She let out a half-scream of frustration. The bastard actually laughed.
“Stay still, little sub,” he ordered.
Like she could go anywhere?
“Hey, James,” he said in a low voice.
She stiffened. James was on the other end of the line? She didn’t know why that made her feel so anxious. It wasn’t like he could see her. But just knowing he was there made her insides tighten. Her nipples were so stiff they ached, she rubbed them lightly against the table, letting out a low whimper.
There was a pause on Sloan’s side of the conversation, which she hadn’t been paying the slightest bit of attention to.
“I have to go. I have a naughty sub to attend to.”
He did not just say that. He did not. Fuck.
“Yes, see you in the morning. Thanks, man.”
She heard the phone being put down.
“Were you told you could move?” Sloan asked calmly. She heard the chair scrape back then the sound of his jeans being unzipped.
Oh, hell. Oh, hell.
She heard a ripping noise and tried to envision him pulling a condom on.
“Sir, please,” she begged.
“I was going to let you come. Until you disobeyed me.”
Nooooo. Surely, he couldn’t be so cruel?
“Just let me move this stuff out of the way.” She could hear him moving around then then grabbed her by the hips. “Lie down onto your stomach, baby.”
He helped her lie on her stomach then drew her down the table until just the upper half of her body was supported by the cool wood. Her spread feet rested on the floor.
The head of his cock nudged her entrance. Then slowly, oh, so slowly, he pushed himself inside her.
Reaching around her, he flicked her clit. Once. The rat bastard.
“Now, no coming, Kinley. Or else I’ll tie you up in this exact position tomorrow morning and have James spank you every hour on the hour.”
He wouldn’t. It was an empty threat. He wouldn’t let James see her naked. But she’d been naked at the club in front of other people. That was different, surely. Oh, hell, she didn’t know. All she knew was Sloan didn’t make empty threats, and she did not want to find herself in this position tomorrow morning.
So, as he pounded his way inside her, moving faster and harder, she had to fight not to come. He slowed down then sped up. Teasing her. Torturing her. Asshole.
Just when she couldn’t take much more, when she knew she was going to disobey, he stilled.
Her breathing sawed in and out of her lungs as he leaned over her. “Come baby.”
Then he thrust deeply, and she fell over instantly.
It was magnificent. Stars danced in front of her eyes, her whole body shuddered, the aftershocks continuing long after Sloan gave his own shout of satisfaction. It almost made her want to do it all over again. Almost.
17
“Kinley! Kinley!” Fear pounded inside him as he raced through the house. Where was she? If she was still in the house then she would have heard him. Hell, the neighbors could probably hear him. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed since he’d stepped out onto the patio to take a phone call.
It wasn’t that he wanted to hide the call from her. More that he’d needed some fresh air. Two weeks had passed since Sloan had visited him that night in his apartment. No more flowers, no more notes. A lot more tension, though.
And most of that tension was now sexually charged. At least on his end. He was finding it harder and harder to resist her. Her laugh, the warm way she welcomed him each morning, the heat in her gaze as she argued with him. He wanted her. He wanted them.
They’d grown more at ease with each other. He’d spent several nights eating dinner with them both. And then he’d leave, going back to his cold and lonely apartment.
It was getting harder and harder to keep himself apart. To remind himself they weren’t his. That he didn’t have the right to insist that he pay off Kinley’s debts. Or that Sloan install a state-of-the-art security system in his house. Or to pull Kinley onto his lap the way Sloan did each night after dinner so he could hear about her day. He’d learned to leave before he did that, it was too intimate. Something James craved more than was healthy.
So, to save his sanity he’d stepped out for a few minutes, which had turned into twenty.
Damn it, he ought to be fucking shot.
“Kinley!”
Surely, she wouldn’t have just taken off. She knew better. He slammed open the door to their bedroom, and his heart nearly stopped as he saw her sitting on the bed, her computer on her lap, and a pair of large headphones over her ears.
She looked up and screeched as she saw him standing there. He probably looked deranged, his breath coming fast, his pulse racing.
She pulled off the head phones and put her laptop down. “Jesus, James. You scared me half to death. I didn’t even hear you.”
“I’ve been running through the house, screaming your name for the last three minutes,” he told her in a grim voice. Now that the panic was over, his fear was quickly morphing into anger.
“Damn it, Kinley, what did you think you were doing?”
He strode forward, and she jumped off the bed, watching him warily. “I was listening to some music. What? Am I not allowed to do that either?”
He knew they were all feeling a bit on edge, their tempers shorter than normal. Surprisingly, Sloan actually seemed to be coping the best. But James and Kinley usually ended up firing off each other.
He grabbed hold of her shoulders. “Of course you can, but not with damn noise cancelling headphones on. What if someone had snuck up on you?”
“Isn’t that why you’re here? To jump in front of a bullet for me? Except there are no fucking bullets because there’s no fucking threat, and I don’t want you to step in front of one for me any fucking way!”
“Watch your tone,” he growled.
“Or what?” she challenged, although he noted her eyes darted away from his nervously. “What you going to do?” Now, wasn’t that an interesting question?
