GAME MISCONDUCT (The Dartmouth Cobras) (31 page)

Bitter shame poured down her throat and puddled in her gut. Her hand fluttered over her throat.

“I feel sick.” Her stomach lurched, and she bent over. Hands on her knees, she inhaled deeply. “Oh, God. What’s wrong with me?”

Sloan rubbed between her shoulder blades and held her hair away from her face as she gagged. “You’re like a kid in an amusement park, sweetheart. You’re jumping on the biggest, fastest rides before you’re ready to handle the small ones. Paul cheating on you made you reckless. Which is fine. You explored a part of yourself you never would have otherwise. But it’s time to slow down a little. I’ll help you, and if you trust me at all, trust me to know how far you can go.”

The back of her throat burned, but the urge to vomit passed. Sloan’s words, along with their implication, soothed her. He’d told her from the start he could read her. Her every movement, every breath, told him what she needed. Even when she wasn’t sure, he knew.

She felt exposed yet safe with him. Not completely; he still frightened her with his intensity and his promises of pain, but she had a feeling that was intentional. The ever-present uncertainty added a thrill, a delicious sense of danger. No matter how many times she said he didn’t scare her, they both knew he did.

Trust took time, granted, but fear—there was no reason not to enjoy that now.

Straightening, she leaned against him, enjoying the comforting way he rubbed her arms, almost wishing they could stay like that for a while. But her body craved what she’d been denied. The dampness between her thighs, the lust blazing in her veins, demanded more than his gentle touch.

“So, if I’m not ready for extreme exhibitionism—what am I ready for?” She turned in his arms, stroked his rippled abs, then let her hands drift lower. When Sloan cursed, she peered up at him with an innocent smile on her lips and massaged his cock through his jeans. “Or will my punishment last all night?”

“One of these days, you’ll push me so far, and I’ll whip you until you feel like I’ve peeled the flesh from your ass and your back.” His smile got bigger as the blood left her face. When she started shaking, he sniffed her hair as though he could smell her fear. “But it could take months—even years—before we can share that kind of pain, before you’ll understand the rapture of agony.”

Months, years. Yep, I agree. We’ll go there later. Much, much later.
Her fingers shook as she played with his unadorned silver belt buckle. “And until then?”

“Lucky for you, torturing myself doesn’t appeal to me. And poor Tyler.” He nodded toward the sidewalk where Tyler kicked a rock between his sneakers, letting out a heavy sigh before glancing their way. “He doesn’t deserve this. He’s been a good sport.”

Sloan’s games were driving her nuts. She wished he’d get to the point. “So where are we going?”

“The lighthouse.” He motioned for her to get in the car, then shrugged and climbed in when she didn’t move. “I told you I’d take you. The plumber owns the one out near Bay View. He’s got a camper there he said we can use for the night. In exchange for rink side seats the next time he’s in Dartmouth.”

Seats for a pickup and a private visit to a lighthouse, complete with accommodations. Would luxury suites at the Dartmouth forum be worth a few souls? Did she really want to know?

The passenger side door opened with a tired screech. Tyler climbed into the cab. “Can we do something? I’m hard enough to hammer nails.”

“Charming, Vanek.” Sloan braced an elbow on the steering wheel, shook his head at Tyler, then gave Oriana an expectant look. “You coming?”

With one last lungful of clean air, Oriana stepped onto the ledge of the door. She’d come to terms with giving in to Sloan. Once they reached the cove.

“Go sit on the toolbox in the back.” Oriana pointed to the wooden box bolted to the floor in the small space behind the seats. “This is my truck. I’m driving.”

Sloan frowned. “Listen, pet—”

“I’m dressed, and we’re not having sex, Sloan.” She folded her hands over her knee and leaned forward, lashes fluttering. “Don’t call me ‘pet.’ My truck, my rules. Go sit.”

“You’re gonna pay for this,” Sloan muttered before he hunched over and folded himself onto the box. “I hope you know what you’re doing,
sweetheart
.”

“Why, Sloan, I thought you could read me so well.” Tossing her hair over one shoulder, she climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled herself in. “Can’t you tell?”

His narrowed eyes met hers through the rearview mirror, then widened slightly. Whatever he saw seemed to please him, because he relaxed—as much as possible given the cramped space.

