26. Corbin #2
“Good night, little brother.” I scowled at the phone after he’d hung up.
“He cares about you.”
“I’ve never doubted that. They both do. I just…”
“You just have to show them what you’re capable of.”
He was right. And I had every intention of doing so.
I double-checked our prisoner’s bonds and then turned toward the door, but Beau grabbed my arm.
“I want to make sure something’s clear between us.”
My heart sped up as my cock responded to his harsh tone.
“I understand you are absolutely capable of taking care of yourself. I understand you want to take the lead on this, and I don’t mind that, but when it’s just the two of us, especially when we’re in bed, I’m still the one in control.”
The intensity in his eyes sent a shiver through me. I’d never thought I would find a man who would treat me with respect, like a true member of my family, but also be willing to take charge of me, to discipline me. “I love you, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“I love you too, and I’m so fucking proud of you.”
If my dad or one of my brothers had said that to me, I’d assume they were being condescending, but Beau meant it. I was sure of that. “Thank you for showing me what I needed.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep reminding you. Every fucking day if I have to.”
“I’m not sure my ass can handle that.”
“You can handle anything you want to.”
Beau showed me how completely in control he was when we got back to Remington’s house. I was really glad my brother wasn’t home because I was very loud about expressing my appreciation of Beau taking me in hand.
Falling asleep with Beau’s arms around me felt like heaven, but the next morning nerves weighed me down.
The reality of what I’d said to Lance hit me hard.
He could be just as condescending and oppressive as Remington, but he was easier to reason with, at least about something like this.
When it came to him making plans of his own, no one could talk Lance out of some of the crazy schemes he came up with, so he didn’t have much room to talk.
Today, I had to face Lance and Remington together along with our cousin Dax, who was one scary motherfucker. He was just as tough as his twin, Ambrose, but he’d gotten all the people skills between the two of them.
I didn’t understand why it was easier to talk back to my family and make ridiculous demands than it was to assert myself and say what I wanted.
Maybe it was just habit or maybe it was easier to hide behind a bratty persona than to be myself because the bratty side of me was confident I deserved everything in life. When I took that away…
“What are you thinking about?” I turned to face Beau.
“I didn’t know you were awake.”
“I’ve just been watching you and thinking about how damn lucky I am to be here.”
“You’re staying for the meeting, right?”
Beau shook his head. “It’s a family meeting. That’s not the place for me.”
“But this asshole is after you and Ambrose and the people you used to work with.”
“Ambrose is family, but I’m?—”
“You’re mine. That makes you family. Just like Henri.”
“Does Remington include Henri in strategy meetings about how to take care of your enemies?”
I frowned. “That’s irrelevant. Besides, you work for us.”
Beau shook his head. “I did work for you. I’m an independent contractor now.”
“You need our help.”
He growled. “I don’t like owing anybody.”
“This isn’t about owing me. This is about me loving you and wanting you safe.”
“Fine. Jesus. Somehow you’ve turned me into the bratty one.”
“Nah. You’re not very good in that role. I know you want to handle this yourself, but it involves us too.”
“I know, but Remington’s going to have a hard enough time with the two of us being together. Is this really the time to confront him?”
“I thought you weren’t afraid of anything?”
He raised his brows. “Are you angling for a spanking before he gets here?”
I thought about that for a moment. I thought about facing down Remington, arguing against all the reasons he’d give to shut me out, and defending my relationship with Beau all while my ass burned and ached from the slap of Beau’s hand against it.
My pants would rub against my sore flesh, and I’d ache inside too because he would certainly fuck me afterwards.
It would be glorious, but it would distract me too much.
I needed to focus, maybe more than I ever had in my life.
“I do want that, but it’s probably not the best idea.”
Beau chuckled. “Look at you, learning not to be so impulsive.”
“Don’t push me.”
He smiled and kissed me softly. “We should shower and get some breakfast.”
“Wait. Just because you’re not spanking my ass doesn’t mean we can’t…”
“Come here.” He encouraged me to straddle him, but rather than commanding me to ride his dick, he tugged on my thighs. I walked on my knees until they were on either side of his broad shoulders. “Hold on to the headboard and give me your cock.”
I stared at him. Was he serious?
He slapped my ass. “Now, Corbin.”
When I did as he said, he swallowed my cock all the way to the root. After that, I didn’t think again until I’d finished my shower and was sitting at the counter in Remy’s kitchen being fed scrambled eggs and toast.
The hours alone with Beau passed too quickly, and I steeled myself to face Remington after what seemed like months rather than a week. How could so much have happened to me in the few days since I’d delivered Remington and Henri to the airport?
Lance and Tony had gone to pick them up. I’d told my brother to send one of the many security guards we had on call, but he’d insisted on picking them up himself because he knew they’d missed him and Tony.
Remington was going to be in a shitty mood anyway after being confronted with all this bullshit the moment he returned, but after thirty minutes in the car with the little monkey, he was probably going to explode the moment I explained the situation.
Lance insisted Remington actually adored Tony, and Tony and Henri were getting to be close friends.
The latter might well be true, but the former wasn’t.
Remington barely tolerated the creature, and that was only because Lance loved him so much, but Lance wouldn’t hear a bad word about his pet, so off he’d gone while I paced the floor.
Beau had told me to come sit with him and demanded I stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong at least ten times when Dax arrived.
I was glad to have someone else there. I was ready to yell at Beau, and I didn’t want to do that. I wasn’t angry with him. I knew he was trying to help, but nothing was going to help until I’d seen this through.
Lance said he would brief Remington on the way home and let him know Beau was at the house because he was deeply involved. He promised not to say anything about our relationship. That was all up to me. I hated that, but if I wanted to be treated like an adult, I had to act like one.
“They’re not here yet?” Dax asked.
“No, not yet.”
“Ambrose filled me in on most of what happened last night. Remy is going to be pissed.”
“Yeah, he is. What did you learn from the prisoner?”
Dax smiled. “Some good stuff. It didn’t take long for him to squeal. You were right about Elandra. He ratted her out right away.”
“Did you ask him about Guidry?”
“He said Guidry agreed to work for her as long as he was able to get revenge on you and your old crew. He’s been hiding out somewhere in the swamp near where he grew up.”
“I can’t see Elandra being pleased about that. She wouldn’t want to be out there.”
Dax smiled. “I’m not so sure about that.
I had Blackjack do some digging. She grew up dirt poor out in the swamp just like Guidry, then she created a whole new persona for herself when she found a way out.
I don’t know if the Landry’s knew her origins, but her ability to move through that terrain shouldn’t be underestimated.
Apparently, she still got connections there. ”
I had no doubt this information was true. Blackjack had worked for us for years, and his ability to find information was legendary. “Shit. So we’re going to have to drag her out from the swamp?”
“Possibly. Maybe we can work on a way to lure her and Guidry here.”
“And Ambrose?”
“He wants in on it.”
“Even if he has to leave the bayou?”
Dax nodded. “Even if.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but the sound of the gate opening drew my attention. Remington was home.