Breaking the Chain Page 5

  "Oh, god, not you too," Kate said, groaning as she covered her face with her hands.

  "Not me too what?"

  "Magic pussy," Sharon said sagely, nodding her head. Olivia choked on her drink.

  "Say what?"

  "Sharon read this book where two of the characters were talking about how in books the bad boy always gets reformed by a magic pussy," Kate said, exasperation threaded through her voice. "And now she won't shut up about it."

  "Magic pussy?" Jessica asked, sounding like she was about to start laughing.

  "Not, like, literally magic," Sharon said, shooting Kate an annoyed glance. "But, you know, how the hero sleeps with anything that walks, and then the right girl comes along and he doesn't mean to commit, but once he's had sex with her, he doesn't want any other woman."

  "If you're waiting for that, you will never be happy," Maria said, laughing. "I've read those. As soon as he has sex with her, all of the sudden his penis stops working for everyone else." She made a slow-descending whistling noise as she pointed her finger in the air and then let it slowly crook, cracking everyone else up.

  "What, you think Rick's penis might get hard for another woman?" Sharon asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  "Falling in love doesn't meant you'll never be attracted to anyone else," Maria retorted. "It means that you will always choose not to do anything about it."

  Ouch. Leigh couldn't help but wince, even though she knew that wasn't aimed at her. Damn Michael anyway. Too bad he hadn't gone to Maria for advice on what to do once he started wanting to try and date other women.

  "Heck, I-" Angel coughed and lowered her voice, leaning forward conspiratorially. "The first few months living with Adam, I felt like all my fantasies were about other men. That stopped after a bit, I think because I started to get used to the idea that I'm not trapped, and I'm choosing to live here, but it still happened. I just didn't do anything about it."

  "You didn't tell him that, did you?" Hilary asked, sounding shocked.

  Angel snorted. "Do I look like I'm insane? Of course not! He better not tell me if he's ever fantasizing about someone else either."

  "The one superpower I have never wanted is the ability to read minds," Kate said.

  "Me too!" Angel perked up, grinning at her as everyone else groaned.

  "Do not even think about talking about what superpowers you want the most," growled Maria. "No one cares anymore!"

  Olivia eyed Angel, practically looming even though she was sitting. The last time Kate and Angel had started having a discussion about superpowers, it had gone on for an hour, and they'd insisted on everyone being involved in choosing one. Actually, it had been kind of interesting, even if it had gone on for too long. Jessica wanted invisibility, Maria wanted to control water, Hilary wanted to be able to move objects with her mind, Olivia wanted to be Storm from X-men, Sharon wanted super strength, Angel wanted to talk to animals, and Kate wanted to be able to teleport. Leigh had chosen being able to heal herself and others. Yeah, she got the psychological ramifications of that.

  Leaning over, Lexie stage-whispered in Kate's ear. "Having a magic pussy could be a super power."

  Lexie tumbled to the floor as Kate yanked one of the cushions out from under Lexie's butt and immediately started whacking her with it.

  "I don't want to have a magic pussy!"

  "Help! Help!"

  "PILLOW FIGHT!" Angel yelled, grabbing up the cushion nearest her and diving towards Kate and starting a movement.

  It was impossible to tell who was on who's side - if anyone was on anyone's side - and it quickly devolved to everyone woman for herself. Especially since there weren't nearly enough small cushions to go around.

  ******

  "I didn't know stuff like this actually happened," Patrick said. His comment, spoken loudly, managed to cut through the giggles and squeals that had filled the room just a moment before. All of the women looked up, bodies otherwise frozen, with slightly abashed and guilty looks on their face. Well, except Olivia. She just stared at all the Doms gathered on the stairs with challenge in her eyes, as if daring them to judge.

  "Aw, man, Patrick, you ruined it," Chris complained as he tried to push his way down the stairs for a better view. It was a scene worth looking at.

