* * * * *
That night Beth found it difficult to fall asleep even though Adam was by her side and Dan was down the hall.
Dan had arrived back at Winterleigh with bad news. A scruffy-looking stranger had been spotted in the area, his presence of note simply because of the fact that strangers were a rarity in the village. People passed through but this one was loitering to the extent that one or two of the locals Dan spoke to had wondered about calling the police to send him on his way. From their descriptions, the man sounded enough like Jimmy Underwood to be his brother and therefore was a cause for concern.
There had been a heated discussion about video surveillance. Dan wanted to put closed-circuit cameras around the estate but not only did Adam not want them—regarding them as an invasion of his privacy—he maintained that it was too late with the threat literally on the doorstep. In parts, it was an almost word-for-word replay of the conversation they’d had twelve months earlier when Dan had supervised the installation of the security system.
Beth slipped out of bed, pausing only to make sure that she hadn’t disturbed Adam. She pulled on her dressing gown, a warm, fleecy and completely unalluring garment and tiptoed out of the room, heading for the kitchen.
Ice cream. It wasn’t going to solve anything but it would divert her attention for a little while and she knew there was an unopened tub of her favorite flavor—chocolate—in the freezer. She was savoring her third spoonful when Adam appeared at the doorway. He was leaning against the frame, naked except for the black pajama bottoms he wore slung low on his hips. He looked as sexy as hell.
“I should spank you for sneaking off like that.”
Beth’s smile was halfhearted. “I couldn’t sleep. Now that it looks like he’s out there I keep imagining that he’s about to do whatever it is he’s planning. I tried not to disturb you.” Her tone was apologetic.
“I know. Beth, you should have woken me up—it’s not your job to worry.” He pushed himself away from the doorframe and padded over to her, his stride lithe and sensual. He sat down at the kitchen table opposite her and swiped a finger through the ice cream, scooping up a mouthful. He contemplated it for a moment. Beth expected him to polish off the dollop of luscious dessert himself but instead he offered it to her.
Her eyes never leaving his, Beth held his hand and slowly, seductively, captured his finger in her mouth, relishing the melting treat.
“Your job, Miss Harrison, begins and ends with pleasing your Master. You know I’ll have to discipline you for this. You have a thing for chocolate,” he observed, with a lazily seductive raised eyebrow and half-suppressed smile.
“Of course I do,” she admitted, licking up the last of the ice cream. “I’m a woman—chocolate’s one of the five main food groups. Isn’t it?” Her eyes were full of wicked innocence, letting him know that she hadn’t missed his comment about discipline.
“Looks like. Is this going to help you sleep?” This time his tone was serious.
“Probably not,” she admitted on a sigh.
“Then why don’t you put it back and come with me to the family room?”
Moments later Beth was cradled on Adam’s lap on the sofa and he was busying himself with untying the belt of her robe so that he could caress her breast. She gave a contented sigh, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Looks like we’re all having trouble sleeping tonight.”
The voice was Dan’s, he was standing at the doorway in a similar state of dress to Adam. His pajama bottoms were dark red and like Adam he too had a stunning physique—a perfect canvas for the tribal tattoo that extended from high on his left shoulder to his elbow.
Beth’s instinctive impulse was to cover up. It was probably due to the intimacy of the early hours combined with the subdued lighting. She paused and even stayed Adam’s hand when he would have done it for her. She looked at him with complete trust, remembering what he’d once said about Dan possibly being involved in her discipline. “It’s all right, Master. If you approve.” Her gesture indicated a willingness to shrug out of the robe completely.
She watched Adam’s gaze darken with desire—and the acknowledgement of this further stage in her submission.
“I approve, Beth.”
As she pulled her arms out of the robe she was vaguely aware of her Dom’s nod toward his friend. At that signal Dan came over and crouched in front of her, one knee resting on the floor.
“May I touch her, Adam?”
All of a sudden, Beth knew a moment of panic. She closed her eyes at the touch of a hand other than Adam’s on her hair.
“She’s beautiful. And brave. Beth, I would never hurt you. You belong to my best friend and that makes it as much my duty as his to protect you.”
Adam kissed her cheek. “He’s right, little one. You are brave. And you have my word of honor that no one will ever see you like this without your consent. Now open your eyes and look at me.”
Beth swallowed hard. She looked straight at Adam, but was keenly aware of Dan, still crouched beside her.
“Do you remember your safewords, Beth?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl. Do you trust me to take care of you? Good. Now remember your safewords and don’t be afraid to use them. Dan?”
Some sort of unspoken communication flashed between the two men. Dan moved to lounge behind Beth at the other end of the long sofa, one foot anchored on the floor and the other on the sofa. His leg was bent at the knee, at rest against the padded back.
She was supremely conscious of her vulnerability, positioned as she was between two physically powerful, half-naked Doms. Yet she wasn’t afraid—she knew they wouldn’t hurt her. Just as she knew that whatever was going to happen she could stop it in an instant.
“She’s been a bad girl, Dan. She was worried and didn’t wake me, just came down here alone and raided the freezer for ice cream. I need your help to make her understand a sub’s place and responsibility.”
