She lifted her gaze, catching Hayes staring, creases around his eyes, a hint of amusement there. She probably looked like a beet. Her face felt burning hot. Her makeup was no doubt melting off.
His smile was slow.
“What?” she asked, swiping sweat off her brow. “I look like I’ve been dipped in a pond, don’t I?”
He chuckled and warmth rained on her with that sound. His fingers stroked her tailbone. “No. You’re beautiful when you let go like that. Eyes closed, face tipped up to the lights, uninhibited.”
She wet her lips, tasting salt there. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He brushed his mouth along her jaw and pressed a kiss below her ear, sending shivers racing over her skin. “We can bring you to that place without the alcohol, Cora. Beyond it. I want to see you let go. No phone lines or computer screens in the way.”
She lost her breath for a second, and he pulled her fully against him. Dancing still, but making it impossible not to feel the hard length of him against her hip or the heat of Ren behind her. If a body could groan without sound, hers did, their obvious arousal like liquid fire through her veins. She didn’t pull away, didn’t want to. Instead, she let her baser instincts take over. She channeled Lenore and ground herself against them both.
Hayes’s hand slid beneath her hair and cupped her neck. “I want you, Cora. We both do. Tonight.”
God. The words were like a hypnotic spell mixing with the music and wrapping around her. And all she could manage to do was nod. Yes. Yes, please. Yes, now.
His thumb traced over the hollow of her throat. “Tell us to stop and we stop.”
The feel of that big hand around her throat was erotic in a way she didn’t want to analyze. She closed her eyes, let the music and the feel of having these two men against her invade her senses. She didn’t say stop.
She tipped her head back, and Hayes kissed down her throat. Soft brushes of his lips, barely-there kisses, but it was like jolts of electricity straight down to the pulsing spot between her legs. And Ren matched the move with gentle presses of his lips against her shoulder. They held her hips, holding her in place, and letting her feel just how much they wanted her. She moaned at the feel of them pressing against her and making promises. Her clit ached, her heartbeat relocating below her waist, sensation trying to sweep her under.
Ren’s breath was hot against her ear. “Time to take you home with us, Benning. I’m not sure I have enough restraint for another dance.”
She swallowed past the dryness in her throat, every libidinous molecule in her body screaming Yes! but her logical side trying to hold on to a thread of sanity. She leaned back, meeting Hayes’s eyes, needing to see his honest answer. “Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you’re ready?”
Hayes pushed a sweaty lock of hair away from her face. “I’m sure. I trust you, Cora. I want you. But this is your call. There’s no pressure here. Ever.”
Ren kissed the top of her head as they swayed to the music, not really hearing it. “Yes. This is always your call. Any of us can throw the red flag at any time. You’re safe with us.”
The song ended and the swaying slowed.
“Next up we have Josh and Carlos singing ‘Under Pressure’!” the emcee on stage announced.
Half the crowd cheered, half groaned. But Cora barely registered the words.
Her head was whirling now and it had nothing to do with the alcohol. But it wasn’t fear. Maybe that should’ve been there. This was a risk. Her mother would’ve been appalled. But how many nights had she wondered what it would be like to really be under Dmitry’s hand, to give him the control? And now the man was here with his best friend, someone she was feeling more and more for every day. When else would she have the chance to have this? To simply give in to the urge and give herself over to two men she cared about? They were trusting her. She wanted to trust back. “Let’s get out of here.”
Ren squeezed her shoulders and Hayes kissed her. “Let’s go.”
She found her way to Grace, watched Josh and Carlos perform, and then told everyone good-bye. But before she could head back to find the guys, Josh pulled her aside, his eyes searching her face. “You good, Cora?”
She smiled. “Meaning?”
“I mean, I saw you dancing. You’re going home with two guys?”
Her face heated. “Uh, I—”
He lifted a hand. “Believe me, Lord knows I’m not judging. But this isn’t like you. I just want to make sure you’re okay. How much did you drink?”
