Dominic stayed silent, his stare holding Law’s.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re willing to admit it or not,” Law grumbled. “Even if you don’t want her, you should’ve let her down easy. Goddamn it, I’ve seen you handle women for years. You know how to treat them kindly even when they’re rude. Kinley tried to play by your rules and negotiate because she didn’t feel that she had the right to simply ask for what she needed. And you treated her like crap.”
Dominic opened his mouth, then stopped. Sighed. “I didn’t mean to make her feel bad.”
“But you didn’t hold back, did you?”
“I did what I thought I needed to do,” he shot back between clenched teeth.
“To protect yourself, yeah. And you didn’t care if you hurt her in the process.” It wasn’t a question. It was the truth.
Law was done He couldn’t seem to get through Dominic’s thick skull, and Riley had built up a fortress around himself that Law wasn’t sure anyone would ever get through. Was he willing to give up Kinley because his brothers wouldn’t give her a chance?
No one ever put her first. If he was going to be her man, Law knew he needed to think about her above all others.
“I’m done here,” Law said. “I’m going to Kinley. I’m glad I’m not too dumb to see the future possibilities with her. I’ll take care of her from now on. If she figures something out that will help you put Jansen behind bars, I’ll let you two know. But starting now, she’s mine. I make any decisions that concern her.”
“What the hell, Law? You can’t just take ownership of her like she’s a stray.”
“I’m taking responsibility for her. And I’m going to get a collar around her neck as soon as I can. Once I do, I expect you both to respect my rights. I was more than willing to share her, but I can see I’ll have to do this on my own.”
He turned and stalked out, frustration welling. He’d finally found the right woman and they were too stubborn to see it. How could something so right go so fucking wrong?
He stopped outside Kinley’s door, hesitating for the first time. Would she even want to talk to him? Or would she put him in the same category as Dominic? Law could almost forgive his brother. Riley had been deeply hurt by Simone. But Dominic? He’d known the relationship with that bitch wouldn’t work out, yet he still hadn’t treated Simone half as badly as he’d just behaved toward Kinley.
That was past. Time to forge his future. Law took a deep breath and knocked on her door.
“Go away. I’m not trying to escape.”
He turned the knob and walked in, standing over her as she stared out the window, attempting to hide the fact that she’d been crying. In fact, they’d made her cry far too much for his liking.
It was past time to take charge.
“I know you aren’t,” he assured.
“Good. I said I’ll help you. And I’m not going to press charges when this is over. So you can leave me alone.”
He could hear the tears in her voice, and they tore at him as he approached her. Damn, he wished he was better with words. “Baby, I won’t do that. In fact, I won’t ever leave you alone again.”
Her shoulders shook, and she sniffled. “Don’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not fair.”
“Aww, baby…” Law pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest. “Don’t cry. Dominic isn’t usually so harsh with women. I think he’s confused. He’s caught between wanting you and avenging his sister. You have to understand that he’s been trying to implicate Jansen for a very long time.”
“I wasn’t talking about what he said. I meant the whole situation. I finally find a man who seems to really want me, but his two best friends don’t. And that’s a deal breaker for you.”
Oh, he could solve that problem for her.
Law hooked a finger under her chin and nudged her head up. “Do you want me, Kinley? Do you want me to teach you about sex? Because I will. I don’t need Dominic and Riley to do it.”
She bit into her lower lip, and his cock ached. “Yes.”
“Listen, what the other two want doesn’t matter. I want you. I can’t wait to teach you everything, but before we go any further, you should understand that I’m a rough man. I have certain…needs.”
How did he explain to a virgin that he would want to tie her up until she was completely helpless and, oh yes, he was definitely going to want to fuck her ass well and often.
Sexy pillow talk. He wasn’t good at it. Dominic was. Sometimes the man wouldn’t shut up about how much he wanted a woman and what he intended to do to make her scream down the roof.
But Dominic wasn’t here now. Neither was Riley to smooth things over. He’d made the choice to have Kinley on his own, so he had to try to make this right.
“What kind of needs?”
He could start out with the basics. “I need you to listen and obey me in the bedroom.”
Though her eyes were shining with tears, a little smile curved her lips up. “Since I don’t know anything, I think I can handle that. I’m really not completely idiotic, you know. I mean it’s not like you have to teach me what sex is. I took the class in high school.”
What he wanted to teach her, no classroom sex ed course would have covered. But thoughts of every wicked thing he intended to do to her ran through his imagination. His cock was already rock hard and straining against his jeans.
Law couldn’t help himself. He had to kiss her. He talked between sweet brushes of their lips. “Tell me what you know. You’ve been kissed before.”
“Yes, but it didn’t feel this good. It didn’t make me…antsy.” She caressed her way up his biceps, to his shoulders, then wrapped her arms around his neck.
Antsy. He liked making her feel that way. He could keep her on the edge for hours, licking and sucking and playing with her. In fact, he was dying to. “Before Dominic, has a man ever played with your breasts?”
“Once, but I didn’t like it. In high school, my biology lab partner kissed me and grabbed my breasts. It kind of hurt.”
“He was rough, and you weren’t aroused, baby. Trust me, I’ll make sure you’re ready for some rough play eventually. You liked when Dominic touched you. He was gentle, right?”
“Not when he pinched my nipples.” Her skin flushed a pretty pink. “I liked that, Law. It hurt at first. Then it felt good.”
