by Shayla Black
“It’s true. Did you know that one year he gave us all signed footballs for Christmas?” Rory started to lead her off the dance floor.
Her heart still pounded, her mind whirling from the excitement. And her nipples were hard just from being so close to him. She hoped no one noticed. “I’m sure he simply didn’t have time to be more personal.”
His fingers laced through hers. “He makes the time now. I shoved that damn thing up his arse, and now he’s more thoughtful. You’ll have to be that way with Callum from time to time. He doesn’t always think. Put him on his arse when he requires it and everything will run smoothly. Outside the bedroom, of course. He won’t take orders when you’re intimate, but you’ll have a good deal of control with him in the real world. It’s Oliver you’ll have to worry about. He’s the one who’ll tell you everything is fine when his world is falling apart.”
She had to protest. “But I’m not—”
“Don’t let him get away with it,” Rory kept on as if she hadn’t spoken at all. “Fine is like his safe word. When he uses it, everything needs to stop.”
“Safe word?” She knew that meant a word the submissive used if she’d had too much of a punishment or got scared.
Rory stopped and turned, looming over her like a gorgeous Viking god. “Yes. I was joking about Oliver’s—mostly. But you should choose yours. You’ll need one very soon.”
Her dress suddenly felt way too tight. “I don’t think any of this is a good idea.”
Heat and desire lit his blue eyes as his fingers tightened around hers. “Don’t be scared. Everything we’ll do to you is designed to bring you pleasure and draw us closer together. I’ve trained for this day.”
“But you… I-I didn’t know you wanted me.”
“I fought like hell to hide how I felt. The first time I went to a club, I thought I could rid myself of my desire for you. I followed Callum, seeking a sub who looked like you. I planned to purge myself so I could help Oliver find his way. I found a pretty sub with hair like yours and I trained with her. I learned everything necessary but I felt almost nothing because she wasn’t you. I couldn’t muster any desire whatsoever to touch her in a sexual way because the minute you walked in the door, I belonged to you. I don’t know why or how, but I haven’t looked at another woman since we met. I know Oliver hurt you, but I can’t help but be happy because it forced Callum and me to come to terms. I think in the end, that’s exactly what Oliver needed to be comfortable with our marriage.”
“M-marriage?” She squeaked out the word.
Tori didn’t ask if he was serious. His weight and the heat of his dark stare told her he was.
“Yes, don’t think for a second that I’ll settle for anything less. I love you, Tori.”
She so wasn’t ready for that. She didn’t know how to believe it. Sex was easier. One night with the three of them was something she could conceive of. “I’m not thinking of the future. I’m honestly not thinking of anything at all, Rory. I can’t. I’m not staying here.”
“I know you’re not.”
A hand touched her elbow. “Torrance? I am Abdul al Bashir, cousin to the sheikh. May I have this dance?”
She turned and saw a stunning man. With golden skin and fathomless dark eyes, he was dressed in an immaculate tux and smiled down at her with a flash of white teeth in a stunning face. Oh, he was one of the five cousins she’d absolutely planned on avoiding. No matter how delicious he was, he came with four extras…and her heart belonged elsewhere. Not that she could handle the three currently propositioning her. Not only that, Abdul and his brothers were Bezakistani men. They’d been known to steal the bride they wanted.
Still, it might get her out of temptation’s way if she danced with him.
“I’m afraid not. So sorry,” Rory lied as he began to tug her away.
Tori stood her ground. “Mr. al Bashir—” Then she squeaked. “What the hell!”
One minute she was talking politely and the next she found herself in Rory’s arms, being carried out of the ballroom. Staid, very British Rory Thurston-Hughes picked her up and carried her toward the exit like a pirate with a particularly thrilling bit of booty.
“Rory, what are you doing?” she demanded.
He was supposed to be the reasonable one, but he’d proven that looks could be deceiving.
