Fierce and proud, she looked hauntingly lovely, even as she stood wronged and breaking before them.
He bit back a curse. If he had a do-over on this afternoon, he wouldn’t have simply humiliated Gwyneth; he would have throttled her.
Liam darted a glance at Hammer, who looked as if he wanted to unleash his own form of justice on Gwyneth. But now, they needed to deplete Raine’s anger and heal the devastation the bitch had inflicted—fast.
Hammer met his stare and nodded.
Without a word, Liam wrapped Raine in his arms.
She flinched and bucked against him. “Don’t you touch me!”
He ignored her because she obviously needed the reassurance of his embrace badly. Instead, he nudged her against the wall as Hammer gathered her flailing arms and pinned them above Raine’s head.
Liam cupped her cheeks in his palms and forced her to look at him. “Listen to me, Raine, and listen well. You’ve let Gwyneth crawl inside your head and dredge up your insecurities. Hear my side of things before you decide to do anything rash, like throw us away.”
Liam explained everything, beginning with that bloody benefit. Raine took that in stride, sending him a shake of her head. Clearly, she thought he’d been an idiot. Take a number and get in line…
Explaining today’s events, starting with Gwyneth’s four a.m. phone call, proved much trickier.
“I didn’t want to leave the lodge,” he swore. “I never would have just for Gwyneth’s sake. I don’t give a shit about her. But I had a responsibility to find out if Kyle was mine.”
“But you don’t think he is?” Raine asked.
“I’m about ninety-nine percent sure, but I’ll have proof of that by tomorrow.”
“How?” She cut him a skeptical glare. “Something other than ESP or simply deciding that your ex-wife is a loon, I hope.”
That segued into the stickiest explanation—him taking Kyle’s DNA, fucking with Gwyneth’s head, then walking out on her screaming and restrained to Beck’s kitchen chair.
She rolled her eyes. “Please… Looking at her in that killer lingerie wasn’t any sort of hardship. No living heterosexual man would turn her down. I can hear you still breathing. I know you’re heterosexual, so—”
“I rebuffed her,” Hammer cut in. “More than once. I refused her four years ago, and I did it again this afternoon.”
Raine’s blue eyes widened. “She hit on you?”
“More or less. I shut that down.”
“I did, too,” Liam added. “She took me by surprise when she popped out of the loo in that getup. I certainly didn’t ask her to put it on.”
“But hey, since she’s wearing butt floss and you just happened to have full use of Beck’s toys, why not relive the best parts of your marriage?”
Liam choked back a laugh. Even mad, his saucy wench had a quick wit.
“No. Gwyneth and I never engaged in anything remotely close to BDSM play when we were married. Today was the first time. And what you saw—the toys, the restraints, and the welt on her ass—that wasn’t for any sexual pleasure or because I wanted her submission.”
“He had to mindfuck her to get some answers because we owe them to you, precious,” Hammer insisted.
“Exactly. I used her desperation and my Domination to manipulate her. I owed her humiliation, and trust me when I say she didn’t enjoy it.”
“She looked pretty damn satisfied when I saw her.” Raine struggled against their hold again. “Let go.”
He and Hammer held firm, knowing they couldn’t give her any slack now.
“No.” Macen gripped her wrists tighter.
Liam brushed the hair from her face. “Never.”
“Seriously, Liam…” Raine gritted her teeth. “I don’t believe for one minute that you shoved your Dominant side away when you married her. That would be totally out of character.”
But he had. “After Juliet took her life, I did my best to deny myself the lifestyle that made her want to end everything. I buried my needs and swore I’d fly right. I knew abstaining wouldn’t bring Juliet back, but I felt compelled to give her some penitence. It wasn’t until after my divorce that I did some soul searching and realized I couldn’t deny my nature forever. I need to be who I am.”
“So you came here,” Raine stated flatly.
“Eventually, yes. Then I met you, love. But that’s why Gwyneth and I were purely vanilla. I didn’t believe I should live a D/s life with my wife.”
Raine didn’t say anything for a long moment, but her lips began to quiver. “But D/s is okay for your whore? Got it.” She struggled for freedom again. “I know my place. You can let go now.”
Liam almost did. Damn it. No matter what he said, she only heard the worst. He understood that she was hurt and angry…but she made him feel as if she would never trust his love.
“When have I ever treated you like a whore, Raine?” Liam wanted to say more but wasn’t sure what would convince her. He looked at Hammer, wordlessly asking for help.
“Never,” the man growled. “And she knows that. She’s thinking with emotion, not logic.” Macen turned on her. “Listen to him. You know damn well where Liam’s heart lies. Mine, too. We’re both in love with you or we wouldn’t be here fighting. And don’t you ever call yourself a whore again.”
