Damaged Goods (8 page)

“Ah hell, honey.” Trevor’s voice cracked as he said, “Don’t cry again. Please, little one, I am going to break in two here.”

Brice hated how this was hurting her. He hated how it was hurting them all.

“So,” Cade said as he rubbed comforting circles on Riley’s back, “Let’s talk about something less painful for a moment. Terryn, hmm?” He gestured with his chin to where they could see her saying goodbye to the cafés owner, Jenny. “You sure about that?”

When Riley gasped, Brice quirked a brow and said, “I’m sure it’s not any of your business, cuz.”

Riley reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Oh, Brice. I know you just said it wasn’t our business, but Terryn is not like us. I mean she has never been to our club or any club like it.” When Brice’s expression clued her in that she was stepping out of line, she hastened to explain. “I know she’s beautiful. God, I wished I looked half as good as she does, but, honey, she’s sweet.” She leaned close and whispered, “Brice, she goes to church.”

Brice chuckled and whispered back, “So do you.” Before she could answer, he continued, “Riley, I love you like it’s nobody’s business, but this doesn’t concern you.”

He could have left it at that. In all probability, he should have, if Terryn hadn’t confided to them that she was exploring the BDSM lifestyle herself. Brice couldn’t, though. Riley was dear to him and already hurting, so he wasn’t going to add worry on top of it all. “I met Terryn in the club, Riley. She’s a new sub and I promise I’ll take good care of her.” His look chided as much as his words. “You should know me better than that.”

Riley looked nonplused for a minute. Trevor looked at Cade and asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I would have, eventually. As it stands, she’s only just started. I wanted to give her the chance to settle in before I told her the club belonged to us.” With a sigh and a sad shake of his head, he added, “In any event, I would’ve thought Katie had told her. Katie was the one who was showing her the ropes.”

Riley looked back at Brice and took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just so out of it. But just be easy, ’kay? Our lifestyle is shocking to people who are new to it.”

“You took to it like a cat to cream, Ry.” Cade’s whisper had the desired effect—Riley was distracted for a moment and blushed when she turned to look up at him. Brice shook each man’s hand and laid a kiss on Riley’s cheek before he turned and headed out to where Terryn waited for him on the sidewalk. It was time to put the grief and the case away for a while—he had a sub to claim.

Chapter Eight

Terryn stood on the sidewalk. It was a muggy day, the air warm and heavy. She closed her eyes and let the heat soak in as she waited. With her face tilted up to the sun and her mind on absorbing the warmth, she didn’t hear Brice until he whispered in her ear, “You’re incredible. Your hair looks like it’s on fire in the sunlight.” She stopped basking and smiled at him shyly, a little embarrassed that he’d caught her at it.

“Thank you.” As he hailed a cab, she asked, “So, have you and Cade always been close?”

“Yes.” A yellow cab pulled up. Brice helped her in and gave the address to the driver. “Cade’s father and mine were the only two boys born to our grandparents and the two were thick as thieves. But that was nothing compared to how close and fast the mothers hooked up. We never went long without a visit growing up; we still don’t.”

“And are you and Cade the only boys too? Or are there more Marshall men out there?”

“There are more of us, and girls too. Both our fathers wanted big families and they got them.” Brice’s smile was disarming and warmed something deep inside her.

“How did you all meet Trevor?”

Brice sat close enough that his leg was pressed to hers and he slid one arm behind her shoulders. He used his free hand to play with the ends of her hair. “The Wellingtons are very close to the Marshall clan, especially to Cade’s parents. Those two were practically raised together. If it weren’t for their habit of sharing the same woman, I’d have said they were more brothers than friends.”

Her face turned crimson and she stammered when she asked, “Is…are they? Um…how is it…um, do you know? Between them? Are they gay? Or…never mind. It’s not my business, I shouldn’t have asked.” She hid her flaming cheeks against his shoulder with a groan of embarrassment.

Brice cupped a hand under her chin and urged her to meet his eyes. “They aren’t gay, no. Though they have ample opportunity and no one that matters to them would care, they simply aren’t inclined to go that way. They just enjoy sharing the same woman. They have since their college days. And when they met Riley, all bets were off. They knew she was the one for them right off the bat. I did too, the first time I saw them all together.” She smiled at him, hearing the sincere affection in his voice.

