TEN
KADEN
“Dakota’s downstairs.”
Logan—who was laying on his back, bench pressing some weights—froze with his arms midair.
I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning against the doorframe, and he put the bar down before sitting upright, reaching for his water bottle.
He had been up here since he got back from campus. He didn’t say a word to Chase and I, but we had a feeling it had something to do with Dakota.
“I may have told her you weren’t home.”
He threw his head back, chugging down his water before using his towel to wipe his forehead.
“You lied to her?” he asked, catching his breath, and I gave my shoulder a slight shrug. “Why?”
My reply was definite. “No reason.”
“Ah,” he grinned, getting up and tossed his towel onto his shoulder. “You wanted to be alone with her.” He’s right. I did. But I wouldn’t fucking admit it.
“She’s not right for us,” I added, which only made him hesitate as he leaned forward to pick up his t-shirt.
“You haven’t even given her a chance,” he shot back, continuing to grab his phone as he stood to his full height.
“I don’t need to. We need a submissive, and she’s far from. Not to mention she’s too young, too reckless,” I explained, but he didn’t seem to agree with the way he scoffed at me. “She doesn’t know what she wants. She doesn’t even know what this is.”
He turned his body to face me entirely, but looked around the room like he was gathering composure. His eyes met mine and something told me he wasn’t going to let this go. Let her go.
“You’re underestimating her.”
I could almost laugh. It was as clear as day that Logan was thinking with the wrong fucking head.
I’ll admit.
Dakota’s beauty was unmatched. Her long, silky black hair that always hovered right above her perfect little ass.
Her curves were damn near endless, and her tits—even through the button up she wore today, I could still see how perky and round they were.
She had the most perfect thighs I’d ever come across, and the asshole part of me couldn’t help but fantasize about what it would be like to have her bent over for me. Being a writhing mess.
Physically, she was perfect.
But, this was much more than the physical sense, and Logan needed to remember that soon enough before things got out of control. The motherfucker had the idiotic idea of having her be our plus one. Chase, although reluctant at first, agreed, and I couldn’t me more pissed off.
“She’s not the submissive we need and you know it—”
He cut me off instantly, like he not only tried to convince me but himself as well. “She can be.”
“Not good enough.”
There was momentary silence, and I watched him run a frustrated hand down his face, before meeting my eyes.
“You can’t force her into submission,” I reminded him, and he bitterly scoffed, shaking his head. “She’s a brat, Logan.”
“Still a submissive,” he quipped even though he fully knew what I meant.
He and Chase had no issue being a brat tamer, but it was more of a challenge for me. I rarely knew my limit, and sometimes I couldn’t control my strength, which is why I needed an obedient submissive, not a brat.
“You just won’t give her a chance because you haven’t moved on from Josie.”
My heart rate picked up at the mere mention of her name. With a clenched jaw, my grip on my biceps automatically tightened.
My voice was unexpectedly gruff. “This isn’t about her.”
It had been years, and I still couldn’t get myself to say her name out loud. Or even think it.
“Yes. It is. Dakota could be good for us and deep down you know that. Or else you wouldn’t have lied to be alone with her.” The fucker has a point.
“And when she runs? When she leaves?” I asked, stepping closer to him. “Then what? You’re going to chase her down, beg her to reconsider—force her into this?”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. Now, we were face to face, and I didn’t miss the fingers on his right hand curling into a fist.
“She won’t run.”
“Yeah? And how can you be so sure?”
His tongue brushed the inside of his cheek for a second and I watched his fist loosen.
“Because Dakota is different. And she wants this. She wants you. Even if she doesn’t realize it just yet,” he began, and for some odd fucking reason, a part of me was keen to find out where he was going with this.
“She sees past you, Kaden. And that’s what you hate— it’s what you’re really afraid of. ”
“Don’t fucking analyze me, Logan,” I pinned him with a look and that only gained me one of his sheepish grins.
He stepped forward, placing his hand on the side of my face with enough grip to let me know he was serious.
“You want her, don’t you?” his tone trailed off, making my chest tighten at the mere thought of having her on her knees. Submitting to me. “Under you, down on her knees for you, begging, praising, needing you.”
His eyes never wavered from mine, and as much as I hated to admit it, I’d let Logan get too close too many times. Now, it was biting me in the goddamn ass.
“You want her to melt at your touch…” he confidently concluded, eyes glistening in victory and his hold on my face tightened as he whispered: “You want to break her, only so you can put her back together again.”
I reached up, shoving his hand off me and the corner of his lips pulled into a tight grin. My chest rose and fell, but that didn’t stop him from pressing each and every button he could.
“The thought of her excites you. You just won’t admit it.”
Heat rose on the back of my neck.
“After Saturday night, she’ll be ours,” he assured me.
For the first time in years, his tone was promising. He was sure of this. Of her.
He gave the side of my arm a reassuring hit before slipping past me and leaving the room. There was no way in hell she’d last. I only hoped Chase would see it too.
I followed Logan, entering the living room at his side. Chase seemed to be lost in thought as he leaned his forearms on his knees, but when he saw us, he directed his attention to me.
