The Dom With the Perfect Brats (36 page)

The softness of Gemma’s skin was impossible to ignore.
It was almost luminescent in the natural half-light of the loft. He glided his hands over her back and ass, tracing tattoos, then put a firm hand around her throat. Working blind, he found a rock-hard nipple and pressed it between his callused fingers. He winked at Isadora, who looked up at him for a moment – her eyes hot and tongue playing with her teeth – before she reapplied herself to driving Gemma crazy.

“Are you going to come for me, girl?” He growled.

“Fuck! Yes, Sir.”

He twisted her nipple hard and she yelled, coming, her toes digging into the floor and her body contorting in his lap. The vibrations from her scream ran into the hand on her throat and suddenly his cock was ready for action. Izzy was unrelenting and Gemma shuddered and screamed again, clawing at his calf and leaving stinging tracks in his skin. She struggled against him, insensible, probably not even sure where she was trying to go. Isadora switched off the vibe and put it on the nightstand, then fell back on the bed. When Gemma was calmer, he put her on the bed and lay down between them. After dragging them closer, they nestled into his sides.

Izzy ran a gentle hand over his cock. Bare. He’d have to figure out where the condom had fallen off later. He chuckled. So romantic, condoms.

“Don’t tell me you want more, little one. I need a glass of water
. And a nap.”

“Maybe later, Sir. I need to think.”

“Think? Is that allowed in our bed?” he teased. “What do you need to think about?”

“I need to figure out how you convinced me to let you...”
She blinked up at him, but didn’t finish the sentence. “And also figure out why it made me come so hard.”

“It could have been the sensation, or being trapped, or a combination of things. I think you’d like a plug, if not more, if you want to try sometime. We’d work up to it.”

She buried her face in his shoulder and whimpered but didn’t say no.

“And as for how I convinced you, well it’s my job as your Dom to push your limits a bit. I figure if I can keep you two horny enough
, I can get you to do almost anything I want. It’s the advantage of having sex zombies.” He pasted an insultingly smug look on his face and they both looked up at him with feigned outrage.

Gemma grunted. “Well it’s our job as your bratty subs to learn you well enough to twist you to our will. You think we’re
your
sex zombies, but in reality, you’re
our
sex zombie.” Her voice was raspy from screaming, as though a career in lounge singing was in her future.

“Yes,” Cross said solemnly. “I’m just a victim of your terrible lust. Did you look at my leg? The Dom is not supposed to get the welts.”

“Poor baby!” They both pounced on him, kissing him and pinning him to the bed. Not that he couldn’t have easily turned the tables.

“If I yell for help, I wonder if Malachi will run upstairs to rescue me?”

“No, he wouldn’t rescue you from our evil clutches,” Gemma said. “He likes you more than that.”

He pulled them down on his wide chest, kissing their eyes, noses, cheeks – whatever he could reach. They settled, kissing him back, kissing each other.

The space behind his ribs seemed too small to hold everything he felt. He could have lost them twice – once to his own stupid inflexibility and once to a man trying to get even with him. His eyes prickled and his vision blurred. Cross brushed his lips over the tops of their heads. How had he ever doubted he could love?

“Why did I ever think I was happy before?”
he whispered to no one in particular.

Izzy’s smile was gentle. “You don’t miss having an obedient slave girl hanging on your every word?”

“I wouldn’t trade the two of you for every other kinky girl in all of Kinkdom. You’re the perfect brats for me, but I’m not talking sex right now. I’m talking about my damned feelings. Women always say they want to hear your feelings then they mock you for it or change the subject. Now shut up and listen.” He glared at them and they smiled back. “I love you both, almost pathetically.”

Gemma traced his cheekbone with her fingertips. “We love you too,
Cross. There’s nothing pathetic about love.”

3 Months later

Gemma

Zen cried all the way through her baptism. It wasn’t very zen-like, Gemma mused as she watched from the second row of the church. The happy parents stood on either side of the priest as Cross and the godmother held the baby over a bowl of water. Zenobia kept trying to grab everything and finally caught a handful of Cross’s sleeve. The priest said some words and poured water over the baby’s head. Zen didn’t like that one bit and let everyone know it. The kid had an amazing set of lungs.

“I think they may have picked the wrong name,” Izzy whispered in her ear.

“Maybe she’ll grow into it.”

She smiled, watching Cross hold the baby so steady and secure – like he’d never let a thing ever harm that little girl. Not that she needed protection. Not with badass Q for a mom, Jude the Dom for a dad, and Sabrina fussing over her like a worried mother hen. She wondered what the priest thought of the odd family.

In her opinion, they were adorable. Sabrina wore a pink chiffon knee-length dress with her hair down in curls. Gemma had yet to see Q in anything other than a black shirt and jeans, but today she wore a black skirt and leggings instead. It made her look a little out of place – like she was supposed to be at a funeral but had walked into the wrong building. Jude was handsome as ever in a blue button-down shirt and khakis.

