“I said I didn’t cookmuch,” Blake corrected, placing a baked sweet potato on two waiting plates, then pulling two bowls of salad out from the refrigerator, along with a bottled vinaigrette. She put a chicken breast on each of the plates. “I can do a few very simple things. And how the hell does an Italian womannotcook? I thought that was wired into your DNA or something.”
Brooke snorted, taking a seat at the breakfast bar when Blake put the two plates of food in front of the stools and asked Brooke what she wanted to drink. Opting for water, the same as Blake, Brooke proceeded to say, “Truth be known, I’m somewhat of an anomaly in my family. All the women in my family cook, as well as a bunch of the men. To this day, none of the Marinos can duplicate mynonno’sragù Bolognese, which is a tomato-based sauce with beef and pork. I swear, his sauce was the nectar of the gods.”
“But you don’t cook at all?” Blake took a seat next to Brooke after she had gotten their drinks for them.
“Nope.Nonnoalways said I was the one Marino kid who had to be different from everyone else. I can microwave like a champ,but forget about doing anything else, or I’ll probably poison you.”
Over dinner—which Brooke told Blake was quite tasty—the two of them filled each other in on their days. Although Brooke said she had hung out with the rest of the APS femmes in the Wendy House, she refused to let Blake know the team lead had been one of the topics of conversation. She did, however, share that she and the rest of the girls were pretty much in agreement about Drew, then told Blake she had come clean about Reflex Rebranding and her suspicions.
“We agreed I won’t have any trouble from them as long as they think I’m nothing more than a naive graphic artist and don’t find out about my ties to APS. In all honesty, I can’t really understand why they would in the first place, but I still promised them I would be extremely careful. Have you heard back from Trill yet?”
Blake forked up some sweet potato. “I have, right after I got home. Apparently, she, Drew, and Teagan have dug up all sorts of interesting shit about Reflex. We’re going to talk about it in our morning management meeting. Trill is waiting for one more piece of intel to come back, but she said she should have it by six a.m., which is when we usually meet. I know it’s super early for you, baby, but she would like you to be there as well because she said some of this will involve you.”
When they were done eating, Brooke helped Blake clean up and do the dishes, then sighed in satisfaction as she moved to the couch with the rest of her water. Blake collapsed next to her, putting her arm around Brooke’s shoulders and hugging her close.
“Why don’t you take a shower, tigress, then I can take mine? I’m quite aware you are a night owl, but four-thirty for me comes early, which is when the management team either runs or worksout, so I don’t usually stay up late. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this schedule stuff out, one way or another.”
Brooke took a deep breath, then turned to Blake, cupping her handsome face in her hands. Ever since talking with her girls in the Wendy House, she was finally ready to admit she was ready to give herself to Blake Seibert in every way, even if she was more nervous than she could ever remember. Her friends were right: she and Blakefit. Despite her unwillingness to admit it for so many years, Brooke was fully aware there was no one on this earth she wanted to be with the way she did Blake—and it was time she confessed her feelings to her.
“I want you,” she whispered, watching Blake’s sunlit light green eyes darken in response. “I havealwayswanted you, Blake Seibert. All the other women I’ve dated through the years? I could have never been serious about any of them.
“The girls have given me such shit for it, too. There still may be an ass-kicking in their future, because they have been a bunch of fucking nags,” she gave a small laugh, “but they’ve always known how I really feel about you, even when I wouldn’t admit it. You and I are going to drive each other crazy, but I also know how safe you make me feel when I’m with you. There’s no one else for me but you… and there never will be.”
Before she knew it, Blake had lifted her onto her lap and banded her muscled arms around her. “Tigress, there is no wayanywoman in this world could have come close to being what you are to me. There have been a bunch of other women in my life, you already know that, but I think you are also aware that sex and love mean two very different things to the APS management team.
“You, however? I have known since we were both little kids that you wereitfor me. Like the rest of us, though, I never dreamed a good woman would willingly tie herself to the madness that is a daily part of our lives. But when Bryn foundRowan and Riley found Kelly, then Teagan was finally able to claim Delaney—after fourteen goddamn years—it dawned on the rest of us that the bravest, most incredible femmes in the worldwerewilling to stand beside us. We just needed to catch the woman who was meant to be ours.
“You aremymiracle, baby. You always have been, no matter what has happened in the past. And, just like I’ve already told you, I willneverlet you go.” Then Blake kissed her.
Brooke sank into Blake, kissing her back just as fiercely, while the two of them succumbed to the desire that had haunted them for more years than they could remember. When Blake slid her hands into the waistband of her jeans, Brooke whimpered, feeling Blake’s strong hands caressing her skin with a firm touch. In turn, Brooke gripped Blake’s muscled shoulders and wiggled, unable to control her body’s reactions.
