Siren in Waiting

  Leo gave him a thumbs-up.

  Trev walked out after him. He walked straight to Beth and pulled the ponytail out of her hair. “I told you to wear your hair down.”

  He would have quietly reminded her another several times to get her into the habit of obeying him when it came to her hair, but she’d pushed him. She didn’t get a reminder.

  “It looks beautiful down. You need to leave it that way.” Bo stood close to her but not touching.

  “It feels so soft. Try it.” He was going to have ease Bo into this.

  After a moment of hesitation, Bo let his hand drift up and stroke her hair. There was something sweetly innocent about the way Bo’s fingers drifted into Beth’s hair. His eyes took in the soft brown stuff. Beth’s hair was threaded with sable and wisps of dark blonde. Bo touched her, petting her hair as if it satisfied something inside him. And then he did something Trev hadn’t expected. His hands wound through that silky hair and tightened.

  “You didn’t call out today.” Bo’s voice was harder than Trev could remember. “When you were in trouble, you didn’t let me know.”

  He could see the way her breath hitched the minute Bo’s voice had deepened. If her little pussy hadn’t gone soft and wet when Bo had clenched his hand in her hair, Trev would give up his throwing arm.

  “You were mad at me,” Beth reminded Bo, her voice soft.

  Bo forced her head up just a bit. Maybe Trev wouldn’t have to ease him in. He seemed more comfortable with it now. “I would never be mad enough at you that I would let some fucker shoot you. Don’t you forget that. Now, give me the keys because I’m not sitting in that Pinto for the hour it would take you to drive us home.”

  He plucked the keys from her hands and strode out without a backward glance.

  Beth stared at him, her mouth half-opened. It was good that she was aware of Bo, but Trev wanted her aware of him, too. “And we’re going to have a talk tomorrow about lying to me. I should explain that omitting pertinent facts is just the same as lying. You better pick a safe word, darlin’, because tomorrow, you’re going to need it.”

  “Not tonight?”

  He forced himself not to smile. She sounded disappointed. “Tonight is for something different, but you better enjoy it. I’m not going easy on you tomorrow. And you can tell Patty that, Wanda. Beth Hobbes’s butt is going to be red tomorrow because she defied her Dom.”

  Wanda shook her head. “What is you people’s obsession with that man?”

  Leo laughed. “You three go on ahead. I’ll call Lucas. He and Aidan can take me back to the scene of the crime. We’ll get your trucks back to Beth’s place for you. I was out the minute someone mentioned a Pinto. Seriously, they explode. And I prefer to travel in a vehicle that doesn’t require me to fold my body in two.”

  “You’re getting a new car,” Trev said as he took her hand and walked out into the night.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bo put the car in park and prayed his dick still worked. The freaking tin can Mouse drove had him bent in half. Beth. Fuck, that was hard. He was hard. Damn it, he was so hard.

  Was he really about to do this? Was he really going to fuck Beth while Trev watched? Or would he be the one watching? Could he watch her writhe under Trev?

  Beth took Trev’s hand as he helped her out of the car. Trev had forced her to go over every instant of her afternoon, from getting turned down at the bank, to cleaning up after the man who had shot at her. He’d been ruthless in his questioning. He’d forced her to tell him everything, right down to how it had made her feel.

  Scared. Bo could have told him that. Bo had been pretty fucking scared when he’d realized someone with a gun was trying to kill her.

  “Beth.” Trev’s voice was as dark as the night. “Do you understand why I’m angry? This relationship won’t work if you don’t even trust me enough to tell me when someone’s tried to hurt you. I want you to think about this. I require trust from you. I’m willing to give it, too. And now you have to think about whether you can handle the both of us.”

  Bo stilled. He hadn’t even thought about the fact that she might say no. She really might say no. Shouldn’t this whole Dom thing preclude her from saying no? Shouldn’t Trev just tell her what he wanted, and she would do it? Even as he thought it, he knew this was one of those things his brother had tried to talk to him about. D/s wasn’t some crime perpetrated against the weaker player. It was a power exchange. In an exchange, something had to be given. First and foremost—permission. Beth had to say yes.

