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“ W hat do you think Jameson said to upset her?” Jack demanded.

Ian shook his head. “I don’t know. But when she sat down, she was happy. Smiling. Eating her pizza. He said a few things and all of a sudden, she’s fighting back tears and looking like he hit her.”

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Jack jumped to his feet and headed toward the door.

Ian sighed. When did he become the reasonable one?

He moved between Jack and the front door. “Ease off, man. We don’t know what was said. And he apologized. She seemed to forgive him too.”

“He upset her.”

“Yeah, but we know Jameson wouldn’t deliberately be a dick.” Ian wasn’t actually that sure. But he had to give his friend the benefit of the doubt.

“I don’t like it. She’s been in her room all afternoon. We were breaking through to her and now she’s closing us off.”

Ian didn’t like it either.

“Let’s wait until the night nurse gets here, then we’ll coax her onto the roof for some of that ridiculous yoga shit. Maybe a swim.”

She still needed to be a bit careful of her hip.

“Good plan.” Jack nodded.

“Do you think there’s something a bit off with William?” Ian asked.

“You mean how sometimes he gets confused easily?”

“Yeah. You think there’s something more going on and Jameson knows?”

“He might as his doctor, which means he couldn’t tell us,” Jack said.

“That’s fucking ridiculous. We’re guarding them both! And if it is upsetting our girl . . .”

“Our girl,” Jack said with a grin. “I like that.”

So did he. A lot. He ran his hand over his face. But there were a lot of fucking issues with wanting Maggie. Not the least of all was that she was leaving soon.

And then there was Jameson.

Sometimes, he seemed interested. Others, he didn’t. Ian didn’t think she was the girl to bring Jameson back to them. But for the first time since they’d arrived here, he actually didn’t care.

Maggie bent at the waist, stretching her arms out.

“You really do this for fun?” Ian grumbled. It was the day after her disaster at the hospital. The guys had wanted her to come up here with them yesterday afternoon, but she’d told them she was tired and sore, so they’d backed off.

For some reason she’d been upset that they’d backed off. Her emotions were out of control.

But it was now the following afternoon. This morning, she and Uncle Willy met with Pippa and the princes to go through any last-minute details before the photos in the desert. They should have been starting them tomorrow but they’d pushed them out another day.

Uncle Willy was still at the palace with the queen. Maggie had come home with Ian and Jack and come up here for some yoga and maybe some meditation.

About halfway through her routine, Ian and Jack had turned up.

Uncle Willy had been in good spirits last night and today. The nurse had told them this morning that she didn’t think it was necessary for her to come back tonight.

Maggie knew that meant she’d have to remain vigilant.

“Stop complaining just because your old body can’t handle it. Some of us like this,” Jack said.

She sent him a smile as she stood. God, this felt good. She felt like herself. These last few days she’d been a mess. Worried, scared, and in pain.

Now she felt more in control.

“Old body? I’m four months older than you!” Ian grumbled.

“Yep. So you’re older. Ancient, really. And your downward dog needs some help.”

“I’ll downward dog you,” Ian muttered. “Why were you even looking at me? Were you checking out my ass?”

Jack snorted. “You wish.”

“I can’t believe how much you’ve improved, Jack,” she said. “It’s almost miraculous.”

He sent her an innocent smile. “I guess it’s because I’ve got such a skilled instructor.”

“Suck up,” Ian said as he groaned, trying to go into an extended hand-to-big-toe pose. He hopped around before nearly falling over.

“Ian! Let me help you!” She moved over to him, grabbing him by the hips. “That’s it. Now try to balance yourself. Very good.”

“Hey! I need help too,” Jack complained. He wobbled and she rushed to him. She caught a hint of the look he sent Ian.

Why did he look so happy?

Men were so weird.

Once again, she was sure they all needed therapy before being let out into the general populace.

“That’s it. Oh, Ian!” she cried as he started to fall.

As she reached him, he grabbed hold of her. She braced herself to take his weight, but at the last second, he managed to balance himself.

