by Scarlet Day
Colt and Laci, who had apparently been out on the grounds, burst through the front door. Colt skidded to a stop, grabbing Laci by the waist and putting her behind him. “What the hell—?”
Tucker waved him over. “Colt, I’ll need your help with this.”
Matt spun around and wrapped one arm around Paige, wincing a little from the pain in his back. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“Matt, go to my office. We’ll get you cleaned up there.” Tucker nodded toward Paige. “And get her something to drink. She looks like she’s about to go into shock.”
Matt looked down at Paige. All the color had drained from her face as she’d watched the blood drain from her father’s body. Matt pulled her toward Tucker’s office, away from the awful scene of death, leaving Tucker and Colt to clean up the mess.
A cold knot of dread formed in Matt’s stomach as he led Paige to Tucker’s office. As much as Matt knew Paige hated her father, he hoped she could forgive them for killing the man, even though it had been self-defense. If she couldn’t get past what had just happened, he felt like the buckshot might just as well have gone straight through his heart.
Chapter Eighteen
“Hold still.” Paige managed to apply the last piece of tape onto the bandage she had pressed against the wounds on Matt’s back, in spite of his protesting. Two pellets had grazed him fairly deeply, but he had refused stitches. Tucker’s wet bar was equipped with a substantial medical kit, and she’d been able to clean the wounds and use surgical tape to secure the cuts.
She didn’t know how Matt had moved so fast when her father had shot at him, but she was certain if Matt had been even a millisecond slower he would have been seriously injured. Or worse. She gulped down the lump that rose in her throat, not willing to break down yet. She would eventually, she was certain. But she wanted to take care of Matt first.
“You didn’t have to do this.” Matt turned to face her, pulling his shirt back down. “Tucker or Dylan could have taken care of it.”
“No. I wanted to.” She looked up into Matt’s eyes, into the eyes of the man who had just risked his own life to save hers. “He could have killed you. He would have, if you hadn’t—” Her voice broke as she thought about how close she came to losing this man she’d come to care for so much.
Matt wrapped his arms around her. “Hey, it’s okay.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, though she’d tried to hold them back. Matt stroked her hair and held her tight to him. The strength of his arms and the solidness of his chest helped to calm her too-frayed nerves.
It wasn’t enough, though. “Where’s Dylan?” She’d seen the look on his face after he’d— She swallowed hard, trying to blot the image out of her mind. She failed.
The sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. Paige turned to see Dylan hesitantly take one step into the room, before he stopped and looked down, averting his gaze from her. He’d changed into some jeans and a T-shirt, and Paige didn’t see any blood on him.
“Um, hey.” Dylan glanced up and then looked down again, a pained expression on his face. “Paige, I understand if you don’t want to talk to me right now…”
Paige barely even heard his words. There was only one thing she could think about, only one thing she wanted to do. She let go of Matt and rushed across the room, practically slamming into Dylan as she wrapped her arms around him in a desperate grip.
Dylan put his arms around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, Paige. I hope you can forgive me.”
Paige looked up at him in confusion. “For what?”
Dylan threw a glance over her head in Matt’s direction and then looked back down at her, concern etched into his face. “Paige, I just kil— For what I did to your father.”
Paige frowned and shook her head furiously. “He was never a father to me. Never.” She lifted her hand and pressed her palm against his cheek. “But what you did…you threw yourself at him.” She looked over her shoulder at Matt and then looked back up at Dylan. “You and Matt, what you did for me…” More tears blurred her vision. “I don’t have to be afraid anymore. You’ve given me my freedom. How am I supposed to even begin to thank you for that?”
A body—Matt’s—pressed up close behind her. His hands slid down her arms, and his breath brushed across her left ear. “I can think of a few ways. For a start, how about becoming our mate? And being the only sub we’ll ever want or need?”
Matt’s words sent a delicious shiver up her spine. In spite of everything that had happened in the last hour, or maybe because of just how close one or more of them had come to dying, she’d never felt more alive. And she’d never felt more drawn to these two men.
She looked up into Dylan’s eyes. A cautious smile played at the corner of his lips. “What do you think, Paige? Do you think you could ever love a two-bit guitar player and a glorified bartender?”
Paige leaned back, pressing her body against Matt, molding herself to his hard form. She placed both of her hands on Dylan’s chest and smiled up him. “I already do.”
Dylan’s lips came down on hers with a possessiveness that took her breath away. His tongue probed her mouth. So many emotions flooded through her that all she could do was hold on and let them take her.
A throat cleared from somewhere nearby. “I hate to interrupt…”
Paige pulled away from Dylan’s kiss and saw Tucker standing sheepishly in the doorway, or at least as sheepish as was possible for Tucker to look.
Tucker examined her with a concerned expression. “Are you okay?”
Paige took a deep breath and nodded. “I will be.”
