Bound by Love's Gravity (24 page)

Ready to start the night anew and more than prepared to make up for his lack of control, Deke scooted away from Sarah. Using a gingerly touch, he rolled her flat onto her back on the mattress, making damn sure he kept her between his and Adam’s body on their bed. “Let’s get you out of these clothes.”

Blinking up at him with her spellbinding eyes, she locked their gazes, and his breathing grew heavier, more ragged. The air escaped his lungs in hot, moist respirations as he peered at her pretty face. “Speaking of my dress,” she whispered, “I need to thank you for getting it. You guys have great taste.”

Huh? What dress?
Deke knew his jaw had to have dropped. If not, he’d been doing a damn good job of hiding his puzzlement. Apparently, he wasn’t the only lost one. Adam turned over to his side in a rush, his huge body shaking the bed in his haste and bumping into Sarah’s with a grunt.

Completely unaware of the sudden tension permeating the room, Sarah went on. “I’ve been dying to thank you guys for the presents.” She patted both of their chests. “The flowers, candy, and stuffed animals were terribly sweet. But goodness, the dress and jewelry were too much.” Sliding her lids closed, she sighed. “I hope you guys aren’t too mad that I’m saying something. I know how you like to secretly do things for me. But seriously, you both deserve to know how much I loved all of it.”

Deke glanced at Adam, who stared back at him and shook his head. “I didn’t,” he mouthed. “Did you?”

“No,” he mouthed back.

Fluttering her eyelids open, she glanced at both of them, one at a time. “You know you’re going to spoil me. Right?”

“Right,” Adam croaked with a frown.

Evidently, his partner wasn’t going to set the record straight.
Great. Fucking great. We need details, and he’s going to beat around the bush. I don’t fucking think so.
“Sarah,” he started. But Adam promptly cut him off.

“What was your favorite one, sweet pea?” he asked, flashing one of his charming smiles.

For once in his life, Deke wanted to smack that expression off his partner’s face. He was using his charisma to trap their woman. And Deke didn’t like it. Not one damn bit.

Sarah stared off into space as though seeing something he and Adam couldn’t. She wore the sappiest grin he’d ever seen, even from her. If he hadn’t been about to lose his mind and his heart wasn’t threatening to beat out of his chest, he would have watched her like that all night long.

“Hmm,” Sarah said. “I really liked Deke’s class ring. You know how old-fashioned I am. I felt like one those college girls whose boyfriend pinned her.” Wistfully, she sighed. “I can’t imagine how happy I’ll be to wear your collar. It’ll be so romantic.”

Silence.
There wasn’t a noise, save their breathing.

Sarah clearly misunderstood their reaction. She flushed a rosy red then rushed to correct what she’d seen as an overstep of her boundaries. “Not that you’re going to collar me. I mean. At least, not right now…maybe one day, if I’m lucky or good or whatever.” Averting her eyes, she added, “Man, I’m getting ahead of myself.” By the time she finished her rambling, she was breathing raggedly, her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.

Adam recovered before Deke did, saying, “No, sweet pea. You just surprised us.” Caressing the exposed skin of her stomach, he planted a lingering kiss on Sarah’s lips. “We will collar you when the time is right. But it has to be special.”

“Oh. I understand.”

It’s a good thing she understood something because Deke sure as fuck didn’t. He hadn’t given her the things she thought he had, and he’d never wasted his money on a silly class ring he’d never wear, so there was no way he could have sent it to her.

Obviously, someone is sending her things. If it isn’t us, who?
Deke’s stomach churned at the prospects. He and Adam had enemies—a lot of them. And there was always her psychotic ex-boyfriend. But which one could it be? He didn’t know.

We’d better find out who it is—quick—because I can’t survive losing her. I love her.
He gasped inaudibly.
Oh, my God. I love her.

No matter how much he tried to deny his feelings, he loved Sarah. He would die for her. If it came to it, he would kill for her, too, if it meant saving her. He just prayed it never came to that.

