“Lacey?” Louie questioned and Stone removed his arm from his eyes. Junior leaned up on his elbows.

  “I need to use the ladies’ room.” She climbed down the bed, then hurried to the bathroom.

  She looked at herself in the mirror and saw the glow, the flushed cheeks, the blotchy chest and love marks.

  “Oh God, I slept with them. In the middle of all the life-changing events, breaking up with Jeb, finding him cheating on me, leaving my job, starting a new career, and seeing Tye.”

  She felt the tears reach her eyes and the fear reemerge. Tye had looked so angry when Louie approached and rudely pulled her away once he knew she wasn’t friends with Tye. Suzette must have warned Louie and told him to get her away from Tye. Louie would ask questions. She would have to tell him and his brothers. What would they think of her?

  She panicked and tried taking her mind off of Tye. That was years ago, when she was in college. He had manipulated her, lied to her, and gotten her to trust him. She’d fallen for his older, sexy charms and the fact that he was wealthy, good-looking, and doted on her. Her father had seen Tye flirting, showing an interest, and he had condoned it despite the fifteen-year difference in age. That was until her father found out about the abuse and why she broke things off with Tye.

  She had trusted Tye. She thought he was teaching her about love and complete commitment to a lover. But then he struck her. When she wouldn’t do what he wanted, he became forceful and violent. She broke up with him but he didn’t take no for an answer.

  She closed her eyes and hung her head, remembering the night he broke into her apartment. She shook her head.

  “No, don’t do this. Don’t think about him, about that night.”

  She needed to shower and get ready for work. She felt the tightness in her gut. She was putting up that wall again, trying to place some distance between her and the men when, meanwhile, she hadn’t slept so well in years. It was because of them, because of Stone, Junior, and Louie.

  She took off the throw blanket, folded it up, and placed it onto the counter. Grabbing a towel and washcloth, she placed them near the shower, then turned on the water. Stepping under the hot water, she tried to force the bad thoughts away.

  “Lacey, is everything okay?” Louie asked.

  “Fine. I’m just showering to get ready for work.”

  A moment later, she heard him enter the room.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? We’re worried,” he said.

  She peeked out from the side of the shower and saw him standing there, arms crossed, chiseled chest, sexy expression on his face, and she gave a soft smile.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  He looked at her body and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

  “Need some help in there?”

  She stared at him.

  “No putting up walls. We’re not going to turn on you or hurt you. I promise.”

  He seemed to have read her mind. She nodded and he pushed his boxers down and placed a foil packet next to the side of the sink near the entrance to the shower.

  The sight made her anticipate him being inside of her again. She had never made love in the shower before. It was too intimate, too personal.

  She tensed as he entered, but tried not to show it as she shampooed her hair, rinsed it, then put conditioner in it. She reached for the bottle of body wash and her loofah. She added the body wash and then placed the bottle back onto the shelf.

  “Here, let me do that.” Louie took the loofah from her and began to wash her body.

  He paid special attention to her breasts and nipples as the water from the showerhead washed the soap away. He lowered down to wash her thighs and her pussy, and shocked her when he licked her nipple.

  She held onto his head when he lifted her thigh and placed it over his shoulder as he knelt in front of her.

  “Louie,” she scolded.

  “Lean back against the wall, palms flat.”

  She did as he told her and immediately felt his fingers push upward into her pussy. She was slightly sore from last night, but the more he stroked her cunt, the wetter she became, and she no longer felt the ache.

  He kissed her belly while he thrust fingers in and out of her pussy. He curled them, finding that special spot that had her breathing rapidly, then coming hard.

  He picked her up and pressed her against the wall, covering her mouth with his own. That kiss grew hot and wild in no time and soon she was running her fingers through his hair and thrusting her hips against him.

  “I need you.”

  “Yes,” she said and kissed him again.

  He went to reach for something, but then Stone was there. “Need this?” he asked, holding a condom.

  “Thanks, bro,” Louie said and held Lacey against the wall.

  “I’m next, baby,” Stone said and winked. Lacey held his gaze as Stone reached out and caressed her nipple between thumb and pointer.

  A moment later, Louie eased back and aligned his cock with her pussy, pressing deeply into her.

  He kissed her again as he thrust into her, the water spraying over them and between them. The sounds of their moaning, their bodies slapping against one another, echoed in the room.

  She kept her arms snug around his shoulders, her breasts pressed to his chest as he thrust harder and deeper into her cunt. She felt her pussy spasm and her belly tighten as she came, calling his name.

  Louie followed two thrusts later and she thought about the way it felt making love to him with the condom on and what it might feel like without one. She had an IUD and wasn’t worried about getting pregnant, but when it came to sex with Jeb, she always made him wear a condom. Thank God, or she would be worried about catching some disease. This was the first time she didn’t want to use one.

  He kissed her neck, their bodies remained locked together, and she relished in the moment of feeling safe and complete.

  “Why did you run from bed this morning? And don’t tell me ‘to get ready for work.’ I could see the panic in your eyes. What’s going on, baby?” he asked, then he ran his fingers through his hair as the water continued to flow over them.

