Game On (The Morgan Brothers Book 4) (9 page)

Once she was on the stage everything around her faded into the background. She forgot how hot she was in the layers of clothing she wore; despite the fact she felt like she was being roasted alive. Blinking in an effort to bring the large room back into focus, Aspen let her eyes dart around the room. The club certainly wasn’t filled to capacity, but there were more people standing around the stage than she’d expected. Between Nate and Jax, she’d gotten bits and pieces of what was planned. But now that she saw how they’d managed to transform the stage area into an ancient castle, she knew how close they’d played their cards to their chests.

She heard a commotion at the back of the club and felt adrenaline begin to course through her veins. Aspen looked for Jax just as he faded into the shadows at the back of the stage. Remembering the promise he’d made upstairs, she knew he wasn’t going far. The security she felt knowing he was nearby made all the difference, it was the only thing keeping her from running from the room. The entire production was overwhelming, to say the least. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to set this up, and Aspen was becoming more and more uncomfortable not knowing who was responsible.

By the time she turned her attention back to the stage, men dressed in what looked like ancient military garb had rushed up the steps and quickly surrounded her. They said little as they restrained her and tied a silk blindfold over her eyes. She smiled to herself at their use of fine silk, not period appropriate, but she was grateful for their lapse. They held her arms tight—but far from the punishing grip she’d described in her writing, obviously they didn’t want to risk hurting her. They started to hustle her from where she’d been standing, but hadn’t made it off the stage when Aspen felt the men halt abruptly. A few seconds later a commanding voice ordered them to release her and to step back.

Aspen almost missed the first brush of air as someone moved past her. They’d been close…very close, but hadn’t actually touched her. Her senses were on high alert, but she stood perfectly still waiting for some clue who she was dealing with. Warm breath against her ear startled her, but when she started to step back, she found herself plastered against a second captor. A steel chest pressed against her back and another was so close she could feel the pressure against her peaked nipples despite the layers of clothing she wore. She’d been worried about sweating beneath the layers, but that concern was quickly being eclipsed by arousal.

Her body was reacting to the men surrounding her, and they hadn’t even touched her. Her fight or flight responses were shouting that she should be afraid, but the energy pulsing around her didn’t feel threatening. She felt controlled, even though they weren’t touching her.

Aspen reminded herself there wasn’t any real danger, after all, this was a staged production, and Jax was nearby. Master Nate wouldn’t let anything happen to her either, his club had a spotless record when it came to safety. But all of those facts began to fade with four small words. The man in front of her leaned forward again, this time pressing closer and circling her ear with the tip of his tongue. “Athena, finally we meet.”

Aspen gasped and felt her knees fold out from under her. A strong arm wrapped around her waist pulling her back against a rock hard chest holding her upright until she was able to lock her knees. Good Lord, what had she been thinking? During her years in the military, she’d never forgotten to lock her knees. It was a testament to how unnerved she was that she’d lost control and nearly fallen. “Careful, little goddess. We aren’t following your script verbatim, but we certainly aren’t going to allow you to be injured either.”

Once she was steady, his arm fell away, and she felt him step away from her. The next time he spoke it was obvious his words were intended for the benefit of the entire room. Holy hell, the man’s voice almost echoed off the walls, and she fought the urge to wince at the booming noise so close to her ear. “A goddess, indeed. Stunning despite the armor she wears.”

Aspen hadn’t recognized his voice when the words had been spoken so intimately, but now it’s familiarity stunned her. “Mitch?”

She tried to turn, but the man in front of her grabbed her upper arms halting her movement. “Play your part, little goddess. You are already in enough trouble for leading us on a merry chase for months.” This time, his words were spoken so close to her ear the warm rush of air against the sensitive skin sent a bolt of lightning directly to her sex. Liquid warmed the folds of her sex, and the throbbing of her clit made her wish she could rub her legs together to ease the ache.

Oh shit, if Mitch was behind her that meant Phoenix Morgan was the man standing in front of her.
How did they figure out who I am? Damn, I was so careful.
She’d wanted to watch him play, not be the toy he was playing with…or had she? Each time she’d replayed the fantasy in her mind, the two of them had been the men who’d claimed her. Aspen had always tried to be as honest with herself, and she was with others, but it was obvious she’d kept her head in the sand this time.

Phoenix’s voice filled the air as he asked if she’d put on the extra layers to prevent being dragged through the streets naked and she answered yes. They’d stayed as close to her fantasy as possible, and a part of her was grateful she had some idea what was coming. Having written it, she wasn’t completely in the dark. A nervous giggle bubbled up at the absurdity of her unintentional pun, and she felt one of the men bite down lightly on the lobe of her ear. “We’ll see how funny it is when you’re under our lash. How will the goddess of strategy handle the strokes she’s earned?”

As nervous as she was, some of her anxiety was eased because she knew what was supposed to come next. While being naked in public sounded good on paper, she was suddenly worried about being judged…but in the end, her body’s need to cool down won out. As the layers were stripped away, all she felt was relief.
Fuck the costumes, I’m going to pass out from the heat.
Aspen felt herself wobble again and fought the urge to reach up and wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Following the script, they striped her of the extra layers, stopping when they reached the light-weight peplos she wore over her linen undergarments. The underwear she’d been given might be made of fine linen, but that was where the historical accuracy ended. The tiny scraps of fabric held together by silk ribbons hardly qualified for undergarments in her view.

