Pushing Her Limits (Masters of Adrenaline 3)

She was glad she’d asked Loke what to wear. The plaid kilt and white blouse she’d worn as a Halloween costume years ago were fine, and she would have felt like a doorknob if she’d dressed in leather thinking she’d fit in. Nothing like trying too hard in a new environment. There was no point in pretending she was an experienced kinkster either, since being new gave her the excuse to attach herself to them and ask questions.

“It’s not for everyone, but sometimes you have to try things before you can decide whether or not you like them,” Rune said, smirking and cutting a glance at Loke.

“You shut up.” Loke laughed. “She was a pretty girl, and I was young. You know you would have agreed too.”

There was a mocking stare-down that led her to believe she wouldn’t be hearing the rest of that story.

Mila loved the way the three of them were always teasing one another. They teased her, too, and it made her feel as things had been back when she was a beat cop. It’d taken some work but eventually the guys had accepted her as one of them. Now that she’d made detective and worked cases differently, things just weren’t the same.

Loke shifted slightly in his seat and his eyes took on an impish gleam. What was he up to now?

“Do you want to try something?” he asked, his gaze shifting back to her.

She had to fight to keep a neutral expression. Just showing up was bad enough, watching was worse, but participating? Oh god. What if she got too wrapped up in it and forgot herself? What if she . . . liked it? She took a quick glance around the room, noting that most people weren’t just sitting around and staring. She also didn’t want to blow her cover. Even though she’d gone with the schoolgirl theme, she was pretty sure people didn’t come here without the intention of playing.

Fuck. “Depends on what it is.” She tried for a nonchalant shrug.

“Just a basic flogging.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Maybe a little. I won’t go hard since it’s your first time. You seem like a tough girl though. If you hate it you can tell me to stop.”

“Okay.” She stood uncertainly. She wasn’t one to shy away from a little danger, but this had “scandal” written all over it. Still, the lure of busting this car-theft ring wide open had her walking toward him.

“Do you have panties under that? I could flog you over the skirt, but it loses some of its impact.”

She nodded. Loke led her to an eyebolt not far from the one where Geir was entertaining his lady friend.

He gestured to a server, who disappeared for a moment and came back with one of the cloth bags she’d seen around the club. Feeling strangely exposed, she stripped out of the schoolgirl skirt and blouse, leaving her in the black sports bra and boy short underwear. It covered more than a bathing suit, and yet she still felt naked and vulnerable.

Stay in control, Mila. You’re a cop, not a submissive.

“No,” he said absently, as he started pulling equipment out of the bag. “Chin up. Stop trying to hide. Your body is nothing to be ashamed of.”

She thought of throwing back the standard expected demurrals, then reminded herself that she’d been trying to stop doing that. Instead, she straightened where she stood. He asked her to extend her wrists. Chatting quietly as he worked, he buckled wide leather cuffs on to her, then used a rope to anchor her arms above her head to the eyebolt in the ceiling. It was nice that she could stand flat-footed.

“All this equipment is new, and we’ll mark it with your name,” he said as he worked. He did everything with a calm efficiency that put her at ease, and when he touched her, it wasn’t in ways that felt creepy. “Ready? I’ll start slow. If you want me to stop, just say so.”

“Okay.” She braced herself, expecting agony, and was surprised when the flogger just brushed over her skin a few times. The first few blows were little more than light smacks.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She laughed. “Is this the wuss version?”

Loke snorted. “Everyone has different tolerances for pain,” he explained, moving to where she could see him. “You’re new, so for me to lay into you as though you were a hard-core pain slut would be bad manners.”

“Loke,” Rune called. “I hate to interrupt, but this call is urgent.”

He sighed. “I don’t know how long this will take. I’ll untie you unless . . .” Scanning the room, he stopped. “Maybe I can hand you over to someone I trust until I get back?”

“Sure.” She waited for Rune to take his place, since she could see Geir untying the girl. He was talking to her quietly as he worked, his every movement confident and controlled, and stroking her in a way that made Mila envious of the bond they seemed to have forged so quickly.

“Fancy meeting you here,” came a rumbling voice off to her right. The small hairs on the back of her neck rose, and her nipples puckered. She turned back to where Loke had been standing, and there, of course, was Atlas.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.