Chapter Seven
Lakyn tried tosurface through the fog of sleep, but she was so hot, all she could think about was escaping the tangle of blankets suffocating her. Before her mind could register where she was, a strong arm encircled her, and she was launched over the edge into a full-blown panic attack. Fighting as if her life depended on it, Lakyn’s mind turned off, and all her brother’sself-defense training kicked in. She heard soft grunts from the man trying unsuccessfully to pin her to the bed, but she wasn’t going to stop fighting just because she thought she’d hurt him.
“Cariña. Stop now!”Something in the man’s deep voice stilled the raging in her soul, and Lakyn froze. Sucking in deep breaths, she tried to search the darkness for a clue to where she was. Damn it, shecouldn’t seeanything, she’d never had good night vision… it was one of the reasons she’d always slept with a small lamp on. Her breathing was starting to accelerate again as panic began edging back over her when she felt the bed shift, and with a nearly silent click, the room was illuminated in a soft glow.
Finally, able to get her bearings, it all came flooding back. Texas. Prairie Winds. Juanand Trac. She was safe. The man who’d tried to break into her apartment one night hadn’t finally figured out a way past the security system Cooper had insisted she install. Pulling in huge gulps of air, Lakyn realized she was shaking as strong arms wrapped around her.
“Cariña,are you alright?”
Beside them, Trac groaned, “I’m the one you should be worried about. Fuck me, Princess, whoever taughtyou those moves should be damned proud. But I’m warning you right now, if I end up with a shiner and am subjected to a bunch of trash talk from my teammates, I’m paddling your ass.” Trac’s tone was petulant rather than threatening. Lakyn felt a giggle bubble to the surface and didn’t even try to hold it back.
“So, it’s okay for you to curse, but not me? How is that fair?” Her challenge mighthave carried more weight if she hadn’t been snickering, but she doubted it.
“Princess, we have never made any claim about being fair. As Doms, we promise to give you what you need, and trust me—fair will never be a part ofthat equation.” The wicked gleam in his eyes as he rubbed his abused nose sent a shiver up her spine.
“Tell us what happened to send you into such a panic,Cariña.” Withoutreleasing her, Juan pulled her on to his lap, sucking in a quick breath when her bare hip pressed against his equally bare erection. She was getting ready to wiggle against him, but he must have sensed her intent because he growled against her ear, “Don’t. Tempting me when we are both naked and already in bed would end this discussion before it ever started, and I want you to answer my question.”
Lakyn nodded and took a deep breath while she decided how much to share.
“I know that look, Princess, and I assure you, editing your response is lying by omission. I would imagine that came up a time or two during your chats with Tobi because I know she’s been over the spanking bench at the club more than once for the same offense.”
Trac was right, Tobi had mentioned the definition of lyingwas what she’d called ‘broader than a damned barn’ whatever that meant. Lakyn had assumed it meant there was more to lying than simply repeating facts inaccurately. It hadn’t occurred to her keeping some of the uglier aspects of her fears to herself would be considered deception.Fucking hell. I’m screwed. Might as well get this over with.Nodding her understanding, she watched as Trac’s browsdrew together in a frown.
“Words, Lakyn. Use your damned words to answer questions. As my granny always said, ‘I can’t hear your head rattle, you know.’” She giggled at his attempt to imitate his grandmother’s voice and wondered if the elderly woman knew her grandson quoted her.
“Yes, Sir, I understand, but I want you to know the whole story is pretty long, so I’m going to give you the abbreviatedversion now. We can revisit this discussion in the morning. Now that I’ve cooled off, I’m starting to get sleepy again. That was what woke me up, I was hot. I’m not used to sleeping with anyone and… well, you two are hot… in more ways than one.”
The grins both men flashed her made them look more like the carefree young men she used to meet at public relations events when she’d first started modelingrather than the experienced Dominants she knew they were. Shaking her head to clear the errant thoughts, Lakyn shrugged her shoulders.
“I’ve been dealing with a stalker. Well, I guess you’d call him a stalker. Hell, I probably shouldn’t assume it’s a man. That’s probably against some PC edict or something.” Shaking her head again at her own distraction, Lakyn took a deep breath, trying to re-focusher attention on the topic. “It started out innocent enough, but then they always do.”
“You mean this has happened before?” Trac’s question didn’t surprise her, but the anger in his tone made her flinch even though she was sure his frustration wasn’t directed at her.
“In my business, it happens all the time. Ordinarily, it’s a minor inconvenience for a few weeks, then the ‘admirer’ finds a new,more worthy recipient of their affections. I’ve even had them send me fuck off letters, letting me know they were moving on because I’d failed to respond or in some other way I hadn’t lived up to their expectations.”
“Cariña, I’m not even sure what to say about this. It always baffles me how cruel people can be to those they claim to love or even those they previously cared about.”
She smiledat Juan and tried to imagine what it would be like to have a line of defense between herself and the world. Cooper did all he could, but more often than not, he was on the other side of the world when things went wrong. She took another cleansing breath, wanting to get back on task before the rest of the night slipped between her fingers, and she was left feeling exhausted again tomorrow.
“Thistime, it felt different. I can’t really explain why… maybe it’s because I haven’t been able to get in touch with Cooper.” She shrugged but didn’t think they’d been fooled by the nonchalant gesture.
“Probably instinct and that’s not something you should ever ignore,Cariña.”
Juan’s hand slipped over hers, unfolding the fingers she’d unconsciously clenched as the stress of the past few monthsreturned. Damn, sitting naked between two equally bare hunks had definitely distracted her from the reality of why she’d fled in New York.
Will they believe me or accuse me of having an over-active imagination like everyone back east?
*
“I know, butit was hard to remember when everyone around me kept insisting I was over-reacting. One detective actually insinuated Iwas making everything up for publicity which was absurd since I was the one who insisted everything be kept out of the press.”
Trac felt a surge of anger move through him but thankfully, before he could respond, she shook her head and muttered, “I’m sure Tobi was right, the asshat probably has a little dick.” Trac didn’t even try to hold back his laughter. God love Tobi, she’d broken the tensionin the room without even being present.
“Princess, I don’t even want to think about the size of another man’s junk, but I’ll look forward to chatting with him about how to show proper respect to my woman.” Her eyes widened when he referred to her as his, but he didn’t care. Juan’s knowing smirk made Trac want to roll his eyes, but he held his immature responses in check.Fucker is going to gloatabout this forever.
Juan smoothed the back of his hand down the side of Lakyn’s face, and Trac watched Lakyn’s reaction to the affectionate gesture. He’d always admired Juan’s ability to soothe women with simple touches.
“I know you’re tired but give us a quick overview of the problems you were having. We’ll have Micah pull all the police reports, but from the sound of it, I’m not betting they’llprovide much detail.” Lakyn looked oddly relieved, and it didn’t take long to figure out why.