But Cross
...mmm. He stood out among all the men in a pair of dark slacks and crisp black shirt with white stripes. The man cleaned up good. All the Doms of Cobalt Harbor did. Malachi was there too, dressed in a red button-down shirt and his hair styled like a hair gel ad. Now was not the time to notice such things, she scolded herself then focused on the church instead.

The cathedral
was decorated a beautiful shade of deep red and bright gold. Though the ceiling was high – probably for acoustics – it still managed to feel warm and comforting. Maybe it was the giant cross up behind the priest. She was glad there wasn’t a statue of Jesus on it like a crucifix – those always creeped her out. Besides, didn’t church exist because He rose from the dead and went to heaven? Looking at the cross – so plain and unassuming – inspired her to say a little prayer. She wasn’t very good at this sort of thing but something told her God didn’t care for false pretenses anyway.

She thanked God for sending her Cross and Izzy. And for sparing her life when she could have easily been killed by that psychopath
, Carl. She’d heard once that the path to healing was forgiving those who hurt you, so she prayed for Carl too. Strangely, she felt better afterward.

Her attention drifted back to the ceremony.
Q was calm as could be as the baby wailed. She even chuckled a bit. Sabrina tossed her a dirty look and seemed ready to rip the baby away from the whole affair at any second. After rubbing oil on the baby’s head, the priest said a few more words then looked at Q and Sabrina.

“The mother can take the baby now.”

He peered back and forth between the two then to the baby, clearly trying to work things out in his head. Q and Sabrina just blinked at him. Gemma had to bite back a laugh. She got the feeling they were messing with him, just a little.

Finally, Q stepped up.
Tenderly, and with more love in her eyes than Gemma had ever seen, she cradled her. The cries died down to a quiet complaint then stopped entirely when Sabrina popped a pacifier in her mouth and hummed a lullaby. Gemma recognized the tune.
Hey, Jude
by the Beatles.

They all sat down as the priest said a final prayer. Cross sat between Izzy and Gemma and held both their hands.
Could this be them some day? Did they stand a chance at a happily ever after like Q and Jude and Sabrina? Did Cross even want kids? The way he looked at Zenobia...there was no question. He wanted to be a daddy. It might be sooner than he expected though. Spending so much time with Jude and the girls, plus this baptism was making her biological clock go berserk.

There was a big party after
the church ceremony at Jude, Q and Sabrina’s house. She felt a little intrusive being there at such an intimate event with family everywhere. She assumed she and Izzy wouldn’t know anyone. They clung to the wall, watching Sabrina show off the baby and making sure everybody saw her shoes. Finally Jude hushed her and took the baby “to give their little star a chance to rest.”

“She’s not a fashion model yet, Sabrina love,” he said when she pouted at him.

Q looked on, smiling at her two lovers squabbling over the baby. Gemma got the feeling this was normal for them. It made her laugh to think about their hypothetical child. Did they make goth clothes that small?

“Poor Sabrina,” someone said from the right. She turned to see Q had snuck up on them. “I vetoed almost every outfit she wanted Zenobia to wear.”

Gemma chuckled.

“We finally settled on the white dress. Jude wanted to be traditional. I refused to give in on the ruffles
, though.”

“She’s lovely,” Izzy said.

“Yes. And you guys make the cutest family.”

Q
laughed ironically. “I don’t think cute is the right word.”

“Well, it’s definitely different
, but from what I can see, more loving than some traditional marriages. And with Cross as a godfather...” She snorted. “Poor kid doesn’t stand a chance at ever dating.”

“Yup.” Q
sipped the drink she was holding.

“Who’s the godmot
her?” Gemma asked. The dark-haired girl stayed at Sabrina’s side, looking as awkward as Gemma felt.

“That’s Reece
,” Q answered. “A close friend of Sabrina’s.”

Gemma spied Malachi at the des
sert table. Figured. He was always eating. She smiled then did a double take. Malachi was watching Reece’s every move from across the room. Was he crushing on Sabrina’s cute friend? She’d have to tease him about it later.

Another girl approached the duo. Curly brown hair tumbled down her back. Reece smiled, grabbed the girl’s hand, and tugged her in for a kiss.
Not a platonic kiss. The kiss of two women in love. She should know.

Apparently Q had also noticed the exchange. “Interesting,” she said with a smirk.

“What?” Izzy piped from beside her.

“I’ll explain later,”
Gemma answered. Izzy rarely paid attention to subtle social exchanges, but Cross was approaching them with that sexy look that made her melt – a hungry look that said he was ready to devour them. She fought back a shiver.

“You might want to control your sub,” he said to Q
then wrapped an arm around Izzy’s shoulders. Feeling playful, Gemma ducked out of the way when he reached for her. He gave her a challenging look and she smirked.

“What’
s the brat doing now?” Q asked.

“She’s telling
all the kinksters here that Jude made you wear pretty underwear.”

Q sighed. “She’s been looking for trouble for a whil
e. Now that the baby’s born and I’m healed up, I think she’s wondering if I still care enough to discipline her. I’ll be sorting out that confusion later.” Her eyes widened when she overheard Sabrina saying loudly the underwear was pink and lacy. “Or maybe I’ll take her somewhere private now.” She stalked toward Sabrina and whispered something in her ear. Sabrina’s face paled but she lowered her head and followed Q out of the room without a fuss.

