Page 5 of Hold Your Breath

“You’re a dick,” I murmur, before Willow puts the tray down on the table. Her cheeks are stained crimson, and I love how she can’t hide when she is embarrassed or turned on. Her skin goes such a pretty pink color. I’ve loved having fun with that over the years.

She clears her throat. “I guess I should get on with my story, so I can leave you three to it.” Her eyes dart between Zac and me, but she won’t ask.

“I think you should, pretty girl, because I’m very curious about how someone gets tied to a chair naked and has to call her stepbrother for help,” Jace teases.

She takes a large sip of whatever fruity bullshitshe’s drinking, and I reach for one of the glasses. They all look to be the same.

“My ex... or, well, he was my boyfriend until today... We spoke about trying something new.” The red of her cheeks deepens.

“Was he trying to force you?” I snap, making her jump. I squeeze the glass, almost wishing it will break as a release for my anger.

“No,” she whispers. “I wanted to... now let me finish. After watching a video on View4U about how to tie yourself to a chair, I thought he might like it. Even though being naked like that is out of my comfort zone, I wanted to take the next step. However, when he turned up, he told me he wanted to end things, that he was seeing someone else and it was serious. It would have been fine if I didn’t get mad and pull against the restraints—it tightened them.”

“Why don’t you like being naked?” Jace asks. He is our nudist, and he only puts on clothes to leave the house.

“You have eyes, Jace. You saw me naked. I’m mortified that I went from zero people having seen me naked to four in one day.”

“What is View4U?” Zac asks, changing the subject.

She smirks. “It’s a video platform where you can watch videos on different kinks, or even just thingsyou like. Normally I only watch ones with masked men, but the douche nugget said he would never wear one for me. I thought maybe role-playing being kidnapped and tied to a chair might work, but obviously it didn’t.”

Jace smirks at me and winks, which makes me grind my teeth. I know what he’s thinking and I’m going to veto the idea before he can even finish the thought. “Is that what you want, pretty girl? To be chased by a masked man, tied up, and then let him have his way with you?”

Jace used to work regularly for a company called Wild Steps. They paid him well, and he is still listed on their books, even though he is less involved with them these days. Every now and again, he gets an itch, and he gets paid to scratch it in a safe environment. One reason our relationship works well is because we have open communication and make sure everyone’s needs are met. Zac likes women, but he doesn’t actively seek them out all that often. When he does, though, one of us is with him. He has a very traumatic past, and he doesn’t trust women in the bedroom as a result. He isn’t violent or anything like that, but occasionally PTSD will hit him out of nowhere and some women freak out.

Willow shrugs at Jace. “In theory, yes. Though I’m mortified enough after this experience thatI think I will now go back to plain old vanilla sex and call it a day.”

“Do you want to dance?” Jace asks Willow, and she raises her brow at him. But he flashes his panty-melting smile, and she finally nods, so he holds out his hand to her.

While they move onto the dance floor, Zac gets us another round, and I watch them dance. I’m mesmerized by the way she moves her body, the way Jace runs his hands over her curves... There is no space between them, and I know Jace has his cock pressed into her ass.

“Wipe away the drool,” Zac snarks, appearing out of nowhere.

“I’m not drooling,” I throw back, but wipe my hand over my mouth to make sure, and he laughs.

“You know Jace won’t leave this alone. You made a huge deal about not introducing us...”

“I know.” I sigh. “Maybe he would be good for her. I’m also realizing she isn’t as innocent as I thought.”

“What’s her mom like? I get she isn’t thin, but she is stunning. I’m surprised she has body issues the way she does. To be honest, the sight of her tied to a chair with her legs spread will now play a starring role in my spank bank.”

He isn’t the only one; I have an entire repertoire of images of her in mine. My favorite is her bending overin a dress last summer and seeing a sliver of her underwear; the innocent white cotton played into my fantasy of her.

Jace walks over to the table, sweat covering his brow as he takes a seat. “Willow needed a bathroom break. Just so you know, if I get her to sign up to Wild Steps, I’m calling Archer to ask him if he can assign me.”

He holds my eye and waits for the blowout, but what can I do? She is an adult, and it’s a safe way for her to explore. Jealousy swirls in my gut. He will get to know what it feels like to be balls deep inside her, but I can squash that emotion down because I know Jace wouldn’t hurt her.

Jace and Willow spend the next few hours alternating between drinking and dancing until Willow is wasted. I stop after my second drink so when she’s ready to leave, I can safely take her home.

“Sooo,” she slurs. “How long have you and Zac been a thing and why didn’t you tell us?”

I laugh. “Do you really think Carol and Dad would be okay with that?”

She shrugs. “Who gives a fuck what they think if you’re happy? You’re an adult—you have your own house and adult money.”

“It’s complicated,” I say.

“It’s not that complicated. We all fuck,” Jace blurts out.

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