  Maria and Jessica had been battering each other with cushions as they knelt on the couch, while it looked like Olivia, Hilary, and Leigh had been having some kind of three-person pillow fight melee, standing up. On the floor, Angel and Lexie were struggling to get out from underneath one of the large seat cushions from the sectional, with Kate and Sharon on top of it pinning them down - although Sharon was also on top of Kate, and Jared was pretty sure she was the one who had been shouting "I'm King of the Mountain!"

  If they'd been in their underwear, it would be the fulfillment of many a teenage male's fantasy.

  "This is how I'm going to picture Ladies’ Night from now on," Chris said, breaking the silence, his voice filled with a kind of fervent happiness.

  "You wish," said Jessica, laughing as she tossed a cushion across the room at him. Chris growled as he snatched it out of the air before it could hit him, but everyone knew Jessica could get away with doing something like that to him, even if her other boyfriend would have never tolerated it. Although Justin had become more playful since the three of them started going out, he was still the disciplinarian of the threesome.

  As the ladies sorted themselves out, it gave all the men ample time to claim seating around the room. The sectional was big, but not quite big enough, which made more than one person happy. Michael and Olivia claimed the armchairs while Angel, Hilary and Maria were pulled into their boyfriend's laps. Jessica was wedged between Justin and Chris of course, while Lexie sat on the floor between Patrick's legs - with two cushions underneath her sore butt.

  Taking Leigh's hand, Jared pulled her down beside him, enjoying the lack of space on the couch that meant she was basically snuggled up under his arm. The look she gave him was probably meant to be reproving, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face or the sparkle out of her eyes. Jared just grinned back at her, that same fizzy excitement pumping through his veins like it had earlier; he knew he probably looked smug, but he didn't care.

  He felt smug.

  And he'd given her fair warning.

  More than one person's eyes slid over to observe him and Leigh during the game. Angel, in particular, gave him a narrow-eyed look, although she didn't do anything beyond that - probably thanks to Adam who whispered in her ear when he realized where Angel's attention was. Of course, that was then followed up by Adam giving him another warning glance.

  But the only thing that could damper Jared's spirits right now was if Marissa magically appeared in Adam's basement, and that wasn't going to happen. So he just enjoyed having Leigh pressed up against him, her head leaning against his shoulder, her hand resting on his thigh. The way they were all squished on the couch, any other position wouldn't be comfortable and would feel kind of awkward. Just as he'd planned it.

  He couldn't really account for the freedom he felt the rest of the afternoon, or exactly what had changed, but he felt more open, more happy, and more comfortable than he had in years. Normally he had to keep so much back - usually what was going on in his life with Marissa, unless he wanted to listen to his friends go on about all the reasons why they shouldn't be together - but now he didn't. It was like a huge burden had been lifted and he was giddy with the sensation of lightness.

  And it didn't hurt that Leigh ended up snuggling up to him, of her own accord, by the end of the afternoon. Jared amused himself by stroking his fingers up and down her arm, on her shoulder, her collarbone, her neck, the curve of her hip... he could tell from the way she shivered, tensed, and sneaked looks at him, which parts of her were most sensitive. As tactile as they'd been, he hadn't really taken the time to explore or note many of her responses.

  It wasn't just freedom for himself that he felt, he realized, it was freedom to be
the Dom he hadn't been for a long time... freedom to let that side of him out and loose on Leigh. Had he been subconsciously holding back all this time because he'd been worried about what would happen if Marissa came back to him? Had he been keeping himself closed off because he'd worried about hurting Leigh if he'd ended up choosing Marissa?

  Jared had the feeling that the answer to both of those questions was yes.

  Apparently, his subconscious had decided he no longer needed to do that, which was reassuring. It would have been nice if it had been a conscious decision, but sometimes emotions were complicated. He definitely hadn't really been aware that he'd been holding back until he'd stopped.

  Now he'd faced down Marissa, both Adam and Olivia had made him feel supported in his desire to pursue Leigh, and he was feeling in control and powerful... no wonder he was giddy.

  ******

  Leigh was ready to jump out of her skin.