“Sorry,” he told her, his cheeks flushed.

She was pressed against him, her breasts to his chest and somehow, his hands had landed on her ass.

“That’s all right. It’s hard when you first start. I kept falling over my instructor too.”

“Did she catch you as well?” Jack asked.

“He did.”

She didn’t understand why they both tensed, glaring at her. “What?”

“Do you still have yoga lessons with him?” Ian asked.

“Uh, no. Not anymore.” She couldn’t afford it.

“Good,” Jack said. “He can keep his hands then.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re so funny.” She turned away.

“She thinks I’m being funny,” Jack whispered.

Ian hushed him.

He was just making a joke, right?

Of course he is.

“I think I might have a swim,” she said hastily. She really needed to cool off a bit.

“Is your hip all right?” Ian asked.

“Yep. It feels as good as new.”

They didn’t look like they believed her, but the pain was much more manageable

She was wearing her swimsuit under the short-sleeved T-shirt and pants, so she just stripped them off.

Then she turned to look at them both. They were staring back at her . . . and maybe she was imagining it but there seemed to be hunger and admiration in their faces.

She took a few steps back, then turning, dove straight into the water. The cool water felt amazing against her flushed skin, but it did nothing to make the heat inside her dissipate.

She stayed under the water, trying to calm herself, when suddenly she was grabbed and thrust up to the surface.

When they burst through the surface, she gasped for air as she stared at a shaken-looking Ian.

“Are you all right? Fuck. Shit. Jack, get her out of here.”

“No, wait! I’m fine! What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“What’s wrong with me? You almost fucking drowned. We need to get her to the hospital.”

“No, you don’t,” she said as Jack hauled her out of the water and up into his arms.

Whoa. He was strong.

Great. Now her body was heating again.

“You were drowning,” Ian said, getting out of the water.

Wow.

Her eyes tracked a drip of water moving down his chest.

Yum. Yum.

“Dry her off and get her in the truck,” Ian ordered.

“Jack, put me down.”

“Jack, move,” Ian said.

“Jack, no!” she ordered.

Jack sighed. Then he set her down on her feet.

“Jack!” Ian snarled. “Fine, I’ll take her myself.”

“Mate, if she can argue with you, then I don’t think she needs the hospital. Were you drowning, baby girl?”

“No. I was fine. I’m actually a really good swimmer.”

“I saw you lying on the bottom. You didn’t come up for ages,” Ian pointed out.

Great. How did she tell him that she’d been turned on and was trying to cool herself down?

Simple. Don’t.

“I was just thinking. I like the peace and quiet down there.”

“You. Were. Thinking.” Ian’s face was growing purple.

“Is he all right?” she asked Jack.

“I’m not sure. At his advanced age, it is a bit of a worry.”

“I can hear you both.” He pointed at Maggie. “You are in big trouble. You are not ever to float on the bottom of the pool like that again, understand me? It’s dangerous.”

“Remember, he growls because he cares,” Jack murmured, rubbing the towel over her.

He wasn’t helping the heat building in her body again. She shivered.

“All right. I promise.”

“Do you know what could happen? What if you started to get into trouble? I’m not scolding you just to hear my own voice.”

She was pretty sure he loved the sound of his own voice.

“I won’t do it again, Ian,” she told him.

“If you hold your breath too long, you could pass out. Do you think I like lecturing you?”

Um. Yes. It seemed like his favorite pastime. Maybe she should introduce him to golf? Or darts? He really needed a better hobby.

“Yes,” Jack muttered.

She stepped toward Ian and put her hands on his chest. He immediately stilled and stopped blustering. Maybe this is how she stopped him from lecturing her from now on.

Right. Because you’ll get so many opportunities to put your hands on his bare chest.

Shame. It was a really nice chest. Firm and strong. Manly.

There was even a light smattering of hair.

Sexy. She could imagine how safe she’d feel being wrapped up in Ian’s arms. She might even be able to get a full night’s sleep.

