Page 51

Somehow, that was enough. Feeling the gentle, guiding pressure of his fingers on hers helped her exhale some of the panic and doubt building up in her chest.

As soon as they walked in, Aaron flanked them and they strode in together.

As nervous as she was, Chyanne couldn’t help but notice the delicious smells filling the room. She was a sucker for bacon, and she also smelled something full of cinnamon and butter, so no matter how the girls treated her, at least there was that to look forward to.

She was in line with an empty plate when she felt an insistent tug on her sleeve. She turned and saw Ashley, her doe eyes apologetic.

The sight of it melted her anxiety immediately. “Hi,” she said, unable to miss how vulnerable and shy her voice sounded.

Ashley bumped her shoulder playfully. “Hey yourself. How you doin’?” She glanced meaningfully at Chandler and Aaron.

Chyanne followed her gaze. Both her daddy and master were staring stoically ahead, apparently pretending not to notice this exchange. “Sore,” she whispered when her gaze went back to Ashley. She motioned toward her breasts.

Ashley looked, then her eyebrows rose. “What theheck?” she mumbled.

She fought a grin. She had checked her nipples in the mirror this morning. They still hurt the teeniest bit, but somehow seeing the marks made her feel proud. She wore them like teeny, tiny badges of honor.

And the look on Ashley’s face… well… it was a combination of horror and awe. Andrespect. It filled Chyanne with a rush of pride and affection for the other girl.

“Why don’t you eat with us?” Her brown eyes flickered past Chyanne back to her faithful guards. “You know… iftheysay it’s okay?”

Chyanne whirled on her heel, and suddenly both Aaron and Chandler stopped pretending not to hear.

“I don’t know…” Chandler drawled.

“You have a habit of… finding trouble when you’re part of a group,” Aaron added, giving them both a firm, assessing stare.

“I won’t!” she said at once.

And then Ashley was talking. “We’ll take real good care of her, I promise!”

“Hmm.” Aaron and Chandler shared a look. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” her master commented wryly.

“Who’s ‘we’?” Chandler added.

Chyanne gazed up at them. Chandler had his arms crossed over his massive chest and Aaron was leaning against the counter, a hand in his pocket. They both looked stern and… protective. Ofher. It was still so surreal, and her chest exploded with pride and love for the both of them.

“Lora, Betsy, Veronica, and me.” Ashley ticked the names off on her fingers. “And we’ll all besupernice and behave.” She batted her eyelashes and grinned. “Ipromise.”

The men traded glances once more.

Chyanne impulsively grabbed Aaron’s free hand and Chandler’s elbow. She began to tug on both. “Please, please,please?”

There was a long pause while she tried to imitate Ashley’s adorable eyelash batting and instead ended up with a headache.

“Ow.”

“What is it?” Chandler’s arms immediately uncrossed and he put a hand on her shoulder.

“I got a headache from trying to look cute.” She pouted.

“We can work on that,” Ashley stage-whispered, causing Chandler to laugh. Even Aaron smirked.

“Okay, well… yes. I guess it’s okay,” her master decided.

Ashley grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“But,” he added pointedly. “If either of you get into any mischief—and I do meanany—then I’m finding your daddy and we’ll arrange a joint punishment session.”