Their Virgin Captive (14 page)

“It’s about the bug, sir. Like I said, it’s a nasty virus, but fairly common. Mr. Ward thinks it’s Internet security issues from the porn, but it’s not. It looks like someone uploaded this bug directly on to the system. Someone who had access to our software wanted this system to fail and at a very precise time.”

Slade felt his body go cold. Then he paused. Believe Scott or not? Too early to tell. He needed more information. “When was it uploaded?”

“I don’t have a firm time right now, but the bug crashed the system around eleven a.m.

yesterday.”

Right around the time the corporate jet took off with Hannah, himself, and his brothers, on their way to Alaska. Lyle had seen Dex carry Hannah out the door. Since the guy was still hovering protectively around his former boss, Slade could guess that Lyle was Preston’s bitch.

He would have told Mr. Harvard that Hannah had been whisked away. Ironic how perfectly timed that virus was. Preston was definitely smart enough to write the code to crash a system.

Hell, depending on Lyle’s loyalties, the little asswipe might have helped his former boss.

Slade marched into the IT cubicles, pinning a hard stare on Lyle. “Thanks. Get back to work.

Fix that bug.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, then watched Slade drag a sputtering Preston away.

Building security joined him to walk the former CIO out. Slade vowed to sic Burke and Cole on him the second Preston’s feet touched Dallas ground again.

* * * *

After finishing her lunch and finding some halfway decent clothes, Hannah explored the house. She was never again letting Dex pack for her. He hadn’t brought along a single pair of underwear and refused to tell her where to buy some. She was commando under her cotton skirt.

Bras, it seemed, didn’t make Dex’s list of necessary items, either. Her silk blouse brushed against her hard nipples making her so aware of her body and all the ways it ached. Now that she’d had sex, she couldn’t seem to get it off her mind.

She peered into each room. Last night, Slade had recounted a few stories about this place and his time with Gavin here as kids. Now she was fascinated by this grand log home and its remote majesty, which skirted a placid little lake framed by snow-capped mountains in the distance. The sky was such a bright blue that it almost hurt her eyes. She’d never seen anything like this.

As she wandered into the office, Hannah peeked out the window at the grounds. Everything from every view seemed vibrant and alive. There were a couple of golf carts at the back of the house that she’d been informed by the staff she could use to get to the stables. She definitely wanted to see those before she left. She was a West Texas girl, so horseback riding had been part of her upbringing. Dex and Slade had promised to take her on a ride sometime this week. She was far too sore today since she’d spent her whole night riding hungry men.

Hannah felt her face flush at the thought. The night before had been perfect—with one exception: The terrible incident between her and Gavin.

Dex and Slade had sworn that Gavin hadn’t meant a word of his ugly speech and that he was wrestling some inner demons. Perhaps. Gavin might be very corporate, but deep down, the man had a heart. She knew about his mistresses. And she knew that he had too much to give to be happy with such a cold arrangement forever. But right now, he didn’t seem inclined to change the status quo, and his inner demons were winning. That made her reconsider her decision to be with Dex and Slade. She couldn’t be the reason their family broke apart. Those brothers needed each other, and unless Gavin figured out how to conquer whatever ate at him, Hannah seriously feared she’d only stand like a wall between the younger two brothers and the eldest, squarely dividing them.

When Gavin had claimed she wasn’t good enough, the barbs struck too close to home.

Hannah had cried while Slade held and rocked her, assuring her she was everything they all needed. He’d teased her that he’d be a mess without her organizational skills. Dex would be a constant bull in a china shop without her calming influence. Even if Gavin wasn’t admitting it, he needed her for her heart. Slade had insisted that if Gavin truly found fault with the way she represented him or Black Oak, he would have fired her long ago. Hannah knew Gavin never let any situation go unaddressed if he thought changes were due. But even if he was lying to her—

and himself—she’d still be between him and his brothers.

Next, Dex had drawn a bath for her, complete with bubbles. They had led her back to the huge bathroom with a whirlpool—then made her forget everything. She’d felt like a princess as they worshipped her, passing her back and forth, washing her body and her hair, assuring her that she was perfect for them. That given time and patience, Gavin would come around.

