Passion's Claim

by Devyn Douglas

  “My pleasure, sweetheart.” His finger ran across her cheek. “Where did Kade find a beautiful morsel like you?”

  “How did you know it was him I was meeting?”

  He tapped the computer device as he placed it back on his belt. A prominent bulge drew her attention. She swallowed.

  She looked away when he chuckled. His fingers ran to her chin and maneuvered her face until his gaze captured hers. “Eyes are the windows to the soul, sweetheart. Don’t deny me what small glimpse I may have.”

  She nodded. A wicked grin softened the harsh contours of his jawline. “You going to answer my question, sweetheart?”

  There’d been a question. Oh yeah, where they’d met. “New York City. He’s my neighbor.”

  “I was afraid you were going to say that. I was supposed to go on that trip with Lance.” His fingers ran down her cheek. “Such a shame I missed…meeting you.”

  Oh. My. God. He exuded a dark, dangerous aura. He crouched to eye level, but the movement was controlled, like a caged panther, sleek, hungry and on the prowl for a new morsel to nibble. Moisture pooled between her legs as she imagined Lance and him pinning her down and spreading her legs wide to accommodate them. Or him and Kade. Her nipples hardened and she shifted on the seat.

  “Such a shame indeed.” He kissed the back of her hand before standing. “I’m Stryker. This red button pages me. Don’t ever be afraid to use it. I’ll be happy to see to any of your wishes.” He winked and motioned the driver to proceed. “Welcome to The Brigade.”

  The Brigade. Memories swirled in her mind. Kade and his friends belonged to a club called The Pleasure Brigade. But that was back in college. At least, she thought it was. Anticipation jangled her raging hormones. Would the others be there? Lance, Lorenzo, Chase?

  Though her thoughts always wrapped around Kade, she couldn’t help but speculate about the other men. Had they enjoyed their time with her? Hell, she’d wondered if they’d wanted another night as badly as she had. The one scene hadn’t been enough to sate the aching need, the raw hunger Kade and the others had ripped from deep within her. She needed something more, but she couldn’t figure out what.

  Her thoughts lurched as the car stopped. The driver opened her door. Fake Jimmy Choo stilettos weren’t the best footwear for gravel driveways in Texas. Autumn latched onto the driver’s offered hand and focused on getting her equilibrium and libido under control. If she didn’t, she’d mount Kade in the lobby of whatever resort this was.

  There was no doubt this was a resort.

  The circular driveway stopped short of two arched entryways to the white stucco, three-story structure. Autumn knew nothing about architecture, but she could sense the elegance in the well-kept lawns, which stretched for the equivalent of city blocks on the opposite side of the building. Ducks waddled their way toward a barely visible pond, or maybe small lake. There’d be time to take in the scenery later. For now… Her heartbeat accelerated, as if preparing for the thoughts she’d yet to construct amidst the chaotic rubble of control she’d left back in New York City.

  She didn’t want control. Not with Kade. Not here. Whatever here was, she sensed it was the next step, another chance to dabble in the fantasies that beat at her impulsiveness. Anticipation pounded like an incessant warrior drum, the tempo rising until she took the handle of her well-used suitcase and rolled it toward the entrance.

  The automated door swished open and a gust of cool air wrapped around her like unseen fingers, coaxing her into the lobby. Adorned with slate floors, leather sofas and silk pillows, the room screamed lavish.

  Nerves rattled and somersaulted in her belly when Lance looked at her across the lobby. Standing near a large door, he grinned before turning and whispering something to Lorenzo and Chase. Her gaze flew around them, as if a part of her was looking for something else. No, not something else. Someone else.

  Kade.

  Where was he?

  She swallowed the question at the tip of her tongue and made her way toward the three men her body remembered all too well. Thanks to Stryker, her raging libido had taken a rocket ship straight to a new level of need, which ensured that, God help her, if Kade didn’t show up soon, the three men in front of her would have to peel her off the walls.

  Or off them.

  Lance’s large hand covered hers as he seized her suitcase and leaned over to place a feather-soft kiss on her cheek. “Welcome to The Brigade, Autumn. We’ve missed you.”

  Definitely off them.

