Your To Take - Connaghers 03 (6 page)

Chapter Six

Groggy and deliciously sore in places she hadn’t been in
months, Vicki stirred when the bed dipped. She’d vaguely heard the shower
running, but hadn’t managed to do much more than pull a pillow over her head.
Bleary-eyed, she rolled over on her back and cracked open an eye.

“Morning, Vik.”

Elias’s husky voice in the early morning made her want to
arch her back and purr an invitation. But she knew all too well that he had to
get to work. “What time is it?”

“Six thirty.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Thanks for
last night.”

“Thank
you
.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
His hair was still damp at his nape, and he smelled so clean and fresh she
could only think about making him sweaty all over again. “I see you found your
stash of clothes. Are you coming back tonight?”
Every night?

His fingers cupped her nape, kneading gently. “Do you want
me to?”

Cases of argument flashed through her mind. Would it be
better to pretend disinterest, so she didn’t appear too desperate? Would the
truth only drive him away? She’d told him she still loved him last night. So
why would he ask if she wanted him to come back?

Some of her anxiety must have transmitted through the
tightness of her arms, because he drew her against his chest and buried his
face in her neck. “If you’re offering another home run like last night, then my
answer is hell yeah.”

Relaxing, she laughed and nibbled on his ear. “You mean
you’re willing to take another blowjob in the shower?”

“For the team,” he replied solemnly.

She pulled back so he could see her face and the truth
reflected in her eyes. “I want you every night, Detective Reyes.”

“Then I’d best restock my supply of shirts.” He gave her
another kiss and then stood to slip on his suit jacket. “By the way, Jesse met
me at the stairs as soon as I stuck my head out and begged me to let him come
in and cook breakfast for you.”

That explained Elias’s sudden doubt attack and the clatter
she heard.

“He also asked me to give you this. Call me if you have any
issues today.”

She mumbled a reply and managed a smile at his back, but the
watercolor artwork held her attention. Jesse had painted on heavy stock paper
again, but it wasn’t folded like a card. There wasn’t a message on the back.
No, the message was part of the design, like the birthday card he’d made.

This time he’d painted sunflowers, bright and golden summer
with a gorgeous azure sky and bluebonnets sprinkled along the bottom edge. In
that heavy, graceful outline of curls and hidden words, he’d written:
I came
three times for you.

Elias stuck his head back in the door. “Rise and shine,
babe, or Jesse’s going to deliver your breakfast in bed.”

She slung off the blankets and shot toward the bathroom,
chased by Elias’s laughter.

Vicki parked her red Mini in the department store lot and
turned to Jesse. He didn’t meet her gaze and his shoulders were tight and
hunched, reminding her of the first night she’d seen him. “Ready?”

“Sure.” But he didn’t look up. Every muscle in his thin,
wiry body screamed reluctance. The man had given at least a gallon of blood at
the clinic and endured God only knew how many invasive exams, but paled at the prospect
of shopping.

“You’re not going to give me trouble, are you?” She kept her
voice light, trying to tease him out of his mood. “I’ve bought or made Elias a
dozen shirts and he refuses to wear them all.”

Speaking of her lover brought Jesse’s head up. “I’ll gladly
wear whatever you give me. I just…” His hands trembled in his lap, so she
reached over and laced her fingers with his. “I’m so grateful, Vicki. I’ll pay
you back. Every dime.”

“Look at me, Jesse.” The shimmer in his turquoise eyes
twisted her heart into knots. Gently, she cupped his cheek in her palm. “I want
to help you, no strings attached. I love to shop and you’re gorgeous. It’s
going to be fun, and I never want you to pay back a single dime.”

He opened his mouth to protest, so she arched a brow at him
and chose her words deliberately. “Would you deny me the pleasure of picking
out a few outfits for you?”

As she intended, his eyes sparked. “I’ll give you any
pleasure you want.”

She leaned in and whispered the words against his lips.
“Then let me take you shopping.”

