Page 58 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

MADDOX

T hey’re coming over.

Ireland was ten years ago. There have been plenty of women since. I haven’t been pining for her. Nothing as stupid or naive as that.

Avery Welch should be nothing but a distant memory.

I shouldn’t remember the way her skin felt under my fingers. Shouldn’t remember the gray-green shade of her eyes. The exact dusky pink rose of her nipples.

I’d taken pictures of her during those two weeks. The negatives sit in my darkroom, undeveloped. She’d pouted when she realized that I was using film, not a digital camera.

Smartphones hadn’t been as ubiquitous as they are today. She’d wanted a picture of us, she’d said. What’s the hurry? I’d asked her lazily, my fingers tracing circles on her inner thigh, my cock hardening at the way her legs splayed open at my touch.

Then I’d realized that there was a time limit on our relationship.

She’d left us, and the next day, she’d married some Baron with estates in Surrey.

She married for money.

Joke’s on her. Even then, I was significantly richer than her husband. And I was crazy about her. I would have given her everything.

She’d taught me an important lesson, one I should have learned well. Money corrupts.

Of course, I’ve had a more recent refresher course in that particular lesson. She isn’t the only gold-digger I know, after all. What my brother Gage did for money is far worse than anything Avery ever did.

You never forget the first girl to break your heart.

“Maddox, Kai.” Caleb reaches our table and smiles down at us expansively, his arm around Avery’s waist. My eyes zoom in on her ring finger. No wedding ring. It appears she’s not married to Lowell anymore. “Good to see you guys.”

I don’t like the way he’s touching her. “Caleb.” My voice is clipped. “Avery. It’s been a while.”

“You know each other?” Caleb’s eyebrow rises. “What a small world.” He sits down, uninvited. Avery remains standing. I grit my teeth and pull a chair up for her.

“Thank you, Maddox,” she says softly.

What the hell is she really doing here?

“Avery’s interested in exploring her submissive tendencies,” Caleb says. He trails a finger down her arm, and I tighten my grip on my glass to keep from punching him. “I’m looking forward to helping her.”

That’s it. I’ve had enough. As has Kai. “Reeves,” he growls. “Leave. Now.”

He has the nerve to smirk. “Wait,” he asks innocently. “Do you want to train Avery?” He tilts his head to a side and gives us a mocking look. “But you never train a novice.”

“Another word, Caleb,” I say pleasantly, “And you’ll regret it.”

He chuckles and gets to his feet. “Have fun, Avery,” he says. “You know where to find me if all this growling intensity gets to be too much.”

Xavier Leforte rises as well. “Come on, Caleb,” he says, his voice amused. “Let’s go make trouble elsewhere.” He nods to Avery. “Ms. Welch. Enjoy the club.”

The two of them leave. I turn back to Avery. “You have a choice,” I bite out. “You can stay or go.”

She gives me a level look. “I’m staying. Sir. ”

We never did veer into dominance and submission those two weeks. I wanted to, of course I did, but I also didn’t want to scare her off. Our threesome already pushed her boundaries. I wanted to introduce her to kink slowly. I wanted to make sure she was as into it as I was.

So many times, I’ve wondered what it would have felt like if she called me Sir.

And now I know.

My cock hardens. My heart clenches painfully. I need to get the fuck out of here.

“What are you really doing here, Avery?” I ask her harshly.

“I was hoping to find a pair of dominants to show me the ropes.”

At best, that’s a half-answer. “Did Lowell introduce you to BDSM?” Kai demands.

She sucks in a shaky breath, her face going pale. “You know about Victor,” she whispers.

“You went from our bed to his, Avery. Did you think we wouldn’t find out?”

She looks like I hit her. Her eyes are wide and vulnerable, and for an instant, the years melt away. Shame fills me, and then I steel myself. I let her break my heart once. It won’t happen again.

There’s a long pause. Finally, Avery speaks, her voice so low I have to strain to hear her. “No, Victor didn’t teach me about BDSM.”

“Then who?” It’s like rubbing salt over a raw wound, but I can’t help myself.

“You did.”

“Did we now? Explain.”

“Neither of you gave it a name,” she says. “You didn’t ask me to call you Sir or Master or anything else. But you controlled my pleasure. I didn’t connect the dots until much later.”

“After much more exploration, you mean,” I throw back.

Her shoulders stiffen. “I always did hate double standards, Maddox,” she says. “I very much doubt that I’ve been exploring as much as either of you.”

My lips curl up for a split-second. She could always hold her own. Even then, she called us on our bullshit. That had been one of the things about her I could not get enough of.

She’s getting under my skin again.

I exchange a look with Kai. If we tell her we won’t scene with her, she’ll go to Caleb, who will be happy to get his paws all over the beautiful woman.

We need to put an end to this, once and for all.

We need to stop her from coming back here, to Club M, where every member is eying us with discreet fascination, wondering what the hell is going on between the three of us.

“You get one chance to change your mind,” I warn her. “I recommend you take it.”

She doesn’t move.

“Okay.” Kai rises to his feet. “We’ll do this your way. For now. Come.”

“Where?” There’s a distinct quaver in her voice.

“You’ll find out,” Kai replies flatly.

She hesitates. She’s having second thoughts already. Good. I ignore the disappointment running through my veins. It’s best this way.

Then she lifts her chin in the air. “Yes, Sir,” she murmurs obediently.

Fuck.