Page 89 of Beauty

Lach strides past Shim, his long legs eating up the forestfloor.

“Is this really what you want, Bron?” Shim asks. “Because wecan be gentle.”

“She doesn’t want gentle.” Lach keeps right on walking.

I hold my head up. It’s either that or watch Lach’sperfectly formed backside move. “Fuck you, Lach. And you can fuck yourself,Shim.”

Lach stops. He sets me on my feet, but I don’t stay therelong. He gets to one knee and flips me neatly over. I find myself facing thegrass, my ass in the air. Oh, goddess, I pushed him. I knew what I was doingand I did it anyway because I want this. I want to see what makes Kaja moan,but I don’t want to ask for it.

“You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” Shim soundstortured. “This doesn’t mean anything to you. This is physical for you.”

“There’s no use talking to her. She knows what she wants,and she’s figured out how to get it.” Lach’s big hand steadies me. “One lastchance, Princess. We can play this the way we would prefer. We would prefer tosimply love you tonight. There will be time enough for games later. We want tobond. We want to know you inside and out.”

And then they will know how to handle me every single time.I’m already at a disadvantage since they seem to be able to read my thoughts.No. I can’t let them in. This is all I can give them. For now. Maybe forever.“Fuck off, Lach.”

His hand hits my ass with a loud crack, and tears spark frommy eyes. The pain is sharp and cuts through me. Lach barely gives me time toprocess the first one before he strikes again. Ten times his hand rains down. Ican’t breathe. I can’t move. I can’t think past the feel of Lach’s hand on myass.

And the feel of his cock hardening. I can feel it risingagainst my side, but more than that, I can feel it as Lach feels it, juttingout from his core, his cock filling with blood. There’s a primal anticipationtaking him over. This is a good place for him. This is a place he loves, andit’s so much sweeter because I’m here with him.

His hand comes down again, but he eases up. Not on thestrength but on the pace. This time the pain jars me, making me jump, butLach’s hand stays on my ass as though keeping the heat in, allowing it to sinkinto my skin.

“Not so bad.” Lach rubs the spot he hit.

Damn him. He can feel me, too. How am I supposed to staydistant? “You’re not the one who’s going to have a red ass tomorrow.”

“I’m not the one who ran away and put everyone in danger.I’m not the one cursing you at every turn. I’m not the one being stubborn abouta marriage that’s been in place for most of our lives.”

Every accusation is punctuated with a smack and a longcaress.

“And even if you did, what would I do about it?” I forcemyself to concentrate on the unfairness of it all. But it’s hard because Ireally, really wanted to focus on how soft and wet my pussy is and how long andthick and hard Lach is getting.

“If I do any of that, I promise to present my ass to you.I’ll take whatever punishment you see fit, love.” He cracks his hand once more.“Now, I know you can feel what this is doing to me, but maybe I should put itin words so you can’t mistake what’s happening. I love having you over my knee.I love having your ass in the air waiting for my discipline. It makes me feelten feet tall. I love how the sight of you gets me hard and ready to fuck.You’re my mate. You’re the reason we both waited thirty years. No other women,Bron.”

“None for me.” Shim gets to one knee, his hand on my back.“I’m a virgin because I belong to you. Does that make me less of a man? Many inour kingdom think so. Women have been thrown at us for years because we’re nota delicate people. We fuck and we fight, and our people admire kings andprinces who do so as well. Do you know how many times we’ve had our manhoodscalled into question? But we wouldn’t be swayed because we belong to you. Tellme that means something. Tell me I didn’t wait thirty years for a woman whodoesn’t really want me.”

“Let me up.” I can’t lie here. Damn him. They’re coming atme from all sides. Lach with his dominance and Shim with his soft heart. “Damnit, Lachlan. Let me up.”

Two more smacks, but then I’m on my knees. “You’re going tobe the death of me.”

I’m pretty damn sure they will be the death of me. Shim ison his heels, looking at me. I grew up with symbiotic twin brothers. Twobodies, one soul. I can call them by different names, but they make up onewhole man. Whatever Shim is saying, Lach feels it, too.

Thirty years of longing. I reach up and cup his gorgeousface. How many women can say their husbands waited thirty years for them? Andin all that time, years had gone by when they weren’t even sure I was alive.“How long would you have waited?”

I ask the question, but I know the answer.

“Forever, Bron.”

Goddess, what am I supposed to do with that? But I waited,too. I never even thought of other men, wouldn’t have wanted their attentions.These men dominated my life and my dreams since I was old enough to rememberthem.

“Was Gillian really coming to negotiate a marriage?”

Lach sighs. “Yes. She was the only one who believed we couldsee you. She was the only one who believed in the bond. If Torin hadn’t fuckedeverything up, we would have been promised to you when you turned sixteen andmarried at eighteen. We would have had a whole damn life, Bron.”

“We would have younglings. And you would have known how muchwe loved you every day,” Shim says.

Sweet words, and they settle deep in my heart, nursing someache that was always there. But Torin came between us. He ripped us andeverything around him apart. We don’t have younglings and I didn’t realize Iwas loved. They want to pick up as though none of it ever happened and simplyresume the life we should have had.

“Don’t,” Shim practically pleads. “Don’t. Not tonight.Please just one night. Earlier didn’t count. You weren’t fully with us. We candeal with all that stands between us in the morning, but tonight give over.”