Seduced By My Doms BN (5 page)

Reminding myself that I lacked the proper equipment to trip
James’ trigger didn’t curb my ludicrous longings—not when his intoxicating
scent filled every inch of the enclosed space we shared. Like a magnet to
steel, he drew me to him and it was driving me out of my mind.

“You really don’t have to go to all this trouble,” he stated
in a whiskey-smooth drawl.

As usual, my body responded luridly to his voice. Every
nerve cell tingled as that incessant throb returned between my legs and beneath
my bra, taunting me once more.

“I was in I.C.U. last year. We know where the waiting room
is,” Mika added.

“Oh, I don’t mind taking you. I’ll check to make sure Trevor
is settled in while I’m there.”

“I’m just glad he’s alive.” The hitch in Drake’s voice tore
at my heart. “I can’t imagine what I’d do…”

James reached up and gripped Drake’s shoulder. “Then don’t.
He’s out of surgery and he’s going to be fine. The only thing we have to worry
about is helping him heal emotionally.”

“I know.” Drake nodded, composing himself quickly.

He was lucky he still had Trevor. The scars never heal when
someone you love is ripped from your life; at least mine hadn’t.
Dayne
abandoned me, but then so had our father. He’d packed
up and left when I was eight.
Dayne
was only six. Mom
raised us on a secretary’s salary, making sure we had everything we needed…at
least until she discovered her son was gay.

“Do you always take such good care of patients’ families
like this?” Mika’s question drew me back before the memories could crush me.

“Not normally.” I shook my head. “But Trevor, he…”
Makes
me wish for the brother I’d lost?
No. That would make me sound buckets
full of crazy and slightly
stalkerish
as well.

“Struck a chord with you, didn’t he?” James asked
perceptively. I shyly nodded. “He does that to people. A lot.”

Drake issued a melancholy chuckle. “It’s one of the things I
love most about him. He has a magical way…people gravitate toward him.” He
sniffed and brushed away a tear.

“He does.” I smiled, reaching out to give Drake’s arm a
comforting squeeze. “Don’t worry, Trevor has you in his life. He’ll bounce back
from this. You wait and see.”

Why couldn’t
Dayne
have found
a loving bond with a man like you?

“We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he recovers from
this,” Mika announced with conviction.

“Yes.” Drake turned a grim expression Mika’s way. “We’ve
done it before. We’ll damn well do it again.”

“Trevor mentioned this was the second time he’s been
attacked. I can’t imagine living through such brutality twice.”

“It’s how we met,” Drake remarked as the elevator dinged and
the doors opened.

I wanted to know more about that story. Instead, I bit my
tongue and led them into the ICU waiting room. Even though the décor was light
and inviting, moroseness hung heavy in the air. Family members of patients sat
bleary-eyed, gazing at the television while several others slept in awkwardly
bent positions on the chairs and couches. Some had even curled up on the
unforgiving industrial carpet.

Drake steered toward the back of the room. James and Mika
followed him to a cluster of empty chairs in the corner, and sat to wait yet
again.

“I’ll go back and see if they’ve brought Trevor down yet.”

“Much appreciated.” Drake smiled tightly.

I swung around and spied a petite woman with lush red curls
and anxious green eyes rush through the doorway. She zeroed in on the three men
in the corner and Mika lurched from his chair, then spread his arms open. The
woman burst into tears as she ran toward him and burrowed into his chest.

“How is he?” she sobbed. Lifting her head she wildly eyed
the room. “Dammit, I never wanted to step foot in this place again. When they
told me
Trev
was up in I.C.U. I freaked out. Oh god,
please tell me he’s okay.”

Drake stood, watching the exchange. His face clouded with a
look of anguish as tears filled his eyes once more.

“
Shhh
. Easy, baby.” Mika murmured,
holding the woman tight in his arms while smoothing a hand through her wild
ringlets. “He’s going to be fine. They operated on his spleen. We’re waiting to
see him now.”

With a nod, she turned a forlorn gaze toward Drake. Prying
free of Mika’s arms, she ran to the big man and buried her face against his
leather jacket. “Oh, Moses. I’m so scared.”

