by Avery Gale
Stepping back, Jace watched as Gage moved up and ran his long fingers between her legs. Jace knew by the way her entire body seemed to tense that Gage was circling her clit. Gage quickly withdrew his hand no doubt just a few seconds before she would have come because Jace saw the muscles in her legs tremble just as she moaned in frustration. Gage delivered four hard swats with his palm flat, landing each blow in a slightly different spot and alternating sides. Holly’s ass was a nice bright pink already, so they’d need to watch her closely for signs of bruising because Jace knew Gage’s last four strokes were going to be doozies because he was not likely to cut her any slack for calling him a son of a bitch.
“Stand up, Holly.” Jace was surprised to see that she’d been crying because he hadn’t heard a sound from her during her paddling. Gage’s voice was stern and Holly had responded to his tone immediately. When she weaved a bit as the blood left her head, Jace watched Gage steady her with a hand to her elbow. Once he was sure she was ready to stand on her own, Gage stepped back and began unbuckling his belt. Jace knew Gage wasn’t going to use it on her, but obviously she didn’t. Panic filled her expression and Jace wasn’t at all surprised to hear the sob that bubbled up from deep in her throat—what did surprise him was seeing her turn on her heel and sprint for the door.
Chapter 14
Holly had barely gotten her bearings after both men had given her four swats. Cripes her ass felt like it was on fire and then when she saw Gage unbuckling his belt she panicked. Her mind flashed back to the headmaster at her private school and the one and only time she’d been punished at school. The man had insisted she’d been the one he’d seen taking cookies from a tray despite her repeated denials. She’d tried to explain that she didn’t even like peanut butter so she sure wouldn’t steal peanut butter cookies. But he’d been insistent and the lashing she’d gotten had left her with welts and bruises that had required medical attention.
There was a part of her mind that was aware running was futile, but she was drowning in blind panic and the fear won out over reason. Just as she reached the door she felt a hand clasp around her upper arm just as the headmaster had grabbed her. A brilliant white flash of fear went through her mind a second before everything went black.
* * * *
“Fuck.” Gage knew the instant he’d touched his belt it had been a mistake. Every bit of color drained from Holly’s face and her expression was absolute stark terror. He hadn’t planned to give her the last four lashes with the belt, even though calling your Dom a bastard was really a very serious offense. He had been planning to strip and knew Jace was preparing to do the same. But because he hadn’t told her that he wasn’t planning to use it on her, he’d be lucky if she would ever be able to trust him again. He never wanted to see that expression on her face again and damned well not when he was the one she was terrified of.
When she’d turned to run, he’d watched her hurdle the coffee table and sprint full out for the door. He’d barely managed to catch her before she opened their front door and the minute he’d wrapped his hand around her arm to stop her he’d felt her freeze and then she dropped like a stone. What the fuck? Even with his hand clamped around her arm he hadn’t managed to keep her head from snapping forward. Gage was certain if he lived to be a hundred he would never forget the cracking sound of her head hitting the heavy oak door or the sick feeling that rolled through him as he watched her terrified eyes roll back just as the lids closed. Seeing her long, curled lashes resting on her pale cheek nearly made his heart stop beating.
“She’s hurt—call the bar and get Zach Lamont up here and see if any of the club members who are medical professionals are still here.” Gage could see that Jace was already dialing his phone before he’d even finished speaking. Without listening to any of the conversation taking place, Gage settled Holly on the sofa before running to his bedroom for a shirt to cover her. He’d just managed to cover her and was buttoning the last button when the room flooded with people.
Zach Lamont was the first through the door and Gage was relieved to see he had a med-bag in hand. Zach’s time as his SEAL team’s medic had given him a lot of experience with a wide range of injuries and the fact that he was also a Dom would make explaining what had happened much easier. Zach lifted Holly’s eyelids and flicked a small penlight over each pupil and frowned. “How long has she been out?”