“Maggie? Little one, are you all right?” Ian asked.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Jack moved in behind her, making her shiver as his heat hit her back. Without her permission, her head dropped back to rest on his shoulder.

“You seem a bit spacey, baby girl,” Jack murmured in her ear. “You’re supposed to be relaxing, remember? Not stressing.”

“I feel pretty relaxed right now,” she said. In fact, she felt like she was floating.

“Don’t do that again,” Ian told her, his hands going to her hips.

“I won’t, I promise. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m sorry.”

“I like you like this,” Ian told her.

“What? When I agree with you?” She grinned as Jack let out a small laugh.

Ian smiled. “Yeah. Definitely that. But I also like you between us. Soft and sweet. There are so many things we could do to you like this.”

“I want that.” The words came out of her unbidden.

But they were the truth. She wanted to be between them. To see what they could do to her.

Uncle Willy wouldn’t be back for a few hours. She hoped he was all right.

“Uh-uh, no worrying, remember?” Ian’s hands traveled up her sides as Jack’s hands took their place at her hips. She could feel how hard Jack was behind her. Turning her head slightly, she placed her lips against his jaw.

“Fuck, baby,” he whispered. “You have the softest lips.”

“And the two of you are so hard. Pun intended.”

Ian huffed out a laugh. “I shouldn’t be hard since I just jumped in cold water, but I always seem to be this way around you.”

“Sounds inconvenient,” she said in a breathless voice as he ran his finger over her naked stomach. She’d worn her only bikini, which hadn’t worn since she was twenty. She didn’t even know why she’d brought it with her.

But she was glad she had now.

“Very.”

“Do you want some . . . help with it?” She tried to sound sexy. But she wasn’t sure she was managing it. “I’m sorry.”

“For holding your breath underwater for so long?” Ian asked. “Yeah, you should be sorry for that. In fact, I ought to spank you.”

She rolled her eyes.

He grasped her chin. “Did you roll your eyes at me?”

There was a husky dominance in his voice that made her shiver.

“No.”

“I think she did,” Jack said.

“How do you know? You can’t see my face,” she protested.

“I could feel you rolling your eyes,” he told her.

She snorted. “You’re full of it.”

Suddenly, she was turned and she looked up into Jack’s face. He appeared serious, but there was a dancing amusement in his dark eyes.

“Full of it, am I? I don’t know . . . rolling her eyes and having a sassy mouth. Plus, scaring us both. I think that definitely deserves punishment, don’t you, Ian?”

“Definitely,” Ian said in agreement.

Wait. Were they being for real? Were they planning to spank her?

How did she feel about that?

That it was about damn time. It had been ages since she’d been spanked. And it had never been spontaneous. Always . . . negotiated and talked about. Which there was nothing wrong with.

But she often found herself wanting something more . . . organic. And while this wasn’t quite what she’d imagined when she’d thought about having a Daddy Dom of her own, it was better than the slightly clinical punishments she’d had at the club.

Of course she’d much rather have a totally indulgent Daddy who never spanked her . . .

Urgh, even she didn’t believe her lies anymore.

“I think our girl believes we won’t spank her,” Ian said.

“She’s going to find out differently, isn’t she?” Jack replied. He picked her up and carried her over to the outdoor dining table.

Holy crap.

Were they going to do this here?

But instead of him sitting down and arranging her on his lap, he let her feet drop so she stood.

She swayed slightly.

“You okay, Little girl?” Ian asked, steadying her.

“Um, yep. Did you change your mind?”

“Nope,” Jack replied. “Bend over the table.”

Yikes. That wasn’t what she was expecting. She looked at Ian, who nodded.

“I, um . . . really?” she squeaked out.

“Really,” Jack replied. “You’ve been very naughty. In fact, I also owe you a spanking for lying to me at the bouncy castle when I asked you if you were all right, and you said you were fine.”

“So now you’re getting a spanking from both of us,” Ian said. “Bend over, Little girl.”