“Sit.”
Jillian gracefully slid into her position of respect.
“Slave, do you willingly give yourself to these two Doms, to submit to them and serve them, from this time forward? Will you obey them in all things, and hold yourself exclusive for their pleasure, in whichever way they seek that commodity from you?”
“With great joy and gratitude.”
Robert felt a sensation he’d never known descend on him. It was there on her face, and in the way, a few moments later, that she gracefully draped herself over the bench when commanded to do so. It showed in her shivers of pleasure as first his and then David’s paddle landed on her naked ass.
And it was there,
right there
, in the love and tears that shimmered in her eyes as she spoke her vows, and in the way she stood taller, straighter, and prouder as they fastened their collar around her neck.
He stood with her and his brother—his best friend—and received the applause of those around them, and knew that from this moment on, he was at peace.
He was at peace, and complete.
* * * *
“It always smells so good in here.” Jillian closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She tried to identify the scents. Something savory, and something sweet that mingled together in just the right combination, making her mouth water.
David chuckled. Standing on her left, he slipped his arm around her, drew her close, and kissed the top of her head. “Robbie and I both noticed that shortly after we moved home. We would eat here at least twice a week.”
Robert held her right hand and brought it up to his lips. “Everything Kelsey and Tracy make tastes good,” he agreed. Then he frowned. “I hope she’s going to get some more help in here before too long.”
Jillian knew he couldn’t help but worry about his cousins, and how they’d progress through their pregnancies. It was his nature, and she wouldn’t change a single thing—not even that worrywart tendency—about him.
“Kelsey’s already placed an ad in the Waco paper for a new cook,” Jillian said. “She received a lot of applications and has selected a few that she’s going to interview over the next couple of weeks. Even though she’s not due until November, she wanted to get her replacement
in
place with lots of time to spare so everyone can acclimate. And of course, so the new cook can help with the slew of weddings coming up.”
Jillian was looking forward to attending her first wedding in Lusty—what the townsfolk referred to as a Commitment Ceremony. The first would be in about seven weeks, when Ginny would marry Adam and Jake Kendall.
Ginny had quickly become one of her best friends, as had Ginny’s aunt, Maggie Morrison.
“Good.” Robert bent down and kissed her, a light, teasing promise of passion to come.
Jillian grinned as her future in-laws arrived. James and Adam Jessop each gave her a sound hug. Pamela reminded Jillian of Kate Benedict, in that she wasn’t very tall, yet she possessed a titanium core. She hugged Jillian. “I’ve waited a long time to have another daughter. And I’m delighted that I get a new grandson in the deal, too. I can’t wait to meet our Brandon.” Her blue eyes twinkled as she hugged her sons. “By the way, your brothers are here.”
Jillian had already met Marcus Jessop, who lived in Waco and was a lab tech at one of the hospitals there but worked at the clinic a couple of days a week, running the lab. She guessed Pam didn’t mean him.
“Oh, yeah?” David grinned and looked around his parents, toward the door. Two big, strapping men had just stepped inside. Both of them were blond haired and blue-eyed, but one wore a bit of a beard. The other sported a cane which he wielded in his right hand, and a sling that kept his left arm bent at the elbow.
“What the hell happened to you?” Robert asked.
Pam shook her head. “Doctors. Cut to the chase, forget the polite. My dear,” she winked at Jillian, “I know your pain and I will be there for you.” Then she placed her hand on her wounded son. “Allow me to present our Grant, and our Andrew. They’re firefighters, just newly returned from smoke-jumping school in Washington State.”
“Oh goodness, that’s dangerous work!” Jillian said.
“Tell me about it,” Grant said. But he smiled when he’d said that. Then he assumed a more serious expression and said to Robert, “What the hell happened is, I hurt myself.”
“Thank you. I never would have known that if you hadn’t told me,” Robert replied.
“I’m fine, Robbie,” Grant said. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“If you say so.” Robert put his arm around Jillian as he introduced her.
Andrew gave her a hug and welcomed her to the family. Laughing, because Grant had raised his eyebrows as if daring her to, she hugged him, too. Then she stepped back, closer to her lovers.
“I take it the jump school is over?” she asked
“Yeah. Now we have to figure out what comes next,” Andrew said. “We don’t know if we’re going to stay in this area and use our expertise here, or head northwest again.”
“Not too soon,” Pamela said. “You’ve only just come home.”
“No, ma’am,” both men said.
“Come along.” Pam set a hand on each of her sons. “There’ll be more guests arriving for your brothers and their fiancée to greet. Let’s get a table, and I’ll get you boys something to eat.”
Grant winked at Jillian. “Yes, Mother. Come to think of it, I am hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” Andrew Jessop groused.
“Hey, I’m a wounded man. Pity me.” The Jessops made their way toward an empty table, greeting family as they went.
“Is your sister going to make it?” Jillian was looking forward to meeting the young woman. Having grown up an only child—as had her ex-husband—she was eager to gain a sister.
“Rebecca has a showing in Seattle this weekend,” Robert said. “She’ll be coming back to Lusty when it’s over. She should be here by Monday.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
David bent over and kissed her ear. “If you look down the street on the sidewalk you might see a couple of people you know.”
Jillian grinned. They’d seen to it, especially over the last two weeks, that she met just about everyone in town. She thought her lover was being funny. Then she turned to look, and nearly screamed with excitement.
“Oh my God! How did you arrange it?”
It didn’t escape her notice that her men beamed at each other, obviously proud to have surprised her and made her happy.
The door swung open, and her aunt Shirley entered, greeted aloud by nearly everyone with shouts and waves. Shirley was accompanied by a very handsome young Marine, newly promoted to Second Lieutenant.
