“Says who?” Marly was definitely fired up now.
Sexual tension thickened in the room, making Heather shiver with the anticipation of what was to come. They had all settled rather well into married life. The sex was great, but the past year or so had been lacking in some of the kinkier aspects of sexual play between herself and Sam. She realized now that it wasn’t just something she had missed; it was something that had begun to fill her with a fear she had refused to acknowledge. The fear that Sam was growing bored with her. That he no longer needed her as he had before.
That revelation caused her chest to tighten painfully. They did have, to an extent, exactly what they had been fighting for and they had been too frightened of the changes in their lives to see it.
“Says me, Marly.” Cade moved into the room, advancing slowly on his wife as she became increasingly more nervous. “You should have known the game came with a price, baby.”
Heather glanced at the other woman. Her eyes had widened in surprise. Punishment had normally been the exquisitely sensual torture of the three men driving her insane with pleasure. Heather frowned. Surely the men didn’t think they were going to resume the sharing to placate their tender feelings? After more than a year of shying away from it, Heather wasn’t about to allow it.
She stepped in front of Marly, surprising them all.
Cade stopped. His brows lowered ominously. He intimidated the hell out of her, but she wasn’t about to let him know it.
“No sharing.” She was tired o
f the game herself. Her gaze went to Sam, desperation welling up inside her as she met his hard gaze. “I mean it, Sam. No more.”
“Are you saying you didn’t enjoy it, Heather?” Cade asked softly, his voice suspiciously bland.
Fear, pain, and not a little regret rose inside her. “You know we all did,” she snapped furiously. “But enough is enough, Cade August. It’s finished.”
“It was finished over a year ago. You ladies were just too damned stubborn and determined to have it your way to notice it.” A spark of hurt, of anger, tinged his voice.
“You didn’t say anything,” Heather argued forcibly. Hell, how were they supposed to know? They were avoiding the men during that time as much as possible.
“Say anything?” Brock snapped. “Damn. Why would we? We weren’t trying to fuck you, Heather. That should have been enough.”
Exasperation laced his voice but filled all their expressions.
“Well, excuse me for not noticing you weren’t getting hard-ons for all of us.” Heather threw her hands up helplessly at that point. They were men. Dammit. She knew better than to argue with one of them. “It’s not as though you informed us of this bright idea at the time.”
“Sam.” Cade’s voice was carefully controlled now. “Would you come collect your wife so I can drag mine from behind her? Might be a good time to prove you don’t need help handling her.”
Sam’s throttled laughter had anger surging hard inside her. She clenched her fists, braced her body. She would be damned if she would be treated like a child.
“Heather?” Cade caught her attention by simply cupping her jaw with his larger hand and turning her head to meet his gaze again. What she saw there had her stilling in surprise. Warmth. Kindness and caring, but the spark of lust that glowed there for his wife wasn’t there when he gazed at her now. “You will always be my sister. Always loved by me. Always a part of me, just as Sam is. Nothing, and I mean nothing, means more to us than your, Sarah and Marly’s happiness. No matter what you want. No matter your needs. If it’s ours to give, then it’s yours.”
The vow, made so simply in a voice hoarse with emotion, had tears filling her eyes.
“But Sam’s still going to make you think twice about playing games with us again.” His wolfish smile was followed by her gasp as Sam moved in from the side, gripped her arm and began to pull her away from Marly. Brock was behind him. Sarah was thrown over a broad shoulder as she gasped in surprise. When she protested, a large calloused palm slapped her vulnerable rear lightly.
Heather wasn’t certain what happened to Marly. But the other woman was laughing. Not that she thought laughter was entirely appropriate under the circumstances.
The look on Sam’s face was unnerving. His eyes damned near glowed with lust, with love and an intent determination. Heather had a feeling the holidays were definitely beginning to look up.
Chapter Six
Sam dragged Heather from the living room. She gave him just enough to appease her sense of pride. She wasn’t going to just lie down and let him have whatever he wanted. That might spoil him. Or her. She wasn’t certain which. One thing was for sure, he was a man unwilling to take no for an answer.
He pulled her through the entryway and up the curving staircase. Each step was deliberately paced, as though he were holding onto his control by a thread. His expression, the few times he glanced back at her, was a study in sensuality. He wasn’t going to go easy on her. But quite frankly, she’d had enough easy in the past year to last for a while. She wanted her man back. Hard driving. Demanding. Dominant. She loved the gentle Sam. But she craved the bad boy sex he had seduced her with in the beginning.
He pulled her into their bedroom, slammed the door behind them, then ripped her shirt from her back. She stared down at her bared breasts in surprise and shock. He had never ripped her clothes from her before.
“Do you have any idea how hard it’s been to treat you gently? To show you how much I love you? How much you mean to me?” His low, hoarse voice had her eyes widening in surprise. Was he hurt? Had she hurt the one person she would rather die than to wound?
“Sam?” She reached out for him, then gasped in surprise when he gripped her wrists, anchoring them behind her back before his lips lowered to hers.
His kiss was pure carnal delight. His other hand gripped her jaw, forcing her mouth open for the smooth penetration of his wicked tongue. Once inside, he became rapacious. Starving. Bending her backwards as he pressed his jeans-covered erection into the hot vee of her thighs, his lips, teeth and tongue forcibly seducing her with lustful intent.