Their soft words of praise fell on deaf ears when they began caressing her through the thin fabric. Mitch’s hands slid from her shoulders to her wrists, shackling them and pulling them over her head. The position caused her back to arch, and pushed her large breasts out as if they were seeking Phoenix’s attention. He didn’t disappoint, his large hands cupped her breasts, and his fingers rolled both nipples until they were tight, throbbed, and begged for more.

Mitch moved her wrists so he could easily hold both with one hand. His free hand slid under her hair, and his fingers threaded through the long strands. He tightened his fingers until Aspen gasped at the exquisite feeling of straddling the line between pleasure and pain. When he pulled her head back, he turned her face to his, and whispered, “We’ll push you, little goddess, don’t think this entire scene is going to play out as written. Keeping you a bit off balance will be a good lesson—one of many I expect we’ll be teaching you.” His lips pressed against hers and she felt herself tumbling headfirst into the temptation.

The kiss was a journey. What started as a sweet distraction, turned into nothing short of a passion-filled message spoken directly to her heart. She’d known he was interested in her when they were in St. Maarten, but circumstances kept them from reconnecting after she was released from the hospital. Was this the second chance she always believed fate gave the worthy?
And what on Earth makes you think you are worthy?
Hell’s bells and seashells, maybe he was the one who’s worthy and she was just along for the ride.

Mitch wasn’t sure
he was going to have the patience to finish the scene before stripping Aspen bare and pushing himself balls deep into her luscious body. She was indeed the very picture of a Goddess. Her lush curves, cascading blonde curls, and satiny skin were pushing his control to its very limit. He could already smell her arousal and the pure ambrosia was making his cock twitch in anticipation. She’d looked so surprised when he ended the kiss and discovered the blindfold had been removed. He’d nearly laughed since it had been one of the last elements of her fantasy they planned to play out as written. From this point forward the scene was their response—their answer to the challenge her fantasy laid down to any Dom who read it.

He secured her to the St. Andrew’s cross as Phoenix reminded her they intended to punish her for all the months they’d spent chasing her. Mitch saw the moment she realized they’d left her clothes intact. He fought his smile because they had no intention of leaving her covered.
Oh no, little sub, you’ve played us long enough. Now it’s our turn to call the shots.

Mitch gave Phoenix a thumbs up when he was satisfied with the bindings, then he stepped to the side where he’d have a better view. He’d gotten the first kiss, but Phoenix was going to unwrap the package and Mitch certainly didn’t want to miss the show. For the first time since they’d started planning this evening’s scene, Mitch was confident in the outcome. He’d worried they were taking things too far—too quickly, but the way she’d submitted to his kiss had given him hope they were on the right path.

Phoenix stepped in front of Aspen, the back of his finger sliding slowly down the side of her face. Mitch watched as goosebumps followed Phoenix’s finger as it trailed all the way down the side of her neck. By the time his finger stopped at the top of her rounded breast, Aspen was panting and the flush of desire painted her cheeks a lovely shade of pink. “You’re far too lovely to hide beneath such an ill-fitting frock, milady.”

His hands fisted in the top layer of clothing and a quick jerk filled the air with the sound of tearing fabric. The soft linen gave way easily and after a few more quick pulls, all her clothing lay in tatters around her feet. Her eyes were impossibly wide, and had turned a deep shade of green as they filled with desire, making Mitch grateful they hadn’t blindfolded her again—yet.

Phoenix looked at
the naked woman bound to the cross, and for several seconds his mind was completely devoid of everything except an insane urge to claim her. But those selfish thoughts were soon overcome by his appreciation for her beauty.
She’s fucking gorgeous.
He already loved her mind, he’d gotten to know how she thought during the months he’d spent chatting with her. They’d bantered back and forth—disagreeing at times, but always respecting the other’s opinion. He’d fallen in love with her before they’d even met face to face. The beautiful package her sweet heart, sharp wit, and intelligent mind were wrapped in was a bonus.

It was going to be hard to reorient his thinking, to integrate what he was learning about Aspen Andrews into what he already knew about Athena. She’d been Athena in his mind for so long, she’d almost become larger than life. It was easy to forget you were dealing with a real person when all of your communication was on-line. But now, looking at her voluptuous curves and full breasts, all he could think about was how good it was going to feel when he finally had her beneath him.

Tracing the thin scar running up her side with the tip of his finger, he leaned down to press a kiss against the narrow white line. It was damned humbling to realize how easily he could have lost her without ever knowing she belonged to him. “Remind me to thank Dr. Barnes when I meet her. From what I’ve been told she saved your life; she’s my new hero.” He didn’t want to ignore the mark on her lovely skin, but he didn’t want her self-conscious of it either.

“We’re going to get your punishment out of the way first. Then we’ll move to a private room for the next part of this little
meet and greet
.” Phoenix’s words seemed to take her by surprise and her pupils dilated, a look of desire moving over her expression. “I love the fact you aren’t trying to hide how much you want us. Lying will never work out well for you, my sweet Athena.” Using the Greek goddess’s pretty moniker was a wonderful pet name for her, a way for him to pay homage to their past.