He drew in a slow breath. “I know it’s against the rules and I’d get kicked out of the group in a heartbeat for saying this out loud or even thinking it, but you can’t leave the compound like that. I nearly died.”
Her eyes widened. “Stu, that’s asking too much. I can’t stay inside for the rest of my life.”
He set a finger on her lips. “Let me finish. This is a deal-breaker. Take it or leave it. Tell the council if you must. I don’t care. I’d rather leave than worry about you like I did for the past two days. You can leave as often as you’d like, as long as either myself or Kester is with you. Preferably me. Or both.”
She finally exhaled. “That’s it? You’ll let me leave the compound if you’re with me?”
“Yep. I don’t trust other people with your life. Kester can go with you because I know he’s as trained as me in stealth and self-defense.”
Tarin chuckled. “I should probably be offended, but I’m not.”
Stuart glanced at him. “No offense, man, but you’ve been here ten years and I’ve never seen you in the gym or at a single class to learn to use a weapon. Ariel could probably defend you.”
Luckily Tarin chuckled again. “If the shoe fits, I guess. Hey, my mom is a pacifist. She brought me here when I was seventeen. Before that, we lived on a farm until my dad got sick and died. It wasn’t safe for my mom out in the open anymore. I’m glad she made this decision. My younger brothers and I were homeschooled though, before and after we arrived. I don’t know what our level of education would equate to these days, but I bet it’s post-graduate. I hate that I have limited defense skills, and I promise I will fix that immediately. I would never want to be in a position where I couldn’t defend my family.”
“It’s okay,” Ariel teased. “I’d have your back.”
Stuart gave her a squeeze. “You’ll never have to because you won’t be alone outside.” He glanced down at her, a brow lifted.
“Yes, master,” she sassed, making his cock jump to attention.
“Watch it, babe. Like you pointed out, I have a strong alpha personality. If the world weren’t upside down and inside out, I would be a member of a fetish community.”
“I can believe that,” Kester smirked.
“Me too,” Tarin added.
“What’s a fetish community?” Ariel asked, eyes wide.
Stu lifted her by the waist, deposited her on the bed, grabbed her hands, and planted them over her head. She was panting as he leaned over her.
“People who enjoy a bit of kink in their relationship,” he informed her.
She licked her lips. “’K. I’ve dabbled in the urban dictionary, but what does that mean exactly for you?”
Kester and Tarin came closer. Kester set his hands on the mattress on the other side of the bed and leaned over so he could meet her gaze also. “It means he’s dominant. It means he’s probably itching to flip you over and spank you for sassing him.”
Stu grinned. Kester nailed it.
Ariel’s eyes went wider and her mouth fell open. She also squirmed in his grip. “He’s not serious, is he?”
“Very,” he stated without hesitation. “And you’ll like it. A lot.”
Her chest rose and fell while she blinked at him. She was so fucking sexy. Every inch of her. And sassy. And she responded perfectly every time he dominated her, which only fueled him to want to do it more.
She swallowed. “So you like to be in charge and you like your sex kind of rough?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay,” she murmured, almost whimpering.
Yeah, his cock was fucking harder than ever now. He groaned and dropped his forehead to her chest so he could take a few deep breaths and pull it together.
He’d wanted her for three months. Wanted her in every way. He had trouble keeping his thoughts even remotely pure, around her or alone. She was so fucking innocent. And he wanted to introduce her to things she could not conceive of and would totally enjoy.
But he needed to slow the fuck down. She deserved soft and gentle before he showed her rough and dominant. She deserved both. She would enjoy both.
He hadn’t always been this way. Or maybe he hadn’t known it or acknowledged it when he was younger. What he’d had with Reese had been sweet and easy. But in the years after he left his childhood and went out half-cocked on his own, he’d learned a thing or two about himself. He hadn’t put any of it into practice, but he knew what he wanted. Craved.