Tucker studied her for another moment and nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer. He crossed the room to the wet bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Paige knew it took a hell of a lot of alcohol to affect shifters, especially males, and she had a feeling that glass would only be the first of many for Tucker tonight. After what they had all been through, between them they probably deserved to polish off an entire case of the stuff.
Tucker pointed to the medical kit and looked at Matt. “Did you get fixed up?”
Matt entwined his fingers with Paige’s and brought her hand to his lips. “Yep. She took care of me.”
Tucker nodded and took a drink of his whiskey, his gaze focused on Paige over the top of his glass. “We have a small cemetery about a mile to the west of here. Despite the things he did, I believe everyone should get a decent burial. Do you have any objections?”
Paige shook her head. She had no love for her father, but she agreed with Tucker and was touched by his compassion. “Thank you. He doesn’t deserve it, and I wouldn’t have asked, but…thank you.”
Tucker nodded. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Paige, I have a hard time believing he expected to be able to barge in here the way he did and get away with it. It’s not rational.”
Paige scoffed. “He’s never been rational.” She thought about Tucker’s words for a moment. “But now that I think about it, his behavior over the last few months was becoming more and more unpredictable. He was more abusive. More, I don’t know…desperate.”
Tucker sighed and drained his glass. “He was always unstable. It’s why my dad didn’t like him. Maybe his demons were finally taking what was left of his mind.” He stared down into his empty glass. “I can’t help feeling like his actions today were an act of suicide.”
The words stunned Paige. She hadn’t thought of it like that before, but maybe Tucker was right. “I should call Devon. Maybe he can shed some light on Dad’s mental state since I’ve been gone.”
Tucker exchanged a dark look with Matt. “Paige, do you think your brother had anything to do with this?”
Paige shook her head, certain of her brother’s innocence. “No. He hated Dad as much as I did. He only stayed in the house to protect me. Once Devon was big enough, Dad knew he couldn’t beat me and Mom anymore. But he still threatened to track us down and kill us if we ever left
.”
“And yet, you left anyway.”
Paige nodded at Tucker’s words. “Once I found out what Dad had tried to do, that he’d tried to kidnap Laci, I knew I had to.” She stared at Tucker, silently pleading for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry for putting all of you in danger. I should have known he’d find me. All of you could have been killed.”
Tucker dropped his glass on the wet bar and then crossed the room to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and stared down at her with a fierceness in his gaze. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing. I have my niece back. You’ve made these two men happier than I can remember seeing them. I am so glad you were brave enough to come.” He pulled her into an embrace she didn’t expect, much like she didn’t expect the surge of emotions that flooded through her.
After a moment, Tucker pulled back and Paige was startled to see tears brimming in the big man’s eyes. “Call Devon. If he wants to rejoin the pride, he’s welcome here.” He glanced at Dylan and Matt and then looked back down at Paige. “Considering everything that’s happened, why don’t you wait until next week to start working the front desk? Something tells me these two are going to keep you busy for a few days, anyway.”
Tucker grinned and then strode out of the room, leaving Paige alone with Matt and Dylan.
Chapter Nineteen
Paige rubbed the silver charm between her fingers, feeling the pattern of the tiny paw print engraved on it. In the weeks she’d been wearing the necklace Matt and Dylan had given her as a symbol of their mating and her submission to them, touching the small charm had become a habit. Her life had changed so much over the last couple of months. She was finally free from her father. Her brother had accepted Tucker’s offer and would soon be joining the pride. Best of all, she had somehow ended up mated to not just one incredible man, but two. The solid piece of metal she held between her fingers helped remind her everything that had happened was real. The necklace happened to be the only item she was currently wearing, since Matt and Dylan had a rule that she was to be naked whenever they played in the basement.
A sharp slap echoed off the walls of the dungeon room, but Paige didn’t flinch this time. She had been practicing with a flogger, but she wasn’t yet proficient enough to give Dylan what he occasionally needed. For now, Matt filled that role, his masterful strikes sending Dylan into the same subspace Paige had learned to crave.
While Matt expertly striped Dylan’s bare back, Paige held the flogger she’d been practicing with and ran her fingers through the tails. This flogger was what Matt had described as a beginner’s version, its soft tails capable of a dull thud, but not something that would leave much of a mark. She’d been using it on a pillow, not yet confident enough to use it on actual skin, even though she knew it wouldn’t hurt Dylan. Soon, though, she knew she’d be ready.
Matt turned and handed her the flogger he had been using on Dylan. Paige took it and ran her fingers through the tails, feeling the difference between its stiffer leather compared to the softer one she’d been practicing with. Matt wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him. Her body molded to his, and the buttons from his shirt rubbed against her breasts, making her nipples hard and taut. A shiver went through her as she looked up into his intense stare. His lips were only inches from hers, and his breath whispered across her face. She leaned into him, needing his mouth on hers.
