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  Scrye arched an eyebrow as he addressed them. “She’s bratting because she wants to get a spanking later.”

  June grinned as she nodded.

  Today’s lesson was a basic chest harness and variations of it, things you could do with it, how to expand upon it or even make it more decorative while still retaining its function. As she sat with Kirby and let him tie her under the watchful eyes of Cole, Mason, and Kim, who had taken up residence right next to them, Mel realized even if nothing came from this, she was having a good time.

  Kirby was a nice guy, obviously going out of his way not to brush against her boobs any more than necessary. To the point she finally tipped her head back and smiled at him.

  “I promise I won’t scream if you hit second base by accident while tying me,” she joked. “I appreciate the consideration, though.”

  His face turned adorably pink. “Sorry. I was trying not to be rude.”

  “Yeah, but some of those things he’s showing us require you to get in there and tuck the rope under other turns. It’s all right. If I think you’re going too far, I’ll tell you.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  Unfortunately, that seemed to ratchet his tension up for a few minutes, his hands trembling, until he finally realized she meant it and he grew comfortable with her again.

  Fuck, he’s adorable.

  “So why isn’t your brother taking the class?” She’d glanced over that way a couple of times after Kirby had given her the barebones basics.

  “We always go out to dinner on Saturday nights. Tonight’s my night to pick, and he offered to come with me to class so I wouldn’t have to go back and pick him up.”

  “Kim, would it be okay if they joined us?”

  Kim, who was currently topless and had her arms held over her head while Mason and Cole focused on their work, nodded. “If it’s okay with the guys.”

  Mason and Cole exchanged a knowing glance before focusing on her. “I don’t see why not. It’s a public restaurant. Everyone with us at dinner will be in the lifestyle, though, so fair warning.”

  “Thanks,” Kirby said. “It sounds great.”

  Mel thought it was sweet Kirby thought about his brother’s needs. “Will Davis be okay going?”

  “Yeah. On my nights to pick, he always goes along with it. That’s our deal. On his nights to pick, I go along with it.” He dropped his voice. “Fair warning, don’t discuss chemistry.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you won’t shut him up once you get him started.”

  “Ah. I take it you’re both single?”

  “Currently, yes. I’ve been wanting to explore this for a while and finally decided life’s getting shorter and I’m getting older.”

  * * * *

  During a break, Kirby decided to take a risk and bite the bullet a second time by introducing Mel and the others to Davis. Leading Mel over, he prayed his brother would, for once, act chill.

  “Davis, this is Melanie, and her friends Kim, Cole, and Mason. They’ve invited us to go out to dinner with them and some of their other friends after class ends.”

  Davis, to his credit, laid his Kindle down and stood up. He even shook hands with them, leaving Melanie for last. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for the invitation. Did he use The Big Bang Theory equivalency, because I hate it when he does that.”

  Then Davis actually smiled, although Kirby noticed his brother’s brown gaze was focused on Mel’s chin when he said it.

  That prompted laughter from the others, much to Kirby’s immense relief. Another Davis joke that normally would have had Kirby laughing along with them.

  “Sorry, buddy,” Kirby said. “You know as well as I do it’s the fastest way to say it.”

  “I apologize in advance for my brother,” Davis said. “He can be a little socially awkward at times.”

  Kirby’s jaw gaped before he laughed. “All right, dude. Wow.” He looked at Mel. “Seriously, that’s him making jokes.”

  Fortunately, she was smiling. “I’m looking forward to hearing more from you about Kirby over dinner.”

  “Then perhaps I should see how much I can blackmail him for to not to reveal his secrets before we get to the restaurant.”

  Holy. Shit.

  Davis wasn’t just being socially polite. If he was cracking jokes like that, he was actively digging deep and making a fucking effort.

  “Guess I’d better get my ATM card ready,” Kirby said, smiling at Davis.

  “So what are you reading?” Mel asked him.

  Davis glanced at where his Kindle lay on the table. “The woman in the office told me about an author who writes BDSM fiction. I saw her books out there. I bought a couple of them and I’m reading them. It’s very interesting.”

  “Oh, Kim was telling me about her books. I don’t think Lynn will be at dinner tonight, though. Are they good? I haven’t had a chance to read them yet.”

  “I’m almost through the first one in her BDSM series and so far it’s very enlightening. I’m looking forward to reading more.”

  “I’ll have to bump it to the top of my list, then.”

  Kirby kept his mouth shut and watched. Davis was being…well, charming by Davis standards.

  He damn sure wouldn’t do anything to jinx that.

  * * * *

  Davis felt a little disappointment when the class was called back into session and Mel and Kirby rejoined the others. There was something very nice about Mel. Beyond her physical appearance, which he found pleasing.

  She…was soothing to talk to. From the actual sound of her voice, to the way she talked, to how she seemed to pick up on his jokes that some people other than Kirby and his parents would usually miss or assume was sarcasm.

  Hmm.

  If they were having dinner with her and the others, he wouldn’t mind that at all. Especially getting to talk with Mel more.

  Kirby’s interested in her.

