“Son of a bitch!” Hammer grabbed the mostly empty bottle of tequila from the bar and zinged it across the room. The violence of the shattering glass startled Liam—but it didn’t do a damn thing to improve his mood.
“Have you lost your bloody mind?” Liam stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “Or do you just like to break things?”
“Raine uses sex as a distraction? I heard that right?”
“Yes.” Liam frowned. “Calm down. We’ll deal with it and anything else she throws at us. She won’t be allowed to instigate.”
“Goddamn right she won’t be. That behavior will fucking stop. Immediately. The first time she tries, I’m going to put her over my knee and beat the hell out of her ass.”
“Why are you getting so bent over this? It’s not a major issue. We’re aware and we’ll deal with it. But your hot button isn’t her problem.”
Hammer jumped off his barstool. “It’s my problem, your problem, and her damn problem, too. That kind of distraction is just one of the ways Juliet hid from me. She avoided telling me how she felt about anything by sidetracking me on her knees. I was stupid and selfish enough to let her. By god, I won’t let Raine do that. Why do you think I push her so hard when I want an answer?”
“So we’ll be watchful.”
“If we’re not, she’ll slip through our fingers.”
Juliet had taught him a valuable lesson he couldn’t fail to heed. If he did, her death would mean nothing.
“So…we’ll begin tomorrow morning?” Hammer prodded. “We can clean out the liquor supply room and—”
“No.” Liam shook his head. “She’s too comfortable here.”
“You said that she returned to Shadows because she wanted to be in her element.”
“Because it would be easier on her, yes.” Liam sent him a weighty stare. “None of this should be easy.”
“You’re right. If it is, she won’t learn anything. Too many familiar people and places here to hide behind. We can’t have her dodging us instead of doing the work.”
“Precisely. I think we should drive her up to my lodge in the mountains.”
“Why not the house you bought?”
“I’ve got plumbing work and painting going on. We want to be alone with her, not surrounded by contractors. Besides, at the lodge there’ll be no taxis to shuttle her back to the city if she gets the urge to run away. And I’ve got the perfect room there to suit our needs.”
“Go on,” Hammer urged, seeing the benefit of keeping Raine off-balance.
“Though she’s been to the lodge before, the surroundings aren’t nearly as familiar to her.”
“She has?”
Liam sent him a sheepish grin. “It’s where I brought her when I took her from Shadows.”
So that’s where the son of a bitch had spirited her away after she’d spent that mind-blowing night in his bed? He’d wondered more than once.
“It’s quiet there?” Hammer asked.
“Very.”
“Secluded?”
“Extremely.” Liam smirked.
“Then it sounds ideal. We’ll talk to her early, then. If she chooses us, we’ll pack her up and head out at dawn, before the traffic gets bad. I’ll call a few trusted club members to see if they can watch the place for a few days. But before we do any of that, I think we should agree on exactly how we’ll get her to learn these three lessons.”
Liam flashed a mischievous smile. “Now you’re talking.”
Chapter 13
The following morning, Raine woke to a warm hand cupping her shoulder and a deep voice in her ear. A familiar scent wrapped around her, instantly transporting her back to happier times and comfort. Love. Liam.
With a lazy smile, she rolled over, bleary-eyed, and faced him. Hammer stood at his side. Both men wore tense expressions.
The jolt of surprise shoved away her vestiges of sleep. Raine blinked. Why were they here and dressed before a single ray of sun had brightened her room? And why were they together, watching her?
Pulling her blankets to her chin, she pushed her hair from her face and sat up. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”
“No, love,” Liam assured. “We came to tell you first that we’re glad you decided to come home. I know you were upset when you left.”
And they didn’t seem angry that she’d fled. They had every right to be. Instead, they looked resigned. No, decisive. Their odd demeanor confused her.
“It’s good to have you home, precious. Now, on your feet.” She couldn’t miss the command in Hammer’s voice.
Liam wasn’t trying to tear his head off for that? Or objecting to his dominance? She stared at the pair of them, blinking.
“Raine?” Liam prodded. “Hammer asked you to do something. Acknowledge him and obey.”
Was he serious? She frowned, Liam’s words not fully computing. But the two of them were looking at her with the same expectant expression and standing side by side. Together.
“All right, Sir.” Tossing the covers back slowly, she climbed from the bed. They stepped closer, crowding her against the edge of the mattress. She trembled. “Did you wake me up to say that you found a Domme for me?”
Neither answered. Their silence made her nervous. She looked up to find them exchanging a glance. If she didn’t know better, Raine would swear they were in on some conspiracy together.
“We woke you to tell you that we discussed your request at length last night,” Liam finally began. “We agree that you need to learn—a great deal, in fact.”
She would have loved being a fly on the wall for that conversation. “And?”
“You’ve asked for a Domme, and we’re willing to grant you one.” As a bittersweet relief began to slide through her, Hammer went on, his stare unwavering. “But we have another possibility for you to consider.”
A silent tension gripped them both and squeezed her lungs. Whatever they had on their minds meant something to them. They wanted her to say yes. Their impatience must be the reason they’d woken her up so damn early.
“What is it?” she asked cautiously.
“We’ll get into the specifics in a moment. Before we do, we have a few questions to determine if this alternate option is right for you.” Hammer glanced at Liam like he waited for the other man to begin the next part of this rehearsed speech.
