by Cara Dee
“I already did that—begrudgingly,” I replied. “I picked up some tees, sweats, and briefs in your size too, in hopes you’d either stay or want to keep some clothes at our place. And those potato chips you like. And, uh, a whole bucket of lollipops.”
I’d spent more time choosing lollipops than the clothes. But he’d admitted to replacing smokes with lollipops, so obviously that was my priority.
River directed a smirk out the window.
“Okay,” Shay responded, frustrated, “but I’m paying for it.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes. I. Am,” he gritted out.
“Reese,” River warned.
“I didn’t save the receipts!” I defended. “But fine, if you wanna pay…fine. Everything was a buck.”
“I swear to Christ,” Shay growled.
“And ninety-nine cents,” I coughed. “Plus tax.”
I felt for him. I could be a menace, and I didn’t see that stopping. He slumped back with a frustrated snarl and palmed his face.
Ten
Shay Acton
What the hell were they doing out there?
With an annoyed huff, I left the single bed and walked toward the window. Reese and River’s bed called to me, but I wasn’t going there. Not tonight. I had to take a stand, dammit. They’d fucking played me.
I peered out the window and folded my arms over my chest. Night owls was putting it mildly. It was two in the morning, and the music blaring out from the main house was loud. River and Reese weren’t alone. A dozen or so people had come and gone over the day, and those who’d arrived shortly after we’d had dinner were here to stay the night. River had mentioned a sub named Tate, whom I’d met briefly before. He was at munches sometimes and knew Cam pretty well.
That redheaded Domme, Penelope, was out there too. I could hear her laughter. She’d arrived after I’d said I was going to bed around ten.
Two other people I didn’t know were in the pool.
I wondered if the twins had told Penelope that the secrecy was over and if she’d driven down here because of it. All the founders had played their part in this. They’d known the gist of River and Reese’s plan to lure me here to Mclean. Penelope had even sent her ex-girlfriend Isela to convince me.
The betrayal stung as I returned to the subbie bed and sat down on the edge of it, but at some point, I had to swallow my pride and admit I wasn’t as angry as I’d portrayed. I was, for the most part, uncomfortable and bewildered. For one, I didn’t understand why these strangers cared so much. River and Reese may not be strangers anymore, but they had been when they’d made the decision to try to help me. For two, I didn’t know how to handle that aforementioned display of care and concern.
Which made me wonder if I’d punished myself enough these past two years, since I clearly didn’t accept help very well. Or see the help coming. The entire concept had become so strange to me. Because since the night I lost my parents and sister, I’d existed to be there for my brothers.
It was ultimately why I was still out here with River and Reese. I’d alienated myself and was sick and tired of it, and I wanted them to tell me enough was enough. Yet, I kept punishing myself—even right now, by being up here in the bedroom rather than out there with the two men who’d made me feel more alive than anyone else in two years.
I blew out a breath and scrubbed my hands over my face.
I felt like a fucking child. River had made it clear to me that everything that’d happened since I’d arrived here had been genuine. They’d been open about their intentions and honest about how they thought we clicked well. Reese had mentioned a kink relationship more than once.
Me, on the other hand? I’d come willingly while pretending to be kicking and screaming. I’d protested against what I wanted so goddamn badly. I’d claimed not to want anything with them that went beyond this week, at the same time as I’d dived headfirst into the middle spot of their bed.
I’d contradicted myself the whole motherfucking time I’d been here.
Enough.
I swallowed and reached for the shopping bag Reese had left on the dresser by their bed earlier. I’d moved it to the single bed, as my juvenile statement of not spending another night between two Tenleys.
I found two pairs of sweatpants, similar to the ones Reese had several of, except these were a couple sizes smaller.
They fit.
As I stood there and tightened the drawstrings, I contemplated checking out the two T-shirts he’d picked up too, but it was still hot outside. I did open the big container of lollipops, though. I stuck a Coke-flavored one into my mouth, then drew the sweats up past my calves before I pushed down my nerves and descended the stairs.
Reese and River had lied to me. They’d schemed and deceived—with good intentions. Then they’d come clean and apologized for the hurt they’d caused, even though it’d been followed by a firm, brief declaration that they had no regrets. They’d do it again.
I had lied too, without any intentions whatsoever. Well, beyond me getting punished. But I hadn’t apologized yet, nor had I explained myself.
I’d do it tomorrow. Tonight I needed to reconnect.
I skipped shoes altogether and left the cabin.
River must’ve heard me closing the door over the music, because he glanced over immediately. Reese was in the middle of a conversation with Penelope. But given how freakishly attuned to each other the brothers were, all it took was a slight change in River’s posture for Reese to split his attention.
Some anxiousness crash-landed into my stomach as his gaze fell on me. Around the same time, I jumped up on the deck and shifted my lollipop to my cheek.
I didn’t have to put up a front with these men.
River, Reese, Penelope, and Tate sat in the group of low sofas and chairs near the barbecue area, and I aimed straight for the empty spot between the twins. The table was packed with beer bottles, snacks, and a stack of plates left from dinner. And whiskey.