  “I did panic. So much has been happening in my life. Some major changes, like breaking up with a boyfriend who cheated on me, leaving my job, and starting a new business. I swore off men, and then you guys show up. It was a big risk for me last night. I guess it all sank in this morning,” she told him. She ran her hands over his shoulders and he squeezed her snugly against his hard muscles.

  “I want you to believe me when I say you can trust us, and that we’ll go as slow as you need, but last night was incredible, and this morning was, too.” He squeezed her ass and smiled at her, making her heart sore with adoration.

  “We can only move forwards from here and not backwards. You’re too perfect for us, and I hope you think we’re perfect for you, too.”

  “I do, Louie. I’m just trying to keep my head out of the clouds as a precaution. There are worries I might always have.”

  “I want to ease those worries, eliminate them, if I can.”

  She shivered as the water temperature cooled. Chuckling, he lowered her feet to the floor. “Let’s get you dried off. We can talk some more.”

  “Maybe later. I’m going to be late for work.” They stepped from the shower and Stone was there to greet them with towels. He tossed one to Louie, then wrapped Lacey in another.

  “You were going in early to meet me. I think we can be a little late.” Stone lifted her up over his shoulder and carried her to the bedroom. “Stone,” she reprimanded as Louie laughed, watching them exit the bathroom.

  Chapter 8

  Tye Weathers sat in his home office, leaving Caroline sleeping in bed. It had been a long night. He had taken his anger, his jealousy and frustrations, out on her again. Seeing Lacey had brought on a surge of emotions. She was the one woman he couldn’t have, the forbidden fruit he’d tasted, possessed some time ago, but lost because he became so obsessed with her.

  He stared at his iPad, absorbing her beauty in the most current picture he had of her. Once she’d stopped talking to him when that big guy she was with swept her away, he was certain to signal one of the photographers he knew well so they could get pictures of her, and pictures he got, including ones he didn’t want to see, ones that hurt, that angered him deep inside. That man she was with, that real estate investor and personal promoter, had his hands on her, guiding her, staking claim the entire evening. That should be his hand on her silky back, on her ass, hell, fucking her.

  He ran his hand through his jet-black hair. She was everything to him. A virgin when he first got his hands on her. Innocent, trainable, and sweet. God, she was so fucking sweet, from her kisses and her cream to her demeanor and obedience. Why couldn’t she just accept his dominance and that need to inflict pain he enjoyed so much? She would still be his now. She was perfect.

  He stared at her gorgeous, bold, ocean-blue eyes, how they would stare up at him with love, passion, and eagerness to learn more. She had a fire in her, though. It came out every now and then like a slight whip she would snap a little, like she wanted to be independent and have her own life and career. It was that stage of womanhood after graduating from college and feeling empowered.

  He shouldn’t have pushed her so hard. He shouldn’t have made her do things she was uncomfortable with. He’d pushed her too far and lost that trust. His obsession had ruined everything and that trust turned to fear of him, but he had to maintain his control. He had been her teacher, her lover, her everything, until she realized what he taught her was for his own pleasure and satisfaction.

  He swallowed hard. The fight they’d had was so vivid in his head. He’d threatened her. He was so scared to lose her, to be without her youthfulness, her beauty, and that luscious sexy body of hers, and when she was gone, when she called it all off and broke up with him, he realized he was more in love with the person she was than he was with her obedience to his control.

  He was at his wit’s end. She wouldn’t take his phone calls or accept his messages. When he broke into her apartment and waited for her, he never planned the next move. He figured he would get her to talk to him and they would work things out, but no, no, she had to start screaming at him and threatening to call the police, and to tell her father.

  He didn’t want to lose her. She was everything to him and he lost his control.

  He was so enraged, so focused on making her love him again, he only remembered bits and pieces of what he did, how he forced her to do things he wanted. He hadn’t wanted to let her go. He didn’t care about anyone or anything but owning Lacey in every way. When he’d struck her repeatedly and took her against her will, he thought he had broken her down and made her realize that together, they were perfect.

  He’d held her in his arms after they made love and she quietly cried and said she was sorry for leaving him and that she wanted time to think things through.

  He closed his eyes, remembering the feel of her curvy, sexy body against his. They’d stayed like that for hours. She’d slept in his arms. He thought things were perfect, but then he left her with plans of picking her up for dinner and resuming where they had left off the week before.

  He’d never expected that phone call from her father, threatening to pull out of the multimillion-dollar business deal they were involved in with other big-wig business men. Bradley Brooks had threatened him with so much, but it was the fact that Lacey accused him of raping and assaulting her, holding her against her will for more than twenty hours, and was ready to contact the police, their attorney, and the local media.

  The innocent, submissive student had more power than he ever had, including the ability to destroy his entire life and his reputation. It wasn’t until a year later that he found out that Lacey had just wanted to forget the entire incident and move away, but her father saw it as tool to get what he wanted in the business deal, gaining the largest cut of money and stocks in the deal and minimizing Tye’s reputation.

