And if they stayed crouched here much longer, he had no doubt they’d be balls deep inside her in the next two minutes. While he’d love feeling Raine tight and hot around him, they couldn’t let her believe their time at the lodge was about anything other than her growth. Sex, if it came, would be the bonus they all reaped for her open, honest submission—nothing less.
“I think it’s time we let Raine dry off,” Liam growled between clenched teeth as he backed away.
Hammer jerked his head in Liam’s direction, and he could see the man visibly fight for control before taking a step back. “Yeah. Time for a breath of fresh air.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
“Good. I’ll get her damn clothes.”
Liam hands shook as he unfolded the towel and tried to cover Raine.
“Thank you, Sir.” She took it from his grasp, then bent over and wrapped it around her dripping hair—leaving her body entirely bare.
Well, hell. Liam almost envied Macen the task of digging through her suitcase.
“Hurry up, man!” he shouted.
“I’m working on it,” Hammer barked back.
Raine tried to smother a giggle and failed.
“Do you have something to say?” Liam asked her sharply.
She pressed her lips together, suppressing her amusement. “No, Sir. I enjoyed my bath. I hope you did, too.”
“Minx.” He swatted her ass. “Out of the tub you go.” Drawing in a deep breath, he took her hand and cupped her elbow to help her step free. The second she padded onto the fluffy bath mat, he released her. “Hammer, where are you with those clothes?”
The man stormed into the bathroom. “I’m right—” Macen let out a deep breath, devouring the sight of her from head to toe. “Fuck.”
That’s where this was headed, all right. Liam reached over to the counter and snagged another terrycloth sheet, thrusting it at Raine. “Dry yourself off. We’re going to step out for a moment. You’re free to do your hair and makeup. Leave the bathroom door open. There’ll be no touching yourself.”
“Yes, Sir.” A smile flirted at her lips as she grabbed the towel and shook it loose.
Hauling in a shuddering breath, he turned away and grabbed Hammer by the arm. “Let’s go.”
His old friend didn’t argue. He dropped a handful of black lace on the vanity, then raced him out of the room. Hammer beat him into the bedroom by a fraction, but Liam spotted the door to the balcony first, rattling it and cursing at the lock until it fell open.
With a groan of relief, he stepped outside. Macen followed. Instantly, the winter chill blasted them in a mighty gust as they looked across the sweeping vistas of the pine-dotted mountains. It was wintry enough to snow, and right now that felt damn good.
“This is better than a cold shower,” Hammer said.
“It is. I won’t miss my shirt for an hour or two.”
“It will take that long for the blood to leave my cock,” he grumbled.
“This won’t be easy. She laughed at us, mate. Giggled like a girl.”
“We’ll add that to her growing list of infractions.”
Liam slanted Hammer a dubious stare. “And which of us is going to spank her without losing control?”
Hammer grimaced. “Beck?”
“That dodgy prick isn’t touching her.”
“I know. We’ll be more collected after dinner.”
Liam rested his arms on the railing beside his friend, bowing his head. “We have to be.”
Hammer snared his gaze. “She’s responding.”
“Can’t deny that.” And wasn’t that a double-edged sword?
“Are you all right with that?”
“If she learns to open up, then it’s best for her.” Liam shrugged. “There’s nothing else to say.”
Macen clapped him on the shoulder. “I know this is hard on you, but I respect what you’re doing for Raine.”
A couple of ugly replies came to mind, almost like a knee jerk. Liam shoved them down. Petty had no place here now. If he was being honest, as hard as it was to watch Hammer touch Raine, he also felt deep comfort in having his friend back.
“Thanks. Let’s find a cup of coffee. Once she’s dressed, we’ll send Seth up to make sure she doesn’t let her fingers put out her fire.”
“Best idea you’ve had all day. Because this bath…” He shook his head.
“It was a bloody hard exercise in restraint.” Liam grinned. “Shut your whining mug and let’s go.”
Under the vanity lights in the master bath, Raine guided the little brush through her lashes, applying her mascara in a daze. To say that today had been mind-blowing was like saying the North Pole was cold. Liam and Hammer had both topped her—and touched her—at the same time. No one was bloody or bruised, screaming, shouting, or throwing punches. The next World War hadn’t commenced. In fact, they’d seemed to enjoy taking care of her together.
Liam and Hammer had once been friends, but she’d mostly seen them mix as well as oil and water until today. Sure, they’d behaved civilly enough before Liam collared her, but Hammer’s aloofness had even extended to his best friend, and she’d witnessed Liam’s frustration and hurt. Today everything had been different, and Raine couldn’t put her finger on why. Yes, they’d agreed to put aside their differences to help her, but their rapport now didn’t feel like a forced compromise. It felt more like a kinship, like they’d fallen into a comfortable brotherhood.
Absently putting the wand back in the tube of mascara, she wound it closed and glanced at her appearance. She’d pass muster for dinner. Dark curls framed her flushed cheeks and trailed to her breasts. Red gloss sheened her slightly swollen lips.
In the mirror, she looked the same, but everything inside felt raw, confused, yearning. Different. The need they’d incited breathed just under her skin, lying in wait to hurtle her into aching desire again with their next touch. It was a miracle she hadn’t begged them for relief.
What would it be like to spend every day between them, wrapped in their care, the center of their lives? It sounded ludicrous—mostly because it was—but it was her fantasy. No way she could deny how perfectly happy and whole everything they’d done today made her feel. She’d better enjoy it because it probably wouldn’t last.
“Raine, time for dinner!” Seth shouted up the stairs.
“Be right there,” she called back, shoving her makeup in its case and turning off her curling iron.
