“I’m thankful to be surrounded by good friends and family, and that everyone is safe and sound. And I’m also thankful that I didn’t get shot this year,” Dillon said, giving Ella a wink.
“Well, I’m thankful Dillon didn’t get shot again this year, too,” Ella said with a smile. “And I’m very thankful my man impregnated me.”
Jax’s grin couldn’t get any bigger. “I’m very, very thankful you let me impregnate you.”
Mercy slapped him on the shoulder but he didn’t seem to notice as he stared lovingly into Ella’s eyes.
“What’s impregnate mean?” asked Eli from beside me.
I almost spurted the mouthful of water I had just taken across the table, and Annie shook her head.
Braiden leaned toward Eli. “It means they are thankful they are going to have a baby.” Eli nodded, obviously happy with that answer.
“I’m thankful you girls are safe,” Braiden cast an eye around the women sitting at the table, his gazing settling on me last. Realizing the room had gone silent, and it was my turn, I suddenly felt a little panicked. I should have been thinking about what to say rather than taking such an interest in what everyone else was saying.
“Ummmm, I’m thankful I’m not sitting at a Jonas Levier’s feet this Thanksgiving.”
If this had been a movie, this is where they would insert the sound of crickets chirping.
“I’m thankful my sister isn’t sitting at that asshole’s feet, too,” said Rebecca, breaking the silence. “And I’m thankful for Braiden and Dillon and their team for bringing her home to me. And I’m thankful to Charlie for being...well...everything.” Her first tear fell.
“I win!” exclaimed Jax, looking at his watch. “She started crying in under a minute.”
“You ass! I can’t believe you made a bet on that,” yelled Rebecca as Charlie wiped away her tears. Her smile told me she wasn’t angry though. Her sheepish expression confirmed maybe she had expected the bet.
“I’m thankful...” Charlie leaned in and whispered something in Rebecca’s ear. Whatever he said it made her cheeks deepen to a red that rivaled the red Christmas themed table cloth before us.
“Can we eat now?” groaned Eli.
And just like that, Thanksgiving dinner began.
***
Once we were back at Braiden’s, I showered and dressed in a comfy pair of pajamas. The evening played through my mind and I admitted it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I assumed it would be. Everyone had laughed and joked around me while I watched in silence. They all seemed at ease with my presence, which in turn made me feel at ease. What surprised me was Braiden’s quiet intensity. While he and I talked at length in private, in a social scene Braiden was more like me than I realized. He seemed content to sit back and just watch the conversations going on around him, talking politely and with ease when he had to. Nobody seemed to notice his quiet demeanor, and if they did, they didn’t say anything about it. While Jax and Charlie’s booming voices were heard over everyone else’s, Braiden’s occasional quiet input seemed to demand a respect that was undoubtedly given by the other men. Where Jonas’ word was law and no one would speak over him or against him, Braiden’s word seemed to be valued by the men, but they also had no problem disagreeing or disputing his ideas. Where Jonas would have such brazen disagreement of his word punished, Braiden simply grinned and shook his head. His calm manner made my heart pound with appreciation. During the entire evening, he had cast glances at me that were filled with longing and hunger. His devious grin told me his thoughts were anything but thankful. Now, as I paced restlessly around my room, my body thrummed with need. With a long deep breath, I decided to make a choice. A frightening choice, but never-the-less it was my own choice.
I found Braiden in his office. He looked a little shocked when I closed the door behind me and flicked the lock before turning to face him. My hands shook and my heart pounded with anticipation. He leaned back in his chair and watched me with those predatory eyes.
“Malen’kaya,” he said in a voice that made my skin tingle.
I moved toward him quickly, using the confidence created by my own aching need. Braiden pushed his chair away from his desk as I slid in front of him. His hair hung just over his eyes and I pushed it away so I could see that penetrating gaze that made my body heat.
“I want you,” I whispered.
