The Desire, Oklahoma Collection, Volume 4

Excerpt

Submission to Desire

“So, you liked the fact that he wanted to hurt women. I knew it. Any men who would own a place like this must really hate women. I’m sure he fit right in. You people make me sick.”

She shot to her feet with the intention of getting the hell out of here before she threw something at their heads, but King moved fast for such a large man and caught her before she could even take a step.

With fire in his eyes, he gripped her upper arms.

“I don’t appreciate being judged by a woman who doesn’t know the first thing about me.”

Royce came to his feet, no longer smiling. “Or what we do here. We kept Donner close to watch him. We all talked to him over and over about the way to treat women, and Blade, our partner, even went out to meet with him. We were afraid that he would be a danger to women in the club in Virginia, and even went so far as to warn the owners there.”

King gestured toward the sofa, leading her back to it. As she sat, he braced a hand on the arm and loomed over her.

“We knew that there was a woman he was fixated on, but we didn’t know who you were. We’re very sorry that you had to go through that. We do not promote abusing women.”

Breathing a sigh of relief when King stepped back, and watching the play of muscle as he perched on the arm of the chair across from her, Brenna fisted her hands on her lap.

“You’re Doms, right?” Even if she didn’t know that they owned this place, she would know that they were. Something about their presence reminded her of the Dominants she’d met back in Virginia. It was in their posture, in their eyes, and in the way they looked at a woman, as though not wanting to miss a single weakness that they could exploit at their leisure.

The confidence, and arrogance, couldn’t be mistaken.

King inclined his head. “We are.”

Expecting that answer, and the cool tone, Brenna nodded. “So, are you going to try to tell me that you don’t use whips on women? You don’t hit them? Hurt them? Isn’t that how you get your kicks?”

Royce shot to his feet, but King waved him back, the calculating gleam in his eyes sending off all sorts of red flags. “If you’re really curious, I’ll be happy to answer all your questions, but I’m not about to sit here and argue with you when you’ve already made up your closed mind about us and what we do here.”

The disappointment and censure in his tone made her feel like a heel, but remembering Donner and his cruelty infuriated her all over again.

“I’m not buying it.” She jumped when Royce came close and squatted down in front of her, stiffening when he ran his fingers over the back of her hands in a caress she assumed should have felt nonthreatening. Alarmed at the rivulets of heat that ran up her arm, she forced herself to remain still, shaken by his intense stare and the cool calculation in his eyes.

Royce smiled knowingly and ran his fingers up her arm, sharpening the tingling sensation.

“I’m afraid I’d have to agree with King. If you really want to understand, we’ll be glad to answer all of your questions.” He lifted a finger when she started to speak.

“But, we’d like to show you. That’s the only way you’d truly understand. The only way you’ll be able to see the way we live is to experience it for yourself.”

Brenna pulled her hand away and scooted as far as she could away from him. “Sure. Sign me up and make me pay an exorbitant amount of money for you and all your customers to beat me. I don’t care what you call it, it’s just an excuse to hurt a woman. Even those men in the club carried whips with them. The women thought it was sexy. I didn’t.”

Hoping he didn’t see the lie in her eyes, she lifted her chin, silently daring him to call her a liar.

Royce’s gaze sharpened, his eyes becoming the deepest green she’d ever seen.

“So, you’re a submissive? Do you go to clubs regularly? Do you belong to someone?”

Bristling at the bite in his tone, she shot to her feet and started forward, only to have King come to his feet and block her again.

“Belong to someone? What’s with you people and that belonging crap? I don’t belong to anyone and I only went to that club once. And no, I’m not a submissive and I don’t ever plan to be. Frankly, I just don’t get why any woman would want to be.”

Royce came to his feet and moved in behind her, the fingers he ran up and down her arm making her shiver.

“Maybe you are. Maybe you’re not. Maybe you don’t want to know for sure because you’re afraid of the answer. You went to that club for a reason.”

“That’s ridiculous.” She jerked out of his hold and started for the door, both relieved and disappointed when neither man made a move to stop her. “Just because you’re surrounded by women who let you do what you want to them, you think every woman you meet is the same. I’m not. I think you’re all assholes.”

Proud of her exit line, she turned the knob and yanked, cursing when it didn’t budge. Whirling, she fumed. “Open the fucking door and let me the hell out of here.”

Desire Unleashed

His handsome features, so beloved, softened as he trailed his fingers over her hair. “I’m sorry, baby. I sure as hell didn’t mean to scare you. Keeping her hand in his, he turned away, leading her into the living room. “I’ve been pretty scared myself. Give me a minute. I have no fucking idea how to begin.”

