Cooper appears at my side with a length of thin jute rope, his gaze tracking every loop and knot he makes as he decorates my body with it. His nimble fingers making light work of it as he wraps me like a pretty present. The intricate thatched corset hugs every curve and tightens around my hips as I fall forward, that familiar heat building low in my belly again as I fumble with the steady rhythm I’ve been keeping. My hips roll me a little too far forward as my core clenches around nothing painfully, needing to be filled. Cooper slides me back into place by tugging on the rope wound around his fist, the sensation of it deliciously course as it scrapes against my sensitive skin.
I yelp when the leather of the riding crop bites into my skin, doing absolutely nothing to help me regain the steady back and forth roll of my hips as a jolt of pleasure takes me by surprise, the sting on my arse cheek yet another sensation to tease the orgasm clawing at my fuddled senses—desperate to be released.
They are wearing far too many clothes for my liking.
Seeming to read my mind, Caleb pulls his shirt up over his head, every inch of taut muscled skin inked with artwork, that prominent V that leads down to the bulge in his jeans flexing as he approaches me. The sight of him, the friction against the leather, the possibility of getting caught out here—it’s all too much. I’m done for. Before I can ride the wave and let the release crash over me, I’m hauled up and off the saddle. Groaning in frustration, I harumph when Caleb places me down on my shaking legs.
His fingers run under the tight ropes across my hips, either testing Cooper’s Shabari skills or finding any excuse to touch me. I’m praying it’s the latter. Cooper could duct tape me to a tree and shove an apple in my mouth, and I’d still congratulate him on a job well done.
I want to reach up, pull him close and kiss him so badly, but the thought of him pulling away—I don’t know whether my heart could take the rejection. Caleb likes control; he is most comfortable when he is in charge. So for now, I’ll take whatever he has to offer me and be a good little slut for them. I reach up to cradle his face, hoping this simple touch isn’t too much for him. He steps away sharply, inhaling deeply as though being this close to me is distressing for him. The thought of my touch making his eyes darken with what I suspect is a chaotic mix of anger and arousal. I’ll find a way around this man’s defences if it’s the last thing I do.
“On your knees,” he demands, his back to me as he centres himself. I comply without hesitation. Silently pleading with him to turn and look at me bowing down at his feet. Pulling my hands behind my back, Cooper uses the costume cat’s tail and winds it around my wrists tobind them against my spine. A rush of panic courses through my veins when my shoulders are tugged painfully into place. “You can run away now if you want to, Dove. I’ll have Coop untie you, and you can go back to your life. You’ll never see us again,” he offers sternly, his chest heaving.
Cooper steps into view, shirtless and gorgeous as he opens his mouth likely to protest that he isn’t on board with this part of his brother’s plan, but the words are flying out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“I understand, Cal. I want this,” I state, knowing it’s the truth. I’ve never wanted anything more.
Coop visibly relaxes beside me, hitting his brother with a death glare for even planting the idea in my head. The thought of never seeing them again makes my heart thump against my ribs painfully. This, being here with them, it’s all I’ve wanted for so long. The only way I’m leaving here, is if they order me away, and everything in me is praying they don’t.
My lips part as I stare up at the broad man fuelled by rage, eclipsing the light above him, casting his beautiful face in shadows. “I’m yours.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CALEB
“I’m yours.” The words feel like blades thrust into my heart as it thumps with a wild ache that takes my breath away. How long have I imagined those words from her lips? How many nights when parted with the anger I carry like a noose around my neck have I dreamt of her on her knees for me, giving herself so freely to Cooper and me?
“Ours to fuck. Ours to lo—” I cut myself off and turn away from her. Too enraptured by her soft features as she looks so lovingly up at the monster that I am. I can’t say the word, not yet. I can’t give her that.
The spell Ebony Winters has cast on me in the short space of time she’s been back in our lives is jarring to say the least. I have spent the last six years convincing myself that anything we might have had disappeared the night we were sent to Blackwood. But being here, with our Dove, the visceral torment that seemed to motivate me to escape that hell hole withers away, and instead, I’m left with thatheartache of losing her all those years ago. It eats away at me, but I shove it away, determined to be present here with her for this.
Now that her hands are secured, I lift my shirt up over my head and revel in the soft gasp that leaves her sweet lips as she sees my body for the first time, her eyes zeroing in on the patch of burnt flesh that ripples with twisted scars under the tattoos that cover the entirety of my torso. Sadness eclipses the heat in her dipped stormy grey gaze as the violet spark appears to soften.
“Hook her up,” I say to my brother, my gaze still locked with hers as her mouth falls open with an audible pop.
What are ropes without the shiny accessory? Our Dove is about to realise how deep our depravities run.
I stroke her hair, and she melts into my touch. If she wanted a soft approach, she’s got the wrong brother. I don’t plan on being anything but relentless where she’s concerned. Wrapping her hair around my fist, I yank her to her feet, and she screams, her legs struggling to get under her with the quick shift in position.
“Caleb!”
“Shut the fuck up,” I spit out venomously, and she snaps her lips shut, bowing her head as I release her hair. The part of me that loves this woman wants to worship her body and show her that I can be gentle too, when I want to be. The part of me hungry for her tears, he wants to watch her ride that line of pleasure and pain until she can’t take anymore. Two beasts desperate to have her begging for more.
Cooper hands me the remote, and the creak of theharness attached to the aerial performer’s hoop begins to lower. I don’t say a word as he works his magic and loops and ties the ropes left loose from the bodice that hugs her body as he secures Ebony to it.
“Are you comfortable?” Cooper is the caring one of the two of us. I know he will make sure Ebony enjoys herself. He is the calm to my storm that she needs for this to work. She nods her head; her muscles visibly tense as her throat bobs with a nervous gulp.
She’s right to be nervous.
The partial suspension means we’re able to manoeuvre her easily, which is ideal for what I have in mind.
A squeak of shock rumbles out of Ebony when I press a button and the harness begins to rise. Lifted from the ground, she hangs there, her back arched as the central harness takes her weight. Her instinct is to reach up and grab a hold of the rope, but with her hands bound, she is at our mercy.
“Like floating on water, right?” Coop asks as he trails his finger over the ridges of the jute rope binding her appreciatively. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, her fingers intertwining behind her. The anticipation of what is to come is evident as a light sheen of perspiration coats her goose pimpled flesh. She has no choice but to trust us right now, and I know for Ebony’s trust isn’t given easily. I can hear her heart thumping in her chest as she worries her lip between her teeth.
Cooper continues his checks; we’ve never done this as a team before, ropes are more his fascination, but seeing Ebs like this, I can appreciate the appeal. I may be a novice, but when we concocted this plan, I demanded toknow everything I needed to know to make sure our Dove was safe at all times.
“Caleb…” Her voice is breathy, her tone unsure. It surprises me that she’s turning to me for reassurance. Her lips, the perfect shade of pink that matches her dusky peaked nipples.
