Captivating Her Racy Heroes [Racy Nights 13] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Ryder emerged, locked the door behind him, and they drove away. “And I’m done for the day,” he said. “I’m only on call until four, and it’s quarter after.”

  “So you’re free for the evening?”

  “Yep.” He glanced at her with what could only be called lust in his eyes, and she bit back a moan. “So…what do you want to do with the rest of this Saturday?”

  What indeed. She could think of at least a dozen things she’d like to do with both of them, but they’d just met. What would they assume about her if she started spouting them off? Not one of them was anything less than decadent and erotic.

  “We could see a movie,” said Hugh.

  “I’m up for that.” A dark movie theater with these two? She’d gladly take that.

  “Okay,” said Ryder. “But only if we get extra butter on the popcorn, and I get a box of Junior Mints all to myself.”

  “Dude, I did not eat all your damn Junior Mints last time. You said I could have a few. It’s not my fault the fucking box spilled all over the floor.”

  Brynn laughed. “All right you two. I’m separating you when we watch the movie. I sit between you both, and I dole out the candy.”

  She caught Ryder glance in the rearview mirror, his brows raised. “Not very subbie of her, was that?”

  “Not at all. Are you sure you’re submissive?”

  She turned around to face Hugh. “Completely.”

  “But you’re kind of mouthy.” His gaze was challenging, but not cruel. She found it so erotic that she couldn’t look away.

  “I prefer to think of it as bratty.”

  Ryder chuckled softly under his breath. “Careful, Brynn. He’s a far worse sadist than I am, and he takes great delight in handling bratty subs.”

  “He’s right. I deal with brattiness by doling out swift, severe punishment.”

  She could hear the blood pounding in her veins. “You know, all that does is intrigue me further.”

  Hugh reached across the space between them to brush a hand along her hair, and this time she wasn’t able to stop her moan in time. The look in his eyes took her breath away. It was pure, unadulterated lust, and it spoke volumes. Full of passion and promise, he truly looked like a storm cloud ready to burst forth any second now. “Keep that up, and you will find out how sadistic I truly am.”

  His voice was soft, but it was also dominant and teasing. She’d never been so turned on in her life. It had been years since she’d had sex, and even longer since she’d played with a real Dom. All the reasons why she’d been attracted to this lifestyle in the first place were summed up in Hugh’s eyes, and the aura coming off Ryder in waves.

  These men weren’t wannabes. They were the real deal. And they were obviously as attracted to her as she was to them. She’d never been with one man, let alone two, who had put her so completely at ease in such a short time.

  This was either going to be the most fun she’d had in a decade, or the worst mistake she’d ever made. But as they sped back to Racy, she began to believe the latter wasn’t possible. She wasn’t making a mistake. She knew it in her gut. She could trust these two. Everything she’d ever fantasized about was right here. All she had to do was screw up the courage to go for it.

  When they arrived back in Racy, they drove to Hugh’s house so he could get his car, and then she and Hugh followed Ryder to his house so he could drop off his van. The three drove downtown in Hugh’s car. The guys explained that the Cineplex had just recently reopened, as it had also sustained a lot of damage in the tornado.

  “I hate those damn things,” she said.

  “So do we,” said Ryder. “We have to check every turbine that was in the path after one of them comes through here.”

  Hugh bought them each a buttered popcorn, and Ryder asked if she wanted any candy as well.

  “No, just some water, please.”

  “Who comes to a movie and only eats popcorn? Look. They have everything. What do you like?”

  “If I eat those gigantic candy bars, they’ll go straight to my ass.”

  Hugh leaned close, and she inhaled the scent of his cologne, mixed with pure alpha male. “I like your ass. Have a damn candy bar. Or two, even.”

  She shivered at the tone in his voice. “All right.” She pointed to the Snickers. “One of those, please.”

  “That’s more like it,” said Ryder.