  “Bella, you are as beautiful as I remember.” Lorenzo leaned toward her and placed a kiss on her forehead as he grabbed her shoulder bag. “I trust your trip was good? I suggested sending the private jet for you, but Chase thought you’d consider that too much.”

  “A woman as special as Autumn shouldn’t experience the jet alone.” Chase sidled up and brushed against her side as he removed her purse from her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “How have you been?”

  Her lungs collapsed. Breathing was too much of a distraction when surrounded by the three men who’d starred in every wet dream she’d had for the past two weeks. Kade always won her over each night with his husky whispers and sensual smile, but these men had a special place in her darkest pleasures.

  “Good.” She wet her lips and glanced around again.

  “You’ll see him soon enough.” Lance latched onto her arm. “I’m afraid there’s a bit of business we need to handle first for check-in, and we figured it’d go better if we handle it. Rules must be followed, even for you.”

  Rules? The men directed her toward the door. Chase flashed his bracelet across a display and the latch popped open. Lorenzo moved behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist.

  “It’ll be okay, bella.” She shivered. “We’ll make this as pleasurable as we can, and then you can see Kade.”

  “Lucky son of a bitch,” Lance commented.

  “I don’t understand.” The door clicked shut, sealing her into a small room adorned with a narrow cherry-wood table and no chairs.

  Lorenzo and Chase set her bags on the table. Lance maneuvered her to the opposite end of the small area. His massive body loomed behind her. His hot breath fell on her neck as he leaned her body down and positioned her hands shoulder-width apart and palms down on the surface.

  “Don’t move.” He kicked her legs apart until they were spread wide. She swallowed the ball of pleasurable nerves lodged in her throat. Unable to speak, she simply nodded, trusting they’d tell her what the hell was going on. “We have a small confession to make. You coming here wasn’t Kade’s idea.”

  Dread seized her. Kade hadn’t wanted her here?

  Don’t panic. He hasn’t seen you yet. You can leave. Pretend you were never here.

  Lance chuckled. “Have no fear, sweet Autumn. He’s quite eager to fuck you so hard you’ll forget where you are. He’s just not too happy with us for pressuring him to share his lifestyle with you. In all ways.”

  “I never…” She faltered as Lorenzo unzipped her suitcase. “I never asked for a commitment.”

  “True,” Chase drawled. His blue eyes captured her attention as he motioned toward the bag he was unzipping. “The Brigade is a resort, a special one where women get to dabble in BDSM under the guidance of experienced Doms.” He paused. “But we’ve got rules about what can and can’t be brought in.”

  Oh. My. God. Autumn wanted to crawl into the slate flooring and curl into a small heap of goo. Moisture pooled between her legs at the thoughts Chase’s words catapulted into her head. Doms. It was as if fate had read her secret wishes and cast them into existence.

  Then the rest of the statement bellowed in her mind. What can and can’t be brought in.

  Shit.

  She pulled back and slammed into Lance’s powerful body. He leaned forward, his hand pressing her down until she was leaning over the table again. “Don’t move.” His hand rested at her waist. “You’ll be stripped of all your clothing and given attire of our choosing. We learn a lot
from what’s in suitcases. Looks like we’ll be learning a hell of a lot since you packed so much.”

  She gulped. His hot breath lapped at her ear as Lorenzo and Chase each unzipped a bag. Her mind raced, trying to assess which of the twin bags contained the naughty toys she’d intended to share with Kade. She’d anticipated his dominant nature and expected he’d find them on his own. She hadn’t envisioned anyone else seeing…

  “Well, bella, you came quite prepared.” Lorenzo removed her toys and placed them on the table.

  Mortified, Autumn stood motionless while each of them was placed on the table. A paddle, the leather belt Kade had whipped her with the first night and then left at her place, the cane she doubted she’d ever be brave enough to feel wielded against her skin. She shivered in apprehensive pleasure when the vibrator and nipple clamps thudded onto the table. What had she been thinking to bring all this stuff with her?

  Lance chuckled against her ear. His hand slid down her leg and then up her inner thigh. “You must’ve been a Girl Scout. So prepared, little one.”

  Chase picked up the cane and slapped it into his other palm. “This is why we don’t allow toys in the resort. Delicate flowers like you aren’t ready for this, sweetheart. Not yet anyway.”

