Fire in the Hole Read online

  “And they go to that club?”

  She and Brad had discussed going, but hadn’t had time to investigate it further.

  “Yep. I’ll introduce you to Tilly. And Rusty and Eliza will be there, too. Oh, and Rebecca and her guys.”

  “Rebecca?”

  “The woman who makes chainmaille jewelry? With the dog?”

  “Oh! Really?”

  “Yeah. Who knew there were so many kinksters among our ren fair friends?”

  * * * *

  Brad was looking forward to tonight, and not just because of what he suspected would happen when they returned home later.

  He was looking forward to attending his first event like this, meeting others involved in the lifestyle, people who would not only accept him for who he was, but understood that this was who he was.

  No judgment.

  Tonight he’d also worn a suit, which he’d planned to do even if Lara hadn’t asked him to. He wanted to look his best for her. What people like Steve didn’t understand was that he was as comfortable in a suit, or a tux, as he was in jeans and work boots.

  He didn’t care.

  He wasn’t big on pretentiousness, but he did believe in dressing appropriately, which was why Mark learned how to correctly tie a tie before he was ten. Brad saw it as his responsibility to make sure his son grew up the same way he had. Brad’s mother had pounded it into his head from an early age that you should always dress appropriately for whatever it was you were doing.

  If he was going out to eat with Lara in the evening, he dressed up. If they were meeting for lunch somewhere casual, he didn’t change out of his work clothes.

  Lara didn’t seem to have any complaints about his attire, and never hesitated to jump into the truck with him. When he’d realized the dust from the driveway was getting her car dirty every day, he’d offered to invest in mulch to put down, at least from the road to the yard, but she’d declined. She had a car duster she used once she reached work, and right after she returned home, which took her all of five minutes to use, plus she ran it through a car wash once a week.

  He’d even driven her around the ranch the other afternoon when she returned home early from work. A private tour he’d enjoyed because he could see how much she liked the property.

  Breanna had never really been comfortable there. She had been raised in Tampa, in a house in a small subdivision, and had never quite settled in as a rancher’s wife once they’d moved back, like he’d hoped she might.

  Another reason it hadn’t worked between them.

  Lara, on the other hand, wanted to learn how to ride horses, and had talked about maybe planting a small herb garden outside the kitchen, using raised beds like Wylie had.

  When she’d talked about that, it’d taken every ounce of will Brad had not to go rushing out to buy everything right that moment to make it happen for her.

  That his parents had fallen in love with Lara when the three of them visited earlier in the week hadn’t hurt, either.

  The final point was Mark. He was obviously growing fonder of Lara by the day, and the two of them had settled into what appeared to be a good, solid relationship.

  They reached the address and Ev read off the gate code for Brad to punch in. When they rolled up to the house, Brad had to admit he was impressed. It was large, but it wasn’t like they had a perfectly manicured yard. It looked…like real people lived there. Wylie’s truck sat parked with other vehicles.

  Brad got out and rounded the car to open the door for Lara, holding his hand out for her to take. She smiled up at him as she got out. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Ma’am.”

  They hadn’t yet settled on her label for him. He was fine with boy, but it wasn’t something she could easily call him around Mark.

  And, she was in charge. What she called him had to be a title she was fine with.

  Everett was pulling on his blazer. “Well, this is it. How do I look?” He’d gotten a haircut and shaved that morning, forgoing the sometimes scruffy look he took on.

  “Handsome as ever,” Lara said. “Totally not rapey Viking.”

  “Rapey Viking?” Brad asked.

  “Yeah, Eve and I tease him when he lets his hair and beard get long. He’s totally hotter like this, though. Wylie prefers it, too.”

  “The things we do for our subbies, huh?” Ev teased.

  She laughed, winking at Brad. “Yeah, the things we do.”

  * * * *

  Despite Everett’s earlier reassurances, Lara still hadn’t been sure exactly what to expect. She knew logically he wouldn’t have misled her, but this was a totally new area for her.

  Forget nervous butterflies. It felt like a flock of dragons were storming around inside her stomach. She felt grateful that she hadn’t eaten anything for lunch, or she might be spending a lot of time in the bathroom instead of socializing and watching and learning.

  Plus, she didn’t want to miss the collaring. She was genuinely happy for the men and hoped this was the start of a fantastic life journey for them both.

  They deserved happiness.

  With her arm hooked through Brad’s, they walked to the front door. The man who answered it was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt, and wore a tie.

  He didn’t look…odd.

  Then again, she supposed she and Brad, hell, and Wylie and Everett, didn’t look “odd” either. They all looked like “normal” people.

  Cris’ other partners, Tilly and Landry, were also very nice people. Lara wasn’t quite sure what their relationship dynamic was, because Everett had tried to explain it to her…and she was still confused.

  “Ev tells me you might want to pick my brain about some stuff,” Tilly said.

  “Yeah, maybe.” She still had her arm hooked through Brad’s, and tightened her grip a little more. “Not sure what we’re doing yet, exactly.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Tilly assured her. “Make sure to get my cell number before you leave. Or Wylie and Ev have it. You can always text me, although I might not be able to talk on the phone.”