Matt abruptly let go of her and backed away, his familiar grin turning up one side of his mouth. Paige wanted to stomp her foot, but she knew that would only get her punishment, likely in the form on sexual deprivation. His little tease just now was something he enjoyed doing to her, getting her worked up and then making her wait. He knew it just turned her on even more, until she felt as though she would go insane from desire.
Matt unfastened Dylan from the St. Andrew’s Cross and led him to the couch. Paige followed him and dropped to her knees on the floor next to Dylan, who stretched out on the couch on his stomach, his skin red and inflamed from the flogging.
Matt offered Dylan a bottle of water and handed Paige the lotion Dylan preferred during aftercare. This had become a ritual after one of Dylan’s sessions, and it was something Paige enjoyed doing for him. She squeezed a generous amount of lotion into the palm of her hand and then rubbed her hands together before applying it to Dylan’s irritated skin. She smoothed her palms over his back in circles, covering him with the soothing lotion. Dylan practically purred under her ministrations. Once she was finished with the lotion, she draped a light blanket over him and started to stand.
Dylan reached out and gripped her right wrist. “Don’t let him wear you out too much.” His words slurred, but even in his groggy state his grin was as cocky as ever. “I’ve got plans for you later.”
He dropped her wrist and settled back into his happy place. Paige knew he would be oblivious to just about anything else for at least the next half hour.
Just as she was about to stand up she sensed, rather than heard, Matt approach her from behind. She had never met anyone who could be so stealthy, whether in human form or shifted into his cat. As far as Paige was concerned, it was a damn sexy trait.
Matt twisted his fingers into her hair and pulled her head back so she was looking up at him as he towered over her. “Suck me.”
Matt’s command sent trembles through Paige. She scrambled around on her knees to face him. He knew she loved this and couldn’t get enough of it. She quickly unfastened his jeans and then tugged them down until his cock sprang free. She inhaled deeply, reveling in the masculine smell of him.
She gripped the base of his thick cock and licked the tip of his engorged head. Her tongue probed the thin slit, and his musky taste exploded on her tongue. Her pussy clenched, and she knew she would be sopping wet by the time she satisfied Matt. Her fingertips traced the thick veins along his length and the velvety skin tightened under her touch. She wrapped her lips around him and sucked him deep into her mouth. Matt groaned and tightened his grip in her hair, thrusting his hips toward her. She took all of him eagerly and looked up at him, silently begging for more. She would take everything he was willing to give her.
Matt obliged. He thrust his hips over and over again, holding her head captive in his strong grip. Paige wrapped her free hand around his tight balls and massaged them, a deep groan from Matt her reward. She sucked him with enthusiasm, using her tongue and teeth to tease and torment him. She felt his sack draw up close to his body, and she grinned in anticipation around his thick shaft. He shuddered and then his hot cum shot into her mouth. She swallowed his salty liquid as quickly as she could, not only because she craved it, but also because she always got a reward when she didn’t miss a drop.
Matt released her hair as she finished licking his shaft and head. Then he put his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to him.
“You are such a good girl.” Matt’s praise sent thrills of pleasure through Paige. He studied her for a moment, his intense gaze making her think he could see straight into her heart and mind. “I have a special reward for you tonight. Something I’ve watched you grow more and more curious about lately.”
Paige trembled and her gaze flicked involuntarily to the far wall, where Matt kept the assortment of floggers.
Matt’s eyes seemed to glow in the dim light. “Yes, kitten, I’ve seen you looking at them. I’ve seen the way your skin flushes when you run the tails through your fingers.” He stared down at her, not giving her the opportunity to deny what she already knew in her heart. “Tell me what you want.”
Paige could hardly breathe. She stared up at Matt, knowing she couldn’t lie to him. Not only would he be able to tell if she lied, since she was a terrible liar, but she was forbidden from lying to her Masters. There was nothing left to do but tell him the truth.
“I want to know what it feels like, Sir.” She trembled, hardly able to believe she was admitting her secret desire out loud.
Matt narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re going to have to be
more specific.”
Paige had known he would say that. He and Dylan never let her off the hook that easily. She swallowed hard and took her deep breath. She was ready for this. She knew she was ready by the way her pussy clenched, and her juices flowed every time she watched Matt flog Dylan. She knew by the way her heart fluttered when she played with the leather tails. And she knew by the level of trust she had in her Masters.
“I want you to tie me to the cross, Sir. I want you to whip me.” She looked into Matt’s eyes and saw the trust she had for both of her Masters reflected back at her in Matt’s gaze.
Being their submissive wasn’t just about her trusting them. It was a two-way street. She wasn’t the only one who had been claimed.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scarlet Day originally hails from Texas, but has made her home on the sunny beaches of Florida with her husband and son. When she isn’t busy with her day job or writing her next book, Scarlet spends time at the beach and firmly believes that one can never take too many trips to Disneyworld.
For all titles by Scarlet Day, please visit
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
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