Graham, Jan - Finding Angel [Wylde Shore] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (19 page)

“Do you ever slap him?” Angel asked Daniel.

“No, but sometimes I’d like to,” Daniel replied, giving his brother an icy stare. “For the accomplished Dom Christian is, he can be such a child sometimes.”

The dinnertime conversation was lighthearted. Discussion on upcoming work hours for the brothers, pending social activities, car repairs and restorations, a visit to their dad, and general chitchat filled the air. Angel sat quietly while she ate her grilled-chicken Caesar salad, listening to the men discuss their very normal lives. A twinge of sadness washed over her briefly as she compared her messed up existence to their apparently well-adjusted life together. Even though Angel knew she would have to return to her reality very soon, she was thankful for the reprieve being in the Shore brothers’ home offered.

Angel’s thoughts were interrupted by Daniel’s question.

“So what has you looking a million miles away, my Angel?”

My Angel.
She liked the sound of that.

“I was just thinking how interesting you both are,” she replied, looking from one brother to the next. “You seem to have very full, nonchaotic lives.”

“So how are you going to fill in your time while we are away from the house?” Christian’s question surprised her.

“I’m…um…going to be back at my place trying to avoid new scandals and disasters,” Angel stated.

From the look on both men’s faces, Angel gathered they were not pleased with her response. Hoping to camouflage her previous answer as a joke, Angel laughed, regrouped, and continued. “No really, I have an article I need to work on, and I’ll probably catch up with friends, just everyday girl stuff really.”

“At the risk of offending you, my sweet, I think the first response may be slightly closer to the truth than the ‘catching up with friends’ cover story,” Christian stated, giving her a wry smile. “I will rephrase the question for you. I was actually asking what you are going to do here, in this house, while Daniel and I are at work.”

Angel tried to use the same hint of condescension that Christian had used with her as she replied.

“Okay, I’ll try and be more specific with my answer for you, Christian…I won’t be
here
at
your house
while you are both at work. I have a life I need to get back to. I’ll go to the station tomorrow and catch a train home.”

“No, not going to happen.” Daniel’s response was firm and uncompromising. He didn’t even look up from his dessert as he spoke.

“I’m not going to argue with you, Daniel. I’m—”

“Staying right here,” Daniel interrupted abruptly. “No argument, I’m just stating a fact. Your laptop is here, so you can finish your article. If you need clothes or other items, we will take you shopping to buy them. If you feel the need to talk to a friend, then you can call them on the phone, invite them down for a visit if you like. We’d love to get to know your friends, as long as they don’t expect you to have sex with them of course. After all, today’s events have proved one thing. You only get into trouble when you are left to your own devices. So you will stay with us and hopefully stay out of trouble.”

In a way, Angel was thankful for Daniel’s demand that she stay. She didn’t want to go back home. She knew what was awaiting her when she did. Still, she wasn’t sure that here was the place she should be. In some strange way, though, Angel felt like she was home. For the first time in many years, she felt safe, comforted by having the brothers to look after her. She knew they were both interested in getting to know her better, and they had both made it clear from their physical reactions at being close to her that they intended, at some stage, to take her to their bed. However, Angel was also sure that their interest would be extinguished as soon as they got to know more about her.

Once they knew what her life was really like, she would have to watch them drift away. If the sex with her was good, then she may turn into a party treat for them, someone to fuck if they were at a loose end or didn’t have another woman to occupy their time. But ultimately the sex would end as, well, it always did. Once someone better came along, Angel would be left picking up the emotional pieces and regretting the choice she was about to make.

With an audible sigh, Angel decided to take what was on offer. After all, she wanted to know each brother better as well. Angel also knew they would rock her world sexually. Years of experience had given her an intuitive sense about potential sex partners and the brothers had all the signs of being great in bed. By deciding to stay, at least for now, Angel could indulge herself in the fantasy of a safe and caring home with two men that wanted her as their own.

“Of course you’re right, Daniel. I’d be more than happy to stay. Thank you both for making the offer.” And with that, it was done. Angel had a sanctuary, albeit a temporary one.

Christian had been watching the dinnertime interaction with Daniel and Angel with interest. He knew Daniel was taking a risk insisting that she stay, but obviously, he had felt it was a risk worth taking. Neither of them wanted to watch her walk away from them again. That was clear from Daniel’s determination for her to stay. Christian also assumed Daniel also had another motive for keeping her at their home. If Angel stayed with them, then the only trouble she could get into would be in their bed, with them. And Christian knew that sort of trouble would suit Daniel just fine.

Christian had found Angel’s response less readable. What appeared to be stubborn determination at the thought of being told to stay had morphed into a mixture of emotions flashing across her face. Knowing what Daniel was like when he had made up his mind about something had worried Christian at first. The whole situation could have gone horribly wrong, turning into a mere clash of wills. But Angel had surprised him. He didn’t think it had anything to do with her submissive nature or any training she may have received at the hand of previous Masters. After all, there had been no claims made on her by either Daniel or himself. No discussion of her offering her submission to them. Of course, both men had shown interest in her, but there was no obligation on anybody’s behalf.

Christian had watched the gamut of emotions flow over her before she had agreed to stay. Anger, confusion, doubt, and fear were all evident. Whatever thoughts were flashing through her mind were definitely not pleasant ones. He was certain she was going to refuse, but then he saw her sigh. The flood of emotions waned, and for a brief moment, he thought he saw a flash of hope. By the time she spoke, the hope had been clouded by a hint of sorrow. Why sorrow? What was his Angel hiding? What was her life really like outside of his first impressions and the very limited understanding he had of her? He needed to find out.

With Angel tucked into bed and sleeping soundly, Christian took the time to catch up with Daniel.

