The Brink (Unbroken Raine Falling 3)

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?”