by Avery Gale
Caila was obviously intelligent, and anyone could see how gorgeous she was. Her submissive nature was obvious if you were paying attention, but she’d never be a pushover. Mitch smiled to himself as he considered similarities between the five women the Morgan brothers had claimed as their own. All five women were whip smart and professionally accomplished. Each of them had a wicked sense of humor, and their loyalty to their family and friends was unquestioned. It was remarkable how five men who thought themselves so different had chosen women with so much in common. As the only male in the family who wasn’t a blood relative, Mitch was often temped to tell the other men how much they were, indeed, alike.
“Let’s go for a walk, sweet vet. It’s not often we can enjoy such a beautiful evening this late in the fall.” Leading her down the cobblestone path that ended in Patsy’s flower garden, he hoped the surroundings there would at least provide an illusion of privacy. Because of his friendship with Phoenix, Mitch knew there were very few places in or around the Morgan’s mansion where security cameras didn’t protect those who lived and worked there. Their ambling pace gave him time to watch her body language, and the shift was remarkable. The farther they got from the house, the more unsettled she seemed. When he was certain she was close to shutting down, Mitch paused and waited until she turned to face him.
“Caila, do you trust me?” It was a simple enough question, but she stood staring at him as if he’d been speaking a foreign language. Her blue eyes sparkling with confusion as she blinked several times trying to decide how to answer. “It’s an easy enough question to answer, sweetness. Either you trust me to keep you safe or you don’t.” He stood perfectly still, certain any sudden movement would spook her, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. “Would it help if I told you I’m armed?”
She finally smiled and shook her head. “No, not really. You could keep me safe without a weapon, Mitch. But I’m worried I wouldn’t be able to help you without one. I’m nervous because we’re awfully exposed and I’ve learned enough about sniper weapons to understand if the ass hat who took a shot at me in the pool is still around he’s got a much better line of sight now.”
Mitch smiled and nodded. “You’re right, but part of the trust I asked you about is feeling secure in the knowledge I would never intentionally lead you into danger.” He watched her eyes widen in surprise, but didn’t give her a chance to respond. “This isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about, but as a Dom and your friend, I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity. We’ll consider it a teachable moment—and perhaps the information will save you a few punishment swats in the future.”
Leading her to a small bench carved from a huge granite boulder—how the hell did they get this thing in here?—Mitch waited until she was seated before sitting beside her. “Here’s a little insight into the mind of a sexually Dominant man, sweetness. The thing we want above all else is for our submissive to put herself in our hands. Most of us have no interest in managing all the minute details of your lives. Hell, most of us couldn’t, even if we wanted to.” And it was true, he’d spent one entire day observing Aspen—he hadn’t interfered or tried to manage. He’d simply watched. His goal had been simple; he’d wanted to get to know her better, and he’d been convinced it would help if he could see what a typical day in her life was like. By evening, he’d been exhausted, and he’d done nothing but follow her around. It had been a valuable lesson and one he’d suggested the Wests and Ledeks implement into their training programs.
“Asking you to put yourself in our hands means more than submitting sexually—although that’s the lion’s share of what most Doms expect.” He smiled at the intense look of concentration on her pretty face. The last remnants of sunlight had faded, but the twinkling fairy lights of the flower garden provided plenty of illumination for him to see her expression. “Putting yourself in your Dom’s care means you bring your problems to him first, and any concern you have for your safety is always at the top of that list. If something is troubling Aspen professionally, Phoenix and I expect her to bring it to our attention even if she doesn’t want us to solve it for her. We want to be her sounding board—her first line of defense, so to speak.”
Mitch paused because he wanted to give her a chance to absorb what he’d said. He watched her chew on her lip and finally gave in to the urge and grasped her chin with his fingers. “Sweet vet, if you belonged to me, I’d enjoy teaching you that lip was mine to chew on.”
She gasped, releasing the tender flesh in the process.
“What keeps Aspen from feeling boxed in?” She’d whispered the question as if she feared his reaction.
Mitch laughed out loud, enjoying her surprised expression. “You haven’t known my amazing wife long, but I think you’ve talked with her enough to see boxed in isn’t anything close to her reality.” The light was too dim for him to see her pink flush of embarrassment, but he’d bet his entire inheritance it was there. He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. Caila noted the shift in his posture and immediately lowered her gaze. “Look at me, sweetness.” He waited for her to comply before continuing.
“Aspen understands there will never be any negative consequences for expressing her concerns, if she does so respectfully. Phoenix and I recognize Aspen will only grant us her trust and submission when she feels safe and loved. Boxed in doesn’t fit in that equation.” Mitch wanted to move this conversation back to where it was supposed to be, but she had to feel safe or she’d never be open to what he wanted to share.
“Caila, I know you’re questioning the decision you made to spare Barry Orman’s life.” He saw the change in her body language, but he forged on. “When I joined the Rangers, I believed, as many others do, the best way to win a battle was to kill your enemy. What I learned was the repercussions for taking a life are significant, particularly for someone who’s life is dedicated to healing. Ryan Morgan is a perfect example. He was a SEAL, but he was also his team’s medic. The balance was what helped him survive emotionally. And if you don’t think mental survival is as important as physical survival for soldiers, you’re kidding yourself.”