  Yes, there was that. It wouldn’t hurt to talk with her, though. If he wasn’t misreading her nonverbal cues, she seemed interested in talking with him, too.

  He settled back into his chair to continue reading. He was a very fast reader and actually was nearly finished with the book. The plot was rather predictable for the genre, but that was to be expected. The hero and heroine meet, feel mutual attraction, go through ups and downs and nearly break up, reunite, and have a happily ever after ending. That was the formula for the genre.

  Setting that aside, the characters were relatable, and Davis enjoyed getting to see inside their thoughts and feelings about their BDSM experience. By the time he finished that book and started on the second, he had a much better understanding of why some people enjoyed BDSM.

  Periodically, as Scrye spoke and demonstrated something, Davis would turn his attention to it before going back to reading. It was interesting seeing some of the techniques he’d read about actually brought to life, and he could tell the club he now sat in was obviously the model for the one in the books.

  When class ended, Davis kept reading until Kirby had packed his new rope and books and brought them over while Kim and Mel went to change clothes.

  “Thank you,” Kirby whispered to him as he sat next to Davis.

  Davis turned off his Kindle. “You’re welcome. For what?”

  “For earlier, when I introduced you to Mel and the others. They liked you.”

  “That’s good, I suppose. I hate that example, though. I wish you’d come up with something else.”

  “I’m sorry, but they got it.”

  “They don’t think I’m Rain Man, do they? You told them I’m not some magical savant, right?”

  “I told them that you have a few idiosyncrasies, and that you prefer people don’t try to hug you or touch you if you don’t initiate it.”

  “Thank you.” Davis considered his next thought and then outright said it. “I think she’s attracted to you. She seemed to smile a lot while you were talking. I like her smile.”

  “Let’
s hope so. It’d be nice to meet someone. I still don’t understand how you get women practically hanging off you sometimes and you drop them.”

  “That’s not an accurate assessment, and you know it.”

  “What about Felicity?”

  “I haven’t had any encounters with her in several months. I know I won’t have any future encounters with her, since I heard her having sex in her office one night last month with someone else. You know I need to be able to trust someone.”

  “Oh. Dude, I’m sorry. You didn’t tell me that.”

  “You didn’t ask and I didn’t feel it was worth a discussion. At some point, I’ll likely meet another woman I feel an attraction to. If she’s interested in that kind of casual relationship, then perhaps I’ll once again have someone.”

  “Maybe you should join FetLife, too. You might meet someone like that.”

  Davis really didn’t want to. He liked Mel, but since his brother was interested in her, he wouldn’t be able to approach her like that. “I’ll consider it. You should read these books. They’re entertaining and informative. They might give you valuable insights.”

  Kirby cocked his head as he stared at him. “One of these days, I swear I’ll get the hang of dealing with you.”

  “Good luck with that. You’ve had forty-one years so far and not managed it yet.”

  Chapter Six

  Mel couldn’t wait to talk in the bathroom with Kim. “What’d you think?”

  “So far I like him, but an afternoon rope class session isn’t anything but a start. He could be a serial killer.”

  “Did Cole or Mason give you any hints?”

  “They’re still green-lighting it, so we’ll see what happens through dinner.” Kim turned to stare at her. “Promise me you won’t do something stupid like go off alone with him until you’ve had a chance to spend more time with him in public and get to know him better.”

  “Like dinners out?”

  “Dinners out, yes. Or dinners with us at our place. If he’s interested in you and a nice guy, he won’t have a problem with it. That brother of his is cute, too. I wonder if we can fix him up with someone.”

  For some reason, that sent a jagged green flash of jealousy through Mel’s gut. “Let’s wait on that until I know for sure Kirby’s solid.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  They finished changing and rejoined everyone. Davis and Kirby had been waiting near the door to the office, talking with Cole and Mason. As they paired off into cars for the drive to Sigalo’s, Mel couldn’t hold her questions back. “Tell me what you thought, guys. Honestly. I know what Kim thinks.”

  Cole and Mason exchanged a glance. Mason looked back at her. “I like him. Davis seems a little odd, but so are probably half the people who come to the club. That’s not a bad thing. I didn’t sense any warning signs from either of them.”

  “I think Davis is interested in her,” Cole added.

  “You do?” Mel asked.

  “Yeah. I glanced over there during class a few times and saw him watching you two together. I could be wrong, he could have just been watching what was going on. He seemed to stare at you pretty intently, though, when you two were talking during the break.”

  “Kirby warned me Davis doesn’t usually make eye contact for long. It makes him uncomfortable. He’ll usually stare at your forehead or chin. He’s listening and paying attention, but he has to really know someone before he’ll make eye contact with them for long.”

  Kim nudged her with her elbow and giggled. “Maybe you can get a twofer.”

  Mel’s face immediately heated. She couldn’t deny she’d already had that idle thought, but it would require a lot of what-ifs coming into play, and right now she didn’t even have a relationship with one brother, much less both of them. “Let’s go back to the slow and steady approach for now, huh?”

  “Just sayin’.”

