Chapter Twenty
Jon went straight up to their bedroom, into their bathroom, and started stripping her. He watched her expressions as he carefully examined her.
He rubbed his thumb against one scratch that marred her arm. “Where did this come from, baby?”
Mina shuddered and looked down at her arm. “I must have gotten that one of the times I jumped into the ditch.”
Jon gritted his teeth.
“Hey, what did I miss?” Koa said when he caught the look on his friend’s face.
“When I was holding her hand, I saw some scrapes and cuts on her arm. She just told me she got them one of the times she jumped into the ditch.”
Koa ran a hand up and down her back. “Let’s check you out, pet, and then we’ll all take a shower. How does that sound?”
She nodded and stayed silent.
Their stomachs tightened further with every small injury they found on her body.
Jon looked down at her and felt a lump constrict his throat at the misery on her face. “Why did you jump into the ditch, baby?”
“I didn’t want anyone to see me. I knew what I was doing was foolish and could be dangerous, but I just couldn’t ... be here any longer,” she mumbled faintly as tears ran down her face.
Jon pulled her into his arms and let her cry. He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, love. The last thing we ever wanted to do was hurt you.”
Koa crowded in behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I’m sorry, baby. Please forgive us,” he crooned against her ear.
She sniffed and then wiped her eyes. “I guess I just didn’t understand. I’m sorry I caused so much trouble.”
Jon smoothed the hair from her face. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Koa stepped back and undressed. He reached into the shower and turned the water on. He waited for it to heat before he turned to Mina and offered a hand. “Let’s get you clean, and then we’ll take care of the scratches. Okay, pet?”
Jon watched her nod, lay her hand in Koa’s, and let him pull her into the shower, and then under the water. She closed her eyes and let the water cascade over her head as Koa held her against his chest.
She sucked in a startled breath when Jon’s hot male body pressed against her back. The last of her strength left her, leaving her feeling shaky.
“We’ve got you,” Koa crooned against her forehead as he held her tighter against his chest.
Jon started washing her hair, then put on the thick conditioner she liked.
He then soaped her body. A frown puckered his brows when her shaking got worse.
They both rinsed her, and then Jon turned off the water and stepped out.
He grabbed one of the fluffy white towels and reached inside the shower for her.
After he wrapped the towel around her body, he sat her on the toilet and started to squeeze the moisture from her hair with another towel.
Koa dried off quickly, walked into their closet, and grabbed a few pairs of boxers. He pulled one on and then laid the other on the counter for Jon. He looked over her cuts and put ointment on the ones that needed it. He helped spray the conditioner in Mina’s hair and carried her into the bedroom.
“You’re tired, sweetheart. Let’s get you into bed.”
Jon watched Koa get her settled back against him before he pulled the blankets up over them. He turned off the lights, then crawled into bed and pulled Mina against his chest.
The three stayed silent for a moment.
“I’m getting the pillow wet.”
Jon smoothed her hair over the pillow. “Your hair will dry, and then we’ll turn it over so you’re more comfortable.”
“We need to talk more about this, pet,” Koa murmured. “But I think we’re all worn out. Would it be okay if we talked in the morning?”
She settled in, nodded, and closed her eyes. “Yes. I just want to sleep now.”
Jon kissed her lips gently. “Then sleep, we’ve got you.”
She nodded and was asleep within seconds.
****
She woke up periodically through the night to find the men wrapped around her and holding her tight. She’d relax and fall back to sleep in seconds.
The morning light bled through the heavy drapes, making her squint when her eyes slid open to find both men gone.
She tried not to feel disappointed, but after the night before, she needed their attention.
She stretched and looked toward the clock.
Eleven. Yeah, she could see why. They couldn’t loiter in bed all day.
Mina was startled when the bathroom door opened, and Koa came out with a towel around his lean hips.
“Hey, good, you’re awake,” he said and tossed the towel on the chair by the bed and slid back under the sheets. He pulled her into his arms, tilted her head back with his finger, and took her mouth. The kiss went on until they both were panting and asking for more.
“Hey, guys, don’t start without me,” Jon said from the doorway. He was carrying a large tray. “Sit up, love.”
