Saving Micah (Sequel to Conquering Jude) (16 page)

“Thank you,
mal-chick.”
Her lips pressed against his back gently. The light pressure didn’t cause pain but sent shivers of awareness shooting up his spine. A stir in his groin as blood flooded the area once more sent the plea falling from his lips before he could think. “Don’t…”

Her hand slowly abandoned the flesh hardening against her palm. He mourned when her arms dropped as she removed herself from the embrace. “I’d never take what isn’t freely offered, Micah. Or demand more than you’re ready to give me.” The neutral tone sent his heart skittering. “But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop trying to convince you that you belong with us. Just know I’ll go slow until you’re ready for more.”

He stiffened before moving further away from her. “I need to think.”

“You do that, bud.” Jude’s voice was closer than he expected and he jumped. “And while you’re doing that remember our bedroom door is always open to you. It never closed.”

“I…” The sound of the screen door opening sent him scurrying to his room, his brain trying to cope with what had just happened.

* * * *

Shutting the bedroom door behind him, Jude limped towards the bed and the curled up form already sleeping. It was late now and he had a warm woman waiting in bed for him, but he and Ethan had taken a few minutes to check all the locks and doors again. He’d never be able to thank his friend enough for staying. The extra protection the man offered should’ve put him at ease, but it was taking all of his considerable control to not walk down the hall, drag Micah into the room with both Olivia and him before barricading it to keep out the world. He knew it was barbaric but couldn’t find any strangeness in his desire.
For a supposedly straight man I’ve become obsessed with sharing Olivia with another guy.
But he knew Micah was more than just another man. He had been the one who had done nearly the impossible – helping Jude accept his own submissiveness.
And since the shoe is on the other foot, I’ll help him find his way back.

“Pet, is everything okay?” The soft sound from behind his back didn’t surprise him. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he nodded.

“Yes. The house is locked up tight and Ethan was talking to his wife on the phone when I came in here.”

“That’s quite the friend you have there. I look forward to meeting his family before we go home.”

Slipping his shorts off, Jude winced at the tug of sore strained muscles as he slid under the covers. “Yes, it’ll be great to see María again. Ethan wants his girls to meet Deborah too.” Relaxing back against the pillow, he tugged the blanket up to his chest. “I never would’ve imagined either White Hawk or me having a family six years ago.” He reached for her, sighing with pleasure as she moved into his arms. It was a very familiar ritual. Domme or sub, it didn’t matter at the end of the day. They were lovers who relished the closeness.

Fingers traced over his heart. “Carefree bachelors were you?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am – both of us swearing no woman was ever going to hogtie us. That all changed though the first time that Ethan set eyes on María. He was a goner the first time he spotted her waiting tables at her family restaurant in a little café in Madrid. We were waiting on our orders and good old Uncle Sam let our whole squad run free. By the time our mission was completed, Ethan had his ring on María’s dainty little finger despite her family’s views about her marrying a foreigner, and I had found out Kathy was pregnant with Deborah.”

“Life-altering events to be sure.” With her head propped on her hand, Jude could see the gears whirling in her mind and had a good idea of what she was thinking.

She nodded. “But I was waiting for you to tell me. I just wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. Jackson gave me a few details, enough to know what happened, but I figured you’d tell me in your own time.”

“Because at the time, it was what she wanted. I wasn’t going to beg her to stay but I did make sure I’ve been part of Deborah’s life – or at least as much as my job in the military would’ve allowed at the time.” He paused, thinking back on his daughter’s early life. “It was kinda of nice to know Kathy had a man to offer her support while I was in the field. After I retired from the Rangers, I did ask for full time dad privileges and Brandon and Kathy have been good about it.”

“And now?”

He smiled in the darkness. Leave it to his Mistress to pick up on the subtle nuances of his answer. “And now I realize Kathy and I needed the same thing to feel complete, but we were unable to provide it for each other. I’m glad she found Brandon.” He rubbed a hand over her arm. “I’ll have to give her credit though, she never cheated on me. In fact, I think she drove Brandon nuts because she made him wait until after Deborah was born before she would even think about starting a relationship with him.”

Her throaty chuckle didn’t surprise him. “I can see her doing that. I’ve seen her challenge him at the club, so it doesn’t surprise me she made him wait.”

“Speaking of waiting…”

Her hand soothed over his pectoral muscle. “I know this is driving you crazy, pet, but we can’t force him. He has to come to us.”

“I know…but it’s all I can do to keep from dragging him into our room. Dear God, if you could’ve seen his eyes earlier when you brought me off, you’d have wanted to do the same thing. He needs what we’re offering so badly I’m sure he can taste it.”

“But he’s scared, Jude, of what it would mean to submit to me again. If I could change my need to dominate for him, I would.”

An idea sparked inside of his brain. “Maybe that’s the key, Mistress.”

The bed rocked before there was a flare of brightness when she flipped the light on the bedside table. “What are you talking about?” Her eyes narrowed.

“It’s simple – really. It’s been nearly a month since your last day off.” He wiggled his eyebrows, reminded her of their agreement to give her the one night of submission she craved each month. “If it worked once to mend fences between Micah and me, why not use it again to get him past his fear of being hurt? Besides I love to use it to get even for the little stunt of yours on the couch earlier. That was not nice of you. You know it drives me wild when you refuse to let me pleasure you.”

He watched her nipples bead under her chemise. “I bet you would. Speaking of which…” She whipped off her sleep shorts before carefully arranging herself over his face. “I’m so horny I could scream. Eat me, pet.”

