The Strand Brothers Series: Complete Set

by Lora Ann

  I shook my head and then left his warm embrace to join my mom and sister. As I leaned into Keeley, using caution not to hurt her in any way, I murmured, “I love you, Kee. Please let the anger go so you can heal.”

  Her tears fell onto my hair as it covered us from Mom and E’s vision. “I don’t know how, Lace,” she confessed so softly only I could hear her.

  “Then we will get you help. I promise.” For that I was adamant. My sister couldn’t do this on her own, nor should she. I would do whatever was needed to get her help. Something I planned on discussing with Even as soon as we left the room.

  I pulled back from her, but grasped her hand with one of mine. With the other, I reached over and clutched Mom’s. “We’ll figure this out together.”

  Mom gave me a watery smile. “Yes, we will. Kincaid women stick together.”

  I caught E shifting his weight from foot to foot. I really was torturing the poor man with making him wait for my answer. If it were only about love, it’d be a definite ‘yes.’ Problem was, I needed some very real, acute answers to questions I had. Somehow, I needed to convey this to him without fear of embarrassment or judgment. Let’s face it, without trust we had nothing. One step at a time, I reminded myself.

  After a little while of small talk, E and I went back to his room. If all went well, he would be released the next day. I had so much to do when I left the hospital. Funeral arrangements were at the top of my list.

  Once he was settled back in bed, he pulled me beside him. I appreciated the kind gesture and nuzzled onto his chest, letting the strong, steady rhythm of his heart soothe me. I really could stay like this forever. He twirled my hair around his fingers and sleepily stated, “I meant it, sweetness. I’ll wait forever for you.”

  I raised my head and held eye contact. “It won’t take me that long.”

  “But,” he prompted.

  “I have questions only you can answer,” I admitted.

  “What about?” I glanced away and his hand caught my chin, holding it so I had to look into his eyes. “Talk to me, Lacey.”

  I had to grin at his command, even though I knew he wasn’t being rude or disrespectful in any way. This was who he was. If I planned on spending the rest of my life with him, I had to accept all of him. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “I need to experience it all, E.”

  His brow cocked in confusion. “Sweetness, I’m not sure I’m following that beautiful brain of yours. Could you spell it out, please?”

  Bashful, I replied, “I need to see your dungeon. I have to know exactly what your lifestyle is all about.”

  He sucked in a breath, and I could feel his hand tremble. “We’ve already played. It’s really not any different than that.”

  I smacked his chest. “Bullshit.”

  He fought the laugh that threatened to erupt, most likely due to my outburst and swearword I let fly. “You calling me out, smukka?”

  “Indeed I am.”

  “God, I am so in love with you.” Then all humor left his face. “Also, I wanna spank that fine ass of yours.”

  I squeaked, “For what?”

  “Your bossiness.”

  “Um…isn’t that the pot calling the kettle?”

  He shrugged. “Still want to.”

  “Why?”

  “’Cause it excites me?”

  “Hurting me is a turn-on?”

  “No,” he gasped. “I would never, ever hurt you, Lacey. You know that, right?”

  “I don’t think I understand. Because last time I received swats, they hurt,” I pointed out.

  He chuckled. “I bet they did.” I shot him a dirty look for laughing at me. He quickly sobered. “I would use my hand, my tongue, my lips,” he answered sultrily.

  Oh my! I had to admit a spanking like he was describing made me wet. I squirmed. “Alright, you have my attention.”

  He stroked his finger lazily down my spine. “I want more.”

  The edge I heard in those three little words made me aware of just how much my asking for time was bothering him. I leaned up and kissed his jaw. “You’ll have your answer, when you show me your playroom.”

  “Damn, woman,” he groaned. “You drive a hard bargain.”

  “Why don’t you want to? Are you trying to hide from me?”

  “Sweetness, I don’t want to frighten you. There are things in my dungeon that would do just that if you don’t understand their purpose.”

  “You only want to bring pleasure, right?”

  “Yes,” he confessed, “And test your limits. Not in a bad way.”