His breath fluttered fast and frantic, his soft lips soft
falling open in invitation. “Take me anywhere. Even shopping.”

So far, he hadn’t pushed the flirting or temptation, even
after the wild night she’d had with Elias. Curious how far he’d keep to the “no
flirting” agreement, she didn’t kiss him. Pulling back, she dropped the keys
and her cellphone in her purse. As she shut the car door, she glanced at Jesse
and smiled at the decidedly pouted bottom lip. Which only made her think about
sucking that lip into her mouth and gripping it in her teeth.

Now who needs to remember the no flirting rule?

In less than an hour, she had him trapped in the dressing
room while she tossed outfits over the door for him to try on. Since he was
still underweight, she tried to give him room to fill back out without
endangering his modesty and her sanity. She started with casual clothes and
moved toward business casual. Until she knew what kind of job he got, a few
basics would be enough.

She watched him twist and turn before the mirror. Even in
basic chinos and a plain white dress shirt, he looked stunning. She ran her
hands over his shoulders and chest, smoothing the fabric and checking the fit.
“You really could be a model, you know.”

“Never thought about it, I guess.” Jesse tried to catch her
gaze in the mirror, but she determinedly concentrated on his clothes and not
him. “I’m too old now.”

She made a disgusted mock growl. “Don’t talk about old when
you’re still under thirty. You really need a custom-fitted shirt to emphasize
your trim waist.”

He shrugged. “This is fine. Looks good to me.”

She stepped back and studied him, tilting her head. An idea
was starting to form in her mind, that old familiar itch promising a burst of
creative energy. She could see him in a fancy shirt made out of the turquoise
silk. Not a normal dress shirt—no, that would be too conservative. Something
that suited his masculine yet delicate features. Maybe a gentleman’s shirt from
the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. Or an artist’s, something with a bit of
lace or ruffle at the sleeve. Not too feminine, but long enough to hang out of
his coat sleeves.

A gray cashmere suit with an antique, custom shirt to match
his eyes beneath.
Yes
.

“How would you feel about participating in the show with me
next month? Honestly. I totally understand if that’s not something you’d feel
comfortable with. If I asked Elias, he’d probably arrest me.”

Jesse’s eyes lit up even more than usual. “Really? I’d love
to! The thought of wearing something you made with your own hands…” He let out
a delicious little groan that made her nipples peak and sent a pulse of liquid
heat through her groin. “Definitely, yes.”

“I have an idea.” She had to clear her throat but her voice
still sounded husky. “When we get back home tonight, I’ll sketch it out, see
what you think.”

To make him feel better about how much she was going to
spend, she headed to the women’s department. Unfortunately, nothing really
caught her fancy.
That’s the downside of trying to launch my own line—nothing
but my own designs will do.

She turned around, looking for Jesse, and found him
mesmerized by a white fluffy negligee a few rows back in the lingerie
department. She walked back toward him, trying to figure out why he found the
silly thing so interesting. It was innocent and frilly, totally not her style.
He’d already said she was red, passion and fire. Not meek and insipid white,
let alone such a feminine, helpless looking outfit.

Her hackles rose looking at the damned thing, but she tried
to keep the bite out of her voice. “You’re not picturing me in that, are you?”

His cheeks flushed but he met her gaze with a sheepish shrug
of his shoulders. “So sue me, I’m a guy. You’d be hot in it.”

“In this?” Incredulity rang in her voice and he smiled wider.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Remember the surprise factor.”

That took her aback. When choosing colors and patterns only
by her personal preference, she’d created a solid but boringly conservative
line, which was far from what she’d hoped to accomplish.

“I already knew you were strong, kind, gorgeous, and that
once you make up your mind to do something, you do it one hundred percent all
the way.” His dropped his voice to a rough whisper. “I heard enough last night
to know that you’re also uninhibited and sexy as hell.”

Now it was her turn to blush. He’d finally gotten in a dig
about what all he’d heard last night. “What’s your point?”

