Page 56 of Piece Us Together

I catch Nolan smirking as we step inside and start shedding our outerwear. I hold in a groan.How did I wind up with two shitheads?I mean, I’m notwithHunter, but…he’s still a shithead I have to deal with.

“Drinks, sir?” Nolan asks, already heading to the kitchen.

“Yes. Lemonade, please. Maison?”

“Water.”

I realize as Hunter and I walk to the couch that the three of us have developed a routine. The drinks. The living room. Hunter placing the cushion on the floor. Him taking a seat in his chair. Me taking a seat on the couch and spreading out the coasters so Nolan doesn’t have to when he returns. Nolan with three glasses balanced in his hands, a shy smile on his face. Nolan sinking to his knees on the cushion.

I watch as Hunter automatically puts his hand on the crown of Nolan’s head, already knowing the praise is coming before he says, “Good boy.”

The routine feels good.

I’m not sure if I like that.

“I’d like to explore a soft limit tonight. One of Maison’s.” Hunter’s eyes settle on me. “I want to bind Nolan tonight. Cuffs, most likely. And a spreader bar. We would introduce them slowly into the play. It wouldn’t be very long with everything on him. How do you feel about that plan? I know cuffs are a soft limit.”

They are. Originally, back when this was just Nolan and me, I had tried to make it one of the things I was willing to do. We never got around to it, thankfully. Because the second I actually thought it through when filling out Hunter’s packet, the second I let myself picture them, I was tugged back in time to the compound’s dungeon. I couldn’t stop feeling the leather on my wrists whenever I thought about the cuffs that might be placed on Nolan. I couldn’t stop seeing the wall of the dungeon, couldn’t stop feeling the cuffs holding me in place, the whip cutting into my back, Jake’s fingers digging into—

“Maison?”

I jolt, blinking hard a few times as the details of my surroundings filter back in.Hunter’s living room. Nolan kneeling, Hunter’s hand in his hair. Safe. I’m safe.I swallow. “What? Oh—cuffs. Um.”

“No, I don’t think we’ll be exploring the cuffs today after all,” he says with a frown that holds far too much concern for my liking. He moves his hand to the back of Nolan’s neck. “Go sit with Maison.”

“I don’t need—I’m fine.”

They ignore me, Nolan settling on the couch beside me for only a second before deciding he wants to be closer and climbingfully into my lap. I’m thankful he tucks his head against my shoulder because I can’t force a smile for him right this second. Not with the ghosts of other men’s hands still on my skin.

“Get him his drink, Nolan.”

Nolan moves around until he’s settled in a way where he can reach for my drink. I take it with a soft “thank you,” not thrilled about them taking care of me, but also knowing arguing will just make it worse. I just have to convince them that I’m fine, then the attention can shift back to Nolan like it’s supposed to.

I can feel Hunter’s eyes on us. I tell myself it’s just Nolan he’s watching, but my gut twists at the thought. There’s something inside of me that’s starting to want to be Hunter’s focus too. Something I’m not sure I like.

“Can I ask something, Maison?”

I close my eyes. “Sure.”

“Is it cuffs on both wrists and ankles that bother you? Or just one pair?”

“Any of it. It’s the leather.”

“What if the cuffs are lined with something soft?”

“No. The leather would still—it’s still leather.” I don’t like having my eyes closed, feeling too vulnerable, so I open them and focus on Nolan instead. He’s watching me, his eyebrows pulled together. He gives me a shaky smile when our eyes meet. I can’t smile back, so I just lift my hand to touch my thumb to the corner of his lips, borrowing his. His smile widens. It makes me feel safe enough to add, “Rope would be okay.”

Hunter’s voice is a little lighter, almost excited, when he answers that. “Oh? You like rope?”

“I’ve never done anything with it. Just saw on the videos. I—I liked it, the look of it. I think—yeah, I think I’d like it.”

“The videos?” Hunter asks.

I can’t help the wince, my hands tensing on Nolan’s hips. My face is already burning before I even force the words out. “Your tutorials.”

It feels like forever before Hunter’s chair makes the softest noise. I can’t help but look at him, almost like he’s reached out and tugged my focus right to him. He’s sitting forward now with his elbows on his thighs, hands loosely clasped together between his knees. He rolled his sleeves up at some point. I stare a little too long at the veins on his forearms.

“You’ve watched my videos.”