by Cara Dee
I hoped he didn’t mind showering cold because it took a while for the water to heat up out here.
“We have any olives left?” River asked.
“Sure.” I tossed the turkey and vegetables on the bread slices, then fetched his olives in the fridge.
The finishing touch was cream cheese, and by the time the sandwiches were done, the door to the bathroom opened upstairs.
I had a feeling Shay wouldn’t eat his sandwich, but I’d make him try it. A cup of fucking noodles… It wasn’t dinner! Not even when you ate two!
“This single bed up here,” I heard Shay say. “It’s for your playthings, isn’t it?”
After leaving River with his plate and a beer, I walked over to the stairs and peered up at Shay. “We prefer to call them humans outside of degradation scenes, but yeah. Why?”
He looked all rumpled and sweet. His hair was damp and pointed in every direction, and the T-shirt I’d lent him was a size or two too large. As were the boxer shorts.
“Well, I’m not your play-anything,” he responded and disappeared from my view. “I’ll just park my ass in your sweet California king.”
I raised my brows and glanced over at River, who was smirking with his mouth full of food.
“So, I guess I’ll use the rectal thermometer to check your temperature, then?” I hollered up the stairs.
Shay laughed. “I fucking dare you.”
He dared me.
“He dared me, Riv,” I said.
“I heard.” He took another bite of his sandwich. “I’ll bring it when I’m done here. You go up and make sure he eats. Maybe let the painkillers kick in.”
Four
Shay Acton
Oh God, yes. I shivered incessantly as I crawled under the thick duvet and got settled right in the middle of River and Reese’s bed. My stomach felt better, but my headache had become much worse. The water had refused to warm up, so I’d showered quickly and was now paying the price. Every time I tensed up from the cold, and every time my teeth chattered, the pain in my head exploded.
I couldn’t even begin to process how I’d ended up here tonight. The pain was that severe.
Sweet Jesus. This bed was the best part of the Tenley twins. I sank into the mattress, and the heavy duvet weighed down on me perfectly, almost cocooning me. Even the pillow I’d stolen was fantastic. Downy and dense, like the best hotel pillow.
If I asked, would they agree to turn off the AC?
I couldn’t for the life of me think there would be any repercussions to asking someone from Virginia to turn off the AC in August.
At the sound of someone coming up the stairs, I braced myself to defend my position. They couldn’t make me sleep in the bed without the perfect pillows and thick duvet. I wanted to stay right here. I was even ready to ask them to act as human radiators and sleep close to me.
It was Reese. He got something from the bathroom before he walked over here and set a tray on the nightstand.
“How’s our little fighter?”
“He’s fighting below-zero temperatures,” I groused. “My head hurts.”
“That’s not good.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and opened a bottle of painkillers.
Despite the pounding in my skull, I forced myself up on my elbow so I could take the pills and some water.
“You were joking about the rectal thermometer, right?” I asked, throwing back the two pills.
Reese smiled and touched my forehead. “Not at all.”
Goddammit. “What if I use my safeword?”
“You’d be spared, obviously.”
Oh.
I should call red, then. Because I definitely didn’t want this weird Sadist to stick a thermometer up my ass. I didn’t.
“You should eat something, Shay,” he murmured.
“Later. Please.” I couldn’t right now. I carefully rested my head on the pillow again. “I feel like my head is going to split into pieces.”
“Okay. We’ll save it for later.” He nodded and rose from the bed, only to remove his belt, undo his jeans, and step out of them. “Get some rest while I take a shower.”
“Enjoy the freezing cold,” I mumbled and closed my eyes.
“No,” I whimpered pathetically, clinging to the thin film of sleep for all I was worth. “Leave me alone, please.”
“You don’t have to move an inch, sweetheart.” Reese’s warm voice came from behind me, and he slipped a hand into the boxers I’d borrowed from him. “You’re burning up. Can I take your temperature?”
