Chapter Twelve

Bailey

I strolled down to breakfast this morning feeling a little lighter than usual. After having the weight of telling Maureen off my shoulders and then the amazing night I had with Grim and Poe, things were finally feeling a little back to normal. Well, normal for me. There were still things to deal with. Things that I dreaded. But for now, I had a little sliver of peace, and I was determined to hang onto it.

Poe, Grim, and Saint crowded around the breakfast table, laughing, and joking around. I released a sigh of relief. This sight made me even happier. Saint pulled out a chair for me just as Poe set a heaping plate of pancakes down on the table. My mouth watered at the sight of the gooey chocolate chips melting into the fluffy dough .

"Smells delicious, Poe. Thank you." After drowning my pancakes in maple syrup, I shoved a huge bite into my mouth and moaned. "Yup. They're perfect," I mumbled between mouthfuls.

Saint smirked. "After the night you had last night, I'm guessing Poe could do just about anything right today."

I felt my cheeks flush despite the fact that the four of us had been fucking each other long enough to not feel shy. But something about last night felt intimate in a different way.

"Mmm, yes. Facts," I breathed coyly.

Grim cleared his throat. "What the fuck am I, chopped liver?" he teased.

I giggled through another huge bite of delicious chocolate chip pancakes. "Far from it, daddy. You got me primed and ready. Couldn't have done it without you."

We laughed together at that and continued to joke around for the rest of the morning. It felt like it did in the beginning again. It made me forget all about the dark cloud hanging over our heads.

Poe cleared the table and returned with fresh cups of steaming coffee for all of us. This was my favorite part of the day. When everything was full of possibilities.

I recounted more of my night with Maureen for them, leaving out the part about running into Billy in town, of course. They laughed and snorted as I described Maureen's facial expressions when I was telling her about them. Saint playfully scolded me for drinking too much tequila while Grim and Poe high-fived me, impressed that I didn't die from alcohol poisoning.

"I think I'm going to take a hot shower, guys. Then maybe go for a walk in the garden." There were only so many nights left before winter would truly hit Wickford Hollow. I wanted to enjoy what was left of the bright orange and gold leaves while I could.

They exchanged a look between them that made my stomach lurch. An uneasiness settled into my bones. "What?" I asked. "What's that look for? "

Saint turned to me. "We'd like to talk to you about Raine."

Butterflies danced in my stomach. "Oh… okay."

Grim sucked in a sharp breath. "I don't want to either, Bailey, but he's here and we need to deal with it."

Poe nodded in agreement. "How do you feel about the situation, love?"

I rubbed my palms against my silk pajama pants, my fingers starting to tremble. I didn't want any more secrets or lies between us. "I… um… want to talk to him."

"Just talk?" Grim quipped.

Fuck. There was something about Raine that I couldn't figure out. He'd been with me this whole time. I couldn't see him until the other day, but I felt him . And I still wasn't sure if he wanted to kill me or defile me. Or both.

I took a big sip of my coffee, relishing the warm liquid as it coated my dry throat. "I don't know yet. What if I did want to do more than just talk? How would you all feel about that?"

Saint took my hands and brought them to his lips, kissing my palms. "We've discussed this, and we all feel that you should explore whatever you need to. He's a part of this house and forever a part of our lives."

"We won't keep you from who you are, Bailey," Poe chimed in. "If you feel some type of way about him, then you owe it to yourself to find out what that is."

Grim snickered. "But if he hurts you or forces you to do anything you don't want, I'll kill him. I know he's already dead, but you know what I mean."

I gazed at all three of them and back to Grim. "But are you going to be resentful toward me? I won't do anything unless I have your true and genuine blessing."

Grim sighed. "I love the fucking shit out of you, Bailey. I'm possessive, but I'm not unreasonable. The three of us share you. That was our choice. But we crossed the line a little when we showed up at your house that night."

Saint nodded. "We didn't give you much of a choice, is what Grim is saying. But we are giving you one now."

"We'd be fucking hypocrites if we didn't," Poe added.

I swallowed hard, unsure if I even wanted this new dynamic. "I appreciate that. And I promise you, I know what I'm doing."

Saint kissed my hands again. "We're all going to have to learn to live together. This is Raine's house too. Maybe more so. We trust your judgment, darlin'."