  He couldn’t stand the thought of being left out. It had been surprisingly easy to make the decision to share her. The minute Trev had made the offer, Bo’s cock had jumped up, started singing, and bounced around with joy.

  The truth was he actually thought it might be for the best. He already felt different. He felt stronger. He would wilt if she said no.

  “I can handle it.” Beth smiled at Trev and put a hand out to Bo. “I want this. I want it so much.”

  “Remember that tomorrow, darlin’.” Trev pulled her close. Bo envied the easy way he dominated her. “Tonight is going to be easy. You’ve had a hard day. You’ll take a simple spanking, and you’ll serve your Masters, but tomorrow is going to be rough.”

  Masters?

  “Bo tops me, too? I don’t know about that.” Beth looked at him, her lips frowning. “I can still remember a time when he cried because he broke his crayons.”

  Trev looked over at him, too, though there was challenge in his eyes. Bo felt his pulse hitch. He could choose. He could top Beth, or he could be another sub. Trev would always be the alpha, but it was up to Bo where his place would be. His choice and his responsibility. If he chose to be a sub, Trev would take care of him. At least, that was the way it was supposed to work. If he chose to top Beth, he would have to not only take care of her, but change the way he viewed himself.

  He reached out and gripped the back of her neck, loving the silky smooth feel of her skin and the way her lips softened. “I’m not a kid anymore.” Hell, he wasn’t even the same man he’d been a couple of days ago. Realizing he loved Beth and losing her, seeing her almost die, discovering that Trev just might be different than he’d thought—it all combined to form a changed version of Bo. And Bo liked the man he was becoming. “And I will top you, Beth. Don’t you think I can’t do it.”

  “Are you going to kiss me?” Beth asked.

  Fuck, yeah, he was going to kiss her. He tightened his fingers in her hair, but he asked Trev first. It seemed right. Trev was sharing her. “Can I kiss her?”

  Trev chuckled. “You don’t have to ask. We’re not doing a scene tonight. This is how this works. I’m in charge during discipline and scenes. I expect both of you to come to me with your problems, not because I don’t think you can’t handle them, but because we’re in a relationship. I’ll talk to the two of you about all the things going on in my life. Trust me, you’ll hear more than you want about how I need a fucking drink. We’re in this together. But she’s yours, too, Bo. Kiss her.”

  He looked down at her, tears suddenly threatening. For years and years she’d been the center of his world, and just like the fucking sun in the sky, he’d taken her for granted because she was always there.

  “I love you, Beth.” The words didn’t come from his mouth. They were pushed out of his heart.

  Her hands came up, cupping his cheeks. “I love you, too, Bo.”

  She always had. All of his life, he’d looked for the one person who could anchor him. She’d been that anchor, not holding him down like a lodestone, but keeping him grounded in love and affection when everything else was dark. She’d been his everything, even when he’d ignored her. She’d been the quiet presence he could count on. He owed her everything.

  “This is it, Beth. You understand? This isn’t sex. This is the rest of my life. I won’t ever leave you. I won’t ever touch another woman.” Nothing felt as freeing as making that pledge. He was twenty-five, and now he had his purpose in lif
e, to make sure she was safe and happy.

  Tears had formed in her eyes. “Do you really mean that? Because I don’t think I could stand it if you changed your mind.”

  He was just going to have to show her. “Never.”

  He lowered his head to hers, and his mouth brushed the softest lips he’d ever kissed. She sighed into his mouth, and Bo couldn’t mistake that single sound for anything but submission. His whole body tightened. His hands found that silky hair again as his tongue touched her lips, licking and seeking entry. Her mouth flowered open under his, and he truly tasted her sweetness for the first time. Their tongues played, hers shyly at first, and then with a soft, insistent demand. He pulled her close, feeling her breasts against his chest, her hips seeking his. His cock practically thumped against his zipper, begging to be let out. He wanted to shove her to the ground and get his cock inside. He needed to know she was his.

  And he needed to make it good for her. So good for her.

