Chapter 10
“Unrequited love does not die; it’s only beaten down to a secret place where it hides, curled and wounded.”
—Elle Newmark
Cassie
Unrequited love. I wanted to scream after thinking about the two words, but the saying that continued to repeat in my mind was very true.
Maybe I’d been in love with all three of them since the very first time I’d laid eyes on them.
They’d been larger than life even then, driven by fury and their passion for life.
They’d thought they held the world in the palm of their hands, able to mold every nuance in whatever way they’d wanted.
I’d been in awe not only by their beautiful villainous attitudes, all three holding a dangerous persona wrapped around them like a beacon of honor, but also by their determination that Garrison remain a part of their pact.
There hadn’t been many days since that fateful day I hadn’t thought about them.
I brushed my fingers across my lips, as if my actions would help me memorize their savage kisses.
Brutal.
All three men were brutal by nature, true savages, or so I’d told myself dozens of times.
But as Alexander cupped my face, brushing four of his fingers across my skin, I was once again pulled into the same torrent of heartache and longing I’d felt the moment I’d been forced to sit across from him at a table.
His aroma was strong, laced with a heavy dose of testosterone, the look on his face nothing short of a primal beast.
“So beautiful,” he whispered seconds before gripping my chin with his thumb and forefinger, lowering his head and capturing my mouth.
For the first time since I could remember, I felt beautiful. Would it be so bad to let go, to enjoy the moment shared between them? I wasn’t married, had yet to have a boyfriend for more than two dates. I’d kept to myself on purpose.
Because you were waiting for them.
No. Hell, no. That wasn’t true.
Was it?
I pried at my mind, trying to find whatever small snippets of rational brain cells were left. I couldn’t want this. That went against everything I’d worked for.
The kiss was primal and naughty, the taste of him tangy, the hint of a cigar. I found myself kissing him back, enjoying everything about the intimate act.
God, this was a nightmare.
Oh, no. This just couldn’t happen.
Alexander’s hold was possessive, his eyes never leaving mine.
I continued squirming on his lap, but instead of punching him to get away, I was kneading his chest, trying to rationalize what had just occurred. Everything about this was utter madness. I didn’t know any of the men, and fantasizing didn’t count.
The powerful mafia leader kept my rapt attention, brushing his fingers up and down my back.
The kiss was an exquisite reminder that he was a dangerous man, but also one who enjoyed indulging in his darkest fantasies.
But on this sunny afternoon in the middle of a mysterious location, he had allowed himself to become a different man.
While still dominating, he was sharing his needs with two men he’d spent almost every day with for years. I’d sensed their closeness the moment all three of them were in a room together. It was obvious to me they’d shared more than just criminal acts together. That both disgusted and enticed me.
I finally pushed my hands against him, breaking the strangely captivating connection, unable to stop shaking. I’d been dragged into the situation a lioness. I had no intention of going down without a fight. I had difficulty breathing as I concentrated on the way he was staring at me.
His grip on my chin tightened as he lowered his gaze, his nostrils flaring as he studied my breasts. I’d never felt so naked in my life.
Or so wanted.
A warm flush crept along my jawline as he rose from the chair, keeping my feet dangling in the air for a few seconds before putting me down.
“What are you going to do?” Duh. Wasn’t it obvious? Maybe I just needed to have them tell me. But what would that do, reaffirm they were horrible bastards? Maybe so.
“Now, we’re going to fuck you,” Daniel said, the sound of his voice no longer recognizable.
Alexander chuckled. “It would seem our innocent bird doesn’t believe us.”
“I’m not innocent, but that’s not going to happen,” I maintained, able to get out of his clutches but nearly tumbling over the coffee table.
Brogan was there to catch me, swinging me around to face him, his hand immediately sliding down my spine.
He used a single finger, rolling the tip down the crack of my ass before cupping my bottom.
“No,” Alexander stated with a hint of disdain. “You are definitely not innocent, are you, our sweet girl? You tried to kill two of us and almost succeeded. It’s time to share with you more of what you only partially achieved.”
“You’re going to do exactly as we say,” Brogan said in a voice so husky that shivers coursed through every muscle.
