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“The two of you all right?” Joel asked.
All right? Uh, no.
“She’s nervous. When she’s nervous she can’t really stay still. I call her kitten because she’s always reminded me of one. Sometimes, she’s playful and a little cheeky, other times she’ll curl up so peacefully in my lap.”
“Have you ever done any pet play with her?” Jardin asked carefully.
“Once.”
He saw Keira struggle with the tray, which held the coffee, creamer and sugar and jumped up to help her before it could tip and go everywhere.
“Sit down,” he told her gently. “I have this.”
She was obviously reluctant to sit but didn’t have an excuse not to. He laid t
he tray down on the coffee table and she immediately jumped up to her feet. “Let me fix it for you.” She made his and Joel’s then turned to Jardin.
He gave her a gentle smile, probably noting the way her hands shook. She made his coffee how he asked for it then nearly sloshed it over the side of the mug as she handed it to him.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he told her in a low voice, taking the cup. She jolted at his words, and the coffee spilled.
“Oh, God! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.”
The fear in her voice made Julian’s heart ache and his pain immediately turned to anger, which he turned on Jardin. He scowled at the other man. If he dared scold her, he’d make the other man’s life a living hell.
“Keira, did you burn yourself?” Jardin stood, reaching out a hand, but she shied back.
Julian stood, grabbing hold of her and pushing her behind him.
“Hey, easy,” Jardin said soothingly to both of them. “I’m not angry. It was an accident. I just wanted to make sure Keira didn’t hurt herself.”
Julian took a breath, trying to tamp down the raging beast inside him. He knew he wasn’t helping anyone, least of all Keira, by overreacting.
“Did you get burned?” he managed to ask in a calm voice.
“I’m fine,” Jardin replied, in a voice that was both soft and firm. Fuck, for the first time he wished he was attracted to the other man. He had an innate dominance, like Joel. They were both confident and in command, yet not complete assholes about it.
He couldn’t say the same about a lot of other Doms he’d met.
“I’m more worried about Keira right now. Keira, can you please come out from behind Julian and look at me. Julian is here. Joel is here. There’s nothing to fear.”
Again, his voice was a mix of understanding and firmness. He wasn’t going to force her to do anything, but he was still letting her know what he expected.
“I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to burn you. I was just so nervous.” She stepped to Julian’s side, but no further. He checked both of her hands, but they were unharmed. He could feel her shaking and wrapped his arm around her.
“Look, obviously this isn’t going to work,” Julian said to Saxon and Jardin. “She’s terrified of him. Maybe it would just be best if you both left.”
And then where would they be? Back at square one? For some reason his mind shot to Cole. If he were here, she wouldn’t be afraid.
If he were here, you’d probably have your hands wrapped around his throat. Wouldn’t that be fun?
“How about we just give this a bit more of a chance,” Saxon said easily, still sitting there, seemingly relaxed.
“Sweetheart, I’m not angry at you,” Jardin told her kindly. “We all make mistakes. And we all get nervous. First time I entered a BDSM club, I was so nervous about plugging the sub I was playing with I put way too much lube on the plug and her ass. When I went to pick it up, it flew out of my hand and hit another Dom in the face. He was not impressed.”
There were a few seconds of silence then Keira burst into laughter. Julian gave her a surprised look then found his tension easing at the sound of her giggles. He glanced over at Jardin with gratitude.
The other man sent him a wink. Okay, that was more playful than he’d imagined the lawyer to be.