“She’s convinced you hate her.”
That wasn’t entirely true. But I didn’t need them knowing that just yet.
My answer was vague. I simply needed to see Chase’s reaction. “I never said that.”
“How is she supposed to trust us when she’s afraid?” he asked and I couldn’t help the deep crease between my eyebrows forming.
“Trust us?” I asked for clarification. “So you’re with Logan on this?”
Chase was hesitant, but answered me nonetheless. “I just think that we should give her a chance.”
I could almost laugh at their idiocy. “She just turned old enough to drink, how could she possibly know what she wants?”
“You were eighteen and you knew.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t fucking women ten years older than me.”
“Seven,” Logan added. “They were seven years older than you.”
My words were a sharp warning when my head snapped toward him and he knew better. “Don’t fuck with me right now.”
“Just give her a chance,” Chase insisted, leaning back on the couch. “Look…” he began, and I watched his chest rise and fall with a calming exhale. “If she doesn’t do well Saturday night, we’ll end it.”
I didn’t miss the confusion on Logan’s face. He didn’t fucking agree with that, but he knew that this was a mutual decision that had to be made.
“Give her Saturday night,” Chase nodded.
“Why did I think that in a house with three men there would—” Dakota cut herself off as she walked into the living room, shifting her eyes between the three of us.
“Am I interrupting something?” she questioned, eyes wide with slight panic, and suddenly it was as though all the tension had left the room.
“No, Dakota. You aren’t,” Logan assured her and when her eyes met mine, I didn’t miss the subtle tense in her body.
“I can leave,” she said in uncertainty, not tearing her eyes from me and pointed her thumb over her shoulder. The little shit was scared. She had no reason to be, I’d never hurt her. But for some reason, I preferred it.
“Chase and Logan wouldn’t be too happy if you did,” I told her, crossing my arms over my chest and something flashed across her face before she forced a friendly smile.
Her voice was gentle. “Right.”
Chase pinned me with a displeased look, and subtle anger flickered in Logan’s eyes, but I didn’t care for either.
“Have a seat, Dakota,” Logan nodded towards Chase and she found her place beside him.
Comfortably, she crossed her legs on the couch and I didn’t miss the fearful glances she shot my way.
Finally, she shifted her eyes to Chase. “So… there are rules?”
“Yes,” he confirmed as he handed her not only the contract, but an NDA as well. We were very private. “We’ll give you a couple of days to read through it and consider our offer.”
It was evident that he already informed her about not only Saturday night, but about us.
Reluctantly, she nodded, taking it from him as though it would somehow burn her.
“If you have any questions feel free to ask either of us. We’ll be more than happy to help you,” Logan added as she skimmed through the pages.
“Fill in the empty spaces and your signature is compulsory. The last few pages are your hard and soft limits, as well as your preferred activities. It’s based on your own preference, no one else’s.
Yes and no are both equivalent to one hundred percent, so think carefully before ticking those boxes,” Chase sternly explained.
I didn’t miss the way her eyes lingered on his lips before her thighs squeezed together. She straightened up her posture before looking back down at the contract in an attempt to hide a shy smile.
“Maybe refers to what you’d like to try. If you decide against it that’s completely fine too,” Logan clarified.
“So… it’s like a test. And you’ll grade it for me?” she teased, grinning ear to ear and automatically, my scowl deepened as my tongue brushed the inside of my cheek.
Her smile immediately dropped when she realised that we didn’t find that as funny as she’d thought.
She fucking rolled her eyes as she lazily got up, sighing in annoyance.
“You’re all so uptight,” she murmured. “If I agree to this, you all need to really loosen up,” she almost ordered as she grabbed her bag.
There was no chance she’d agree to being our submissive. I’d bet my fucking money on it. Hell, I’d even bet both Chase and Logan on it too.
“Okay, I’m officially late for dinner.” She turned to Chase and leaned down to peck his cheek.
“I’ll pick you up at nine,” he said and she smiled.
She walked over to Logan, and pecked his cheek as well, but when she pulled back, her cheeks flashed crimson and an underlying tension expanded between them. A bashful smile was threatening to spread across her face but she fought it.
She turned to me and almost immediately froze.
My tone wasn’t meant to be harsh, but by the way her body subconsciously jolted, I could tell it was. “Don’t even think about it.”
She attempted to nonchalantly shrug her shoulders. “I wasn’t.” Yes she was.
She made her way to the door with one final goodbye but Chase stopped her.
“Dakota.” Her steps came to an immediate halt and she whipped around, her long hair falling over her shoulders. “Don’t use Google,” he sternly said and slowly, she nodded.
“Use Google. Got it,” she showed him a dramatic thumbs up before turning on her heels, continuing to the door.
The front door closed behind her, and Chase and I both shifted our eyes to Logan.
“We’ll work on it.” Fucking hell we will.
Logan fell back on the couch beside Chase and my arms folded across my chest. “You fucked her.”
His eyes lifted to meet mine as though he was proud to admit that he did. Not a hint of shame, or nervousness having been caught.
He gave his shoulder a slight shrug, amusement lighting up his eyes. Of course he did.