Lies That Bind (12 page)

She grappled for a handhold on his shoulders. Tyler fumbled for the conditioner, scraped a bit from the top of the bottle, then aimed for her asshole.

“Tell me, baby… Did Nate fuck you here?” He slid his finger deep.

She cried out, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Tyler clutched her close and eased them to the bottom of the tub with her astride him.

“I asked you a question, Tessa.” He grabbed the shower brush behind him and brought it down against her buttock.

Her pussy clenched with her moan. He added another smack, then plugged two fingers up her ass. She ground into him, her fingers clenching and unclenching his nipple.

“Put those fingers on your clit. I want to see you make yourself come while I paddle your ass and fuck you.”

“Tyler, please.”

“Oh, I’m going to.” He whacked her bottom again. “Did he?”

“No.” She thrashed her head from side to side, rocking into every thrust, every smack. “Never,” she gasped.

Tyler’s eyes glazed from the beauty of her riding him. He let her set the rhythm, popping her rear every time she lifted her ass for more, sucking her tits when she wiggled them into his face. Coming hard and long when she did.

It wasn’t enough.

They eased apart. He set the brush aside, then stood with her, only letting her go long enough to turn off the water and wrap a towel around her. He scuffed the terry over her hair and body before he did the same to himself. Semidry, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bed. He placed her in the center, kissed her hard, stabbed his fingers into her heat. His dick hardened like it hadn’t come just moments before. Tyler expected as much. It’d take a lot of fucking before he was normal again. The only thing missing right now was Rex. But they’d take care of that later.

He drew away and stared down at her. “You left us, Tessa. Said horrible things. Tore my heart out.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.” She came to her knees before him, eyes downcast. “I…I should be punished.”

It felt like his dick was ready to split in two. “I agree.” But she wasn’t the only one. She’d left, but they let her go. “Into position, Tessa.”

He walked over to his closet, expecting her to obey and giving her time to do so, to think about what was to come. Tyler fingered the rack of belts. His selection was quick—the soft, well-worn one. He slipped it free, looped it in two, then danced it along his cock. It’d been a long time. Too long. By the end of this evening, they’d all have the physical relief they needed. The emotions that went with it were another matter.

Pulling in a breath, he turned. Tessa knelt over a mound of pillows, knees spread, ankles crossed, her pink ass high and too much to resist. He draped the belt over her calves, reveling in her gasp of breath when the leather touched her skin.

He left her waiting and went to the kitchen for specialty items—olive oil and zucchini. A pity their toys were back at the ranch in the closet they’d once shared. That was fine. He had no problem improvising.

Tessa hadn’t budged an inch when he returned. Tyler placed his items in plain view, smiling when her eyes widened, then seemed to glaze over when he retrieved condoms from his nightstand. Her breath caught again when he picked up the belt and tickled it up her thighs. He felt the quiver like it was his own.

“You got a good warm-up in the shower. There won’t be another one. Understood?”

“Yes, Tyler,” she whispered, eyes locked onto their impromptu toys.

He rolled the belt around his hand until eight inches of leather remained, curled his free hand over her hip, then slapped the belt over her ass. Tessa bowed her back on a hard moan, raising her backside for more. It was impossible to
punish
someone who liked it so much. Something he could attest to personally. There was pain in the pleasure, a rush no drug could match. Any resulting tears were as cathartic as an orgasm. She’d get it all tonight. So would he.

Tyler lashed her ass to a rosy hue. Her cries fueled the heat in his erection, squeezed his balls, and made him want to crawl inside her. He fought the rise. His time would come. Then her gasp became a sob. She’d broken through. Harder strikes followed, bringing her over the edge. Five, ten, twenty until her tension released, and she lay limp upon the pillows. Twenty more lighter ones to sweeten the moment. Then he lay the belt beside her and sat on the bed, absorbing her soft sobs.

Tyler indulged his cock in a single stroke before he ripped open the condom packet and rolled it onto the small zucchini, then tied it closed. Watching her teeth worry her lower lip, he placed the fake dildo on her lower back and unscrewed the bottle of oil. Spreading her hot buttocks, he drizzled oil down her crack and smeared it over her clit and anus. A soft groan cut through her crying. Grabbing the makeshift plug, Tyler covered it with oil. He gave Tessa no warning before he thrust it inside her ass.