Exhausted after several bouts of lovemaking, Adam slipped out of the master bedroom he shared with Deke and now Sarah. He moved stealthily in the stillness, following his partner as unobtrusively as possible. He held his breath, praying the exhausted beauty asleep in their bed didn’t awaken cold and alone. He didn’t want her to think they’d abandoned her like insensitive pricks. But this was necessary. He had to talk to Deke, and he had to do it now.

Taking a final peek at Sarah, he pulled the door to and shut it softly, before rounding on Deke. “What the ever-loving fuck?”

Deke scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. The muscles stood out intimidatingly as though challenging Adam to do or say something to warrant their wrath. “I don’t know,” he clipped out. “But we’re going to find out.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

Beginning to pace, Deke didn’t seem to give a shit that he was buck-ass naked in their hallway. “I’m going to call Reed.”

“Oh, really? What are you going to say? ‘My sub is getting romantic presents from some random guy. Oh by the way, he fucking went to Yale.’ Reed is not going to like it.”

Deke arched one eyebrow, the gesture making him look infuriatingly arrogant. “You like this? God knows I don’t. This bastard knows us. Hell, it’s highly likely he knows a lot of us.” He blew out a giant gust of air. “Think about it. I went to Yale with Declan, Hale, Reed, Lucian, and Calen. You went to Columbia with Chason, Donovan, Dominic, and Kylia. However, we spent most of our time together.”

Shit
. Deke was right. Adam had made so many trips from New York City to see his partner, his brother, and other members of their inner circle that he’d lost count. And the rest of their friends weren’t much better. Not to mention the fact that he and a couple of the others had transferred to Yale for grad school.
Fuck.
This was bad.

“When are you going to call Reed?”

Deke paused midpace and immediately answered, “Now.”

Adam snorted. “He’s going to kick your ass.”

“Do I look like I give a fuck?”

No, he didn’t. Wild eyed, jaw ticking, he had the look of a savage beast ready to protect his mate. Adam had never seen him like this. Not ever.

Whoever was threatening Sarah had better watch their back. Deke looked ready to kill him, her, or anyone else who got in the way. And if he didn’t, Adam would. He’d finally gotten her, and he’d go to hell before he’d let her go.

Knowing who their best shot was, Adam barked, “Call him. We pay him enough to feed a third-world country. He can get his ass up and find this bastard so we can nail him.”

* * * *

At six in the morning, Deke stood at the end of his bed watching Sarah sleep. His drooping eyelids made it hard to see, but he kept blinking so she wouldn’t disappear from his sight. He wanted to memorize her like this—in his and Adam’s bed with her lustrous caramel hair spread across the pillow she slept on. And her expression, he wanted to burn the peaceful, angelic sight of her slumberous face into his brain.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, he attempted to relieve the pressure building there. When that didn’t work, he sighed wearily and started to remove the clothes he’d thrown on earlier.

God, he was exhausted. His entire body ached, and he wanted to crawl in bed with the two people he loved most and sleep. But he couldn’t. His racing mind wouldn’t let him. And even if it would, right now, he need Sarah more than sleep, more than air, more than anything.

Deke had to hold her, to love her body. He had to know she was safe. And shit, he had to dominate her or he was going to lose it. He needed that control for survival because he was barely hanging on to his sanity by a thread.

As soon as he was naked, Deke crawled into bed with Sarah and Adam. Not surprisingly, his partner opened one blue eye. “Are we good?” he whispered.

Deke shook his head. “Not yet,” he whispered back.

Adam frowned. “Fuck.”

“I need her.”

“Me, too.”

“I’ve got to have her now.”

“Then have me,” Sarah murmured.

Deke’s eyes flew to her face. She was smiling softly, her gray eyes still clouded by her sleepy state. “Sarah—”

She shushed him, laying a finger against his lips. “I know what you want, Deke. I’ve always known. It’s what I want. It’s what I need.” Sliding her hand to the side of his face, she cupped his cheek. “Dominate me, Deke.” Without releasing him, she peered over her shoulder. “Dominate me, Adam.
Please.
”

What did he say to that? She was giving him what he wanted. Yet he hesitated—but only for a second. “Yes,” he half-said, half-groaned as he placed his index finger on the tip of her chin and led her face to his. “God yes, Sassy.”

