14. Brynne

Chapter 14

Brynne

B ooker had left two pills and a glass of water on the bedside table, and I was thankful for it when I woke up at the crack of dawn the morning after the attack. My head pounded, but about an hour after taking the medication, I was feeling good enough to get out of his bed.

I'd slept so hard, I wasn't sure if he'd joined me at all during the night. There was a mess at the gym, and I assumed Austin and Henley would take care of the deceased man for him, but I wouldn't have doubted it if he helped in some way. Hiding a body didn't seem like an easy task, and I was sure the last place any of them wanted to end up was prison for murder.

I fixed my hair in the mirror above his dresser, then headed downstairs. As soon as I reached the last step, I found the three of them staring at me from the living room. Austin was bent over his knees on the couch, hands clasped between his legs, as he studied me. Henley was in the chair by the bookcase, and Booker was sitting on the edge of the loveseat.

"Good morning?" The greeting sounded more like a question as it seemed almost like they were waiting for me.

Booker's eyes trailed my body, likely checking for any injuries that may have gone unaccounted for last night. He knew there were none, though. He'd dried every inch of my skin so gently, looking closely for any bruising or abrasions.

"We have a plan," Austin said, straightening so his back hit the couch.

Booker nudged his chin in the direction of the cushion beside him, and I crossed to it, propping myself on the edge of the seat as I looked at them all expectantly.

Henley had this guilty look on his face, like he thought this was his fault. While in the beginning, it may have been, it was clear the rest of this was Chase's doing. Him not handing over the deed to his boss was the problem, not necessarily anything Henley did.

"You're going to text Chase to meet you somewhere," Henley said, taking the reins.

"Why would I do that?"

This time, Austin spoke up. "So we can get the deed back."

"And then what?"

"We'll kill him," Booker stated beside me.

My eyes darted to him. "Kill him?"

"We can let him go," Austin suggested, almost like he was repeating the idea for a second time.

"No. I want him dead." Booker's voice left no room for argument.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he's proved to be a problem." But he didn't say who he became a problem for. I knew he didn't want him dead just for his own benefit. Something in him had changed, and I had the biggest feeling it had to do with me being a target.

"What if he doesn't have the deed?" For all we knew, he gave it to someone else entirely, or the bank.

Austin held his hands out, palms up, like the answer was obvious. "Then we'll get him to tell us where it is."

"You make it sound so easy," I said. Chase was stubborn, and getting him to talk wouldn't be a piece of cake, especially when the subject had to do with his earnings.

"A little pain goes a long way." At Booker's words, I looked over at him.

What he didn't say was that seeing me in the state I was in last night fueled this, and he wanted to get things moving. I wasn't going to be the one to tell these guys what to do. If they wanted to torture him, then so be it.

Anything to get this over with sooner was better in my book.

Booker hadn't expected me to do any chores today, but staying in bed resting seemed like a boring way to pass the time, so I'd tidied up the barn, sweeping hay and dirt from the aisles while they worked out on the ranch.

We'd eaten dinner together at the large dining table inside, and afterward, we'd all retired to our respective rooms. I was antsy for what was to come, so after a few minutes in bed, I'd pulled on my running shoes and headed outside for some fresh air.

The silence of the ranch was comforting with a mind so loud. All day, my thoughts strayed to last night, and now, with the crickets chirping under the nearly-black sky, my head was quiet. A welcome reprieve.

I walked along the fence to the pasture, my sneakers crunching over the loose pebbles in the dirt. I watched as plumes of loose dust kicked up around my ankles, and when I looked forward, I stopped in place.

There was someone on the road.

Narrowing my eyes, I saw the outline of a horse with its rider, the silhouette of a cowboy hat lit by the fading sky. We stared at each other, the both of us not making a move. My heart thumped in my chest, despite knowing it had to be Booker. He must have heard me leave the house and followed after me.

Without any warning, the horse took off at a gallop toward me, and I turned, running the opposite direction back to the barn. Hooves clomped furiously over the ground as I sprinted, but my pace was no match to the animal. In seconds, a rope was slung over me, clasping my arms to my sides. I slowed, the horse sprinting past me as its rider jumped to the ground. Large, familiar arms came around me, lifting me off the ground. I shrieked in between rapid breaths.

"I can feel your heart, Darlin'." His fingers gripped the back of my thigh where I lay over his shoulder, the lasso still tight around my upper body. "Are you scared?"

"No." Adrenaline rushed over me, but it wasn't fear I felt. It was anticipation of what was to come. There had to be a reason he was doing this.

"That's too bad." We headed into the barn, and he tossed me on the stack of bales, the hay poking my bare legs. I instantly regretted wearing shorts between the cold and the itch. He pulled the lasso up over my body, tossing it to the ground behind him.

I looked up at him to find he was wearing the same skeleton mask he had before, his cowboy hat pulled low over his brow. He braced both hands on either side of me, leaning into my space so that I had to press my back against the bale behind me. "I want you scared when I fuck this tight little pussy." His hand was between my legs in a flash, finding my entrance easily through the leg hole of my shorts. He slid a finger in, my legs instantly going slack.