  Once inside the theater, the guys chose seats in the front section, but with an empty aisle behind them. That was fine with Brynn. She didn’t like anyone kicking the seat behind her, but she also didn’t like sitting against the back row. It was too distracting watching everyone texting or surfing on their cell phones in the seats below her. No one came to a theater to watch a movie anymore. They had to text and surf the Internet at the same time.

  They were commenting on the commercials and enjoying their food when a familiar voice sounded behind them. Brynn closed her eyes for a brief second before turning to face Maddox.

  He smiled warmly, unlike the scowl Sean had given her. “Well, hello there. Sean said you were in town now.”

  “Hi, Maddox.” She stuck out her hand, then glanced toward the woman next to him. “And you must be Julie.”

  Julie shook her hand, but her demeanor wasn’t exactly welcoming. “Nice to meet you.” Her voice was cool. Not mean, but not warm, either. Wonderful. She’d been in town less than two weeks and already had enemies in a cop and a psychologist. Great start.

  “Where’s Sean?” asked Hugh.

  “He’s buried in paperwork from that incident earlier. You heard what happened to Teresa, right?”

  Ryder nodded. “Sean came into Nan’s to tell Emma. Didn’t he tell you that’s also where he confronted Brynn?”

  Brynn could have kissed him.

  Maddox looked slightly embarrassed, but she couldn’t feel sorry for him. “He didn’t exactly say it was a confrontation.”

  “Well that’s how it felt to Brynn.”

  “Since Sean isn’t here to defend his actions,” said Julie, “maybe we should save this topic for a time when he is?”

  That sounded exactly like something a shrink would say, but Brynn had to admit Julie was right. And, it was very tactful and professional of her to say it. Sean wasn’t here, and it wasn’t fair for them to attack Maddox for something he’d had no part in.

  Maddox shot her a look, but Brynn could see he realized she was right. “Good idea.” He cut his gaze toward Brynn. “Anyway, I just wanted to welcome you to town. Sean said things have completely turned around for you, and I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate that. I’m not the same person I was when you both last saw me. That part of my life is over.”

  Maddox frowned slightly. “Do you still keep in touch with anyone from back then?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “That’s an odd coincidence, then.”

  A nasty cold shiver ran down her spine at the tone in his voice. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I could have sworn I saw Eddie Van Buren driving around town last week.”

  Brynn lost her grip on the bag of popcorn, and it spilled all over the floor at her feet.

  Chapter Five

  Hugh tried to stop the sigh, but it came out anyway, and he hated that. He didn’t want her to think he’d jumped to conclusions, but it wasn’t possible to miss the look of shock and disbelief on her face. “Who is Eddie Van Buren?”

  “Long story.”

  Julie and Maddox exchanged a quick glance that spoke volumes. It was clear they both knew who he was, which meant he was someone from Brynn’s past, and Maddox had told Julie about him.

  “Well, we’re going to take our seats,” said Maddox. “Enjoy the movie.”

  “You, too.” Hugh resisted the urge to add “fuck you” to his words because he knew that Maddox had done that on purpose, and that meant he, Sean, and Julie didn’t trust Brynn. He leaned close to her. “Who is Eddie Van Buren?”r />
  The previews were starting, and the theater lights went down. This clearly wasn’t the time to talk, but he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the movie with this hanging over his head. And her entire body language was now different, which meant she’d been upset by the name. But why?

  She took out her phone and handed it to him, leaning close to whisper. “Put your number in there.”

  Hugh hated it when people texted during movies, but no one was around them, so maybe they could get away with it. Previews were at least half an hour these days. Surely she could tell him and Ryder who this guy was in that length of time. He put both his and Ryder’s numbers in there and handed it back to Brynn. Then he leaned across her and told Ryder to take out his phone. Ryder nodded to indicate he understood why Hugh had asked him, and did so. Then Hugh waited while Brynn put her phone on silence so pressing the buttons wouldn’t make any noise. She sent the text to him and Ryder at the same time.

