Jesse looked behind him to see Hank and Travis still watching them like hawks. “I’m sorry, Veronica. Please forgive me. Forgive us. We were so fucked up in our thinking.” He ran the edge of his hand under his eyes and smiled at her. “You look beautiful in your dress. I’m glad we came so we could see you.”
“Damn straight,” Barry added with a nod and a sniffle. He tried to genuinely smile, which made him almost handsome. He still had a ways to go before he measured up to Cord and Jackson in her eyes, he and Jesse both, but this was a start. Then he opened his mouth. “Maybe we’ll visit Lusty after all. I’ll bet they’ve got some pretty girls there that might help rehabilitate two assholes like us. Or maybe Divine—”
Jesse looked over his shoulder again and quickly said, “Or maybe we shouldn’t press our luck, bro.”
Barry drew a deep breath and looked at his brother and then at her. “Can you forgive us?”
Uncrossing her arms, Veronica said, “Let’s say I agree to start the process. But don’t think I’ll accept a limited change. This is a forever change. If I’m…if
we’re
going to go forward with any of you, like family, there are going to be real changes from all of you.” She shrugged. “I know this may seem harsh, but I already didn’t have any of you in my heart anyway, with the exception of Cord and Jackson, so it’s not a huge thing to me if you never make it there. I’ll give it a try, but go back to the way you treated me, including the insulting nicknames, even once, and I will not hesitate to cut you out of my life permanently. Life is too short for more of that bullshit.”
“Amen,” a wise voice said from the other entry into the kitchen. Grandma Kate walked over to her side and hugged her. “I’m proud of you, sweet girl. Now, Grace was looking for you. She thought you might want to freshen up for a few minutes before the binding ceremony and I’d like to have a little chat with Jesse and Barry, if I may?”
Laughter bubbled up inside Veronica when she saw the twinkle in Grandma Kate’s eyes. She kissed Grandma Kate on the cheek and said, “I love you.”
Patting her cheek, Kate said, “And I love you, sweet girl.”
Veronica could feel the heartfelt emotion in them as they both hugged her and then she went to her men. Kate was already speaking with Jesse and Barry and she giggled when she heard Jesse say, “Do you mind if we called you Grandma Kate, too?”
“Nothing would please me more, dear boy.”
After a few minutes alone, to freshen up and collect her emotions, Veronica joined Grandma Kate in front of the crackling fireplace, clasping her hand in Kate’s soft, fragile hand. In a clear, strong voice, Grandma Kate said, “Who here wishes to bind his heart and life with this woman?”
“I do,” Hank said as he stepped forward. Veronica’s heart thumped with love as she looked into his gray eyes.
“I do,” Travis said as he also stepped forward and walked over to stand beside Hank, facing Kate and Veronica.
As if on cue, everyone else moved in around them, including her family members.
Kate nodded at Travis and Veronica’s heart swelled as he knelt down on both knees in front of her. Kate placed Veronica’s hand in his and nodded once more to Travis. With reverence, Travis held her hand, palm up, smoothing his thumbs over her sensitive skin until ecstatic shivers traveled up her forearm.
He gave her a wry smile as he smiled up at her. “Veronica, I never thought I’d be so lucky as to find you again, after eleven years. The young girl I knew has grown into the beautiful woman I need in my life. I promise to defend you, to protect you, and to be faithful to you. I promise to love you, and hold you, and help you.” His expression became serious. “I promise to encourage you, to edify you, and to push you to be all you can be.” His eyes flicked to the platinum choker she wore at her throat, the gift they’d given her as their submissive, and he gave her a little half wink that made her blush before he continued with his vows.
She realized there were tears on her cheeks as they cooled but she never let go of his hand. He took the platinum band Hank handed to him and slid it next to the wedding band she wore on her left ring finger. He kissed her palm and pressed it against his cheek, cradling it there for several seconds with his eyes closed before he looked up at her, sheer adoration in his eyes.
“Travis, from the time I met you eleven years ago, you were the standard I compared every man I met to and they all fell short. I’ve loved you all that time, and I’m ready to bind my heart with yours, to be your wife and your lover, and your helper. I promise to hold you, love you, and be faithful to you. I promise to be honest with you, to share my joys and my fears with you, and to believe in you with all my heart.”
Kate handed her Travis’s ring and she placed the heavy platinum band that matched Hank’s on Travis’s ring finger. She stroked her hand over the top of his and squeezed it, and then he leaned toward her and slid his hands around her waist, hugging her as if she was the only real treasure in the world. His hands were warm and comforting on her back as she cradled the back of his head and stroked his shoulder for several seconds. Tears wet his cheeks when he looked up at her once more and rose to his feet.
Hank knelt before her, smiling up at her with love burning in his eyes as he spoke, reaffirming vows he’d said earlier, and delivered his promises to her before kissing her palm and holding it to his cheek exactly as Travis had done. She’d seen it before at Maizy’s wedding but the moment was so intimate, so individual and unscripted that she felt like she was the first instead of one of many women to be claimed and loved in that manner.
She spoke her promises to him, catching his wink as he, too, looked at the platinum choker while she promised to obey him and to seek his guidance. For some odd reason, the thought of seeking a spanking came to mind and she had to stop and collect herself before she could continue. The sparkle in his eyes suggested he was guessing her thoughts.
The rest of the ceremony was filled with such a sense of joy, she felt as though she was floating off the floor. The heat and territoriality was blatant in Hank’s eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his face against her abdomen for a long moment and she felt the barest trace of a vibration from his chest as he held her, that growly rumble of something primordial that was inside both her men. A part she loved, that part that claimed her as his woman—their woman.
