Enlightened [Sexual Magic 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (17 page)

She looked so disappointed he could not help but pull her into a tight hug. Griff pressed a kiss on the top of her head, pleased when her arms snaked around his waist.

“Are you certain?” she asked into his chest.

He smothered a groan at the continued temptation.
Why was it so hard to deny her?
“Yes, little one.” He eased Emma back so he could look in her face. “But, if you’re good, then later this evening we may have a
small
session. Nothing too harsh, but something you will enjoy. Now go on, call in sick. I’m going to jump in the shower. You can use the one in the guest bedroom.”

She frowned. “I don’t have anything clean to wear.”

He smacked her ass. “Then we’ll just have to stop by your house on the way to our outing.”

Emma tipped her head and studied him. Griff resisted the urge to shift his stance, but just barely. Her gaze was intense and saw more than he was accustomed.

Finally she spoke, her voice light with mild surprise. “You seem more relaxed today.” She placed her hand on his chest. “More approachable.” With a quick lift, she kissed his cheek. “I like it,” she whispered, then spun and ran down the hallway.

Tenderness blossomed in his chest, and he shuddered at the unfamiliar feeling. That girl was trouble. She was the forever-and-a-day kind of trouble.

Worse than that, he was pretty sure he liked it.

“No way. No, no, no, and did I mention hell no? I am
not
doing that.”

“Are you kidding? It’s a huge rush.” Griff looked up at the zip line as adrenaline flashed through him. “You’re going to love it.”

“No,” Emma said. “What I love are my bones intact and in place. Plus, I kind of like living. Dangling 150 feet in the air on a teeny, tiny flimsy piece of wire is not conducive to any of those goals.”

Mason laughed and chucked her on the shoulder. “It’s perfectly safe, I promise.”

Her jaw was set beyond stubborn, but Griff sensed her terror. “Are you afraid of heights?”

“Duh.”

“Your mouth is going to continue to get you into trouble, missy.”

She sighed. “I’m not afraid of them, I just don’t like them. Don’t see the need to put myself in a dangerous situation when I can avoid it.”

He shared an amused look with Mason. “Really?”

She scowled then gave a light laugh. “Well played, Mr. King. I fell right into that, didn’t I?”

“Yep.”

“So, yeah, I see the parallels. I am learning the rules and signs to avoid putting myself into any sort of dangerous situation when the time is right for a, uh, for me to find a Master.”

Griff tensed at her words and noted that both of them did, too. He didn’t like the sound of it one damn bit.

Mason moved restlessly, hands shoved into his pockets. A frown formed on his forehead.

“The difference is that we are in control here.” Griff motioned toward the tower where a queue of people waited to slide down the line. “It’s safe, it’s sane, and it’s consensual.”

She snorted and shook her head. “Now you’re reaching. Seriously, why do you want me to do this?”

He laced their fingers together and hauled her toward the tower steps. “It’s a good lesson in blind trust and obedience, Emma. It’s about overcoming your fears and being daring but in a controlled situation. Much like last night.”

“And if I don’t like it? Don’t want to do it?”

He paid for three tickets and ushered them through the turnstile. “You won’t know if you like it until you try it.” He snaked his hand beneath her heavy curtain of hair, tangled his fingers in her mane, and tugged. “Agreed?”

Emma shifted and reached back to clutch at his jean-clad thigh. “Yes,” she whispered.

Griff grunted and tightened his grip in her hair. “Then you
will
get your ass on that zip line and try it. If you don’t like it, fine, but at least you will have tried.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He pulled her head back and kissed her hard then offered her lips to Mason who took her mouth with equal fervor.

She looked dazed when he released her.

Griff took her arm, nodded to the couple who stared at them, and propelled her toward the steps leading upward.

Moments later, she stood harnessed and helmeted. Her body shook with a fine tremor, but her jaw was set, hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.

