Trinity (36 page)

“Was that your sordid plan all along?” she fumes. “You leave and Dev babysits?”

“Maybe.” I tease her lips with my tongue. “I take care of what’s mine.”

“I’m going to miss you like crazy. I already do.”

“No, you’re not. We’ll FaceTime every day and sext every night. I’ll make you come with just my dirty words.”

That gets me a tiny smile.

“I’ll come back right after the first race. On a plane an hour later.”

“Promise?” Her expression is hopeful.

“I promise.” I kiss her again, slowly, passionately, pouring all my emotion into one elongated embrace. “Love was just another word until you gave it a definition. Think about that when you’re missing me. You changed me, Kayla.” I press my lips to her forehead.

“You changed me, too.” Her voice strains, and so does my heart.

“I’m an influencer. What can I say?” I try to make light of the situation.

“Reese.” A giggle breaks through. That’s how I want Kayla to be before I leave. Happy.

“I expect you to watch every single race,” I stipulate. “Testing, too.”

“I want to protest for so many reasons.”

“But you won’t.”

“No, I won’t,” she gives in easily.

“Good. Because there’ll be an exam when I get back.”

“You’re sort of making me want you to leave.” She curls her lip cutely.

“Liar.”

She giggles a little more, the sound making my insides thrive.

“Tell me you love me.”

Kayla bats her eyelashes slowly. “I love you.”

“I love you more.”

R
eese has only been gone a few days, and I have to give it to Dev. He’s done everything in his power to cheer me up, including taking me out to some fancy-schmancy restaurant in Philly we had to get all dressed up for.

The place is beautiful, with its smoky-gray walls, cheetah-print rug, sleek, black wingback chairs, and huge sprays of white calla lilies.

It’s incredibly romantic, and Dev’s taking the opportunity to lay it on thick. He hasn’t taken his hands or eyes off me all night, dropping sexy compliments here and there just to see me blush.

He has a deep, dark, sensual side I’ve only seen glimpses of when we’re alone. The way he’ll hold me down when it’s just him and me. His take-charge attitude. The dominance of his tone.

Tonight, it feels as if he wants to expose more of that side.

He’s done nothing but stare at me as if he’s starving, a salacious twinkle in his electric-blue eyes. He’s acting different, and it both scares me and excites me.

The waiter places our entrées in front of us. He’s a studious man dressed in a black suit and wonderfully gay. The minute he opened his mouth to speak, I was smitten.

“Two filet Oscars with roasted asparagus and truffle mashed potatoes,” he announces proudly, as if he cooked the meals himself.

“Thank you,” Dev and I echo as two perfectly-round steaks sit covered in crab meat before us. Holy shit. If it smells this good, I can’t even imagine how it tastes. We both cut into our meat and the expression of divinity we share after we take our first bite says it all.

“Oh my God.” I can barely contain it. “I think this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” I cover my half-full mouth, chewing slowly.

“There’s one thing that tastes better.” He winks suggestively.

I can’t keep from rolling my eyes. Everything comes back to sex with him.

“I mean it.” He places his fork on the table then slides his hand across the white tablecloth to hold mine.

“I know you do.” We lace our fingers together. We share a moment of heavy silence as Dev drinks me in. I know I look different tonight. My hair is pulled up in a tight bun, I have a ton of makeup on, and I’m wearing the sexiest pair of heels I own. I sort of feel like a dolled-up ballerina.

“Good. Do you also know how much I love you?”

“Yes,” I answer him honestly, sweetly.

“How much do you trust me?”

That’s a peculiar question.

“Entirely.” And it’s the truth. “Why?”

“Because what I want to do when we get home will take all your trust. And I need to know I have it.”

“What exactly do you want to do when we get home?”

“I want to open our relationship up. I want to expose you to a part of my life I haven’t shared with many people.”

I press my lips together to conceal my thoughts. This should be a shock to me, but it’s not. I’ve heard rumors about Dev’s tastes. And the fact that he shares me with his brother is a testament to his predilection. “I also need you to keep an open mind.”

My imagination races. “Are you going to, at least, clue me in to what I should expect?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t want to give anything away. I want your first time to be a completely new experience with no preconceived notions.”

“Can you at least tell me if pain is going to be involved?”

I don’t know much, but I’ve read books and seen movies where BDSM is involved. There always seems to be lots of spanking. Not that I’m opposed to the idea, I just never saw myself partaking in sexual acts of that nature.

“No, baby. No pain. I’m not really into that. But I’d try it if you wanted.”

“I think we can forgo the pain part.” I laugh.

“So is that a firm yes?”

I nod.

“Say it.”

“Yes.” My thighs actually clench at the idea of Dev having his kinky way with me.

His face lights up with carnal elation.

“Eat,” he orders, and I know this night just took a dark, dangerous, and explicit turn.

“Thank you.” I lean over and kiss Dev on the cheek once we’re seated in his car.

“For what?” He punches the ignition, and the Mustang rumbles to life.

“Dinner. Duh.”

“Oh. That.” He smirks, placing his hand on my inner thigh, skimming it upward under the hem of my skirt. “I hope it’s the first of many.”

“Me too.” I jump as he tickles my clit. “Dev!” I scold him.

“Dev, what?”

“You just can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

“Nope. And why would I want to? Look at the woman sitting next to me. I’m a lucky man.” The stupid idiot actually makes me blush. “And I plan to thank her for being mine in multiple ways.”