Hank rose to his feet and he and Travis each took one of her hands. Grandma Kate nodded at them and smiled. She spread her hands, palms up, and in a jubilant voice, she proclaimed, “And now your journey begins, and your adventure awaits. May you forever remain steadfast, one in the others, and may love light your way, always.”
Veronica went into the arms of her men, receiving their kisses. Before Grandma Kate could slip away, Veronica stopped her and hugged her. “Thank you.”
“For what, sweet girl?” Grandma Kate asked with a sparkle in her eyes.
“For sharing your anniversary date with us.”
Bending down to kiss her cheek, Hank said, “That will always be a precious,
precious
thing to us, Grandma Kate.”
Travis said, “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have found the one woman meant for us, ma’am.”
Kate’s eyes grew misty and she cleared her throat before saying, “The three of you have already started your adventure and you’ve included me in it and that, my loves, is a precious,
precious
memory to me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Veronica took deep, cleansing breaths as she cried under the showerhead. Her tears had come upon her suddenly in the shower while she’d been preparing for her wedding night. The reunion with her family hadn’t been cathartic. Confronting them hadn’t provided any sense of closure, but she’d definitely felt like it was a new beginning. Only time would tell.
Perhaps the tears were brought on by the realization that whether her family took advantage of the opportunity or not, Veronica had her men, and they loved her and accepted her, and would defend her. She was free.
The hot tears finally stopped as Hank and Travis came to mind. With smiles and kisses, they’d sent her to the shower, telling her they wanted to make things ready for their first night as men and wife. All she’d wanted was them, but they’d insisted she take her time and relax.
A long, shaky sigh slipped from her lips as she recalled how they’d undressed her and caressed her breasts and sucked her nipples, teasing her clit and stroking her ass cheeks. Travis had growled softly as they’d finally sent her to the steamy bathroom.
A loud noise sounded from somewhere on the other side of the house. With the shower on, she couldn’t tell from where. After rinsing the last of the lather from her body, she shut the water off. She shook her hair loose after removing the clip and listened for the sound of their voices. She jumped as she heard another loud noise outside the house, but otherwise there was only silence. She was reaching for the towel hanging near the shower and as she stepped from the wet tile, the lights went out, casting the house into inky blackness.
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard glass shatter somewhere inside. She wrapped the towel tightly around her and felt her way into the dark bedroom, where she thought her robe was lying on the bed.
Trying to keep her breathing silent, she felt blindly for the bed and stubbed her toe as she reached the foot of it and dropped the towel. She was fighting with the robe, trying to find the armholes, when she was suddenly grabbed roughly from behind and pulled against a big hard body clad in some kind of rough, canvas uniform.
She gathered a lungful of air and screamed, “Hank! Travis!” before a gloved hand clamped down roughly on her mouth.
Her mind swirled as she fought the hard arm wrapped around her middle, squeezing the air out of her, and then instinct took over. She bit down as hard as she could on the hand and earned a pained growl from the intruder for her effort. She lifted her feet off the floor and went limp, turning herself into dead weight, but the intruder held her tightly and her feet flailed in the empty air.
With a muffled yell she lifted her knee and brought her heel down hard on the intruder’s foot but only managed to bruise her heel on his boot and drew only a mild grunt from him.
Remembering Hank’s class, she wriggled like a fish trying to turn and loosen his hold and managed to plant an elbow in the intruder’s solar plexus but it was a weak hit and succeeded only in her being thrown on the bed facedown with his weight on top of her.
Real fear sank in and she screamed for Hank and Travis, cold panic traced over her skin like cold fingers and hysteria clawed at her throat, making her cries sound weak.
The intruder growled softly and fumbled with something before a warm hand settled between her bare shoulder blades and held her down.
“Nika,” Hank’s voice spoke softly, slowly. “Calm.” She sobbed in relief and stilled. Warm lips laid a single kiss at the base of her neck. “What is your safe word?”
“M–Marshmallow.”
“And your slow word?”
“Bonfire.”
“Do you want to use either now?”
Breathing through her nose, she listened to her body. Her heart rate had already begun returning to a less panicked level, her heel throbbed but not unbearably. His hold was tight but not painful.
“No, I don’t.”
Hank’s evil chuckle sent a thrill up her spine as he roughly bound her hands and ankles, gagged her, and blindfolded her. He placed a rubber squeak toy in her hand and closed her hand around it tightly.
“If you need to use your slow word or safeword at any time, get our attention with this squeak toy. Nod your head so I know that you understand.”
She nodded and then gasped when he picked her up. She wanted to ask how he could see her nod in the pitch-black house but couldn’t.
Her heart pounded as he carried her naked through the house, understanding setting in.
Her capture fantasy. They were making it come true on their wedding night. Her heart thumped with love and then she frowned around the gag.
What? You’re just going to go quietly? Some captive you are!
Struggling against him, she struck him on the shoulder with her bound hands, earning an amused grunt for her effort.
“That the best you can do, sweet cheeks?” He was encouraging her and she went wet as she continued fighting him. Despite trying hard to get free, he had her immobilized as he walked out the door, with her stark naked.
Another voice came from outside the door. “We have a fighter this time?” It was Travis but he sounded rough. Aggressive. She went even wetter for him. “The house was supposed to be empty. I didn’t find much of value. Maybe we’ll just share her.”
Hank’s reply was an appreciative laugh. “She’s a fighter. We may keep her.”
Stepping up her efforts, she kicked out on the direction of Travis’s voice, trying not to giggle, and Travis said, “Damn. She’s got spirit, huh? Think we can tame her?” She felt a hot hand slide up the inside of her calf, past her knee before she squirmed away from him. He didn’t need to know how drenched she was already.
“Let’s get her somewhere private first, where we can get a better look at her.”
“Yeah, and I have rope at the camp, too.”