Night Is Darkest (26 page)

She mimicked his action but nothing happened. “It wasn’t loaded.”

“Right.” He beamed. “You’re doing great, little one. To load it, we’ll fill the magazine.”

He cupped her hand. Together they shook the cartridges into the hopper.

“Then snap it back in. Now you’re ready to chamber the first round, switch off the safety and shoot.” He set his gun on the shelf then moved behind her. “For the first few, I’ll guide you. Then you’ll try it on your own.”

“Do I need to shoot it to know how? I mean, I know enough now not to hurt someone, right?”

“If you don’t plan to use it, there’s no point in toting it around. It’s not a paperweight, Lace.”

She released the tension in her shoulders with one long exhale. “Show me.”

Tyler squatted to adjust her stance. “Keep your legs spread, one slightly in front of the other.” He put his arms around her then extended her arms. “Lock your elbows. For now, you’ll use a two-handed grip.”

His hand blanketed hers as he folded it over the top of the barrel then slid it back to chamber the round with a smooth action. Then he guided her thumb to the safety, flicking it over to the other side. He aimed their joined hands toward the closest target. “Curl your finger over the trigger. When you’re ready, go ahead and fire.”

A shot echoed through the quiet morning. The peaceful twitter of birds morphed to angry squawks as they took flight. The power of the firearm awed him like it was his first time. His cock bulged against the seam of his jeans. Damn, he should have put on some fucking underwear. He always had this reaction to target practice. Having Lacey tucked against him increased the effect exponentially.

“Did I even hit the target?” She sounded glum.

“Nah. No one does their first time, little one.” He nuzzled her fragrant hair under the pretense of realigning their aim. “Let’s empty this magazine together, then you’re going to try it by yourself. Ready?”

The gun fired in rapid succession. He controlled the kickback, guided her closer to the target and counted the shots. When the gun clicked, he didn’t even have to remind her to verify all the bullets had been disposed of. She released the magazine and chambered air like a pro.

“Jesus, woman.” He stepped back to keep from throwing her to the ground and ravaging her in the wild grass.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No. You’re amazing, remember? Want to try it solo now?”

She grinned. “I wish I’d done this a long time ago. It’s empowering.”

Tyler swallowed hard at the sight of her wicked grin and confident but cautious posture. He had to clear his throat, twice, before he could talk. “This time, try counting while you’re shooting. Remember, you have twelve bullets. Technically, you could chamber the first then load one more in the magazine for thirteen but don’t worry about that now.”

“Right.” She gave a crisp nod then set off on reloading the weapon. “I’m going to hit the target, even on the edges, with each shot this time.”

He didn’t want to rain on her parade but, at this distance, he doubted it. “Remember how you mentioned the weight? When you shoot by yourself you’ll have to aim a little higher than you think you should because the gun will tend to sag in your grip. You also have to brace yourself against the kick. Take it slow…”

The bang of another shot drowned out the rest of his direction. This time, she hit the target about a third of the way in. Impressive. With a slight pause between rounds to adjust, Lacey emptied the magazine once more. Not only did every bullet penetrate the target, but each shot came closer to the center. When she finished, she made sure the chamber cleared then set the gun on the shelf with the barrel pointing away from them.

“Nothing to it.” She dusted imaginary lint from her sleeves then tossed a spectacular smile over her shoulder.

His heart lurched.

“One last note, little one.” He had her full attention. “Never point a gun at someone unless you’re prepared to pull the trigger.”

She nodded.

“Good job, kid.” Mason’s deep timbre filled the range.

They both turned, startled. He’d snuck in undetected.

“You’re a natural. Now get your asses over here so I can drive you back to our cabin. Watching you shoot turned me on.”

“What’s new about that?” Tyler teased.