Then Slade held her while Dex shaved her pussy. Afterward, both men had taken turns lavishing her newly bare flesh with affectionate tongues. For a few blissful moments, she had forgotten all about the ache Gavin’s words had caused.

This morning had been the same. They’d cuddled her and loved her before they’d begun her training. She’d knelt before them, Dex patiently explaining the slave position while Slade had been preparing her for something else.

Her bottom clenched around the plug he’d lodged deep in her backside. It was a continual reminder of everything they wanted from her. Everything she ached to give them.

But now, Hannah found herself alone. Gavin crept back into her mind.

She wandered into the hallway and heard the haunting sound of a piano being played with deft hands. Gran had loved music, and Hannah had studied well. This piece, a sad etude by Chopin, was one of her favorites.

As she sought the source of the sound, she peeked into a parlor they’d passed on the brief tour Slade had given her the night before. Now, Gavin sat at a huge black grand piano, his fingers working the keys like a master. Of all the things she’d gleaned about her former boss, Hannah hadn’t known that he played the piano, much less so beautifully. Music filled the space, the poignant melody battering her heart. Dumbstruck, she stopped, stared.

A bottle of vodka sat on the piano, and it looked like Gavin had made his way through most of it. She glanced at the clock on the wall. One o’clock in the afternoon. She’d never seen him drink more than a few sips of a vodka and tonic, and never in the middle of the day. What had him imbibing now? The fight with his brothers? His usually perfect, dark hair was unkempt, his charcoal gray pajama pants wrinkled. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt at all.

As he played each note, every muscle of his shoulders, biceps, and chest rippled, bunched.

Hannah had never seen Gavin James’s bare chest. She clasped her hands to keep them to herself.

Like his face and persona, even the way he handled the keys, everything about him was strong, commanding. His wide shoulders were capable of making a multi-billion-dollar company thrive for a decade. They also looked equally capable of dragging her under him, then holding her down and taking…

No. She would not let him exploit the small-town girl he’d sworn wasn’t good enough for him.

But as his body swayed with the music, he clenched his jaw furiously. With one hand playing the next series of notes, the other reached for the bottle. He took a long, deep swallow.

Gavin looked…tormented. Had she done that to him?

The playing stopped suddenly with an abrupt clash of keys, and he straddled the piano bench, his gray eyes red rimmed, almost accusing. She doubted he’d slept much last night. “Hannah.

Just who I wanted to see.”

There was a little slur in his angry voice that made her wince.

“I’m sorry to disturb you. I’ll go.” She began to back out of the room, but his voice held her.

“Bullshit. You’ll never go away, my pretty little Hannah. That’s the problem. You don’t even go away when I sleep. You’re always there. And now it will be so much worse because you’ll be near, but with Slade and Dex. I’ll have to hear them fuck you every damn night, listen to your whimpers of pleasure. Now, I won’t ever be rid of you.”

Tears started to blur her eyes. It was worse than she thought. Never mind that he didn’t want her. He didn’t even like her. If he had this much contempt for her because she wasn’t good enough for him, he probably felt the same about her relationship with his brothers. No doubt, he wished they’d settle down with some well-bred society women.

As much as she’d loved last night, Gavin’s words proved that staying with Slade and Dex would tear apart their family and shred their brotherly rapport. And they’d end up hating her for it. She couldn’t risk that. She had to put their needs beyond her own.

“You will, Mr. James. I know you need your brothers. So I won’t be the wedge that drives you apart. I love them too much for that. And I know you don’t feel the same way, but I care about you, too.”

He rose from the piano bench slowly, his every move predatory. His stormy eyes pinned her in place. Even from across the room, she sensed the menace in him. “You care about me?” Hannah’s breath hitched. Fight or flight? She had to decide. Everything about Gavin, from the set of his broad, naked shoulders to the dangerous gleam in his eyes, told Hannah that something nasty brewed inside him. Definitely, she should run. Yet she couldn’t make her feet move.

Fight it was.

“Yes, Mr. James. I care about you.” She took a step toward the angry, inebriated male.

