Bound & Teased (13 page)

“Hey, Mike, what’s going on?” Jed called back as he stepped over to her. “Easy, Katie.” He stroked her stomach.

“I just wanted to drop the trailer off. I parked it where you had it. Thanks for the loan.”

“No problem.”

Katie still struggled with the restraints. If Mike walked back here...she yanked harder.

“Everything okay?” Mike asked.

Was his voice closer? Oh, God. She held her breath.

“Yeah, I’m just working with a particularly stubborn filly, otherwise I’d tell you to come on back. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Male laughter reached her ears. “Understand. Talk to you next week.”

After what seemed like minutes, but was probably only seconds, Jed said, “It’s okay, Kaite.”

Her pounding heart was all she could hear. She had to get free.

“Red,” she cried out, still struggling. She needed to leave and now.

“Easy.” Jed released the cuffs on her ankles then her wrists. When she was free, Katie tried to jump up.

Her knees buckled, and Jed grabbed her around the waist. “Easy, Katie.” He swept the blanket off the hay and wrapped it around her shaking body.

When had she started shaking? Oh, God, she couldn’t even think. Was Mike really gone? What if he was still there? She had to get out of here before she broke down. Now!

“Let me go. I need to leave.” She pushed against his chest.

“Don’t think so.” Jed swept her into his arms, and she cried out. “It’s okay, Katie.” He sat down on the bale and cradled her in his lap.

“No.” She fought his embrace. It was all too much. She couldn’t be in his arms.

“Kitty Kat,” he tried again.

“Home. I need to get home, please.” She glanced up at Jed.

His dark blue eyes filled with concern, but his jaw was locked. He was going to tell her no.

“Please, Sir. I really, really need to go home.” She fought not to wince at the sound of her own whiny voice, but she couldn’t help it. She had to get out of here. He had to let her go.

“I’m driving you home.”

Relief poured through her. “Fine,” she whispered.

Jed stood up with her in his arms and strode toward the door.

“I need to dress,” she informed him.

He glared down at her and then nodded before setting her on her feet.

Katie wobbled as she drew on her panties and jeans. The hell with the bra; her fingers were barely working. She threw her shirt on before grabbing her purse and shoes.”I’m ready.”

Jed stared at her but stayed silent. He lifted her into his arms, carried her to his truck, and set her inside as if she were made of fine china. “Don’t move, or you’ll regret it.” He stomped around the truck to the driver’s side.

Anger was in his every movement, and Katie regretted she’d made him that way. But she couldn’t deal with him or anything at this moment. Thankfully the drive wasn’t long, because neither of them spoke. When they arrived, he strode around to her side and picked her up again.

Thankfully her grandmother was at her tea shop. Jed marched into the house and started for the stairs.

“Living room, please,” she said. If he carried her to her bedroom, she’d really fall apart.

He glared at her, but turned and carried her into the room and sat her on the sofa.

“Thank you,” she whispered.
Go, go, go.

Jed squatted down and cupped her chin. “You shouldn’t be alone.”

“Please, Jed,” she whispered. “I need to be by myself.” She had to sort this fear of hers out.

His dark blue eyes became a raging storm. “I don’t like it.” He dropped a quick, hard kiss on her lips. “We will talk about this.” He stood and stomped out of the house.

Katie held her breath until she heard his truck fade into the distance. She curled up on the sofa, let out a sob, and then the tears started. She was helpless to stop them.

****

Jed parked his truck outside the sheriff’s office. Jerking the truck door open, he slammed it before marching into the building. He glanced at the dispatch operator. “Ry in?”

“Yes.”

With a nod, he made his way to Ry’s office. Thank God he was here.

Ry glanced up from the computer and frowned. “Shut the door.”

Jed closed it with a quiet click and looked back at Ry. A piece of fabric left Ry’s hands, and Jed automatically caught it.

“Put the T-shirt on.”

Hell, he hadn’t even realized he was still bare-chested. His concern had only been for Katie. He pulled the T-shirt over his head. Good thing he hadn’t removed his jeans or boots.

“We’ve got a fucking issue.” Jed plopped down onto the hard wood chair and stared at Ry.