I didn’t care. “Do what you want. Let me sleep. Hurts to talk.”
“Leave everything to me, then,” he murmured.
My headache had faded somewhat, but now I hurt everywhere else. My skin felt raw and supersensitive, I was so cold, and each movement caused tremors of pain to radiate through me.
Heat washed over my front, and I vaguely noticed a body shifting closer. It had to be River. I exhaled shakily and burrowed into his embrace, so far past giving any fucks about who they were, or that I’d barely exchanged any words with him. He was warm; that was enough.
I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth as Reese slowly slid the thermometer up my ass. At the same time, he kissed my shoulder and told me he wanted to ask some questions, but I didn’t have to talk. One tap on River’s chest meant yes, two taps for no. I could use my finger.
“Any nausea?” he asked first.
I tapped my index finger twice on River’s chest, and I felt him shake his head.
I genuinely didn’t care about the thermometer Reese had opted for, but even when I was sick as a dog, it was impossible not to register what it did to my mental state. It wasn’t as humiliating as I’d expected it to be, but it stripped me of my adulthood in a bizarre way. I felt small and pitiful, and it wasn’t necessarily bad. As long as they didn’t leave me to fend for myself.
“Upset stomach or stabbing pains?” he wondered next.
I hesitated, then tapped once. “Not as much as before,” I croaked in a whisper. “I don’t need to go to the bathroom.”
“I understand. You’re being such a good boy.”
I shivered and pressed my face against River’s chest. God. Why were my eyes welling up? And why had he called me a good boy? Fuck all of that. I was a grown man, dammit. I was not a good boy. I sniffled and cleared my throat.
Reese withdrew the thermometer and righted my underwear. “103. You’re staying in bed all day tomorrow and letting us take care of you.”
“Ugh,” I whimpered.
“Get some sleep, pup.” River’s voice was as warm as his brother’s, but it held a lower note and reverberated through me.
“Okay.” I sniffled again and waited until Reese’s body heat covered my back. “Don’t leave.”
“We won’t.” Reese kissed the top of my head. “You should take another painkiller, though. Riv, can you reach them behind you?”
“Yup.” River’s warmth disappeared from me, and I started shivering instantly.
For the next minute, which felt like an hour, they forced me to drink several gulps of water and take a Tylenol. Sadists, man… But then they became nicer, and they cuddled me tightly between them.
I just hoped my temperature didn’t get any higher, because Reese promised to monitor it closely and haul out cooling pads if the fever required any assistance to dissipate.
The fever sweats began around noon the following day.
I emerged from the thick duvet with a labored breath and pushed the fabric fortress off of me.
Reese was probably still out. I’d woken up around ten when he said he was going to the store with someone named Luke. I assumed it was Lucas West. He was one of Kit’s Daddy Doms.
River was…somewhere. He’d been reading a book in the single bed before when I’d gotten up to go to the bathroom.
I squinted out the triangular window, cursing the sun that poured in. My mouth was drier than a desert, and I didn’t know what I wanted more—a shower, a drink of water, or a dip
in the pool. I could hear people outside, laughing and splashing around in the water. An early Saturday in a kinkster’s paradise… Jesus Christ, how had I ended up here? With the freaking Tenley twins, no less.
Exhausted and just plain uncomfortable, I dragged my ass out of bed and walked closer to the window. Damn, way too bright. My eyes welled up, and I squinted harder. Half a dozen people were in or around the pool. Kit was easy to spot, coincidentally just as his other Daddy Dom, Colt, threw him into the water.
There was another couple all over each other, making out—wait. Was that River? River was making out with someone! Fucking hell. I mean, not that I cared, but what the fuck. I scowled at the two, then blinked and blinked again. And then I spun around when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
It was…River. No neck tattoo. That meant River.
“You’re here,” I croaked. A discomfort disappeared from my chest.
“And you’re awake.” He cocked his head at me. “How you feelin’?”