He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. Clearly,
whoever this woman was, Drake loved her a lot. “He’s going to be okay, honey,”
he assured.

“Yes, precious. He is.” Mika echoed the sentiment.

Stepping toward the duo, Mika cupped her chin with his palm,
raised her face, and kissed her deeply…passionately. Definitely not a chaste,
friendly peck of comfort.

Maybe they both were bi.
If James leaned more
toward women than men, I might have a shot for one night with him. That might
be enough to take the edge off. But I had the sneaking suspicion that James
would be as addicting as chocolate. One taste would never be enough.

“Where is Tristan, sweetheart?” Mika asked, as he strummed
her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

“I called Sanna to tell her what had happened. She, Dylan,
and Nick rushed over to stay with him so I could come here to be with you. Then
Sanna called Mellie, and her and Mast…” Darting a glance my way, the woman
stopped in midsentence, then bit her bottom lip for a second before resuming
her explanation. “She and Joshua came over. You have no idea how they kept me
sane while I dressed the baby for bed, then nursed him. He was snoring softly
when I left.”

“Good girl,” Mika smiled. “Our baby boy’s in very capable
hands.”

Baby? They had a baby? Together? No. That couldn’t be
right.Could
it?

Blown out of the water by the revelation, I tried to wrap my
head around the dynamics playing out before me, but couldn’t.

“Excuse me,” I said after clearing my throat. “I’ll go check
on Trevor now.”

“Wait.” Mika called to me. “I’d like to introduce you.”

“Julianna, this is Liz. She’s been taking care of Trevor…well,
and of us. She’s been a tremendous comfort, too.” The woman sniffed and forced
a watery smile. “Liz, this is my wife, Julianna.”

Wife? Did he say wife? What. The. Fuck?

That meant Mika wasn’t gay. Did that mean? Darting a stunned
look toward James as my legs began to tremble. The notion he could be hetero
blasted through me with the force of an atomic bomb. Belatedly, I shook the
hand Julianna extended and forced a smile, trying to switch off the myriad of
questions whirling through my brain.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled then wrinkled her
nose. “We’re not really married.”

“Not yet,” Mika corrected in a firm voice.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I replied. With a nervous glance
around the group, I tried to keep the anxious flutter from my voice, but
failed. “I… I’ll go check on Trevor now.”

Turning, I stumbled over my own two feet and nearly fell
flat on my face. I would have if James hadn’t gripped my waist with his strong
hands.

“Oh, god,” I groaned as a surge of heat rushed through my
body.

“Easy,” he mumbled.

“Don’t touch me,” I whispered fearfully.

As if I were made of red-hot coals, James snatched his hands
back then raised his palms in the air in surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by
it, Liz. You looked like you—”

“No. I’m sorry, I guess I’m
ubër
clumsy today. I didn’t mean to insinuate that you weren’t welcome to touch…
Never mind. I’ll be right back.” Spinning on my heel, I wanted to run, not walk
into the unit.

“Stop,” James barked. His command was so sharp and absolute
that I froze in my tracks.

A confusing thrill coiled low in my belly before a sizzling
heat rushed to my cheeks. I heard him striding from behind before he rounded in
front of me and studied my face as if it were a textbook.

“What just happened? Why did you become so nervous all of a
sudden after Julianna arrived?”

“I didn’t,” I lied. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go—”

“Trevor’s fine,” he whispered in low reassurance. “Tell me
what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours.”

“I…um It’s nothing. Nothing important.” Darting a guilty
glance between him and Mika, I wanted to confess, but couldn’t find the words.

Obviously, I didn’t have to. James eyes grew wide as he
snapped the puzzle pieces together. “You thought that…me and Mika…were a
couple? Oh hell, Liz. No.”

Julianna started to giggle. She slapped a hand over her
mouth as Mika flashed her a stern scowl. I jerked a shoulder and skewed up one
side of my mouth. Inside my brain threw a secret
‘James-Isn’t-Gay-Party’
,
while the rest of my body screamed with a demanding throb.

“I—I thought that… Well, when Trevor asked me to call the
bar…I mean, I’ve been to tons of gay bars with my brother…and—”

“What bar?” James asked his forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“What are you talking about?”

“Club Genesis. It’s a gay bar, right?”

