“You knew we wanted you,” Carrick pointed out.
“I knew that you were attracted to me.” She looked up at Carrick then turned to Jardin. “But I . . .”
“You weren’t sure about me?” Jardin snapped.
She shrugged. “You were my boss. You never seemed like . . . you were always so standoffish.”
“We talked to you about our relationship. About getting a third, that wasn’t a clue?” Jardin asked.
“I didn’t realize that meant me.”
Jardin knelt in front of her. “Then let’s clear that up now, okay?” He reached out and cupped her face between his hands.
Then he kissed her.
* * *
Fire. Heat. He dipped his tongue between her lips, and she swore he had a direct line to her clit. She squirmed on Carrick’s lap, trapped between them both.
Carrick held her tightly while Jardin ravaged her mouth. It was a wonder she didn’t come then and there.
When Jardin pulled back, she was panting and her heart raced as she stared at his smug grin. “You’re ours. Got it? We want you. And we’re having you. No arguments.”
She pressed her fingers to her swollen lips.
“Rendered you speechless, has he, rocket?” Carrick asked with amusement.
She nodded. Then she buried her face in Carrick’s chest.
“Right. I’m calmed down enough now,” Jardin said, sitting on the end of the bed, facing them. “Tell me.”
“You’re sure you want to know?” she asked.
“Thea, we can start with your punishment if that’s what you require,” Jardin warned.
A shiver moved through her. All right, was it wrong that it turned her on? That she wanted to find out what it was like to be punished at his hands? To be taken by them both?
“You could still leave. Stay out of this mess.”
Jardin’s face grew colder while Carrick tightened his hold as though he expected her to bolt at any moment. Like she’d get far this time.
“We’re going nowhere, Thea,” Jardin warned her. “The sooner you understand that the easier your life will become. Tell us.”
She cleared her throat. The threat in Jardin’s voice was clear. He’d reached the limits of his patience.
“My dad, he’s not a great guy. In fact, he’s an abusive alcoholic with a gambling addiction. Before Mom died, he wasn’t so bad. He held down a job. But after her death, he turned to drink and well . . . he’s never been the same.”
“He ever hit you?” Jardin asked.
She nodded and touched her wrist. “One day, I came home, and he broke my arm with a baseball bat. That was before I came to work for you. Another day, he grabbed my wrist hard then choked me.
“He was gone a lot, and I managed to stop him from hurting the boys. That was the main thing, keeping them safe. I don’t have legal custody of them, so we had to stay in his house. But I paid all the bills. And kept as much money as I could out of his hands. The boys got scholarships to Elite Boys Academy. They’re both really smart. And my neighbor, Juanita, she helped me juggle looking after the two of them and working full-time.”
She took in a deep breath, calming herself then turned to look up at Carrick. “The night I had dinner with you, when I got home, I got a call from a guy I know who works at a bar.”
“A guy?” Jardin asked dangerously.
“Just a friend from school,” she said hastily.