  “None of that scares me, E.”

  “I’ll make a deal with you,” he replied reluctantly. “If you’re willing to educate yourself on BDSM and write a contract with me, I’ll take you there.”

  “Why would we need a contract?”

  “So we both understand where the other is coming from, Lacey. It just helps open our communication and explains our needs, as well as, our desires. Nothing awful, I promise.”

  With more force, I kissed him. “Deal.”

  He grinned, “Get some sleep, søta.”

  I yawned out, “okay,” as I sank back against his chest and instantly fell asleep.

  *****

  The next six weeks were long and drawn out. We buried my father, which meant a trip down south. Keeley was physically healed, but emotionally she had shut down completely. I admit I was more than worried about her. E had offered to send her to a rehab facility overseas. We were still waiting on her decision. Mom was doing well, all things considered. She was trying to make up for lost time. While I appreciated her efforts, she was going a bit overboard. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that. So I let it be.

  Ari was still in the hospital fighting off several infections, poor kid. Alex had taken the girl under his wing. The need to protect ran strong in the Strand DNA. His fatherly side was coming out, and it was a beautiful thing to witness. We were all concerned that her parents had still not shown up. What kind of monsters had she lived with? We had also learned she had been adopted, but they had died in a car accident when Ari was four-years-old. She had been a product of the state ever since, bouncing from one foster home to another. Heartbreaking didn’t even begin to cover it. She was very reserved, but that could be due to her illness. Still, we all made an effort to stay by her side. Alex was just there the most.

  Nik and Aimee were doing very well. Nik was still worried sick about Caleb coming after Aimee again. Knowing what I knew now, his anxiety made perfect sense. Aimee was one stubborn woman, refusing to tuck her tail and hide away. She was back to work, albeit, she had a full-time body guard with her at all times. Nik’s insistence since he still had to travel, though he had tapered off on that in the last couple of weeks.

  Keeley claimed she never really got a good look at who held her captive. I wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or not. Why she would hide the identity of the man who hurt her, I would never comprehend. One of the many things she needed professional help figuring out. I hoped and prayed she accepted Even’s offer.

  I had gone back to work dancing at the club shortly after returning from SoCal. E wasn’t particularly happy about that, but he understood my need to dance. He made sure he was there every night I was scheduled. I had worried that he was pushing himself too hard. He’d never admit that. Nevertheless, he seemed to be doing fine.

  We had sat down and hammered out our contract with ease. He had been right; it made things much easier to wrap my brain around. Yes, we had messed around here and there, but for the most part, we’d been vanilla with a twist. I knew he was getting antsy with that. The truth, I was too. I was ready to take the leap of faith and trust him completely. To exchange power with him and know he would never do anything to harm me. The desire to submit fully to him zinged through my blood. I couldn’t wait any longer and was more than grateful his cast was removed. Subtext: He’d been given the all clear.

  *****

  I was perfo
rming the night I made the decision to seduce E. With no real experience with seduction, I wasn’t quite sure how to pull it off. So I decided to do what I knew best—dance just for him. Sounds weird when you were in front of others, but really it wasn’t. I simply focused my attention on him. He knew when I did and what I was saying with my body.

  For the performance, I had selected my favorite outfit: black leather short-shorts, red leather and silk bustier, black fish-net stockings, and black thigh-high, five-inch heeled lace-up boots. I stepped onto the stage and had the pleasure of watching his mouth gape like a fish. Oh baby, just wait, I thought as I held his surprised gaze. Had I worn skimpier outfits to dance in? Absolutely. Yet, I think he could tell by my disposition that this was all for him, with or without an audience. In case there was any doubt in his mind, the song said it all as I moved my body to Rihanna’s “S&M.”

  By the time the first line was sung, E’s eyes darkened. All throughout the song my message was received loud and clear. Once it was over, he was out of his seat and had me shoved up against the wall in the hallway. Ah, sweet memories caused me to smile as he pinned my hands above my head and devoured my mouth with his. His very full erection jammed against my mound in the most tantalizing way. I was completely aware we were not going to be making love that night. To drive the point home, he moved to my ear lobe where he bit down before he hissed, “Fuuuuck. You’re so damn sexy.”

