The following week flew by and Tansy knew she had to make a decision if she wanted to avoid dragon “help”. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She’d already come up with a plan—she just had to find the courage to sit down with Rye and Dev and explain to them what she wanted. Yeah, no sweat.
She’d cleared away the dinner dishes, wiped the table and straightened the chairs. Then she spent a good ten minutes talking herself into—and out of—her upcoming conversation. Rubbing sweaty palms on her silk pants, she wandered into the living room. Rye and Dev were sprawled on the plump sofa, their bare feet propped on the coffee table.
She had to clear her throat twice before she found her voice. “Have you guys got time for a talk?”
They turned their eyes to her and every hair on her body stood on end. She had no idea what they saw in her face, but Dev set his feet on the floor and leaned forward.
“We always have time for you, Tansy. What do you need?”
She sat on the coffee table, facing the males with her back ramrod straight. She wiped her hands again. “I have a proposition for you and I’m not sure… I think that…” She licked her lips and tried to find enough spit to swallow. “I want to…”
Bloody hell. If she kept this up she’d have to write them a memo.
Dev leaned forward, grazing a light touch over her knee. “Just start slow and tell us in your own time. We’ve got all night.”
She nodded, reaching up to smooth her black hair even though not a single strand escaped her ponytail. Realizing she was never going to be able to just blurt out her request, Tansy decided to come at it from another angle.
“I come from a family of soldiers,” she began. “You’d call them warriors. From the time I was old enough to fall down or get scared, my father taught me not to hide from my fears. He taught me to attack them head on and keep coming until I conquered them.”
Taking a long, unsteady breath, she tried to quell the churning momentum of her stomach. “Being captured, being forced to…” Her breath started to come short and fast and she wasn’t sure how successful this discussion was going to be. She fought the edge of panic that threatened to swell inside her as her vision blurred. Ruthlessly, she pushed it back, squeezing her hands into fists and concentrating on her breathing until she at least had the illusion of control.
She licked her parched lips. “That asshole took something from me. Something intimate and private that should only be shared when and if I decide to do so.” When she raised her head, she saw she had the Enforcers’ full attention. “I want to try to take that back.”
“And you want us to help you?” Rye asked.
“Yes, if you would.” Her stomach rolled in a sickening lurch of anxiety and her skin prickled hot and cold. “If it’s not asking too much.”
Rye slid off the couch, coming to rest on his knees at her side. Slowly he reached out and covered her interlaced, white-knuckled hands. His palm was warm, a little rough and incredibly comforting.
“We care about you very much, Tansy, and we’ll help you in whatever way we can.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Are you telling us you want to be more than friends?”
She nodded, her eyes a little wild as she met his steady, lavender gaze.
Rye edged a little closer and placed his free hand on the middle of her back. “It hasn’t been that long since we rescued you. Are you sure this is the right course of action?”
“Yes.” As soon as she spoke, the steel disappeared from her backbone. “No.” Damn it.
Tansy rubbed her forehead as if she could massage some sense into herself. “How can I know anything for sure? I’ve spoken to the healers and to the other rescued women, but the truth is we all process trauma in different ways. What works for them isn’t going to work for me and vice versa.” She dropped her free hand and laid it on top of Rye’s, squeezing tight. “I’m a fighter, Rye. I don’t know how to be anything else. I fought Willersby Lockmehdyhn when he had me trapped in his apartments, even when it would have been smarter not to. How can I stop fighting now?”
Rye flipped his hand over and bought hers to his mouth, kissing her fingers. “We’re fighters too—it’s the defining characteristic of an Enforcer. If you want to fight to get your life back, Dev and I will stand beside you, swords drawn.”
She looked at Dev, marveling at how eyes so icy blue could burn so hot. “Whatever you need, no question,” he said. “But I would like clarification. You need to tell us exactly what you want.”
The thought of articulating her needs, of saying the words, set her heart hammering. Her stomach soured and she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. Squeezing Rye’s hand for all she was worth, she looked into his eyes and silently begged him to say yes.
* * * * *
Rye stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and tried not to let the fear and despair in those light-brown eyes slay him where he sat. He’d been aching to do something for her, to help her in a tangible way. He’d never believed this was what she’d want from them, despite his private fantasies.
“You want us to make love to you, Tansy?”
She nodded, her eyes pooling with tears. If she cried, he was fucked. He had a little experience with emotionally damaged women, but that counted for nothing here. He cared too much for Tansy to risk getting this wrong. Slightly panicked, he looked over his shoulder at Dev.
His denmate moved from the couch, pivoting to sit next to Tansy on the table. Watching her like a she-dragon with a chick, Dev reached out and put his arm around her shoulders, easing her against his bigger body. She tensed a little but didn’t pull away.
“How about we go slow and easy?” Dev asked, his voice soft. “Tonight we’ll just touch each other—hands and mouths. That way you can get used to us being close and naked. We can come or not, we can play for a long time or a short time. No pressure, no expectations. How does that sound?”
Tansy shrugged. “That sounds slow.” She let out a big sigh and her brows drew together in a frown. “I just want to get it over with.”
As soon as Rye saw her impatience, he realized what his denmate was doing. Tansy was after a quick fix, but if she thought one night of sex was going to erase two months of torture and captivity, she was in for a big disappointment.
He placed his hand on her thigh, high enough that her brown eyes snapped in his direction. “You’re a warrior,” he said, relieved that at least in that sense they shared a language. “Think about this tactically. You don’t want to commit everything in the first offensive. You need to do some reconnaissance, invest some time in specialist training and have a few practice runs. We may not get this right the first time. The three of us need to put ourselves in a position where we can fail in safety. If we get it right, then good. If we don’t, we can regroup and try again.”
Dev looked over Tansy’s head and mouthed “thank you”. Rye let his eyes smile back before he returned his attention to their pretty house guest.
“Slow and easy. No pressure. What do you say, honey?”
Pleasure lit her light-brown eyes. “Honey?”
Rye shrugged. “We asked Chelsea about Earth endearments and she gave us a list to choose from. When I asked her what honey was, she said it was a sweet nectar produced by an insect that can give a painful sting when provoked.”
Dev pulled her closer. “We think it suits you. Do you mind?”
“No, I like it.” She smiled at them, a real one with a hint of mischief. “And I like our tactically sound plan. Shall we put it into effect?”
Rye was glad he was kneeling, because she would have had the fright of her life if she’d seen just how hard and far his cock had jumped at her invitation. He looked over at Dev. “Why don’t you show Tansy to our room? I’ll be right behind you.”
Dev dropped his eyes to Rye’s crotch and smirked before getting to his feet. He held out his hand to Tansy. “Nice and slow.”
“Nice and slow,” she repeated, putting her small, capable hand in Dev’s and allowing him to pull her to her feet. Rye stayed on his knees, watching them walk hand in hand down the corridor that led to the bedrooms. His heart pounded like a drum and a bead of nervous sweat rolled down his back. And he hadn’t even touched her yet. Not properly. He thought perhaps Dev’s assurance about coming or not coming was going to be difficult to fulfill. Rye was so aroused right now—just from the thought of her and the tease of her lingering scent—that he could come without even touching his cock. He had no idea how he was going to hold himself together when he got his hands on Tansy’s soft, silky skin.