“Tired. Hot. Gross. Thirsty.”
He smiled a little. “Reese and Lucas should be back with food soon. You need to eat.” He nodded at the bathroom. “Maybe a shower will make you feel better.”
Yeah. I twisted my body to peer out the window again. It hadn’t been River at all. Or Reese, for that matter.
A shower did sound nice. “Um, can I borrow some more clothes?” I asked hesitantly.
“Sure.” He gestured at the dresser across from the bed. “Choose whatever you want.”
“Thank you.” I swallowed against the dryness in my throat and opened a couple drawers. A tee and another pair of boxer shorts were easy enough to find.
“It’s cooler downstairs if you wanna join me after you’ve showered,” River mentioned. “I just put on a movie.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.” I felt awkward, and I wasn’t sure I was the only one who felt that way, but watching a movie with him sounded strangely appealing.
Twenty minutes later, I felt marginally better—physically. Mentally, I was in heaven. River had poured me a big glass of ice-cold Coke, another glass of ice-cold water, and he’d brought a bag of chips to the couch. No weird flavor of chips, just plain salt, which happened to be my favorite.
Their couch looked like it had been found next to a dumpster, but it was huge and comfortable and currently my new home.
“This was everything I needed right now.” I threw another handful of chips into my mouth and reached for my Coke.
River chuckled quietly and put his feet up on the coffee table, crossing his legs at the ankles. “Just don’t tell Daddy when he gets home. He doesn’t approve of chips before breakfast.”
I smiled quickly and took a gulp of the soda. Fuuuck, the cold felt good. I didn’t believe I’d shaken all of the fever yet, though. I still got chills every now and then, and I’d jumped at the opportunity when River had offered to grab the covers from what he called the “subbie bed.”
Said covers were draped around me, making me feel like I was seven again.
The awkwardness had faded. The silence between us now was comfortable. We didn’t act like strangers, even though I sensed there were things left unsaid. It was as if we existed in a space where we just waited for Reese to take charge.
I guess it wasn’t so bad being out here.
I’d sent Weasel a text, letting him know I couldn’t fight tonight. Right now, I was only a little annoyed by that.
“Are you a Daddy Dom like Reese too?” I asked.
River shook his head. “Just a sadistic bastard.” He linked his fingers across his stomach. “When I was younger, I wanted to push every limit there was, especially with physical sadism. These days, my passion is in the mental arena.”
Mindfucks. Great. I’d read tons about it, and I was admittedly intrigued by it, but there was no way I’d allow someone to go that deep. Giving up my mind to be toyed with…? Nuh-uh.
However, it wouldn’t hurt me to admit some fantasies. “I have so many fantasies about interrogation play and psychological torture.”
“Yeah?” River lolled his head along the backrest and smirked lazily. “Happens to be two of my specialties.”
In an attempt to keep things light, I patted his leg. “You keep those specialties of yours far away from me.”
He chuckled.
“What’re some of Reese’s specialties?” I wondered.
He hummed, thinking about it. “He’s on a broader spectrum. Natural caregiver, impulsive predator, very creative… There hasn’t been a masochist in the past ten years he hasn’t been able to push into subspace. You’ll probably love his pain sessions.”
No, I wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t request the pain I was addicted to. I’d ask for the kind I deserved.
I could barely remember a time when I’d received the kind of pain that just drove me wild with lust. It didn’t exist in my life anymore.
A pang of guilt hit me squarely in the chest. Being here with River and Reese, having them take care of me, wasn’t right. It felt too good. On the other hand, I was sick.
I promised myself to reinforce the distance and do what I was supposed to do as soon as I recovered. At this rate, it would be tomorrow. Until then…
I wanted to indulge. I wanted to pretend I was someone else.
After setting the bag of chips on the table, I unceremoniously lifted River’s arm and leaned back against his chest. It was a great pillow.
In response, he carefully rested his arm over my front.
