Page 89 of Beyond the Rules
“We each have our gifts.” His smile widened into a mischievous grin. “Mine isresiliency.”
Chapter24
Tanner
Aiden and I sat on the deck, watching the stars, sipping on bottles of craft beers. By Aiden’s silence and the remote expression glazing his eyes, I could tell he was struggling, probably with more than one issue. But I wasn’t going to press him. I wasstruggling,too.
“She thinks it’s close to over,” Aiden finally verbalized. “She thinks that once Dimayev is behind bars, she’s going back to SanFrancisco.”
“It’s her decision.” I said, despite the dull ache settling in my gut. “If she doesn’t want to stay, we can’t keep her fromleaving.”
Aiden grunted something obscene and went back in his head for a while. “Do you think she’s okay?” hefinallysaid.
“She would’ve been back if she wasn’t.” I took another sip of my beer. “Honestly? I’m more worried about Zar than I amaboutNina.”
His eyebrows knotted into a frown. “Howso?”
“If I know Zar, he probably thinks he’s been through hell, holding back all this time, keeping himself in check. He thinks the worst is over. He doesn’t have a clue ofwhat’snext.”
Aiden’s eyes darkened. “You meantheneed?”
“Affirmative.” I took a long draft. “The more of her you get, the more of heryouneed.”
“She’s like a high from life,” Aiden said. “Addictive.”
“And here we are, addicted.” I raised mybottle.
Aiden clicked his bottle against mine. “Zar hasnoidea.”
“Poorbastard.”
In the dark, we laughed for a while, because SEALsdon’tcry.
Chapter25
Nina
Zar’s bed was a landscape of extreme sexual adventures. In it, I tried stuff I would’ve never dreamed of trying with anyone else. Zar was patient with me, strict but loving, stern but tender. In my new role as his sub, I spent a lot of my time tied, cuffed, or otherwise attached in one ingenious way or another to his bed’s modern steel frame. It was one of his creations, like this new submissive versionofme.
Having been through two prior “honeymoons” as the guys teasingly called them, I treasured the intimacy of my time alone with Zar. Our relationship needed the time investment to catch up. But after three days, Zar and I knew that it was time to return to the realworld.
“I hate to give you up,” he said, while we recovered in his bed after yet another session that had taken Zar where no man had ever been before and left me slightly sore but completely exhilarated. “But those two SEALs downstairs may stage a takedown if I don’t do rightbythem.”
He was dead-on and even though I’d been totally immersed in Zar’s world, I had to admit I missed Tanner and Aiden. My universe felt out of balancewithoutthem.
Zar took really good care of me in the shower, where he also took me again, proof that he was super-fucking-man and we were both out of control. Afterward, he decamped for the bunker while I went to my room and got dressed. I felt lucky. Tanner, Aiden, Zar. Each was different and yet each one gave me something I needed. Consolation, adoration, liberation. Together, they made me feel whole. Giving them up was going tokillme.
But while I was here, I was determined to make the most out of my stay. So I put a lid on my fears, finished dressing, and wandered down to the kitchen, where I found Tanner makingsandwiches.
“Welcome back,” he said, scanning me from headtotoe.
I marched straight into his arms and let out a long sigh as they closedaroundme.
He cupped my chin in his hand and studied my face. “So?” he said, never one to avoid the difficultsubjects.
I gave him a thumbs up and brushed my lips against his mouth. “But you should know, inasmuch as I loved my time with Zar, Imissedyou.”
His smile beamed down on me. “You really know how to make this cat happy, youknowthat?”