At six feet three inches, Gavin towered over her. She should definitely run from the room, screaming. Yet all she could think about was taking him in her arms and soothing his hurt. This was her last chance to fight for the future she wanted, to try to heal this proud, strong man. If she couldn’t somehow stop him from drowning in his own pain, then she feared all was lost. If she failed, at least she would have the comfort of knowing that she’d given it her all.

“And you don’t want to come between me and my brothers?” He stalked toward her. He didn’t wobble or hesitate, merely strode forward with dangerous grace.

“I don’t.”

Brow raised sardonically, he moved closer. Hannah fought the urge to back up and stood her ground. He needed to stop lying to himself and understand that she was right for all of them.

Gavin invaded her space. This close, she could feel the heat of his body, smell the vodka on his breath. She knew it should turn her off, but her body was singing.

“I think you’re a little liar, Hannah. I think that being between me and my brothers is exactly where you want to be. I heard you last night. I heard your every cry and moan. You liked being between Dex and Slade. Tell me something, Hannah, did they fuck your pussy? Did they shove their cocks into that tight, virgin cunt?”

His challenge, his language, his aggression—none of that should turn her on. But it did.

“Yes.” She hated the breathless way the word came out, sounding not strong, but submissive.

“Did you like the way it felt? Did they hold you down, make you take every inch? Pound you?

She nodded as her pulse leapt. Her breathing turned unsteady. She didn’t trust her own voice.

He moved closer, his body a wall of warm, muscular flesh. “And did my brothers fuck your ass, too, Hannah? Did one of them tunnel into your tiny hole back there and make you howl?”

“No. They said I needed to be prepared.”

His eyes flared. His hands twitched at his side, coming out as though he wanted to touch her, but he forced them to behave. In the end, he lost. He grabbed her arm and dragged her against his body, her chest against his. Her head snapped back, and she looked directly into his eyes, gleaming with unslaked desire.

“I know my brothers, Hannah. Did they shove a plug up your pretty virgin ass?” Hannah looked away, feeling a flush crawl up her face. God, she could feel the plug even now, and Gavin’s words made her so aware of her body. Slade had promised her the pink plug was small, but it felt huge. She clenched around it again, as she had all day, lighting up nerves she didn’t know she had.

Gavin took her chin in his hand and forced her to look up at him again. “Tell me what my brothers did to you, Hannah. Don’t be shy. Tell me how it felt when they pushed that plug against your ass for the first time. Did you shiver when you felt the cold lube against your warm, puckered skin?”

She fought her embarrassment, wanted to look away. Gavin wasn’t going to let her. And this was too important to simply give up. Gavin wasn’t acting like a man who didn’t care. He might not like the fact that he cared, but he wanted her. She could feel it. If details would bring him to his knees, she would give them.

“Yes. It was very cold. Slade’s fingers warmed it.”

“Did he play with you, then? Rim your rosette with his fingers?”

“Yes, for a long time. Then he pressed in, so deep. I gasped. I’d never felt anything like it.” It had been an odd sensation. “I didn’t like it at first.”

His fingers stroked her chin. “Only at first? Then you changed your mind, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“I’ll bet. I think that, after a while, you liked Slade putting his fingers up your ass. You liked it a lot. In fact, I have no doubt he kept at you until he figured out exactly what you like. Until you came, isn’t that right?”

Hannah shifted, trying to back away, find a little breathing space. Gavin wasn’t having any of that.

“Answer me,” he demanded, gripping her tighter.

“Yes, I came.”

The truth relaxed his body, but he fired his next questions out at her just as rapidly. “Because he also played with your pussy with his other hand? Because Dex sucked those pretty nipples that are poking through your silk blouse at me right now?”

“Because Dex used his mouth down…there.”

Understanding flared hotly across Gavin’s face. “So Slade shoved his fingers up that virgin ass to get you all ready? Did he tell you how much he loves anal sex?” Hannah knew she couldn’t help the shock jolting across her face.

“I didn’t think so. Yeah, nothing our middle brother loves more than to bend a woman over and shove his cock straight up her ass. Every day. More than once a day, if she’ll take it.” A little smile smeared across his mouth.