  “Come on, you two.” Trev’s voice sounded slightly strangled. “We should move this inside. We can’t be sure when the next idiot in this town is going to paint something we own in an attempt to run me out of town.”

  “That was why I didn’t tell you.” Beth’s arms wound around Bo’s waist. “I thought you would walk away. I’m sorry.”

  “Trev assures me he isn’t going anywhere for a while,” Bo replied, trying to gauge Trev’s reaction.

  Trev’s hand came out and smoothed back Beth’s hair. “You accepted me as your Dom. That means you accept all the shit storm that comes with it. Do you want me to leave? Because this could be bad for you. The people in this town will give you both hell for being involved with me.”

  Bo seemed to be forever in this position. But now he had a ready answer. “They can go fuck themselves.”

  Beth smiled. The expression held a confident grace he’d never seen on her face before. “What Bo said.”

  “Then come in the house.” Trev turned on his heels and started for the door.

  Bo looked down at his best friend. “Are you sure about this? You seem to really care about him. If you want, I can walk away, and I promise we’ll still be friends.” He couldn’t stand the thought, but he was beginning to understand this stuff. She should have all the options laid out. She should know what she was getting into and that the men she was getting involved with wanted her to be happy.

  “I do care about him, Bo. I think I’m falling in love with him. I know I’ve never met anyone like him, but I love you, too. And he’s not staying here forever. He’s moving west in a year. He told me. He could teach us a lot. I want to explore this thing.”

  He heard the urgency in her voice. “You really want to try this out. You want me spank you? You want me to tie you up?”

  He wasn’t so sure about it. His cock was sure. His cock was ready for anything that got it closer to her pussy, but Bo wasn’t sure. He’d known real violence. Could he really give her what she seemed to need?

  “I want to try.”

  He laced his fingers through hers. Trev was waiting at the door. “Then we’ll try.”

  He was done being selfish. His selfishness had kept them apart for years. She’d given so much to him. How could he refuse her?

  Trev’s eyes nearly bore a hole through them as they walked up. He seemed different than before, stronger, more in control. He seemed to be bigger, taller, as though he took on extra height the minute he decided to become the Dom.

  “The rules haven’t changed, Beth. Don’t think because Bo is with us that it changes anything. You know what to do when this door closes, and you know what position I want you in. I require obedience tonight. You’ll have pleasure, but I’ll have submission.”

  Position? She was going to get into a position?

  Beth nodded, her face tranquil as she passed him. She didn’t seem even close to nervous. A calm had settled over Beth that Bo just didn’t feel yet. Trev stopped him, putting a hand on his chest and allowing the door to close.

  “Give her a minute. We should talk.”

  God, Trev was going to talk him to death. Plain old vanilla sex had way less talking. “I thought we already talked.”

  “I’m going to be rough with her. I need you to really watch her. You’ll see what she wants.”

  “You haven’t known her very long. How can you be sure what she wants?”

  “Years of training. I know you think this is all bullshit, but I’ve spent years watching submissives. Watch her. See what she needs. Sex isn’t some bodily exchange. It’s a dance, and she needs you to lead.”

  Fuck. He was a terrible dancer. He had two left feet.

  Trev laughed as though he could read his mind. “You’ll be fine, Bo. Give her what she needs, take care of her, and then it will be your turn.”

  “Why the fuck are you doing this? Don’t give me that crap about this is what Mou…Beth needs.” It was too perfect. Bo couldn’t trust it.

  Trev suddenly stared at something in the distance. “She does need you, Bo. And maybe I need you, too. I’m always so close to the edge. It’s always right there. I’ve fucked up so many times in so many ways, and I can’t even give a good excuse for it. All of my life I was the golden boy.”

  And all of Bo’s, he’d been the damn whipping boy. He opened his mouth to explain that his position had been worse, but Trev kept talking.

  “I was the one everyone looked up to. I was the one who would win the game. I was the one who scored near perfect on my SATs. I was the one who got all the girls. And all I wanted was a damn beer because it was too much pressure. I couldn’t handle it. What other people saw as this charmed life, I knew it was just one long fall waiting to happen. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the game. But I hated the other parts. I hated the pressure. I hated the fact that I couldn’t trust a single person around me because they all had an angle. You didn’t have an angle.”