His concern warmed her. She reached out and grabbed his hand to give it a squeeze. “I’m good. A little buzzed, but I danced most of it off. And . . . things have happened between the three of us already. I did that stone-cold sober. I’m just good at keeping secrets.”
A big grin broke across his face. “Well, goddamn, look at you.” He pulled her into a quick hug. “But text me in the morning to let me know you’re okay. I’ve heard of Ren Muroya. If you’re doing kink with someone new, it’s never a bad idea to let a friend know where you are and do a check-in. Got me?”
She leaned back and lifted her eyebrows. “You’ve heard of Ren? Good things or bad things?”
He smirked. “So good that I’m jealous. And if it were bad, you know I’d warn you not to go. Now, go have fun, be safe, and use condoms. Lots of condoms.”
She laughed. “Got it.”
She gave him another quick hug and found her way back to the guys. Hayes had grabbed a to-go soda for her from the bar. He handed it over. “I thought you might want a little caffeine.”
“We have plans. Many plans,” Ren added with a grin.
She laughed and took a sip of Coke. “Don’t think I can keep up?”
“We’ll see,” Hayes said. “Plus, we need to sober you up.”
She smiled. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. No beer goggles.”
She was a little buzzed, yeah. But alcohol had no part in this decision. She was under an entirely different influence.
The potent mix of two men who looked at her like she meant something to them.
And who were starting to mean something to her.
TWENTY-ONE
Hayes’s fingers flexed against the steering wheel as he pulled into the driveway behind Ren and Cora. He’d had the whole drive to contemplate what was about to happen, twenty minutes to talk himself out of this, but all of his old arguments had no shot against the magnetic pull he’d felt seeing Ren and Cora get playful on stage.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, he’d had fun. Seeing his best friend and the woman he’d known as Lenore goof around on stage had sent this light, helium-filled sensation through his chest. Like all the weight he’d been carrying around for years had lifted for a few minutes. He’d laughed and grinned like an idiot. And then she and Ren had gotten swept up in the moment and kissed.
He’d seen them do much more than that in the office the other day, but something about the way they’d grabbed at each other, the all-encompassing desire, had set off all of Hayes’s switches. He loved that they were so into each other. And he loved even more that they were into him. He wanted to capture all that desire in his hand and play with it, bring all three of them to places they may not have visited before.
So though he knew it was still a risk, was aware that nothing would ever be one hundred percent safe, he refused to let his past cling to him right now. Tonight, it was time to be himself, the Hayes who used to be able to walk into The Ranch with his head high and his confidence firm. To be the guy he’d let himself be in Hayven. Tonight, the outside world didn’t exist. All that was important were the two people climbing out of the car in front of him.
Hayes got out of his SUV and locked up. Cora was laughing at something Ren had said, and Ren was carrying her drink and spinning his keys around his finger.
“What’s so funny?” he
asked.
Ren sent Hayes a smile. “Cora’s got a hard-on for my car. I’m not sure what would get her off more tonight—going inside with us or tossing her the keys and letting her take this thing on the open road.”
Cora bit her lip and twirled her hair, feigning indecision. “Hmm, decisions, decisions . . .”
She stole the keys from him.
Ren groaned and swept an arm out, grabbing Cora around the waist before she could escape. “No way. No car until you put out. Thems the rules.”
When Cora started to playfully struggle, Ren handed the drink to Hayes and hiked Cora up over his shoulder. She let out a string of laughing curses. “Pig!”
“Oink, oink, baby,” Ren said, heading up the walk and giving her ass a playful smack.
She lifted her head, sending Hayes a look. “You’re going to let him treat me like this?”
Hayes brows lifted. “You realize he’s the easy one of the two of us, right?”
Her gaze darkened at that, like the thought both scared her and made her desperately curious. “Oh.”