My mouth parted, and he wrapped his other hand around my neck, squeezing slightly to cut off my air. The back of my head pressed against the bale as my eyes closed, his finger pumping in and out of me quickly.

"Open those eyes, Darlin'. I want to see."

I did, and satisfaction rolled over his features as he added another finger, fucking me with his hand relentlessly.

"My little slut is always so wet for me," he muttered, adding a third.

The sensation was fucking heaven.

He released my neck, letting me breathe. I sucked in air as he suddenly removed his fingers to grab something off the wall beside us. Upon closer inspection, I found he was holding a lead rope. He pulled the rope through his hand, then looped it around my neck and tied it.

"I want you to use your fear as fuel." He pulled the rope tighter, bringing me closer to him. "Deep breath, Darlin'."

I inhaled, and then he was cutting off my oxygen again, pulling the rope tight. My mouth opened, warmth pooling in between my legs as he inserted three fingers again. He hooked them deep inside me, quickening his pace as he fucked me with them.

Black spots dotted my vision right before he loosened the rope, letting me breathe. I sucked in air as he removed his fingers from my pussy, then yanked my shorts off along with my panties. He instantly grabbed my hips, flipping me over on all fours so that I was completely exposed to him.

With a glance over my shoulder, I saw him wrap the lead rope around his fist as he yanked down his zipper with his other hand. Freeing his cock, he trailed it up my pussy, soaking the tip. Right before he slid inside me, he pulled on the rope, the circle tightening around my neck and cutting off all air again.

"Fuck, Brynne," he hissed as he seated himself in me. "So fucking tight when you can't breathe."

I tried to moan, but nothing came out as my throat was constricted. He slid out, only to pound back in, sliding my knees forward slightly on the bale. As he fucked me, he loosened the rope once more, oxygen filling my starved lungs.

"Such a dirty fucking slut. You love when I use you, don't you?"

I hummed a response, and he tugged the rope in silent reprimand before landing an ear-piercing smack across my ass. "Yes. I love it."

He fucked me harder, without restraint, and then my ability to breathe was cut off again, my neck being yanked back, forcing my head to tilt slightly. Stars flew across my vision, from pleasure or lack of oxygen, I wasn't sure, but I never wanted the sensation to stop. Booker was playing with my fear, and it only fed my impending orgasm more.

He landed another slap on my ass, one cheek and then the other, my pussy clenching around him so hard I wasn't sure how he was still able to move in and out of me.

"Just like that, little slut. Grip my cock while I choke that pretty little neck of yours."

Right when I thought I may not be able to take any more, he loosened the rope, allowing me to breathe. Booker was in complete and utter control, and I didn't want it any other way.

His palm met my ass again, the sting coursing pleasure through me. I reached between my legs, lowering my chest to the bale. The hay poked at my skin, but I ignored it as my fingers ran circles over my clit, and he spanked me again, harder this time.

"Deep breath, Brynne. You're going to need it."

As soon as I inhaled, he was pulling the rope tight again, yanking my neck back with my chest to the bale. My fingers picked up speed, his cock following suit as he fucked me harder, faster. He groaned as my core tightened, choking his cock at the same time.

He didn't let up on the rope as he continued pounding into me, and my orgasm began to ripple through me like a firework in the night sky. Somehow, the lack of being able to breathe fueled me more, and pure heaven coursed through every inch of my body.

At the same time, he buried himself deep inside me while finally slackening the rope fully. My moans and gasps filled the barn as his free hand gripped my hip.

He filled me, and as soon as he pulled out, I felt our release dripping down my thighs.

I kept my chest to the bale, giving myself a moment to breathe, but my breath hitched as he trailed his finger up my thigh, through our mess, and shoved it back in my pussy.

He slid in and out of me a few times, my entrance and clit sensitive from my orgasm. My legs tensed as he took his fingers out.

I pushed up off the bale, turning around to face him. Unexpectedly, he tightened the rope around my neck again, forcing me to look up at him as he hovered over me with my chest pressed to his still-hard cock. My knees bit into the bale below me. "The only one you need to be afraid of in this world is me, Brynne. Anyone else, and I won't hesitate to kill them." He brought his face closer to mine. "I own that part of you."

He stared into my eyes for a moment, making sure his words set in the way he wanted them to. With his gaze glued to mine, he said, "You can come in now."

Behind him, Austin rounded the corner, entering the barn. He wore a similar mask, the skeleton only covering half his face. My body somersaulted with the thought of him having heard everything Booker and I just did, and how I still sat exposed with the rope around my neck.

"He's been waiting the whole time, Darlin'," Booker murmured to me, almost like he cared about filling me in on Austin's presence. "Are you okay with him joining?"

With a swallow, I nodded .

Booker's eyes scanned mine behind his mask, darting between the two like he was searching for the truth in my response. "You want to have your fun with her?" he asked Austin.

A playful smirk crested Austin's lips. "Took you long enough." He removed his hand from behind his back, producing my vibrator. He must've found it in my room, and the thought of him in there without me somehow made my skin heat.