Glancing at his watch, Gage answered, “Just shy of two minutes.” Gage knelt next to Zach so their words wouldn’t be heard by everyone in the room. Why are there so fucking many people in here? Jesus, somebody clear the damned room.
Gage nearly choked when he immediately heard a booming voice ordering all “non-essentials” out of the room. When he recognized the voice of Mitch Grayson he understood why it had seemed as if someone had read his mind. Mitch was one of the most gifted empaths around, the man’s ability to “read” another person’s feelings and often their thoughts had saved his SEAL team more times than any of them would ever fess up to. Gage had heard stories about it for years and he knew Mitch had recently helped Callie as well. Looking up at Mitch, Gage merely nodded his thanks before turning back to Zach.
“Talk to me.” Gage appreciated Zach’s curt statement while he continued with his examination because it didn’t matter which group of Special Forces you worked in, they all understood the importance of clear, concise communication between team members. Just as he was finishing giving Zach a rundown of the events leading up to Holly’s injury, her eyelids started to flutter open.
* * * *
Holly felt like she was slowly floating to the top in a bowl of Jell-O…and that wasn’t counting the fact that she was sure someone had hit her in the head with a two-by-four. Holy shit I have a headache. Once her eyes started to open she could see there were people standing around her but there wasn’t anyone here that she knew. Oh holy shit, you’ve really done it this time Holly. You really better get out of here. Who are these people and why does my head feel like it’s going to explode?
Trying to sit up, she realized someone had their hand firmly on her thigh, her very bare thigh. Glancing down she realized two things, one…she wasn’t wearing much at all and two…what she was wearing obviously didn’t belong to her. Oh fuck, I’ve really done it now. What kind of party is this and what did they give me? Think…what’s the last thing I remember? I left class…walked to the student union to get lunch…no that’s not right. I went to see Aunt Daffy…why did I do that? Shit, my head hurts too bad to think.
“Please, I need to sit up.”
Holly had spoken the words without even realizing it until one of the men kneeling in front of her said, “No sweetheart, you stay right where you are. Let Zach check you out. You’ve been hurt and we need to know that you are alright.” She blinked up at him, but didn’t remember ever having seen him before. Why did part of her feel like she should obey this man? He was really cute in a surfer meets bad boy sort of a way, but he looked like he was already out of college so she wondered why he was at a frat party. Oh shit…that’s where I was…the party…oh, God…no!
* * * *
Mitch Grayson had been standing beside the sofa listening to Holly, trying to get as much information as possible before stepping in, but the minute she started to thrash about in a blind panic he spoke up. Looking at Zach, he asked, “Is it safe to sedate her?”
Zach shrugged, “I don’t feel good about it because I don’t really know the extent of her injuries. I don’t see any overt problems, but I can’t really be sure.” Zach and Gage were struggling to help Gage hold the little tiger still, but she was obviously terrified.
Alex Lamont stepped up to the end of the sofa and spoke in a voice that caused everyone in the room to freeze. “Holly. Stop. Now.”
To no one’s surprise the woman stilled instantly, blinking up at him in confusion. “Who are you? What makes you the boss of me? And aren’t you a little old to be at a frat party?”
Mitch wanted to laugh out loud at the expr
ession on Alex Lamont’s face, hell, this one might have just broken Kat’s record for shocking the man no one on his team had ever seen speechless before Katarina reentered his life. It seemed to take Alex a couple seconds to push back his surprise before his entire face seemed to light up from his smile. Mitch just shook his head, damn the man could switch gears in a heartbeat and turn on the Lamont charm with his next breath.
“My name is Alex, Holly. And you are right, I am too old to be at a frat party. Now be a good girl and stop fighting the men trying to help you, alright? I promise we’ll get you exactly where you need to be as soon as possible, deal? Oh and would you feel better if I brought in some reinforcements for you?” Alex looked over the tops of several people until Mitch knew he’d spotted Kat and Rissa at the back of the room. Motioning them forward, both Alex and Zach’s wife and his own wife scrambled closer.