“If you were to deliberately pick out something to wear for
Reyes, I bet you’d choose red or black, right? This is totally unexpected. It
screams innocence and shyness, a direct contradiction to your personality. If
you were to slip this little baby on for your cop, I guarantee he’ll swallow
his tongue in surprise, and then blow a gasket trying to get you out of it.”

Doubtfully, she took the hanger off the rack to examine the
negligee closer. She tried to picture herself in it and failed. Just thinking
about it made her feel awkward, shy and stupid, none of which she typically
felt, especially around Elias. He brought out the vixen—rather, the
crocodile—in her. Not the blushing virgin.

Maybe that’s exactly Jesse’s point.

He stepped close enough to whisper. “Hold it up to you. Let
me imagine you wearing it.”
For me.

He didn’t say the last words out loud, but she heard the longing
in his voice and read the intensity in his body. Could he be right? Would Elias
like her in such a feminine, innocent-looking nightgown?

She held the negligee beneath her chin and watched Jesse’s
eyes flare wider, darken to the mysterious lost-lagoon depths.

“If you think it’s too…”

“Virginal,” she said wryly.

His mouth quirked and he dipped his head. “Then wear
something brazen beneath, like a see-through thong. Or better yet, nothing at
all.”

She arched a brow at him in warning but he only grinned wider.
“That reminds me. You need underwear and socks. Hmmm, I wonder what size you
are?”

Since he was so close, it was easy enough to reach around
his waist and slide her fingers down the back of his saggy jeans in search of
the waistband tag.

Mistake. Huge. Because instead of cotton, her fingers met
only bare skin.

“Jesse. You’re not wearing any underwear.”

A muffled gasp drew her attention. A blushing, wide-eyed
saleslady stared at them.

“No, ma’am.” Whispering, he dropped his head and allowed his
shoulders to droop, that automatic, innate signal of surrender she recognized
despite her refusals to ever consider learning more about the BDSM lifestyle as
her brother urged. “Extras were a luxury, and I don’t mind going without.”

Glaring at the ogling saleslady, Vicki shoved her hand down
farther. Her index finger lodged between his cheeks, the rest of her hand
cupping his buttock. Jesse quivered beneath her grip but otherwise didn’t move
a muscle, while the saleslady flushed even darker and finally whirled to disappear
down a side aisle.

She tried to keep her voice firm instead of sultry, but her
voice sounded like she’d slugged a flask of Jack Daniels. “I thought we agreed
to no flirting.”

“Um, it’s your hand down my pants, ma’am.”

She couldn’t help leaning into him, squeezing firmly,
letting him feel how strong her hands were. She’d grown up on a ranch and
although she had two older brothers, her parents had always believed in hard
work for every single person in the family. “What did I tell you to call me?”

“I can’t.” He breathed short and fast. “If I say your name
while you’re touching me like this, I might not be able to control myself.”

His erection throbbed against her stomach. Closing her eyes,
she fought off the urge to slide her hand around to the front of his pants
instead.
Not here, not now. Get a grip, Vik
.

She gave him one last squeeze and slowly pulled her hand up
out of his jeans, but she slid her palm higher, up beneath his shirt along his
back, stroking less private skin. “I can’t seem to stop touching you.”

“I’m not complaining.”

Of course her continued stroking did nothing to ease his
discomfort, and they certainly couldn’t walk around the store like this.
Reluctantly, she pulled away to give him some space. “Let’s get out of here. I
need to see Victor right now.”

“Your brother? But I’m not ready for an interview. I should
change—”

“Not your interview.” Her mind whirled, as unsettled as her
stomach. Jesse needed her to be in control, but that’s the last thing she was
thinking about right now.
I have to get help before I do serious damage to
him out of ignorance.
“This is for me.”

Chapter Seven

From the moment Jesse walked into the plush offices of VCONN
Tower, the power and presence of the company’s CEO bore down on him like a
semi-truck barreling down the freeway at top speed. Vicki paused at the trophy
case and fondly recounted some of her brother’s great football moments. The
pictures revealed a dark-haired man with stark, harsh features. His cheekbones
were sharp and unforgiving. His eyes burned with the fierce light of desire to
beat any and all competition.

