Chapter 32
“Who do I get to boss around?” she grumbled as Jared carried her into a bedroom she hadn’t been in yet.
She just knew it was his room.
Holy moly.
She was in Jared Bartolli’s bedroom. Was she going to wake up and find this was just a dream?
Or was this really happening?
Were they both about to fuck her brains out?
Two men. Two sexy, gorgeous, utterly terrifying men.
The room was very masculine. All dark, wooden furniture and a huge bed.
“We can get you something to boss around,” Jared told her as he gently laid her back on the bed. She moved up to sit against the headboard as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the end of the bed, watching her.
“Like what? A dog?”
“Hmm. I was thinking more like another whale toy,” Jared told her with a grin.
Great. They got to tell her what to do and in turn she could boss around a group of stuffed toys.
“I’ve got enough whales,” she said as Jared started to strip. Wow. His chest and stomach were so chiseled.
North moved to grab an armchair, pulling it close to the side of the bed where he sat and just . . . watched her.
“What . . . what are you doing?” she whispered.
“Watching you,” he replied.
“W-why?” she asked.
“I want to see what you like and dislike.”
Jared started taking off his pants.
Oh hell.
Was she really ready for this?
“Also, I’m not certain you will use your safeword if you become uncomfortable or scared. Not saying that Jared wouldn’t notice, but I’m going to be an extra failsafe.”
Was he . . . was he really doing this to protect her?
“Good plan,” Jared said.
“I’ll use it,” she protested.
“Really?” North drawled. “Because right now you’re pale, tense, and breathing fast, yet you’ve not said anything about the fact that Jared stripping is freaking you out.”
Holy moly.
“It is not fair that the two of you can read me so easily!” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“We need all the advantages we can get,” Jared said.
His pants were off but he was still wearing a pair of black, tight boxers.
And part of her wanted to get up and lick every inch of his body. The other part of her, the cautious, fearful part, told her to stay where she was.
She swallowed heavily.
“Like what you see?” North asked, stealing her attention back to him.
He was staring at Jared. He didn’t seem like he was affected by the other man’s near-nakedness. But she got the feeling that he was just as turned on as she was.
Well, you’d have to be blind not to be.
Because . . . hello, Jared was a piece of art. North turned his gaze to her. “Well? Do you?”
“I don’t think ‘like’ is the right word,” she said. “He’s so gorgeous it’s intimidating.”
“You shouldn’t be intimidated. You’re just as gorgeous,” North told her.
She immediately shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
“Don’t do that,” North told her coldly.
“Do what?”
“Don’t deny a compliment like that with lies.
You are gorgeous. If you believe otherwise, then there is something wrong with your eyes or head.
Did someone tell you that you weren’t beautiful?
You should stop listening to them and listen to me.
Because I’m far smarter and more honest. I wouldn’t have said that if I didn’t believe it.
So take the compliment and don’t try to deny it. That will just annoy me.”
Right.
“North is right. You are exceptionally beautiful, sweetheart,” Jared told her in a soft voice.
She gaped up at him, her mouth open. Keira had told her nice things, of course. But she’d never really believed her.
Keira was her sister, she had to say those things about her. But these guys didn’t.
Which meant . . . they did see her as beautiful.
Jared kneeled on the bed, gently pushing her legs apart. “Baby, you are fucking stunning. And anyone who told you otherwise was lying to you. Understand? Just fucking beautiful.”
“I . . . I am?”
“You are,” North said. “It’s annoying you can’t see it.”
“North,” Jared warned. “It just means that she needs us to tell her. Often.”
“She should know it. She should look in the mirror and see how beautiful she is. And then she should own it. Walk around with her head held high.”
“Yes, she should and she will.” Jared cupped the side of her face with his hand. “She’ll know that she’s gorgeous on the outside and on the inside.”
“I’m really not. On the inside, I mean,” she added hastily as North made a disgruntled noise. “I don’t always think nice things about people. I call them bad names. I can be selfish. And stubborn.”
Jared just smiled. “We’re all those things. You think North doesn’t call me a bastard constantly in his head?”
“It’s one of my favorite nicknames for him,” North told her. “Along with asshole, jerk, and fuckface.”
Whoa.
Jared turned to glare at the other man. “Fuckface? Seriously?”
North just shrugged.
“I’m quite fond of monkey-butt-face, myself,” she said trying to hide a grin.
How had she gone from being nervous and scared to trying not to burst into laughter?
Jared shook his head. “The two of you together are going to send me into an early grave.”
“Don’t say that,” North barked, making both of them turn to stare at him in surprise.
Was he all right?
“It’s just a saying, North,” Jared said in a surprisingly gentle voice.
“I still don’t like it. You cannot die.”
“I’m not going to die.” Jared climbed off the bed and moved to North, standing behind him.
North was staring at her, but he was poised, as though he was ready to strike if Jared made a wrong move.
Jared reached around and undid several buttons of North’s shirt before he pushed the collar to one side. Then he bent down to lay kisses along his neck.
Fuck. That was so hot that she could feel her pussy growing wet.
She pressed her thighs together.
“I’m not going anywhere, boy,” Jared told North as he bit down on his ear.
Ouch. That would have made her jump and cry out in pain. But North’s eyes just fluttered shut and she was certain he liked that.
A lot.
Angie felt her breathing growing faster.
“Of course not,” North said. “I won’t allow it.”