James slowly shook his head, looking at me as if I’d just
landed from Mars.

Drake snorted and Mika choked. I wanted to crawl into a hole
and die. There was nothing I could say to take back the humiliation careening
through me.

“Is there something I should know, Mast… Mika?” Julianna
asked, pinning her pseudo-husband with an over-dramatic look of shock.

“Watch yourself, girl,” Mika warned, arching his brows high.
“I have no problem taking you over my knee and paddling that sexy ass of yours
in front of god and everyone.”

Julianna’s lithe frame shook in silent laughter. My mouth
gaped open at Mika’s threat. Surely he wouldn’t really spank her like a child,
in public. Would he? I wanted to believe that I’d misunderstood, but I hadn’t.

“Genesis isn’t a bar,” James explained with a wolfish grin.
“Come by sometime and I’ll show you.”

“What is it then?”

“Um, it’s…ah,” he began to stammer, then deferred to Mika.
“Want to help me out with this?”

“Nah, man. You’re doing fine. Go for it.” Mika waved him
off, with a chuckle.

James slipped a hand around my elbow and pulled me in close.
He gazed into my eyes as if searching for something. Slowly a smile tugged his
lips. Leaning in close to my ear, I shivered as the heat from his body and
breath enveloped me.

“Genesis isn’t a gay bar, gorgeous. It’s a private club that
Mika owns.”

He pulled back, narrowing his eyes, examining my reaction as
if I were a mutating virus under a microscope.

“I see.” I didn’t, but I wasn’t about to ask him to explain.
“I feel like a fool for assuming. But on the phone you said that you loved
Trevor and I—I, well. This is really awkward.”

James really was about to kiss you earlier. Damn, Cindy,
your timing sucks.

“I do love him, but not like that,” he explained.

“I understand now,” I huffed. Humiliation morphed into
indignation. “I’m sorry if I offended anyone.”

The only bright side of me sticking my foot in my mouth was
the realization that my gay-
dar
wasn’t broken. Still,
it gave little help to my dented pride.

Suddenly, Drake stepped up and pulled me to his side. “You
have nothing to apologize for, Liz. There are a lot of people out there who
judge my relationship with Trevor unfairly.”
You mean like my mother?
“Your attitude is refreshing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But I think I may have insulted Mika and
James.”

“No. They’re fine and so are you,” Drake assured me with a
wink. “Would you please go back and check on my boy?”

“Of course,” I replied.

As I turned to leave, James blocked my path. He reached up
and tucked in the same strand of hair, then leaned in close. “I’m not offended
or insulted, little one.” His slow, sensual drawl spilled through me like warm
honey. “When you’re done checking on Trevor, come see me. We need to talk.
Understand?”

“If I can. I mean, I’ll try.” I stammered, tripping over my
words instead of my feet.

“Oh, I know you can. The question is, will you?” he issued
in challenge.

Pulling back, he took his intoxicating body heat and
stirring, masculine scent with him. I hurried away still tingling inside. My
attraction to the man had me perplexed. Pushing past the doors to the Intensive
Care Unit, I didn’t look back. But I was certain that cocky-sure-of-himself
smile was still poised on James’ lips.
Dammit!

It had been easier—somehow—to discount my attraction to him
when I thought he was gay. Finding out he wasn’t, my hormones implored me to do
something stupid, like seduce him. Still, I wasn’t delusional enough to think
that I was the first woman blinded by his handsome face and sexy body. More
likely, I’d need to take a number and move to the back of the line for a chance
to let that man rock my world. Just the thought of tumbling between the sheets
with that fiery hunk made me want to scream.

Put the cart before the horse much?

My inner voice was right and another rational thought made
me frown. Men like James weren’t attracted to women with full hips and thighs.
Women who had to comb specialty shops to find bras that fit, like me. No, they
went after fashion models, personal trainers; women with zero body fat. Not
only that, he seemed extremely bossy. If he expected me to take orders from
him…well, he was barking up the wrong tree, no matter how horny he made me. And
why was I wasting brain cells on him in the first place? I wasn’t a stick-thin
super model. I’d be lucky if he offered to buy me a cup of coffee, let alone
ask me out on a date.