With my eyes glued to the action movie I had zero interest in, I said, “I want to point out that Reese has kissed me. You haven’t. Is that part of your dynamic? I don’t know your boundaries.”
There was a beat of silence before he replied. “My brother dives in and drags out whatever he wants. I prefer to chill outside and wait for the prey to come to me.”
That about summed up what I’d learned about the twins so far.
I tilted up my face to look him in the eye. “Am I the prey?”
He hiked his brow a fraction, a pinch of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Do you wanna be the prey?”
Dammit. Definitely a Sadist. And he wasn’t a Predator if he didn’t chase! Was he? Technically, the prey was hunted down. Not forced to admit his desire to be eaten.
“Maybe.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
He narrowed his own in return, mocking me.
“Don’t be an asshole,” I told him. “I’m sick, remember? Be nice to me.”
“I’m always nice.” He said it with a smile on his face, and it was such bullshit.
I huffed. “Do you want me to want to be the prey?”
He chuckled quietly and raked his teeth across his lip. “Let me make one thing clear, pup. I won’t give you an inch until you latch on to me, at which point I might decide to give you eight.”
His words spread some weird liquid heat through me, and I dropped my gaze to his mouth.
“Masochists tend to interpret warnings as invitations,” I noted with a dose of forced confidence. I was in the deep end of the pool already, it felt like.
“Brats too,” he murmured.
“I’m not a brat.” I smiled as a rush of nerves tightened my stomach. The good kind. The kind that made life exciting. And I sort of squirmed in his arms, discreetly trying to press myself closer to him, as if he wouldn’t notice.
He definitely noticed, but he made no mention of it.
“How long have you been involved in kink?” he asked.
I hummed and planted my head on his shoulder instead. Just a few more inches… “A few years? Maybe four. I had a boyfriend who introduced me to rough sex.” Unfortunately, that guy had limits that prevented him from going further than spanking, light choke holds, and using his belt. “I attended my first munch shortly after.”
It was frustrating that River didn’t do anything. Well, he stroked my chest absently and seemed to observe me a lot, but wasn’t it customary to move closer when the other person did the same?
I frowned at him. “You should kiss me, dammit.”
He grinned a little at that. “Should I?”
I nodded and pushed myself a little bit higher. “If this isn’t the definition of latching on to you, I don’t know what is.”
He hummed and removed his feet from the table. “You could get on my lap.”
Fuck yes, I could do that.
Bringing the covers with me, I wrestled myself into position and straddled River, and he straightened in his seat. Playing coy had failed miserably, so there was only one thing left to do. I had to throw myself at the smug bastard.
As I leaned forward and rested my forehead to his, he snaked his strong arms around my back and pulled me even closer. A sluggish stream of lust slithered through me, at war with the remnants of the hellish night I’d had. At war with the exhaustion and skin sensitivity.
The second I pressed my lips to his, it was as if something went off inside me. Like a spark ignited and immediately lit up the rest of me. I hoped he felt something similar, because it became so clear there would be no easing into things with River Tenley. We deepened the kiss simultaneously, and I shivered violently as our tongues met. My hands went to his neck and jaw; his hands went to my ass.
He tasted of coffee, chips, and dark promises.
Fuck me hard. I had to kiss Reese again soon too. Yesterday didn’t fucking count. While he’d turned me on quicker than I’d thought was possible given the circumstances, my head had been a mess. But if he kissed half as passionately and hungrily as River, I was in serious shit.
Need blazed forward too fast for my body to be able to handle. I locked my arms around his neck and kissed him harder, deeper, but I was already losing my breath. My sore muscles protested.
It was just difficult to give a crap, even more so when he grabbed my ass roughly and shifted me over his cock.
I started panting and pretty much ground against him like a desperate slut.
River smirked into the kiss and slowed things down a little. “Reese is back.”
Huh?
“Wha—” The word hadn’t left my mouth before I heard the door open. Oh.