“Choose tonight’s instrument,” he said, and took her back so many nights ago to one similar as this. The same evening they’d eaten out in a restaurant and the course of her future had forever been altered, though she hadn’t known it at the time. It was the night Cole had seen her.
She licked her lips, suddenly indecisive. She would have loved to have said a belt, but the bite of leather reminded her too much of Cole. He’d liked the belt and had used it often. He’d never, ever touched her with a whip. She wondered if he’d even ever laid hands on one after all those years ago.
Even asking for wood brought back the memory of being on board the yacht when Cole had used the wooden oar. A shiver stole over her as what had followed came back to her with startling clarity.
“Your hand,” she finally said.
“Was it such a hard decision?” he asked mildly.
If he only knew. But she shook her head and said instead, “I was weighing my options. I prefer your hand.”
“Perhaps later you’ll tell me why,” he murmured. “Very well. Rise to your knees and come with me to the chair.”
She took the hand he offered and allowed him to help her to her feet. He took his time moving to the chair that faced his bed and then he sank onto the cushion and motioned for her to lay across his lap.
She closed her eyes as he ran his palm over her bare ass, cupping and caressing the cheeks. When the first blow fell, she embraced it. She focused on herself and isolated herself from everything but Lucas and the comfort he offered.
She was so tightly immersed in the zone that she didn’t even realize when he stopped. To her horror, when she came to awareness, he was holding her shoulders as she knelt between his thighs and he was staring hard into her eyes.
“Oh God, I’m sorry,” she whispered.
To her further horror, a tear slid down her cheek. And then another and yet another until there was a steady stream of moisture wetting her face.
Lucas didn’t say a word. He simply rose from his chair and then leaned down and swept her into his arms. He carried her to bed and gently laid her down on the mattress.
He climbed in beside her and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. Then he pulled her into his arms and curled his leg over hers until she was surrounded by him.
“Sleep now, my love,” he murmured next to her ear. “And know I love you.”
She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into his embrace until she had no awareness of where he ended and she began. And she slipped to a place where there was no pain. No sadness. No Cole. Only her and Lucas before Cole came back into her life.
“You’re an idiot,” Damon said mildly.
Cole’s lips twisted into a snarl but he bit back the explosive response.
“Yeah, I’d say you fucked up royally this time, man,” Micah added.
Cole lost the battle not to respond. “What the fuck was I supposed to do? She loves him. She was hurt by the idea that he’d given her to me and that he’d moved on. But then he shows back up for her and it’s obvious he has no intention of calmly letting her walk away from him to me.”
“Who gives a fuck about him?” Micah asked. “Ren was happy with you, was she not? You said she loves you. If all that’s true then that tells me she’d be happy with you again. But you wouldn’t know that because you let her go.”
Damon held up a hand. “He knows what a mistake he made. The real question here is how he’s going to rectify it.”
“I’m not,” Cole said grimly.
“You’re an idiot.” Micah echoed Damon’s assertion in disgust.
“Oh like you were Prince Charming with Angelina?” Cole snapped.
Micah’s nostrils flared. Angelina was a sore subject with him and Cole knew what buttons to push. He was being a first-class asshole, but he couldn’t help himself. He was in a foul mood.
“I may have treated her like shit and I may have done my damndest to drive her away, but I eventually pulled my head out of my ass and got on my knees and groveled my ass off. Think you’ll ever get to that point?”
Cole blew out his breath. “Look, she loves Lucas. Yeah, she said she loves me too. I don’t think she lied. But she loves him too. That tells me she’ll be fine with him. Hell, she’s probably better off. I can’t seem to ever make the right choices around her.”
“It doesn’t sound like either of you deserve her,” Damon said darkly. “She isn’t a piece of property to be pawned, bartered and shoved back and forth. She’s a beautiful, intelligent woman with feelings and she shouldn’t be toyed with.”
Micah smiled. “Ever the polished gentleman, eh Damon? I wonder if you’ve ever fucked up with a woman in your life.”
Damon sent him a shut-the-fuck-up glare.
“Apparently you and I are the only ones who don’t have sense when it comes to women,” Cole muttered toward Micah.