The oppressive weight of the CEO’s power only increased the
higher they went toward his office. By the time she chatted briefly with the
secretary and asked if her brother was busy, Jesse was lightheaded. The man’s
presence was suffocating him. How could he possibly meet him and expect to work
here? Especially if Vicki wasn’t here.

I want to be where she is, not here.

The shiny black door swung open and the man himself strode
out with a large smile on his face that did little to diminish the rolling wave
of power that swept before him.

Jesse fought to keep himself calm and unaffected, but damn,
the man was a walking explosion of danger just waiting to happen. He didn’t
want to embarrass her by fainting because he was terrified of the Master. Even
if she hadn’t told him her brother was a sadist, Jesse would have known. Victor
Connagher was a sleek predator, a man who delighted in exploiting his
opponent’s defensive weaknesses, whether on or off the field.

Like a predator, he caught a whiff of Jesse’s fear and a
threatening growl rumbled from his chest. It was all Jesse could do not to drop
to his knees and wrap his arms around Vicki’s legs, pleading for her
protection.

“V!” Vicki hugged her brother, oblivious—or immune—to the
danger. “Rachel said you were busy. You didn’t have to drop everything to see
me.”

“You know I’ll drop everything for you, Little V. You’re
always welcome at VCONN, and I’ve been meaning to call you anyway. Shiloh has
come up with some great ideas to help launch your fashion line.”

Little V
. Jesse shuddered. Yes, she carried the same
power as her brother, whether she knew it or not. Maybe she wasn’t a sadist.
Maybe she wouldn’t delight in his pain. But she would love to conquer him. If
she’d only let herself begin, she’d raze him to the ground in a heartbeat.

I can’t wait.

“Who’s this?”

Jesse didn’t look up to meet the man’s questioning gaze. He
was too afraid his knees wouldn’t hold.

She reached toward him, and he seized her fingers, moving
closer to her side now that she’d made the first move. “This is my friend,
Jesse. Jesse, this is my oldest brother, Victor. Our middle brother, Conn,
lives in Missouri.”

Now Jesse dared to lift his head and look into her brother’s
face. Victor’s eyebrow shot up, a thousand questions burning in his dark gaze,
but he shook Jesse’s hand, a firm grip but not punishing. No, that was for
Vicki, if she ever wanted it.

Her brother knew exactly what he was looking at. Victim.
Prey. He had to wonder exactly what Jesse was doing with his precious sister.
Why she’d stoop to touch a guy like him. Especially when she had a man like
Reyes at her beck and call.

Vicki wasn’t one to beat around the bush once she’d made up
her mind. “I need your help.”

“So I see.” Victor sat down behind his desk. “Where’d you
meet Jesse?”

“It’s a long story.”

Victor kicked back in his chair and propped his ridiculously
ostentatious cowboy boots on his desk. “I’m all ears.”

She filled him in on Jesse’s background, how she knew him,
and the snowstorm that had brought him into her house. “Honestly, I had no
intentions of letting him stay with me for more than the night. I wasn’t
thinking about taking him in permanently, not at all. It just…happened. I
couldn’t leave him on the streets, and now that he’s safe, I can’t stand the
thought of letting him go back.”

“Wait a minute. You said permanently. Are you thinking about
keeping
him?”

“You make him sound like a pet,” she grumbled. “All I meant
to do was get him a job, help him get on his feet and then go on my merry way.”

“And now?”

“He’s only been at my house two nights, and I can’t…” She
dropped her gaze to her hands. Her knuckles were white, her fingers turning red
from the fierce grip she kept on her emotions.

“You can’t what, Sis?”

Her cheeks burned. “You’re my brother, V. The last thing I
want to do is tell you all the things running around in my mind every single
time I look at him. You’ll probably beat him up or something.”