  With Everett now present, they were ready to get started. As Lara stood nearby with Brad, she blinked back an unexpected round of tears.

  It was so much like a wedding, including the vows the two men said to each other. Hell, it was better than the wedding she and Ev had in Las Vegas. That had been a spur-of-the-moment decision during a trip with friends. They’d already been living together, and had discussed marriage, but hadn’t firmed anything up when he’d popped the question there.

  This…

  It both saddened her to realize how hard Ev had tried to make her happy over the years, and how much of their life together had been lived without truth. Not on purpose, and not bad years, certainly.

  But what she was now witnessing was no doubt the beginning of a life-long commitment. She could see it in every glance the two men shared, the tone of their voices, the words they spoke.

  Resting her head against Brad’s shoulder, she struggled not to cry.

  She wanted that. What they had.

  What she and Brad had…it felt like maybe the beginnings of that. Yet, now she had a target. A tangible goal.

  A benchmark she knew they’d have to hit in their own relationship for her to be certain it was for life.

  Because she didn’t want to go through another divorce.

  And she damn sure didn’t want to waste the rest of her life.

  * * * *

  As they drove home alone together after dinner, Brad didn’t push Lara to talk. He felt her wanting to digest what they’d seen and heard. Although she did lay her hand on his leg and he covered it with his.

  They were about halfway home when she spoke. “So what did you think?”

  “I thought it was a beautiful ceremony.”

  “About the piercing.”

  Brad wasn’t an expert in BDSM by any stretch, but he knew the captive bead earring Wylie now sported in his right ear was his permanent “collar.” Som
ething he would wear all the time without drawing undo attention to himself.

  And Brad now knew the meaning of the bracelet Wylie always wore on his right wrist.

  “Is that a question you’re asking me in general, or for a specific, personal reason?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled and squeezed her hand again. “If you mean would I get pierced for you? If we’re at that point in our lives, yes, I would. But I sometimes have to appear at public hearings for the programs and studies I work with. I don’t need to be totally vanilla, but I need to look professional. I think a standard ear piercing would be better. More discreet. Plus I have Mark to think about. Once he’s eighteen, that no longer becomes as much of an issue, though.”

  She didn’t answer at first. “But you wouldn’t object to it?”

  “Ma’am, if we’re at a point in our relationship where you want to collar me, and I say yes, we’re at a point where I’m basically ready to marry you. It’s a commitment, one I won’t take lightly. That means if you want to pierce my ear, I will. I do, however, draw the line at other piercings. Not my thing, and I’d appreciate you respecting that limit.”

  “Of course. I’d never do that.”

  “Thank you.”

  When they reached the house, he got out and opened her door for her to help her out.

  She hesitated, staring into his eyes for a long, quiet moment. “I really don’t want to sleep alone tonight,” she said.

  They’d both gotten updated tests, and she was on the pill. That was a discussion they’d already had so it was out of the way.

  He slipped his arms around her and kissed her, long, sweetly, taking his time and savoring her. She pressed her body along his, definitely able to feel his erection through his slacks.

  “Your bedroom or mine, Ma’am?” he asked when he broke their kiss.

  She didn’t try to step away from him. “Yours.”

  Chapter Twelve

  It was impossible for Lara not to make one last comparison to Steve in her brain as Brad led her to his bedroom.

  She hadn’t felt a fraction this nervous—much less excited—when she and Steve had made love the first time. It’d been so nice to finally have a partner again, and she hadn’t realized how over the years the passion had waned between her and Everett until after the fact.

  Shoving all of that out of her mind, she focused on the here and now.

  On Brad.

  In his room, he plugged his phone into a speaker and put on some music before returning to her side. Pulling her into his arms, his hands slid down to cup her ass as he stared into her eyes.

  “What would Ma’am like me to do?”

  She kicked off her shoes and slipped her arms around him, under his blazer, loving the feel of his muscles rippling against her palms. He wasn’t a gym rat but physically working every day kept him lean and in shape, much like Everett.

  She rose up onto her toes to kiss him, grinding her hips against his and feeling his erection pressing against her. While she hadn’t seen it in person yet, she suspected he had nothing to be ashamed of.

  Letting go and enjoying the kiss, she closed her eyes and felt him slide one hand up her back, fingers tangling in her hair, holding her firmly in place.

  Yeesss.

  Just his kisses alone were scorching, hot, seductive.

  Honest.

  He held nothing back, comfortable in his own skin and even sexier for it. When he finally broke their kiss and lifted his mouth from hers, she stepped back and pointed at the floor.

  He immediately dropped to his knees the way he had that night on the beach.

  She didn’t realize her moan had been out loud until he smiled.

  “Why wouldn’t I drop to my knees, Ma’am?” he said with a playful smirk. He leaned forward, his mouth perfectly at pussy-level. He rubbed his nose against her mound through her dress and panties. “All the better to eat you out, my dear.”

  Her hands closed around his head, holding him in place. He pulled her dress up and over his head, his fingers hooking into her panties and yanking them down.