Rory kicked opened the door to the hallway. Kicked it open. Yeah, nobody noticed that and it certainly didn’t make her ovaries melt at all. Nope. She didn’t like this side of Rory. Well, no part of her except those softening pink bits and maybe her heart.
“I’m taking charge.” He strode down the hall. He didn’t pause or hesitate. When he walked past reporters, he didn’t bother to look their way. He was a man on a mission.
“Put me down! You can’t carry me off. I thought I was supposed to smile at the press and make my nip slip go away.” Though she’d actually planned to be long gone by now, Tori realized it was too early to leave.
“I don’t care about that. Your breast looked stunning. If it ends up on the front page, I’ll make a poster of it. I don’t care what other people think. I’m done with that and you need to be done with it, too.” He stopped when they passed a security station. The guards allowed them into the palace’s private family wing. One even grinned as he opened the door for them.
Once the door closed, they were alone in a grand foyer. The heavy portal blocked the sounds of the party. Now that her surroundings were quiet, she could practically hear her heart pounding.
Finally, Rory stopped, and she found herself on her feet again. Tori tried to catch her breath as he pressed closer and invaded her space. “This is too fast.”
His fingers brushed her jawline. He dipped his head low. “No. We’ve dragged this out for months. I won’t slow down. Now that I’ve made the decision, I can’t wait any longer.”
His mouth descended on hers in a slow slide. He clutched her hips, pulling her into the cradle of his muscular thighs. His lips took hold of hers, molding in a dominant glide. Her whole body went soft and she was grateful for his arms around her. They held her up when all she wanted to do was drop to her knees.
Rory was kissing her. Finally. Callum had mentioned topping her. She knew what BDSM meant to well-meaning Doms. It meant they cared about her. It meant they protected her and watched over her. She might be naïve, but that was what it meant to her sister and husbands. BDSM didn’t guarantee a happily ever after, but it should mean she got a say in whatever happened. If they were going to this much effort, surely she meant something to them.
Tentatively, she let her hands roam Rory’s shoulders and back as his tongue plunged inside her mouth. There was no questioning lick. He dominated, delving deep. His tongue slid along hers, luring and tempting Tori.
Every cell in her body seemed to soften, and she felt her pussy growing slick and wet. Heat burned through her flesh, and she slid her left leg against his to get closer. Rory answered with a groan, pressing her against the wall and pushing his erection against her. He felt so big, so hard. Tori writhed against him, trying desperately to rub herself against his cock and satisfy her growing ache.
His forehead pressed to hers as he took a long breath, trying to calm himself. “Keep doing that and I’ll prove to you I don’t mind risking a scandal. I’ll pull up this skirt and fuck you right here.”
She had to be the sensible one. “I don’t think this will work.”
“The sex will be divine. I already know it.”
Tori had no doubt of that. “I meant anything more.”
“We’ll make it work, sweetheart.” He brushed another kiss against her lips.
All the reasons it couldn’t work pressed on her. The Thurston-Hughes brothers were overwhelmingly possessive men. How could they share? They fought. Would they fight over her? She’d seen Callum’s anger at Oliver and she’d wondered… “Why were Oliver and Callum fighting the day the reporter came to the office?”
Even as she asked the question, her hands roved over Ror
y’s hard form. The woman inside her wasn’t sure she wanted the answer right now. That part of her craved what these brothers could give her. She might have been a virgin until Oliver, but she wasn’t stupid. He could offer her more. They all could, and she wanted to feel the pleasure she’d been denied her first time.
He kissed the line of her jaw, then his tongue found her pulse point, making her shiver with desire. “You, of course. You didn’t see the very nice punch I landed. We were fighting over you, but that’s not going to happen again. We’ve talked in detail. Now we’re a united front.”
For how long? If she only wanted a night, it didn’t matter…but deep down, Tori suspected she wanted far more.