Her head jerked up on another groan, and he swept his free hand right to her clit. She writhed into the fucking, fingers fisted in the bedsheet. Tyler considered teasing her to orgasm. His own needs argued against it. He shoved his thumb into her pussy and flashed his fingers over her swollen clit. Plumbed her ass nice and slow. Still, he wasn’t prepared for the impact her climax would have on him. The rush, the groan, the way she shuddered through it, screamed to him to join her. Precum oozed to his cockhead. Balls crawled into his groin. And his dick felt like someone had taken a torch to it.

Tyler eased the toy from her ass, tossed it into the nearby wastebasket, then clutched his cock in a death grip.

Minutes ticked by. Time in which her breathing turned normal while Tyler fought for control. Finally, she rolled to her side.

“Now it’s my turn, honey. You aren’t the only one who needs to be punished.”

She came to her knees, vacating the stack of pillows. “Not like that, you don’t.” Tessa snagged a condom, ripped the packet open, and reached for his erection.

Tyler grabbed her wrist. “If you touch me now, I’m going to come.”

“I see.” She gave him the rubber and crawled off the bed. He had a great view of her red ass as she walked from the room. An even better view of her taut nipples when she returned with a pair of her panties.

“Tie them tight around your dick and get into place.”

She tossed the silky undergarment his way. Tyler caught it with one hand.

“I’d offer to do it for you, but…” She picked up the belt, folded it, then gave it a sharp snap.

He wrapped her panties around the base of his erection and double knotted it to stem the tide. The woman was missing her calling as a dominatrix.

Tyler assumed the position. “Don’t be as kind as I was to you. I want to feel it in the saddle tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry. You will.”

She laid a hard strike over his ass. Fire rushed across his cheeks, matching the one in his cock. Another followed, stealing his breath. Tessa gave him no recovery time. One stroke after the other, hard and harder, covering him from ass to midthigh. As much as Tyler wanted it, he fought the rise. Tension locked his muscles. And just like that, she eased her hand.

Her hits were softer, though they still packed a wallop, and evenly spaced, luring him into the headspace he’d longed for. Tyler felt himself drifting toward heaven, locked into bliss. There’d be no tears from him tonight. He’d shed enough since she’d left, and he’d been waiting too long to have this moment again. He lay there trembling under the kiss of leather, fucking the pillows to no avail.

And then she stopped.

“Roll over.”

She was expecting a lot. He could barely move. Still, he complied. Tessa yanked the pillows away and crawled astride him. Gaze locked with his, she smeared oil over his cock, added more to her ass, then wiped the residue over her clit.

“Hands locked behind your head.”

Tyler interlaced his fingers into place, then clenched his jaw when she tugged the knots loose on her panties and released his dick. She grabbed it around the base, rose up, then slowly closed her anus over it.

Stars exploded in his head. Groaning, he thrust up, seating himself fully. He longed to grab her hips and pound into her or at least squeeze her tits while she fucked him. His forearms shook with the effort to keep his hands locked.

“I’m going to fuck you now, Tyler Coltrane.”

“Yes, ma’am. Please do.”

And God, she did. Her ass worked his dick. One hand fondled her breast while the other worked her clit. He writhed into her body, lost in so many sensations, he couldn’t keep track. And then finally—
finally
—he came. The only sound that cut through his fog of orgasm was her coming with him.

Chapter Nine

Tyler’s deep breathing filtered into Tessa’s blood. His heart thumped a steady rhythm beneath her ear. He’d tossed one arm around her to draw her against him seconds before he’d drifted off to sleep. She’d tucked herself close, one arm and leg claiming him. In truth, afraid to let go. Robert Baron’s words had slapped her with a reality she’d never considered. One that scared her to death. Living without Rex and Tyler was a hell of her own making, but the concept of living in a world where they didn’t exist at all was unbearable.