Beth lifted her eyes in the direction of the other Dom and a gasp caught in her throat. She’d known about him for a while but this was the first time she’d seen warm, friendly, protective Dan assume the mantle of a Dom. The same sensual power emanated from him as it did from Adam and in response an enticing apprehension unfurled like some primal beast inside her.
“Take her, Dan. I want to look at her.”
Strong forearms came around her waist. Beth was lifted backward, pulled against a hard, warm, male body. She breathed in sharply, for half a moment intending to use her safeword to stop this activity but she stopped herself when she saw the intensity of Adam’s expression.
I’m safe.
She knew it without a shadow of doubt.
Dan held her captive, her back against his chest, her bottom nestled between his thighs. If her proximity was affecting him she felt no evidence of it. Her legs stretched out along the sofa, feet tucked against Adam’s hip.
“Open your legs, Beth.”
Dear God in heaven.
Adam sucked in his breath at the sight of Beth in his best friend’s arms. He sensed her nervousness. She wasn’t scared exactly—he knew she’d have used one of her safewords to slow things down or stop them altogether if she were. It seemed more like she was just a little anxious, no more than that.
He’d never forgotten that her one fear had been that he would make her have sex with another man as a form of discipline. While he, Adam, could enjoy the aesthetic image of his woman under the control of another Dom—Dan being the only one whom he would trust with her—Adam was the only one who would ever have her. He was her Master.
She did look exquisite under Dan’s control, though—pure sub with the heavy gold chain he now allowed her to sleep in. Her eyes were chastely lowered, her pose elegant and revealing her pussy as he’d directed.
“Beth, I want you to bend your knees and let your legs fall apart. That’s right.”
Adam could feel his body tightening in response to the picture she made.
She was the only woman who had ever reduced him to a mass of primitive male impulses, emotions and heated needs and she was the only woman who could satisfy them.
He reached for her pussy. A couple of fingers slipped between her folds told him that she was getting aroused, as did the way she squirmed, causing the muscles in Dan’s arms to flex as he held on to her. He was waiting for one of her safewords but none came. She simply looked straight at him, absolute trust in her striking green eyes. He could be wrong but she seemed barely aware of his friend—her focus was on her Dom.
And now he had a decision to make—to masturbate her to orgasm or not. He’d asked a lot of her, Adam knew, but he was faintly surprised at how well she was handling being naked and held by another Dom. Perhaps he would challenge her limits just a little. He would keep her orgasm for when he carried her back to their room but right now he found the prospect of seeing her in Dan’s arms, restless with restrained arousal, quite appealing.
He leaned forward to kiss her mouth, uncaring that his closest friend would witness the love and intimacy of his relationship with his sub.
“Isn’t she beautiful, Master Dan?” He twirled a lock of her hair in his fingers.
“I’ve always thought so, Master Adam,” he agreed easily, his tone low and intimate. “I envy you.”
Surprised, Adam glanced at his friend’s face. “How so?”
“You have love and a beautiful submissive all wrapped up in one sinfully delightful package.” Dan grinned. “I hope you’ve left a little luck for me.”
And he’d always thought Dan wasn’t the type to settle down.
Adam turned his attention back to his woman. Her expression had taken on a slightly dreamlike quality but as if she could feel his gaze upon her, she lifted her head to look at him. For a moment her eyes connected with his and then she lowered her eyelids.
A muscle twitched in his cheek. She was aroused. He could see it in the way her nipples were beading. He didn’t need to slide his fingers into her pussy to know how wet she’d be but he did need the breathy moan in response, the way she leaned back against Dan for leverage to push her hips toward him. He slid his middle finger upward, finishing the movement with a flick of his fingertip over her hypersensitive clit.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a responsive sub, Ad,” Dan commented as his arms tightened around her quaking body. “How’s her training going?”
“I’ve barely scratched the surface with her so far.” Adam stimulated her clit with stronger, faster strokes. “I love her. And I’m enjoying her too much.”
While talking to his friend, Adam continued to use his fingers on Beth’s pussy and nipples and all the while her arousal began to build. By now he’d learned her tells, the little signs she gave as she neared orgasm, so it was with great reluctance that eventually he drew back and presented the fingers that had been in her pussy to Beth for her to lick and suck clean.
“Thanks for indulging me, Dan.”
The other man smiled. “My pleasure. I bet she looks something else.”
“She surely does. Beth, you’ve done very well but I think it’s time we went back to bed. You don’t need to worry about that bastard out there. We’ll keep you safe.”
Back in their bedroom Adam gently laid his cherished sub on the bed, having carried her there from the family room in spite of her repeated protests about letting her walk. He just loved holding her. Her head had been next to his while she was in his arms and now that she was safe in bed he wanted to talk to her. For a long moment he looked at her face, the gentle smile that blossomed when he stroked her hair.
“How do you feel?” he asked, finally ready to hear the answer.