I saw the question in his eyes. To answer, I slowly pulled my cotton pajamas off until I was completely naked and bared to him, scars and all. Knowing he did not favor a woman on her knees, I seated myself on his desk, placed my hands behind my back, and slightly parted my thighs. The offer was one of complete submission. I was open to him for his pleasure. The surge of lust in his eyes caused my nipples to harden.
“Remember, Malen’kaya, you only have to say no,” he reminded me. My answer was to lean back a little more. Braiden’s eyes dropped to my core, his tongue darted out to wet his lips in anticipation. Slowly, gently, he pushed my knees wider apart. “Keep your hands on the desk,” he commanded with a husky voice. A small part of me found some fear in his command, but I knew if I asked him to stop he would. The fear was a pointless emotion forced on me by another, there was no room for it here, in this room with Braiden and I now. Reaching deep I watched his heated gaze caress my core and let his lust chase away the fear, leaving only desire. I trusted him completely.
Those dark brown eyes, so dark they were almost a fathomless back, found mine as he leaned forward and ran his nose along the skin of my leg, which caused me to shiver in response. He kissed the inside of my thigh, still watching my every response to his light touches. Then without hesitation, he leaned forward and licked my core. His tongue delved deep within my folds and my groan was obnoxiously loud as I watched his lips suck my clit into his mouth. Oh my God, I was going to come undone on his mouth. He stopped sucking and moved his tongue back to my entrance. He probed relentlessly before taking my entire pussy into his mouth, sucking and licking. The wet sounds of his mouth on me filled the quiet of the room. That warmth mouth of his was driving me quickly to orgasm. When my hand left the desk to tug at his hair, the assault on me stopped abruptly.
“Hands,” he growled.
Slapping my hand back down quickly, Braiden’s mouth returned to me. My head fell back as he did things with his mouth that I never knew possible. My hands stayed on the desk, and when I screamed with the intense orgasm that consumed me, Braiden didn’t move away. He simply licked and sucked until I couldn’t stand the touch on my sensitive clit any longer. Standing, Braiden quickly peeled off his clothes, and the hard, strong warrior stood in front of me completely naked, his rigid length held in his hand. As he began to stroke himself, my heart sped up again and my body trembled.
“Stand up and turn around. I want you to press those beautiful breasts to my desk.” I obediently stood and turned, laying myself over the desk. “Put your hands behind your back.” His voice was gentle but a command nevertheless. Reaching my hands around behind me, Braiden encouraged me to link my fingers together. “I’m not going to use restraints on you, Em, not yet. We will improvise until you are ready.” Knowing I could get my hands loose when I pleased helped settle my racing heart. “Is this okay, Em?” Braiden asked, as his hands caressed my ass. I nodded. “Words, Em, I need to hear in your voice that you’re okay.”
“Yes, I’m alright.” I was almost embarrassed by the breathlessness in my voice. Braiden’s hands continued to rub and squeeze my ass before slipping between my legs to cup my pussy. His fingers entered me, long, slow thrusts that drove me wild. Before I knew it I could feel another orgasm building.
“So wet,” he whispered, finally guiding his cock to my folds. He rubbed himself against my entrance, sliding up towards my ass and back again. For a moment I thought he was going to enter my rear passage. It wasn’t something I was unaccustomed to, but it was something I wasn’t ready for tonight. My body tensed expecting the intrusion that never came. Braiden leaned over me, his chest a
gainst my back and hands.
“Remember to use words, Em. If I do something you don’t want or like, say no.” He rubbed his cock through the folds of my pussy, teasing me, tempting me. Finally he began to push inside. Once fully seated, he paused before pulling away slowly and slamming back into me, hard. My body slid against the cold hard surface of his desk as he tormented me with his long, slow, hard pumps.
“More,” I whimpered, my cheek pressed into the high veneer desk top.
“More what?” he asked, his voice thick with need.
“Faster please Mой.”