Griff double-checked all the equipment before he cupped her shoulders. “Mason will go first, then you, then me.” He stepped aside and waved an arm at the breathtaking view from the platform. The ZipnVu Company had created a feast for the eyes as a slider passed, which featured lush, dense foliage in various shapes, free roaming animals which often ran along the same path, and huge water elements. There was even a portion of the 500-foot line that sent the flyer through an Amazon-forest kind of atmosphere complete with chittering monkeys and humid surroundings.

The splendor and complexity of the park was one reason why he loved coming here, but mostly Griff got a high from the flying. About the only thing that surpassed the rush was taming a new subbie.

He smacked Emma’s butt and laughed when she jumped then glared at him. “Ready?”

“No.”

“Gonna use your safe word?”

“No.”

“Griff, I think she’s being contrary on purpose,” Mason said. He cupped her chin and forced her head back to stare at them both. “Is that true, little one? Are you angling for more punishment?”

Her cheeks reddened, but her eyes sparkled. “Maybe.”

They shared a chuckle as Mason nodded. “Mission accomplished. Okay, let’s get this done. We’re coming up next.”

Griff waited as the attendant motioned Mason forward, checked his gear one last time, and allowed him out onto the platform. His shouted instructions, accompanied by multiple hand gestures, were tossed to the wind. Mason nodded, gripped the T-bar on the zip line, and edged to the jump line.

Griff looked down when Emma’s hand crept into his as she tried to burrow into his side. He wrapped an arm around her, kissed the top of her head, and watched his friend jump down. Mason’s gleeful
woot
of enjoyment lingered in the air as he sped out of sight.

“Oh crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.”

Her litany was low, fervent and rapid.

Griff held her face between his palms. “Deep breath.”

She whimpered. “Griff.”

“Sh, come on, my sweet one, you can do this. Conquer your fear. Now, take a breath.”

She held his eyes, sucked a huge lungful of air, and then expelled it in a rush. Twice more she repeated the process until her gaze was clear and her shoulders set. Griff released her.

“Kick ass, little one.”

Her smile appeared genuine. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I will.”

He eyed her cute ass as she swaggered toward the attendant. One small hesitation at the yellow caution line, and then she stepped over. She looked at him, and he gave a thumbs-up.

The attendant began yelling his instructions, and Griff saw her shoulders hunch and fingers curl on the T-bar. Even from this distance he saw the white-knuckled grip she had. She wasn’t about to let go.

The young man grinned, held up three fingers, and counted down, and then she was off, screaming long and loud. Griff couldn’t tell if she kept her eyes open, but he hoped so. Despite the fear, the view was breathtaking and not something to be missed.

He hurried forward for his turn, impatient to join the pair on the ground and see what she thought. He couldn’t wait to hug her, kiss her, allay her fears and find out if she wanted to do it again.

* * * *

“That was awesome!”

Emma shaded her eyes and stared back up the zip line, unable to believe she’d actually done it. That was way, way,
way
up there.

The ride down had been terrifying and incredible.

Mason whooped, picked her up, and swung her in a wide circle. She clutched at his shoulders and laughed as they twirled. He set her down and kissed her softly. “I’m proud of you.”

Griff stroked her hair. “Good girl.”

Their praise made her flush even more. The words had the oddest effect on her—making her giddy and proud.

She looped her arms through theirs. “Now what, guys?”

“How about we explore the park?” Mason suggested. “As stunning as it is from above, the view down here is just as inspiring.”

“Sure,” Emma agreed. “I would love to take some pictures of all this.” She made a moue of irritation. “Wish I’d brought my good camera.”

They headed down to a wood-framed directory and plotted out a course that would take them through the majority of the park and spill them out near the entrance when they were finished.

Emma pulled her serviceable point-and-shoot from her bag as they started off. She snapped pictures of the scenery, the dozens of kids in the park, people screaming down the zip line above them, and when they weren’t looking, Griff and Mason.

She loved their easy camaraderie and banter, especially when they included her in the teasing.

Mostly though, she hung back and studied them. They were so different from each other, and yet, quite the same. Yesterday she would have sworn that Griff embodied the strong, silent, and humorless type of guy. But after all she’d learned, she now knew it to be a façade he maintained to protect himself. She was determined to find out from what, too.

