper excused himself to finish his work for the day while Jared served his lovers lunch. It was the first time in a long time Cooper felt as if his future might indeed be a happy one.

  He’d spent what felt like so many years bitter and unhappy, the feeling of contentment residing within him felt unusual and scary. Excitement was right up there vying for attention as well. In just a few short hours life as he knew it was going to change. It was a daunting prospect to say the least.