“Just like I will not allow anything to happen to the two of you.” Jared pulled North’s shirt apart. Taking hold of both sides, he tugged, the buttons ripping off.
How was that possible?
And damn it was hot.
Also, North was just as chiseled as Jared was. She wasn’t sure why she found that so surprising. It was obvious that he was strong.
“Isn’t he gorgeous, baby girl?” Jared asked huskily.
“So gorgeous.”
“Hmm. Would you like to see me touch him? Does it make you hot to watch us together?” Jared asked.
“So hot.”
Shit. Why was her voice so high and squeaky? That was embarrassing.
“I thought you’d say that.” Jared leaned around and reached for North’s belt. “I’m going to play with North and you’re going to watch. And then, when you’re ready, I’m going to play with you too.”
What the fuck?
North had to hold in a moan of pleasure as Jared slid his hand down under his pants to palm his cock.
What was the other man playing at?
North had planned on just watching the two of them.
“She was looking terrified,” Jared whispered. “I want to show her that there is nothing to fear from either of us.”
Right.
It was probably a good plan.
He’d wanted to watch her light up with pleasure. But he supposed he could sacrifice himself for a while.
“As you know, North has been denied an orgasm for the last six days for keeping things from me.”
“What about you?” she asked Jared. “Have you been, um, you know . . .”
“Say the word and I’ll tell you,” Jared said silkily.
Her face had gone bright red. It was . . . refreshing. North hadn’t thought that anyone attached to their world could still be so innocent.
Could still blush.
He wanted to make her do it more.
“Say it,” he urged. “Ask Jared if he’s come, if he’s gotten off, if he’s had me suck him off or take him deep into my ass.”
Jared groaned quietly as her mouth dropped open.
“Red,” she cried.
North kept the shock from his face through sheer force of will.
“Red?” Jared asked, straightening. “You don’t want to see me touch North?”
Was that suddenly a problem for her? Why? She’d looked so turned on just before. What was going on?
“What? No!” she cried. “I want to see that. I want to see it right now. It’s the other stuff . . . that’s the reason I said my safeword.”
“Because you didn’t want to say the word ‘orgasm’?” Jared asked incredulously.
Wait. That was it?
“Am I . . . should I not have . . . you said if I was uncomfortable and didn’t want to do something I should say it.”
“I did say that,” Jared agreed. “I suppose I just didn’t expect you to use it for that.”
“This isn’t going to work, is it?” she said, moving down the bed.
Her face had gone an even brighter red. “I’m not who the two of you need or deserve.
I’m broken, I’m ruined and . . . and dirty and I can’t even pretend to be sexy or sophisticated since most of my sexual experience is from a scary, abusive man who raped me! ”
By this time, she was off the bed and halfway to the door. North moved. He didn’t know what to do, only that he had to do something before she left.
Because he was certain that she wouldn’t return. This was it.
He slid between her and the door and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Please move.” Her voice shook as she stared down at his feet.
“No.”
“North,” she said in a broken voice. “Move, please. I want to leave.”
“No.”
Her gaze shot up and he was glad to see the anger in her gaze. That was better than fear.
Before she could say anything else or before Jared could order him away, he raised his hand. “Don’t care if you can’t say certain words. Don’t care if you use your safeword all day long. But you will not speak about yourself like that again. And you will not run away from us. No. Running.”
Now she was gaping at him.
But he was serious. She could not run. Or he would chase.
North wasn’t a person who let his prey go. Not without a fight.
And when he fought, he fought to win.
“Baby girl, listen to me,” Jared said, walking over to her with his hand held out.
“North is right in some ways. We don’t give a fuck if you can’t say certain words.
We don’t care that you have no experience, and no, fucking Fergus doesn’t count.
What he did was abuse. It wasn’t consensual, it wasn’t pleasure.
What he did to you is lightyears away from what we want with you.
From what you want with us. Because you do want us, don’t you? ”
“I figure it’s pretty obvious that I do.”
“If you feel like you need to say your safeword, you can do that.”
“But I used it wrong, didn’t I?” she asked.
“Who says what right and wrong is? You think we live in a world where we follow what’s right?” Jared asked. “We don’t. The rules are what we make them. Use your safeword however you need to.”
Her shoulders started to come down and her breathing grew easier. “I think I’m going to be a lot of work.”
“And you think we aren’t?” North drawled. “Besides, do you want to be with lazy men? Or men who are willing to put in the time and pleasure?”
“But this is only for tonight. Why would you want to put in so much effort when I’m leaving?”
“When you might be leaving. Because you can choose to stay. And because you are worth it,” Jared told her.
Her face lit up with pleasure and relief.
Jared was good with words. He knew exactly what to say. North was better at staying in the background.
“You’re in trouble, though,” North told her.
Her blue gaze shot back to his. “What? Why?”
Jared shot him a warning look which he ignored. He liked living on the edge.
Hell, he’d felt more alive this last week than he had in the last ten years.
Having her around was either very good for him or extremely bad. He hadn’t decided which yet.
“For calling yourself broken and dirty. You are none of those things.”
North was surprised when she straightened her shoulders and stared at him straight on. “You’re right, I’m not.”
Her chin was held high and she looked . . . magnificent.
“No, you’re not,” Jared agreed. “You’re fucking amazing. You’ve got more courage in your little toe than most people have in their whole body.”
“You’re right. I’m a total badass.”
“Now, badass, how are we going to punish you for speaking badly about yourself?” North murmured.