“But…because I was a coward, other people are in danger.” He wouldn’t have needed to see her to recognize the tears in her voice.
“A coward? Oh, I don’t think so, sweetness. Killing him would have been easy—probably too easy. You chose life over death. Do you think you would have had fewer questions if you’d taken the kill shot?”
“Probably not, but the others would be safe.” She had a valid argument, but he wasn’t going to let her wander down the “what if” path.
“I can tell you from experience, taking a life is a hefty burden. Ask any of the former Special Forces operatives—they’ll all tell you the same thing. Barry Orman’s own choices are the reason he’s a threat now. The nurse who refused to allow her patient to be cuffed to the bed, the cop who was so busy flirting he failed to notice Orman escaping? They also bear the burden of responsibility for the danger Orman presents to the public, not you.”
Mitch heard Caila take a deep breath and watched as her shoulders seemed to relax. “Thank you for taking time to talk to me, Mitch. I am struggling with my decision, but I’m not sure the alternative would have been better.”
“I’m just one of the people who’ve seen your struggle, but I think I can safely speak for the others when I tell you no one wants to see you deal with the karma of taking another person’s life unless you’re given no other choice. It doesn’t matter what the motivation is, there are consequences for everyone.” He paused and then shrugged. “The bottom line is…you are the only one blaming you. And by shutting your Dom out, you’re denying yourself the help you need, and you’re denying Kip the opportunity to help you.”
He heard her soft gasp and knew his last words had surprised her. Submissives who bottled up their emotions were usually under the erroneous impression they were shielding others by not sharing their pain. “I never thought of it like that.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Let’s say you’re in the local market and you see one of your elderly neighbors struggling to carry bags to their car. What are you going to do?”
“Offer to carry the bags for them. I’d never be able to walk by without helping.”
“Exactly. And how would you like it if the person you wanted to help chatted away, pretending nothing was wrong, denying you the opportunity to help? Would you feel cheated? And a bit frustrated because it was so painfully obvious they needed your help?”
He watched as she considered what he’d said before nodding. “Yes. Yes, I would. Wow, I really don’t know what to say, except thank you, Mitch.”
He stood and held out his hand to her. “It was my pleasure, Caila. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other a lot in the future, but I’ll always be glad we had this chance to talk. I’ve known Phoenix and Aspen for a long time, but I’m still trying to fit in with the rest of the family. It’ll be nice to have a friend on the inside.” Caila’s grin told him she’d appreciated his effort to lighten the mood.
Folding her hand into the crook of his elbow, he led her back to the house where they found Kip, Phoenix, and Aspen sitting on the patio enjoying the warmth of the fire pit. Mitch handed Caila off to Kip and then turned to Aspen. He opened his arms, and his heart swelled with love when she hurried into his embrace. The only thing better than helping someone? Wrapping his arms around the most important person in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Two
One Week Later
Caila pounded the water with punishing strokes, swimming lap after lap, trying to relieve some of the tension burning inside. She’d been cooped up for days while local law enforcement searched for Barry Orman…again. She wanted to tell them he was likely long gone, but knew it would be an exercise in futility, so she’d saved herself the effort. So far, disagreeing with Kip and his brothers had proven to be less than effective…and occasionally downright uncomfortable.
Flipping over and pushing off the wall, Caila tried to focus on her breathing, but her mind kept wandering to the scene she’d shared with Kip last night in the Morgan brothers’ playroom. She’d suspected Sage and the others were reluctant to be in the playroom with her, but she hadn’t realized how opposed until Coral brought it to everyone’s attention. At dinner the night before, Coral asked why the brothers didn’t want Caila in the playroom with the rest of them when she’d done a scene at Mountain Mastery while several of them had been in attendance.
“I wasn’t there, pet. I’d have recognized her, no matter how good the disguise. I’m not sure I’d be able to concentrate if Cal was in the room with us.” Sage’s growled words made Caila drop the fork she’d been holding. It clattered against her plate, drawing everyone’s attention. Something in his voice had shaken her, and for the first time, she’d truly felt like an outsider in their home. She pushed her chair back and was on her feet before she realized what she was doing. Shoving her chair out of the way, she’d literally ran from the room, ignoring the colorful curses from Coral and the other women and the brothers’ shouts for her to stop.
Yanking open the back door, Caila had only taken the first step over the threshold before she’d been lifted off the ground. “Stop, Cal. Take a deep breath and talk to me.” Kip’s gentle tone shocked her. She’d expected his anger, but his touch and voice had been anything but aggressive.
Sagging in his arms, she fought back the tears burning the backs of her eyes. “I just want to leave, Kip. Please let me go. Sage isn’t comfortable with me here, and I won’t stay where I’m not welcome. Deep down, he’s probably worried about the safety of his family, and I can’t really blame him. I’ve said again and again…I’m terrified someone will be caught in the crossfire. I promise I won’t go back home. You already know how uncomfortable I am there.”
