Damaged Goods

by Lainey Reese

  With a hiccupping cry, Terryn ripped the black, shapeless dress from her body and flung it across the room. She then yanked out the clips holding her bun in place and threw them with enough force that one broke when it hit the wall. With visions of Katie’s laugh and her challenging remarks still whirling through her mind, she grabbed the dress Katie had picked out for her from the back of the closet. It was clingy and sexy and completely inappropriate for a funeral, but she didn’t care.

  This was for Katie and she would do her proud.

  Brice got to the funeral late. The mourners were filing by the front slowly to give their condolences to the family. It wouldn’t give him a lot of time to observe everyone but he’d hang back and see what he could. He always came to the funerals if the killer was still at large. The way people acted gave him insights that led in some very fruitful directions. He was scanning the crowd of somber and weeping mourners when he caught sight of Terryn. She stopped his breath.

  Standing at the back of the room, she was dressed in killer heels with spikes that had to be five inches at least. Her long and shapely legs were displayed to mouthwatering perfection in a dress that was sin in material form. It was the color of the desert at sunset and it presented her body like a gift. Every inch of her was outlined in silk. The endless lines of her legs were bare up to mid-thigh, where the dress lovingly clung then embraced an ass that was so flawless in shape it made his palms sweat. That glorious auburn hair had been straightened and it glowed against her shoulders like polished copper. She would’ve stood out in the middle of a Hollywood red carpet, but in this setting she shone like beacon in the night.

  “That’s some dress, Red,” he whispered from behind her.

  She turned to him with a slight grimace and said, “I know. I had an aneurism or something.” She gestured self-consciously. “I was in a nicely hideous black dress when I looked in the mirror and heard Katie.” Tears filled and fell from her eyes, and a small smile curved her lips. “I swear I did. She was teasing me like she always did because I never dress up. Katie was always making me go shopping with her and pushing things like this dress on me. I’ve never had the guts to wear it, and she never stopped harassing me about it. So, for her…for her I wore it today.”

  Brice took the time to look his fill. She was lethal. Her straightened hair was held back with some clips so the exquisite symmetry of her features was evident. He let his gaze lower past her slender neck and almost-bare shoulders, where the dress was held on by delicate straps. Her waist flowed in an hourglass curve to a flat tummy and perfectly rounded hips. He swallowed audibly when he saw that her legs looked just as tempting from the front as they did from the rear view, long, tan and slender.

  He said the only thing he could think of: “You look like a walking fantasy.”

  She laughed softly. “Then I did her proud, I guess. Thank you.”

  “Can I help you to your seat?” he asked, hoping there would be an empty one next to it so he could stay close even though the service was all but over.

  “No, it’s almost done and I couldn’t sit still any longer. Thanks, though.” She smiled at him again. He was getting hooked on those smiles.

  “Well, I’ll stay here with you then and stand guard.”

  “Stand guard?” she asked, puzzled.

  “In this dress? You need it, even if we are in a church.”

  The Surf-N-Slurp was closed to the public for the day in memory of Katie. After the service and reception, a small group of Katie’s friends and co-workers gathered at the coffee shop. More to avoid going home and facing her lonely apartment, Terryn was one of them. The café was crowded with people who she could only assume felt the same. Terryn noticed that Kent wasn’t straying far from Angie and wondered if the two of them had had an official date yet. She knew Angie pretty well and didn’t think the poor girl even realized that she was in love with him.

  Terryn saw Brice head her way out of the corner of her eye and sat up a little straighter in her chair. There was just something so captivating about the man that made her sit up and pay attention. She knew that it was cliché to hook up at a time like this; people needed to reaffirm that they were alive and to find that most basic of comfort. Cliché or not, she might just see if the yummy Detective Marshall could be persuaded to take her home. He’d been kind and polite to her since he’d come to the center and told her about Katie. Right now she would give just about anything to get him to drop the detective persona and bring out the Dom she remembered from that first night. She had a suspicion that if he’d tie her up again, he could make her forget everything.