What the hell?
“No doubt you’ll want someone who will devote their time and knowledge to you. Yes?” Liam prodded her with a watchful stare.
“I think I’d make more progress that way,” she admitted. “I’d like her to be understanding and compassionate. Like Mistress Hillary, maybe?”
“Unfortunately, she’s out of town for the next two months.” Hammer didn’t look at all unhappy about that. “But let’s not talk about any certain individual until we’ve identified all your needs.”
“This isn’t as easy as plucking a name out of a hat, love,” Liam chided. “There should be a special bond between Dominant and submissive. If you don’t click with the first choice, you’ll soon be back to square one. So you should choose cautiously, agreed?”
“Yes, Sirs.” They were right. If she gave her all to the wrong Domme, then had to start over with someone new, it would waste time and cause her frustration. At the thought of opening herself up to a stranger, a sludgy lump of vulnerability caught in her chest.
“Good. You’ll want someone you feel comfortable with.” Hammer raised a brow at her as if daring her to contradict him. “A top you can talk to, who understands you.”
“Of course. It’s one reason I asked Beck, but he said no.”
“Beck?” Liam bit out.
Raine raised her chin and nodded. “Yeah. He’s not a stranger and he helped me realize that I needed to come home and start fixing myself.”
Hammer looked almost smug now. “You do, but the Dominant who trains you will inevitably claim a piece of your heart. Beck can’t do that. And you won’t learn any other way. It’s how you’re built.”
Raine sighed. She hadn’t thought of it that way, but he was probably right. Who did that leave her?
She frowned as suspicions took shape. “I expect a deep rapport would grow in time. Where are you going with this?”
“Time is the key word.” Liam’s lips curled up in a self-assured smile. “You’d be starting at square one with a stranger. It could take weeks, or even months, to establish the sort of trust necessary for your journey, assuming it’s a good fit at all.”
Suspicions dive-bombed her brain now. He and Liam had some shit up their sleeves. Neither of them ever did a damn thing without some lesson or expectation attached.
“Of course, trust will be critical.” Raine wedged enough space between them and her to cross her arms over her chest. She tapped her toe. “Everything you’re saying is common sense. So what’s this other option you have in mind?”
Would Liam take her back? Or did Hammer mean to step in? Because this definitely had something to do with one—or both—of them.
Liam leaned in before delving deep into her eyes. “If you want to learn about opening yourself to someone and giving your submission, no one knows you better or wants you to grow more than me and Hammer. Give yourself over to us. We’ll guide you down your path.”
For a long moment, Raine just stared. Had she heard that right? “You two? Together? Is that a joke?”
“Do you see us laughing?” Hammer stared disapprovingly with piercing eyes.
They’d offered her her wildest, most impossible desire. Sadly, it would probably end in someone’s murder. And it would be her fault.
“It’s fucking insane. It’ll never work.”
“You know I don’t like that language, Raine.” Liam’s brows slashed in disapproval.
She was completely stunned, and he wanted to worry about her cursing? “The three of us together are a time bomb. It won’t take long to explode, and we’ll all get hurt. I can’t do that. I can’t open myself up when I’m going to spend at least half my time waiting for you two to come to blows. I’d love to say yes, more than anything.” That admission would probably put Liam on edge or spur Hammer’s temper—and they’d start fighting any second. “But it’s a fantasy, like world peace.”
To her shock, neither one of them lost their cool. In fact, they didn’t seem ruffled at all to hear that she wanted them both. Whoa.
“It’s not a fantasy, love. It’s what we’re offering you. And before you answer, listen to what we have to say.”
Their whole conversation this morning had been laced with “we” and “us.” Had running off been a wake-up call for them? Or had Seth bashed their heads together until they’d decided to play nice?
Liam and Hammer weren’t perfect, but they usually had her best interests at heart. She owed it to them to at least listen because she could only imagine what sort of compromise they’d ironed out to even make her this offer together. And it was so enticing. Raine tried to ignore the rush of heat thrumming in her blood and think logically.
“All right. I’m glad you two are speaking again. I’ll listen.”
“We’ve put our differences aside to help you.” Hammer cupped his chin in a thoughtful gesture. Damn if she didn’t want him to reach out and touch her. “We’ve agreed to devote our time to you. I can safely say there aren’t any Dominants at the club who, combined, have more experience than us.”
“Make no mistake, we want you to have the best instruction available. Mistress Hillary can’t provide you half the understanding and compassion we will,” Liam added gently but firmly.
Raine couldn’t deny how much she’d missed the affection he showered on her. Even Hammer never failed to show his caring—in his own silent way.
And the thought of having them both made her entire body light up like a Fourth-of-July spectacle.
Maybe they had really thought about this outlandish scheme. They were doing their damnedest to persuade her to accept. But no matter how badly she wanted to throw caution to the wind, doubts still crowded her mind.
“We already know your secrets.” A hint of a smile curled across Hammer’s lips. “You can’t argue that we know what makes you tick.”
“You’ve already established a bond with us.” Without missing a beat, Liam’s words fell in behind Hammer’s. “No one understands you better than we do. Let go of your fears and put yourself in our hands. Let us take you on the journey.”
His sincerity tugged at her heart. God, she wanted to say yes.
“We’ll do everything we can to give you what you asked for.” Hammer frowned. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