Every cell in her body quaked as he kissed her neck. “Rory, I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. You’ve always known.” He took a step back. “But I’m going to give you a choice. If you’re scared, walk back into that ballroom and I’ll consider the matter finished. I’ll talk to Callum and Oliver, and we’ll court you in a more proper fashion. We’ll be polite and escort you out and take turns like gentlemen. But if you walk into that room with me, there won’t be anything polite about the way we take you. I won’t be a gentleman. I’ll be a Dom. Your Dom, and you’ll know what it means to be utterly possessed by three men who can’t breathe without you. We’ll start preparing you because we’re going to take you in every way a man can take a woman. Think about this because you’re selecting the path we travel. Polite and proper? Or as wild as you can handle it? Do you want to know what it means to submit to men who love you?”
“Yes.” The word was out before she could think about it. It didn’t matter. Despite all the reasons she shouldn’t do this, she couldn’t walk away.
“Then come with me.” He grabbed her hand and strode down the hall.
Tori hurried after him, knowing nothing would be the same again.
CHAPTER NINE
Oliver stared at his brother as he pulled out a pink plastic plug and laid it on a towel on the bar. Callum had turned the bar into a buffet of sex toys. He wasn’t sure he knew what some of them were for. Still, even he knew that was an awfully small plug if it was supposed to serve the purpose he supposed. “I’m bigger than that plug, Cal.”
It was a bit surreal to be standing in his brother’s room laying out sex toys and talking about how they were going to seduce their woman. He’d never been a big planner when it came to sex. He went with the flow and now he was wondering if that wasn’t his problem.
Callum snorted as he pulled out a bottle of lube. “Of course you are, but she’s got a little tiny virgin arsehole. It’s got to be trained to accept a cock. This is a training plug. When she’s used to it, I’ll move her up to something bigger. It’s going to take a while.”
The thought of her virgin backside made him wince as his cock hardened painfully. “How did you get into all this stuff?”
He had to admit he was curious. His brother was so happy-go-lucky. He wouldn’t have believed he could turn into a Dominant male, but he could see the change now. Callum wasn’t the cheeky boy he knew. He seemed dark and commanding.
“A teammate introduced me. So much of my life was out of my control. I spent all my time reacting—to rivals, to coaches, to fans, to the press. I needed a place where my control was absolute.”
Oliver had never thought of it that way. He’d seen Callum as a charming playboy, jetting all over the world and playing a game. He’d never considered that his brother’s life had likely been highly regulated by someone other than himself. He would have been told when to practice, when to play. Everyone would have wanted a piece of him. Callum likely had to constantly deal with women like Thea who wanted him for his money and fame and would do anything to get it. No wonder his brother had been determined to seize control where he could.
Oliver thought he had taken back his control when he’d assumed the helm of the company, but now he wondered. Had he pursued the wrong kind of control? “And you think Tori will submit to you? That she needs to?”
Callum started to unbutton his shirt, his jacket and tie gone the minute they’d left the party. “I know she does. I’ve seen her work. She’s excellent at her job, but she’s also the kind of woman who tries to please everyone around her. She struggles to say no, and the world is filled with people out there who take advantage of her.”
Oliver nodded. “She takes on far too much because she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. I don’t see how taking more choices away helps her.”
“Because you don’t understand the philosophy. I’m not taking a single choice away from her. Every time she obeys in the bedroom, it’s because she chooses to. It’s because she trusts us with her pleasure. She can always say no and walk away, but I intend to teach her that she never has to. I intend to teach her that she’s worthy of being pleased and that her choices matter. Gradually, I hope that she’ll learn she can say no to people because she’s got a strong core of self-confidence and trust in her family. We’ll be the ones who matter.”
Oliver frowned. “But—”
“We take control or Talib will do it,” Cal cut in. “Tori might think she’s going to go her own way, but I know her brother-in-law and he’ll make sure no one can take advantage of her. If we don’t do something, she’ll end up working here in the palace again and Talib will maneuver her into a relationship he feels comfortable with. I happen to have heard he was planning on introducing her to his cousins tonight.”
The hell he would.