“Gotta point there. But you’ll be ready to burst through those designer jeans when you see what I managed to gather in my travels.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Close your eyes and turn around.” Lacey obeyed Mason’s command. A band of supple fabric that smelled like the guys’ spicy laundry detergent covered her eyes. She reached out on instinct, her hand encountering the solid wall of Ty’s chest.

“What are you doing?” Curiosity, more than nervousness, prompted her question.

“Blindfolding you.” Mason tugged the knot tight. “I don’t want to spoil my little surprise.”

She shrieked when he swept her off her feet, into his arms.

“I won’t let you fall, doll.”

Disoriented, it surprised her to hear Ty bounce up the stairs and across the porch of their cabin a moment before Mason began to ascend. The creak of the door sounded then she turned in midair, presumably as he carried her over the threshold.

“Holy shit, Mason. You weren’t gone
that
long. Where’d you find this stuff?” Awe mixed with desire to roughen Tyler’s voice.

“I went to Ferndale to call the chief but he didn’t answer. So I rang JRad instead. After we talked…” He paused, probably mouthing something to Tyler.

“Hey! If you’re going to tell secrets then I deserve to know, too.”

“There’s nothing to worry about right this minute, Lace.” He continued before she could ask more questions or lose the spirit of the moment. “I asked JRad to do a web search for goodies.”

“Oh my God.” Lacey’s cheeks heated. “You didn’t!”

“Fuck. That punk wasn’t lying, was he?” Mason’s fingers tightened on her ribs and knee. “You dated JRad?”

Tyler cursed under his breath. With her sight stolen, audio inputs seemed amplified. “At least we know he didn’t sleep with you.”

“You hypocritical barbarians! How many of
my
friends have you fucked?”

She could have heard crickets chirping if there had been any. Then the world lurched as Mason dropped her onto the mattress where she bounced. Though the blindfold stayed put, she came up swinging, trying to locate one or both of those jerks.

Instead, tickling fingers snuck beneath her flailing arms, attacking her vulnerable ribs.

“Even though we were complete morons, we hated watching the hope in other men’s eyes when they looked at you,” Tyler confessed while they destroyed her ire. “Mason would go insane every time he saw you dancing with some lucky bastard at a party or heard you’d actually said yes to a date with one.”

“This is for all those times, doll. I want you to know who you belong to.”

“I’ve always known,” she whispered between bouts of laughter as the devilish teasing wormed onto her sides and the backs of her knees. The idea of them claiming her appealed. She’d thought they didn’t care, or worse, didn’t notice when she taunted them by flirting with other guys.

“If it makes me a savage, so be it.” He growled when she quit fighting the onslaught.

Two giant hands secured her arms above her head. “Strip her, Tyler.”

He rid her of her sneakers then socks so fast she thought they’d vanished. Next, his hands fisted in the extra fabric at the ankles of her curvy jeans. He yanked them from her, still fastened. Her black thong provided the only barrier from their prying eyes. Though she couldn’t see, she sensed their stares on her pussy.

“Damn, that’s hot.” Mason pressed one of her hands to the bulge at his crotch. She basked in his excitement.

Tyler’s more graceful fingers cupped her hips, keeping her still as Mason did his part. She tested his firm grip but didn’t manage to squirm more than a centimeter. Her fleece pullover and long-sleeved shirt disappeared together. A single finger dipped below the string of her bottoms to test her arousal then painted a wet trail along the embroidered edge of her matching bra.

A moist sucking sound came a second before Mason moaned, “Delicious.”

“Roll her over.”

Tyler rotated her hips until her face nestled against the flannel sheets. Callused hands opened the clasp of her bra then reached beneath her to free her breasts. The contact with the fuzzy fabric she lay on caused her to moan. Then Ty peeled her thong off.

With simultaneous motions, Mason’s hands stroked from each of her shoulders, along her arms to her wrists while Tyler’s patted her ass then trekked across her thighs and calves to her ankles. They tugged at the same instant, spreading her limbs to the four corners of the bed. Cool air danced over her exposed pussy and ass.

