Master in Shining Armor (Masters Unleashed 4)

this isn’t the first time you’ve told her not to put her hair up, it sounds to me like your ‘good girl’ might have a bratty streak, Master William.”

He arched a brow at Juliet, daring her to answer.

Juliet’s blond brows rose, and she shot a glance at Dex. “I can get myself in enough trouble without help, thanks,” she said sourly.

“Aw, but where’s the fun in that?” Dex said, laughing. “We need to hang out more. Dominants like to pretend they want perfect obedience, but secretly they all want a submissive who will give them a run for their money.” There was a gleam in Dex’s eye that made Will snort.

That definitely wasn’t what every Dominant wanted, and Dex damn well knew it. She just liked stirring up mischief. Amused, he glanced at Grant, waiting for him to share his mirth, but his brother was glowering at their friend with such ferocity that for a moment Will was taken aback. Since when had Grant become the kink police? There were plenty of brats who were members at the club, and it was a dynamic that Grant, himself, used to find entertaining.

“One of these days, Arabella, you’re going to find a man who teaches you what it means to be a good girl,” Grant’s voice seethed.

“You think so? I highly doubt it,” she said mildly, sipping her beer. “Nick and Trey tried to get me to be a good girl two weeks ago, and you saw how far they got with that.” She smiled mockingly.

“You jump from Dominant to Dominant so fast no one has the chance to get your number, little girl.”

They stared at each other a long moment and she finally said, “I jump from Dominant to Dominant because I haven’t found one that can handle me. Am I supposed to just hand over my submission to any man who calls himself a Dom or a Master? That’s not how I roll. The Norwegians were close though. I’ll give them another shot.” She waggled her eyebrows at Grant, who got up so suddenly his chair almost toppled backward.

Grant strode to the cabinet and started browsing through the snack food with unnecessary violence. He found a bag of cookies and brought them back to the table, ripping the flap open with so much force it would never close properly again. Will wasn’t sure how Oreos had ever wronged his brother, but apparently it had been personal.

Juliet made a small sound which drew Will’s attention back to her. Her hand hovered over his own, the last hairpin in suspended animation over his palm, as though her focus on Dex and Grant’s conversation had made her forget how to open her fingers to let go.

Will snapped his fingers in front of Juliet’s face, and her attention swung back to him. Sheepishly, she dropped the last pin into his palm.

“Unless you really like punishments, I’d suggest taking anything Dexter teaches you with a grain of salt, little slave. You may want to consult with me before implementing any of her ideas. And if you really do like being punished, you could always be a big girl and just ask.” He grinned nastily at her. “I have a few implements you haven’t met yet.”

She lowered her gaze, but not before he saw the flare of lust there. It was hard to know what part of his statement had caught her imagination.

“Don’t let him boss you around, kid,” Dex said bracingly.

Grant grumbled around a mouthful of cookie. “What the fuck, Dex? That is literally the point of D/s.”

“Maybe it is for you.” She winked at him and he stopped chewing long enough to give her a menacing glare. “You can give me the stink eye all night, baby boy Ellis. You don’t scare me.”

Juliet leaned close and put her mouth next to his ear. “Should we break this up or something? I thought you said they were close. They look like they want to kill each other.”

Either they wanted to kill each other or they were flirting aggressively. It was really hard to tell which. The flirting thing didn’t make any sense though. They’d known each other too many years and had far too many opportunities to hook up, and yet it had never happened. There was no reason for them to suddenly start being interested in each other, but he couldn’t figure out why else they’d be acting like this.

He patted Juliet’s ass. “Let’s just get back to making supper, and maybe they’ll be able to sort this out without police intervention.”

The two of them went back to stirring, seasoning, plating. Will set the kitchen table since the dining room table was far too big for only four people, but he had to step between Grant and Dex a few times to get it done, and he feared for his life.

Through the baby monitor, Will heard Beau fussing.

“Oh.” Juliet slid a look at Will. “I guess I’m losing my sous chef—unless they want to watch Beau for a few minutes?”

Grant and Dex fell silent, finally, and looked at Juliet with matching expressions of horror.

Will snickered. “They’re not exactly baby people.”

“You weren’t exactly a baby person until recently,” Grant pointed out, “so don’t make it sound like it’s a moral failing on our part. I’m sure I could figure it out if somebody dropped a baby off on my doorstep.”

“Grant.” Dex shot him a glare.

“What?”

“I know you. You are about to make that into a joke. What happened isn’t funny.”

Grant rolled his eyes. “Obviously how it happened isn’t funny. I joke around about a lot of things, Dex, but I do have some tact.”