  “Sure I did. I wanted to learn from you. Hell, in some ways I wanted you to protect me.” It was sad, but it was the truth. Maybe Trev hadn’t had it so perfect.

  “And apparently I didn’t do a good job of it.” Trev sighed, some of his confidence gone.

  And Bo finally understood Trev McNamara. Trev McNamara felt too much. He wasn’t a man who could accept the gifts he’d been given with a laid-back air. It was too much for him. He didn’t feel he’d earned it no matter how much time he’d spent in training. He’d been surrounded by people who didn’t truly love him, who’d used him, and he’d felt it too much. He’d deadened those emotions with alcohol and drugs.

  A deep calm settled in Bo’s chest. He’d had the opposite problem. He’d never been wanted by his father. His mother had died long before she could have branded him with love and affection. His brother had cared, but he had his own life. Bo had deadened the pain by withdrawing, even from himself, by floating through life, trying to get along, never fighting.

  Beth had done the same. She’d allowed things to happen to her rather than stand up for herself because she’d never been taught how. Her parents had been quiet academics in a town where no one valued them.

  Aidan was right. Bo needed Trev, but by god, Bo had just figured out that Trev needed him, too.

  “I won’t let you fuck up. I know I’m smaller than you, but I swear I can be meaner. I see you come close to a beer, I’ll find a way to kick your ass. And I’ll be here to take care of Beth. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  The Dom was back. “See that you do. Keep your mind open tonight, Bo.”

  Trev was doing that whole “intimidating” thing Aidan did whenever he was about to go to the barn. Bo knew what went on in the barn, and it wasn’t anything having to do with the ranch. The barn was his brother’s personal dungeon. Trev was prepping for some play, but Bo hadn’t missed the way his eyes had softened at the promise of an ass kicking.

  Trev opened the door, and Bo walked through feeling infinitely better. He supposed when his brother had talked about the lifestyle, he’d always th
ought he’d get ground beneath “the Dom’s” boot. He wasn’t a Dom. But he wasn’t exactly a sub, either. Not once had he really thought that he could bring something to the relationship. Trev might be the only Dom in the world who needed what Bo could give him.

  Then he wasn’t thinking about anything but the woman on the floor in front of him. He’d thought he was hard before, but the sight of Beth naked and waiting had his balls drawing up.

  Beth sat in the middle of the hallway completely naked. Her spine was straight, but her head bowed submissively down. Her hair was a soft halo around her head, falling to her shoulders and just brushing her breasts. Fuck. He was looking at Beth’s breasts. Free from confinement, they were more beautiful than he’d imagined. Round and soft, with pretty pink nipples that just begged to be pulled between his lips and suckled. She’d hidden that gorgeous body underneath shapeless dresses and bulky blouses. Now he could see how her small waist curved into feminine hips.

  “Very nice, love.” Trev put a hand on her head. “Spread your legs a little. I see you did as I asked.”

  “Yes, Sir. I shaved.”

  Trev tipped her head up. “You’re beautiful, Beth. Your pussy looks lovely.”

  She smiled a little, and her eyes came back to Bo. “He said I looked like Sasquatch.”

  Trev coughed. “I didn’t put it like that.”

  “It’s okay. I didn’t have any reason to groom down there before. I like how it feels.”

  Trev’s eyes narrowed. “Did you touch yourself?”

  “I’m not sure how else I was supposed to shave.”

  Trev’s hand bit into her hair. “You know that’s not what I’m asking.”

  “He wants to know if you masturbated.” Bo was well aware that his voice had taken on a dark quality. He was primed to fuck, but Trev was going to make him wait. Well, maybe he could play this game, too. “He wants to know if you touched your pussy, if you played with your clit. Did you touch it, Beth? Did you circle it with a finger and then shove that same finger deep inside your pussy? Did you get creamy and wet? Did you fuck that finger until you came?”