“Stay still, little one.” Tyler’s reminder made her aware of her restless movements.

“I can’t.” The need for them overwhelmed her inhibitions.

“Then we’ll help you.” Mason’s matter of fact response accompanied the snap of something restrictive around her wrists. They felt velvety yet unbreakable. A flash of apprehension blocked out her pleasure before she could rein it in. In the artificial darkness, her mind skipped to the black warehouse where she struggled, rending her flesh on the metal manacles, but still couldn’t get loose.

“Shh.” Tyler came beside her in an instant. The restraints were removed. “You’re safe. It’s us, Lacey. We would never hurt you.”

“Unless you ask for it, doll.”

“S-sorry. I know that. Really, I do.” She rebuilt the vision in her mind until she saw herself held open for whatever pleasures the men wanted to bestow. “Please, tie me up.”

When fingers unknotted the blindfold, she thought they had quit.

“No! Please, I need you to replace the nightmare with something beautiful.”

“Shush, little one. We’re not going anywhere.” Tyler’s reassurance came close to her ear.

“But you’ll do better if you watch us. I want you to know who you’re with. That you’re safe.” Mason finished Ty’s sentence. “Just remember, we don’t want you to turn around. If you do, you’ll be punished.”

She blinked against the sunlight while she considered defying them on purpose. “What will you do to me?”

Mason groaned. Ty’s cock jumped against the back of her thigh. When had they shed their clothes? “You’re not ready to find out yet. So you’d best behave, doll.”

“Yes, sir.” The appellation seemed appropriate given the circumstances.

His pupils dilated. “Do it, Ty.”

They captured her wrists and ankles once more. This time she watched as Mason threaded the sturdy fur-lined leather around her until she couldn’t escape the snug yet comfy binding. He pushed a shiny D-ring through a slit in the band then clipped it to a fastener he must have secured to the fancy headboard before catching up with them at the range.

Tyler worked with efficient movements until her ankles became immobile as well. She gave an experimental tug. Nothing budged.

“That’s right, sweetheart.” Mason’s erection bobbed in time with his heart. “You’re not going anywhere. Now, would you like to play a game with us?”

The sweeping strokes of Ty’s hand kneading her ass distracted her from the question.

“Answer me.”

Her eyes shot to Mason as she struggled to think of what he’d said. “A game? Y-yes, sir.”

“Good girl.” He ground his cock against her palm but when she tried to squeeze him, he pulled away. “Here are the rules. I want to test you. Give you a sampling of my favorite varieties of torture. Some will hurt, some will leave you begging for more.”

Lacey moaned. Her hips rocked against the mattress in an attempt to generate even a hint of friction between her legs. Tyler spanked her. Hard. She yelped but the sharp burn dissolved into heat that only drove her arousal higher.

“You’re only allowed to take what pleasure we give you, understand?” Mason’s hand fisted in her hair until she met his stare.

“Yes, sir.” She concentrated on stilling the reflexive motion.

“Very nice. Now, as I was saying… Tyler will clock you. For every second you withstand my tests, you’ll earn an equal reward. You decide when you’ve had enough but, remember, the longer you hold out, the bigger the prize. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

“Yes, sir.” Holy hell, she would spontaneously combust if he didn’t quit yapping and start handling her soon. “Please, touch me.”

“If you insist.” Mason snagged a stopwatch from the nightstand and tossed it to Tyler. “Start the clock.”

The digital beep reached her ears a split second before Mason hopped onto the bed and straddled her torso, facing the foot of the bed. His shins rested on top of her arms, increasing her sense of immobility. She felt the displaced air whoosh across her right ass cheek just before his palm landed over the heated area Tyler had spanked.

A medium stroke followed the light tap before the sting had morphed all the way to pleasure. Mason’s balls slid across her back with every movement. The sensual pain began to cross the line into discomfort but the reverent exchange between Ty and Mason kept her from calling uncle.