Page 102 of Beauty

Yet I have something I must do. There’s a plan in my brain,and it’s a horrible thing. But it just might work.

I feel Shim’s hands skim my breasts as he comes up for air.

“Please tell me this isn’t good-bye.”

It isn’t. I hope it isn’t. “Can’t we just make love?”

He sighs and I feel the moment he gives in. He leans overand picks me up, his strong arms lifting me high on his chest. He walks towardour base.

Lach sits on the bed Shim made, his head in his hands. Helooks up as we approach. For a single second, I see his naked pain before amask of cold will settles over him.

“It won’t work, Bron. I won’t accept good-bye.” Hestraightens his shoulders. “You should go to bed because we have a long trek inthe morning. I’ll find a way into Aoibhneas. I will find us a way home. Iunderstand what Roan’s been doing. He’s using the fact that the guards arepatrolling to start building an army for Beck and Cian Finn. I won’t allow youto be used.”

He won’t allow me to be in a moment’s danger no matter howimportant it is to my soul. He needs his arrogance, but it gets to mesometimes. I wrap my arms around Shim’s neck and kiss him, knowing exactly howto get to Lachlan McIver. I let my tongue play against Shim’s, allowing it toshow as we kiss. I feel Lach’s interest rise.

“It won’t work, Bron. You can’t fuck your way out of this.”Lach’s voice is hoarse.

I don’t intend to fuck my way out of it. I intend to showthem the truth of me.

Shim lowers me to the bed, his weight coming down on top ofme. I open my mind to him. His was open from the moment I kissed him. His cockis hard, pressed against the leather of his trousers. He loves the feel of hisown arousal. He loves the fact that it won’t be long before he will be insideme. He craves it.

Shim breaks off the kiss long enough to pull the shirt overhis head. “Take it off.”

He isn’t normally dominant. My eyes narrow. “Why?”

His face goes hard and he reaches down and flips me over. Aloud smack fills the air. I gasp. Shim never spanks me. Never even hints at it.But he knows how to do it. He slaps my ass in three quick successions and thenhe flips me back over. “I said take off your shirt.”

I feel Lach’s eyes on us. He watches me with a heated stare.Sweet and slow doesn’t do it for Lach. He likes it hard. He likes it rough. Hemight be able to ignore us, to hold on to his righteousness if Shim kisses meand pets me and treats me delicately. Shim is trying to draw his other half inwith his show of dominance.

And I can help him by being difficult. “I don’t want to.”

He rips my shirt off, holding it between his hands andtugging it into two pieces. He bares my breasts and then catches my nipples inbetween his thumbs and forefingers, twisting with force. My eyes water and mypussy gets soft and moist.

“This is my time, Bron. We agreed to it. You obey in our bedbecause you won’t obey anywhere else.”

I bristle at the accusation. “I’m not given much of a chanceto disobey.”

My nipples are tweaked again, pain making them throb withawareness.

“No back talk.” Shim draws his hand away. He gets off thebed and lifts the bottom of my skirt. He tugs it over my hips, dragging andtossing it aside. “Turn over and put your ass in the air.”

“What do you think you’re doing, brother?” Lach asks. He’sstanding over us, his arms crossed over his massive chest and a frown on hisface. “You don’t believe in discipline.”

Shim doesn’t. I figured that much out. He believes in playand fun and studying. He’s an odd combination of sweet, playful, and intenselysmart. He reminds me so much of Cian, though he holds a wealth of soul-deepguilt my brother doesn’t have. There’s a river that runs between Lach and Shim.They love each other, hold on to each other, but I’m not sure they trust eachother.

I want to know why.

“If you’re not going to make sure she behaves, then I haveto.” Shim looks at his brother, an arrogant expression on his face. “Feel freeto leave. I can handle her just fine. When she doesn’t behave, I’ll simplytorture her for a while.”

Shim picks up my ankles in both hands and flips me over,forcing me to my stomach. My ass is naked and cool air caresses my skin, butonly for a moment before Shim smacks my fleshy cheeks again, the sound crackingthe air around me.

“Damn it,” I complain. “That hurt.”

It did, but now there’s a sweet heat in the place of thepain. I wriggle my hips.

Lach seems to decide to be the voice of reason. “Can’t yousee what she’s doing? She thinks she can manipulate us with sex.”

Shim’s hands are on my ass, tracing the curves and making meshiver. “She can try. It doesn’t mean it will work. More than likely she’llplay the siren and call me to her and get a cock up her ass for her troubles.”