“Nah,” he drawled. “That’s Conn’s department, not mine. Mama
might horsewhip him though.”

Vicki jerked her head up and glared at him. “Nobody’s going
to lay a finger on him, do you hear me?”

“Protective, aren’t we?” He gave her a sardonic smirk that
made her grind her teeth. “What do you want me to do, Sis? Give him a job? It’s
done.”

She blew out her breath in a loud huff. He knew damned well
what was eating her, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He was
playing games with her, just like he’d done when they were kids. Part of the
fun would always be making her ask. “I thought that’s all I wanted you to do,
but things have changed. Now that he’s in my house, I want him.” When her
brother’s eyebrow shot up higher, she quickly added, “To stay. I want him to be
safe.”

“And you want him.” She opened her mouth to deny it, but he
put his feet down and leaned forward, all teasing gone. “You came to me for
help because I’m a Master, not because I’m your brother.”

Miserably, she nodded. Tears burned her eyes. “It’s so
complicated, V. I didn’t know it would be this hard. Once I saw him, I couldn’t
leave him, and now, I don’t want him to leave. I’m afraid I’m going to lose
Elias, but I want to take care of Jesse too. Mostly, I’m scared that I’ll end
up taking advantage of the situation.”

Victor came around before his desk, sat on the edge, and
took her hands. “I suspected for a long time, Sis, but I didn’t know for sure.
Is Jesse the first man who made you feel this way?”

She nodded, determined to get all her angst out before she
thought too hard about what she was telling her brother. The same person who’d
made it impossible for her to date anyone as long as he’d lived at home because
all the boys were scared to death of him. “He’s been abused and he’s had a
terribly hard life. He came to me for help, and I don’t want to make it worse
for him, but I can’t stop touching him. The last thing I want to do is screw
him up even more.”

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking Jesse is submissive
because of his life on the streets. I’m not a sadist because I was tortured or
because Mama and Daddy had a private version of the
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
at the ranch. That’s a load of crap and it always pisses me off when people
assume we must have been abused or ‘ruined’. I was born this way. You were born
this way. Jesse is a born, natural submissive, and he proved himself to be a
survivor. He can certainly survive you. In fact, he’d like nothing better than
to survive whatever you can do to him.”

“Who’ll protect him from me?”

“You will.” Victor gave her hands an encouraging squeeze.
“You’ve already protected him by seeking help. I’ve been waiting all these
years, afraid to push you, afraid to ask too many questions, but I knew when it
was time, you’d know where to go.”

“Did you have this talk with Conn?”

“Sure did. And he had this talk with me when I first met
Shiloh.” He hesitated, his eyes narrowing on her face. “I had this talk with
Mama too. You really ought to be talking to her and not me.”

But Vicki was already shaking her head. “Are you insane? I
can’t get Mama to agree with me that the sky is blue. What am I going to do,
call her and say, ‘Oh, Mama, by the way, I took in a homeless man and I’m going
to keep him.’”

“Sure.”

The thought made her stomach churn. “Never in a million
years. I’d rather talk to you. Why not Mal too?”

His producer and friend, Malindra Kannes, had created
several risqué shows for VCONN, and as a result, was known as the Mistress of
Dallas. “Mal would be glad to help you, especially if you think you might be
into punishment.”

Pulling her hands away, Vicki covered her eyes and tried to
calm the fire blazing across her cheeks. “I have no idea. I don’t know why it’s
happening. Why now and not years ago?”

“Because you found
him
. All his life, he’s been
searching for the place where he’d belong, exactly as he is. He wants to belong
to you.”

“You could tell that from meeting him?”

Victor ticked the signs off one by one. “He couldn’t meet my
gaze until you took his hand.”

“He was nervous—”

“He stepped as close to you as he dared.” Victor ignored her
interruption. “He silently begged for your protection while also sending a
message to me that he was taken. You told him to wait for you, and he sat where
indicated without a single hesitation, eyes only for you, his body tuned to
you. I bet that when you touch him, however innocently, he sinks immediately
into submissive invitation. Eyes down, shoulders and body relaxed, eager and
willing to do whatever you tell him, and I mean anything.”