She might not be ready for the behemoth ride, but she could handle more than a merry-go-round. Sloan was like the ticket-master, measuring stick in hand, sizing her up. And from the looks of it, she’d passed.

T
he truck’s headlights illuminated an overgrown path almost completely obscured by the dense woods. Oriana squinted at her map, sure Sloan’s directions were off. Not that she’d ever been to a lighthouse before, but shouldn’t there be a beacon of light visible for miles to warn ships away from the jagged rocks hidden by high tide? Wasn’t that the point?

“We’re here.” Sloan leaned between the seats and grinned at her. “What’s wrong? Did you think I’d get us lost?”

“I think we
are
lost.” She squinted at the darkness and shook her head. “There can’t be a lighthouse here.”

“Well, there is. If you’re looking for some kind of bright, shiny confirmation, you won’t find it. The lighthouse has been shut down for years.” He hunched forward and opened the toolbox behind him. Metal clinked and thumped. Then a
click
and a white glare filled the cab. “Good old Norton. I knew he’d have one. Let’s go.”

Red spotted her vision, and she blinked fast, rubbing her face with both hands. Tyler swore, and she heard him exit the cab. Turning, she shielded her face and frowned at Sloan.

“A warning would have been nice.”

He aimed the flashlight at the floor and gave her a sinister smile. “I’m not nice.”

Icy slivers of dread crawled up her spine. She dug her nails into her palm. “You can be.”

“Perhaps.” He inclined his head, and his whole bearing loosened up. When she let out a huff of relief, his hand snaked out to catch a handful of her hair. “But that’s not what you want from me tonight.”

A firm tug arched her neck, and sharp pain spiked from the roots of her hair. Her heart stuttered. Then she did. “Y-you said you’d g-give me what I n-need, n-not what I want.”

“That I did.” He released her hair and caressed her cheek with his calloused fingertips. “But tonight, your needs and wants happen to be the same. I’ve tolerated a lot of insolence from you, pet, more than with any other sub, but that ends now. Unless I’m wrong, you’re acting out because you’re frustrated. You have three Doms forcing you to lead the way, which feels unnatural, doesn’t it?”

How did he know? Fine, she’d said the words once or twice—she’d even told Dominik she was done making choices, but this was the first time she really felt like she’d been heard.

But what exactly was she asking for? Wouldn’t it be safer to immerse herself into this . . . lifestyle with Dominik or Max?

Yes. Only she was tired of playing it safe.

Ready to take the plunge, she mentally stepped up to the edge—then inched away. “I don’t like you calling me ‘pet.’”

“Do I look like I care?” Sloan took Tyler’s abandoned seat and placed his hands on his knees. The muscles of his bare forearms tensed. “You can’t have things both ways with me, Oriana. Either you surrender, or you don’t. I thought I could carry on this way a little longer, but quite frankly, I’m tired of the teasing. If you’re not ready, you better make it damn clear.”

She was as ready as she’d ever be, but part of her needed to know all her options. Was it his way or nothing? “If I say I’m not ready, what happens? We just head home?”

“No. We’ll check out the lighthouse and spend the night here. If all you want is some sweet vanilla sex, Tyler’s perfectly capable of giving you that.” His expression softened, as though to say he wouldn’t hold the decision against her. “That’s one of the benefits of having so many men at your disposal, love; you get to pick your flavor. Max can’t really enjoy sex without indulging in his kink—and neither can I. But both Dominik and Tyler can give you that whenever you need it.”

Still so many choices, but none too difficult to make. If she put herself in Sloan’s hands, pain would follow. But he’d told her a certain level of trust was necessary for the extremes. They weren’t there yet.

“Will I have a safe word?”
Lady in Charge
insisted on a safe word, but the concept frightened her. What if she couldn’t get the word out? Then again, should she just assume he’d know when she’d had enough?

“Hey.” His thumb brushed her bottom lip, and she realized it was trembling. The gentle touch brought her back to the present, back to where she still had the power to negotiate. “If you don’t trust me enough to just tell me what you’re okay with, maybe you’re better off with Tyler. Or maybe I’m not being fair—I’d enjoy being with you if you want to keep things light—”

“No.” She put her hand on his arm and dug her fingers into the taut muscles. “Please, don’t lose your nerve now. I’ve been pushing, and I like that you’re pushing back. I just don’t know what my limits are, and I’m afraid I won’t see them until it’s too late.”