The cabbie barked out the fare when the cab stopped. Brice paid and helped her from the car, his hand warm and steady in hers. Terryn felt butterflies explode to life in her stomach as she faced his building and what was to come.

“Whew.” Terryn put a shaky hand on her fluttering tummy. “Can I tell you I’m nervous? Can I tell you I’m scared to take this step outside of the club?” She looked at him and the frown of concern on his breathtaking face. “Can I tell you that even with all that going on I still want this so bad I can taste it?”

Brice stepped closer to her until there wasn’t a breath of space between them. He slid both of his hands into her hair and tugged her head back. At first his lips only rubbed against hers, lightly and then with more pressure. Terryn tried to open and take the kiss deeper, but Brice tugged hard on her hair and growled a command to hold still. The sound was primal. Terryn reacted to it instantly as every submissive gene in her body started to hum. Once she was still, he brought his mouth back to hers. He nibbled and sucked at her until her lips felt swollen and ultra-sensitive.

He broke the kiss to murmur, “Remember your safe word.” He kissed a blazing trail to her ear. “Nothing that happens will be beyond your control.” Then he took the tender lobe of her ear between his teeth and bit.

Terryn shot up to her toes. With a gasp, she clutched at his wrists while ricochets of sensations shot from that spot to echo in other more intimate areas.

Brice’s whisper deepened when he said, “I know I asked at the club, but things have changed. I’m not asking anymore. You’re mine. Now, I hope you don’t have a problem with that because it won’t make a damn bit of difference if you do.”

His hot, wet tongue delved into the sensitive shell of her ear. Even though it wasn’t a question, Terryn sensed that Brice was waiting for her compliance, so she nodded. It was all the agreement he needed because he said, “Done.” Grabbed a hold of her wrist and marched them into his building.

“Whoa.” She stumbled to a halt as soon as they stepped off the elevator into his penthouse. “Oh wow. Look at this apartment. This is beautiful.”

Brice smiled at the awe in her voice. “You should see my cousin’s place”

Terryn said, “It would be pretty hard to outshine this.” Her head whipped from side to side as Brice continued to lead her through, trying to take it all in. It was gorgeous. Comfortable and homey rather than elegant, it was also bigger than almost any house she’d ever seen.

“Are you on the take?”

Nothing else could’ve stopped Brice at that moment. He had her in his apartment and he had her compliance. Desire that he’d been forced to regulate and ignore blazed to full intensity the second the doors had opened. The outrageous question did the impossible, though, and surprised a full-blown laugh out of him.

“I make decent money at the rec center,” she was saying, “thanks to my awesome bosses, but wow, I couldn’t come close to a place like this.” She was teasing him, hands on her hips and a glint in her eye. Brice felt his laughter simmer back toward desire as she faced him so mischievously.

“I have a modest family income that allows me some things that my salary could not,” he replied as he stalked over to where she stood. Slowly, purposefully, he circled her. When he saw she was about to say something else, he ran a single finger up the bare, tempting line of her spine. “We can talk more later. Starting right now you will only speak when given permission.”

Her breath hitched and goose bumps bloomed along the trail he continued to make on her back and shoulders. “You will call me Sir until I release you to do otherwise.” Brice stepped close and traced patterns across her delectable cleavage, then breathed the next words into the warm hollow below her ear.

“Now I want you to remove your clothes, clasp your hands behind your back and stand with your feet spread wide.” Terryn did so with a honeyed whimper. Brice barely managed to keep his hands to himself as he watched. Her body was sleek and graceful. She moved fluidly and her pale skin seemed to glow in the light streaming in from the window.

Once she was naked and standing as ordered, Brice circled her again. “Nice. Very nice,” he said in a low voice as he took in the sight of her bare ass. “Have you ever been taken here, sub?” He whispered in her ear to tempt her while he stroked between those lovely cheeks. She rewarded him with more goose bumps and gave a tiny shrug.

“Permission to speak?” she asked in a breathy voice. He took a suckling bite of her neck before he answered that she could. “I have only had men use their fingers there, and once a toy.” Her answer brought a flush to her skin.

Interesting,
Brice thought. “Did you enjoy that? The toy as well as the fingers?” The shaky nod she gave was not necessary since his finger was still gently running along the crease of her ass and her body was answering for him. A flush swept up her neck and heated her cheeks and when he slipped his hand farther between her legs he found that she was already wet. Terryn’s knees almost buckled when he reached farther still to circle her clit and spread the moisture there before pulling away to stand in front of her.