  Kirby and Davis followed them to Sigalo’s and found a parking space not too far from them. Inside, Mel noticed that Kirby hung back with Davis, talking to him about something, but she couldn’t hear what. Davis seemed to be studying the layout of the large grouping of tables before deciding something.

  Mason was talking to their friend, Tony, who Mel had met at the hospital. Apparently he was the de facto leader of the gathering tonight. Mason turned to introduce them.

  “You’ve met our friend, Melanie. And this is Davis and Kirby, brothers. They were at the class today.”

  Tony held up a hand in greeting, apparently warned by Mason about Davis’ discomfort at shaking hands. “Nice to meet you both. Welcome, and feel free to sit anywhere. You’re some of the first arrivals.”

  “Thanks,” Kirby said, then seemed to nudge Davis toward the table.

  Mel turned to Davis. “Do you have a preference where to sit?”

  His brown eyes focused on her chin, skipped up to meet her gaze for a fraction of a second, then back to her chin, or maybe her nose. “I’d prefer to sit with you between us, if that’s not objectionable?”

  She noticed how nervous Kirby appeared, tense, as if afraid Davis might sink whatever this might possibly morph into. “I’d be happy to sit between you.” She didn’t even have to fib. Davis was easy on the eyes, and at approximately six two he was about three inches taller than Kirby, and with a more slender build.

  Davis nodded and then walked around to the far side of the table and picked a seat before pulling the one out next to him, to his left, holding the chair.

  Waiting.

  Touched, she walked around. “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.”

  She cast a smile and wink up at Kirby as she took her seat and noticed he breathed a sigh of relief.

  Once Davis had seated himself next to her, he took a moment to rearrange his place setting before opening his menu.

  Under the table, Mel reached out and patted Kirby’s thigh before opening her own menu.

  * * * *

  Instead of relaxing Kirby, Davis’ behavior was ramping his anxiety into uncharted territory. Why was Davis being so damned agreeable? This was totally not like him.

  At all.

  When was the meltdown going to happen? That’s what Kirby wanted to know, and then the damage control he’d have to do with Mel as a result. He appreciated Davis trying so hard, but if it meant the bad kind of repercussions later, it wasn’t worth it.

  Still, Davis ordered his dinner—lasagna—without asking a lot of questions of the server. At least they’d eaten here before, so Davis was familiar with the menu and didn’t need a lot of time to decide. And he kept up a good-for-him stream of conversation not only with Mel, but with a few of the other people who’d joined them.

  He’d actually managed to crack a few more jokes and make people laugh.

  Maybe he’s a pod person now.

  But by the time dinner ended, Mel had asked to exchange cell numbers and e-mail addresses with Kirby, as well as she’d friended him on Facebook and said she’d open a FetLife account and friend him there.

  When they all said good night later, the three of them were going back to the club for a while to let her see some things, while Kirby knew that he needed to head home with Davis. It was tempting to try to goad Davis into going back to the club, but that would likely be pushing things past the critical failure point.

  He’d gotten lucky this far. He wouldn’t tempt fate.

  After giving Mel a hug and shaking hands with the others, Kirby got Davis loaded into the car and started driving home. Before he could even say something thanking Davis for being so wonderful, his brother spoke.

  “Why aren’t we going back to the club with them?”

  Kirby’s jaw snapped shut on what he’d been about to say. “What?”

  “What?”

  This would quickly devolve into their rendition of Who’s on First if he didn’t change tactics. “Why did you ask why we weren’t going back to the club?”

  Davis stared out the windshield. “I assumed you’d want t
o spend more time with her.”

  “That wasn’t the deal. I told you dinner. I’m sorry we weren’t alone. I know you prefer it’s only the two of us.”

  “I didn’t mind going to dinner with them. I enjoyed talking with Melanie and the others.”

  At the next red light, Kirby had to stare at him. “Dude. Seriously, what has gotten into you?”

  Davis met his gaze. “Why do you sound upset?”

  “I’m not upset! I’m fucking confused!”

  “About what?”

  The light turned green. Kirby started again, unable to believe he was having this conversation. Normally a conversation like this was him chewing Davis out for being a complete and utter tool. Unintentionally, but still.

  Was he really upset that Davis had acted…normal?

  Shit.

  No, he wasn’t upset about that. Usually, he was excited when Davis managed to have a “normal” experience he himself took for granted.

  But this was…different. It wasn’t a casual outing or a book club meeting, it was…kinky. And this was a very close-knit community. The last thing he wanted was their reputations to be destroyed before they even had a chance to get to know people simply because Davis had a meltdown and people didn’t understand why, or know how to react.

  He was also upset that the longer Davis had acted “normal” the larger the backlash Kirby had expected, ratcheting his anxiety over the moon.

  And maybe he was just a tad envious that Davis had built such an instant, easy rapport with Mel while he’d been stressing every second of the evening.

  Kirby took a deep breath and started over. “Davis, I really and sincerely appreciate everything you went through this afternoon and evening. I appreciate you going to class and talking to people. And I appreciate the effort you took at dinner to have conversations with people. I know that is not easy for you, and that it took a lot of effort on your part.”

  “You’re welcome. But why aren’t we going back to the club when you obviously want to spend more time with her?”