Nat allowed him to pull her down to the sofa, but instead of snuggling against him the way she normally did, she slid to the opposite end and turned toward him, needing to see his face. “Well, you’re going to have to figure it out. You’re pissing me off.”

Jake didn’t smile the way she’d expected, and even more alarming, his eyes didn’t light with anticipation the way they usually did when she confronted him with her temper.

Instead, he sighed. “I know, and I’m sorry for it. I haven’t given you what you need from me these last few months, have I, baby?”

His lips twisted. “My only excuse is that I’m scared, Nat.” Holding her gaze, he sighed. “I’m scared to death of losing you.”

“That could never happen. I can’t imagine not loving you.” Too nervous to sit still, she started to get up, cursing when Jake grabbed her arm and pulled her to land heavily against him.

Overcoming her struggles with frustrating ease, Jake pulled her onto his lap. “You’re not going anywhere. Let me finish, damn it!”

“Then finish!” Nat’s temper dissolved at the anguish on her husband’s face. “I’m sorry. Tell me, Jake. Please.”

“Don’t you think I’m trying?” He scrubbed a hand over his face in a rare sign of frustration. “I’m probably going to screw this up, but you’re staying right where you are until I get it all out.”

“Fine. Just do it.” Shaken by her usually controlled husband’s demeanor, Nat waited, her nerves stretching to the breaking point as she watched his inner struggle.

Jake sighed again, his sharp gaze holding hers. “Hoyt’s retiring.”

A gasp escaped before she could prevent it, and it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to show only mild interest.

At least she hoped she only showed mild interest.

The jolt to her system made her heart pound furiously and affected her breathing. She fought to hide it, ashamed of herself for still having feelings for the man who’d been out of her life for years. “Is that who all those private calls and text messages have been from? What the hell does that have to do with us?”

Hoyt.

Her first lover.

Her son’s father.

The man who’d held a piece of her heart ever since he’d first captured it.

The image of the way he’d looked the last time she saw him rose in her mind—her stomach fluttering when she remembered the pain and resignation in his eyes.

Jake’s eyes sharpened. “There it is.”

Running a hand over her hair, he lifted her face to his, tightening his hold when she would have pulled away. “You would never have said anything about it, but it’s there. It hasn’t dimmed at all, has it, baby?”

Ashamed of herself, she averted her gaze, fighting the surge of panic that made her stomach roll. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nothing mattered except what she had with Jake. Nothing could ever be allowed to come between them.

His lips thinned. “You know Hoyt and I have always been close. We’ve spoken on and off over the last several years, but much more in the last few months.”

Nat frowned, fighting not to show any emotion as she struggled to understand where this was going. “Oh?”

Jake rubbed his hand up and down her back, the way he did when she was upset about something. Lifting her chin, he regarded her steadily, his hand still moving in a slow rhythm as if he worked to loosen the tight muscles in her back she hadn’t wanted him to know about. “He used to come and visit every chance he got, but he stopped coming a few years ago.” His eyes sharpened on hers. “You’ve never mentioned it—never asked about it. That’s not like you. The more I thought about it, the more it shook me. You want to tell me why you never mentioned it?”

Sitting on his lap, she found it difficult to avoid his gaze—a maneuver she recognized well. Spinning her wedding ring around her finger, Nat shrugged, trying not to think about those visits from Hoyt—visits that had been both heaven and hell for her. “I figured he stopped coming by because he got busy. I assumed he had a girlfriend.”

She’d lost a lot of sleep thinking about Hoyt in the arms of another woman, something that both shamed and infuriated her.

He used to visit every chance he got and especially made a point to visit at the holidays whenever possible. Over the last three years, he hadn’t spent his vacation time with them, and had missed every holiday.

Holidays had been hell for her because she’d imagined him spending them with another woman.

Leaning forward, Jake took her left hand in his, staring down at it as he ran his thumb back and forth over her wedding band. “No. He doesn’t have a girlfriend.” Lifting his gaze to hers, he lifted a brow. “I think you know why he stopped coming around. The fact that you haven’t discussed it with me has given me quite a few sleepless nights.”

Her stomach fluttered, nerves making her too restless to sit still. Yanking her hand out of his, she jumped to her feet. “I have no idea why he stopped coming around. Hey!”

Jake tumbled her to the sofa, covering her body with his, and lying full length over her. “Be still.” Using his weight to press her to the cushions, he ran his fingers through her hair, his eyes hard and cool. “We’re not done here.”