  Really, Jared wasn't behaving that much differently. He'd always been touchy-feely. It was one of the things she'd really liked about him, especially when his hand on her body had a protective element to it. But this was... different. More sensual. More aggressive.

  Much more difficult to resist.

  Ha. Talk about an understatement. It was only the presence of everyone else in the room that was keeping her from hopping into his lap and finding out if he was as affected by her as she currently was by him. The little circles he was drawing as his fingers traced patterns up and down the side of her body was making her skin feel tingly and sensitive.

  This wasn't the gentle flirting they'd been doing, or the kind of attention that he'd been giving her which had had her questioning whether or not they were dating... this was a concerted assault on her senses, and the jerk knew exactly what he was doing. It didn't matter that he wasn't looking at her or asking her how his touch felt... he knew. Leigh could tell he knew. And for some reason, that actually attracted her even more.

  Sometimes arrogance could be kind of hot.

  To her disappointment, he didn't suggest staying longer after the game, and she didn't feel like she could ask him to after she'd told him earlier that she just wanted to be friends now. But at least she could walk him to the door.

  "Do you want to hang out this week? I'm not working Friday night," Jared asked, as he turned to look down at her. His dark, chocolate-brown eyes bore into hers, studying her intently in a way he'd never done before and which sent all sorts of flutters through her traitorous body.

  "Um, hang out?" she asked, a bit confused considering his earlier declaration and the blatantly hungry way he was looking at her right now. Just standing in front of him right now she felt more vulnerable and feminine than she had in months, and she blushed as she heard the disappointment in her voice. His gaze narrowed and focused on her, a smile spreading across his face that she could only describe as predatory.

  Good grief... she'd thought he was attractive before, but the man was positively lethal when he wanted to be!

  "Hang out. For now. Friends do that right?" Mischief danced in his eyes, and she managed to gather herself enough to give him a look. He just laughed. "You can come over, we'll have dinner and watch a movie and... hang out."

  "Sure... sounds like a typical Friday night with a friend," she said, tipping her chin up stubbornly.

  Jared's hand lifted, and he cupped her chin in strong fingers, making her freeze as that predatory look in his eyes sharpened again. For a second she thought he was going to kiss her, and she sucked in a breath, her eyes going wide, anticipation and heat slicing through her. He leaned forward... and dropped a kiss right next to her mouth. Leigh's eyelashes fluttered as she shivered. She couldn't have turned her head to meet his lips with hers, not with his hand on her chin, holding her in place, and for some reason that made her very... excited.

  This side of him had her completely off kilter, and yet there was a part of her that was bouncing up and down, thrilled to finally be on the receiving end of the kind of relationship her friends had.

  "Text me tomorrow. 4 pm."

  And then he was gone, headed out the door and down the driveway to his car while Leigh leaned against the doorjamb trying to catch her breath. Not even the cold blast of air when he'd opened the door had cooled her down.

  "I've never seen Jared acting like that," Angel said from behind her, making Leigh straighten and shut the door, pretending like she hadn't just been checking out Jared's ass as he walked away. Heck, it wasn't her fault the coat he was wearing didn't cover it and his jeans fit him perfectly.

  "Actually I haven't either," Leigh confessed, leaning against the door, blushing. She sighed. "He and Marissa didn't get back together."

  "So he chose you."

  Leigh started to shake her head and then stopped. "I don't... I told him we should just be friends for now. If they're not going to get back together, I don't want it to be because of me."

  "Hey, whatever gives him strength, but that doesn't mean you're under any obligation to date him."

  Straightening up, Leigh put her arm around Angel's waist as Angel's arm went over her shoulders, and they walked down the hall towards the kitchen. She could hear the sound of Adam doing dishes as they moved closer.

  "What if I want to date him?"

  "Then date him."

  "What if it's a mistake?"

