Page 20 of Their Little Christmas Bounty
The guys clean me up and tuck me into Lyle’s bed.After bringing water and snacks, they climb into bed on either side of me.Luckily, the bed is huge.It makes me wonder how often they bring girls here to share.
I have no right to be jealous, though.We just met.It’s only that if I’d known it was this good, if I’d known about these guys—theseDaddies—earlier, I would have put myself in their path.
Lyle wraps his arm around me, then he leans over and lightly bites my shoulder.I shiver and give him a shy smile.Austin holds my hand, stroking back and forth over my knuckles.
“What are we doing?”I whisper.
“Aftercare,” Austin whispers back.
I shrug.“I don’t think I need it…”
“We punished you and fucked you.”Austin’s voice is quiet, but firm.“Maybe you need it, maybe you don’t.Butweneed it, as your Doms.It’s a crucial element of the scene for us.”
“Oh.”I snuggle against Lyle and squeeze Austin’s hand.There are worse things than being cuddled after sex.“All right, then.”
After this, though, what happens?Are they going to haul me into Ironwood?Will that be goodbye, forever?I hate that thought.I want to stay here, with them.Always.
Not that it’s possible.Even without the whole bounty hunter thing, I’m no good for relationships.It’s a fantasy, that’s all.
With their arms around me, though, it’s hard to worry about the future.The present is too precious.
I don’t plan on falling asleep, but slowly, gently, I drift away.
8
Austin
I’m already awake when Ariel opens her sea-glass eyes.She’s so beautiful.Her nose scrunches in confusion before her face relaxes into a smile.She glances over at me, touches my cheek.“Morning.”
“Good morning.”My voice is raspy with disuse.
Reaching behind her, she finds Lyle pressed against her back.He hogged her last night.No surprise there.But I got to wake up to her impish little face, so I don’t mind too much.
“You’re both awake?”Lyle rumbles.“Ugh.What time is it?”
“Almost nine,” I say.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep, sorry.”Ariel stretches and yawns.“So when are you bringing out the handcuffs?Will you give me a head start?”
It takes my depraved mind a moment to figure out she isn’t trying to arrange a chase scene with restraints.No, she’s talking about the bounty.
I’d forgotten all about it.She’s here, she’s ours.No way I’m handing her over to someone else.
Lyle frowns as he sits up.He doesn’t take his hand off of Ariel’s shoulder.“We have to do our job, brat.But I don’t want to.I don’t like it.”
“Why did your father put a bounty out on you, anyway?”I ask.“Maybe you could return the heirloom or whatever it is you took from him.He’ll write it off as a misunderstanding, and?—”
She sits up and starts to crawl down to the foot of the bed, an angry expression flashing in those green eyes.“And what?We go our separate ways, truce?”
I grab her ankle and tug so she can’t go farther.“If you’d let me finish, instead of interrupting, I would have said, we could get to know each other better.”
The fight leaves her.“Oh.”
“Yeah,” Lyle mimics, “oh.We like you, Ariel.”
Instead of pleasure on her face, though, I see a flash of fear.“Well, the heirloom was my mom’s ring.Let me get my phone, and I’ll show you something.”
Against my better judgment, I let her go.But Lyle and I get out of bed, tugging on our boxers while Ariel digs in her handbag.
