Page 52 of Lesson In Forgiveness

And that right there was why she couldn’t afford to be here too much longer. Her sense of self, her independence, her kick ass and take no prisoners attitude were… changing. Softening in the face of Grit’s patience and dominance, acquiescing to a firm voice and an iron will as strong as her own.

She didn’t belong here.

She didn’t belong to him.

“All right, looks like we’re set. Snacks, drinks, fort, friends… what are we missing, sweetness?” The way Evander looked at his wife brought a clutch to Tabitha’s throat; his entire world was in front of him. Wife, husband, world. What more could any man want?

“Movie!” Callie exclaimed. “Can we watch The Dark Crystal, Daddy?”

“That’s not a movie, Callie. I think we should let our guests choose, don’t you?” Eli’s voice held a low note of reprimand, as though reminding her to remember her manners.

Callie huffed softly, then turned and beamed at Tabitha. “You choose first!”

Taken aback by the sudden demand, Tabitha just blinked. A gentle nudge from Grit loosened her useless tongue. “Oh no, I can’t. I’m not really a movie person, honestly. The ones I watch if I have time are… not something you’d enjoy.”

“Callie quite enjoys watching porn,” Evander said nonchalantly, wearing a brutal poker face even Tabitha struggled to decipher.

A shocked gasp, childlike outrage. “Daddy!”

“It’s true,” Elias chimed in. “Our kinky minx.”

Tabitha’s stomach felt hollow. Nausea simmered, threatening to rise up her throat. Skin flashing hot and cold, she took an unsteady step back, her knees almost buckling.

Elias noticed her distress immediately. “We’re only joking, Tabitha. Just teasing.”

Grit’s chest pushed against her back, his arm securing her across the hips. “Tabitha doesn’t have a good relationship with sex. Maybe we should watch something with more blow-‘em-up action than fornication.”

Understanding flickered in the other Doms’ eyes. Awareness.

Hating the fact her biggest weakness, her most hated secret, was on the verge of exposure, Tabitha yanked on her big girl panties, steeled her spine, and did what she did best: put on a performance.

Almost choking on a viciously forced laugh, she dug her nails into Grit’s bare arm and rolled her eyes. “I think that’s on the dramatic side, Grit. Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I’m averse to sex. I’ve just been too busy doing more important things.”

The room seemed to darken as tension thrummed—firstly from the big body guarding her back, then the answering call from the two men in front of her. Apparently, the three Doms were in tune with each other enough to communicate without speaking, because their whole stance changed.

“Callie, sweetness, why don’t you get settled in the fort with some snacks? We’ll be right with you.” Evander urged his wife along with a hand spanning the small of her back. He gave Grit a warning look. “No belts. Callie’s reactive.”

“I don’t need my belt for this.” Grit’s voice was dark, ominous.

Tabitha had an oh shit moment, resisting as he walked her toward the back of the couch, his bulk not giving her an inch. Her hips bumped the furniture; a hand on the back of her neck bent her over, restraining her effectively.

“I warned you honesty was essential,” he said gruffly. “I told you what liars get, and that, my proud little tiger, was most definitely a fucking lie.”

Blood rushed into the top of her head, the tip of the idiotic horn on the hood scraping the cushions beneath her. The hoof-shaped slippers battered uselessly against his legs. She flailed her arms, more as a distraction as she tried to find the right angle to kick his balls high enough into his throat he’d turn into a soprano.

His feet shifted to the inside of hers, lightly nudging them wider and wider apart until her attempts were almost painful. His grip on her neck was firm, so firm she felt his fingertips biting to the point of bruising, but he didn’t really hurt her.

A tug on the rear of the onesie, the soft whirr of a zipper, brought her head up sharply. “What the hell?”

“It’s a butt flap,” Elias explained helpfully, his tone flat and cold in support of Grit’s decision. “It comes in handy for naughty subs.”

Air brushed over her exposed cheeks, over the flesh between them. Goddamn it, she’d landed herself in another predicament, one she wasn’t going to wriggle out of lightly; that was why Elias stood in front of her, to hold her down if necessary.

Growling in frustration, in anger, Tabitha tried to roll. Her legs tangled with Grit’s, but her efforts to take his feet out from under him failed. “This is a big mistake, Grit. The biggest you will ever make in your sorry—”

Thwack.

Her teeth snicked together mid-sentence. She was not going to forgive him for this, not one bit. Remembering how he’d spanked her previously, how she’d reacted so pathetically, she clenched her jaw until the joints ached and pain ricocheted into spikes through her head.

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