“Terryn, keep your eyes on me.” Slowly Brice unbuttoned his shirt and his own eyes blazed as he stared at her. “Bring your hands forward, Terryn, and show me where you want my mouth.”

For a second she hesitated. He arched a brow and warned, “If I have to repeat myself, you won’t like the consequences.” Tentatively, her hands slid to brush her nipples. “Harder, Terryn. Pinch them harder for me. The way you want me to once I get my hands on them.” He rewarded her with a hum of pleasure when her dainty fingers plucked with more force, turning the dusky pink tips a deep rose.

Once he got his shirt off, he backed up until he felt a chair behind him. He sat with deliberate slowness and removed his shoes and socks. Her breathing was erratic now and her lovely breasts were plumped nicely with the nipples teased into flawless, tight peaks.

“Come stand next to me.” She staggered him when, instead of walking shyly or timidly, she strutted toward him as confident and seductive as a siren. She stopped in front of him with head bowed and waited for his next command.

It took him a moment to rein in the urge to drag her to the floor and pound out the raging lust she had inspired. With a tilt of his head, he motioned her closer between his spread legs. “You’re glistening, Terryn.” His eyes fixed on her core. “Touch your cunt for me.” The fingers that slid to that alluring flesh trembled slightly and Brice bit back a moan. “Don’t part the lips yet. Tease yourself first.”

She hesitated for no longer than a second, then tickled her long fingers slowly along the crease where thigh met more tender flesh, just barely scraping her nails there. Next she made tiny circles up one tender labia, then did the same down the other. When she started petting the line where the two lips met, he ached with the need to replace her fingers with his tongue.

Brice loved watching a woman touch herself, it was a trigger that uncaged a beast within him. “Now put one foot on the arm of the chair so you can touch deeper.”

Terryn made a noise in her throat that was a cross between a sob and a moan but did as she was ordered. With her foot on the chair arm and her other foot firmly planted on the floor between his knees, it put her open pussy right in front of his face. He could see every gloriously spread inch of her.

Her nails were painted a clear gloss with a sprinkle of gold glitter that shimmered as she rubbed them along the path his tongue wanted to take. They circled her plump clit, then stroked down to delve knuckle-deep inside, only to pull out and start all over again.

Brice thought he could detonate right then. When he sensed she was about to come, he clamped a firm hand on her wrist with a growl. With nostrils flared to catch the full bouquet of her scent, he brought her hand to his mouth as she watched him with wide, glassy eyes. Terryn was panting in erratic puffs. A cry escaped her once he caught her fingers between his lips. The taste exploded on his tongue and cut short the games he had intended to play.

“Enough.” He motioned her back as he stood and then, with her wrist still clutched in his grip, headed for his room. “I need you in bed. Right fucking now.”

On the other side of the city at a tiny little seafood grotto on the Hudson River, Brandon sat across the table from Angie.

“So.” Angie looked at him with those melted chocolate eyes and said, “This is our first official date. What made you decide on today?”

Kent shrugged casually and said, “I hadn’t planned it or anything. I just saw Brice grab hold of Terryn back at the coffee shop and then head out with her and I asked myself what the hell I was waiting for. So, I asked you if you’d eaten yet, you said no and here we are.”

Angie smiled at him, reached out and brushed her fingers across the top of his where they rested on the table and said, “Yeah. Here we are. Terryn hadn’t mentioned that she was dating Brice. We’re not as close as her and Katie were, but we still go out sometimes. I’m surprised she didn’t tell me.” She shrugged. “Well, I’m just glad she’s not alone right now.” The look she gave him melted his heart. “I’m glad I’m not either.”

It’d been a drive to get her here. But a nice one. She’d laid her head back against the seat and watched the Hudson as they’d wound their way toward it and after about five minutes in the car she’d taken his hand and held it all the rest of the way. The place was out of the city, hardly anyone ever around, and it was the best food he’d ever eaten. He wanted his first date with Angie to be a hit and Chuck’s was the only place he could go that he knew would never let him down. Tucked right up against the water, it had a killer view of the river and this time of year the trees that were surrounding the place were alive with colors and the chirping of birds.