Kip and Brandt had taken her home to get clothing and a few other personal items, and she’d been overwhelmed by the feeling of violation. The place she’d always believed to be the safest suddenly felt foreign, and she hadn’t been able to leave quickly enough. Brandt assured her the reaction wasn’t unusual, but it hadn’t seemed normal to her. Caila hoped the discomfort would ease when her dad was eventually able to return home. But, if she was honest with herself, she couldn’t imagine ever being completely comfortable there again. She wasn’t sure where she’d go, but she desperately needed some space to get herself together.
When Kip turned her to face him, she saw his expression shift from compassion to worry. “Caila, stop. Take a damned breath. Christ, you’re starting to turn blue.” She didn’t much care about turning blue, but the damned black dots dancing around in front of her were a big problem. He coached her through several deep breaths, and the dots slowly faded away, but she still wanted to escape the Morgans’ home.
“Kip, I’m begging you…please let me go. I’m teetering on the edge here. There’s only so much a person can endure until they crash and burn, and I’m telling you…I’ve reached my limit.” She’d been at her limit for days, but she’d been pushing through because that’s what she’d always done. After her mother died and her dad threw himself into his work, Caila had learned to tune out her own needs and focus on getting by. What was the point of throwing a pity party if nobody was going to show up?
“Not happening, baby. I’m never letting you go. Let’s go back to the table and find out what the hell my jack ass brother was thinking.”
She’d started shaking her head when she saw Sage step up behind Kip. “Kip, I’d like to speak with Caila for a minute.” She tensed and knew Kip couldn’t have missed her reaction.
“Baby? This is your call. I understand you aren’t in a great place right now, but I promise to stay with you, and I think you’ll feel better if you let Sage explain what the hell he was thinking.”
Sage cursed under his breath, but to his credit, he didn’t make any move toward her.
The last thing she wanted to do was sit down for a chat with Sage, but she couldn’t bring herself to deny him, either. When she finally nodded, he returned the gesture and motioned for them to follow. She dreaded going into Sage’s office, knowing it would put her at a serious disadvantage. Everything in that room was man-sized. The desk was enormous. There wasn’t a chair in the entire room where her feet touched the floor if she sat back where she was supposed to. Hell, even the sofa was built for giants. The last time she’d been in there Caila could have sworn she’d been transported up a beanstalk.
Caila performed another flip turn before surfacing and pushed herself to swim as fast as she could. Remembering how surprised she’d been when Sage escorted her into Coral’s feminine sitting room, she now realized it had been the first of several concessions. “My wife thought you’d be more comfortable here, and even though I’m not sure I fully understand her reasoning, I can tell by the look on your face she was right.” He waited until she’d taken a seat before going on. “First, I want to apologize. I handled that all wrong. I’ve been trying very hard to reconcile the sweet little girl with the ribbons in her hair with the grown woman sitting in front of me, and I’m getting there…slowly.”
Caila hadn’t said anything, she simply waited while he took a deep breath and shook his head. “It seems I’m the only one who hasn’t accepted the fact you’ve grown up. And in all fairness, all four of my brothers and my wife have been warning me I was going to screw things up if I didn’t…what was it my lovely wife said? Oh, yeah, if I didn’t turn the page and keep up.”
Caila bit back her smile. Damn, she loved Coral.
Surfacing at the end of the pool, Caila pulled in a deep breath and leaned back against the wal
l to rest. Turning her thoughts back to last night, she remembered how out of place Sage looked among all the floral prints and lace in Coral’s small sunroom office. It would have been the perfect opportunity for her to tease the man she’d admired since she was a little girl, but she’d still been reeling from his earlier comments.
Now, thinking back, it was easy to see she’d over-reacted, but it hadn’t seemed that way at the time. She’d been devastated because his words seemed to separate her from the only place left she still believed was safe…one of the few places she’d always felt loved and accepted. Just recalling the emotions she’d experienced last night sent her stomach into free-fall.
Sage had watched her carefully for long seconds before shaking his head. “I don’t know how I managed to deny the fact you’re a full-grown woman, Cal, but I did. Maybe a small part of it is not wanting to admit I’m old enough to have watched you grow up. Hell, it killed me when the five-year-old kids I coached when I was in high school graduated themselves. I’m not sure I’d ever felt old before that.” Caila could relate, she’d experienced the same thing when the girls’ soccer team she’d coached graduated. She’d even driven back from college during finals week to attend the ceremony.
Climbing out of the pool, Caila grabbed a towel and made her way to the small locker room. She let the warm water pound against her aching muscles and smiled. Thinking about the workout her tender muscles got last night sent a rush of heat through her body. After things with Sage were settled, Kip had asked her if she was certain she was ready to join the others in the playroom.
She hadn’t gotten the impression he was trying to discourage her. Rather, he wanted to test her comfort level. “There won’t ever be another first time, baby. Make sure you’re ready to see my brothers playing with their wives.” Caila debated for several seconds before admitting she’d already seen them play at Mountain Mastery. “Are you kidding me?” His obvious surprise at the realization she’d already seen them play shifted to unease quickly. “Oh, fuck me. Please tell me you didn’t watch me at the club. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, I’m not sure how I’ll deal with that.”