Mason, on the other hand, was wide open and easygoing. He was a charmer from the word go. But he, too, held secrets he didn’t want to spill. She would never have imagined him as a cop.

The news was something she’d have to get Ryan to check out for her. Emma frowned as she snapped a series of images of two toddlers running through the lush green grass.

Why hadn’t he pulled that up when he did the initial background check? Would that have been violating some sort of unspoken blue-line code?

Men.

She snorted, knelt, and continued taking pictures. A prickle slid coolly up her neck, and she paused, finger at the button. The feeling did not go away. In fact, the feeling grew strong and harsh...

It felt almost like a malevolent hand was trying to squeeze the breath from her.

Attempting to appear casual, she stood and turned around, the camera still held to her face. She swept her gaze over the people, but no one stood out. No one stared at her or looked even remotely interested in her.

The eerie feeling receded, and she expelled a sharp breath.

What the hell was that?

“Emma? You coming?” Mason’s voice brought her round.

“Yeah,” she hollered and waved. One final glimpse backward revealed nothing at all. Maybe she was still freaked out from the zip line.

She hurried to catch up to the men who waited at the top of the hill.

“So, that’s ZipNVu Park,” Griff said, face relaxed and posture wide open. “What did you think?”

She stowed her camera and bounced on her heels. “Pretty awesome, actually. I’d do it again.”

He smiled. “Good, we’ll have to come back soon.”

Come back soon.

Did he mean together? Could they do that once their job was done? Emma bit her lip and squelched the questions on her tongue. His offhand comment about a future date probably meant nothing at all.

But Emma found she wanted it to mean something.

“I’m hungry,” Mason said. “How about we go to the new steak place on Carpenter Road?”

“Is that the one down the street from Branford College?” she asked.

“Yeah. Lots of the students and faculty eat there. I hear it’s both tasty and affordable,” Mason replied.

“Affordable definitely sounds good.”

“Hey, you’re not paying, little one.” Griff squeezed her arm. “We’re here to take care of you, remember?”

His words were a balm, and she sighed happily.

She let the men lead her, content in their presence. The day had been wonderful, full of laughter and fun and new adventures. She knew more about herself and her daring than she had when she woke up in the morning.

She liked that knowledge.

More than that, she loved being exposed and opened up by them.

The thought went dirty in her mind, and she giggled.

Griff lifted a brow as he handed her into the car. “Something funny?”

When he slid into the driver’s seat, she answered, “I think I like playing hooky. This has been a blast.”

Mason checked his phone and waggled it at her. “Hey, it’s after five. You’re officially off the clock.”

“Yep, I guess so, but I’m still having fun!”

They pulled into the steak place’s parking lot, which was jammed to overflowing. “Ugh,” Mason muttered. “I hope the wait isn’t long. I’m starving.”

Griff snorted. “When aren’t you hungry?”

“Hey, I’m a growing boy,” Mason protested.

The hostess took Griff’s name, handed them a buzzer, and directed them to the outdoor-seating patio with the promise they’d be called within fifteen minutes.

Emma took the opportunity to excuse herself and dash to the restroom, where she found the line just as long as the one for the table.

“Emma?”

She froze at the voice.

Oh, no. Of all the damn luck.

Pasting a smile on her face, she turned. “Uh, hi, Lucy.”

Her coworker eyed her with a grin, green gaze dancing with mischief. “Sick of work, huh? Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Emma relaxed and shook her head. “Jeez, I feel like a kid getting caught cutting school. I never do it, and the one time I do, I get busted.”

Lucy winked. “Did I see you with two dips of delicious and decadent?”

Her body flushed with pride. “Yeah.”

“Who are they, and where can I find me some?”

“Griff and Mason.” She faltered.

Damn, I wish I was a better liar.
“I guess you could say they found me. We’re, uh, doing some research together.”

Lucy’s brow furrowed for a half second. She opened her mouth, but her words were covered by the flush from behind them. When it quieted, she cocked her head. “Research puts that kind of sparkle in your eye? Yeah, I definitely got to get in on that.”