The conversation idled further when I squeezed by River’s legs and slumped down between him and Reese.
“Couldn’t sleep?” River murmured.
I shook my head and knew I had to make some form of a gesture for Reese to unclench. He’d kept his distance from me the whole day, and I’d hated it. He hadn’t been a fan of it either, thankfully. I’d seen him watch me apprehensively a few times, and it’d sort of hurt me. Like, it’d hurt me to know there was even the slightest possibility that he’d been in pain too.
It was more mellow between River and me, since we’d talked extensively at the diner.
Spotting a bottle cap from Reese’s beer on the table, I took out my lollipop and rested it on the cap. Then I nudged Reese against the backrest cushions and lifted his arm so I could get comfortable. And it was freeing. It felt so good, even more so when I sensed all the tension leaving his body. His strong arms came around me, and he pressed his mouth to the top of my head.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I muttered. “You can keep talking. I’m just gonna sit here.”
“Actually, I need you closer.” Reese slipped his hands under my armpits and silently urged me to straddle him, so I hitched a leg over his lap and got settled. Better. So much better. I threw my arms around his shoulders and buried my face against his neck, and he squeezed me back so tightly.
This was what it felt like to be glued back together.
I swallowed a burst of emotions and ignored what Penelope was saying. Something polite about this being a good time to retire for the evening. Who even used the word “retire”?
“Let’s go, Tate. I’ll show you where you can sleep,” she finished.
“You’re not my Mommy,” he exclaimed, which made Penelope and River chuckle. Maybe it’d been a joke.
“Thank heavens,” Penelope teased.
I heard Tate snicker before the two said their goodnights and left.
Once we w
ere alone—except for the couple in the pool—River shifted closer, and I broke the hug with Reese only to hug River too.
“You done barkin’, lil pup?”
I sniffled and chuckled at the same time, then inched away so I could kiss him. River hummed and completely owned me with one of his deep, hungry kisses, his tongue against mine making me shiver and, for lack of a better term, heel. Or maybe the perfect term since he kept calling me puppy. But it was what he made me do. He took command so easily, and I followed. I obeyed.
“Goddammit,” I mumbled into the kiss. “Perhaps I’m a little bit submissive.”
“No way.” He smiled and gripped my chin. “What on earth gave you that idea?”
Reese gathered my free hand and kissed the inside of it. I felt his grin against my skin.
“Don’t get too smug.” I nipped at River’s bottom lip before returning my attention to Reese. No warning, no words. I locked my arms around his neck, pressed myself as closely as I could, and kissed him with everything I was.
He controlled me just as expertly as River, but Reese was still different. There was playful leeway and a bit of recklessness in his manner, and only the latter took a hike when he shouldered the role of a Sadist. He let me set the pace until he wanted something else. He let me cling to him until he wanted my hands elsewhere. Like now, when he deepened the kiss and brought my hands to his front.
“It’s possible I missed you,” I confessed, out of breath. “But don’t tell anyone.”
He grinned faintly and teased the tip of my tongue with his. “Secret’s safe with me, little fighter. I definitely missed you.”
It was ridiculous to feel this happy, wasn’t it?
It was another thing that was foreign to me lately. Happiness.
But I still needed River and Reese to hear me out and give me their opinion on whether or not I actually deserved to move on.
I closed my eyes and rested my forehead to his.
“I know we have a lot to talk about,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I’m gonna tell you guys everything, but…can it wait till tomorrow?”
River threaded his fingers through my hair and scratched my scalp gently.
“Of course.” Reese cupped my cheek, and I eased away a little and opened my eyes again. “Beautiful boy. We canceled tomorrow, so we’ll have all the time you need.”
Whoa, really? “Why did you cancel?” I felt my forehead crease. To be honest, I wanted to experience something like they’d planned with other kinksters.
“Bad timing,” River replied. “And it’s more of a rescheduling for us. The others will be here tomorrow and have fun on their own, and if you’re still interested once the dust’s settled, there’s another opportunity in a couple months.”
Reese’s mouth twisted into a little smirk. “Macklin loves his group play and knows it’s not an orgy until someone’s canceled, so he’s booked two dates.”
“Oh.” I pinched my lips together and smiled. “I wanna be here for that.”
He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Then we’ll make that happen.”
Awesome, but I would need those boundaries we’d discussed briefly at the diner. Or similar ones. Some sort of limits anyway. Which made it pretty fucking clear that there were parts of River and Reese I didn’t want to share with others.
They had already mentioned a kinky arrangement.
I wanted that.
Reese smoothed a finger between my eyebrows. “You’re thinking about something.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t mind being your play partner,” I admitted, feeling awkward as fuck. I wasn’t the best at putting myself out there. “As in, some type of relationship-type thing. Type.”
His eyes flashed with warmth and amusement.
River leaned back in his seat and grew contemplative.
I swallowed as a rush of nerves twisted my insides.
“A play partner dynamic is a good start,” Reese said eventually. “That would come with some restrictions, though.”
“I don’t mind.” Restrictions were good. Restrictions meant there would be a structure to follow. “Could we discuss those now?”