Pulling Rissa close he whispered in her ear, “Baby, she doesn’t remember anything that happened tonight, nor does she remember Jace or Gage and that is going to kill them. She thinks she’s at a frat party and something bad happened there so tread carefully. We’re setting up to fly her to the hospital, but Ian won’t let Jace fly because he’s too upset, so he’s bringing someone over to do it. She’s going to balk at going to the hospital so we’ll need your help with that one.” He bit her earlobe and smiled at the catch in her breathing. “Don’t block me, baby. I can feel you trying and it’s just going to delay that hot sex you’re craving.”
Rissa shuddered and then he felt her mind open, “That’s a good girl. Now help Holly and then come to the hospital with Bryant. I’m going to fly over because I can hear her and I think I can help.” She nodded and moved closer to Kat who had been watching them closely. Katarina Lamont was no one’s fool. Mitch didn’t doubt for a minute she would let Rissa lead because Kat knew Mitch had given her vital information.
Mitch smiled as Rissa leaned toward Holly and started chattering like they were old friends, which for all Holly knew at this point, they were. “Hey, girlfriend, you look a little worse for wear. I think we should see a doc about that goose egg on your noggin. Damn, girl that looks like it hurts. I heard those hot guys over there talking about a helicopter ride for you, oh you are one lucky sister.”
True to form, Katarina Lamont didn’t miss a beat, “Are you shitting me? You’re going to ride in a helicopter? Damn, I think maybe I need to kiss the concrete, too. And with hot guys, too…you go girl. We’ll have to drive there, but we’ll be probably be there by the time you get out of ER. You want us to smuggle you in anything?”
Holly was blinking at them as if they were insane, but slowly nodded, “Yes, I’d really love to have an Almond Joy. That is if it’s not too much trouble. It’s kind of my comfort food of choice.”
Gage was lifting her in his arms as Kat waved her hand as if dismissing the comment, “We know that…Almond Joy it is. See you soon…and I am so getting all the details later on the hot guys.” Mitch was impressed that both women had played their college pal roles to perfection, but then again, maybe he should be more worried than proud. Giving himself a mental head-slap, he turned and quickly kissed Rissa goodbye before making sure she was safely in Bryant’s arms. Sharing Rissa with his best friend Bryant Davis was the best thing that had ever happened to Mitch. He’d wanted her for so long, but had waited until Bryant returned from a year-long job in Japan before he’d really pushed the issue. And there wasn’t one single thing about his life he’d change.
Chapter 15
Holly was about to go stir-crazy trapped in the damned hospital room, well room wasn’t really a very accurate description of the “room” she’d been given. Between her parents’ barrage of phone calls to the hospital’s administration, her aunt’s micromanagement, and Ian’s intimidating presence, she’d been spent the last several days lounging around in a suite that rivaled the Hilton. After she had been poked, prodded, and scanned within an inch of her life they had moved her into a beautiful “prison” and told to rest which was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. Who could get any rest in a place where there was a perpetual parade of people in and out all day and night? And the two hotties that seemed to have taken up residence were more than just a little distracting as well.
She’d learned from her friends Kat and Rissa that their names were Jace and Gage, and evidently she’d just been starting a relationship with them when she’d been hurt. Both women had assured her that she was perfectly safe with them, but it had been Ian McGregor’s endorsement that had carried the most weight. Holly had known Ian since she’d been a kid and he’d always treated her with respect and she knew he was honest to a fault. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her Aunt Daphne, it was just that she knew her aunt had a vested interest in seeing Holly “taken care of,” her words, not Holly’s.
Daphne had always believed Holly needed someone in her life to help her navigate troubled waters. Her aunt had assured Holly she wasn’t being critical, just practical. She’d told Holly she wouldn’t be around to be her guardian angel forever, and if she had to be replaced it might as well be with a hot man.