“How did you know?” Her voice sounded hoarse to her ears.
“Is it that obvious?”

He laughed softly. “Yes, to me, to anyone who knows how to
read the signals. What does Elias have to say about this?”

“He’s tolerant, but also jealous. I don’t know how we’re
going to work things out. We’d sort of broken up, but he’s back in my life now
that Jesse is with me. I called him to run a background check the first night,
and he went ballistic.”

“I imagine so. Look, Sis, I’m the last person who’ll ever
judge you. If you want to keep both of them, you’ll figure out a way. You said
yourself that bringing Jesse home brought Elias back. Maybe it’s meant to be.”

Mentally, she had to pick her jaw up off the floor. “I never
thought you’d tell me to… I mean, it’s two men, V.
Two
. I can’t get my
own mind around the logistics. Elias and I talked every once in a while about
marriage, but he’s a cop. You know how dangerous his job is and the shitty
hours he puts in. He’s already been through one divorce. I know he loves me,
and I love him, but I don’t know that we could actually get married and not
kill each other, even if the drug dealers don’t shoot him down on the street.”

“I will never say a word against Elias or Jesse or both.
However, I will admit that I was worried about you each time I saw you and
Elias together. You’re both so hard and fierce, so Dominant, whether you play
any sort of games in the bedroom or not. You’re too much alike, and neither one
of you will back down from the challenge or argument. I suppose that’s why you
two broke up?”

She nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. “You
don’t think I’ll ever be able to work out a long-term relationship with him?”

“I never said that. In fact, you may have the answer sitting
outside in my waiting room, if you can get Elias to accept him. First, though,
you need to take care of Jesse. In his mind, he’s already given himself to you.
It’s up to you to protect him, even from Elias, and especially from yourself.”

“That’s what scares me to death.” She blew out a shaky
breath. “I don’t want him to feel like he has to get a job and leave, but I
don’t want him to feel beholden to me, either. I don’t want him to stay and put
up with me and Elias’s shit because I helped him.”

“I can recommend a therapist who specializes in complicated
BDSM relationships. You should both see her, immediately, before you get involved
in an intimate relationship. Elias too. If he’s serious and committed to
working out a life with you, then he’ll go.”

“Definitely. I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure I
don’t mess this up. Elias…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. When I feel better
myself, I’ll have a talk with him and we’ll go from there.”

Smiling, her brother leaned down and hugged her. “You’re
quite a woman, Beulah Virginia Connagher.”

“Why’d you have to go and call me that? I thought you were
going to help me!”

Victor laughed. “You can always call me, Sis. You can call
Conn too, although his advice usually involves a poetry quotation. I hope you
paid more attention in English than I did.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t use any football metaphors.”

“Ah, I’ve been remiss. Let’s see, Jesse is on your team. You
have to call the plays and lead the team. He depends on you to tell him exactly
what to do, but he’ll run anywhere on the field, just because you told him to
go. Your whole season is on the line, and if you call the wrong play, somebody
might get hurt. Jesse will run for you until he drops, and if you can get the
ball to him, he’ll sacrifice his own body to the defenders in order to catch
it. He’d rather die than let you down.”

She groaned. “Is Elias on the field too?”

“Of course. He’s the linebacker trying to sack you for a
safety.”

“I’ve been tackled once—even though we were playing flag
football—and it wasn’t pretty. I don’t think I like this game, V.”

“Yeah, I remember when that punk slammed you to the ground,
even though the ball wasn’t anywhere near you. What happened to him on the next
play, Sis?”

“You and Conn both smoked his ass.”

Victor smiled and goose bumps raced down her arms. She
suddenly wondered if that was the toothy smile that Elias saw on her face. “If
you ever need help tackling Elias, call me. I’ll leave Jesse up to you.”