“He’ll tell me, and I’ll take care of it,” a deep voice interrupted them.
James let go of her and turned quickly. Sloan stared at them both from where he leaned his shoulder against the doorway, his arms over his chest.
“One of you want to enlighten me about what’s going on here? And why you’re both in here?”
James felt a stab of guilt even though nothing had happened. Not that Sloan looked angry, it was hard to figure out what he was thinking though. He’d gotten better at hiding his thoughts over the years.
Kinley stepped up beside him. He waited for her to tell Sloan there was nothing going on.
“We thought we’d come in here for a bit of hanky-panky,” she said instead. “Get hot and heavy together.”
Then suddenly she just deflated, sat on the bed, her head in her hands.
“Kinley?” Alarmed, James dropped to his knees beside her.
“What is it, baby? Is it your head?” Sloan knelt on her other side.
“What’s wrong with me?” She straightened, looking at them both. “I’m so snappy. I feel angry and upset all the time. James is giving up his time to stay here with me, and all I can do is snip at him. And you . . .” she turned to Sloan, and James heard her sob, “I can’t believe I just said what I did. That I would even pretend to be having an affair isn’t funny. I know what it’s like to have someone cheat on me, and I would never . . .” her words disappeared into heartfelt sobs, and James felt his heart wrench.
That this woman had slipped so easily under his defences and wriggled her way into his heart still caught him by surprise. He found himself wanting to promise her anything if she’d stop crying. He would do whatever was needed to protect her.
He glanced up, surprised to find Sloan staring at him rather than Kinley. The other man didn’t look angry, instead he seemed thoughtful. He sat on the bed and pulled Kinley onto his lap, drawing her close. S
he snuggled into his chest, her sobs quieting. Sloan rubbed her back, still staring at James.
“Sh, baby, it’s okay,” Sloan murmured to her. “You’re just stressed and exhausted. Everything’s all right. Go to sleep now. That’s it.”
James remained kneeling where he was, not wanting to move or interrupt but feeling like a third wheel.
Gradually, she slipped off into sleep, held tight in Sloan’s arms.
Sloan stood and shifted Kinley to the bed, pulling a throw up over her. She hiccupped a little, and he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. Then he stood and gestured for James to follow him.
Well, he hadn’t been planning on standing in their bedroom, watching Kinley sleep. Although . . . he took one last look at her before closing the door behind him. He strode into the living area where Sloan stood with his back to him, staring out a window.
“Nothing was happening, I swear,” James told him. “I stepped outside to take a call and when I came back in she didn’t answer when I called. I started searching through the house and found her sitting on the bed with headphones on. I got a little angry,” he admitted.
Sloan turned to look at him. “Because you were scared.”
“Yeah, I guess. I thought she’d left.” Or been taken.
“Because you care about her.”
“As a friend,” James said cautiously, feeling like he’d just pulled the pin on a grenade and was waiting for the explosion.
Sloan remained silent for a moment. “Another bunch of flowers were delivered.”
“What?” James struggled with the change of subject. “Flowers? To her apartment?”
“Yep. I handed the flowers off to the cops already.”
James snorted. “Like they care.”
“The note said, ‘I’ll find you little flower. I promise you that.’”
James’s blood turned cold. “What? Fuck.”
“Yeah, the cops want to see whatever you find on that feed.”
“Shit.” James rushed over to his laptop where he’d left it on the dining table, waking it up before bringing up the camera feed.
He scrolled back about an hour.
“There,” Sloan said, tapping the screen.
They watched as a slightly built man, his hoodie pulled up over his head, walked down the hallway and placed a big bunch of flowers outside Kinley’s door.
“Damn it, look up,” Sloan said. “Fuck. We’re not going to get a clear shot of him. Do you think it could be Gary?”
“Is who Gary?” a quiet voice asked from behind them. James twirled around.
“Shit. I didn’t even hear you,” Sloan said, walking over to Kinley, who watched them both tiredly. He cupped her face between his palms, raising her face to study her. “You’re exhausted, baby. What are you doing up?”
“Hard to sleep. What’s going on?”
“We caught your mystery stalker on camera,” James said. “Haven’t seen his face. Yet.”
She puffed out a sigh. “Of course not, that would be too simple, right?”
She walked over and stood behind him. Her scent teased him, and he had to work hard not to react as she leaned over him, placing her hand on his shoulder. He glanced up at Sloan, who looked thoughtful again. What the fuck?
James slid out from under her touch. “Here, Kinley, take a seat. Let’s watch the rest.”
The person stood and moved away from Kinley’s door. Then just for a moment he looked up.
“Oh, my God, it’s not Gary. It’s Alan Cartland.”
“You know him?” Sloan asked.
“Sure, he lives in the next building.” She glanced up at them both. “He might look like a man, but, developmentally, he’s more like a ten-year-old. Oh, God, it’s just a crush. He’s really just a kid.”
James stared over at Sloan, who looked skeptical. They weren’t so sure.
“I think he was deprived of oxygen when he was born. He’s harmless. Really.”