Because she was at least a bit of a masochist. A man like Jansen would use that against her, but Law wanted to set her free. The pain he intended to give her would only intensify her pleasure. If she didn’t have it, if she forced herself to live a vanilla life, she would always be missing that deep surrender that only a Dom could coax and command from her.
“That’s honest. I needed to know that. It’s great that you need more bite to the sensations I give you. We’ll go slow, though. I promise.” He rubbed their noses together.
Law had never reveled in the physical. Sex had been a bodily function, pleasurable for sure, but he hadn’t ever had the impulse to lose himself in a lover the way he did with Kinley.
He brushed his hand across her breast, and she shivered. “Going slow will make getting to the end so much more special. You deserve a lover who takes his time with you, Kinley. You need a man who will protect you and cherish you. One who worships you. I’m going to fulfill all your needs.”
She looked both hopeful and a bit skeptical. “No ploys? No front to help your buddy?”
“Nope. I’ll still help Dominic. Losing Carrie nearly crushed him. But I won’t let him hurt you to do it. You trusted me before. All that’s really changed is my name and a few minor details. Everything else was real. I’m that same guy.”
Kinley chewed on her lip, considering. “What you’re describing—taking care of me—that wasn’t how it worked in my family. My mother took care of my father, but he didn’t give her much in return. I see that now.”
“It won’t be that way between us. Your men should adore you. Your men should think you’re the sun in the sky.” He closed his eyes briefly. Man, not men. It would take him a while to give up that fantasy. And he’d have to figure out how to ensure her safety and future in case something happened to him. But for Kinley, he would. “Your man, I mean. And I’m going to put you first. Do you understand me? Kinley, if you let me have you, you’re going to be above everything else. When I make a decision, it will be with you in mind.”
It struck him suddenly that he was being too open. He was putting everything out there—his heart, his pride, his soul—and maybe he shouldn’t. Kinley had only asked for sex, not commitment. She might reject him.
He had no idea what the fuck he would do if she did. Or worse, if she laughed at his devotion.
“You can’t take it back.” She reached up and cupped his jaw. “I see you hesitating and… You can’t say those things to me, then change your mind.”
Kind of what Annabelle had told him, too. Kinley was a forever kind of girl. Law was ready to devour the cake.
Peace settled over him. This was the right woman. The timing might be shitty, but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t giving her up.
But damn it, even if his head had given up on Dominic and Riley, his gut refused to do the same. “Can we give the others some time? They might come around.”
Maybe when they saw that Kinley wasn’t going anywhere, that being with her didn’t have to mean the end of Dom’s justice or be the start of another heartbreak for Riley, they would give her a fair chance.
“What if they don’t want me?” she whispered. That clearly worried her.
“They do. Oh, baby, I know them. Dominic might not be blood, but he’s my brother in all the ways that count. Trust me, he’s practically dying from hunger. It’s why he’s acting like such an ass. Riley is just…” God, he didn’t want to bring up Simone now during a time that was supposed to be about Kinley and her needs. “He’s being a pussy. Sorry.”
He had to stop cussing like a fucking sailor in front of her.
“Stop apologizing, Law. I like you the way you are. Will you…kiss me? Touch me?”
“Gladly.” He covered her lips with his and got ready to teach her everything. She deserved all he could give her and more.
Kinley really deserved better than him, Dominic decided. He stomped to the liquor cabinet and poured himself three fingers of Scotch. Thank god the James brothers had excellent taste in liquor.
He downed it without really tasting it and poured a second glass.
“What do we do now?” Riley asked, his voice tight.
Because the guy thought he’d just lost his brother. Dominic conceded that he might be right. “We do what Law asked. We respect his rights.”
Law meant to claim Kinley and become her rightful Master. He would be the one to take her hand and her virginity, then lead her into the world of Dominance and submission they’d all come to crave.
God, once Law took her under his wing, even if he forgave Dominic, the woman would probably still drive a wedge between them. He hated that fact. And he saw only one way to avoid it. Give in.
Law also had damn fine instincts. Did he sense that Kinley could handle what they all needed? Dominic paced, his thoughts racing before he paused to pour more Scotch. Instead, he put the bottle down and stared out the door, toward Kinley’s room. Had he made a mistake? Had he just thrown away something precious?
“Law is going to regret this, right?” Riley’s stare, too, trailed to the hallway where Law had just disappeared.
“I don’t know.” Dominic wasn’t sure what to think. He’d been so certain earlier what path to choose. Now, he was at a loss. All because he couldn’t stop thinking about one blonde—who just happened to be the key to the revenge he’d made the cornerstone of his life for years. If he embraced one, did it necessarily mean he had to give up the other?
“You want to join them, don’t you?” Riley’s tone came out almost like an accusation.
“Don’t you?” Dominic turned on him. He could see plainly that Riley was struggling as well. He’d seen how Riley looked at Kinley, the way his eyes kept straying to her mouth, her breasts, and that luscious ass of hers. He’d noticed how Riley hung on her every word.
“It’s a bad idea.”
“But what if Law’s right?” Dominic argued. “Your brother is no fool. What if she’s the one?”
“Get your head out of this fucking fairy tale. There’s no such thing as ‘the one.’”
Riley was probably right, but Dominic couldn’t stop wondering. “What if Kinley could be happy at the center of a ménage, at least for a while? It’s more than we have now.” What if she really was strong enough to handle them and could hold them all together?