He gave her a slow smile. Well, hello, Lenore. Lenore had been green, but she’d always been curious, wanting to dance along new edges each time. Brave and daring. And in that look Cora was giving him, he could see that she hadn’t been faking that part online. She got off on a little thread of fear being worked in, on pushing herself past that.
When Ren stopped at the side door and set Cora on her feet to let them in the house, Hayes took Cora’s chin in his hand. “Tell me you want to do this.”
Her throat worked, her gaze suddenly going serious. “I want to do this.”
“What’s your safe word?”
“Red.”
“Good. You can use yellow, too, if you need us to check in with you. Those will always work. And I remember your limits and preferences in Hayven, but this is real world. What do we need to be aware of?”
She rubbed her lips together. “I’m not sure. I don’t know how I’ll feel about things like pain and bondage even though we role-played some of that in the game. But I’m willing to try stuff and see how it goes. Just nothing extreme.”
He brushed her hair away from her face, feeling the tremble beneath his touch. Cora was putting on a brave face. He had no doubt she wanted this tonight, but she was nervous as hell. He let his hand slide to the back of her neck. “This is going to be good, okay? You know me. The way I was in the game is the way I am. I’m not into heavy pain play. I’m not going to permanently mark you or demand anything crazy. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and give yourself over to this tonight, over to us. My goal is to make us all feel good and to give you a chance to see what it’s like. That’s it.”
She nodded in his grip, some of the tension in her face softening. “Okay.”
Ren stepped up behind her, his eyes meeting Hayes’s over her shoulder before he wrapped his arms around Cora’s waist. “You sure there are no other limits, gorgeous? We’ve got filthy minds. You’ve been warned.”
She smirked at that, some of her trademark attitude rising to the surface. “That’s not news. And I do have one request.”
“What’s that?” Ren asked.
“No blindfolds.”
Hayes nodded. “No problem. Don’t like feeling disoriented?”
Her mouth went into a fully wicked smile at that. “No, I just don’t want to miss the view. In fact, if y’all just want to give me a few demonstrations and let me shamelessly objectify you, I’m totally good with that.”
A laugh burst out of him and he shook his head. “Not this time.” He backed her into the house, Ren stepping backward along with her, and Hayes kicked the door shut. “You’ve done enough watching from the sidelines.” He bent down to kiss her. “Time to play, L.”
—
The sound of the nickname he called her on the phone kicked the joking mood right out of her. In one second, they were being playful and teasing, in the next, she realized she was really doing this. Ren and Hayes, both dominating her, both touching her. A hard shiver worked its way through her body, making things hotter instead of chilling them.
Hayes set her soda on a table by the door. She realized she hadn’t even had time to drink it. But caffeine was the last thing she needed. Because the way Hayes was looking at her had everything dialing up to eleven inside her. Humming. Buzzing. Vibrating with anticipation. There was no chance in hell she was going to get sleepy. She was a deer in the middle of an unfamiliar forest with two mountain lions stalking her. She wasn’t going to blink, much less get sleepy.
Hayes locked the door behind him and didn’t bother to turn on a light in the kitchen. Ren was behind her but not touching her anymore. She could feel the heat of his body near, hear the soft fall of his breaths. His awareness. Hayes reached out and brushed the back of his hand over her breast. Her nipples had already been straining against her bra but the simple heat from his touch made her arch and gasp. Everything seemed hypersensitive. Almost too sensitive. She inhaled a deep breath, trying to center herself, calm down.
Hayes dragged his hand back over her, making electricity curl down her belly and pulse between her thighs. She shifted in her boots.
“Look at you,” he said, his voice low. “You’re so keyed up you can barely stand still. You’ll never make it for what we have planned.”
She closed her eyes. “I’m trying. I promise. But I think I was halfway there already when we were dancing.”
“Halfway there, huh?” Ren asked.
“Yes. Apparently, I’m way too easy.”
Hayes smiled and stepped closer to her, his big hand spreading over her ribs. “Cora, you’re far from easy. Deprived is more like it. But don’t worry. We’ll take care of you. This isn’t going to be a one-course meal.”