  Lorenzo popped open a black bag and put the toys in it. Autumn tried to grab her possessions, but Lance seized her hand. “You’ll get them back, assuming Kade allows it. I suspect this adventure will change a lot for you where he’s concerned.”

  “He doesn’t know I’m here.”

  “Oh, he knows.” Lance pressed against her from behind and unbuttoned her blouse.

  Heat ran across Autumn’s skin as Lance rubbed his way down to the next button. Pleasure coursed under her skin wherever he massaged. His other hand slid farther up her leg until his thumb softly swept across her wet slit.

  “Such a good girl not wearing any panties. You’re so wet, Autumn.”

  His growled words made her wetter, desperate for a deeper touch. She ground her pussy toward his hand, but he maneuvered away before she experienced the full heat of his touch. Frustration hissed from her clenched teeth.

  “Get her any more worked up and I’ll fuck her right here,” Chase drawled.

  “I’d fuck you right now if I had the choice,” Lance whispered in her ear. “I’ve dreamt of having that hot ass of yours, Autumn. It will be mine again.”

  The shirt fell away from her. Hot hands ran across her skin. Her heartbeat accelerated though she doubted it could’ve been any more rapid than before. Her body begged for release.

  “Satin and lace suit you, Autumn,” Chase commented as he separated her negligees from her other clothes. “We’ll let Kade choose which to keep, if any.”

  “Nudity is always the loveliest attire.”

  “I pity whatever sub you collar, Lorenzo.”

  “Not happening until I find the special one. They are so rare.” Lorenzo reached across the table and ran his fingers over the swell of her breasts. “I won’t let either of you near her when I find her.”

  “You haven’t seen Kade after that night, have you?”

  Autumn bristled at Lance’s pointed question. The fact he knew the answer already was in his commanding voice. Deft fingers unclasped her bra to splay her breasts into Lorenzo’s waiting hands.

  “So soft and innocent,” Lorenzo whispered. “And so ready.”

  “You are very ready, aren’t you, Autumn?” Lance’s hands roamed to her waist. “Legs together.”

  Autumn complied.

  “Good girl.” Lance’s hands pushed down and her skirt pooled around her feet. “Such an obedient pet. I’d forgotten how much so.”

  Autumn trembled as a cool breeze brushed across her sensitized skin. The fires of hell had reached up and cocooned her. Nothing else would explain the inferno erupting within her. Through half-hooded eyes she gazed at Lorenzo and Chase, who assessed her as if she were the dessert on a buffet.

  Dear God, if only she were.

  Lance’s fingers circled on her inner thighs and crawled upward with sinful slowness. Her knees buckled, but his other hand wrapped around her waist to lock her against him. She couldn’t move, couldn’t sate the wanton ache she’d never imagined possible.

  “Please.” The soft plea escaped her parted lips on a moan, an achy request for a pleasurable end to the erotic, yet torturous path she’d somehow stumbled onto.

  “Shhh. A few more things to cover, then we’ll get you to Kade.”

  Autumn clung to Lance as her limbs became numb. A euphoric fog ceased whatever thoughts had echoed in her lust-driven mind. She wouldn’t make it to Kade, even though her entire body screamed for his attention, his mouth.

  Hell, any mouth would do.

  No, even in the euphoria she knew the truth—these men eradicated her inhibition with lethal precision, but only Kade made her entire body molten. What would he think if he saw her like this? In such a state of need because of these three men, no four—she couldn’t forget Stryker. Her pussy clenched as she recalled him.

  Lance maneuvered her until she was facing the wall. He rubbed circles on her belly. His voice cascaded across her face. “It’s okay, Autumn. You’re almost there. You’re almost ready for him.”

  Dear God, how could she be any more ready?

  “I think she’s past ready, man,” Chase commented.

  “No, Autumn needs a little bit more. Kade’s gonna be about as primal as a man can get when we drop her off. He’ll be wrapping these sexy legs around his hips and taking her deep and hard before she can even enter the room.”

  The image flashed in her mind as Lance grazed her clit. Her muscles clenched, her throat constricted and streams of dammed-up pleasure exploded within her. She clung to Lance, her hands reaching around to grasp at his thighs.