“Good girl.” With his strong steady hands, he gripped my wrists and began to slam into me faster, harder. My clit was rubbing against his desk, the pressure just right. I barely noticed his finger pressing at my other hole, the unbearable need building within me pushed towards an uncontrollable second orgasm. His thumb entered my ass and I was full. My pussy full of his thick cock, his thumb in my ass, my clit finding its own required pressure from the desk beneath me. I fell into my orgasm hard, clenching my hands into fists at my back. I was lost, my eyes saw nothing, my ears heard nothing, but my body felt everything. When I finally returned to my senses, Braiden was leaning over me, panting hard after having found his own release.
“Em?”
“Wow,” I whispered.
Braiden chuckled at my back. I felt him press a gentle kiss to what I knew to be one of the scars that laced my skin. The gesture caused my heart to fill with such emotion it threatened to spill from my body in the form of tears. Slowly his warmth left me as he withdrew from my pussy that clenched at him as if demanding he stay there. “Damn you feel amazing,” he murmured, rubbing my ass and back. “Come on, Malen’kaya. I want you in my bed with all this beautiful skin right up against mine.” He gave my ass a small tap as I stood up. “One day I’m going to see my hand prints in a beautiful shade of red, right here.” He ran his hand over my ass one more time before kissing my shoulder.
My head tilted to one side, allowing him access. The thought of being spanked by Braiden made me shiver. The image of him taking me from behind while his firm hands marked my skin was an image that hit me with a surge of lust.
As if reading my thoughts, Braiden smiled his lopsided arrogant grin. “One day, Malen’kaya,” he whispered, pressing his lips to mine.
Unable to deny him, I allowed his tongue to slip into my mouth. His kisses were hard and demanding, but made me feel nothing but cherished and safe. My need for Braiden was an enigma. My craving for his dominance and control was a force that I didn’t really understand, yet was quickly learning to accept without guilt or shame. Trusting him had become so easy, it was almost frightening. There was a chance I could fall in love with a man like Braiden, but I knew he could never truly love a broken girl like me. Whatever he felt for me, I wished so hard it could be love. My mind simply couldn’t believe it was a possibility though, so I tried as best I could to protect my heart. It was almost inevitable that when Braiden eventually moved on, it would destroy me like nothing else ever could. For now all I could do was let him heal me, let him help me repair the damage done by Jonas, and perhaps help me to understand just how I fit into this world as a free woman.
Chapter 22
BRAIDEN
I watched Em stare with trepidation at the pool outside. She’d been standing at the floor to ceiling glass doors for over fifteen minutes. If the way her arms were wrapped around her stomach and slouched shoulders were any indication, her mind was not in a good place.
Dillon stormed out of his room; he’d been cooped up in there for most of the morning. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “I’m going out,” he snapped as he grabbed his keys from a bowl on the kitchen counter.
“Don’t suppose you’re going by the office? I need a file picked up.”
Dillon shook his head and the wary look on his face had my immediate attention.
“Where you off to?” I knew it was none of my business but his obvious apprehension intrigued me.
Now he looked a little sheepish as he ran a hand over his buzz cut. “Date.”
“’Bout damn time Annie saw the light.” Their non-relationship relationship had likely been the longest in history.
“Nope, Miranda.”
Not many people rendered me speechless. “The blonde from the real estate office?” I eventually asked, not bothering to hide my shock.
He nodded. “Yep, she asked me out a few months ago, I decided to take her up on the offer.” He turned and walked away before I could utter another word.
“Didn’t see that coming,” murmured Gabbie, who was preparing lunch beside me.
“Well, Annie got her chance, and she didn’t take him up on it. It’s not like he can stay celibate and hang around in the wings the rest of his life.” I admitted.
“She’s crazy about him. Maybe a bit of competition will snap her out of whatever is causing her reluctance.” Gabbie turned her gaze towards Em who was still staring out the window. “What’s going on over there?” she whispered.
