Page 113 of Crushing Clover

“I don’t want to damage our life together, but I can’t stand by and let him bully her all the time. I know she’s here to be what we need her to be, but she’s also a human being.”

“And what about keeping her?”

Rush blew out a breath. “Saint’s right. Forever is a long fucking time. I feel the same way you do, but I don’t know how it’s going to work. We’re not Like Warren. We can’t treat her likea captive indefinitely. We don’t have the time or the resources to keep her locked away forever.”

“But we don’t have to!” Lucky objected. “She’s not trying to get away.”

Rush held up a staying hand. “One step at a time, Luck. I don’t know where things are going, but for now that’s going to have to do.” He turned back to look at me. “You okay?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The last thing I wanted to do was say the wrong thing.

“You’re not sick or pregnant or something?”

Pregnant? No. Lucky had helped me get a shot before my last one ran out. Bringing a kid into this house would be bad enough; doing it when they still planned to send me back was plain stupid.

“No, no, absolutely nothing like that. I couldn’t handle the texture. I don’t mean to be difficult.”

“Difficult?” He laughed. “You’re one of the least difficult people I’ve met.” Rush drew me out of the bathroom and put his hands on my shoulders. “Do you think you can handle sitting at the table like a human?” he asked teasingly.

“I’ll do my best.”

He chuckled and patted my shoulder. “Let’s find something you can eat.” With that, he steered me back toward the stairs, Lucky following close behind.

Chapter 24

“Come and watch us work out,” Lucky demanded, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

“Watch you work out?” I hadn’t done that since the second month I’d been with them, back when Saint had still been positive I would try to sneak out of the house and escape if someone left me alone in the living room for two seconds.

“I watch the three of you get naked and sweaty every night in far more interesting circumstances. Why would I want to watch you lift weights and grunt?”

“Come on, trust me. You’ll like it.”

“Wow, someone’s full of himself today,” I teased, giving him a playful shove.

He pulled me close and smacked my ass. “Brat.”

“She’s not a brat with me,” Rush pointed out. “I guess you’re not a very good dominant.”

“There’s nothing wrong with brattiness in a submissive,” Lucky retorted as though this was well-traveled ground between them.

“You only say that because you don’t like to behave yourself.”

“Touché,” Lucky acknowledged, “but to be fair, you like me better when I don’t behave. It gives you the opportunity to get a little mean.”

“That’s where Saint and I differ. He doesn’t need an excuse to be mean.”

Saint scowled at us, but it seemed like a reflex rather than real anger. It was weird knowing there was a difference.

All four of us went out the back door and walked around the pool.

“So, what am I supposed to like about watching you guys work out?” I teased.

“Don’t be impatient.” Lucky pinched my ass. “You’re going to have to wait and see.”

“If it’s any consolation, Saint has no idea what’s going on either.” Rush shot Saint a look, but Saint really didn’t seem to care that he been left out of the loop.

“Yet another surprise for our captive? From Lucky? The mind boggles.”

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