“About?” Ry sat back in his chair, but from the way he gripped the edges of the arm rests, he wasn’t as relaxed as he’d like to be.

“Katie.” Jed scrubbed his hands down his face. “I don’t know what the fuck happened.” All he could see was her frightened face, and it chilled him to the bone.

“How about you tell me?”

Jed explained how Katie had come out to help him with the bookwork and how it had led to a play session. “Everything was going just fine.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Until Mike came by, returning the trailer. After he left, Katie went crazy. Said her safeword.”

“And you stopped the scene.”

“Fuck, yeah.” Jed leaned forward. “I tried to give her aftercare, she wouldn’t let me.”

“Jed.”

“Ry, she looked at me with those beautiful eyes and begged me to take her home. I know it was the wrong thing, but it was what she wanted.” It was all he could do when she looked at him like that and begged him. He’d walk on hot coals—hell, he’d cut off his right arm—if Katie asked him to.

Ry studied him.

Jed sat there, failure filling him. He failed Ry and Katie.

“You did the right thing, Jed, so stop beating yourself up about it.” Ry leaned forward. “Katie asked you to take her home, and I’m sure you provided as much comfort as she’d let you.”

He blew out a breath, knowing Ry was right, but it still didn’t sit well with him. He wanted to be perfect for Katie. As one of her Dominants, it was his job to take care of her, and it hurt she wouldn’t let him. “I want to know what the hell scared her.”

“You said she’d just orgasmed, and you were thinking up what to do to her next.” Ry’s calm acceptance helped Jed settle down.

“Yeah, she’d come several times. I kissed her, allowing her to taste her sweetness. I stood there looking over the toys trying to decide which to use next, or if I was just going to fuck her.”

“Did she say anything?

“No. She stiffened and struggled a bit when she heard Mike’s voice, but I walked over to her and calmed her.”

Ry gave a chuckle. “You sound like your working with a horse.”

“Yeah.” Jed finished outlining what had happened.

Ry leaned his chin on his fingers. “Think, Jed, how did she feel? How did she look?”

“Panicked.” His heart jumped as he remembered the look of pure fear in her face. “She was breathing shallow, and her body was stiff.”

“Was it the same panic as with the blindfold?”

“No.” With the blindfold, she’d calmed down the second one of them touched her and talked to her. “She didn’t react to my voice or my touch.”

“Had she been in subspace?”

“No, I would have noticed that. I’m sure of it.” He went back over the scene in his head again and shook his head. “She was fully with me when I kissed her. It wasn’t until after I turned away.”

“And we’ve kissed her before, so it’s safe to say that wasn’t the issue.”

“I know.” Jed sprang out of the chair and started pacing Ry’s office. “What did I do wrong?”

“Jed.” Ry rose and strode over to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. “You did nothing wrong, so get that out of your head right now.”

“But—”

“No.” Ry’s voice turned hard, and Jed snapped his head up. “This was not your fault.”

Jed took a deep breath and let it out. Ry had gone into Master mode and he knew better than to argue with him. “What do we do?”

“Since it’s Friday, we pick her up and get her to talk.”

“Sounds easy, but why do I think it isn’t going to be?”

“Because Katie is a stubborn subbie. We have ways of making her talk.” Ry grinned at him. “Besides, it’s time to take the relationship to the next level. She needs to understand she can trust us to not only satisfy her but also to keep her safe, even from us.”

****

After a couple of hours of huddling on the couch, Katie dragged herself upstairs to take a shower. Once it was done, she curled up in her bed. She couldn’t stop shaking.

She trusted Ry and Jed, but just the thought of someone else seeing her naked and restrained sent a shaft of fear straight to her heart. They promised to keep her safe, but they couldn’t control everything. At the clubs she never removed her clothing, so her fear had been muted. Was it being unclothed in front of strangers? But Mike wasn’t a stranger. She’d known him in high school. They’d been science partners. Oh, hell, what was going on with her?

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Deep breath in, then let it out. She continued her mantra until her muscles slowly started to relax.

“Katie, sweetheart.”

“Gran?” Katie blinked, bringing her grandmother’s concerned face into focus. There were shadows on the walls that weren’t there before. She’d fallen asleep.

“Sorry to wake you, but Ry and Jed are here.”