Booker set a boot up on the bale, hopping up to sit on the one directly behind me so that I sat perched between his legs. He kept his hold on the lead around my neck loose enough so that it didn't choke me—for now.

"Take your spurs off," Booker commanded.

Austin did, unbuckling them from around his boots. He handed one to Booker, keeping the other for himself. Then, Austin slid my shirt over my head, and Booker slid it the rest of the way off, untangling it from the rope.

Booker pulled up on the rope, causing me to crane my neck as it tightened. As my ability to breathe became harder, Austin reached forward and pulled the cups of my bra down so my breasts spilled over the top, full and on display.

Booker slackened the rope. "Be a good little slut and stick that tongue out, Darlin'."

I did, right as Austin's knees met the ground before me. He pulled me forward so my ass hit the edge of the bale, then pried my legs apart as Booker reached around me, sticking two fingers down my throat. I gagged as he pulled them out, bringing them down to my nipple to wet the peak.

In front of me, Austin brought the spur to the inside of my thigh, the spikes prodding at my sensitive skin. At the same time, Booker pinched my nipple, tugging it slightly. I moaned as Austin glided the spur between my legs, gently coasting it over my clit. I whimpered, and Booker tightened the rope again, cutting off my breathing. No sounds came out as Austin rolled the rowel back and forth over the swollen bud. Booker wrapped his palm around my breast, squeezing.

Every nerve inside me was more alive than ever, all over every inch of my body, and I wasn't sure if I could take the overwhelmingly blissful sensations so soon after having just come.

Right as my lungs began to burn, Booker slackened the rope again. I gasped for air as Austin kept his eyes on me. I could see his boner clear as day, bulging through the fabric of his jeans, but I wasn't sure if Booker wanted me to pleasure him. He seemed to be fine with them doing things to me, but he might not feel the same the other way around.

Austin trailed the rowel over my tender entrance, and my stomach twitched as my breath hitched. Bringing it up and down once more, he dropped it to the floor, then plunged two fingers inside me. I called out, throwing my head back as Booker wrapped a calloused hand around my exposed throat to keep me arched.

Austin's fingers thrust in and out of me, the wetness from our release evident in the sounds that came from my pussy.

Booker brought his face closer to mine. "You like when we have our fun with you, don't you?"

I moaned a response. I fucking loved it .

Austin had a hand on my thigh, keeping my legs apart as his fingers continued their haste.

"Maybe our little slut will squirt for us," Austin said, picking up his pace.

Booker's thumb coasted over my pulse before letting go of my neck. He grabbed the spur where he'd set it beside him on the bale, then glided it over my nipple. The pinpricks of pain sent pleasure coursing through me, and I wanted to scream.

"What do you say, Darlin'? You gonna soak my best friend?"

Austin's fingers dug into my thigh as his pace quickened impossibly more. He released my thigh, grabbing the vibrator and clicking it on. Instantly, the humming tip was on my sensitive clit before I could reply, and electricity wrapped around my nerves as I twitched under the overwhelming sensation. Booker dropped the spur with a clang, gripping my breast punishingly. He tightened the rope again, cutting off my air. Austin went faster still, the pressure building in my lower belly as the tips of his fingers hit my sweet spot repeatedly. Right when I thought it was too much, too overwhelming for my body to take, he withdrew his hand in a flash, keeping the vibrator over my bud, and liquid spurted from me like never before.

Right as I exploded, Booker dropped the rope, and I screamed. He kept his hand on my breast, the other cupping my neck again as I let go, every ounce of my control slipping. My thighs quivered as Austin held them open with his soaked hand, and when I managed to look down, my orgasm ebbing, I found his shirt soaked and his chin dripping. He removed the toy, my body instantly relaxing the slightest bit.

My chest heaved as Booker slowly released my breast to trail his hand up my collarbone. He gripped my chin, tilting my face up to him to bring his lips to mine. He'd taken the mask off, leaving his face bare. I froze for a millisecond. Booker was kissing me for the first time, and I had no idea what to make of it. His tongue got lost in my mouth, dancing with mine as my mind whirled.

Thus far, it'd seemed like he wanted to keep it strictly physical, and kissing felt…intimate. Like we were crossing a line he wanted to keep carefully drawn.

He pulled away, not making eye contact as he slid the lead rope off my neck and over my head. He tossed it to the ground, and when I looked forward again, I found Austin had already left.

Booker stood, hopping off the bale. He helped me up, pulling my panties and shorts back up my legs. Sliding his shirt off, he situated it over my head and helped pull my arms through. Then, he scooped me up in his arms, and we were heading out of the barn and to the house.

I wasn't sure what was happening between me and Booker, but a part of me truly was scared of him. Not in that I thought he'd hurt me, but in the feelings of mine that could be broken if I got too attached. I was fresh out of a toxic relationship, and though Booker was closed off, I felt happier with our arrangement than I ever did with Chase.

And in my experience, when I attached happiness to a person, it was all too quickly taken right out from under my feet .

I only had to hope that after this was all said and done, Booker would let me down easy.