  That bastard Bradley never gave a shit about Lacey, but Tye knew he would always love her. She would always be the perfect woman that had gotten away, that forbidden fruit he couldn’t ever have again unless he was ready to end his life or take her away so they could disappear together, forever.

  “Tye.”

  He shot his head up to see Caroline standing there in the doorway. She was wearing the short, pale-blue nighty he had purchased for her today. After seeing Lacey at the art and designer event in the city, he’d thought about her blue eyes and how amazing Lacey looked in blue. Caroline shared similar features, but her eyes were a dull baby-blue, and her skin not as tan and smooth as Lacey’s.

  He wanted to reminisce, to remember how it was to take Lacey that night at her apartment. The re-enactment would bring him much pleasure, especially when he was finished. He knew that Caroline wouldn’t leave him and go to the police or try to trick him into anything. She was completely submissive, under his total control, and that would have to do since he could not have Lacey.

  “I want you to go into the bedroom. Lock the door. Pretend that we’ve broken up and you don’t want anything to do with me.”

  “What?” she asked. He slammed his hand down on the desk and stared at her.

  “You are to do as I say and not ask questions. I need this. I want you to fight me. Resist what I want when I come to you, then accept your punishment.” He opened the desk drawer and pulled out the rope. He slammed it onto his desk. She flinched and looked scared. That’s what he needed. His cock hardened slightly. He opened the other drawer and pulled out the knife.

  She gasped. “Tye?”

  He stared at the knife, the one he had threatened to kill Lacey with if she didn’t let him have her body that night.

  “Go to the bedroom now and do as I say.”

  “Are you thinking about her?

  He shot his head up to look at Caroline.

  “Don’t you ask me any questions, and never about her.” He stood up.

  “She hurt you, Tye. I would never hurt you. I’m better than her. I can please you in every way. She can’t. She left you and I wouldn’t.”

  “Stop!”

  He walked around the desk, rope and knife in hand. His blood was boiling, his mind reeling.

  “Do I need to gag you, too, and remind you about speaking back to me?”

  She shook her head profusely.

  “Get in the room, Caroline, or the pain will be worse than ever before.”

  She turned around and hurried down the hallway. His blood pumped faster, his mind remembering that night with Lacey. This might help to ease the painful memory of what had ultimately happened. He would make his own ending. He would have Lacey once and for all in every aspect, body, mind, and soul.

  * * * *

  Lacey slapped away Stone’s hands as he grabbed her hips and pressed up against her back behind the counter. She had deliverymen coming and going and the store was filling up with boxes. He kissed her neck, then nibbled on her earlobe.

  “There’s that dark, spacious closet in the back room that needs christening. What do ya say we lock the doors up after the next delivery and you and I go christen it?” He suckled her neck harder and oh, boy, did she want to say yes.

  “Stone, cut it out. There are no breaks today. I have people coming and going all afternoon.”

  “Damn, but I want you. I love all these sexy little skirts and blouses you wear, the high heels and thong panties.” She felt his hands smooth along her hips, then under the hem of her skirt. She pushed his hands down and laughed as she stepped from his hold. Pointing at him and trying not to show how turned-on he made her, she reprimanded him. “Stone Slane, you’re a distraction, and I think you need to remember that there’s work to get done.”

  “I’ve been telling him that for years, but he never listens.” She turned around toward the door, not even hearing anyone enter, but Stone hadn’t. The stinker knew someone was coming in. She couldn’t think with him around, touching her, arousing her. She was in trouble.

  Before she could ask the woman if she needed any help, a man walked inside and the woman smiled.

  “Lacey, meet my mom, Cass, and one of my dads, Logan.”

  Lacey was shocked as she smoothed out her skirt, smiled, and walked around the counter to meet them.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Lacey said and shook Cass’s hand, but the woman pulled her into a hug.

  “Our boys have told us so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “Thank you.”

  She accepted the handshake from Logan, who then placed his hands on his wife’s shoulders. Lacey was touched by the loving gesture. Her parents never showed any love for one another. They were both cold and self-centered.

  “This storefront is very big. It’s deceiving from outside,” Cass said as she looked around.

  “Congratulations on the store, by the way. There’s nothing like this around Wellington. The boys explained what you’ll be doing and it sounds wonderful.”

  “Thank you. I love your store, Lake Treasures. I’ve been in there a lot.”

  “I remember. You bought a bunch of the wooden carvings Stone hand-makes,” Logan told her.

  Stone placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed against her.

  “I’m going to be making some things for Lacey to sell here in the shop, too, some large mirrors and some other items to display up front,” he said and squeezed her shoulders. She reached up and covered his hand with hers. She was so petite compared to him. She felt so safe with him around her.

  Cass smiled, and so did Logan.

  “We were just heading to the hardware store for some things. I was hoping you got to ask Lacey about dinner this Saturday night?” Cass asked Stone.

  “Mom, you just called me this morning and mentioned it. I haven’t had the chance to ask her yet.”

  “Well, Lacey, are you free on Saturday? I’ve checked with Junior and Louie, they’re in.”