His hand slid down to cup her sex, the heel of his hand putting pressure right where she needed it. She groaned and Hayes closed his eyes like he was inhaling that sound.
Only then did she remember that this was the first time he’d touched a woman in years. This wasn’t just going to be sex for him. This was going to be him finally taking off the last of the shackles. And God, did she want to see him freed.
How many times had she imagined standing before Dmitry like this? Him being real? Feeling his touch and seeing his face? All of those talks and late nights culminating with them being with each other without any barriers? It was almost too much to hold in her head at once.
Ren’s fingers traced up the sides of her neck in an almost lazy massage as Hayes held her in his palm, making her ache and want to grind against his hand. Ren’s lips brushed her ear. “I bet you’re so wet from having two hard cocks rub all over you at the club that you’ve ruined your panties. I bet you’re all slick and pink just thinking about the things we could do to you.”
Cora’s teeth pressed together, the words working through her and making her too hot for comfort. In her previous life, she would’ve been embarrassed, felt awkward by her level of arousal, but she couldn’t seem to find those emotions right now. He wasn’t wrong. She was ridiculously wet. If this went on much longer, the state of things would be visible through her pants. She tried to stay still, but she was squirming at the still presence of Hayes’s hot palm against her. She needed relief. “Please.”
“Mmm, please what?” Hayes asked, a predator scenting his prey. “I’m not sure I know what you’re asking for. Better be specific.”
Her eyes were squeezed shut. She couldn’t look at them and feel this all at the same time. “Please touch me, stroke me.”
“Stroke what?” Ren said. “Use your words, Cora.”
The heel of Hayes’s hand rocked ever so slightly, not nearly enough, and he knew it.
“Please,” she begged. “My clit. Please rub my clit. I need— I’m dying here.”
“Just rub it?” Hayes asked. “You’ve got low expectatio
ns, L. I think we can have more fun than that. What do you think, Ren?”
“I think you’ve waited a long time to taste your lovely Lenore,” Ren said to Hayes. “And I can tell you, remembering how she tastes has already got me hard.”
“Hmm, he makes a good case,” Hayes said, that tortuous hand still moving too slowly to do anything but drive her out of her mind. “But I think I might need to taste you both.”
Cora’s eyes popped open at that.
Hayes had a dark, pleased smile. He moved his hand away, making her want to beg all over again, and pressed the same hand over the thick outline in his pants, giving himself a squeeze. “Both of you get undressed. I don’t want anything on either of you.”
Cora stiffened, old self-consciousness coming back, but after a beat, Ren seemed to sense her nerves and stepped in front of her. He gave her that heartbreaker smile of hers. “Want help?”
She swallowed hard and nodded.
Ren went to work, pulling her top off as she unbuttoned her pants. Before long she was down to her underwear and bra, boots kicked to the side. Ren unhooked her bra, letting it fall away, and then he let his gaze slowly glide over her. He traced a fingertip over her panties, making her shudder, and then he tugged them down and off, leaving her bare and exposed in the low light.
“Now me,” he said softly.
Cora licked her lips and went for the buttons on his shirt. She could feel Hayes watching them and somehow that only made her burn hotter. She liked knowing that this was turning him on, that they were giving him a show. So she decided to give him a little more.
“Can I touch you?” she asked Ren.
Ren’s eyes darkened. “Who am I to deny that kind of request?”
She glanced over at Hayes, who gave a little nod. Silent permission.
She took her time unbuttoning Ren’s shirt and pushing it open and off his shoulders. He was so beautifully made that she enjoyed having a second to just indulge in the view. The colorful tattoos snaked down his arms and up over the front of his shoulders. There were intricate patterns and embedded pictures that one day she’d love to spend time cataloging. But for now she gave in to another impulse and leaned forward to run her tongue over one of his nipples. She bit gently.