  Eddie is an abusive Dom who knew Kane and Sarina well. He disappeared around the time Maddox moved back here. He was accused of raping and murdering a sub at one of the clubs we all hung out at, but as far as I know, he never stood trial for it. I don’t know why, if Sean knows this, he wouldn’t be more concerned about Eddie being in Racy than in me being here.

  Hugh stared at her, and from the opposite side, Ryder did the same. She was clearly upset by what Maddox said, which made Hugh wonder if Maddox knew about the accusations that had once been leveled against Eddie. Maddox wouldn’t have said anything if Eddie was still that much of a danger to Brynn or anyone else, would he? He asked her via text if Maddox had known about the rape and murder accusations.

  Yes. Sean and Maddox both knew about them. Shortly after the local cops were looking for Eddie is when Sean and Maddox had a falling out over Sarina, and Maddox moved back home.

  Was Sean one of the cops looking for Eddie?

  No. Different precinct.

  Thank God for that. If Hugh had found out that Sean had let something like that go and then given Brynn a hard time about living here, he’d have had strong words with the man, detective or no detective. But why would Maddox say that, in front of him, Ryder, and Julie, unless he knew something about the situation that they didn’t? Had they caught and tried Eddie already? He had to find out. He texted Maddox and asked, detailing what Brynn had just told them. The hell with the fact that they were in a theater right now.

  He didn’t receive a text back until after the movie had started.

  I’ll tell you after the movie.

  Gee, thanks. But there was nothing he could do about it now. He didn’t like it, though. Too many damn games and too much subterfuge. He’d hoped to simply enjoy being out with a woman again, and now he found himself unable to relax. Brynn sat as still as a statue, looking straight ahead, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she even saw the screen.

  There were so many unanswered questions. Why was Maddox so nonchalant about this Eddie character but Brynn was terrified? Why was he here, in Racy? How else was Brynn involved in this? Had the accusations been true? Had the sub been a friend of hers? Had Eddie gone to jail and was now out on parole? Had he come to Racy to look for Sean, Maddox, or Brynn? Or all three?

  But if that was true, why had Maddox seemed totally unconcerned about it? None of this made sense, and Hugh didn’t like things that made no sense. He dealt in facts and figures. Nothing was left to chance or unaccounted for. And that’s what he expected in the rest of his life as well. This didn’t add up, and it bugged the shit out of him.

  * * * *

  Brynn was ready to pack her bags and go home about ten minutes into the movie. What the hell was Eddie Van Buren doing here? And why had Maddox sounded so calm and cool about seeing him? Fuck this. She’d assumed way too much about Sean and Maddox. She realized that now. And the worst part was that she’d probably made Hugh and Ryder so suspicious by now that this would be the last time she’d see either of them. So much for a great start to her new life in Indiana.

  Ryder leaned close, and she tried to ignore the way his hair smelled like outdoors, and how much she wanted to touch it. That wasn’t going to happen now. “Do you want another popcorn?”

  She shook her head, not daring to look him in the eyes. The movie was actually very good, but she couldn’t enjoy it. When it finally ended, she didn’t glance around for Maddox and Julie. If she never saw either of them or Sean again, it would be too soon.

  But her wish was short-lived as Maddox spotted them and came over. “Where do you want to talk?”

  “My house,” said Hugh.

  “We’ll drive right over. Sean is stuck at the station the rest of the evening.”

  Once they were in Hugh’s car, she leaned against the back of the seat and closed her eyes as he started the engine and backed out of the parking space. “Why does Maddox want to talk? What did I miss?”

  “I texted Maddox and told him what you’d said about Eddie Van Buren, then asked him if they’d ever caught the guy. He texted back that he’d tell me after the movie.”

  She opened her eyes and stared at him. “Why did you ask him that?”

  “Because it bothered me when you told me the guy was accused of rape and murder, yet Maddox acted like it was no big deal he was in Racy, and even insinuated that your presence here was connected to it.”

  “And you want me to be part of this discussion? Are you sure?”