  "Remember what Jessica told us about her decision to go to the Venus School?" Angel asked, giving Leigh's shoulder a squeeze. All of them were fascinated by the Venus School - not that they'd ever get to go. It was a very secretive school where students took erotic lessons, and it was where Jessica had met Justin and Chris. They'd both been instructors there, before they'd all gotten together. In fact, that was basically where they'd gotten together even though Jessica hadn't known their identities at the time. Before going to the school, Jessica had watched the Transformers movie and one particular line had stuck out to her. "Don't you want to be able to say you got in the car?"

  "I thought you weren't a fan of me dating Jared."

  Angel shrugged. "You two looked cute together tonight. You looked happy. I just want you to be happy."

  Pausing in the hallway, before they reached the entrance to the kitchen, Leigh wrapped both of her arms around her best friend and squeezed, tears springing into her eyes as Angel hugged her back, just as fiercely. She didn't know what she'd do without Angel in her life, she really didn't.

  Chapter 4

  The week passed without incident. Jared didn't hear another peep from Marissa, which he took to mean that she must have gone on to whatever job she'd been offered. That didn't mean she wouldn't be back, but at least it was more time away from her... more time to build something solid with Leigh, because he knew now that's what he really wanted. Yes, some part of him still wondered where Marissa was and how she was doing, but that was just because he cared about her even though he didn't want to be with her anymore.

  He wanted see where things could go with Leigh.

  Sweet, cautious Leigh, who had continued to text him jokes every day at 4 pm, just like he'd asked. In return, he called her every night so they could talk and get to know each other. He figured it was better to call than go over there, because right now all of his instincts were on overdrive after having been suppressed for so long. That became very apparent to him when she mentioned having to eat out of a vending machine for lunch because she'd forgotten to take the lunch she'd packed out of the fridge that morning. And it wasn't like she could skip lunch, not with her high blood sugar. She'd end up crashing.

  Jared had barely resisted the urge to rush over there, check her over himself to make sure she was okay, and then spank her until she promised never to forget her lunch again. Of course, that had led to fantasies about what Leigh would be like when she was spanked. The fun kind of spanking, not a punishment one. Whether her cheeks would pink up immediately or if she'd need a harder hand to get some color. Whether she'd gasp or moan. If she'd buck her hips or lift her bottom for more. And of
course, fantasizing about her bare bottom, all pink and hot from a spanking, just led to all sorts of other fantasies.

  Those kind of fantasies always ended in one way - with his hand wrapped around his cock while he groaned out her name.

  He didn't do that while they talked on the phone of course. Instead, he'd growled and told her that she needed to take better care of herself.

  "What are you going to do if I don't?" she asked, teasing. "Spank me?"

  "Yes." The answer had come quick and unhesitating, without even pausing to think it over or to temper it.

  For a moment, Leigh had been at a loss for words, but then she'd laughed uneasily, passing it off for a joke even though she obviously knew it wasn't one, and he'd allowed their conversation to move on. He took it as a good sign that she didn't protest or end the conversation, even if she changed the topic. It made him wonder if she thought about being spanked as much as he thought about spanking her. Considering their group of friends, she probably had as much information as anyone could about what it was like, without having gone through it herself.

  His palm itched to spank her as much as his brain itched to take care of her. It was like he'd gone from being detached from life and his needs as a Dom to having everything slam down on him, full force. So he was glad he had the week to get his shit together, get his newly awakened libido under control, and wrestle with the emotional Pandora's box that had been opened. The desire to dominate, to really indulge in a scene and have a woman - specifically Leigh - submit to him was like a gnawing ache, and now that it was turned on, he didn't know how to turn it off.

  He wasn't sure he wanted to.

  ******

  Gritting her teeth, Leigh glared at her closet. "How is it that I have all these clothes and nothing to wear?"

  "Ah, the dilemma of being a woman," Angel said sagely from where she was sitting on Leigh's bed. Next to her, Lexie giggled. Once she'd heard that Leigh was going over to Jared's tonight, she'd insisted on coming over. Patrick and Adam were downstairs doing who knows what, while Lexie and Angel were supposed to be helping Leigh pick out an outfit.