Koa sat up and pushed some pillows behind Mina’s back when Mina sat up, her legs crossed to give Jon room. Jon set the tray in the middle of the bed.
Her eyes widened. There was a plate of scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, and fresh fruit, along with glasses of orange juice. “Oh, my,” she exclaimed.
Jon grabbed one of the forks, speared some egg, and lifted it to her mouth. “Open.”
She chewed the egg and watched the guys take a bite. Either one or the other fed her. They ate until it was all gone. She drank the last of the juice and handed the glass to Jon as he stood beside the bed.
Jon set the tray down on the bedside table and slid back into bed beside Mina. “Now, we talk.”
She took a deep breath and clutched at the blanket that covered the bottom half of her. She wanted to pull it up over her breasts, but she knew they wouldn’t let her.
“Do you believe us about the woman you say was with us?” Koa asked.
She turned his way and nodded. “Yes.”
Koa smiled. “Good. We want you to know there will never be another woman for us. The thought of losing you makes me crazy.”
“Same here,” Jon added. “You are our world, baby.”
She swallowed. “Will you guys tell me the truth if I ask you a question?”
A scowl crossed Jon’s face. “We never have and will never lie to you.”
“Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”
Koa cursed. “God, no. Never.”
“The reasons we don’t have you down in the Sanctuary with us,” Jon butted in.
“One, we really don’t like other men looking at you.
And two, we get busy a lot and would have to leave you alone.
I wouldn’t say our club was dangerous. There are always a few that like to cause trouble or enjoy hurting someone. ”
“Isn’t there a place I can wait for you that would be safe?”
Jon and Koa shared a look.
“There is,” Jon started. “All the subs sit in an area by the bar. It has several sofas and chairs. That’s where the single Doms go to find one.”
“But what about a collar? I heard that a few times that night,” Mina told them.
Koa nodded. “We’ve got one. It matches our rings.”
She glanced down. Their rings were beautiful. A line of diamonds ran around them, and then another line next to it was sapphires.
“We use our birthstones. I’m diamond, April, and he’s sapphire for September,” Jon explained.
She looked from one to the other. “What’s the matter? You both look upset.”
Jon cleared his throat. “If we collar you, baby, it’s a big step. It’s the equivalent of marriage in the kink world.”
Her insecurities started pushing forward. She really hadn’t thought of marriage, but she thought eventually they’d get around to asking her. Now she wasn’t so sure that’s what they wanted.
“I can’t just wear a regular one?”
“We’d want people to know you’re ours.”
She looked down at her hands. Was this a way to get out of taking her down? Or were they just telling her they didn’t care about her enough to make a commitment? What else could it be?
She sighed and started scooching toward the end of the bed.
“Where are you going?” Koa asked with a scowl.
“Bathroom,” she murmured.
“But we’re not done talking,” Jon informed her.
She stood at the end of the bed and faced them. “What more is there to say?”
Both men noticed the tight tone of her voice.
She turned and walked into the bathroom, gently closing the door behind her. She leaned against it and closed her eyes. She had a big decision to make. Did she leave or take what she could get of them? Either choice was going to break her heart sooner or later.
She used the toilet and then turned on the shower and stepped in. She held her face up to the spray and let the tears come. She bit her lip as she tried to hold back a sob.
She tried to think logically. They hadn’t been together for very long, so she shouldn’t expect that kind of commitment from them. She tried to convince herself that living the way they had been with her in their rooms and them down in the Sanctuary would be okay for a while longer.
Another sob caught in her throat as she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair.
“Hey, are you okay in there?” Koa asked.
She jerked. She hadn’t heard him come into the bathroom. “Yes, I’m about done.” She tried to sound normal but didn’t know if she’d pulled it off. Her eyes snapped closed when not one, but both men joined her in the shower.
Koa grabbed her shoulders and pulled her out of the shower spray. His eyes narrowed. “Why are you crying?”
She started to shake her head. “I’m not...” She knew from the looks in their eyes that they knew she was lying.
“Mina, you’ve just earned a punishment. Do you want to go for two?” Jon asked.
She felt more tears build, and she couldn’t hold them back. They pulled her into their arms and let her cry. It took a few minutes to regain control, but she finally did.
