Gale, Avery - Katarina's Return [The ShadowDance Club 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

Alex moved back inside Kat’s room and handed a duffle to Zach. “Here, go clean up and get changed, you don’t want her to wake up and see you like that.” Alex knew Zach probably hadn’t even realized he was still covered in Kat’s blood. Zach passed her hand to him, it was a symbolic move and its significance wasn’t lost on Alex. Zach then he took the bag and moved silently out of the room. Alex had just spoken with Doc Woods, ensuring Katarina’s name would not appear in any hospital records. Even though her location had already been compromised, one of the things he knew was that there was never any reason to hand your adversary information you did not specifically want them to know. She’d told them that Robertson had made it very clear that he felt she belonged to him. Knowing the man would rather see her dead than with someone else was almost more than Alex could comprehend.

“Katarina, love, you need to open those beautiful blue eyes. Doc Woods has said you will be released into our care as soon as you wake up and he gets a last ‘look-see,’ to quote the old fart.” Alex was fond of the old doctor. Doc Woods had been a fixture in Climax forever, hell, he’d delivered most of the town’s current residents. Doc had always claimed they’d built the town around him, and Alex wasn’t altogether sure that was an exaggeration. Alex had assured Doc they’d be providing Katarina with round-the-clock medical care, and despite the fact she’d been shot while in their home, it would be much easier to secure her at ShadowDance than it would be in a public hospital. “Katarina, you are racking up a lot of punishments, my beautiful sub, don’t think we aren’t keeping count. Now, I’ve given you an order that expect you to follow without hesitation. Open your eyes for me, love.”

Something in Alex’s voice pulled her back up to the surface of consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked at the bright light above her bed. Alex quickly dimmed the light and smiled down at her, God, he was so relieved to have her awake, he’d lost ten years off his life when he’d heard that rifle shot. The few seconds it had taken them to sprint up to her suite had been the longest of his entire life. If she thought they’d been overprotective before, she was about to find out just how restrictive they could be when it concerned her safety. “Welcome back, sweetheart. Glad to see you decided to rejoin us.” Alex’s voice nearly cracked with emotion, he was just so incredibly overwhelmed by the way she was looking at him as if he had the answers. God, he loved her so much.

Of all the things Alex had expected Katarina to say, her whispered “I’m so sorry” would never have even made the list.

“What?” Disbelief at what he’d heard had him asking, “Katarina, what on earth do you have to be sorry for? We’re the ones who failed to protect you! Zach and I are the ones who should be begging your forgiveness. Oh, love, please don’t cry. Tell me what you think you have done wrong.” Alex was being completely undone by her tears, he couldn’t imagine what on earth she was thinking.

“I’ve brought you nothing but trouble. I really need to leave Climax before someone I care about is hurt because I’m here. Please just let me go so you and your family are safe. I could never forgive myself if something happened to one of you because of me.” Kat knew she shouldn’t cry, she hated to cry, but things had just gotten so out of control. How had she made so many bad decisions? She just couldn’t see any other way but for her to leave. She was sure her heart would break in to a million pieces, but if it kept Alex and Zach safe, it would be worth it.

“Not happening, love. Now, let’s see what we can do about getting you out of here.” And with that, Alex turned and was out the door, cutting off any protests Kat might have voiced.

Chapter 19

Kat stood in front of the glass doors leading to the gardens, hugging her arms around her. It was a gesture of comfort more than an indication of being cold, but Zach stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “Cold, kitten?”

“No, just thinking.”

“Talk to me, kitten, what’s bothering you?” Zach had always been the more approachable of the two brothers, but Kat wasn’t sure she could even explain how she was feeling.

“I guess I’m just suffering from cabin fever. I’ve been out of the hospital for a week, and I haven’t even been allowed outside, much less off ShadowDance Mountain.” Kat knew she was going to start jabbering again, but she just couldn’t seem to stop it. “There hasn’t been any indication that I’m still in danger, and Jenna’s gone back to work somewhere in bum-fuck Egypt, and you and Alex are busy all the time, and you won’t let me go to The Club with you, and I’m bored out of my mind. You don’t even want to sleep with me; it’s the scars isn’t it?”