“What?” She sat up clutching the covers to her chest as she glanced at the clock. It was seven? “I...” She swallowed. “I’m not feeling well, Gran. Can you let them know?”

Gran frowned. “Sure, sweetie. Do you want some soup or something to eat?”

Her stomach rolled. “No, Gran. I’m just going to go back to sleep. I’m sure I’ll be fine by tomorrow.” She lay back down as her grandmother left the room.

Several minutes later, she heard an engine roar in the driveway, and she listened to it fade away. She let out a breath and snuggled down into the covers. She’d been afraid Ry and Jed would come storming up to her room.

Part of her rejoiced they hadn’t, but the other half wished they would have. Her bedroom door opened, and she jumped.

Gran stood in the doorway. “Ry said to let you know they expect you at their house at four tomorrow afternoon. And if you’re still sick in the morning to call.”

“Thanks, Gran.” Katie closed her eyes. She had until tomorrow to figure out how to deal with this fear.

Chapter Seven

Ry opened the front door at four the next afternoon. Katie stood on the porch, and his heart almost stopped. Her face was drawn, and her eyes were overly bright as if she were fighting back tears.

“Hey, Katie.” He made his voice cheerful as he stood back and let her in.

He’d been afraid she wouldn’t show up. But she had. Her smile was forced. Not good.

“Ry.”

His stomach cramped with her one word answer. His dominant side roared to life. Slipping his hand up her neck, he fisted his hand in her hair and tugged until he could stare into her eyes.

Her lashes started to lower.

“Look at me.”

Her eyes opened wide.

“That’s it, baby. Let it go. Let us take control.” He could see it in her gaze, the fight in whether to submit or not.

A tremor racked her body, and he loosened his grip on her hair. “Can you do that, Katie? Today, while you’re here with us, you’ll give us total and complete control over you?”

“I...” Her tongue darted out and wet her lips. She started to nod.

“No, Katie.” His fingers tightened in her hair. “I need words. I need to hear it from your lips.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Yes, Sir, what?”

“Yes, Sir, please take total control over me. I need it.”

His heart cracked. He loved her honesty about what she needed. It was another thing he loved about her. Loved? Yes, loved. The idea didn’t scare Ry; it only made him more determined to show her how good the three of them were together.

Another tremor shook her frame. “You are so brave, sweetheart.” He brushed a kiss over her lips. “I’m honored by your submission.” Ry glanced across the room to Jed. “Are you okay with this?”

“After we talk about what happened yesterday,” Jed said.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

Ry tried not to grin at her whispered curse but failed. “Behave.” He gave her a swat on her ass.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Go down to the dungeon; we’ll be along shortly.” He released her.

She turned and made her way to the door, opened it, and disappeared.

“Shit,” Jed said.

“Yeah.” Ry rubbed his eyes. “Whatever is bothering her is not going to be easy to get out of her.”

“I have to know, Ry.”

“We both do, Jed. We can’t have her running away without talking things through with us when she’s scared. We need to find out what caused her reaction yesterday so we can move forward.”

****

Katie sighed as she put on the sheer nightgown they had laid out on the bed for her. Hell, why even bother since she was practically naked. She shook her head. This is what they wanted. It was what she wanted. She’d wrestled with her inner demons all day yesterday and had come to several conclusions.

Despite her panic, she trusted Ry and Jed to protect her from prying eyes. Her fear of being seen by others while she was in a submissive role came from what she witnessed with her father and Walter. What they had done to that woman wasn’t good BDSM. Ry and Jed practiced safe, sane, and consensual. Plus they were risk aware of what they were doing when she submitted to them.

Also, she was very aware she wanted to give her control over to Ry and Jed, as it was part of who she was. It had never been that way with anyone else but them. Once she’d come to her decision, she had begun to relax.

Until she stepped up on the porch. Her hands had shook and her stomach had clenched. Then Ry opened the door and asked her to let them take control. All her fear practically melted away. They still wanted her. She hadn’t even realized she was afraid they’d reject her until that moment.

She slipped on the nightgown then took her position and waited. She didn’t want to talk about yesterday, but they weren’t going to let her off the hook that easily. She’d slept all night, and this morning when she woke, she knew she’d have to face them and explain what happened.