Gemma couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

“Don’t laugh, girl.” He reached for her again, catching her this time when she tried to dodge him. After tugging her into his body, he growled in her ear. “You might be next.”

“What did I do?”

“Stood here looking spankable, that’s what. Besides, I’m the Dom. I don’t need a reason to drag you off.”

If he hadn’t winked just then, she’d have panicked, thinking he really meant to punish her there again. But he’d proven true to his word when he said he’d loosen up.
They called him Sir in private but when they forgot, he didn’t punish them. He’d been more playful when they bratted. Instead of menacing them with the dreaded strap, he gave them playful swats or sometimes just laughed. She loved making him laugh. It was quickly becoming her favorite hobby. Over the past few months, he seemed happier than she’d ever seen him.

“Cross!” Jude called from the other side of the room. He waved toward him. “Come look at the bathroom. I want to ask you about some renovation plans.”

Cross nodded then reluctantly drew away from Gemma.

Izzy stood on tiptoes and kissed Cross’s jaw. “Do you have to leave us here all alone?” Her damsel in distress tone didn’t fool anyone. “We’ll be so bored, who knows what we’ll do.” Sheltered behind Cross’s
body, she slid her hand up the side of Gemma’s thigh to her hip.

Gemma batted her hand away before someone saw them.

Cross chuckled. “Behave, little one.” He kissed her nose. “I have dastardly plans for you both when we get home. Be patient.”

Izzy moved her hand up Cross’s belly seductively. “Being patient is boring.”

“Sex zombie,” Gemma muttered under her breath.

Cross grabbed Izzy
’s hand and gave it a little slap. “You’ll be patient because I’m telling you to. And you’ll be a good girl and obey me, won’t you?”

Izzy gave a long put-out sigh. “Yes, Sir.”

“That’s my girl.” He kissed her forehead then turned to Gemma. “Keep an eye on her. I think she came too many times this morning and it’s addled her brain.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He kissed her forehead too then disappeared down the hallway with Jude. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Q return with Sabrina. That was fast. They’d only been gone a few minutes.

Sabrina was clutching Q’s hand with both hands and staring at her with
an adoring expression. Q gazed back at her with the same look. It made Gemma grab Izzy’s hand and want to drag her away somewhere private too. But not to spank her – which is what she assumed Q did when she saw Sabrina wince as she sat down – she wanted to kiss her. All over her face and neck. She wanted to run her hands over her body and play with her soft hair. When they had first started their little adventure, she had never thought she’d actually fall in love with a girl. But Izzy wasn’t just a girl. She was...well, Izzy. And to imagine her life without her now was nearly impossible. They were so ingrained in each other – best friends but more than that. She’d marry them both on the spot if it was allowed. A burst of affection made her grin as she swung their hands between them. Maybe they could wear matching rings or something to signify their commitment to each other. Not like a wedding ring, but...something.

“Let’s sit down,” Izzy said, tugging on her hand. “I’m tired of holding up the wall over here.”

“Okay.”

There were two empty seats by Sabrina that Izzy steered them to. They sat down and Gemma noticed Sabrina squirm a bit.

With a smirk, she whispered in her ear, “You okay?”

Her face reddened. “You noticed that?”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think anyone else did.”

She cleared her throat
, nodded then leaned in closer. “Q is evil. She used an implement that causes the most amount of pain with the least amount of effort and just laid into me.”

“What did she use?”

“A plastic clothes hanger.”

She had to laugh. “No way. A little thing like that? I
t can’t hurt that much.”

Sabrina scowled. “Go ahead and try it then. Come back and tell me how
‘a little thing like that’ feels.”

Sabrina had some spunk. She liked that.
Even though she was girly and cared way too much about fashion, they were quickly becoming friends.

Izzy placed a hand on Gemma’s knee and
, for once, they didn’t have to worry about odd glances and downright dirty looks. They were among family. People like them. People who understood without questioning.

In fact, as she looked around the room
, she realized everyone who remained at the party was either a kinkster or in a non-traditional relationship. Sabrina’s parents had left a while ago. She’d heard her mother was disapproving of the relationship but that didn’t stop her from oohing and ahhing over the baby. Jude’s brother and mom left right after the church ceremony because they had a long drive back to the city. It made her wonder what her parents would think if she or Izzy ever got pregnant. Like Sabrina and Q, any child either of them had would belong to all three of them. Sharing DNA didn’t make a family. Pride swelled up inside her. Her parents knew that. She was lucky compared to other people. They’d be caught off guard by the unconventionalism of a threesome, but they’d grow to love Izzy and Cross and accept any grandchildren with open hearts and probably pockets full of candy. She laughed to herself.

“Hey, Izzy, you know about your father?”

Izzy cast her a quizzical look. “What about him?”

“I’ve been thinking about family.”

She snorted. “Are you getting all maternal?”

“No!” She slapped Izzy’s thigh. “I was thinking you should visit your dad. You haven’t yet. I know you haven’t.”