Looking slightly chagrined, she stopped trying to pull from their grasps. Liam wasn’t sure they were reassuring her. Suddenly, he knew what would.
Liam sent a resolute glance at Macen. “I think we need to show her. Right now.”
Hammer looked blank for a moment, then he caught on. A slow smile spread over his face. “Oh, yeah.”
“Show me what?” she asked suspiciously. “Your penises? I’ve already seen those. If you two think you’re going redirect me with sex and cool my anger with orgasms, think again.”
Liam shook his head. “I’d like to, but no. We have something else in mind.”
Hammer issued an evil chuckle. “And if we take you someplace, you can’t act like a brat. Can you stop clawing, biting, and screaming for fifteen minutes?”
She leveled Hammer with a dry, derisive stare. “I don’t know. Can you stop being an ass that long? You’re on my shit list, too. You lied straight to my face.”
Remorse settled over Hammer’s features. “Yes, I did. And I’m sorry. Without consulting Liam, I decided the gas station on the side of the highway wasn’t the time or the place to tell you about Gwyneth suddenly appearing with a baby. I wanted to wait until the three of us could sit down so we could tell you privately.”
She sighed. At least she appeared to be mulling his words. “Don’t ever lie to me again, Macen.”
“I won’t,” he vowed softly.
She softened slightly, then raised her chin to scowl at Liam. “That goes for you, too.”
“Lying to you was never an option for me,” Liam assured as he leaned closer and brushed his lips over hers.
Thankfully, she didn’t object.
“So…will you come with us and not raise a fuss?” Hammer settled his lips against the pulse point of her neck.
Raine gave a shuddering little exhalation, part resignation…and just the smallest part excitement. “All right.”
“Wait here. I’ll be right back,” Liam instructed, then rushed down the hall to his room.
Yanking his suitcase from the back of the closet, he unzipped a side compartment and plucked the blue velvet box from inside. He flipped it open. Yep, the little gem still lay inside.
Though it had barely been two weeks since Liam had intended to surprise her, it seemed like a lifetime ago. Of course, chaos had ensued—a shit storm coming from every direction—and he’d never found the right moment to give her this gift. Maybe that had been for the best. The three of them had been through so much together. Liam felt a unity and rightness in surprising her with Hammer at his side. The time was now.
Liam hoped this would be the key to solidifying their future.
When he returned,
Raine had sidestepped to put a bit of distance between her and Hammer. She wore a pensive expression.
He crossed the room and wrapped an arm around her waist. Hammer joined him and did the same. Together, they filed out the door.
Her posture was stiff as they led her down the hall, through the dungeon, past the bar, and finally outside. She didn’t utter a word as they made their way to the Escalade. Discreetly, he scanned the car park for any sign of Bill. He noticed Hammer did the same. With Kendall popping up to extort more money and making veiled threats, they couldn’t afford not to tell Raine for much longer. And Liam also suspected his old pal hadn’t come clean about bribing dear old Dad. Christ, they’d have to cross that bridge soon, too…
One catastrophe at a time.
* * *
As Liam slid behind the wheel of his SUV, Hammer settled Raine in the front passenger seat, ensuring she was buckled in. Then he folded all six foot three of him in the backseat.
“Ready?” Liam asked.
How was she supposed to answer that? “Where exactly are you taking me?”
Liam sent her a secretive smile and pulled out of the lot. “You’ll see.”
She tried not to feel hurt that they intentionally kept her in the dark. After all, they behaved as if whatever they meant to show her would make her happy. She couldn’t imagine what that would be. Sending Gwyneth off at the airport with a one-fingered sayonara, maybe. Of course, Raine could think of a hundred reasons Liam and Hammer would lie to her about what had really happened with the woman earlier today, but only one reason they would tell the truth.
Because they loved her.
After the strife they’d been through, Raine’s head told her they did. Her heart really wanted to believe it. Was she so broken that she simply didn’t know how?
The possibility filled her with wretched desolation.
She’d been so sure of their feelings for her at the lodge. If anyone had asked her last night, she would have insisted nothing could come between the three of them. How terrifying that at the first sign of trouble, she was questioning everything. Raine wished like hell she knew how to make it stop.
As Liam turned off Wilshire heading south on Crenshaw, he reached over and wrapped his hand around hers. Hammer caressed her shoulder. Raine didn’t pull away, but inside she felt frozen.
She hated being this scared girl who didn’t trust anyone. Other than her mother and grandparents—all of whom were gone—no one had shown her much kindness, at least until Hammer had taken her in. And then, he’d cared for her like a protective parent…while rejecting her as a lover. Liam was the first man to try filling both roles at once. In the last few days, Hammer had broken through the defenses he’d erected after Juliet’s suicide and, like Liam, become her Dom in every sense of the word. She wanted to trust them both so badly now, ached to be cocooned in their love and reassurance.
