Page 231 of Incisive

The truth is, it’ll be Ily who gets the final say, and there are only three choices who haven’t managed to piss her off yet. Eight months left until the general election. Ciro can’t act like it’s a sure thing, either. He needs to keep working for it, stay hungry, fight for every single vote. Apathy at this point could easily snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Leo herds me into our bedroom and locks us in. “Do you trust me?”

I glare at him. “Yes.”

“Do you trust Jordan?”

My anger softens somewhat. “Of course I do.”

“Kayley knows who Jordan is to us. Do youhonestlythink she’d ever do something to hurt us?”

“No,” I mutter. Over the past couple of years Kayley and I have become quite close, even if she still teases me about “stealing” Leo from Jordan, and about me not using an ejector button on her.

She feels like a true sister to me.

She feels likefamily.

Leo cups my face in his hands. “He’ll be home late Sunday. To be honest, pet, he’s struggling.”

That’s news to me. “Struggling? How? What’s wrong?”

“You think you’ll have a hard time seeing him fake-date my sister? Try spending everydaypretending that we aren’t his husbands. Having to watch us together and he has to act like we’re only his friends, or he’s just your employee.”

I blink. “I…I thought he was happy we got married. I thought that was what he wanted.” I can’t live with myself if I’ve hurt him.

“He did want that. And heishappy, pet. He loves us. But he needs a reset every once in a while. He’ll get that this weekend. I didn’t even let him take a suit with him. Absolutely no work allowed and I confiscated his work phone. I’ll deal with anything I can until he returns home. He’s also taking Monday off and I’m going over to Shae’s old townhouse with him, the one Kev uses every so often when he needs a temporary workplace in DC. Jordan’s already staged implements and gear there. We’ll spend most of the day there as Daddy and boy so I can force him out of his head. He’ll be able to get spanked and scream as loud as he wants and not feel self-conscious about what anyone might hear, or worrying about taking care of you and your schedule.”

I pull away and slump onto the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry.” I swallow back the lump in my throat. “I thought he was happy.”

“Heishappy, pet.” He sits next to me. “He’s only thirty-eight. He’ll never able to get ‘married’ the way we did. He can’t proudly scream to the world that we’re his husbands. He’s dealt with an immense amount of pressure for, what, sixteen years now? He gave up getting his master’s degree for us. Forus.”

He gently takes my chin and makes me turn my head to look him in the eyes. “Foryou. You went to him and asked him to return to DC foryou.” His gaze searches mine for a moment. “Maybe in the beginning he stayed in DC because of his love for me. But hereturnedto DC for and because ofyou. He’s here for you. He loves you, and don’t think I don’t know that. If I ever gave him an ultimatum about choosing between me or you, I have no doubt he would pick you every time, and I’m good with that because the two of you are the center of my universe and all I’ve ever wanted is for both of you to be safe and happy. Do youreallydoubt how much he loves us?”

That pesky lump in my throat won’t go away no matter how hard I swallow. “No,” I quietly say.

He drapes an arm around me and pulls me close. “My sweet, territorial pet.” He nuzzles his head against mine. “You literally have no idea the lengths he will go for us—foryou.”

A chill fills me because Ifeelthe hidden depths in his words, buried in his tone. “What do you mean?”

He kisses me, distracting me, and a moment later I’m naked on the bed and we’re in the middle of a struggle snuggle.

It’s only later that night as I’m finally drifting to sleep with my leather collar buckled around my throat, fresh bruises coating my body, and a fresh load of Leo’s cum in my ass, that I remember what he said and that chill returns despite the warmth of Leo’s body wrapped around me.

The chill in my soul won’t go away because when he said that earlier, two words came to mind and stubbornly refuse to leave.

Grace Martin.

CHAPTERSIXTY-ONE

I makea point of not watching TV that weekend or looking at news sites. Especially any that deal with celebrity or political gossip. I don’t want to accidentally catch sight of Jordan and Kayley canoodling over cannolis on some tony Laguna Beach restaurant patio, or snuggling over martinis in a chic club.

Jordan’smine.

Okay he’s ours, but he’smine.

Leo keeps me distracted when I’m not working so that by the time Jordan returns Sunday evening I’m covered in plenty of fresh bruises. Still, I have to resist the urge to grab Jordan as soon as he steps off the elevator, strip him naked, and rub my body all over his to make him smell like me and not whatever body wash and shampoo he used while at Kayley’s.

Leo takes one look at my face and orders the staff and detail to clear out of the residence before snapping his fingers at me and pointing to the living room door.