“I’ll go have a chat with him,” Sloan said.
She shook her head. “He’s afraid of men. I think his dad beat him before he took off. A real deadbeat. Please let me talk to him. I can let him down gently.”
“No,” both men said together.
“Perhaps we should let the cops do it,” James said reluctantly. He wouldn’t mind having a little chat with Alan either. “They’re better equipped to handle this, and he might listen to them.”
“Okay. But we need to tell them to send female officers.” She looked up at Sloan. “Sloan, please?”
“Fine,” Sloan said reluctantly. “I’ll let them handle it.” For now.
James heard the words even if Sloan didn’t say them.
“This means I can go back to work,” Kinley said. “Now that we know it’s not Gary.”
Sloan frowned. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“I’ve stayed home from work for two weeks because you thought it was Gary. I thought it was Gary.”
“I still don’t like it. Not until the cops have been to see this kid . . . man.”
“I’ll take precautions,” she said, standing to face them both. “I’ll stay in the office, and you can drive me there and back if you insist. But I have to go back to work. Not only am I going crazy stuck here, but I’m going to lose my job if I don’t. My boss is a good guy. I don’t like lying to him. I’m going to call him now and tell him my flu is all cleared up and I can make it in tomorrow.”
She strode off, leaving Sloan and James staring after her.
“Damn, she’s sexy when she gets all bossy,” Sloan said.
“You’re going to let her go back to work?” James asked, unsure if it was a good idea.
Sloan barked out a laugh. “You can try stopping her if you like, but I’d make certain you stand near an exit cause you’re going to have to run afterwards. When that woman makes up her mind there’s little that can stop her.”
“You’re her Dom.”
Sloan shook his head. “And my sub is a strong, independent woman who submits to me during play and follows my lead when it comes to safety. But I cannot run her life.”
“This is about safety.”
“I don’t like it either, but it sounds like he’s harmless and he’s never sent anything to her work before. And how long can we keep doing this? It’s already affecting her. She’s needs some normalcy. She needs a trip to the club. We all do. You coming with us this weekend?”
“I’ll see. I might have to go to New York.”
Sloan just nodded, watching him knowingly.
“I’d better go.” And even knowing he was acting the complete coward, he practically raced out of the house.
If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he was not going to that club with them, because seeing Sloan dominate her and not being able to join in might well kill him.
18
“Do you think we’ll ever see him again?” Kinley stared out the window of Sloan’s truck, trying to sound like she didn’t really care about the answer.
Sloan pulled into the parking lot of Foley’s plumbing. He’d been driving her to and from work, even though the cops had had a talk with Alan, and he’d promised to stop delivering the flowers. They’d told Sloan he’d gotten really upset. His mother had agreed to have him talk to a counselor. Poor guy. She felt sorry for him and wished Sloan had let her talk to him. But he wouldn’t hear of it.
However, there was no need for him to drive her everywhere anymore. It was a hassle, although he never complained.
Next week she’d suggest to Sloan that she drive herself to and from work. You just had to work out your timing with these Doms. Not that she’d been with any other Doms. Or would ever be. Sometimes, though, she did imagine having what Sarah had. James and Sloan both.
“He’s probably just busy with work.” He didn’t ask who she was talking about. But there was a tightness to his voice. He placed his hand over hers. “I hadn’t planned on bringing this up just now, but . . .”
&
nbsp; He trailed off and she watched him closely, wondering why he looked so uncomfortable.
“How do you feel about James?” he asked.
“I like him. He’s a good man. I know you two have had problems, but—”
“No, darlin’, you’re misunderstanding me. I wasn’t asking because I need you to defend him to me. James and I have reached an understanding about the past. I’m asking about the future.”
“Future? I thought our future was you and me.”
“So, you don’t think James could be a part of that?”
She held her breath, staring at him in shock. “Y-you . . . I-I . . .” All right she had to do better than that. Shit, she wished she knew what the right thing to say was.
“The right thing to say is the truth, darlin’,” he told her.
She narrowed her gaze. “Are you reading my mind?”
“Just your face. How do you feel about him being part of our future? Of us?”
She needed to really think about that. This was important. And whatever way she answered there might be no way of going back, unless she wanted to hurt someone.
She studied Sloan. He looked serious but not angry or hurt.
“Do you want him to be a part of us?”
“Yes,” he answered simply. “James is my brother in every way except by blood. I love him. I hate that he’s alone. While our relationship is different than it once was, and there would definitely be things to iron out, I want him with us. If that’s what you want.”
“Yes,” she breathed out, her voice barely a whisper. She cleared her throat. “Yes, that’s what I want too. I care about James a lot and I hate that he had to go back to his apartment alone each night. But I don’t want him to come between us.”
He cupped the side of her face with his hand. “Darlin’, ain’t nothing ever coming between us. You better believe that.”
She smiled up at him.
“Are you happy to have him dominate you? Because that’s something he’ll want to do.”
She swallowed heavily. “Yes. But only with you there. I don’t . . . I can’t just . . .”
Sir's Redemption (Doms of Decadence Book 8) Page 20