Page 62 of Theirs to Tempt: The Marriage Claim

As we walk down a hallway, the sounds of the club fade slightly, and we enter a private room.

The door clicks shut behind us, sealing us in a smaller, intimate space with dim lighting.

“Wait…”

There’s a wide leather bench, a chair, a desk, a pully hanging from the ceiling, and mirrors on every wall, reflecting our images from multiple angles.

My mouth is suddenly dry.

“There’s still the little matter of your disobedience.”

Frantically I shake my head. “I didn’t know there were cameras. So that’s not fair.”

“I told you not to masturbate. What part of that did you not understand?”

“But—”

“Lucky for you, we enjoyed every moment. So that will help you out here.”

They’d watched everything, seen me at my most vulnerable.

“You’ll need a safe word.”

What I need is to get out of here.

But Caleb clamps his massive hands on my shoulders. “A safe word, Sophie.”

When they’re lasered in on something so directly, there’s no budging them. So I give him something I hate, a word I wouldn’t throw into normal conversation.

“Crypto.”

“Crypto?” He blinks. “You’ll think of that when you want us to stop?”

I nod. “It’s a total red flag.”

The two men exchange glances. And even though Caleb shakes his head, he’s grinning.

“Crypto,” Lucian acknowledges. “Something for slow?”

“This is absurd. You know that, right? I don’t want to play BDSM parlor games with you.”

Lucian leans in close enough that I don’t have any air to breathe.

“I assure you, Sophie, that this is not a game to me.” He looks at Caleb. “To either of us. Are you clear?”

“That doesn’t change anything.” I set my chin stubbornly. “Since we’re not playing or sceneing or whatever it is you call it.”

“We call it intimacy.”

The way he says that word—softly, infused with meaning—nearly unravels me. “It doesn’t matter what name you prefer,” I lie. “We’re not married, and I have no intention of sleeping with you one minute before you force me to.”

That terrible, horrible tic is back in Lucian’s jaw.

But when he speaks, his voice is completely modulated. “We’ll never force you into any physical contact.” He pauses, letting his words hang in the air. “We won’t need to.”

“Could you be any more arrogant?”

“You’ll beg.”