Page 28 of Triple Protection

Until the accident. After the accident, when I developed my fear of being touched, Haphephobia, the doctor's called it, I had given up on having anyone. Between the medics poking and prodding and sticking needles in me, the medically induced comas that I always tried to fight, being restrained, more surgeries, more feeling out of control of my own body, I'd developed a strong anxiety whenever someone touched me. I did the therapy for PTSD for the accident, but never really got over the touch issues. It didn't matter much, anyway. I was a loner, and Liam and Alex knew never to touch me. It's been easy enough to survive in my own little bubble.

But to have Babygirl here, pressed against me, kissing me like I'm the last man on Earth, Liam kissing her neck, her moans,her soft skin under my calloused hands is a dream come true. Our breathing is coming in hard and fast now, want and lust enveloping our little threesome. It hist a fervor and I know we all want to take it further. I freeze.

I pull back, rubbing the back of my neck and taking a deep breath. "Shit, guys, I can't do this."

I stare at the ground. I can't stand the risk of seeing of hurt or disappointment on Babygirl's face. Fuck. I've fucked up. Here is the girl of my dreams and, against all odds, she wants me just as much as I want her. And I still can't bring myself to seal the deal. I hate myself for the moment.

"Why not?" she whispers.

"I've never..." I start, unable to say the word.

Realization dawns on her face. "What? How?"

"I was shy in High School, then I was at war, and then I lost my leg and couldn't stand anyone touching me. It's not easy to find a girl to sleep with you when she can't touch you."

I started to apologize, fully wallowing in self-loathing, but when I go to look her in the eye, she lights up. She runs to the couch where Alex had left his sport coat and tie and comes back holding up his tie.

"Do you think you could if you tied me up? So I couldn't touch you, even accidentally?"

I'm stunned. She doesn't hate me. She doesn't judge me for being a twenty-six-year-old virgin. She doesn't even balk at my mental hangups. She simply tried to find a solution and goddamn, in that moment I fall even more in love with her.

"We could try?"

Liam shoots a fist in the air and whoops.

"The first time just with him, though, alright?" Angela asks Liam.

"As long as I can watch." Liam says with a wickedly sinful grin. Angela looks at me for my approval. I'm nervous about not beingable to perform, or of fucking it up, but I trust Liam with my life and know he would never judge me, either. He loves me as much as I love him. It's a bond formed in the battlefield that makes us more than friends, it makes us brothers.

I nod before letting Angela lead me to her bedroom. She pauses at the entrance, though, and I almost run into her.

"What's wrong?"

She looks around the room, her body frozen and rigid. "Maybe somewhere else?"

And it dawns on me. She's still uncomfortable being in her room. Memories of having her privacy and her safety violated made her afraid of the room.

I lay my hand on the back of her neck and run my cheek against hers. "Let's make some better memories in here." She bites her lip before nodding. The look of absolute surrender, of absolute trust in me, cleaves my heart in two.

I walk her back against the bed as Liam sits on the couch against the wall. She hands me the tie and looks up at me with wide eyes, her chest heaving under her sexy little sundress, her breathing already erratic. Fuck, this woman will be the death of me.

I take the tie, feigning confidence, and twirl my finger. Obediently, she spins around and brings her hands together for me.

"Such a good girl." I groan, my voice about an octave lower than normal. A full body shiver runs up her petite frame at my praise. I slowly pull at the strings at her lower back, loosening it enough for me to pull it over her head. She raises her arms and I lift the light dress up and over her petite frame, dragging my fingers up her sides along with the fabric. She sighs, closes her eyes, and lets her head fall back in pleasure. With her sundress gone, I make quick work of her bra, and help her shimmy outof her thong. She'd been on a date with Liam in a sundress and thong, the lucky fuck. I was next for a date, I'd decided.

The scene before me is erotic. Babygirl's completely naked, all soft, creamy skin and curves, while Liam and I are still fully clothed. Liam's palming his erection through his pants as he takes in the sight of her. He may have been a playboy, but his face says she's the first woman he's ever seen naked.

Babygirl clasps her hands together behind her back and waits for me to tie them. I pause a moment, my throat choked with emotion. This woman trusts us enough to strip her and tie her up, and it never once occurred to her to be afraid of us. Her entire relationship with men has been strained, from her father to her brother to her creepy-ass comments. Now she has a stalker, who has invaded her privacy, and broke her security. But here she is, eagerly offering herself to us, giving up her control, her freedom, and for what? For pleasure? For me? I'm a protector by nature, but this... this is a level of trust, intimacy, vulnerability that makes me want to hold her, keep her close, and never let anyone else near. I would die for her, and not just because that is the job.

I tie the tie around her wrists using a quick-release knot. It will be tight unless one of us tugs a specific end, and then it will release, just in case she or I began to panic. When I spin her around again, she has the most beautiful smile on her face, even if her eyes are glazed and half-lidded from lust. I lay her gently on the bed on her back. She starts to look around the room and her smile falters; she's starting to panic.

"Eyes on me, Babygirl. Only on me." Her eyes find mine again and she visibly relaxes. I love that I can do that for her. I strip out of my shoulder holster and shirt and enjoy watching her watch me. Her eyes roam the expanse of my chest, and she bites her lip in anticipation. I shuck off my jeans, standing in just my boxersand prosthetic. I haven't figured out the logistics of sex with it on, but I'm going to figure it out, come hell or high water.

"Brick," she whispers, her breath a sigh and a prayer. I could have come just then, just at her words, the sight of her, the ten years of falling in love with an image of someone, only to meet them, live with them, and find out they're so much better than even your fantasy.

"You have me, Babygirl." I reply, my voice choked with emotion. I kneel in front of her, but she keeps her thighs together, nervously. My big hands cover both of her knees before gently prying them open.

I lean down, then, and admire her wet slit. Fuck, she's ready for us. I give her one long lap with my tongue, reveling in the taste of her. A guttural 'ohhhhhh' escapes her in response as she closes her eyes and loses herself in the feeling of it. I start slowly, alternating between licking, driving my tongue into her, and rolling her swollen clit around in my mouth. Her body is so goddamn responsive to me it's beautiful. She writhes, her orgasm building quickly. Her legs tremble, but I simply wrap my arms around her thighs to keep her open to me.