I shook my head as my attention turned back to Emily. Space was something I’d come to understand she needed from time to time. Working things through in her head without distraction seemed to help. My hovering over the last few days was more than likely getting on her nerves so I was trying to give her the room she seemed to need today. Sequestered in my home, her work at Mercy’s Shelter on hold while the situation with Levier was taken care of had to be driving her mad. I could tell she was getting a little stir crazy at being locked up inside like this, but the need to keep her safe was riding me hard. A phone call from Alexander last night confirmed my thoughts, Jonas was believed to be in the vicinity of Claymont. The information came from a reliable source this time, and even though I strongly suspected all along he was close by, I had become even more anxious. We needed a distraction, both of us. Standing and shoving my hands deep into my pockets, I walked towards Em. An image of laying her over my dining table and licking every inch of her warm supple skin consumed me, and my dick jumped to attention. It wouldn’t happen, Gabbie was right there in the kitchen and Bomber was in the shower. Furthermore, I had only taken her this morning, hard against the wall of the shower, I should have been sated. A decent man would be thinking of taking her into his arms and smothering her in gentle protection. I wanted to tie her up and fuck her senseless. It would most certainly be the distraction both of us needed, but in the long run it wouldn’t help her. It would take care of my hard-on, but it wouldn’t be taking care of Em.
“Em?” She jumped at the sound of her name. There was fear in her eyes and it wasn’t caused by me. You know what they say about curiosity, but I couldn’t help it, it was in my nature to solve puzzles. “You can’t swim, is that the only reason you fear the water?” She looked uncomfortable with my question; her fingers were gripping hard at the skin on her arms and her eyes were wide. “Malen’kaya, I just need to know what your fear is with the water. I can’t help you overcome it if I don’t understand it.” Unable to stand so close and not touch her, my fingers traced a line down the back of her arm in an effort to sooth her anxiety. Her skin was cold as ice even though the indoor temperature was comfortably warm. Those compelling pale blue eyes darted back to the pool and she licked her lips before speaking, drawing my gaze to the soft pink skin that I suddenly wanted to kiss.
“It...” She looked at me quickly before her eyes were drawn back to the water again. “It’s just...” She moved so I was no longer touching her, pressing her forehead against the cool glass she drew a deep breath, the window fogging as she expelled it through her mouth. “He used it to break me,” she whispered.
It was my turn to become rigidly cold. My body became stiff with carefully guarded fury, knowing what she was about to say and not wanting to hear it. Not hearing it didn’t make the pain and fear of what Emily went through any less real though.
“I wouldn’t submit to him. I refused to call him master, so I was stripped naked an
d forced into a bathtub of water.” She turned to face me, pressing her shoulders back, holding her chin high. “Nate would hold me under until my head was screaming and my lungs were burning, then I would be pulled out and he would demand I call him master. I said no each time.” Her eyes moved back to the water as if pulled by a force that demanded her attention. “I was revived twice when he held me under too long.” My fists clenched in rage. “He did that until he finally broke me, until I said the word he wanted to hear. Who would have thought one little word could mean the difference between life and death. I guess in the end I chose life.”
My eyes clenched shut as I tried in vain to keep out the images of Emily’s flailing body being held under the water, of the moment she broke, the moment her strength was so far gone she submitted to Jonas. In that moment, the need to kill him had never ridden me so strong. “I never learned to swim, so perhaps I would have been scared of the water anyway.” Her words were distant, as if she were considering the possibility. Needing the distraction I reached for her hand and pulled her away from the glass door. I wasn’t gentle as I tugged on her arm a little too forceful and led her down the hallway to my room. My long strides were much longer than hers and she practically ran to keep up. Pulling her into my bedroom, I kicked the door shut behind us.
“Sit,” I ordered. I didn’t mean to sound like an arrogant prick, it just came naturally to me. Emily immediately obeyed though, her eyes wary. Turning my back on her I stormed into my adjoining bathroom, put the plug in my large tub and began filling it with water. My mind had obviously shut down because there was a good chance this was going to backfire and I would lose Emily’s trust completely. The thought of losing that delicate bond scared the shit out of me, but the need to fix her fear was all consuming. Drawing the blinds I cast the room into darkness. Leaving a couple of candles burning, I made my way back to Emily who looked ready to bolt. Obviously she heard the water running from the bathroom beyond; her hands were shaking, and she was chewing on her bottom lip so hard it was raw. Kneeling down before her I used my thumb to gently pull her lip free.
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