“Fuck, you’re cute.” He pressed a hard kiss to my lips that sent heat to my cheeks. “At the risk of pushing too hard, too fast, I want you to stay with us, sweetheart. When you don’t have plans with your brothers, stay here. Give us a few weeks to settle into our dynamic and find out what limits work for us.”
A few weeks…
Fucking hell, I wanted to. I wanted it so much that my whole body screamed for it.
“Take a break from everything else.” He stroked my cheek, and I swallowed hard, trapped in his heated gaze. “Help us with the next Game. You can train with me as often as you need.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. “I thought you weren’t a fighter.”
He snorted softly and lifted a brow. “I think I can give you a run for your money.”
I bet. It wasn’t like training under Weasel’s guidance and facing the fighters he set me up with offered much of a challenge. I could do this, I was sure. Taking three weeks off was still just three fight nights. It wasn’t as if I’d spend months catching up on work in a cubicle. I’d return to the cages soon enough to make more money. But I could afford a break.
I wanted to get involved out here too. They’d done a lot for me already.
“Okay.” I nodded, suddenly flushed with excitement. “My brothers go back to school soon, so I want to be there for them when they come home in the afternoon, but then I can come back out here.”
He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me hard.
“One more thing,” I mumbled against his lips. “I’m not sleeping in the fucking subbie bed.”
He chuckled. “Fuck no, you’re not.”
One might’ve hoped to wake up the next morning to a round of morning sex and pillow talk.
In reality, someone woke up a little before nine o’clock to two notes, and that someone was me.
River was out buying us breakfast, and Reese was “in the office,” this mystery place I still hadn’t seen.
I woke up feeling weirdly reenergized, so I figured I could start my day with a swim. Because if I was actually going to stay here a few weeks, I had to get back to working out regularly. I may only have one fight night a week, but I didn’t get confident in winning—or deciding the outcome, rather—by lying around and being lazy.
I had to buy some trunks next time we were out. For now, I’d go with my briefs.
I didn’t have to ask Reese why he’d opted for briefs instead of boxer briefs. He’d torn up my ass good and proper last night when seeing me in a pair of them.
As I left the cabin, I noticed Tate was in the pool too. Well, he was sitting on the edge with his feet in the water, at least. But he was dressed to go in.
He looked like he was a million miles away in his head. He still hadn’t noticed me when I was ten feet away.
Should I just ignore him? I’d ignored both him and Penelope yesterday.
“Good morning,” I said politely, albeit quietly.
He jumped slightly and glanced up at me over his shoulder. “Oh. Sorry. Good morning.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude.” I dropped my phone in the lounger I usually shared with the twins. There were already three folded towels on the table, so maybe Reese had plans for us to stay here at some point today.
“You didn’t,” Tate responded absently.
I side-eyed him and walked over the last few feet to the wide stairs in the corner of the pool. He was lost in thought again, and I didn’t know him well enough to prod. Did I? We’d just talked a little at a few munches. I knew he was a sadomasochist and a switch. He was heavily inked—though not anywhere near my level—he worked…with children, if I wasn’t mistaken, and he was together with someone named…something. I should remember.
On the other hand, the extent you knew someone in this community evidently didn’t matter.
I hissed under my
breath as I headed into the water. It was going to be another hot and humid day, but the water hadn’t warmed up yet.
I noticed the pool cleaner near my feet. The little robot vacuum must’ve been working through the night, ’cause I didn’t see any dirt or dead bugs.
“Is it cold?” Tate asked.
“Depends if you’re asking me or my balls.” I winced and cupped my junk under the water. “It’s all right.” You got used to it quickly, which I bet his legs agreed with. They were still submerged up to his calves. This end of the pool was only like four feet deep, and I had no intention of leaving it. The other end was six feet at the deepest. “By the way, are you okay?”
“Hmm?” He dragged his gaze off the surface of the water. “Oh. Yeah. I don’t know. I mean—I’ll be fine.” He gripped the edge of the pool and slowly lowered himself into the water. Kind of impossible not to notice the definition of his abs and biceps.
He was a few years older than me, and he managed to look both youthful and a bit rugged. His neatly trimmed beard played a part.
“Can I ask you something?” He grimaced when his midsection was submerged too.
“Shoot.” I crouched down in the water so my shoulders were under the surface.
“You have a thing going on with the Tenley twins now, right?”
“Sort of.” I nodded. “It’s new. We haven’t discussed it much yet.”
Tate smirked faintly. “They have some interesting boundaries. A former friend of mine fell for them a couple years ago and wanted the whole shebang—love, kink, a closed triad. The twins wouldn’t budge an inch, so my buddy stormed out and left the community. Fun times.”
“They do have a very, uh, passionate following online.” I chuckled awkwardly and scratched my nose. “I’m not looking for anything like that, though. It’s just kink.”
A voice in the back of my head called me a bullshitter, all while the rest of me reasoned that it was smart to stick to just kink. River and Reese were dangerous as it was.
“Maybe,” Tate mused. “But you’ve already come further than my friend did. Last night, Reese mentioned something, and I got the impression that you sleep in their bed…?”