“Explain?” Koa demanded.
“What I understand is you still won’t let me go to the club...”
“Where did you get that?” Jon barked.
“I should wear a collar, but I don’t have one, and I’m not going to get one anytime soon, from the way it sounded, and I get it.”
“What the hell...?” Koa muttered.
“I’m not pushing you guys into a commitment. I’d never do that. So, I’m trying to decide what to do.”
“We screwed up again somehow,” Jon said and looked at Koa over her shoulder.
“But you’re not,” Mina explained. She tried to pull away, then sighed when they didn’t allow it. “May I get out? I’m starting to prune because I’ve been in here so long.”
Koa reached and twisted the knob, shutting off the water while Jon pulled her out of the shower and started drying her. The men had her dry and stuffed in the robe they kept on the back of the bathroom door. They quickly pulled on their boxers and followed her out.
Jon grabbed onto one of her arms as she started to pull clothes out of a drawer. “We’re not done with you. Not by a long shot.”
They set her on the edge of the bed and stood in front of her with their arms crossed.
“Tell us what you think we said?” Koa demanded.
“I ... you said I would need your collar to go to the club, but you don’t want to get that serious right now. I totally get it. We haven’t been together that long, and we’re not one hundred percent sure this will work.”
Jon pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed under his breath while Koa just growled.
Jon turned suddenly and walked to a large armoire and opened it. He pulled a few things out of one of the drawers. She stared at the boxes he held in his hand.
“You took everything backward,” Jon started. “You’ve been with us less than six months, correct?”
“Yes.”
“We bought these after the first month. We’ve been afraid to push too fast because we didn’t want to scare you,” Koa explained.
Jon opened the big one first.
She gasped and held a hand to her mouth. She stared wide-eyed at the beautiful collar. It was thin and had diamonds and sapphires. “I don’t understand.”
“We were going to ask you to marry us and commit to being our lifetime sub.”
She glanced at Koa. “Why?”
Both men cursed.
“Because you are our life, pet,” Koa growled. “You mean everything to us.”
She reached out and touched the collar with the tip of her fingers. “I just don’t want to push...”
“Woman, if you say that one more time, you’re going over my knee,” Jon threatened.
“Will you accept our collar, pet?
She nodded.
Koa took the collar out of the box and put it around her neck. He locked the mechanism in the back and then handed the keys to Jon.
“Now, you’re committed. The collar won’t come off unless we unlock it, and I’m telling you now, that’s never going to happen.”
She reached up and touched it. It wasn’t as heavy as she thought it would be. For some crazy reason, it made her feel closer to them.
Jon took the ring out of the small box, and then both he and Koa got down on one knee. He grasped her hand. “Baby, will you please marry us and be our forever woman, lover, and sub?”
She pressed her fingers to her lips to hold back her cry. She nodded her head and then fell into their arms.
“Yes! I’ll be your forever everything.”
The men chuckled and wrapped their arms around her and took turns kissing her.
Jon rose, lifting her up and then setting her down on the bed. He stripped off his boxers and slid onto the mattress. “I think we need to celebrate. Don’t you?”
She grinned, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down for a kiss. She mewed when Koa rubbed her back. She squirmed a bit when his hand slid from her breast around to touch her ass.
He smoothed his hand over it a few times before bending to nip at her neck. “How do you think we should punish her?”
Jon looked up and grinned.
“For what?” she asked.
“Lying to us about crying,” Jon reminded her.
She rolled her eyes and received twin growls from the men.
“I think the vibe,” Koa offered.
“Good. I like it.” Jon smirked. “But not right now. I say we wait until our meeting.”
Koa’s head snapped up and then caught the look on his friend’s face. “In front of...”
Jon smiled.
“What are you guys talking about?”
“We’ve got to get over the fact she’ll be seen a lot. I’m expecting that when we get comfortable enough. We might even fuck her in the club. I say we start with the men we truly trust and give them a show.”
Koa chuckled. “I like it.”
“Are you going to tell me?” she asked.
Both men shook their heads.
Koa leaned down and kissed her. “Not right now. We need to make love to you before we go crazy. We’ll talk about it later.”
Mina looked from one to the other and then nodded. She needed them just as badly.