  “Of course. We can all make dinner, or I’ll order pizza. That new place downtown is pretty good. I think they deliver. That way you both can tell us about Eddie Van Buren. You deserve as much of a chance to explain this as Maddox does.”

  These two couldn’t be real. She’d just spent two hours thinking they’d be happy to get rid of her, and she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  When they arrived at Hugh’s house, Maddox and Julie were already there. They exited his Lexus, and followed the three inside. Hugh asked Brynn if she wanted a tour, but she declined. The tour could wait. She needed to find out what the hell was going on first.

  Hugh ordered pizza delivery on his cell phone, and then led them all to the back of a house, where they took seats in a very homey-looking media room. He poured Brynn a glass of wine and handed it to her without asking if she wanted it, and she gratefully accepted it. Just the fact that they both wanted to hear this from her, and obviously still trusted her, was too much for her to take in right now.

  But was any job really worth this? She thought she’d left that part of her life behind years ago, only to find out it and the people connected with it had followed her to Racy.

  Maddox leaned forward in his seat and spoke before Brynn could gather her thoughts. “You said you wanted to know if the Chicago police had ever caught Eddie Van Buren. As far as I know, they did, but there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him.”

  Hugh nodded, then glanced toward Brynn. “Tell us what happened with him.”

  Julie raised her brows. “You mean you don’t know?”

  “No,” said Ryder, “we don’t. The first time we heard his name was when Maddox made that offhand remark in the theater.”

  The venom in Ryder’s voice was impossible to miss, and Brynn fought the urge to lean over and plant a kiss on his full mouth.

  Maddox looked directly at her. “I guess I was more than surprised to see you here.”

  “I’m sure you were, but I had planned to approach you and Sean in the park today. I was actually on my way over to talk to both of you when the cops all jumped up and went after Ray Hammond.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “Just over a week. I wasn’t sure how I’d be received after ten years, so I was a bit reluctant to go knocking on doors. I thought the celebration today was a perfect chance to talk to you both with others around.”

  He nodded slowly, his gaze finally softening a bit. “I owe you an apology, then, for shocking you like that in the theater. Sean was pretty upset when he told us about running into you at Nan’s Place.”r />
  “Yeah. No kidding. But upset isn’t quite how I’d describe his behavior. He was downright hostile.” She didn’t give a shit if he and Julie didn’t like the word. “And I had no idea you’d spotted Eddie Van Buren in town. I haven’t heard the name since he disappeared, right before you moved back to Racy.”

  Maddox nodded again. “I heard through the grapevine that they’d finally found him hiding out with friends. But I also heard that Zakia’s death was ruled accidental from an overdose.”

  “Accidental? She died from her injuries he inflicted on her during the rape.”

  Maddox shook his head. “Not according to the medical examiner. She died from taking too many downers mixed with alcohol.”

  Brynn didn’t give a shit what the official autopsy said. She knew it was bullshit. “Which Eddie gave to her, right before he forced her to have sex with him.”

  Hugh moved closer to her and put arm across her shoulder, and on the opposite side, Ryder did the same thing.

  At least Maddox had the grace to look sympathetic. “There was no one to corroborate her story. And her injuries were consistent with the edgy sex she usually had. Eddie told them all the sex he’d had with her was consensual and rough. She liked it that way.”

  Brynn shook her head and took a large sip of wine. “Any one of us who indulges in impact play or heavy bondage would have the same thing said about us, and you know it. She had bruising around her throat.”

  “And she routinely allowed asphyxiation play.”

  “What about the screams that Karly heard, shortly before she saw Eddie climbing out the window?”

  “Karly recanted her story.”

  Brynn had to tighten her grip on the wine glass because it started to slip from her fingers. “What? When did she do that?”

  “After they found Eddie and then questioned Karly again. The case never even made it to the grand jury. The cops had no evidence of a rape, Zakia was dead, and in questioning both Karly and Eddie, Zakia’s bruises could be explained away by her tendency to play rough and edgy.”