  She’d climaxed. The reality thundered within her muddled brain. Barely touched, yet she’d climaxed.

  “What the fuck was that, man?” Chase asked. “That’s not what was discussed.”

  “Fuck what was discussed,” Lance whispered in her ear. “Autumn is capable of so much more. That was only the beginning. You’re still so hungry, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.” His hands ran down her hips to draw her against his erection. “Please.”

  “You have no idea how rare and provocative your implicit trust is, Autumn. You welcomed our attention that night as you do now because you trust Kade, though you know so little about him.” He swallowed. The need she had hoped sated now clawed at her insides again, demanding more fiercely than before at the thought of her neighbor. Damn, why wasn’t Kade here? Now. Inside her. “You submit with all you are, heart and soul. You will make a beautiful sub, sweet little one.”

  She withered within his fierce embrace, her limbs weighted with the same heady yearning she’d battled before. She reached for Lance and then Lorenzo as he made his way around the table and to her.

  “Shhh, bella, it’s time.”

  Time. Time for what? She shook her head as Lorenzo pulled her from Lance, who growled at her response. His hunger wrapped around her, demanding a response she was more than willing to give.

  Chase swore softly and placed himself between her and Lance. “You have a death wish today, man.”

  “No.” Lance’s voice was laced with agony. “But he does if he fucks this up.”

  Confusion filtered within her muddled thoughts. Kade. She moaned at the thought of him. How many times had she orgasmed listening to him dominate other women next door? She’d never imagined the passion he’d made her experience.

  She’d been confident nothing could top the night she’d spent with him and these three men, yet even then the fire flowing through her now hadn’t been present. “Kade.”

  “We know, sweetheart. You’re going to him, right now.” Chase’s hand ran down her face. She pressed into the embrace. “You are so lovely, pet.”

  A silk robe slipped on her arms and onto her. Autumn sighed and clung to Lorenzo when he lifted her. “T
hink I’d better take her. You’d get slaughtered.”

  “Without a doubt.” Lance bent over and kissed her cheek. “Until next time, sweet little one.”

  Cologne mingled with a masculine scent Autumn remembered well. Lorenzo. She moaned and cocooned her face into his neck.

  “Better walk fast or you’ll incur his wrath,” Chase commented. He kissed her cheek and whispered. “’Til later.”

  She’d see them again. She sighed at the thought. Maybe then she’d extinguish the hunger she saw in their eyes and on their bodies. Her pussy clenched as she remembered Lance’s erection pressed against her ass and his words drifted through her mind. He’d fuck her again.

  And heaven help her, she was looking forward to it almost as much as finally seeing Kade.

  Chapter Five

  There were special places in hell for friends like Lance. Kade didn’t know where, but he intended to find out and pummel the know-it-all motherfucker straight there. Anger had grappled with Kade’s need for Autumn the moment he’d seen her on the surveillance monitors. It had taken every granule of control to not intervene.

  Kade still couldn’t believe the fucker had actually done it—invited Autumn to The Brigade without mentioning it until she’d already arrived at the Austin airport. You need to pull that noncommittal stick out of your ass and grab Autumn before someone else does—like me. Lance’s words gnawed in Kade’s gut, wrenching what anger remained in him.

  This wasn’t his friend’s fault. Kade should’ve set firmer ground rules from the beginning with Autumn. Hell, he’d learned the importance of structure and organization at an early age, thanks in part to the military boarding school he’d met Lance and the rest of The Brigade in. Okay, not all of the enormous organization, but the founding members.

  Autumn.

  They’d welcomed her into his world and she’d sauntered in with the same inquisitive and compulsive enthusiasm she had that night weeks ago. His cock throbbed as he watched Lorenzo slowly walking down the corridor leading to Kade’s private suite.

  The Brigade had been a part of their lives for years now, a reasonable and sound investment—not to mention an optimal way to enhance women’s sexual experiences in a safe and sane environment. The club scene didn’t appeal to the clientele they catered to, most of whom had zero experience with submission or bondage—or any of what the scene offered. The retreat, which offered weekly, monthly or extended stays, made sense in every way.