“We’d be doing her a favor. Give her some inspiration for her books. With the added bonus of getting her all worked up.” Isaac wriggled his eyebrows.
Archer grinned. Although he didn’t object to giving Caley inspiration. “She let you read anything yet?”
“No. I keep asking but she says no. I’ll wear her down.”
Archer knew Isaac wouldn’t stop until she gave him what he wanted.
15
Caley groaned as she laid down her hand. “I’m crap at this.”
Archer grinned. He was much freer with his smiles than Doc was. “You’re getting better, love. We’ve been playing for a while.”
“And you have a crap poker face,” Doc told her bluntly.
“Issy,” Archer scolded.
“What? She does! Lucky we’re not playing strip poker. Well, lucky for her. Not for us.” Doc wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
Archer gave his brother a look but didn’t say anything. Things seemed a lot better between them tonight.
Doc had gotten her at five on the dot. It had taken her a bit to finish off her scene, which he’d grumbled in the background about, but Archer had managed to keep him off her back. He’d pestered her for a while about reading what she’d written. But she didn’t want him reading it. Not yet. She’d written ten thousand words today. And in eight hours, rather than her usual eleven or twelve.
Maybe there was something to getting more rest and having regular breaks. She wasn’t ready to admit that to Doc though, his head was already big enough.
Doc had corralled her into doing some stretches while Archer mixed them up some drinks. Which Doc had continued to rib him about. But there had been a lighter note to his teasing. That darker note, the tension between them had eased. Maybe that fight earlier had been the breakthrough they’d needed.
She wished it could have happened without her getting her butt spanked. Sitting on it all afternoon hadn’t been possible. She’d ended up stacking her laptop up on a whole bunch of books and standing.
Which had been surprisingly comfortable, and she might try doing that each day for a while.
After the stretches, which she’d moaned about but had felt quite good on her poor body, she’d sipped the cocktail that Archer mixed. Then they’d eaten meatballs, which she’d only spilled on her clothes three times. Archer and Doc managed to eat them without spilling a drop.
She’d told them it was unnatural.
Then came the poker. Thankfully not strip poker.
She lay back on the sofa with a groan. “I suck.”
“You don’t suck,” Archer told her. “You’re new at this.”
“I just don’t have the brain for it. My brain is wired for words. Not card games. I even suck at Go Fish.”
“Hey.” Doc reached over and tugged her up into a seated position. He grasped hold of her chin. “I know you’re joking around, but you need to stop speaking about yourself like that, understand?”
“Like what?”
“Saying that you suck.” His face was serious as he stared down at her. Why would he object to that?
“Why? It’s the truth. I do suck at cards.”
“It is not the truth and say it one more time and see where you end up.” Doc gave her a stern look before rising and walking into her bedroom. Where was he going?
She looked over at Archer. “I don’t really get it.”
“Part of being a good Dom, hell, part of being a man, is taking care of those we take responsibility for,” Archer explained. “When you gifted him your submission, it became a promise between you and him. And not just one of pleasure and pain. But one of well-being. You give him your submission, Issy gives you his protection and care. That includes mental and physical. Putting yourself down, means you’re speaking badly of someone Isaac holds dear. You.”
She could feel herself going bright red. “But we…this is…we don’t know where this is going.”