  I rubbed up against him. “Show me.”

  I didn’t need to explain. He pulled back from me and answered, “After the club closes, I will.”

  I wrapped my leg around his hip and pulled him as close as possible with clothes on. “Thank you.”

  His chuckle was low and deep. “No need for that, sweetness,” he drawled.

  This was where he was wrong. I knew he was doing all of it for me. Only me. Now it was my job to show him just how much I appreciated that fact. And I would, I had done my homework. Two o’clock in the morning couldn’t arrive fast enough for me. He pulled away so I could go back to the locker room. As I turned to walk away, he swatted my rear—hard. I yelped, and he smirked. Yeah, this night would change our relationship forever. Somewhere deep inside, I acknowledged it would be for the better.

  Chapter Forty-One

  E

  Pent-up anxiety plagued me as I paced in my office, glancing every five minutes or so at the clock. What the hell had I agreed to? I had promised myself to never let Lacey down into the dungeon. Nonetheless, it was what she wanted. I was unable to deny her anything. I wasn’t ashamed of my lifestyle, per se. Matter of fact, I was damn proud of the man, the Dom, I had become. She was fully aware of my past and my mistakes. I hadn’t held back one piece of information from her. Some of the wicked things I had done, I would love to try with her. While others I had no wish for her to experience. I wished I hadn’t if I were completely honest. Much like any other thing we try in life, you gave it a whirl and if it worked out, great. If not, you shouldn’t repeat it. None of that was what had me stressed out. What if she hated everything we tried? Would I be able to walk away from my very nature in order to make her happy?

  The other reason I didn’t want her in the dungeon, was because she would worry about those who’d been there before her. She would never admit to that, but I knew her well. Things like that bothered her. She was sensitive, which was one of the reasons why I loved her so much. The other, ironically, was her innocence. It excited me in way I never imagined. The knowledge that no other man had ever had her made me feel special. She was truly mine. Sooner or later, my ring would be on her left hand, ring finger for the world to know it. When I glanced at the clock again, it read: 1:55 a.m. I took a deep breath and headed out towards the stage area. Show time.

  Something I’d never done for Lacey was sing to her. Now all of us Strands could, but Nik was more known for it. I was partial to rap, though I could appreciate all music. The big shock would be that I was a drummer. My manager, Henry, had everything set up for me. Jules made sure all the employees left through the other exit on the opposite side of where the main floor was. We had cleared out all playrooms an hour ago. I had taken a shower and changed into my favorite pair of blue jeans and gray t-shirt. My Doc Martens clomped loudly across the floor as I took my seat with sticks in hand, waiting.

  I glanced up and caught a glimpse of Lacey standing to the side. She had changed as well. But that was not what stopped my breath. Light shone down over her causing a halo effect over her dark hair, sparking the red. She looked like an angel, and I was caught in her spell as she approached.

  “What’s all this, Even,” she inquired with a slight tilt to her head.

  “Have a seat and listen.” When her brow arched at my command, my lip quirked up on one side. Lord, she was amazing.

  I began to play as I sang along to Imagine Dragons’ “Demons.”

  By the time I finished, she was standing next to me.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” she declared.

  “You should be,” I affirmed.

  “We all have our demons, E,” she acknowledged. “You won’t hurt me.”

  I grabbed her hand and played with her fingers. “You’re right about that. I could never harm you.”

  She stepped closer to me. “How come I never knew you played or sang?”

  “It’s normally Nik’s gig.”

  “I see. Does Alex as well?”

  “Yeah, he does. He can play an awesome tenor sax when he feels like it.” I added, “Music just came easily to us all. Plus, our mother loved it.”

  “I wish I had known her,” she said compassionately.

  “She would’ve adored you,” I confided as I tucked her hair behind her ear. “You sure about this, sweetness?”

  “Lead the way, Master,” she drawled seductively.

