you dial things up. If she’s not, then at least you know before you get in too deep and get your guts handed to you.”
In too deep. As if he weren’t in it up to his eyeballs already.
“It’s not that easy.” The fact that he’d been playing the dominance aspect low key with Tessa had been a source of frustration for a while now. She’d been distant the next morning after the threesome, as if she couldn’t quite process what had happened, and had needed a few days before she was ready to see him again. So since then, every time he considered amping up the intensity, he’d backed off at the last minute, fearing that he’d scare her off. But he’d promised himself after his divorce that he would always be up front about the extent of his kinks with anyone he considered getting serious with—take it or leave it. And here he was breaking his number one rule by constantly diluting it for Tessa.
“Look, man, I get that she’s special to you, and you don’t want to mess it up again. But holding back and playing some half-assed version of yourself will screw it up, guaranteed. In high school you held back with her, played the game how she wanted you to play it. Don’t be that kid again. That kid got his ass kicked and lost the girl anyway.”
Kade looked over at his brother, the truth in the words slicing right through him. Gib was right. The moment Tess had stepped back into his life, his normal confidence had been shaken. Something about her always channeled that stuttering kid who wanted to jump through every hoop to be near her. And here he was doing it again. Plus, he was getting attached and developing that wicked bastard of an emotion called hope. The deeper he got, the more it’d suck when it blew up in his face.
“You’re right.”
“Of course I am.”
Kade raked his hand through his hair. “Maybe it’s time for a trip to The Ranch.”
Gibson nodded. “That will at least give your girl a real glimpse of what it could be like with you. And if you see she’s not into it, you can save yourself the trouble and end it now. Then I’ll set you up with a nice faux girlfriend for the press. I already have someone in mind.”
Kade’s lip curled. “Does she charge by the hour or day?”
Gibson gave him an offended look. “Hey, I wouldn’t do that to you. The high-end ones have weekly rates.”
Kade resisted rolling his eyes and sat in his chair again, his mind already drifting to The Ranch. Imagining Tessa in that environment, under his command, wearing his collar in front of his friends, being his—all of it had his blood heating. It’d be a risk to put her in that kind of environment this soon. But she’d enjoyed the boundaries he’d pushed so far, and even if it had shaken her foundation, she had still come back to him. And he was beginning to wonder if there really was any true way to ease someone into the kind of relationship dynamic he needed.
“I guess it’s time to lay it all out there,” he said, looking up at his brother.
Gibson smiled. “So it is.”
Kade drummed his fingers on the desktop. “You’re thinking she’s going to run scared.”
Gibson stood. “Doesn’t matter what I think. But I will say that, for your sake, I hope she proves me wrong.”
Kade started to reply, but Gibson was already slipping out the door. He waited until the lock clicked shut and pulled out his cell phone to find a number. He hit the name he was looking for.
The call was answered on the second ring. “Hey there, Vandergriff. Another call? Tell the truth. Are you hitting on me? Because I know you have a thing for the Austins.”
He smirked. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you, Jace? For the last time, I didn’t know she was married or that she was your sister.”
And boy had he felt like an ass when he’d made a pass at Jace’s married sister.
Jace laughed. “Sure, whatever, home wrecker. What can I do for ya?”
“I’m going to need another order. And maybe a little help setting up something at The Ranch.”
“Is this for your lovely girl from the other night? Thanks for inviting us along by the way. The three of us don’t bring things out in the open very much except for an occasional weekend at The Ranch, so it was fun to push our own limits some.”
“No problem. I’m glad you had a good time.” Kade tilted back in his chair, rubbing the back of his head. “And yes, this is for her.”
“Yeah, dude, sure, whatever you need. And I know Wyatt and Kelsey are going to be out there this weekend, if you need any extra help putting something together. Kelsey’s good at organizing stuff.”
He smiled. “Always good to have a load of kinky friends one can call upon.”
“You know it,” Jace said with a chuckle.
He and Jace made quick plans and exchanged good-byes. After hanging up the phone, Kade ran his palms along the arms of his chair, the gears in his mind starting to turn. It was time to put it all out there, show Tess who he really was.
He just had to hope that by the end of all this, she wasn’t running for the nearest exit. Because the last time he’d taken a chance and revealed what he really wanted to Tessa, it had demolished everything.
TWENTY