He groaned as her scent hit his nostrils before he cupped her ass with his palms. “Gladly, Mistress.”

Chapter Fourteen

Micah clenched his jaw before slowly rising from the couch. “Excuse me? You want me to do what?”

Ethan shifted uncomfortably on the couch, covering the phone with one hand. “My wife wants you to come over so she can meet you.”

A sinking feeling made his stomach ache. “And why exactly does she want to meet me, injun?”

Ethan gave him a Cheshire cat grin. “Well, it could be because I told her you created
Silent Ninjas.
It’s her favorite game.”

Dread rolled through him. How the fuck had Ethan figured it out? Deciding to play it cool, he gave the man a puzzled look. “What do you mean you told her I created it?” His heart began to pound at White Hawk’s knowing smile. While he wasn’t ashamed of his work as the graphic designer and creator of the popular video game, he used M. Augustus Beaumont in the credits for a reason. He just wasn’t comfortable with the adoration of the thousands of gamers who played the game. Hell, he’d even refused to do interviews, preferring to assign the duty to his second-in-charge – one of his few perks as the Project Head.

“Because you did.” Ethan shrugged. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of – it’s a kick ass game.”

“I’m not. I simply don’t like to advertise who I am. I can’t believe you actually found out.” Using the arm of the couch for balance, Micah slowly stood.

Jude flashed him a grin from his spot in the recliner with another ice pack on his hip. Even though he’d claimed his leg wasn’t feeling any worse this morning than usual, his Mistress had overruled him. Either he sat with the frozen peas on his hip, or there would be no breakfast for him. “There’s a reason why he was in charge of counter intelligence in our unit, dude.”

“Fuck.” He made his way towards the kitchen where Olivia was preparing a late brunch, ignoring the protests from behind him. It was becoming a common occurrence for him – to ignore what he didn’t want to face. Like after the scene the previous evening. He’d stayed in his room clacking on his laptop, figuring it might make brownie points with his boss when he finally returned to work, rather than face what had happened. But instead of being productive as he hoped, he’d ended up mindlessly playing solitaire.
Fat lot of good it did – I spent my time trying to ignore Mistress’s erotic screams through the thin wall rather than playing the game. God whatever the fuck Jude was doing, he was definitely pleasing her.

Slipping into one of the chairs surrounding the table, he watched as she hummed to herself while she stirred something on the stove. The kitchen was a fragrant blend of baking bread and sizzling meat. He wasn’t sure what she was fixing, but whatever it was - it smelled delicious.

“Are you ready to talk yet, Micah?” She asked the question without even turning. He idly wondered how she knew it was him. “Evidently not.” Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a small smile. “You realize ignoring the tension between us isn’t going to work, right? Eventually we’re going to have it out.”

Sighing, he stroked a finger over the cloth placemat in front of him. The cheery kitchen suddenly seemed smaller as she moved gracefully from the stove to the sink. “I’m tired, Olivia. Tired of hurting, tired of trying to figure out what went wrong – why I am so worthless and I can’t find a Domme who will want me for who I am – one who won’t try to force me into a mold that just doesn’t fit. I just want peace – to not have to look over my shoulder for some psycho bitch who can’t get it through her head I’m not hers.” He finally braved a glimpse at her from his peripheral vision. She’d stopped midway between the sink and the stove. Setting a the pan of something steaming on the counter, she made her way over to him. A familiar touch to his chin had him relaxing into her palm. Lifting his face to hers, she rubbed her finger over his lower lip.

“You don’t deserve what happened with that
tupoy
, but never doubt for a second you’re not worthy of a Mistress. You have a lot to offer to any woman lucky enough to collar you.” Her fingers slid down over his throat. They lightly skimmed the tender bruising on his neck. “I was a fool to let you go. Perhaps if I’d been greedier, this wouldn’t have happened.”

He cupped her hand to his cheek before denying her claim. “No, it was my decision to go home with them. It had nothing to do with you, Olivia. I wish I could go back and change it but I can’t, so I have to live with the consequences. With everything in me I wish I … I felt different. But I don’t. I just can’t deal with what you want from me. I have nothing left to give to you. They broke me.”

She pulled her hand free to step back. “How can you say that?”

Frustration rolled through him. “Haven’t you been listening? I’m broken and not worth the time or effort you’d have to spend fixing me, a simple play sub. I know you. You’ll try to fix me if you’re able to. ”

She shrugged. “You act as if caring is a weakness – it isn’t. Maybe you should realize even if I thought you were broken, you’d be worth the effort. You’re more than a mere play sub, and have been since the moment you offered to guide Jude. You became a friend, a confidant along with being my lover and submissive, but no matter how you define yourself, I don’t think you’re broken.” She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to protest the fact. “Perhaps a bit bruised and battered - but never broken. If that were the case, you wouldn’t have fought back during the second attack. You’d have let her place her collar on you.”

A sound of frustration escaped her. “You can’t have it both ways. First you say you don’t want to get involved, but then you complain I’m unable to love more than one man. That’s being a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

He hissed. “This is exactly why I can’t do this. I’m sooo damned confused! It’s why I won’t put you through the wringer, when I’m not sure if I ever can...” He shook his head at the thought of hurting Olivia already more than he had. “It’s just better if we don’t…”

“Cut the bullshit.” She stalked closer to him to poke at his chest. “You’re scared you’ll find out you need what we’re offering you, and then have to admit you were wrong for leaving us.”