By the time she’d stopped for a breath, Kat was almost in tears, emotionally, she was still reeling, but she knew she didn’t dare mention that or she’d never get to leave the house. Sighing softly in resignation, she added, “Can I at least get my computer back? I could work, that would help. Besides, I need to put the finishing touches on a couple of projects for clients so I can get paid. I need to get back to work, I need to find an apartment in town, and I’ll need money to start over. I’m sure my studio in Vegas has been picked clean by now. It wasn’t exactly in the best neighborhood, I’m sure the only reason I hadn’t been robbed before was because I worked from home and rarely left for more than an hour or two. Anyway…I can’t just stay here and live off you and Alex, I’ve intruded long enough. Do you suppose you could bring my car up front sometime today?” Kat hadn’t missed the fact that Zach’s arms had tightened around her as she spoke, and she knew neither he nor Alex was going to be happy with her decision to move out, but she really needed to get back to work, and if they weren’t going to let her out of the house, she didn’t think she’d be able to take being cooped up much longer.

Zach turned her around so that she was facing him and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “No, kitten, I’m afraid I can’t do that. As for not
wanting
to sleep with you, nothing could be further from the truth. But we knew you needed to rest and heal, and there was no way we could sleep with you and not spend the entire night inside you.

“As for the scars, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble for thinking we’re so shallow that we’d see those rather that the beautiful woman that you are, I’ll be adding that to the rather long list of punishments you have coming, kitten. But let’s see what we can do about getting you some fresh air, what do you say? Why don’t you head upstairs and change. Wear a sundress and nothing else. I’ll pack us a picnic and we’ll find a nice, secluded, sunny spot in the gardens.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and despite her best efforts, Kat giggled. Leave it to Zach to soften his refusal to bring her car up to the house with promise of some quality time together. As Kat headed up the stairs, Zach speed dialed Alex. “Seems our woman is in need of some attention. Meet us by the waterfall in twenty.”

* * * *

Kat loved the feel of the sunshine on her face, God, it felt good to be outside again. Walking along the stone path that meandered through the gardens hand in hand with Zach, she had enjoyed seeing all the hidden elements of The Club’s newest feature. She loved discovering all the little things that were tucked into small alcoves. There were a lot of benches in secluded spots, and she’d noticed they all had rings imbedded in them, for restraints no doubt. Smiling to herself, she thought about how it had felt the night Alex and Zach had restrained her, rather than frightening her like it had with Cal, she’d found it thrilling with the two of them. She saw several things that she wasn’t familiar with but decided it was probably wise to keep that information to herself for now. She had also noticed a lot of electronic monitoring and security equipment, it wasn’t always easy to spot, but it was obvious the safety of their members was a Club priority. She heard the sound of rushing water just before they rounded a corner, and Kat saw an amazing natural stone waterfall. The water rushed over the top and cascaded into the pool below. It was truly breathtaking, she couldn’t even move forward, she just stood and stared, completely captivated.

“So, what do you think, kitten?” Zach had turned so he could see her reaction, and he hadn’t been disappointed, her stunned look of awe had told him how much she liked the gardens’ centerpiece feature. The look on her face alone made all the frustration they’d faced getting this one piece of the project completed worth it. Her eyes flashed something close to pure childlike wonder as soon as she took in the waterfall and reflecting pool. “Hope you still like to swim, the water is kept at the perfect temperature year round, and I’m told the bubbles created by the waterfall add a little extra to the experience.” His sexy grin told her he knew exactly what that “little extra” was, too. “As soon as I get this blanket spread out, I want to check to see that you followed my directions. Since you mentioned going to The Club, I thought we spend this afternoon making sure you are ready for that.” As he spread out a blanket she hadn’t even seen him pick up, he continued talking. “Because you are ours, there will be some members who will have particularly high expectations for you, we want to make sure you are fully prepared. Remember, there are strict rules that need to be followed, we don’t want you to be inadvertently put in a position where you could be punished by another Dom. We don’t share well.” Zach’s smile might have looked easygoing, but the look of possession in his eyes told Kat he was quite serious. She tried to suppress the cold shiver of fear that ran up her spine at the thought of anyone but Alex or Zach touching or, God forbid, punishing her.

