Thorn growled but Cameron grabbed him by the shoulder and squeezed. Hard. The bounty hunter winced.
“Goddamn you, Cameron. You know I got shot there a few months ago,” he cursed, pulling away.
“Just so we understand each other. Brenna is laying out boundaries, and we’re agreeing.”
“She wants to take all the fucking fun out of everything…but whatever.”
Cam rolled his eyes as Thorn rolled his shoulder with a glare. Then he turned back to Brenna. “What else?”
“Condoms all around.”
“Of course,” Cameron soothed.
“No shit. Like I’d want to be bareback wherever Dudley Do-Right has been.”
With an inky brow raised, Cam turned to Thorn. “You’re the one with the drive-through sex life. I worry about where you’ve been.”
“This is such fucking—”
“Rule three—you two stop fighting. I’ll never relax enough to orgasm if I have to listen to you two quibble like old ladies.”
They turned to her, wearing almost identical puzzled expressions. Brenna barely held in a laugh.
“Old ladies?” they challenged in unison.
She merely nodded. “Last, it stops when I say so.”
Cameron nodded, and beside him, Thorn scoffed. “Look, I may be a prick but stop means stop. I’m not into rape.”
Handy information. Brenna had wondered if Thorn had any morals. “Good. We’re agreed then.”
“Absolutely.”
“Hell, yeah,” Thorn added.
“I’d like to make a request,” Cameron said. At Brenna’s nod, he continued on. “If either of us does anything you dislike, you tell us immediately. We don’t want you gritting your teeth through any of this.”
“I will,” Brenna vowed. “Thank you for being so sensitive.”
“That’s Saint Cam. While we’re being all honest with our feelings and shit,” Thorn began, “I have a request too. You’re naked,” he said to Brenna. “Whenever and wherever I want you, you’re naked and ready. Is that clear?”
Her heart jumped, and Brenna felt her breath tremble accordingly. Cameron didn’t miss a single thing, with his gaze wrapped all over her. Was he looking for her acceptance? Her weaknesses? He studied her so intently… Wondering how a grown woman could make it to twenty-six years old without so much as a single contraction of her womb, no doubt. God, what a wretchedly embarrassing feeling.
“I’m not a bimbo who will pretend to come to preserve your precious ego. Do not treat me like a piece of ass. I won’t be one for you or anyone.”
Thorn hesitated then looked her over thoroughly. The man had eyes. No doubt, he was seeing the tears on her face, the vulnerability in her expression she knew was there and couldn’t hide.
“Okay,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. “But I want you naked.”
“Fine,” she relented.
“It’s settled,” Cameron cut in. “Brenna, you’ll be naked or mostly so. Thorn will not behave like an asshole. At least beyond what’s natural and can’t be helped.”
“Funny.” Thorn rolled his eyes.
“Now what?” Brenna asked breathlessly.
Her heart was beating…beating. Was she really going to do this? In a word, yes. She had no reason not to, other than the fact they were relative strangers. But they were also attractive, knew about her problem and didn’t think she was a freak—a huge plus. She knew from their occupations and the instinct in her gut that they wouldn’t hurt her. And they had aroused her more than any other men in her life. Honestly, if she wanted to figure out the key to having a normal sex life, it just wasn’t going to get much better than this.
“I have an idea, if you’ll give it a chance,” Cam said.
She shrugged. “I don’t have any ideas of my own.”
“I have to be honest. Whatever happens, we need information about Curtis by sunrise. I can’t let all those victims and their families down. I just can’t.”
And she supposed Thorn had ponied up a pretty penny to get Curtis out of jail. No doubt, he wanted it back.
“Of course.” She took a deep breath and tried to shoot them a chipper smile.
Inside, she felt anything but. What if this, like everything else, failed? She’d tried every technique, sex toy, fantasy, erotic book. She’d even gone to Dallas and hired an “escort” once. Nothing. If all that stuff designed for good sex had failed, why would a detective and a bail bondsman succeed?
“Whatever is running through your head, stop now,” Cameron advised, his tone a gentle command. “You’re sabotaging yourself before we’ve even started.”
He was right. She had to put all the worries about being defective and the doubts about this plan out of her mind. She couldn’t dwell on tomorrow. Right now was much more crucial.
“What’s your idea?”
“Thorn will arouse you—at my direction. I’ll be watching to see what pleases you, what makes you tense. What makes you melt with pleasure and what makes you freeze. I’ll adjust him accordingly.”
“Dude,” Thorn directed at Cam, who looked braced for an argument. Instead, the bounty hunter clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s a sweet idea. I get all the fun, and you merely get to think about it.” He turned to her, and Brenna found herself falling into blue eyes that were suddenly, surprisingly alive. “All the women call him ‘patient’ and ‘perceptive”. If anyone will figure out how to make this work, it’s Cam.”
Thorn’s little speech, odd as it was, worked. It wasn’t a stretch to see Cam as patient and perceptive. Maybe with his thoughts on the task and Thorn’s fingers—or whatever else—doing the walking, that miraculous big ‘O’ would finally happen for her.
“O-Okay.”
“Good. Thorn, kiss her. Like you mean it. Like you never want to stop.”
“That’s not hard. I didn’t want to stop earlier.”
Brenna blushed as Thorn stalked toward the bed and lowered himself on the opposite side. He crawled across the mattress, then over her, forcing her back against the cool sheet. He hovered above her like a conquering predator, ruthless smile and all.
He both scared and excited her. She’d never known that feeling before Thorn, but she already knew the achy, panicky feeling wasn’t going to be conducive to relaxation and sexual satisfaction.
“Wait,” she breathed.
Above her, Thorn’s smile fell. How many times had she seen confusion or disappointment on a man’s face? Too many, and to know she might only be repeating the pattern… Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“What is it?” Cameron asked.
She faced him with fresh tears in her eyes. “This isn’t going to work. Never mind. I’ll tell you what I know about Curtis. It’s very little and I doubt it will help but—”
“Why do you think this won’t work?”
Sighing, Brenna stared at Cameron, hyperaware of Thorn braced over her. “Did you hear me? I’ll tell you what I know.”
“I know you will. But I won’t just abandon you. You’re willing to give us something we need. We’re willing to give you the same.”
They wouldn’t abandon her. Or rather Cameron wouldn’t. But a glance at Thorn’s face said he was on Cam’s bandwagon. The smile was gone, replaced by…concern? Not exactly. Pity? Maybe, and that shamed her. But still, his face said something else she couldn’t pinpoint.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “I might bitch and moan about the fact we’re not fucking yet, but I’m not going to just leave you like