I suck down a steadying breath and ignore the trepidation that skitters up my spine. I should really start listening to the danger cues my body is sending me, but that’s a problem for future Ebony. Caleb wanted to punish me, I could see it in his molten green gaze the second I realised it was them hidden under their disguises back in the carpark and again tonight as our eyes met when I watched them perform. I’m ready to give him what he needs.
Flustered, my heart thumps wildly in my chest as the image of them on that stage fills my head. It’s too much, this feeling, the sense of belonging to them too strong of a connection for me to shake. The part of Caleb Knox that wants to break me, the side of him that scares me—if pushed too far, he could sever the connection I still feel to him, and that scares me most of all.
What if they reject me? What if I’ve misread the signs completely, and they are just here to watch me finally be punished for what I did to them? What if after all those years at Blackwood, they have lost the plot and are theones murdering women as a substitute thrill before they could find me?
‘Don’t be stupid. Possessive—yes. Unhinged—certainly. But those boys want you very much alive. They aren’t killers,’the little voice in my head squeaks.‘Killers of women anyway,’she adds as an afterthought. ‘You’ll take and enjoy whatever it is that those boys plan on doing to you, and we both know it.’I could disagree; it would be pointless though. I’m practically salivating at the idea of being held down and taught a lesson by Cooper and Caleb.
The fact that I would take their punishments willingly should worry me, but other than that tug of yearning and the fear of opening old wounds, I can’t feel much of anything when I’m without them. It’s only now when the voices in my head settle, and it’s just the erratic thumping of my heart in my ears, that I realise how far I’ve wandered into the belly of the now deserted circus. Muffled raised voices beckon me forward as I see two people shuffling around in the rear entrance of the dimly lit big top tent off in the distance. My legs are moving before I can alert my brain to the possible dangers of snooping, the uniqueness of my kitty-inspired attire means I’m shit out of luck if I planned on being discreet.
This kitty cat is down to her last life.
I know that the part of Caleb Knox that I am guilty of breaking can only be fixed by my hands. We can argue and snap at each other, but the comfort I know only I can give him is present every time he gazes for a beat too long into my eyes. He wants to forgive me, and whether he’s admitted that to himself yet or not, I can see it.
I roll my eyes when my head takes over my heart, andthe internal voice that is always ready to kill a mood in under two seconds says,“If all else fails, stick his cock in your mouth; that certainly swayed the other one.”
And here I was thinking romance was dead.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EBONY
Their heated discussion is too muffled for me to make out, so I lean in a little closer.
“Looks like someone’s been eavesdropping.”
I’m yanked unceremoniously through a slit where two sides of the fabric meet by my arm. Caleb’s hand feels warm on my skin, and it’s only now I’m realising this is the first time he’s properly touched me. I bristle at how good his rough touch feels.
“Let me go Caleb.” I struggle against his grip, unsure if I mean the words flying out my mouth.
He does as I’ve ordered, shoving me forward, but I’m not expecting it and I tumble to the floor. Scrambling to my feet with my hands on my hips I scowl at him.
“That glare would be more powerful if you didn’t have whiskers and a tail.”
Fuck. I had forgotten I was even in costume.
“Don’t listen to the grump, Ebs. I can get on board with this look.” Coop sighs as he circles me, ready topounce should I turn my back on him. I don’t like to admit how good it feels when I see arousal darken his mottled green gaze.
“Something on your mind?” Caleb snaps, pulling my attention from Cooper.
The dimly lit space feels ominous without the chatter of the patrons from earlier, almost eerie in its vibe as Caleb stands stoic with his hands loose at his sides, Cooper with a more relaxed stance as he sits on a raised plinth, his hands steepled against his lips as his elbows rest on his knees. I rub my hands together, wishing they were tied like the last time so I could ground myself with the rough bite of the rope on my skin. I feel too unbalanced right now, too exposed.
“You haven’t been around, since…” The words trail off as I kick at the dirt ground beneath my feet. The weight of their intense gazes almost too much to bear.Once upon a time, I had told these two men every secret I ever had, poured out my heart to them when I thought the world was closing in around me. I hate the emptiness that fills me now without their comfort.
“We thought we said everything we needed to when we gave you that.” He gestures to the tattoo peeking out of my dress.
“Thought you might need some time to process,” Cooper finishes for him.
“I’ve had six years to process the loss; I don’t want time.”
“Demanding today, aren’t we, Dove.”
I shudder at the moniker as it skates over my heated flesh like a soft breeze.
“We’ve been locked away for six years. Funny, all we’ve had is time to think about what you did to get us there.” The twist of guilt in my gut threatens to expel the alcohol still sloshing around in my belly at his words.
“I can explain…”
“I don’t want your words right now, Dove; I want your obedience.”
