Cole's Mistake (Haven, Texas 8)

“Well, I have an idea of something I can do. Something that might prove how serious I am. How willing I am to do whatever it takes to show you I want to be a part of your lives.”

“Oh, yeah?” Julian asked. “What’s that?”

“I could submit to you.”

22

I could submit to you.

The words tumbled through Julian’s head as he cleaned up the last of the breakfast dishes. Cole had returned to his hotel room to shower and get changed, leaving them alone after his announcement.

“We’re not actually going to do it, right?” Keira asked, turning to him with a slight wince.

“You need some painkillers,” he said with a frown. He held his hand up as she went to protest. “Just some acetaminophen. They won’t hurt your tummy.”

He moved into the bathroom and grabbed the pills. He brought them back into the kitchen.

“Julian? You’re not considering it, are you?” she asked as he handed her some then filled up a glass with water.

He sighed. “I don’t know.”

Keira’s pale cheeks filled with red. “We can’t . . . we can’t dominate Cole. He’s not submissive.”

“No. Which is why he offered this. It’s a penance. It’s a way for him to prove he’ll do whatever it takes. If he chose something easy, something that wouldn’t cost him, it wouldn’t mean as much.”

“But I don’t know if I can do it. If I want to. I don’t like how hesitant he is. How much he acts like a guest. As though he’s worried that if he makes one wrong move, we’ll kick him out.”

Julian tapped his fingers on the counter. “He’s an alpha guy. But I’m not prepared to submit to him. Or allow you to. Not until we’re sure of him.”

“Do you believe what he told us?”

“I believe him,” he said without hesitation. “Doesn’t mean I agree with what he did.”

“I know. But he made a mistake. We’ve all made those right?”

That they had. Did Cole deserve a second chance? Julian wanted to believe in him. Desperately. The three of them worked so well together. They were right. And yet, there was this part of him that was still skeptical.

“I think we should do it.”

“Julian . . .” Keira bit her lip, looking uncertain. He reached out and pulled it free.

“It will be okay, buttercup. I’ll take the lead. You just follow.”

She rolled her eyes at that endearment, but he saw a smile dance on her lips. Then she grew serious. “I don’t want to hurt him. Physically or emotionally.”

“I don’t want that either. But I need more than words. We’re not forcing him. He’ll have a safeword. Limits. We’ll make certain he enjoys it. One night. Him at our mercy. And I think he might need this as much as we do.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He feels guilty, baby. Like he owes us something. Don’t you always feel better after being punished if you’ve done something naughty?”

Her face filled with understanding. “All right. So long as we don’t do any damage to anyone. I couldn’t bare that, Julian.”

He kissed her lightly. “I’ll take care of all of us. I promise.”

“We agree,” Julian said as soon as Cole walked into the guest house.

Fuck.