And so it begins. Is it suddenly hot in here? I blow on my cleavage discreetly to cool myself.

The hour ride back home is quiet but thick with tension. The closer we get to Dev’s house, the more apprehensive I become. I may be in a relationship with two men, but I have always felt in control. Tonight, Dev is asking me to hand over that control, and that’s a terrifying thing. I try to reason with myself. This man loves me. He would never hurt me or humiliate me, but the fear of the unknown is clawing at my chest, making it hard to breathe.

We walk briskly through the cold January air into the house. The lights are off and an electrical charge zaps me as I walk over the threshold. It’s all brand new, like I’m entering Dev’s home for the very first time.

He leads me into the kitchen, only flicking on the singular recessed light over the sink.

I stand there out of place as I watch him pour a glass of water.

“Drink this.” He hands me the pint glass. “Don’t come upstairs until you finish it.”

I take the glass from him tentatively. “Okay?”

He smiles but says nothing more as he kisses my forehead before vacating the kitchen, leaving me alone with just the glass.

I stare at the water, a small part of me wishing it was wine.

I start to drink it down, swallowing my apprehension one gulp at a time. When I’m finally finished, I set the glass down on the counter and make my way upstairs. Dev’s house isn’t huge, but it is comfortable. There are three bedrooms on the second floor, a master and two spares. He rearranged the rooms when he moved in last year, retiring from his childhood room and claiming the master as his own. It’s large and spacious with an en suite bathroom. Comfortable enough for three. As I walk through the double doors, soft candlelight and the smell of sandalwood engulf my senses. But what grabs my full attention is the bed.

The comforter is pulled down, exposing the black cotton sheets. And dangling from the iron canopy is a pair of leather cuffs.

I wobble on my feet as I approach the mattress, mesmerized by the chain links glistening in the candlelight.

“Scared?” Dev sneaks up on me.

“A little,” I admit, smiling to myself, recalling a conversation I had with Sam. The morning she looked like hell and told me fear was sometimes a good thing. That it made you remember you were alive. Well, I can honestly say I’m living now.

“Don’t be.” He kisses my neck, removing my coat. “Just relax and follow my lead.”

I close my eyes and lean my head back, absorbing the soft kisses he’s trailing across my collarbone. As he moves over my shoulder, he takes the thin strap of my dress with him. The material isn’t hard to manipulate. The spandex hugging my curves peels readily off my body. Soon, I’m standing in just a strapless bra, heels, and a thong.

“Get on the bed and kneel beneath the cuffs,” Dev murmurs in my ear, and my eyes snap open. It’s the moment of truth. Can I do this? My morbid fascination with the unknown answers for me as I climb onto the bed and position myself under the dangling cuffs. Dev moves with me, settling behind me on the mattress. There are no words, only silent directions. He lifts my hands above my head, kissing my upper arms as he does. He fastens one wrist swiftly, and then the other just as fast. My heart speeds up as my limbs are elongated, tethered by the stiff cuffs.

“Damn.” Dev encircles me with his arms, groping both breasts while sucking on the base of my neck. I feel completely helpless, barely able to move.

“I’m going to make you feel so good, butterfly.” He unhooks the front clasp of my bra, continuing to fondle me. Dev’s hands are miraculous. His touch is like no other. It’s always purposeful, provocative, and eliciting. He takes in a way that is so artful, you don’t even realize he’s stealing until it’s too late.

“Pick a safe word.” He runs the tips of his fingers up and down my sides. I break out into chills as I try to rack my brain.

“Chassis.”

Dev freezes. “For real?”

“Is that a bad one?”

“No, just a new one.” He chuckles. “I was expecting red.” He tickles me, and I jump.

“Dev!” I’m helpless to his assault. “Dev, please!”

“Mmm . . . That’s only the first of many times I’m going to make you scream those words.” His devilish threat is palpable, leaving no question he means every single syllable.

Dev shifts on the bed, me unable to see him behind me.

“It’s about to go dark, butterfly.” He covers my eyes with a satin mask, stealing my eyesight.

My remaining senses immediately heighten, making me highly aware of my surroundings all of a sudden. The smell of the candles, the heat from the flames, the sound of Dev’s footsteps moving around the room.

My bare skin is the most sensitive of all, picking up the lightest draft from the air vents.

“Chilly, butterfly?” Dev sucks one of my hard nipples into his mouth.

“A little,” I sigh.

“You won’t be for long. I promise.”

After that statement, there’s nothing. No sound or words or interaction. I just hang there waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting . . . for what?

“Dev?” I finally whimper, the deprivation weighing on me.

“I’m right here.” His smooth voice tickles my ear. How long has he been that close?

Something else then tickles me. I jolt as a soft sensation runs down the front of my body. The light touch somehow feeling like a ten-pound stone.

“What is that?” I tense as he changes directions, brushing it across my torso before moving it up to my aching breasts.

“Ostrich feather.” Dev’s voice is deep—highly aroused. He circles the tip of each nipple, causing me to sharply draw in air, tingles vibrating through every limb.

“Oh!” It feels so strange, and erotic and illicit. I’m strung up, helpless, at the mercy of a feather and an irresistible man. I stretch my body and drop my head, relinquishing to the foreign affects.

“So pretty.” Dev kisses my jaw as he slides down my thong, leaving it stretched around my thighs. Even though I can’t see him, I can pick up on his heavy, hungry breathing.