Tease Me (Private Listing #4)

“Do you want to break for a while?” I hand her a water bottle.

She shakes her head. “No, I want to keep going.”

We sit on a stack of matts while we drink. What we’ve done so far hasn’t required much exertion. But the next part would.

“Are you sure you want to go through the actual motions?” I brush a strand of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear. She’s had issues with hands on her throat. “We could do it tomorrow after work.”

She shivers a little. “I’d rather freeze with you than in the actual moment when someone’s attacking me.”

I blow out a breath. “That’s fair.”

We drink in silence for a few moments.

“Have you tracked down Andrea yet?” She picks at the label on her water bottle instead of looking at me.

“No, but Courtney returns to work on Monday after her family leave.” I finish my bottle of water. “We have a lot to discuss with her. And we have to wait to see if the spy contacts our honey trap.”

“Do you think it was a coincidence that Courtney was gone when Robert tried to get to me?” She’s really focused on that water bottle now.

“No. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Do I think Courtney is involved? Yes. I’m not sure how deeply involved she is. But we believe Peter plays a part in the corporate sabotage, and given his interest in her, I can’t believe it’s a coincidence that she’s tied to both Peter and Andrea. Andrea wants nothing more than to humiliate us the way she believes we humiliated her.

Madison nods and drinks a little more. Her brows pinch as she thinks about something. I wish this all could be easier, especially for her.

Her blue eyes flick to me with a question lingering in them.

“What do you want to know, love?” I draw in a deep breath. “I’ll try to be an open book.”

She downs the rest of her water and sets the bottle aside. “You’re really possessive when it comes to me and other men. It makes me think that maybe someone cheated on you? Or betrayed you in some way?”

I rub my hand down my face. “Before we decided to share women, women would use us to get to someone else. Usually but not always Coop.”

“But Coop dated Leighton since high school, right?” She cocks her head.

“They didn’t officially date until college. And Coop wasn’t faithful to her.” I watch her carefully because I don’t want her to think I’m trying to blow up Coop. “He’s different with you.”

She nods thoughtfully. “Have you ever been in love before, Blake?”

I shake my head. “I’ve dated. Even had a few monogamous relationships. But did I love them? No.”

“Why not?” Her blue eyes lock on mine.

“Because they weren’t you.” I take her hand and weave our fingers together. “I can’t tell you why those other women couldn’t break through. Maybe I’ve always guarded my heart. But you broke that wall, making me feel vulnerable.”

She puts her leg up on the mat as she turns toward me. “Why vulnerable?”

I cup her cheek and sigh. “You’re everything I want, everything I need. You spark something fiercely possessive in me. I want to wrap you in bubble wrap and hide you away, but I also want to watch you soar and become the powerhouse I know you’ll be someday.”

She leans into my hand.

“It wasn’t a line when I said loving you terrifies me, tiger.” I swallow and blow out my breath to loosen the grip on my chest. “You make me want things I’ve never wanted before. Never thought I could have and keep the guys as my family. You hold us together. You make us complete. And if you left us, I’m afraid of what that would do to the bond we’ve had for years.”

I rest my forehead against hers. “You could destroy us, love.”

“I don’t know what the future holds,” she says quietly. “I can’t say we won’t have rough patches, but I’m in this with you. I thought I was going to have fun fucking my four bosses before I moved on to my career. Have the adventure I skipped in college. I didn’t expect to fall for you.”

Something settles deep inside me.