Callum pointed at him. “There. Tell me what just went through your head. You look quite fierce right now.”
“Talib has a woman of his own. He should stay away from…” Mine.
He’d been about to call Tori mine.
Callum’s lips curled up in obvious satisfaction. “Just because you don’t say it doesn’t make the facts less true. We can top her or Tal and his brothers will quietly do it until they give up the role to men of their choice. They care about her and she needs someone to watch out for her. It won’t work because she’s a stubborn little vixen and they can’t spank her properly.”
“If they try, I’ll kill them.” He was surprised at how savage he felt at the prospect of someone coming in and organizing her life. She might need it, but he would be damned if he let someone else see to the task. All his good intentions seemed to be flying out the door. He’d intended to apologize and give Tori over to his brothers. After all he’d heard, Oliver wasn’t sure he could leave the room tonight if his life depended on it.
“Now you’re talking like the brother I know. You always were a possessive arse. And yet you let Yasmin run around with whomever she wanted.”
His stomach turned at the very mention of her name. “I don’t want to talk about her.”
Callum held his hands up, placating him. “I’m merely pointing out that you never acted possessive with Yasmin. Because you never really loved her. You got caught in her mess. Tori is different. You’ve been a prick since the day you met her. You tried everything you could to keep the rest of us away.”
“And yet here I am.”
“Because now you’re being a reasonable prick and all you have to do is change one little pronoun. Not my woman. Ours. She’s ours. And the good news is if someone needs an arsekicking because they’ve done our woman wrong, we’ve got our own gang.”
Callum made it sound so easy, but Oliver wasn’t sold yet. Oh, he was sold on tonight. He simply wasn’t certain it could work long term.
Then the door opened, and he couldn’t think about anything but her.
She hurried in behind Rory. A gorgeous flush made her skin glow. Her hair was mussed in a way that made Oliver’s dick throb. Rory had gotten his hands on her at some point.
Callum stood beside him. “Fuck, she’s gorgeous. Did you finally kiss her?”
The look of satisfaction on his brother’s face was nearly palpable. Rory was always so buttoned up and proper, but now his hair was messy, his jacket wrinkled from whatev
er he’d been doing with Tori, and he seemed so much happier for it. “Not as much as I would have liked, but I believe she understands the situation now.”
Tori’s gaze moved between the three of them, her eyes wide and her lips swollen. “He’s wrong. I don’t understand anything.”
Oliver was in the same boat. He didn’t understand… but he was curious. “Show me how you kissed her, Rory.”
He needed to know if he could handle it. The idea of it didn’t make him want to murder his brother the way he would have thought. Yes, he’d been furious at Callum for fondling Tori during the fundraiser, but mostly because he’d assumed his younger brother meant to keep the girl for himself. Now Oliver had to know if he could handle his brothers touching her without going into a rage.
A slow smile slid across his brother’s face and he reached out to draw Tori in. She gasped, the little sound making Oliver think of a kitten who got caught by a lion. She was small compared to Rory, delicate, but not fragile. Oliver knew from experience how solid Tori was. She wouldn’t break. She could handle them even when they were total bastards.
Rory’s fingers tangled in her hair as he tilted her head up before his mouth descended on hers. He wasn’t soft or sweet. His brother devoured her, and Tori responded. Her whole body softened against his, her breasts crushed to his chest. He watched her, watched how readily she responded to Rory’s dominance. Her arms wound around his neck, her hips cuddling his.
She wanted Rory. Did she want him, too?
“Feel the need to rip her away from him?” Callum asked, his voice low.
Oliver shook his head. The truth settled deep inside him. He didn’t try to dodge it or rationalize it. He just accepted it. “I like watching her.”
She was beautiful and he wouldn’t get to see her like this if he was the man doing the kissing. He wouldn’t be able to watch how she responded, to really study her. He would be driving toward his own pleasure and now he could see that would be a mistake. Her pleasure would heighten his own. He wanted to give her as much as possible.