She deserved the strapping, craved it even, and not for the sex play. Tessa wanted to be punished for her actions. If Tyler hadn’t opened the door, she would have done it herself. But it did little to exorcise the guilt. Maybe with time that would dull. She’d have to make it up to Rex and Tyler someway. Coming back here, though…

And she was back to square one. She didn’t want to stay, and they refused to leave.
Enjoy it while you can
. There was that. Perhaps they’d be able to salvage something from the ashes her harsh words had burned into their relationship. At least there was hope of something. Not so for poor Robert. How he must have suffered, watching the man he loved die a slow and agonizing death. How he must have hurt when Derek shoved him aside.

More guilt stabbed through her. Derek had known for well over a year he was terminal. God, how he must have felt to learn he wasn’t going to have a life. That death was right around the corner. The pain alone had to have been killing him.

Why in the hell hadn’t he said something? Most likely, he’d been afraid they’d baby him or hover over him. He would have hated that. She wondered if Mike had known. Tessa counted it as another strike against the man. Mike could have kept quiet and let Derek live his remaining years, believing Mike was his father. Instead, he’d hurt him. He’d hurt them all.
No
, you
hurt them all.

Tessa blinked away tears. She could analyze it all she wanted. The answers weren’t there. One couldn’t question a dead man.

Pressure in the room changed with the opening of the front door. Tyler bolted upright, shoving her behind him. Emotion squeezed her heart.

“It’s Rex.” She slipped her arm around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Bringing food like he promised. I can smell the barbecue from here.”

Tyler pulled in a breath, then relaxed. “Then let’s go eat.” He patted her thigh, eased from the bed, and reached down for something on the floor, giving Tessa a very fine view of his still-red ass.

“You’ve been crying again.” Tyler held her panties out for her.

“You’ve been crying?” This from Rex, now standing in the doorway.

They flanked her, worry etching frown lines into their faces, two cowboys standing ready to give her all she needed. What the hell had she been thinking to throw it all away?

“I—”

They were beside her before Tessa could say another word. Strong arms wrapped around her. Hot bodies pressed against her.

Tyler brushed his nose to her ear. “What’s wrong?”

Rex burrowed his head into the curve of her neck. “Talk to us, sweetheart. Don’t shut us out.”

Like you did before
was left unsaid.

Tessa tried to swallow the tightness in her throat. Why pick at it? Why not live the moment, accept what they were offering? So she sagged into their warmth, basked in the knowledge she was fully protected, and opened her heart to possibilities she’d tossed aside before.

“I don’t understand why Derek would keep such a thing secret. Or how he could do so without one of you noticing something.”

“I’ve been asking myself that same question.” Rex pulled them all down, and the men stretched out beside her, draping their legs over hers. “I guess we were too wrapped up in our own concerns to notice much else.”

Tessa spooned into Rex and pulled Tyler’s head to her chest. God, she loved the feel of his soft hair on her skin. “Was this an accident, suicide, or murder?”

“The shot to the head wasn’t an accident. Neither was the attempt on Nate.” Rex pressed his hand to her stomach. Tyler’s broad palm covered her butt. It wasn’t about sex. It was bonding. Her heart tumbled a little further.

“If it was suicide, I’d like to think he would at least leave a note,” Tyler said. “But it’d be in plain sight if he had. Kevin would have seen it at the ranch house. He would have said something.”

“No, not until he got the autopsy back.” Kevin was Derek’s attorney. He was invested in protecting Derek. Kevin wouldn’t reveal information like that unless it was absolutely necessary.

“We can talk to Kevin in the morning.” Rex trailed kisses over her shoulder. “It’s been a long day. You two need to eat, and I need to get back to work. If I stay here much longer… Hmm…” A little nip, and he swung his feet to the floor.

“Derek being terminal might explain why he never filed that quitclaim deed.” Tyler hoisted on his jeans as he stood. “It’d leave things up in the air when he died.”

“That is what wills are for,” Tessa told them.

“There’s no way we’re ever going to know why Derek did what he did. It’s only going to drive us nuts. Let’s take this a step at a time.” Rex leaned in and kissed her. “You’ve created a stir with your airplane arrival. Someone traced the number to Oliver Holbrook. Is that
the
Oliver Holbrook? And I’m almost afraid to ask how you know him.”

Tyler froze, eyes wide, his arms stuffed halfway into a white T-shirt.