Poe cupped my face with his hands. "And we realize that getting to know Raine, doesn't mean you love or want us any less."

I nodded. "It doesn't. I couldn't imagine my life without any of you. But something is calling me to him. I need to find out why."

Grim snickered. "I'm not worried. Everyone here knows I'm the one who eats your pussy out the best." He looked up as he teased, as if he were making sure Raine heard him as well.

I licked my lips and winked at him while Saint and Poe pretended to fight over if that was true or not.

Making my way up the stairs, their voices carried as the debate over my pussy was still going strong. I chuckled to myself. I was lucky to have these men. So, was I being greedy for wanting to get to know another?

Whether I liked it or not, Raine had been with me from the start. From the moment that door opened, he was a part of this. And quite possibly, a part of me.

I turned on the shower and let the steam fill the bathroom before I undressed. It was freezing in our house this time of year. Satisfied that I wouldn't shiver to death, I peeled off my pajamas and opened the gigantic glass door. Stepping in, I was once again in awe of the size of it. This shower was custom-built to accommodate all four of us if we so desired.

I released a deep quivering breath as the hot water rushed over me, dunking my head underneath the spray. With my eyes closed I reached for my face cleanser. I instantly felt relaxed as I squirted it into my palm, breathing in the fresh scents of orange and lemon. I lathered it over my face for a few seconds before rinsing it off.

With my eyes closed, I turned around slowly, and moaned as the hot water poured down my back, soothing my every aching muscle.

I dunked my head one more time and then rubbed my eyes before opening them. I sucked in a sharp breath as I glimpsed a large shadow through the fogged glass.

Fuck.

My stomach knotted as I reached forward, my hand trembling, and smeared the steam off a section of the shower door. Raine's blue-green eyes stared back at me. With a smug smirk on his face, he pulled the shower door open. "I hear you've been looking for me. Well, here I am."

Instinctively, I draped one arm across my chest and the other down my middle to cover my pussy. "Are you insane? I'm in the middle of taking a shower."

He looked me up and down, not giving a fuck that we hadn't even properly met. "I find that people are much more fun when they're wet and naked."

A little shiver snaked up my spine as I glared at him. "You're letting all the steam out."

Without undressing, he stepped into my shower and closed the door behind him. "Better?"

Fucking hell. I took a step back, still covering myself. "Could you please have the decency to wait until I'm done in here?"

Raine leaned back against the tiles and crossed his arms, with no intention of leaving. "Fine by me. Continue. "

My mouth dropped open. "Are you for real? I don't even know you . I'm not just going to let you watch me bathe myself."

He ran a tattooed hand through his damp hair. His eyes flickered with need and fucking pure psychotic lust. "You do know me. And that terrifies you. But I'm not going anywhere. So quit being a brat and continue ."

Why did he have to be so hot?

If he was nothing to look at it, I would've already bolted and left him there driveling.

Fuck this.

I should leave him here just for that smug look plastered on his face. "Fuck off, Raine."

As I reached for the door handle, he grabbed my wrists and flung me back against the shower wall, pinning my hands over my head.

"You want to learn more about me? Well, here's your first lesson." He gazed down at my pebbled nipples and chuckled. "I don't fucking like being dismissed. You're not leaving this shower until you've finished."

Fuck, he was crazy. And yet I couldn't deny that I was turned on a little. My body was betraying me now, and I fucking hated it. "Let me go," I spat through gritted teeth.

"I'm really going to enjoy this." He released my wrists, but stood in front of the shower door, blocking my way out.

My stomach knotted. I contemplated screaming but that would only cause more chaos in the house. I gave the guys my word that I knew what I was doing. I couldn't risk looking like a moron right out the gate.

No. Fuck this. I didn't need saving.

"Get out of my way." I lunged forward and slapped him hard across the face.

His head snapped to the side as he laughed. "You're no one's good girl, Bailey. You're a naughty little vixen who's going to learn her place." He unbuckled his black leather belt and slid it out of the loops.

Oh, fuck.

My adrenaline surged as my body went into flight or fight mode. I charged forward and slapped him again.