She wasn’t really hungry, but when the watchful Dom had left her a few minutes ago to check on the meal, Raine figured she wouldn’t have long to sort out her thoughts alone. Nice to know that something about this day had been predictable.
Raine dashed out of the bedroom, her bare feet padding down the stairs. The scent of something delicious wafted in the air, and the little growl of her stomach surprised her. Then again, she hadn’t eaten much the entire day—too bewildered to consume the big breakfast she’d cooked and too confused to do more than nibble at lunch. The anxiety and arousal simmering inside her would probably kill her appetite for dinner as well. But if she spent the evening surrounded by Hammer and Liam, wrapped in their affection, she really didn’t care.
From the kitchen, she heard Beck’s boisterous laughter and sighed. So dinner wasn’t going to be a quiet evening for three. She had no idea what was on the agenda, but since Hammer and Liam had “requested” she wear this sheer black baby-doll, Raine had her suspicions. Great, more sexual teasing. How the hell was she going to survive even another minute of feeling like an orgasmic time bomb?
Tugging at the lace tickling the tops of her thighs, she shoved back her self-consciousness. Why hadn’t they given her some damn flannel pajamas?
Drawing in a deep breath, Raine rounded the corner into the kitchen and stopped. The four Doms stood, their chairs scraping the hardwood floor. She felt every eye on her, eating up her exposed flesh, and forced herself to stand with her head up and shoulders squared—and ignore that fluttery feeling inside her.
Raine raised her chin. “Hi.”
Liam arched a brow at her.
“Sirs,” she added hastily. She’d behaved casually for so long, she had trouble remembering her protocol.
Liam smiled at her before extending his hand and leading her toward the empty chair between him and Hammer. “You look lovely, lass.”
“Scrumptious,” Macen whispered in her ear as she sat. “I know what’s for dessert.”
As the other men resumed their seats, heat rushed up her face. She sent him a delicate scowl. “Hammer…”
He chuckled.
The men had set the table and laid out the meal the caretaker’s wife had prepared. Everything looked fine, but Raine still frowned. “I would have been happy to cook.”
“We enjoy when you do,” Hammer said. “But we need you focused, not disappearing into the kitchen.”
“Besides…” Liam glided his hand up her thigh, his fingers inching breathlessly close to her silky thong. “You’ll need to save your strength.”
Raine’s breath caught. She zipped a questioning glance his way. He leveled her a smoldering stare. She shifted in her chair, wondering how she was going to make it through this meal.
“So, princess, did you enjoy your bath?” Beck asked with a wicked grin. He was being a jackass.
She answered with sticky sweetness. “It was nice, Sir.”
“Just nice?” Hammer baited as he set a crusty dinner roll on her plate.
She resisted the urge to throw it at him. “Fine. Lovely. Enjoyable.”
Trailing the pads of his fingers down her arm, Liam grinned as goose bumps peppered her flesh. “I’d call it amazing. An experience worth repeating.”
“Very soon.” Hammer smirked as he loaded her plate with chicken and rice casserole.
The men ate with gusto, chugging back a beer. Raine scooted her food across her plate with her fork and sipped at her wine, the appetite she’d had minutes ago now an afterthought. What would the next few days bring? And how would she get through them? Would there be an orgasm in her future?
“I didn’t know you had this place, Liam,” Seth said into the silence. “Do you come up here much? Ski in the winter, hit the lake in the summer?”
“I just inherited it last year, but I hope to visit more often.”
Raine only half listened until Liam grazed his fingers over the silk covering her pussy. An electric arc danced through her body. A vicious ache followed. She grasped the table.
Damn, she’d been on edge all day. She struggled for a breath. A moan clogged her throat, and she barely managed to swallow it down.
“You’re not eating, precious.” Hammer smiled her way, mischief in his eyes. “Something wrong?”
“No, Sir.” Under his watchful gaze, she speared a chunk of chicken and forced herself to chew.
Liam caressed down her thigh, then scooted back from the table. Without warning, he hoisted her onto his lap. “I’m not sure I believe that, Hammer. Do you?”
Raine swallowed tightly, feeling wired and flustered. They were going to dissect her thoughts, and all she could focus on was their touches and hot stares undressing her, with Liam’s heat enveloping her and his steely erection prodding her thigh.
“No. Let’s help her.” Macen glided his fingertips up her calf.
She tried not to whimper.
After tearing apart a steaming roll heaped with melted butter, Liam lifted a piece and coaxed her to open for him. When she did, he slid the morsel into her mouth, his fingers lingering on her lips, urging her to lick them clean. His dark stare held hers captive, and Raine drowned. He anchored her in his steely arms, both giving her tenderness and oozing sex. She clung in return, sucking on the slightly rough pads of his fingers, tasting the salt on his skin.
Hammer moved her plate next to Liam’s and slid closer, occupying her chair. As his body heat assailed her, he reached into his salad bowl and plucked up a thick slice of cucumber, slathered in dressing.
“Open for me, precious,” Hammer commanded.
As she leaned in, lips parted, a drop of the creamy sauce splattered on the swell of her breast, trickling down the pale flesh. His eyes flared with heat as he eased the vegetable onto her tongue. Then he bent and licked the dressing from her skin, his lips brushing down the curve of her chest until he nipped her turgid crest through the lace and sucked hard.
Liam swallowed her moan by fusing his lips over hers and dominating her mouth, tangling his fingers in her hair.
Raine’s body burned. Her heart roared in her ears…but she could still hear Beck groan from the other side of the table.
“Holy shit,” Seth muttered.
Hammer turned his attention to her other nipple, leaving the first hard bud aching and clinging to the fabric. She arched to him, then wrapped her hand around Liam’s nape, drawing him closer and losing herself in his kiss.