  “How are you holding up?” Brice asked, taking a seat next to her. He was dressed in a black silk shirt and slacks that fit him so well they had to be tailor-made.

  “Um, I’m fine.” She shrugged one shoulder and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Well, not really. I want to say something about how I feel. But everything that comes to mind sounds shallow and stupid. No wonder everybody always says the same things when they lose someone—it’s all there is to say.” She looked into his eyes and asked him, “Do you want to know what I’ve discovered over the last three days? There are a total of five acceptable phrases.”

  “Five?” he asked, reaching out to brush his fingers along her brow.

  “Five,” she replied, tilting into his touch as chills raced up and down her arms. “Five sentences sum it all up. ‘I can’t believe she’s gone. She was so young. She had so much life left to live. I still can’t believe it’.” Her voice broke and she reached up to press his hand until he was cradling the side of her face when she said the last one. “I don’t know how I’m going to live without her.”

  A tear trembled and fell from the corner of her lashes and she saw Brice watch it slide over her cheek to pool at the edge of her lips. He said, “Ah, Red,” then took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. “C’mere.” Without letting go of her hand, he walked into the hall leading to the restrooms. Terryn thought he was bringing her there so she could wash her face but when she reached out to open the door of the women’s room Brice gently turned her until she was backed into the wall and dipped his head.

  At the first touch of his lips, Terryn felt all her muscles clench as she held her breath. The kiss was tender and sweet. His mouth gently nuzzled hers and when she didn’t draw away or stop him, his tongue came out light as a feather and traced along her bottom lip until she opened for him. Then gentleness gave way to more. His mouth sealed over hers with a quiet groan and his tongue delved inside to stake his claim. The tender hand on her cheek slid to the back of her neck and gripped a fistful of hair; he used it to tilt her for a better angle and turned up the heat. Terryn’s breath caught on a small moan at the mastery of the move.

  She broke away with a gasp. “Wow.” And when he used his mouth on the skin just below her ear, “Oh really, wow.”

  “I want you to get your coat and meet me outside. Right now.” He looked into her eyes. She guessed he was judging to see if she was scared. She wasn’t, but it was nice he wanted to make sure. “All right?”

  “Yes.” Terryn was a little nervous. After all, the club wasn’t open this early, so that meant someplace private. However, she wanted this, she wanted him and she wanted to just feel something other than grief.

  “Go ahead, I just have to say goodbye to my cousin and his family first.”

  Riley stood between her husbands and Brice saw that each of them had a hand on her, stroking in comfort.

  “Hey, beautiful, wanna run away with me?” His heart eased to see her smile at his tired line. “We are going to find this guy, Riley. I promise.”

  As he clasped hands with her, he looked at first Trevor and then Cade, letting them know without words that he was hurting for them too. It turned out Katie had been the girl Riley had been hoping to set him up with and this was killing them all. She’d been a frequent guest of theirs these last months and was more than just Riley’s friend.

  “I k
now you will. You’re my hero.” Riley’s face crumpled. “Now you’ll be hers too.”

  “Ah hell, honey.” Trevor’s voice cracked as he said, “Don’t cry again. Please, little one, I am going to break in two here.”

  Brice hated how this was hurting her. He hated how it was hurting them all.

  “So,” Cade said as he rubbed comforting circles on Riley’s back, “Let’s talk about something less painful for a moment. Terryn, hmm?” He gestured with his chin to where they could see her saying goodbye to the cafés owner, Jenny. “You sure about that?”

  When Riley gasped, Brice quirked a brow and said, “I’m sure it’s not any of your business, cuz.”

  Riley reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Oh, Brice. I know you just said it wasn’t our business, but Terryn is not like us. I mean she has never been to our club or any club like it.” When Brice’s expression clued her in that she was stepping out of line, she hastened to explain. “I know she’s beautiful. God, I wished I looked half as good as she does, but, honey, she’s sweet.” She leaned close and whispered, “Brice, she goes to church.”