Raine growled, unfazed, as he grabbed my wrists and held them up over my head. "Fucking feisty as hell. You have no idea how hard that makes me."

Panic flooded me as he wrapped his belt around my wrists and then around the showerhead, securing it tight. "What the fuck are you doing?"

His eyes darkened as he admired his handiwork. "If you want to act like a brat, I'm going to treat you like one. All you had to do was finish your shower. But no, you want to act like you have a set of balls on you. You've got them all wrapped around your little finger, don't you? Well, that's not going to work on me."

Shit. What the fuck did I get myself into? "You're a fucking psycho," I spat.

He smirked as he grabbed my sponge off the ledge. "You have no fucking idea." He squirted some of my body wash onto the sponge and squeezed the suds over my breasts. "But you're going to find out."

I had let them do vile and depraved things to me. From the very first night, I let them collar me, spank me, cum and spit in my mouth. But I realized in this very moment that I was always in control. This was different. Raine would not take no for an answer.

My breath hitched as he dragged the soapy sponge across my breasts. "Don't I get a safe word at least?" I glanced up at my wrists and then back to his menacing eyes.

Raine continued to knead the sponge against my breasts, circling it around my traitorous nipples. He pushed the tip of his tongue out and rested it on his lower lip. "There are no words that can save you from me, little vixen. There's only me." He raked the sponge down my stomach and rubbed it against my clit. "And you are going to learn how to truly submit."

As fear spiked through my blood, my clit spasmed with every rough thrust of the sponge against it. "They won't let you get away with this."

He dragged the sponge up and down my slit, chuckling. "No, they won't. But you will."

I shook my head. "No. Stop. I want you to stop."

He wedged the sponge in deeper, massaging it against the walls of my pussy. "I know you do. You know why? Because you're a monster just like me. You could have screamed for help at any time. But you haven't and you won't."

No. This isn't what I want. Not like this. "You're wrong. You don't know me at all."

The cold tiles hit my back as Raine pressed his chest against mine. He growled in my ear as he worked the sponge deeper inside my pussy. "I know you better than you know yourself. Yeah… I know you're a filthy little girl who is desperate for someone like me to control her. To punish her."

The pressure began to rise in my core as he worked his fingers around the sponge, flicking them against my clit. Fuck no, please don't let me cum. Not for him. "I will never give in. I will never love you."

Raine's breath hitched as my juices leaked out into his hand. "I don't want your heart, Bailey. I want your body and your soul. I want you to fucking hate me so much that I can taste your pain on my tongue when you cum for me."

A deep spasm rolled through me. " Fuck …" I rasped.

"Mmm, yeah. You like how my fingers fuck your pussy. How I'm going to force you to cum and there's nothing you can do about it. This will be the first of many."

I bucked as he pinched my clit, sending me over the edge. I cried out, a mixture of pleasure and pure fucking hatred for this man.

Raine shoved the sponge into my mouth and finished me off with his rough fingers. Tears streamed down my cheeks. "Shh…" He licked the side of my neck. "You're not a good girl anymore. You're a fucking brat who's finally met her match."

He shoved a finger deep inside my pussy as I bucked against his hand. As another orgasm rolled through me, he slapped me across the face. I screamed into the sponge, glaring at him as he smiled. "You reap what you sow, little vixen. Remember that the next time you think about slapping me."

As he reached up to untie my wrists, I lurched back, my limbs trembling.

I raised my chin to look him square in the eye. "That will be the last time you touch me."

"You and I both know that's a lie." He dragged his thumb across my lips, his breath quivering, before exiting the shower and leaving me alone in the bathroom.

Was he right about me? Every second of that was like a rush of pure adrenaline. I wanted him to stop but then I didn't. He was vile and depraved. But he stirred those dark parts of me. The parts I wanted to feel when I asked Poe, Grim, and Saint to defile me in the basement. Except I knew then, I was in control. That they would stop if I yelled my safe word. So it wasn't really real. Not like now.

When I looked into Raine's eyes, I knew with every fiber of my being that he was going to do whatever he wanted. Just like he knew that I wouldn't scream because maybe I wanted it too. My head was scrambled. There was a war raging between my body and my soul. And Raine just laid claim to both.

But instead of fear, all I felt was fury… and a toxic need to see how far I could push him.