Dusted Star

Chapter Fourteen

Cooper looked outthe tinted windows of the car before turning his attention back to Kyle West. “I didn’t expect the VIP treatment—I could have rented a car.”

“You could have, but that’s not the way things work in Texas. We treat our guests better than that, and God forbid if Lilly West got wind one of her sons hadn’t greeted a guest properly.” Cooper suspected the manwas only half teasing. He’d heard stories about the West matriarch, but he’d never met her. Kyle must have sensed the direction his mind was headed because he grinned and shook his head. “Don’t worry, you’ll meet her soon enough, and yes, she’s every inch the wildcard you’ve heard about.”

Copper wasn’t sure it was possible for Lilly West to live up to her reputation, but he would reserve judgment.

“Where is Lakyn?” He’d never had to face his sister looking like he’d had his ass handed to him, and the truth was, he wasn’t looking forward to it. If Cam had still been headquartered in Houston, Cooper would have detoured there until he’d healed enough he wouldn’t scare his sister spitless.

“She’s staying in one of the cabins behind the club.” He and Kyle had only worked together a few times,but Cooper knew people well enough to know when he hadn’t gotten the whole story. Waiting for the other man to elaborate seemed to be taking an awfully long time, but he was determined to wait out the uncomfortable silence. Kyle finally chuckled as he turned onto what looked like a long drive.

“Damn, I don’t know why I didn’t send Kent to pick you up.” When they parked in front of the club, Cooperraised a brow in question. Why hadn’t Kyle taken him the cabin where Lakyn was staying? Kyle shut off the car but didn’t get out. Turning in his seat, the other man studied him for several seconds before speaking.

“I don’t have a sister, so I’m in unfamiliar territory here. I didn’t take you to the cabin where Lakyn is staying because she isn’t alone. She is with two members of the team.”

“Arethey her bodyguards?” Cooper wasn’t naïve, and Kyle’s obvious discomfort was a dead giveaway, but he’d be damned if he was going to make it easy on the man whose reputation as unflappable was practically a legend among SEALs.

“Not really although I can assure you anyone wanting to get to her is going to have to go through them, particularly after the disaster on the river.”

Yeah, Cam had alreadybriefed him on the close call she’d had in New York and the second fiasco right under the Prairie Winds teams’ nose. Heads were going to roll when he found out who was targeting his sister.

“Juan Rivera and Trac Hughes are both Doms although Juan isn’t as committed to the lifestyle as Trac. I’ll let them speak for themselves about their intentions, but I can tell you they are both honorable.You can believe anything they tell you.”

Cooper considered Kyle’s words and was surprised at the relief he felt, knowing Lakyn had finally met someone who would look out for her. If Kyle vouched for them, the men were obviously stand up guys, but he’d need to meet them and decide for himself.

“Two? Jesus, man, what’s in the water down here? Remind me to drink juice.”

“Brother,” Kyle laughedand shook his head, “you look like you need something a lot stronger than juice. We’ll get you settled in one of the rooms above the club before hitting the bar. When is the last time you ate?”

“Catalina had a sandwich and chips waiting for me when I got out of the hospital, but I slept on the plane, so I haven’t eaten anything since then.”

“Catalina Adler?” When Cooper nodded, Kyle smiled andshook his head. “Damn I’d love to recruit her, but I’m not sure she and Jen could be corralled… Hell, I’m not sure the world is ready for that combination yet.” Cooper grabbed his small bag and followed Kyle into the large building wondering who Jen was, and why she and Catalina would be a threat.

Seriously? What the hell am I thinking? Cat’s a threat on a good day.

*

Lakyn was gettingtired of watching Juan and Trac try to stealthily check their phones. Whoever was updating them wasn’t sharing the information with her, and she was silently fuming. They’d finished dinner, and she was about to go upstairs to change when she caught Juan, once again, slipping his phone from his pocket. Stalking over closer, she stood with her hands on her hips and glared up athim.

“I want to know what’s going on. I’m tired of being left out of the damned loop. Is my brother going to show up or not? Damn this is fucking annoying.” She’d no sooner finished speaking than she heard both men snarl something about language and a heartbeat later she was over Juan’s shoulder being carried up the stairs like a sack of potatoes. “What the fuck? Put me down.” A sharp slap onher ass made her freeze for a second before she started kicking.

“Stop,Cariña.You are already in enough trouble for your attitude and language. Do not compound the problem by adding careless behavior to your list of offenses, or you won’t sit comfortably for a week.”

Offenses? What the ever-loving hell?She opened her mouth to protest but saw Trac glaring at her as they moved down the hall.

“Don’t. Just don’t. We’ve been more than patient with you, but you agreed to be our submissive and it’s time you understood what that looks like. And it certainly doesn’t look like you copping an attitude and cursing like a sailor.” Trac’s word annoyed her, but she also realized heprobablywasn’t wrong. Juan set her on her feet beside the bed but didn’t take his hands off her.

“Do we curse atyou,Cariña?” Now that she thought about it, they’d never raised their voices or cursed at her. Shaking her head, Lakyn saw Juan’s expression darken and remembered she was supposed to answer with words.

“No, but I’m tired of being left out of things that pertain to me. It’s annoying as he… ck.” She’d been taking care of herself for a long time and not knowing what was going on made her edgy.

“We’ll always tell you everything you need to know. Part of your role as our submissive is to trust us to keep you apprised of anything important related to your safety, career, friends, or brother.” Trac’s voice was all business, but she could see the warmth in his eyes.

“Keep in mind,Cariña, what we consider significant may not always be in line with what you consider important.” The man whohad previously been her suave Latin lover was now standing in front of her with his arms crossed over his muscular chest looking every inch as intimidating as Trac. “I’m afraid I’ve given you the wrong impression, Lakyn. It seems you believe you can run over me because I’ve allowed you a lot of latitude. Just because I don’t take a hard line with D/s protocol doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to be disrespectful.When you disrespect me, you are undermining your own trust in me as your Dom, and if I allowed it, I’d be teaching you that you can’t trust me when the chips are down—and my darling,Cariña,that is simply not the case.”

It took her mind a few seconds to catch up with what Juan had said, and she had to admit she understood his reasoning. She didn’t respond because he hadn’t asked her a question,but he’d evidently seen the understanding dawn in her expression because he nodded once as if to say it was time to proceed.

“Strip.”