The Men with the Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)(89)

He walked away. Ian practically had steam coming out of his ears. “What he f*cking said. I’m sick of this shit. I have a sub to whip.”

He stalked off, and she was left with the two men who had completely turned her life upside down.

Adam seemed to calm a bit. He straightened his clothes, a white dress shirt and his leathers. There was a scratch on his face, but otherwise he seemed to have fared well. “Come on then, Serena.”

She felt rooted to the ground and deeply unsure. “I think we should probably talk about this.”

“And I think someone is due a bit of punishment,” Jake said harshly.

“Punishment?” Why the hell did that word make her * clench? Punishment meant they would put their hands on her. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Did you or did you not sign a contract when we first brought you into this club?” Jake asked. His face was set in hard lines. She had the sudden desire to get on her knees in front of him.

“You know I did.” Ian wouldn’t let her in without signing a contract. It stated that Jake would act as her Dom, and he would be responsible for her behavior. It covered all sorts of things like confidentiality and how she should behave. She felt her face fall. It had also made it plain that according to all rules of this club, she belonged to her Dom. She stared up at Jake. This wasn’t her fault. “He kissed me, not the other way around.”

“You weren’t fighting him,” Adam said. He seemed calmer now. “You were still in his arms. I know you, Serena. You would have fought him if you hadn’t wanted it.”

“I didn’t want it, damn it. I was just curious.”

Jake’s smile held not an ounce of humor. “You know what curiosity did to the kitty cat. I think you’re about to find out what it does to your *. Now, Serena. Or we can go back home and go right back to you sitting in front of the computer getting absolutely nothing done.”

Adam put a hand on her shoulder. “Serena, aren’t you curious about this?”

She was. Damn it. And it was just punishment. Punishment that might lead to sex. Sex that might lead to something else. No. She wasn’t going to go there. She wasn’t going to start planning a future with them. She was done with that. But she could have another night. Maybe a few more nights.

She dropped to her knees, trying to find the proper position. She wasn’t going to deny it. She wanted to explore with them. She’d written about this lifestyle, studied it, and dreamed about it. Letting go of this chance because she knew it couldn’t work with Jake and Adam seemed wrong.

She was nervous and so confused she couldn’t see straight. She wasn’t in a place to make any kind of decision, but she could have this. Just for a little while.

Jake’s hand came out, forcing her chin up. “I’m not going easy on you tonight.”

She didn’t want him to. She wanted this experience. She wanted to ache and burn and to come like she never had before. And she wanted it with them. “Yes, Sir.”

There was no way to mistake what that one simple word did to Jake’s cock. It strained against his leathers. She remembered just how good that cock felt deep inside her body. She’d never felt so connected as she had when she’d made love to Jake and then again with Adam. For those brief moments, she’d been truly intimate with another human being. She’d felt more alive than ever before.

Was she making a terrible mistake? Maybe. But she couldn’t just jump in again with her whole heart. Her body was another story.

“You’re not going to give me an inch, are you?” Jake asked, his face losing its harshness. A cloud of sadness descended over him. “Adam is right. You’re never going to forgive us.”

“I forgive you.” They were easy words to say. She didn’t really have to mean them.

“I told you,” Adam said, his voice deep.

Jake turned to Adam, and they had one of those silent moments she always envied. They seemed to be able to speak to each other without saying a word, as though some event long ago had connected them in ways few others could understand.

Jake finally looked back down at her. “This is all you’ll give us?”

“It’s all I have to give.” She was still aching on the inside. She’d handed them her heart and gotten back a mottled mess. She just couldn’t get past that moment when they’d rejected her. It would happen again. Potentially over and over again. Doyle had asked for a divorce three times before he’d finally gone through with it. Each time she’d allowed him to talk his way out of it. He was sorry. He’d said it in the heat of the moment. He hadn’t really meant it.

But he had. Even if they hadn’t meant it this time, they would in the future. She couldn’t risk it. Not again.

“I’ll take it.” Jake took her elbow and helped her up. “All you want out of this is a D/s relationship. Do I understand you correctly?”

Serena latched onto that thought. A D/s relationship wasn’t a love affair. It didn’t have to involve anything except an exchange of power. Some D/s relationships didn’t even involve sex. She sure as hell didn’t want that, but a D/s relationship didn’t necessarily have to end when the case was over.

Jake was a Dom. Adam was invested in the lifestyle. What if she could become their sub? They could come together for play. She could keep them in some small way.