“Jesus, Oriana, what exactly do you think I’m going to do to you?” He took her hands between his and gave them a light squeeze. “How’s this? I swear there will be no permanent scarring.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s reassuring.”

“Good.” The way his lips curved told her he’d caught her sarcasm and chosen to ignore it.
Jerk
. He tightened his grip on her hands. “This is a test run, so any variations of ‘stop’ will work. I’ll also be watching you very carefully.”

“O-kay . . .” She sighed, missing the initial anticipation, wishing all the talking hadn’t been necessary. “And now—”

“Tyler can stand by as an extra bit of insurance.”

Uck
. She made a face as the last hint of danger vanished. Much as she lusted after Tyler, much as she’d enjoyed their time together, his presence would restrict rough play.

“Sure. Whatever.” She tugged her hands free, then left the truck, slamming the door behind her. Who’d have thought Sloan would be the one to chicken out? Striking off toward the trees, she paused when neither Sloan nor Tyler followed. “You coming?”

“I’ll be right with you, pet.” Sloan tossed her the flashlight and waved her on. “Don’t stray off the path.”

Branches snapped underfoot as she stomped her way down the path.
Don’t stray off the path? What am I, five?

The wind rustled through the leaves, and ghostly white danced along the edges of her vision. Just the moon, filtering though the dense canopy above. Inhaling to steady her nerves, she soaked in the fresh scent of the ocean and wet cedar. Lovely—and peaceful. She’d never been much of a nature girl, but she could get used to this.

A raspy howl rose from somewhere to her left, sounding like it came from below. She froze, tucked her hands under her arms, and glanced over her shoulder. Sloan was certainly taking his sweet time. Were he and Tyler having a heart-to-heart? Did he think he could talk his way around Tyler’s issues?

“Arrogant.” She mumbled to herself, glaring up as clouds spilled over the moon and pitched the forest into darkness. The circular beam of the flashlight bounced off a wall of trees and leaves. The path had disappeared. “And stupid if he thinks he can force Tyler to watch him beat me.”

Swinging the beam from side to side, she tried to make out the path. To amuse herself, she went over what she’d say to Sloan when he finally caught up.

“I tried to see your point of view, Sloan, but I can’t get my head that far up my own ass.” She giggled, imagining the look on his face. He’d get all pissy Dom-like, but as usual, he wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. “If you can’t get off without your ‘kink,’ what am I supposed to do with your limp dick?”

A few yards ahead, a narrow part between the trees revealed the white base of the lighthouse. No wonder Sloan had let her go alone. Despite being momentarily disoriented, she’d never been in any real danger.

“Ten?” She heard Tyler call out from somewhere behind her.

A shadow cut her off from the path to the lighthouse. Oriana spun and opened her mouth to scream. A hand covered her mouth, and a big arm locked across her chest.

“Ten!” Sloan clucked his tongue as she scraped his rough palm with her teeth. His deep, throaty tone made her shiver. “No biting, pet. You won’t like the consequences.”

Consequences?
The word lodged in her throat. With wide eyes, she tipped her head to one side, trying to get a glimpse of Sloan’s face. One look to see whether she should be afraid.

He held her still, and his lips brushed her ear. “In ten minutes, Tyler will join us. Unless you scream that is—I can’t imagine him staying away then.” He paused as though to let her absorb his words. “I’ll move my hand if you promise to be very, very quiet.”

Ten minutes
. She closed her eyes as her pulse hammered inside her skull. Panic made her feel like a child, spinning around and around until she fell. The night sky, with its piercing stars and patches of thick grey clouds, swirled around her. Sloan could do anything to her in ten minutes.

But unless he took her far, Tyler could reach them in seconds if she screamed. Not that she didn’t trust Sloan . . . somewhat. But she trusted Tyler more. And she had a feeling Sloan knew.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Sloan asked. “Silence or a gag?”

As her skin turned cold, his palm became feverishly hot. The condensation of her breath on his skin wet her lips. Moisture below reminded her of the panties she’d been denied. One less barrier for Sloan to breach, not that a flimsy bit of fabric could stop him from taking whatever he wanted.

The idea thrilled her, terrified her. He’d left her a wide open window of opportunity to back out, and since she hadn’t, he’d slammed it shut. Her nipples drew into hard little points of arousal, painfully squished under his arm. She made a plaintive sound, and he moved his hand.