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“This will let everyone know you’re mine while you’re here,” he said into her ear. “Don’t take it off.”
“Yes, sir.”
He fastened the lock and ran his fingertip along the hollow of her throat. “And don’t worry about half-assed, baby. I’ll make sure you get exactly what you need.”
She shivered, goose bumps tracking over her exposed skin. This wasn’t a side of Jace she’d ever seen. He’d always kept it lighthearted around her when they were younger—quick with a joke or harmless teasing. The guy who hadn’t taken anything seriously, including her. Master J seemed to be a whole different animal all together. If she focused on that, this different persona, maybe blocking out the past would be easier than she thought.
He urged her forward, and she tried to find her voice. “Grant said I may have to do something in front of the group.”
Jace shook his head as he led her to the side of the room. “Only guests are required to submit publicly. You and I? We need to take care of some things in private first. Now move. Andre, get the door.”
She whipped her head around to see Jace’s friend from the conference a few steps behind them. Andre shot her a saucy smile, then moved in front of her to shove open the door. He swept an arm in front of her. “After you, bella.”
They entered a quiet hallway, her hammering heart and unsteady breath the only sound. She looked between the two of them. “Where are we going?”
“Our cabin,” Jace said. “And you’re not so good at this not speaking thing, Sasha.”
She huffed.
They reached the end of the corridor, and Jace grabbed a long silk robe from a hook and draped it over his shoulder. “It’s gotten chilly.”
Andre pushed open the exit door, and the cool night air rushed over her as they stepped outside. He crooked a thumb at one of the two golf carts lined up next to the wall of the main building. “I reserved one of the cabins next to the lake. It’s too far to walk with Evan—er, Sasha—barefoot. We can take one of these, or if you want to go scenic, I can call the stable and have them bring around two of the horses.”
Horses? The place had freaking horses? Damn, how much had Daniel paid for her to get in here?
“Let’s just take the easy route for now.” Jace moved behind her, running his palms along her arms. “As lovely as you look all trussed up like this, I’m going to need to undo these. You have to be able to hold on to the cart.”
She warmed under his touch and the compliment, but kept her mouth shut. She would prove that she could stay quiet even though it was killing her not to ask a hundred questions. Jace unfastened her cuffs and slid them off. She stretched her arms above her head and rolled her wrists.
When she glanced up, she found Andre watching her, his gaze hot enough to set the cedar-planked building behind them on fire. He put his hands in his pockets, and her focus was drawn downward where the crotch of his black slacks bulged.
“Your woman’s eyes are wandering, Jace,” Andre teased.
She quickly looked away, her cheeks heating. “Sorry.”
Jace chuckled behind her. “Don’t apologize. You have permission to look at Andre all you want. And you’re going to have to get used to guys getting hard at the sight of you. You look like a walking wet dream in this getup.”
Her breath caught.
“You’re surprised I’d say that to you,” he said, his voice close to her ear, his body heat warming her back. “Tell me why.”
“I’ve just never seen this side of you. You were always so—”
“Careful? That’s because you were my foster sister and didn’t need to see this side of me. Didn’t need to see how non-brotherly my feelings had become for you.”
She stilled.
His hands gripped her shoulders from behind, causing her to flinch. “That’s right, Evan. If you don’t hear anything else that I say, hear this. I didn’t sleep with you because I felt sorry for you. I did it because I’d wanted you so bad and for so long that when you offered, I wasn’t strong enough to do the right thing and say no.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, the revelation rocking her to her foundation. She wanted to ask why—why had he said all those things afterward, turned her away? But she wasn’t sure she needed to hear those answers right now. This was supposed to be free of the past. It wasn’t the time for forgiveness or healing hurt feelings. Venturing into that territory was dangerous. “Jace—”
“Shh, don’t say anything. I’m going to keep to my promise of no past. I just wanted you to know that before we go any further. Needed you to know that whatever I do with you this weekend isn’t to right some wrong or because I owe you for fucking up back then. It’s because you’re a beautiful woman who’s asking to be dominated. I’ll give you one guess as to what that does to me.”
Her heart began to thump harder. He grasped her wrist and drew it low behind her back. Denim rasped against her fingers as he cupped her hand over his rock-hard erection. Her knees wobbled as liquid heat rushed through her.
“Lack of attraction is definitely not a problem. Never has been,” he whispered. “Only now, I don’t have to hide it.”
Andre cleared his throat. “Unless you two plan to get it on right here in the doorway, we should probably get a move on.”