“Truthfully? I…” Her voice faltered. “When you and Dan…when you were talking about me, I felt…owned…protected. Even before, when Dan appeared…” She looked up at him, realization like sunrise in her eyes. “I wasn’t scared. I knew neither of you would hurt…harm me.”
She’d known it in her head and felt it in her heart—he could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice, feel it in the sense of calmness that radiated from her. She understood. “You surprised the hell out of me when you volunteered to be naked in front of Dan.”
“I’m not sure I can explain fully, Sir, I’m not sure I know the words. But I felt like I needed to show my submission to you to someone who would understand what it was all about—what you mean to me.”
To Adam, that sounded like a more-than-satisfactory explanation. “Sweetheart, now it’s my turn. I’m not sure I can adequately convey how honored I feel by what you did and the courage that it took.” The kiss he placed on her lips was almost reverential.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“There you go again,” he said with a smile that was somehow both stern and indulgent as he arranged the covers over her before sitting beside her. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the Sirs and Masters you’ve been dropping into the conversation—against my express instructions. You know I’m going to have to do something about that but for now would you like to tell me what else is on your mind?”
She hesitated only a moment. “I thought you might ask him to join us.”
Another surprise he would never have imagined. “Would you have used your safeword if I had?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps not initially,” she continued, her apprehensive gaze searching his face. “It would depend on what you intended to happen next, Sir.”
A memory sprang into his mind. Back when he and Dan had been training in the U.S. Under supervision, they had shared a willing sub—but only for a bondage and discipline session, no more than that.
“I’d share our bed with him but I wouldn’t share you,” he stated bluntly. “How do you feel about that?”
“After tonight I could do that, Sir. But would it be fair to him?”
It didn’t surprise Adam that she was so concerned about his friend—it was all part of who she was. “You bring out the protective instinct in us. He’d consider it an honor and a privilege—as would I if the positions were reversed.”
He noted the small frown that creased her brow. He wondered if she found that to be more than she could accept but her next question surprised him yet again.
“Does he have anyone special in his life, Sir? I’ve never heard either of you say anything about anyone. From what he said tonight I got the impression that he doesn’t.”
At one time Adam would have launched into the usual waffle about Dan being a confirmed bachelor but he remembered the things his friend had said about Adam’s relationship with Beth and the sincerity with which he’d said them. There was no doubt in Adam’s mind that the other man now knew what he was missing out on.
“Not yet, love,” he replied, “but it will take a very special woman—someone as special as you are to me —to pin him down and make him commit to her.”
* * * * *
The next morning Beth found herself on her own in the office trying to concentrate on her writing. It was difficult knowing that Adam and Dan were preparing to defend them all in a possible life-or-death situation. Even now, they were patrolling the grounds armed with Adam’s shotguns. She needed fresh air and a walk. The house, for all its luxury, was starting to feel like a prison and she didn’t want to risk incurring Adam’s wrath by suggesting again that she’d like to take a walk to the village. Once was more than enough.
Clad in coat and boots, she made her way to the door that led to the courtyard at the back of the house. When she opened it she stared in horror, voice paralyzed with fear at the wild-eyed, unkempt man who stood there.
“Granger’s whore!” he spat at her. “Where’s the bastard coward hiding?”
Terrified, Beth stepped backward, her mind willing suddenly leaden feet to move faster. She turned, instinct taking over, and ran only to be brought down by a vicious tackle that sent her crashing headfirst into the wall.
With the last vestiges of consciousness slipping away she felt rough hands ripping open he
r coat, removing her boots and tearing off her jeans.
Chapter Fifteen
It was all he could do not to charge in and tear the bastard limb from limb.
Adam came to an abrupt halt outside the family room, rage consuming him like an all-devouring forest fire, at what he saw in front of him. His hand tightened on the haft of the combat knife. In that split second, he was ready to kill.
Beth was on her knees in the center of the room, clearly set there as bait in a trap, Adam’s worst fear a terrifying tableau right there in front of him.
Somehow Ewan Underwood had gotten into the house and was responsible for the obscene sight of Beth with her hands taped together so that only her right thumb was free, pressing down on what could only be a dead man’s switch—the only thing keeping her alive, the only thing keeping her from being destroyed by the military-grade explosives packed into the suicide vest that embraced her torso. How the hell had Underwood got his hands on that? In Adam’s estimation, there was enough to take out most if not all of the house.
More tape covered her mouth.
She didn’t yet know he was there, Adam realized grimly. Her gaze, that of a petrified animal, was fixed unwaveringly on the switch. If only she’d look up, then she’d see him and he could give her the reassurance she needed for both of them to survive this.
Adam didn’t know what had made him suddenly decide to return to the house, asking Dan to check the outbuildings and stables—but whatever it was he wished to God it had happened earlier. Then he could have intercepted Underwood before the other man could drag Beth into this mess.
As soon as he’d entered the house Adam had felt the familiar prickling sensation, a portent that something was very wrong. He’d checked the secure room first, hoping that Beth might have made it there, that somehow she’d had sufficient warning to take refuge—but the emptiness of it had screamed at him. The ensuing silent search had led him to the family room, where he’d finally found the woman who was his life.
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