“I’m not going to be gentle with you, baby,” whispered Blake when she released Brooke’s mouth and pulled her hands out to grip Brooke’s waist. She rested her forehead on Brooke’s. “Ican’t. You have my word I won’t hurt you, but you also need to understand I won’t rest until I’vedevouredyou. Being a dominant butch means you will not stop until your femme is yours in every single way you can take her. And that’s precisely what I plan to do.”
Shuddering, Brooke whispered back, “As long as you realize I’m going to make you mine in return, Blake Seibert.” She stroked Blake’s broad shoulders. “Maybe you’re dominant, but you’d best believe I know how to pin a butch underneath me so I can have my way when I want to. You should know toneverchallenge a gamer, handsome, because we have tricks you’ll never see coming.”
She gasped as Blake lifted her off her lap, then stood up and pulled her to her feet. “Challenge accepted, tigress,” she said, her eyes glinting. Taking Brooke’s hands, she pulled her towardthe bedroom. “You have a choice at the moment. Either take a fast shower yourself, then I’ll take mine, or take one with me…although I won’t guarantee you that I won’t bury the detachable shower head between your legs while I torture you until you’re screaming for my mercy.”
Brooke’s eyes widened, then narrowed as they moved into the bedroom. “That wouldn’t be advisable, given how much I love revenge gaming, baby.” She kissed Blake with a cheeky grin before moving to the bathroom. “Give me ten minutes. Oh, and don’t bother to put clothes on when you’re done. You won’t have them on long enough to matter.” Chuckling at Blake’s heated gaze, she blew a kiss to her butch before disappearing into the bathroom.
When Blake was done taking her shower, she came out of the bathroom naked into the now dimly-lit bedroom, dirty clothes in hand, and threw them into the hamper. Brooke, also naked, was sitting up in bed, watching Blake as she crossed to the bed. Rising up on her knees, she crooked her finger at the team lead. “Do you have any idea how mouthwatering you are?” she asked softly, a tremor she couldn’t control coloring her voice as she gazed at Blake’s body.
The head of Utopia was tall, lean, and muscled, although not as heavily as the twins or the rest of the Seven. Brooke remembered a few of the APS femmes sharing that Blake Seibert was built for speed in addition to strength, so her physique was a bit slimmer and lighter than the others. That didn’t mean, however, that Blake wasn’tpowerful. Her broad shoulders, sinewed frame, and long, muscular legs, leading to a neat triangle of dark auburn hair at their juncture, had Brooke shivering with need.
Without warning, Blake slid into bed, then grabbed her femme, ignoring Brooke’s gasp as she rapidly lifted and turned her until she was lying on her back.
“Blake! What are you doing?” Brooke huffed, staring up at Blake.
A slow smile curled the edges of Blake’s mouth as she captured her femme’s wrists and pulled them up over her head, anchoring them securely to the bed. “Looks like I’ve caught me a pretty little femme,” she growled before straddling Brooke’s hips. Leaning down, she kissed her woman deeply. “Revenge gaming is all well and good, baby,” she purred when she released Brooke’s mouth, “but attempted paybacks can lead to some veryinterestingsituations.” Holding Brooke’s wrists together, Blake pulled a hidden restraint out from under the pillows to fasten them to the headboard.
“Blake!” Brooke fought the restraint with huge eyes, shocked at how fast the tables had turned.
“As you can see, I was a bit busy while you were taking your shower, tigress,” whispered Blake, nibbling on the side of Brooke’s neck. “And, you know as well as I do that one of the most important rules in regular gaming is tohave fun.” Her smile was wicked. “I plan to have somuchfun with you under my control. You’re going to scream for me, baby, while I fuck you until you surrender to me. Until you admit you are mine in all ways.”
With a supreme effort, Brooke tried unsuccessfully to buck Blake off. Her pussy was already drenched with her desire, the wetness coating her thighs, as she tried to regain some kind of advantage. “No fair!” she gasped as Blake’s long, strong fingers stroked the slit between her legs.
“Sofair. My baby issoaked,” Blake growled, her fingers penetrating deeper. She rubbed Brooke’s clit lightly as the graphic designer cried out, another gush of wetness escaping her body to drench the bed beneath them.
“I don’t usually go for the kill first,” Blake rumbled as one finger, then two, gently slid into Brooke’s tight channel.“Usually, I like to play with my prey for a while. But I have this driving need to conquer you before we move up a level.” Her fingers began to stroke in and out of Brooke’s shaking body. “I need to feel you coming while you’re screaming until you’re hoarse. The orgasms I plan to give you, my tigress, will wring you out but leave absolutely no doubt there isn’t another butch in this world who can love you like I do.”
