people failed to differentiate between them. He waited, shoulders tensed, while she sorted them out.
Her gaze came to rest on him, finally coming to a stop. He stared back at her, gazing deep into her warm, fathomless eyes. Did he imagine the heat shimmering in the air between them? She parted her lips. An invitation?
At last she rolled her eyes and sighed. She offered her hand to Everett. “It’s nice to meet you, Everett. Wilder didn’t tell me he had a twin brother.”
Everett laughed, following Lydia’s lead by forgoing protocol. He closed his hand around hers, brought it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. “That’s because I’m better looking. He hates the competition.”
LYDIA SMILED WITH indulgent civility. Though definitely handsome, she wouldn’t call Everett better looking than Wilder. They shared the same strong lines in their cheeks and jaws. Both had sun-streaked light brown hair, cut shorter on the sides than the top. At first glance, they looked identical. Closer examination brought out the details.
Everett’s sea-green eyes, bright with amusement, seemed to lack Wilder’s intensity and sincerity. His mouth curved in a perpetual smile, flirty and welcoming, while Wilder pressed his lips together and tightened his grip on her waist. She wanted to wiggle away from his fingers digging into her skin, but she knew better than to do something that might be construed as rejection.
“That’s three.” Wilder’s breath tickled just behind her ear, triggering a shiver that shook her shoulders. She both anticipated and dreaded the punishment to come.
However, she wouldn’t accept a punishment for a failing on his part. She leaned into his embrace, pressing her back to his chest, and tilted her head to rest her face against his shoulder. This put her within whispering distance. “No, Sir, it isn’t. You weren’t even thinking about giving me permission to speak to your brother, and it would have been exceptionally rude to just stand here for much longer.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched and clenched. “Pet, you’re walking dangerously close to the edge.”
Oh, but he tested the limits of her temper. She didn’t take warnings from just anyone. While she had played along with his directives because he was a means to an end, there was a limit to the amount of authority she would accept from someone who wasn’t really her Master.
She was about to give him an earful, but Everett interrupted. “Lydia, I want you to meet Jude, Micah’s brother. The four of us make up the security department here at Oasis.”
After a brief warning glare at Wilder, she put on her best smile to meet the next person. If Wilder insisted on following such a strict protocol at an event like this, he needed to be quicker on the draw.
“Pet, say hello to another of my close friends.” His voice rumbled through his chest and into her back, reminding her that she hadn’t put space between them once she’d made her argument against strike three.
She offered her hand, which Jude took. As Everett and Micah had done, Jude greeted her warmly and a little too familiarly. He kissed her cheeks, tickling her skin with his neatly trimmed goatee. He shared a familial resemblance with Micah in the shapes of their faces, the dark brown in their eyes, and the confidence of their stances, but that was all. Jude’s fair skin looked like it sunburned easily, and his strawberry-blond hair stood out in stark contrast to Micah’s nearly black locks.
Wilder had a handsome group of friends. Lydia could see how the foursome would have an easy time finding willing submissives.
They chatted for a little longer, each of the men speaking directly to her instead of launching into topics only they would understand. She appreciated their consideration of her presence and her newness. Often being introduced as a submissive to a group of new people meant they ignored her and spoke only to her Dom.
That didn’t seem to be the case, as
Her gaze came to rest on him, finally coming to a stop. He stared back at her, gazing deep into her warm, fathomless eyes. Did he imagine the heat shimmering in the air between them? She parted her lips. An invitation?
At last she rolled her eyes and sighed. She offered her hand to Everett. “It’s nice to meet you, Everett. Wilder didn’t tell me he had a twin brother.”
Everett laughed, following Lydia’s lead by forgoing protocol. He closed his hand around hers, brought it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. “That’s because I’m better looking. He hates the competition.”
LYDIA SMILED WITH indulgent civility. Though definitely handsome, she wouldn’t call Everett better looking than Wilder. They shared the same strong lines in their cheeks and jaws. Both had sun-streaked light brown hair, cut shorter on the sides than the top. At first glance, they looked identical. Closer examination brought out the details.
Everett’s sea-green eyes, bright with amusement, seemed to lack Wilder’s intensity and sincerity. His mouth curved in a perpetual smile, flirty and welcoming, while Wilder pressed his lips together and tightened his grip on her waist. She wanted to wiggle away from his fingers digging into her skin, but she knew better than to do something that might be construed as rejection.
“That’s three.” Wilder’s breath tickled just behind her ear, triggering a shiver that shook her shoulders. She both anticipated and dreaded the punishment to come.
However, she wouldn’t accept a punishment for a failing on his part. She leaned into his embrace, pressing her back to his chest, and tilted her head to rest her face against his shoulder. This put her within whispering distance. “No, Sir, it isn’t. You weren’t even thinking about giving me permission to speak to your brother, and it would have been exceptionally rude to just stand here for much longer.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched and clenched. “Pet, you’re walking dangerously close to the edge.”
Oh, but he tested the limits of her temper. She didn’t take warnings from just anyone. While she had played along with his directives because he was a means to an end, there was a limit to the amount of authority she would accept from someone who wasn’t really her Master.
She was about to give him an earful, but Everett interrupted. “Lydia, I want you to meet Jude, Micah’s brother. The four of us make up the security department here at Oasis.”
After a brief warning glare at Wilder, she put on her best smile to meet the next person. If Wilder insisted on following such a strict protocol at an event like this, he needed to be quicker on the draw.
“Pet, say hello to another of my close friends.” His voice rumbled through his chest and into her back, reminding her that she hadn’t put space between them once she’d made her argument against strike three.
She offered her hand, which Jude took. As Everett and Micah had done, Jude greeted her warmly and a little too familiarly. He kissed her cheeks, tickling her skin with his neatly trimmed goatee. He shared a familial resemblance with Micah in the shapes of their faces, the dark brown in their eyes, and the confidence of their stances, but that was all. Jude’s fair skin looked like it sunburned easily, and his strawberry-blond hair stood out in stark contrast to Micah’s nearly black locks.
Wilder had a handsome group of friends. Lydia could see how the foursome would have an easy time finding willing submissives.
They chatted for a little longer, each of the men speaking directly to her instead of launching into topics only they would understand. She appreciated their consideration of her presence and her newness. Often being introduced as a submissive to a group of new people meant they ignored her and spoke only to her Dom.
That didn’t seem to be the case, as
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