Chapter 20

Kat stood to the side of the blanket, arms down to her sides while Zach walked around her slowly. “You need to get used to being inspected, kitten. It will always be our right to view what is ours. This afternoon is going to be about making sure you fully understand what an evening at The Club might look like. Now, remove your dress, move your feet shoulder width apart, and leave your hands at your sides.” Zach moved back several steps and stood with his bulging arms crossed over his chest, feet apart, watching her intently. Kat looked so apprehensive he had to resist the urge to smile. While he didn’t want her to be afraid, a little apprehension would enhance her sensations and the experience in general.

He’d noticed her looking around to be sure they were alone, and he was sure she’d noticed the cameras they used for surveillance. Zach didn’t intend to tell her he’d called the Crow’s Nest before they’d left the house and had Grayson shut down this sector. She’d need to be as proud of her body as they were, she’d often be in various stages of undress while at The Club, but he knew she was still very self-conscious of the lash marks on her back that hadn’t fully faded yet, not to mention the wounds from the rifle shot. Even though Doc Woods had done an amazing job of stitching her up, the scars on her chest and back were still red and angry looking against skin that looked like ivory satin. “Kitten, hesitating will get you punished. Remove the dress now.”

* * * *

Boy oh boy, this was it. Taking a deep breath, Kat slowly lifted the dress over her head and laid it aside. Spreading her legs apart as Zach had told her to, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Zach raised one eyebrow at her and asked, “What were my instructions to you, kitten?”

“Um, you said to wear a sundress. This is the only sundress I had, isn’t it okay?” Kat was nervous, he didn’t look happy, and she wasn’t sure what she’d done wrong.

“Actually, my instruction was to wear a sundress and nothing else. I knew you left the house with your shoes on. Ordinarily, I’d have taken your shoes and you’d have been punished before we left the house. Instructions are to be followed to the letter, kitten. Now, what else is wrong with this picture? Hmmmm?”

“I wasn’t supposed to wear panties? Oh my God, Zach, I can’t run around without underwear! I’m outside the house for heaven’s sake. You can’t possible expect me—” Kat was cut off by a stinging swat to her ass that caused her to quiet immediately, holy shit, she hadn’t even heard him move.

“My instruction was quite clear, kitten. And yes, we will indeed expect you to, as you so indelicately put it, ‘run around without any underwear.’ We’ll expect to have unfettered access to what is ours, we’ll want to be able to slide our fingers, tongues, or cocks into your sweet pussy whenever the urge strikes us. Panties will only be a barrier, and it will make us happy to know you are ready for our touch. Remember that your priority, as our sub, is to do what pleases us, just as our priority is to provide you with everything you need.” Okay, this was a side of Zach she hadn’t seen before, she knew he was a Dom, but he’d always seemed like the easier of the two brothers.

“Oh, kitten, you are so very easy to read, that is going to be very helpful in your training for sure.” Chuckling, he continued, “You’ve always thought I’d be easier on you than Alex, am I close? Well, that isn’t quite right. We are both going to be more than happy to push all your boundaries. We’ll listen to your questions and concerns, but ultimately, the decision about what happens during scenes and while you are in The Club or the bedroom, will be ours. Now, remove your panties and hand them to me. I’ll add this punishment to the others you’ve accumulated over the past ten days.” When she handed the tiny triangle of material she thought was providing modesty, he lifted them to his nose and inhaled slowly. He enjoyed watching her eyes dilate and her cheeks flush. “I love the way you smell, sweetness.” And turning the little scrap of fabric inside out, he showed her the shine of her arousal. “I’d say someone is wet for me already. I think I’d like to check that up close.” Kneeling in front of her, he said, “Spread your legs farther apart, kitten, I want to see just how aroused you have become from our discussion.”