“No. That’s not going to happen.” No matter how many times I made the statement, it wasn’t going to matter. Besides, my voice held no real conviction any longer.
Brogan’s smile was almost evil, his upper lip curling before he crushed his mouth over mine. He tasted like peppermints, the sweetness startling. There was nothing sweet about the man. I twisted in his arms, trying to get out of his hold, but within seconds, I realized it was no use.
He lifted me with ease, his strong arms blocking me against his body, but not before the hard ridge of his cock pressing against my abdomen created a storm of butterflies in my stomach. He held me against him in such a way I knew without a doubt there was no chance of escape.
“I’m going to enjoy every moment of this,” he whispered in a guttural promise.
Without bothering to look at the others, he took long strides out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time.
I had a fleeting moment of feeling like a bad little girl being taken to bed after a tantrum.
Wasn’t that exactly what was happening? I was being taken to a bed to be shared by three huge… gorgeous men.
As he climbed to the third floor, I was swept up in a round of dizziness, doing everything I could to control my breathing.
I finally had the nerve to look behind me, biting back a moan when I saw the other two following.
I’d never seen such devotion or lust in the eyes of any man as I saw in the three men.
Maybe I’d been so starved for attention that I’d allowed myself to fall into this predicament.
The worst thing of all was that I wasn’t fighting with everything I had inside of me to break free of their mental and emotional chains.
It was as if I wanted this, maybe had even planned to surrender to all three of them.
My ultimate fantasy.
No. No. I couldn’t be thinking this way. I wrapped my hand around his shirt, yanking at it as I finally found my voice. “Let me go.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Brogan said slowly, finally moving onto the fourth-floor landing.
“Oh, I think I do. The three of you believe you can do anything you want to me.”
His grin was almost infectious, the twinkle in his eyes full of amusement. Now he was having fun with this. A damn light switch had been turned on, allowing the three men to do whatever the hell they wanted to me.
That both aroused and sickened me. Becoming the play toy for three hot men was every girl’s fantasy. I’d fallen into some dark bottomless crevice. That had to be the explanation for the insanity crossing my mind.
When he crossed the threshold into the room, I was blown away by the difference in this one versus the one I’d been kept in.
It had been designed like part of an entrance exam to BDSM for Dummies, the black satin comforter complete with dozens of pillows placed against the exquisite and ornately carved headboard coming straight out of a cheesy C-rated movie.
Even the thick drapes billowing from the breeze on both sides of three floor-to-ceiling windows were reminiscent of a souped-up gothic theme.
With the sconce lights and the mirrored canopy covering the extremely large bed, I almost burst out into laughter.
There wasn’t a bed of this size located in any home, at least none built for normal folks. None. What was even funnier was it worked, the sheer indulgence of the space keeping the butterflies in my tummy active.
Brogan dumped me on the bed and immediately I scrambled to jump off. That was the moment I noticed there were several sets of handcuffs, the thick steel hooks holding them to the wooden platform bed glistening in the muted lighting.
My God. They were going to handcuff me to the damn bed. Oh, hell, no. That wasn’t going to happen. I managed to scramble all the way to the edge of the bed before Daniel caught me, dumping me back on the surface even though I’d managed to punch him in the face.
“I suggest you calm down,” he roared, rubbing his cheek as he glared at me.
As if my small fist could hurt him. I almost laughed and would have except my nerves were now completely on edge.
For some crazy reason, I thought it was a good idea to try it again, lunging toward the other side.
This time, Brogan grabbed me by the ankle, dragging me all the way down to the end of the bed then forcing me onto all fours.
He wasn’t in the mood to fight me any longer, grabbing a fistful of hair to hold me in place.
“And she continues to fight,” Alexander mused.
“Yes, I will continue,” I hissed.
“Perhaps she should be gagged,” Daniel suggested, then shook his head. “No, I can think of something much better for the use of her luscious lips.”
I didn’t think Daniel would talk this way, but I could tell by the sound of his voice that his patience had worn out. He’d yet to taste me and he refused to wait any longer.
“An excellent idea given her continued lies.” Alexander was having a good time at my expense.
Bad girl. Bad girl.
The words piped through my mind like bottle rockets.