Page 49 of Blades and Bone

Hamish wasn’t in a rush, and he moved more cautiously than yesterday, but his dick was half hard, giving away his interest. He glared at Brodie as he padded over the carpet and hopped up on the sideboard, sitting neatly on the napkin. “Feels like I’m about to get some kind of checkup. Do I get a sheet or a paper gown?”

“No, but if you behave, I might check your prostate.”

Hamish rolled his eyes. “That’s the best you could do?”

“What would you prefer?”

He swallowed and put his hands in his lap, which only drew attention to his stiffening cock. “I don’t know. You’re the expert.”

“Would you like to be bent over the sideboard? Ass in the air, getting pounded?” He placed his hand on Hamish’s thigh. “Or would you rather kneel at my feet while I slide my dick down your throat?” He gave Hamish’s thigh a pat and picked up the laptop. “Have a think. Remember a replacement rope, something I will enjoy using, and something that you will enjoy using.”

“And all of them will be used on me?”

“That is not the criterion for your purchases, though it will be their ultimate use. Now I’m going to do some work and find out what I can about our friend in the kitchen.” Felix had gone in pretending to be a waiter needing something from the cafe kitchen. He’d brushed against the prep cook’s arm with the ring and gotten a taste of his blood. He was a vampire, but unblooded. Which made sense, since if someone walked in with a white diamond on their palm, it was going to be rather obvious who they were working for.

It didn’t take him long to pull out the HR file on the cook. Then he did his own bit of digging online to see what else he could find.

His phone buzzed. Vivian was about two minutes away.

“How are you going?”

“Great, this is super fun. I’m freezing my ass off.”

“Would you rather I make you sit outside in the sun?”

Hamish gave him that glare again. “No. I just don’t see the⁠—”

Vivian knocking on the door snapped Hamish’s attention away from him.

“You asshole…you arranged for someone to see me like this.”

“Of course I did.” He opened the door for his sister.

Hamish sucked in a breath, and his heartbeat quickened. A little bit of fear was good for him. If it were all fun, he’d get lax…and he was already trouble enough.

Vivian left her bodyguard just outside and walked in. Her gaze flicked toward Hamish. “Nice, he lost his clothes because he stole the guard’s shirt.”

Brodie watched as the realization hit Hamish and his lips parted.

“He also has to replace a few things of mine that he destroyed.”

“I didn’t destroy them. My guard did.” Hamish pressed his lips together as if realizing he shouldn’t have spoken.

“And why don’t you tell Vivian exactly why that happened?” Brodie pulled the seat out for her so she could sit.

“I’m waiting, and I am not as lenient as my brother,” she said.

“I led him into the rainforest and tied him up with one of Brodie’s kinky ropes. He got free, and the rope got dirty.” His cheeks were red as if he had been out in the sun. “This is public humiliation, making me sit here like this.”

“Sitting in front of your matriarch is hardly public.” Brodie tapped the pile of clothes. “When you’re ready.”

Hamish narrowed his eyes and glanced at Vivian and then the pile of clothes, as if doing the math on how naked he would be in front of her, then focused on the screen.

“Stubborn. Are you sure you can handle him, especially with the current situation?”

“Yes. I will update you on what we have been up to, though I think we will need to involve the Reids to ferret out all the spies.” He walked around the desk and sat at his own computer.

And for a little while, it felt like old times two weeks ago before the treaty had been agreed. Before he had a husband, before he’d known the Orlans had already moved into their territory.