Jillian wanted to rush to him, but Robert kept hold of her hand and said, “Let him come to you, sweetie.”
They’d chatted on Skype a few times. No one had been more surprised than Jillian when Brandon had appeared so accepting of his mother’s engagement to two men. Now, seeing the way he and Shirley had been chatting on their way inside, she had to wonder how much he’d already known about Lusty when he’d encouraged her to take over Shirley’s place here more than a month ago.
Shirley came right up to her and gave her a big hug. Then she stepped back. “What a beautiful necklace,” she said.
Jillian reached up and touched her collar. It had been designed to look like two close-fitting bands of metal, but was actually a single piece of jewelry. She’d decided to keep it on
all
the time, and if anyone said anything, she planned to simply claim sentimental attachment to such a beautiful gift from her fiancés—which wasn’t at all far from the truth.
Shirley reached down and took Jillian’s hands in hers. “You look so happy,” she said. “Oh, I’m so glad!”
“Thanks, Shirley. Not just for the sentiment, but for bringing me here.”
“Darling, I just gave you an opening. The rest was all you!” Then the woman treated both Robert and David to a sharp look. “Hurt her, either of you, and answer to me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said together, making Jillian laugh.
“I’m going to go visit, but we’ll talk later,” Shirley promised.
Jillian watched for a moment as her aunt, waving and smiling, went over to greet some of her friends, including sisters-in-law Bernice and Abigail Benedict, as well as Samantha Kendall and Heather Jessop, Tracy’s mother.
Jillian turned back to the handsome young man in Marine khakis. He’d already taken his hat off. When he opened his arms, she went to him.
“I had no idea you could get away. How long can you stay?” Jillian hadn’t seen him since he transferred to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, five months before.
“I’ve got a week.” He put his hands on her shoulders and held her so he could look at her. He grinned. “Aunt Shirley is right. You do look happy.”
Jillian loved that smile, and every time she saw it, her thoughts went back to when he was just a little boy. Even then, his smile had the power to uplift her, and make her day.
“I am happier, and even more so now to know that you have a whole week’s leave. How did you manage that?”
“Apparently, your new hometown has members who have friends in high places.” His smile faded just a little as his eyes landed on her jewelry. Then he sobered completely and said, quietly, “That’s a very nice collar.”
Jillian had one of those moments of heart-stopping shock. Robert chose that moment to step forward and hold out his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you in person, Brandon. We’re delighted that you’re here. It means a lot to your mother.”
Jillian was embarrassed that her men beat her to it. She’d looked forward to introducing her son to her fiancés face to face. Of course, they had already met, sort of, online. “Oh my God, I can’t believe how slow I am sometimes. I am so sorry I didn’t do that, formally.”
David said, “Relax, baby. Sometimes we Doms just like to take over. Isn’t that right, Brandon?”
“That we do.” Brandon grinned again, and winked.
Jillian laughed. “Okay, this is just
too
weird a coincidence for me to even contemplate.”
“Tell me about it,” Brandon said. And then to David, he said, “You’ll have to tell me when and where you go to play so we don’t cross paths when I’m on leave.”
“Not a problem.”
Jillian introduced her son to Ginny, who’d just come over after restocking the buffet with some savory-smelling hor d’oeuvres.
Ginny shook his hand enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to meet you, Brandon. I bet you don’t know a soul here. Now, let me see…” She gestured toward the left. “You’ve got your pick tonight. You can sit with a couple of law men and a very junior sheriff—those would be mine, by the way—or that table over there with two newly retired air force flyboys.”
Brandon smiled. “I want to meet everyone—including Kate Benedict. I’ve been hearing about all of you,
especially
Kate, from Aunt Shirley for years.”
Robert and David both laughed. “Kate is a force of nature,” Robert agreed. “But she hasn’t arrived yet. We’ll make sure you’re introduced to her.”
Brandon nodded. Then he met first David’s and then Robert’s gaze. “I’m glad Mom found you. I love my dad, of course. But when I got old enough to understand such things, I knew he wasn’t what Mom needed. I think the two of you are.” Then he kissed his mom on the cheek. “If that offer to bunk with y’all is still good, I’ll take you up on it. We can catch up, later.”
“There will always be room for you with us, Brandon,” Robert said.
Brandon nodded and followed Ginny. Jillian smiled when he was so readily accepted by Adam and Jake Kendall. Benny, of course, didn’t know how not to welcome someone.
“You did a damn good job with him, sweetie,” Robert said.
“Seeing how well he turned out has me a little excited about the future,” David said.
Jillian knew they wanted at least one child with her. She was warming to the idea more each day. This time around, she knew she wouldn’t be alone in the work of parenting—or in the joys of it, either. That was a huge plus.
The door opened and Maggie Morrison entered, followed by her fiancés, and two men Jillian felt certain she didn’t know—two men who appeared to be identical twins.
One of the twins looked right at her and smiled, his aqua eyes sparkling. It was then she noticed the scar, just below the corner of his left eye. The mark reminded her of a lightning bolt and did nothing to detract from his almost rugged good looks.
“You don’t know anything about being real cowboys,” Richard Benedict was saying to the other twin.
The one who’d been smiling at Jillian shot his eldest brother what could only be called a cheeky grin. “We can learn, Rick. We’re pretty smart.”
“Boys, please.” Maggie slipped into Richard’s arms and went up on her toes to kiss him. “Richard, weren’t you listening? It’s always been their dream.”
The twins grinned. The one with the scar turned to the other. “I
told
you Maggie was going to be a great addition to the family.”
Maggie introduced Jillian to Chase and Brian Benedict, her fiancés younger brothers—and soon-to-be cowboys.