“See, like that. You two just agreed to something, didn’t you?” Natalie asked, looking back and forth between them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ben replied. He nodded his brother’s way. They needed a few secrets.
Ben walked over to the bed and let his body relax. He had a feeling his brother was about to put on one hell of a show.
Chapter Sixteen
Chase put the warm cloth aside, his mind on the play to come. He wasn’t satisfied with one paltry fuck. He wanted to play all night long now that he was sure she was theirs. He’d already decided to buy the unit next to theirs at The Club and convert the whole thing into a lavish playroom. He would buy all new toys, selected with her in mind. He’d been careful over the last several days, figuring out what she liked and what didn’t work. She preferred thudding impact play. Her skin was too soft for a strap. Even if she’d liked it, he wasn’t sure he could stand to put a mark on her like that.
Ropes were a different matter altogether, and he intended to push those boundaries tonight.
Nat turned her eyes up to Chase. Her voice was a throaty growl. “Does Sir want me to pleasure him as well?”
Chase gave her a growl of his own. “You were hell on wheels before, weren’t you, sweetness? You’re going to be a pain in my ass. You’re going to manipulate me in every way possible, aren’t you?”
“I grew up around lifestylers. I know all the tricks.”
Chase groaned and pressed his lips to hers, a swift intimacy. “We’re in trouble. And you can pleasure me another way, sweetness. On the spanking bench. Ass in the air.”
She grinned up at him. “There’s no other place for my ass to be on the spanking bench.”
“That’s five for brattery.” He would need to come up with a new list of words because he rather thought Natalie would take smart-ass to a whole new level when she got comfortable subbing again.
“Yes, Sir.” She turned, no anxiety in her movements this time. She was comfortable, happy even with her nudity. It was a good thing since he intended to keep her naked as often as possible.
She draped herself over the apparatus, placing her forearms on the handles and her torso over the bench. It had been cleverly designed so a woman’s breasts dangled over the sides. The better to play with them…
Thank god Jack Barnes had an inventive mind. She brought her knees up, and when they were in the proper position, her gorgeous ass was on full display.
“You are my fucking wet dream, sweetness.”
“You have some odd dreams, Chase,” she shot back, wiggling her ass a little.
“God, Nat, you have no idea,” his brother grumbled.
Yeah, having two sarcastic voices to torment was going to be tons of fun. At least he could do something about Natalie. He landed a firm hand right on the fleshy part of her ass. He loved the way she gasped and shook, the way her fair skin pinkened up beautifully.
“Watch it, brat.” He got to one knee beside her, placing a hand on her back, smoothing the skin there. This was the hard part, but it didn’t have to happen today. He wanted this, but he could wait. He would wait forever if he had to. “Sweetness, will you let me tie you down?”
He felt her jump slightly. If he hadn’t had a hand on her, he wouldn’t have noticed. Her fingers curled around the ends of the bars, and there was a tightness to her eyes.
“I’m scared of that, Chase.”
He kissed her ear. “I know. Did you like it before?”
“I loved it. I volunteered to let the guys train on me when they were taking their ropes courses. I found it soothing, but I can’t hold some positions now because I have nerve damage.”
Her voice was rising, panicking. He rubbed his hand down her back, his voice as soothing as he could get it. “I would never hurt you. Hush, now. We don’t have to.”
“But you want it.”
“I want you more, sweetness. If I never pick up another rope again, I’ll be okay. Do you understand?”
“But you want it badly, don’t you, Chase?”
He sighed. How did he make her understand? “I find it calming. I find it thrilling. I studied Shibari for years. I like to tie submissives up even when I’m not planning on having sex with them. It’s art for me. It’s also trust, but it’s all right, Natalie. I need you happy more. Just know that I’ll dream about tying you up every night. I’ll wrap you in the most elaborate knots. I’ll spend hours worshipping your body with my ropes. But I’ll keep it there. I just want you to understand I won’t ever touch another woman.”
“When did you become the great communicator?” She sniffled a little.
“I, uhm, don’t have a reply to that. Was that sarcasm?” He did have a reply to sarcasm. It involved a nasty paddle and the curve of her ass.
“Tie me down, Sir Dawson. Make it pretty. Just my arms and legs, okay? And you have a knife?”
No Shibari master would tie up a sub without having a handy knife around in case he had to get her out fast. Rope was expensive, but a Master worth anything would lose the rope in a heartbeat to spare a shaky sub. “I do. Are you sure? I want to do some nasty things to you before Ben and I get down to business.”
“I’m going to be sore in the morning. I expect aftercare, and it might have to run all day tomorrow.”
“I promise you the princess treatment. How will you take care of her, Ben?”
“Breakfast in bed to start,” Ben replied, satisfaction in his voice.
Yes, Chase intended to make a meal out of her every morning. “And we’ll bathe you and wash your hair and make sure you’re dry and warm afterward.”
“There will likely be a lot of rubbing involved,” Ben added.
Chase pulled a length of rope from his bag. Silk. The best for her. “I intend to rub myself all over you at every given opportunity.”
She snorted. “Nice heads-up, babe.”
He fucking loved it when she called him babe in that no-nonsense voice of hers. He showed her the rope, holding it out for her inspection. “This is only meant to bring you pleasure, sweetness, to hold you down so I can take you to the edge again and again. If it doesn’t make you feel safe, even for a second, I’ll cut it off and we don’t have to try again.”
Her hand came up, briefly touching his face. “I think I can handle it, Sir. It’s not the rope that makes me feel safe.”
He breathed that in. He’d always been the scary one, the hard one, but he’d just been waiting for her so he could be soft. And he realized why. She made him feel safe, too. They’d fought and she’d come back. She hadn’t left, hadn’t fled with some other guy, hadn’t asked him why he couldn’t be more like Ben. She wanted him for who he was.
He kissed her cheek, a tenderness he’d never known before sweeping across him. “I love you, sweetness.”
Her hands relaxed, the fingertips lying gently across the plush leather of the bench. Her whole body sank into it as though signaling she was ready for whatever he could give her. “I love you, Sir Dawson. Let’s see what happens. I used to love this.”
He pulled the first length of rope, looping it into a loose knot which he slipped over the handles and her forearm. He took a deep breath. This was his art, his outlet. Gently, but with a firm hand, he looped and knotted the soft rope, forming a sleeve to bind her from below her elbow to above her wrist.
“It’s pretty.” Natalie watched him, her breath even. “You’re very good at this, Sir. It’s comfortable.”
“I like suspension play. I’d love to weave a harness around you. I like the patterns it leaves on the skin.” He moved to her other arm.
She gently turned her head, following him. Ben moved to her legs, starting the bindings there. “I’ve never been suspended. I never trusted anyone enough. I think one of you will have to be waiting to catch me if I fall.”