Green Broke Woman (33 page)

“Sparing everybody
heartache,” she mumbled.

“By
leaving?
Your logic is
flawed. Everyone is worried sick.”

“I can't go back.”

Hugh didn't argue
with her. He studied her for a moment in silence.
“Why not?”

She sniffled,
wiping her nose. “They want me to choose between you and them and Virgil. I
can't do that. I love you all.”

“We all have to
make difficult decisions in life. Is walking away from everyone really your
genius conclusion to the puzzle?”

“I don't want
anyone to get hurt because of me. I know leaving will hurt, but I can't choose.
I love all of you.” She buried her face in her hands, sobbing. “Why can't I be
normal?”

Master Hugh placed
a comforting palm on her shoulder. “Do you want to be a sub or a slave?”

“God, you sound
like Keith. I don't know what I want or who. What does it matter anyway? I'm
losing everything that means anything to me.” She pulled her fingers from
between her closed eyelids and her glasses, reaching into the glove compartment
for a napkin.
“BDSM, vanilla, strawberry—none of that means
crap to me if I can't share it with my soul mates.”

She wiped her
fogged up glasses. Would contacts be as annoying when she cried? Once clear,
she put her glasses back on, waiting to be rebuked for her sleazy fickleness.
None came.

Her Master's voice
softened to the texture of rabbit pelts. “Look at me.”

She turned her
attention to him, glad she got to look on him one last time before walking
away.

“If you want to be
a slave, if you'd rather avoid making that kind of choice, just tell me, and
I'll take you away.”

His offer tempted
her. She could have her Master. She'd lose her cowboys, but she would have the
man who'd made her a woman and first trained her in submission.

She took his hand
in hers. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you, too,
cinnamon.”

He pulled her onto
his lap and ran his fingers through her hair. She brushed his cheek, enjoying
the ticklish rasp of his stubble on her fingertips.

“I do want to be
your slave.” But she needed the other four men as well.

Master Hugh looked
at her seriously. “I won't share you with them.”

A painful little
spasm rippled through her heart. “I know.”

Their lips met,
rubbing and nibbling, his stubble scratching and soothing the skin around her
mouth, roughing her up and warming her. Their tongues twined and
rolled,
licking and sucking. The kiss heated her, awakening
her libido and turning her insides to warm pudding.

She pressed her
pussy into his clearly interested groin, making him moan. The sound made her
crazy, and the kiss intensified. She broke the kiss, crying out when he cupped
her crotch, teasing the zipper with his thumb. The look in his determined eyes
burned her alive.

“Are you choosing
me?”

“I can't make the
decision,” she whispered. “Can you make it for me?”

He smiled before
his eyes drifted over her shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder to see what
he was looking at. An old couple walked to their mailbox together, holding
hands while they checked the mail.

Master carefully
pushed Kayla off his lap and started the engine.

“What are you
doing?”

“Making
the decision for you.”
He
started to drive ... back in the direction they came from.

“You're taking me
back? I don't understand. You said you wouldn't share me with them.”

“I'm not. I'm
giving you to them.”

Surreal shock
numbed Kayla before the burning in her eyes made her feel the pain in her
chest. “You're leaving me?”

His grief-stricken
eyes were the only windows to the misery betraying his serious expression.
“Kayla, I'm more than twice your age. When I'm an old man you'll still be in
your prime. I don't want you to have to take care of me and then watch me die
while you're still young.”

The tears returned,
and she grabbed his hand. “You're not that much older, and I wouldn't care if
you were. I would be honored to take care of you.”

“My boys are only
a few years older than you. They can take care of you for longer without being
a burden.”

“But I want to
take care of you, too. I want them and you and Virgil. I want to grow old with
you.”

He gave her hand a
light squeeze. “I'll grow old before you ever see your first gray hair. You
need someone younger than me. They're willing to share you. I'm not.”

She brought his
hand to her lips, her tears dripping onto his skin. “Please. I love you so
much, Hugh.”

His hand brushed
over her tearstained cheek with a soul-wrenching look in his eyes. “I love you
back, cinnamon. Don't forget me.”

She cried harder,
kissing his hand. “Not ever. Please don't leave me, Master.”

“I'm not leaving
until Romanov is either dead or behind bars. Isn't it better this way, Kayla—to
have a few of your lovers instead of losing everyone?”

“I don't know.”
Her eyes closed, throat growing tight with pain. “Either way I'm incomplete.”

****

Guilt plagued
Kayla when she entered the house alone and was pretty much accosted by cowboys.
Everywhere she looked there was either a Langley or a Virgil hugging her,
pawing at, or grabbing her to kiss her
face.
Their
lung-crushing embraces emulated hugs Junior Bear might give.

“On your knees,
sub,” Jake ordered in a tone that spelled trouble should she refuse.

She lowered to her
knees, knowing what was coming.

“Kayla, we've been
worried sick,” Travis told her, forehead creased with concern. “Why would you
run away like that?”

“Keith wanted me
to choose between you, Virgil, and Ma—Hugh. I couldn't.”

“So you left all
of us?” Jake snapped.

“I'm sorry.”

“Suppose Black
Dragon had come after you,” Virgil pointed out. “What then?”

“I was really
depressed over leaving you guys.” Her head drooped, and she longed for their
favor again. “I didn't think—”

“No, you didn't,”
Jake growled. “You know you're not supposed to put yourself in danger.”

“We've been
talking, Kayla,” Keith informed her. “It's not worth losing you over like we
did years ago. We're not
gonna
make the same mistake
again. That's why we're sharing you with Virgil.”