  Brice chuckled and whispered back, “So do you.” Before she could answer, he continued, “Riley, I love you like it’s nobody’s business, but this doesn’t concern you.”

  He could have left it at that. In all probability, he should have, if Terryn hadn’t confided to them that she was exploring the BDSM lifestyle herself. Brice couldn’t, though. Riley was dear to him and already hurting, so he wasn’t going to add worry on top of it all. “I met Terryn in the club, Riley. She’s a new sub and I promise I’ll take good care of her.” His look chided as much as his words. “You should know me better than that.”

  Riley looked nonplused for a minute. Trevor looked at Cade and asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I would have, eventually. As it stands, she’s only just started. I wanted to give her the chance to settle in before I told her the club belonged to us.” With a sigh and a sad shake of his head, he added, “In any event, I would’ve thought Katie had told her. Katie was the one who was showing her the ropes.”

  Riley looked back at Brice and took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just so out of it. But just be easy, ’kay? Our lifestyle is shocking to people who are new to it.”

  “You took to it like a cat to cream, Ry.” Cade’s whisper had the desired effect—Riley was distracted for a moment and blushed when she turned to look up at him. Brice shook each man’s hand and laid a kiss on Riley’s cheek before he turned and headed out to where Terryn waited for him on the sidewalk. It was time to put the grief and the case away for a while—he had a sub to claim.

  Chapter Eight

  Terryn stood on the sidewalk. It was a muggy day, the air warm and heavy. She closed her eyes and let the heat soak in as she waited. With her face tilted up to the sun and her mind on absorbing the warmth, she didn’t hear Brice until he whispered in her ear, “You’re incredible. Your hair looks like it’s on fire in the sunlight.” She stopped basking and smiled at him shyly, a little embarrassed that he’d caught her at it.

  “Thank you.” As he hailed a cab, she asked, “So, have you and Cade always been close?”

  “Yes.” A yellow cab pulled up. Brice helped her in and gave the address to the driver. “Cade’s father and mine were the only two boys born to our grandparents and the two were thick as thieves. But that was nothing compared to how close and fast the mothers hooked up. We never went long without a visit growing up; we still don’t.”

  “And are you and Cade the only boys too? Or are there more Marshall men out there?”

  “There are more of us, and girls too. Both our fathers wanted big families and they got them.” Brice’s smile was disarming and warmed something deep inside her.

  “How did you all meet Trevor?”

  Brice sat close enough that his leg was pressed to hers and he slid one arm behind her shoulders. He used his free hand to play with the ends of her hair. “The Wellingtons are very close to the Marshall clan, especially to Cade’s parents. Those two were practically raised together. If it weren’t for their habit of sharing the same woman, I’d have said they were more brothers than friends.”

  Her face turned crimson and she stammered when she asked, “Is…are they? Um…how is it…um, do you know? Between them? Are they gay? Or…never mind. It’s not my business, I shouldn’t have asked.” She hid her flaming cheeks against his shoulder with a groan of embarrassment.

  Brice cupped a hand under her chin and urged her to meet his eyes. “They aren’t gay, no. Though they have ample opportunity and no one that matters to them would care, they simply aren’t inclined to go that way. They just enjoy sharing the same woman. They have since their college days. And when they met Riley, all bets were off. They knew she was the one for them right off the bat. I did too, the first time I saw them all together.” She smiled at him, hearing the sincere affection in his voice.

  The cabbie barked out the fare when the cab stopped. Brice paid and helped her from the car, his hand warm and steady in hers. Terryn felt butterflies explode to life in her stomach as she faced his building and what was to come.

  “Whew.” Terryn put a shaky hand on her fluttering tummy. “Can I tell you I’m nervous? Can I tell you I’m scared to take this step outside of the club?” She looked at him and the frown of concern on his breathtaking face. “Can I tell you that even with all that going on I still want this so bad I can taste it?”