But she just kept seeing Gwyneth’s smug face, half-exposed breasts, and freshly paddled ass.
Had they really turned the woman down?
Lost in a chasm between painful hope and white-hot fear, she didn’t know how much time had passed. Suddenly, Liam turned up to the gate of a posh residential district.
When she’d been a girl, she’d sometimes sneaked away from her father and ridden her bike here, imagining herself in one of these big, character-filled houses. In her imagination, each one had been filled by a happy couple who looked on fondly while their children played on the manicured lawn, then enjoyed a hot meal every night before Mommy and Daddy tucked them into bed with kisses. Life was perfect here.
To Raine’s shock, the gate opened immediately for Liam.
“We’ll be there in two minutes,” he said suddenly.
Her heart stuttered. “Where?”
Raine already knew there wasn’t any thru traffic on this street, only more houses. Were they taking her to a private play party with the rich and famous? To meet some celebrity? Or…
She’d heard about houses that took in subs for training. Surely Hammer and Liam wouldn’t drop her off like dirty laundry and leave her to be tutored by strangers…would they? No. They were too damn controlling. If they’d wanted to do that, they wouldn’t have bothered taking her to the lodge.
“It’s a surprise,” he replied in a low, beguiling voice.
“A good one,” Hammer added softly. “Relax.”
She wasn’t very good at that. They might be with her now, but the part of Raine that knew she’d never been half as pretty as Macen’s usual conquests was petrified that Liam’s nasty slut of an ex-wife would steal him from her.
Follow where they lead you. Let go of your control. They’re not going to let you fall. Seth’s words earlier rolled through her head. Instead of believing that, Raine had stomped her way back to Shadows, looking for a fight because that was easy. In fact, she could fight all day long. She’d spent most of her life fighting—her abusive father, her feelings for Hammer, and now these stupid insecurities about Gwyneth. She even wanted to fight against the bleeding wound inside her after Liam’s remark that he wouldn’t sully his wife with BDSM.
But Raine couldn’t be mad at him because his commitment to her wasn’t strong enough for marriage. She’d just been dumb enough to think they’d have a storybook ending. Yeah, because the princess in the tower always got it on with two guys.
Liam and Hammer cared, absolutely. They would appreciate the woman with whom they shared good times, a few laughs, and lots of mind-blowing sex. It was her fault for wishing that meant forever.
Raine withdrew her hand from Liam’s and stared out the window, blinking away her tears while trying to hold herself together. Just a little while longer. She’d look at their surprise, then beg a headache when they returned to the club, lock the bathroom door, and cry this maudlin shit out of her system.
Then she’d just enjoy one day at a time with them, all the way to the inevitable end.
Liam made another left, and the houses just got bigger and bigger…until they passed one with a tennis court in the backyard. There, they made another left, onto a cul-de-sac. Toward the end of the street, Liam pulled into a U-shaped driveway lined by lovely manicured hedges with an interior filled by a patch of lush grass. A brick walkway, guarded by two marble statues of lions, bisected the foliage and led to the front door, illuminated by warmly glowing lights.
The house was huge but somehow still oozed charm. Big, beautiful windows dotted the front of the pale gray stucco façade. The French doors in the middle opened to a white Juliet balcony, which, along with a pair of traditional fluted columns, formed the portico over the massive front door with glass insets, which gave the house grandeur. Wrought iron planters spilling out with a profusion of colorful flowers framed all the other windows along the front.
Liam killed the engine. Hammer all but jumped out of the car to open her door. As he helped her out and Liam came around to take her other arm, Raine stared.
“Why are we here?” she asked them. “Do you know who lives in this place?”
“I do. Isn’t it lovely?”
“Incredible.” God, she’d give anything to stay here for even a night, just so she could pretend the house was hers.
Liam’s smile turned brighter. “Then come with us.”
Raine grew more confused with each step they took up the brick entrance, toward the front door. Had they rented it for the night since the lodge was so far away?
When the three of them reached the portal, Liam reached into his pocket. “Hold out your hand, love.”
With a puzzled frown, she did. He set a small blue velvet box in her palm, cupping the top of the soft case with his fingers and curling them around her own. “Raine, whatever you think, you mean everything to Hammer and me. We’re not planning to be with you for a day or a month or even a year. We’re committed to staying by your side, through thick and thin, day in and day out, sharing our lives with you. We love you, now and forever.”
As his words melted her, Raine loo
ked at their joined hands, then glanced into Liam’s solemn face. “I don’t understand.”