Deke drifted his eyes closed, lowering his head to hers, and found her tempting lips. He took her mouth under his and kissed her as though she were the most delectable thing he’d ever tasted. Then again, she was. Her ripe lips were succulent, full of flavor, and he worshipped them, sipping and gorging himself on her exquisite essence. Sweet and savory, that’s what she was.

Ravenous, Deke wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her slender body toward his. Without breaking their kiss, he stretched out, bringing their bodies close, and entangled their legs. He locked them together, groaning at the way they fit flawlessly. Their bodies were different but no less perfect for each other. Her softness blended beautifully with his hardness. Her gentle, graceful curves matched his strong, solid contours in a way that went beyond his imagination. It was like they were pieces of a puzzle.

On the other side of Sarah, the bed jostled as Adam closed in on her from behind. “I thought this was playtime,” he teased, moving her hair to the side and nibbling on her neck.

Sarah whimpered, trembling between their bodies, and Deke tightened his hold on her, showing her he was as affected as she was by the moment. She sighed, the wistful sound touching his heart, and then glided her dainty hands as delicately as gossamer up his chest before coming to rest behind his neck.

Her touch electrified him, awakening his dominant side with a vengeance. He was ready—ready for her, ready for this.

Wanting to kiss her for eternity, he had to wrestle his lips from hers. When he did, she grumbled. But he ignored her grousing. “Adam,” he said, his voice whipping through the room. “I want to admire our sub. Don’t you?”

Lifting his head from Sarah’s neck, Adam nodded eagerly. “Yes. She does belong to us, and I do enjoy admiring my personal things.”

Deke threw the bedspread off Sarah’s nude body then grabbed the remote control light switch off the bedside table. Pressing a single button, he flipped on the overhead light. With a slide of his finger, he dimmed the illumination just enough to cast a soft glow throughout the room. “Stand up, sub. Go to the end of the bed. We want to see you from head to toe.”

“But—”

Deke stopped her before she said anything more. “No buts.”

Gulping noticeably, she did as he said. She scooted down the length of the mattress, using her feet and hands to aid her. When she got to the bottom, she slipped off the bed then moved far enough away they could see the manicured tips of her toes all the way to the top of her head. “Is this okay?” she asked, her hesitance palpable.

“Yes,” Deke replied. “You’re doing beautifully.”

She glowed under his praise, and his heart sang in response. He’d had subs before but none like this one. She was different—in every way. “Okay,” she croaked, her anxiety still present in her tone but wavering by the minute.

Deke feasted his eyes on the brunette beauty in front of him. Still mussed from sleep, her lustrous hair hung in disheveled waves to just below her shoulders. The overhead light enhanced the golden undertones in her rich brown strands, evoking the urge to fist the locks in his hand and tug until she cried out.

His cock liked that idea. The shaft swelled, thickening until a throb began, and his poor balls tingled with need. Only he wasn’t ready to stop savoring the sight of his sub standing before him naked. Not yet.

Drifting his gaze down and away from her hair, he passed over her face, taking his time as he appreciated her aroused eyes, the adorable tip of her nose, and the alluring lips swollen from his kiss. Then he moved his eyes lower to worship her swan-like neck and beautifully-formed, pink-tipped breasts. However, he didn’t stop there. He couldn’t.

He dropped his eyes down further to her taut stomach, plump pussy, and then finished things off with her toned legs and cute feet. By the time he was done, Deke was ready to pounce on her, to throw her to the floor and feel her beneath him. But he didn’t. Instead, he growled, “Spin.”

And Sarah did. She gave him a prime view of her willowy back and tantalizing ass. Peering over her shoulder, she flashed an impish smile. “Next, Sir.”