Her head jerked,
eyes widening and lips parting in shock. “You guys like him now?”

Jake snorted. “We
didn't say that.”

Virgil smirked.
“Thanks, partner.”

“You're welcome,
clown.”

Kayla's focus
returned to Keith, who stood in front of her, cradling her chin gently with two
of his fingers. “Thank you. That really means a lot to me.”

“We're willing to
share you with our uncle, too,” Travis added.

Jake held up a
hand. “But only in a polyandrous sense. No wild group sex with him in the room.
Understand, pet?”

“Yes,
Sir.”

“You don't look
too happy about that part,” Virgil noted. “I thought you had feelings for
Hugh.”

“I do, but he said
he won't share me with you. That's why he's leaving after Black Dragon gets
caught,” she explained in a somber hush.

“Thank God.” The
victory melted from Jake's expression when the others gave him “What the heck,
dude” glances. His attention drifted to Kayla, and he cleared his throat.
“Sorry. I meant it's a damned shame.”

Keith looked down
at her again. “You know we have to punish you for leaving us without saying
anything, don't you?”

“I left a note.”

“That's not good
enough,
darlin
',” Travis said. “If you ever try to
say goodbye again, we want you to do it in person so we can stop you.”

“And beat your ass
for it,” Jake chimed in. “And then fuck you good and hard up that ass so you
never forget who you belong to.”

Travis snickered.
“I meant we'd hold her and tell her how much we love her.”

“Oh.” A sheepish
grin took dominion over Jake's face.
“Same thing.”

Virgil chuckled.

Keith's hard stare
warmed and scolded her. “You put yourself in danger, sub. We won't stand for
that.”

“I know.”

“Stand up and take
your clothes off.”

The words were
music to her ears. Take her clothes off and be rolled around until she'd been
properly laid? Yes, please. She could weep and pretend it was a punishment so
they didn't actually discipline her instead.
Like they
wouldn't see past that little charade.

She followed his
orders, standing naked in front of them. They were still clothed, awkward.
Still, it was rather hot, too.

“Has anyone ever
used cinnamon oil on you, cricket?” Travis asked as Jake moved some supplies to
the coffee table.

“No, Sir. Will it
feel hot?”

“Very hot,” Jake
said absently, dipping a Q-tip into a bowl of liquid. “It's
gonna
create a nice burning sensation.”

The description
intrigued her.

“It's been known
to cause blisters and leave nasty burns behind,” Jake continued, facing her
with an evil grin. He made a summoning motion with a hooked finger and wiggled
it from her to him and back. “Come here, little
subbie
.”

Her eyes bugged
out. “Uh...”

Travis rolled his
eyes and shook his head with a comforting smile. “It's not
gonna
do any of those awful things he said, because we diluted the cinnamon oil by a
ton. You'll be fine, girl.”

She let out a
nervous breath, feeling consoled. “Thank you, Sir.”

Jake winked at her
and blew her a kiss. “But I meant the other thing I said. Get over here, sub.”

She approached him
with her head bowed, though she was mighty tempted to let her eyes wander to
see all the things he had spread out. Was that a wooden spoon on the table
behind the bowl? He dabbed a bit of the diluted cinnamon oil onto her wrist,
testing the heat.

“All
right?”
Jake asked,
looking pleased when she nodded. “Assume the seal position.”

She refrained from
smirking.
“The what, Sir?”

“The
seal position.
You know,
like seals in the wild, dragging their flippers.”

Keith snickered.
“This isn't grade school, Jake.”

Jake brushed the
others off. “I like animal positions.
Keeps things
interesting.
Why are you still standing, Kayla?”

She lowered to the
carpet, supported by her hands with her legs stretched out behind her and her
back angled. “I'm not, Sir.”

His dark eyes
narrowed, but his lips quirked to the side at her
snark
.
He sat on his knees next to her with the wooden spoon in hand. She flinched
when he swatted her with the spoon. The minor strike warmed her. The next
series of touches with the kitchen tool were mere taps and pats on her buttocks
as he slowly quickened his rhythm.

What started as
delicious soon turned into a mild bite as he spanked her with the wooden spoon.
If she'd had to guess what the tool felt like before he'd used it on her, she'd
have figured it would have a
thuddy
feel to it like a
paddle. And she'd have been wrong. The lighter smacks weren't really stings
either, but more like bites on her skin, though not severe. The harder spanks
acquired a certain sting to the bite that warmed the flesh they touched. The
heat blooming on her bottom wasn't fire as with objects that delivered heavier
force. This was more an invigorating warmth, not unlike the feeling of cheeks
thawing out after having been outside on a cold winter day.

“Assume the crab,
sub,” Jake didn't budge as he waited for her to follow orders.

Kayla bit back a
giggle as she flipped over on all fours with her face and belly facing the
ceiling. “Like this, Sir?”

“Just like that,
pet.”

Virgil sounded
amused. “That's not an actual BDSM position is it?”

Travis snorted,
sounding equally entertained. “No.”

“More like a
throwback to elementary school P.E.,” Keith joked.

“There are
multiple Q-tips, so get your mocking butts over here or she's all mine,” Jake said.

Kayla watched them
gather round. Virgil and Travis each took a Q-tip, dipped the cotton ends in
the bowl of liquid, and then applied the damp swabs to her nipples and areolas.
The subtle warmth soon became noticeable heat. The spicy aroma of cinnamon was
tantalizing and had her craving apple crisp.