  I sucked in a breath at the term of respect. Alright, E, time to man the fuck up and give your woman what she wants, I silently told myself as we walked downstairs hand in hand.

  We entered the dungeon and I watched her closely as she took in the room. Full of curiosity, she walked over to the play bed. There really wasn’t much to it she hadn’t already seen in my bedroom. Difference being, I kept things at home tucked away. Here, they were out for all to see. She then stepped over to the table with restraints and I heard her hiss. Immediately I walked up behind her and held her against me.

  “Shh…no, I won’t put you on there. I promise,” I assured her. This was one of the reasons I had been concerned about her. Keeley had shared a little about her time in captivity. I wanted to kill that motherfucker who thought it was okay to beat and torture women. The fact that they were prostitutes held no bearing with me, Nik, or Alex. My gut told me it was Reynolds behind it all, but we still had no evidence to the charge. If I stood there and thought about it anymore, I would lose my mind-set for Lacey. I took a calming breath and leaned into her supple body.

  “Do you remember your safe word, Lacey?”

  “Yes,” she sighed as she leaned into me.

  “Say it for me.”

  “Ice castles.”

  “Good. That’s very good,” I praised. “Do you know what I want from you?”

  “My trust. My submission.”

  “Do you trust me, Lacey?”

  “With all that I am.”

  “Perfect. Let me show you how grateful I am for your gift. If at any point you have a question, please don’t hesitate to ask. Alright?”

  “Okay.”

  “Now, I want you to disrobe for me slowly, but not until the music starts.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Ah, you remembered. You may call me sir or master, whatever you’re most comfortable using. But you cannot call me by my name unless I give you permission. Understand?” I made sure my voice was gentle, yet firm.

  “I understand completely, Master,” she purred. There was a hint of anxiety, yet more anticipation coming through.

  Good. I wouldn’t have continued if she were frightened. “That’s
my girl,” I drawled as I hit play on the stereo system.

  Muse’s “Madness” rang out as I took a seat to enjoy the show. Holy fuck, she was a goddess dancing before me.

  First, she toed off her boots. Then she unfastened her dark jeans, but didn’t slide them down her hips. My brow cocked as she lifted the hem off her long-sleeved, red t-shirt. Damn. She was wearing a black, lace bra with red ribbons. I ran my tongue over my top lip. At this rate I wouldn’t make it. I adjusted my erection and continued to watch. I hadn’t actually picked a strip tease song. This was more of my song to her. Did she figure that out? I would have to ask her later. Her shirt came off as she swiveled her hips. Through desire laden eyes, I watched her jeans shimmy down her long, sculpted legs. Unable to sit there any longer I pounced, grasping her hips hard as I began to move with her.

  “Are you listening to the words, love?”

  “Y-yes, Sir.”

  “You drive me fucking crazy.” I popped her ass, causing her to squeak. I began to rub the sting away as I went to my knees, something I wouldn’t normally do until a sub was properly restrained. Although, I should’ve known with Lacey all bets were off. She owned me. I turned her so she was facing away from me. Her delectable derriere decorated in a sexy thong to match her bra was at my eye level. The red ribbon at the top begged to be removed. With my teeth, I tugged her panties off. Next I licked and sucked each cheek, paying close attention to the one I had just smacked. When she moaned, I stopped. I was waiting for her to speak out of turn, but she didn’t. I resumed my attention, moving along her seam until I reached the nectar of the gods. There was a reason I called her sweetness. She was the most decadent of all desserts, and I began to indulge in her treat.

  I eased back so I could speak; making sure the vibrations of my voice hit her clit. “Do not come until I say.”

  “Yes, Master,” she panted out.

  Holy hell. How was I expected not to simply pull her underneath my body and make love to her? Focus, I demanded myself. I went back to sipping from her luscious pussy. I moaned as she saturated my face with her juices. She was right on the edge. I dipped my forefinger in her wetness and worked it back. First, I toyed with her oh-so sensitive taint. She groaned deeply and leaned back more against me. “Put your hands behind your back and clasp them. Do not release them until I say so.”