“She’s dead to the world in there. I’ve never seen someone fall asleep so quickly. I swear she was asleep before I walked out of the room. It’s like she hasn’t slept for a week.” Christian picked up the coffee Daniel had made him.

“She’s had a big day. It’s been stressful and very emotional for her, and I think she is still suffering from a bit of shock. The early night will do her good,” Daniel replied as he flopped into one of the leather armchairs.

“What are your thoughts about dinner?” Christian asked. “I felt sure you two would lock horns and she’d refuse to stay.”

“I know, but I had to take the chance. So, you want my thoughts on it all?” Daniel sipped his coffee and thought for a few minutes. “I thought she’d put up more of a fight, but maybe she was just too tired. We may end up going over the whole thing again tomorrow when she’s more rested.”

“Did you watch the emotional torment she appeared to go through before she said yes?” Christian asked.

Concern showed in Daniel’s face as he spoke. “I think our sweet Angel has more than sex with a guy who nearly died going on in her life. And I don’t think it’s going to be easy to find out what it is. We may need to rely on information from more than Angel to discover the truth. I get the impression she has an impenetrable wall built up around herself to keep anyone from getting too close.”

“Impenetrable?” Christian questioned.

“Don’t worry. There’s always a weak point in any fortress, brother. But before we can do anything, she needs to trust us. We need to be consistent, caring, and give her time. I’m sure the trust will eventually come. With help, she can learn to trust us.”

Christian groaned and slouched back into the sofa. “How much time? It was difficult enough to resist her today. She was sitting here flirting with me at one stage. I was glad when she fell asleep so I could go to the bathroom and administer a little tension relief. My cock virtually exploded the second I touched it I was so hard. Now you’re telling me we need to give her time. I’ll develop callused palms if it takes too much time.”

“I’m not saying we can’t fuck her, Christian.
God
!” Daniel rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Waiting much longer to have her would kill me, I’d literally explode. It’s clear that Angel is a sensual woman and she obviously needs sex in her life. Denying her sex may actually hinder her learning to trust us. It wouldn’t surprise me if sex equates to her notion of love. She’s a woman that needs to be fucked regular, and being a submissive, she probably wants a man to take control.”

“So what about some BDSM play? Do we keep it just at sex, or can we get wild with her? Oh, and before you answer me,” Christian stated, “your answer should go along the lines of ‘give it your Dominant best, brother.’”

“I hate to disappoint you, Christian, but even you know we need to keep things basic. Nothing too wild. We are so far from claiming her as our sub. We need to tread lightly, just play it by ear.” Daniel grimaced as he continued, “And, at the risk of losing my credibility as a Dom, let her be in control of anything kinky. Without her knowing, of course, just until we know more about her situation.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Christian smiled. “I’ll tell you what I can also do. You mentioned using other means to get to know her. I’ll run some police checks through work to see if I can find out anything about her background.”

“Don’t you need personal details to do checks on her?” Daniel asked. “I doubt she’d give you that kind of information, especially if she knew what it was for.”

“Well, dear brother, that’s where my detective skills come into play.” Christian pulled two sheets of folded paper from his pocket and handed them to Daniel. “All the information I need to get started.”

From the look on Daniel’s face, Christian knew he didn’t approve. “You’ve copied her driver’s license, medical card, and bank information. And her birth certificate, how the hell did you get that?”

“She carries it all in her wallet. She’s such an obliging young woman.” Christian laughed as he took the information back from Daniel. “Look, man, we need to face the facts. We really don’t know Angel, and as much as you and I believe her to be the one, we still need to protect ourselves and our reputations. If her secrets are too dark, we may have to walk away. If she has suffered too much throughout her life, she may be too damaged to be able to make things work in a relationship. I would hate either of those options as much as you, but it doesn’t change the fact that we may need to consider them down the track.”

“There is nothing she could be doing that would cause me to let her go. And any amount of damage can be healed,” Daniel retorted abruptly. It was clear to Christian his brother did not like what he had to say, even if it did resonate an element of truth.

Chapter Nine

Angel woke. Snuggling even further into the warmth of the bed, she had no idea how long she had been asleep, but it wasn’t long enough. She listened to the brothers’ muffled voices. The distance from the bedroom to the living area of the house wasn’t far, but it was divided by a long hallway. She had no idea what they were talking about but assumed she may be featuring somewhere in the discussion. Angel wondered if she had done the right thing in deciding to stay. After all, her decision had been made for purely selfish motives. For once in her life, she wanted to feel normal, not that she really understood what normal was. She was certain the moral majority within society certainly wouldn’t consider being with two men normal, but oddly enough, it seemed normal to her.

The bedroom was filled with a soft light. Angel realised it was a combination of the moonlight peeping around the edge of the blinds on the large window to her left, and the fact that Christian had left the door slightly ajar after he had watched her climb into the bed. She gazed around the room. It had no masculine qualities about it at all, which was surprising considering the house was owned by two males, and dominant ones at that. Three walls of the palest pink and the burgundy feature-effect wall were accented in white trim. The furniture, too, was white. A large cupboard with slatted doors stood against the wall to the right of the bed. Adjacent to the door was a dresser with a large mirror surrounded by a frame featuring delicately carved roses. A silver jewellery box sat to one side of the dresser. A silver bowl with three crimson candles sat opposite, balancing the dresser perfectly. An ornate metal coatrack was on the other side of the door. Angel assumed it was positioned there so it would be concealed from view when the door was open. Even the bed covers were distinctly feminine. She lay on deep burgundy cotton sheets and soft, billowy pillows in frilled cases comforted her head. She was kept warm under a soft, feather duvet. The cover was cream with a large, long-stemmed rose printed in variegated shades of blood red and burgundy at its centre, falling petals from the rose scattered to the edge of the cover, perfectly completing the design.