  Brice stepped closer to her until there wasn’t a breath of space between them. He slid both of his hands into her hair and tugged her head back. At first his lips only rubbed against hers, lightly and then with more pressure. Terryn tried to open and take the kiss deeper, but Brice tugged hard on her hair and growled a command to hold still. The sound was primal. Terryn reacted to it instantly as every submissive gene in her body started to hum. Once she was still, he brought his mouth back to hers. He nibbled and sucked at her until her lips felt swollen and ultra-sensitive.

  He broke the kiss to murmur, “Remember your safe word.” He kissed a blazing trail to her ear. “Nothing that happens will be beyond your control.” Then he took the tender lobe of her ear between his teeth and bit.

  Terryn shot up to her toes. With a gasp, she clutched at his wrists while ricochets of sensations shot from that spot to echo in other more intimate areas.

  Brice’s whisper deepened when he said, “I know I asked at the club, but things have changed. I’m not asking anymore. You’re mine. Now, I hope you don’t have a problem with that because it won’t make a damn bit of difference if you do.”

  His hot, wet tongue delved into the sensitive shell of her ear. Even though it wasn’t a question, Terryn sensed that Brice was waiting for her compliance, so she nodded. It was all the agreement he needed because he said, “Done.” Grabbed a hold of her wrist and marched them into his building.

  “Whoa.” She stumbled to a halt as soon as they stepped off the elevator into his penthouse. “Oh wow. Look at this apartment. This is beautiful.”

  Brice smiled at the awe in her voice. “You should see my cousin’s place”

  Terryn said, “It would be pretty hard to outshine this.” Her head whipped from side to side as Brice continued to lead her through, trying to take it all in. It was gorgeous. Comfortable and homey rather than elegant, it was also bigger than almost any house she’d ever seen.

  “Are you on the take?”

  Nothing else could’ve stopped Brice at that moment. He had her in his apartment and he had her compliance. Desire that he’d been forced to regulate and ignore blazed to full intensity the second the doors had opened. The outrageous question did the impossible, though, and surprised a full-blown laugh out of him.

  “I make decent money at the rec center,” she was saying, “thanks to my awesome bosses, but wow, I couldn’t come close to a place like this.” She was teasing him, hands on her hips and a glint in her eye. Brice felt his laughter simmer
back toward desire as she faced him so mischievously.

  “I have a modest family income that allows me some things that my salary could not,” he replied as he stalked over to where she stood. Slowly, purposefully, he circled her. When he saw she was about to say something else, he ran a single finger up the bare, tempting line of her spine. “We can talk more later. Starting right now you will only speak when given permission.”

  Her breath hitched and goose bumps bloomed along the trail he continued to make on her back and shoulders. “You will call me Sir until I release you to do otherwise.” Brice stepped close and traced patterns across her delectable cleavage, then breathed the next words into the warm hollow below her ear.

  “Now I want you to remove your clothes, clasp your hands behind your back and stand with your feet spread wide.” Terryn did so with a honeyed whimper. Brice barely managed to keep his hands to himself as he watched. Her body was sleek and graceful. She moved fluidly and her pale skin seemed to glow in the light streaming in from the window.

  Once she was naked and standing as ordered, Brice circled her again. “Nice. Very nice,” he said in a low voice as he took in the sight of her bare ass. “Have you ever been taken here, sub?” He whispered in her ear to tempt her while he stroked between those lovely cheeks. She rewarded him with more goose bumps and gave a tiny shrug.

  “Permission to speak?” she asked in a breathy voice. He took a suckling bite of her neck before he answered that she could. “I have only had men use their fingers there, and once a toy.” Her answer brought a flush to her skin.

  Interesting, Brice thought. “Did you enjoy that? The toy as well as the fingers?” The shaky nod she gave was not necessary since his finger was still gently running along the crease of her ass and her body was answering for him. A flush swept up her neck and heated her cheeks and when he slipped his hand farther between her legs he found that she was already wet. Terryn’s knees almost buckled when he reached farther still to circle her clit and spread the moisture there before pulling away to stand in front of her.