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“Something wrong, love?” Liam asked.
She seemed to gather herself, then shook her head. “No, Sir. I’m a bit uneasy. I’m not sure what to expect or what to do. But I guess you’ll tell me, right? Should I be on my knees or on that?”
When she pointed to the bondage bed, Hammer stepped in front of her and looped a finger under her belt. “We appreciate such a complete answer. But I want you to focus on me for a moment. Keep what you learned yesterday in mind. Communication will be critical. Today’s task is about honesty.”
Raine blanched. “I know it’s important, but sometimes the truth hurts people. I try to avoid upsetting anyone.”
“There’s a difference between saying something gently and lying. No one wants to be lied to, Raine,” Hammer pointed out. “Didn’t you have an affirmation about that earlier this morning?”
“Since you wrote them, you know I did, Sir. Seth pointed out that I can’t be responsible for how others feel, but I just don’t know how to look someone in the eye and upset them.”
His gaze softened. “Seth is right. Your responsibility is to communicate the truth, not to worry about how it affects us.”
He let that sink in and waited until acceptance flitted across her face. “I’ll do my best, Sir.”
Liam took her hand. “Talk to us throughout this exercise and do what we tell you. All will be well.”
“Let’s begin.” Hammer brushed a soft kiss over her lips, then slipped the knot around her waist free.
Liam moved behind her and took the robe from her slender shoulders. He hung it from the doorknob, then together, they led her to the side of the raised table.
“Climb up, precious.”
Casting a quick glance between the two of them again, she braced her palms on the padded surface. With his hands gripping her hips, Liam helped her up. Hammer waited on the other side, wrapping his arms around her torso to steady her.
Once they laid her supine, he and Liam both bound her wrists with cuffs built into the sides of the table. “These restraints aren’t to hold you down, but to hold you open for us. We’re going to ask you questions. Each time you answer honestly, we’ll place a new fastening around you.”
“We won’t be binding you to the table, love,” Liam added. “We’ll be binding you to us.”
Her gaze flipped over to Liam. “Do you mean that?”
“With all our hearts,” Hammer promised.
Liam smoothed the hair from her forehead. “Don’t you feel it?”
“Believing is really hard for me, but I’m trying, I swear.”
Not the answer he wanted to hear, but Hammer understood and accepted it—for now.
He finished tying off the first restraint. Under his hands, Raine trembled, but resolution filled her face.
“We see that and we’re proud. Today will be more difficult, Raine,” Hammer warned. “Yesterday showed the value of good communication. Honesty is a big part of that. I haven’t always been honest with you, and I’m changing that. You have to do the same.” Her silence made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He refused to make the same mistake twice. “Raine?”
She hesitated for a suspended moment, apprehension flashing in her eyes, but there was no point in moving on unless she committed to the rules and the process. “Yes, Sir. I understand.”
Liam gave a visible sigh of relief. “We have faith in you, Raine. Now put your faith in us.”
They had to get on with the task. Hammer knew giving her time to worry would only let her doubts sneak in.
“I trust you more than I trust myself,” she admitted.
Hammer rocked back on his heels. His heart jumped to his throat. He and Liam exchanged a glance. He saw his own shock reflected back in his friend’s dark eyes.
“Follow your instincts. We’ll help you through,” Liam vowed, then pressed a lingering kiss against her mouth.
As soon as Liam pulled back, Hammer kissed her, too, a slow brush of lips. He nudged them apart, tasted her for a sweet moment, then pulled away.
She looked at them with her heart in her eyes.
It was time to begin.
Liam leaned over the table again, hovering directly over Raine’s face. “Tell me, when you were collared to me, did you continue to cook and clean for Hammer after I told you not to?”
“Can I get in trouble for my answers?” She bit her lip.
Vixen. Hammer didn’t know whether to shake his head or laugh.
“Only if you’re bratty or dishonest,” he quipped.
With a chuckle, Liam caressed her arm. “If you’re honest, you’ll earn nothing but praise. Answer my question.”
Her eyes slid shut and she winced. “Then, yes. I did.”
“Why?” Liam prodded.
She cracked an eye and looked Hammer’s way. She’d never once told him that his dinner was in the oven or that she’d changed his sheets. Just like he’d never openly thanked her. Instead, he’d had the oil changed in her car and left squares of her favorite chocolates where only she would find them. It had been their secret.