Really, there was nothing wrong with her, well except the fact she still had huge holes in her memory. But the doctors had assured her it was just a matter of time before everything came back so she didn’t see any reason she shouldn’t be allowed to go back to her small apartment at the edge of campus. It wasn’t the Ritz, but at least it was quieter there and she could start on her first novel…oh, wait. They said I already did that…shit, I hate not being able to remember things. Sighing, she had just swung her feet over the edge of the bed when Gage and Jace both stalked into the room.
“Where do you think you’re going, pet?” Jace was always calling her that and she didn’t really understand why, but it didn’t sound like he meant it to be degrading so she’d let it go. Crap, I’ll bet they have this room under surveillance. Hell they probably know everything, yeah nothing humiliating about that.
“I’m tired of being cooped up here. I am fine and I’m going home today. They can’t keep me here against my will. That has to be kidnapping or unlawful restraint or something. I can’t get any sleep here, there are people in and out all the time. And some crazy guy was here this morning yelling about a play he wanted me to finish. I need to get back to my apartment and see if I can figure out what the hell he was talking about. Where’s my purse? I’ll need a credit card to get a plane ticket. And where are my real clothes? I’m tired of these damned yoga pants. Shit, I don’t even have any shoes. And the girls said I should be getting really great sex, and well, I’m not getting that either, so why stay?” She suddenly realized that she had been pacing the width of the room and that the floor was suddenly tilting to one side and all of the sudden she was so hot and dizzy. Damn and double damn as Kat would say, why do I have to do this with these two here?
* * * *
Jace had known if they just waited Holly out, she’d tire quickly and then they could tell her that she was in fact being discharged in just a few minutes, but she wasn’t heading to New York. No, the ass-hat that had managed to charm his way past the nurse had shown them she could expect more of the same if she returned to her penthouse in the Big Apple. He and Jace had spent the last couple of hours setting everything up and the girls would be arriving momentarily with clothing and personal products from Holly’s motel room. They’d already had everything else boxed and moved to the storage in the basement of McGregor Holdings.
Both men would be forever grateful to Katarina and Rissa for all their help. Their ability to convince Holly they’d been friends for years had been remarkable and all four of their husbands had wondered how often those same skills had been used on them. “You will have clothes and shoes as soon as Kat and Rissa arrive, but you probably won’t need them since you’re going to be too tired to walk.” He smiled when she flopped back onto the bed in exhaustion. Holly’s doctors had warned them that adequate rest would speed her healing and consequently the
return of her memory. They had also emphasized distracting Holly with something other than her usual activities. Their reasoning had been that there would be a lot more pressure to “remember” if she was back at work or in familiar places.
Jace and Gage both planned to see to it that their little sub got plenty of rest and relaxation. Their families had been updated and would help as needed, but the three of them would be staying in the small guest house behind main house on the Garrett’s ranch. Abby was home for a few weeks after some kind of problem at one of the drill sites and Jace was more than a little anxious to find out what that was all about.
Kalen Black and Logan Douglas were also tagging along for some much needed R & R. Neither of the men had taken any time off in the three years they had worked on Ian’s security team. They added staff after Callie was attacked and now that those men were fully trained it was time for them to take some time off and blow off some steam. Smiling to himself, he remembered the last time all four of them invaded his parents’ ranch. They’d nearly eaten his mom out of house and home, and driven Abby insane with their teasing. Hopefully things wouldn’t be as chaotic this time.
“You know, I’m really getting tired of being tired. How much longer is this crap going to last because I have finals in just a couple of weeks. I wonder where I left my books? Oh, I’ll bet Rissa and Kat will bring them with my clothes. Do you think they’ll bring my laptop, I’m sure I need that. Or did I leave it in New York? God damned goose in a G-string…not being able to remember sucks I tell you.” Holly had closed her eyes and within seconds he could tell she was fast asleep.
Jace looked at Gage who was shaking with silent laughter, “Christ she’s entertaining. I swear though, sometimes it’s exhausting just listening to her mind race all over the place.” Gage walked over and covered Holly with a soft throw her aunt had brought the first day she’d been hospitalized.