  Warm breath brushed against her clit, and then—

  She needed to hold on to him then, because the feel of his tongue slowly swiping up her clit nearly took her knees out. His hands closed around the backs of her thighs to keep her from escaping him as he licked and teased her clit, up and down, circling it, exploring, eagerly taking his time as if he’d been given his heart’s desire.

  Something about the sight of his back, his blazer, made need ripple strongly through her. This man—definitely Alpha by anyone’s definition—wanted her. Wanted to be hers. Was she even worthy of his trust?

  One thing for certain, she wasn’t about to give up trying.

  Lara found herself grinding against his mouth, softly moaning in time with his tongue’s strokes across her throbbing clit. The man was like secret sin in a suit. It didn’t take him long before she felt the first tingles start, quickly swelling and bursting free as her climax roared out of her, better than any she could remember in…ever.

  Apparently, he wasn’t finished. He didn’t stop, easing up just enough to give her time to catch her breath before she soon found herself once again thrusting her hips in time with his tongue. Except…sneaky subbie guy had a plan, apparently. Now that he’d gotten her over once, this time he played with her, working her close and easing up. Before long, she found herself whining, pleading for release.

  Needing it.

  He sat back on his heels, a pleased smile plastered across his face. “What’s wrong, Ma’am?”

  “Arrgh!” She leaned over and kissed him, hard, tasting herself on his lips.

  When he stood, he scooped her up and tossed her onto the bed as if she weighed nothing. Still dressed, he crawled onto the bed, shoved her dress up again, and settled between her legs.

  Now his tongue fucked her pussy, his lips wrapping around her clit so he could lightly suck on it, teasing, getting her over quickly but still not stopping. Even as she caught her breath, his tongue still played with her, lightly flicking just enough to keep her interest.

  Holy…crap!

  Not only had she just survived the two biggest orgasms she could ever remember, her body was already charging up the slope once more with a screaming, “Yes, please!” can-do spirit.

  Unheard of, for her.

  It felt like he had a supernatural read on her body’s nervous system, able to take her from overwhelmed to needing more in a few slow, expert flicks of his tongue. At some point, she realized she was begging him to make her come again. This time when he sat up, he crawled up the bed and planted his hands on either side of her head.

  * * * *

  Smiling down at her, he loved how desperate she looked, the way she’d sounded coming all over his mouth, the taste of her.

  “What would Ma’am like me to do now?”

  “It’d better involve fucking and orgasms.”

  He leaned in to kiss her, eventually working his way down her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat. “Does Ma’am want me to use a condom?”

  “No, we got tested.”

  “Just wanted to make sure.”

  Her hands settled on his head, trying to urge him south, but he slowed even more. Sure, he wanted her in control, but he also wanted to take his time. Especially this time, their very first time.

  And hearing her come was quickly becoming his favorite sound in the world.

  He pulled the low bodice of her dress down, exposing her right breast. Freeing it from her bra cup, he sucked her nipple into his mouth. His cock painfully throbbed at the sound of her moans, the feel of her fingers raking across his scalp and digging in. He lowered his weight onto her, pinning her there as he teased her nipple and her desperation increased.

  After slowly kissing his way across the valley between her breasts, he repeated the treatment with her left breast, until finally she started begging again.

  “Brad, please!”

  S
itting up, he helped her pull her dress off, and she quickly discarded her bra over the edge of the bed before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him again.

  Easing her back onto the bed, he almost couldn’t hold back his pleased giggles from the way she started humping herself against his thigh.

  Grazing his teeth across one nipple, then the other, they were tightly peaked by the time he started kissing his way south once more, down her tummy, toward her shaved mound.

  Once again he settled between her legs, resting them over his shoulders as he lapped at her pussy. He didn’t want to end this just yet. Obviously he’d shut down her brain, and he knew how hard she worked. This was one time he wanted to make sure she only focused on the pleasure he was giving her, and making sure he’d thoroughly satisfied her before he got off.

  He was likely good for only one, so he was fine with waiting. It would make it that much better once he finally did.

  Her fingers never left his head, handfuls of his hair tightly gripped in her hands as he loved her.

  Yeah, maybe it was just a little bit of the fact that he wanted to savor how much his ego needed this moment, to remind himself he was capable of taking care of a woman.

  That didn’t hurt at all. Especially given how many years it’d been for him.

  After bringing her right up to the edge yet again, he sat up and shrugged off his jacket, dropping it onto the floor. He kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie so he could pull that off.

  She grabbed it and yanked him in, kissing him. “If someone doesn’t get their cock inside me and make me come right now, they’re not going to be allowed to come for a week.”

  He nearly came right there. “Yes, Ma’am,” he gasped, struggling not to explode in his briefs.

  She released his tie and he quickly shed the rest of his clothes. Lara was reaching for him even as he knelt between her thighs, and it was her hand that closed around his cock to guide him inside her ready pussy.

  “Fuck me hard,” she ordered. One hand closed around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss, her tongue fucking his mouth.