Twice the Bang: Delta Heat, Book 4 Read online

  Dedication

  To this old house—the contractor’s repair bill inspired me to actually finish the book!

  Chapter One

  A low whistle sounded, followed by a sharp elbow to Beau McIntyre’s ribs.

  He winced and aimed a glare at Craig. Craig’s green eyes were narrowed and glinting beneath his blond brows despite the subdued lighting at their table.

  Only his buddy Craig wasn’t looking Beau’s way. He stared toward the entrance of the Emerald Tavern.

  Beau followed his gaze and froze. No further explanation was necessary. The sight that greeted him had him pushing up from the table, ready to confront the couple strolling arm in arm into the bar.

  “Isn’t this his night?” Mondo asked, the slight Latin inflection in his voice adding an edge to his sly amusement.

  “It’s my damn bar,” Beau said, then quickly wiped the frown from his face. Beau didn’t make scenes, rarely wore his emotions where anyone else might see. But fucking hell. Of all the bars in Memphis, Billy Sorensen had to choose this one?

  Beau was certain their appearance here wasn’t an accident. When Billy’s crystal-blue gaze swung toward him and narrowed, Beau recognized the challenge. Bring it on, man!

  Another of his buddies, Gus, grunted. “Wow, did he just—?”

  “Yep, he did,” came a feminine drawl. “Whatcha gonna do about it, Beau? Can’t let some fireboy diss you in your own damn bar.”

  That last bit had Beau’s lips twitching, because it was coming from Marti, the actual owner of the bar and his buddy Jackson’s fiancée. The short sprite with a blue streak in her hair that matched her wild-child heart had attitude—all of it bad. And she’d just upped the challenge.

  His gaze went straight to Pansy Patton, who seemed oblivious to the storm brewing and who had yet to spot Beau and his crew.

  “Mmm-mmm,” Gus said, rearranging his large frame in his chair. “Never noticed your girl’s legs.”

  “That’s because every time you’ve seen her,” Mondo murmured, “she’s been naked. Her pretty breasts take the attention away from those slender stems.”

  Beau’s own gaze roamed Pansy’s slender, nicely curved legs. Pansy wasn’t any bigger than a minute, but she was perfectly proportioned—plump, but not overly large breasts, a slender waist that sloped outward to full hips that topped a lovely, lightly muscled pair of stems.

  His body tightened, his cock sucking the juice from his veins to feed the pulse throbbing in his groin. The last time he’d seen Pansy, she’d had those legs parted, her hamstrings stretched as she’d reached to clasp her ankles at his command.

  That had been at Craig, Jenn and Aiden’s coming-out party, the celebration the trio had hosted where they’d opened their home and the underpinnings of their unusual relationship to their closest friends.

  Getting into the spirit of things that night, Beau had joined in the free-spirited antics, homing in on Pansy the moment she’d walked through the playroom door sporting only a smile. From her short blonde hair to her pink-tipped toenails, Beau’s interest had spiked past the flirtation they’d shared over the last several months.

  The only fly in the ointment had been the appearance of Aiden’s firehouse buddy, Billy, who’d been quick to sidle up to her unclaimed side the moment sexy Domme, Aislinn, started whipping Gus.

  Billy hadn’t seemed comfortable watching a man getting paddled. But when Pansy had been led by Mondo to the spanking bench, Billy had stood slack-jawed as Mondo coaxed silky cream and broken groans from the pint-sized Venus.

  Both Billy and Beau had stood to the side, admiring the tensing of her muscles, the pink stripes on her tender flesh and the way her pussy had grown lushly wet, her channel opening as her knees inched farther and farther apart.

  She’d all but begged to have her pussy spanked. Mondo had at last shown mercy, turning the paddle to push the smooth handle into her vagina, fucking her gently while he rubbed and pinched her clit.

  Her orgasm had arrived with a thin, warbling scream, and he and Billy had exchanged quick hard glances before jostling each other to be the one to release her from her bonds and help her to her feet.

  For the rest of the night, they’d relentlessly pursued Pansy, who at one point spread her arms, palms slamming against both men’s chests. “Enough!” she’d said, then blown at a lock of chin-length blonde hair that had fallen into her cornflower-blue eyes. “I’m flattered, but you’re both exhausting.”

  Clenching his jaw and glaring at Billy, Beau had backed away. “I’m sorry, Pansy. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  “I’m not uncomfortable,” she’d said in her husky little voice. “Well, at least not any more than a naked woman would be when two handsome men are hot on her tail, but a little space would be appreciated.”

  Billy couldn’t seem to keep his gaze focused politely on her face, and instead ogled her breasts. “I was wondering if you could demonstrate some of the…equipment…Aiden has.” He’d cleared his throat. “I don’t understand some of the machines’ purposes.”

  Pansy had eyed him and then given him a sly smile. “You’ve never seen the inside of BDSM dungeon, have you?”

  The fireman’s virgin status only seemed to ramp up Pansy’s interest, which caused Beau some consternation. Before he’d thought the idea through, he found himself saying, “How about I show you both how things work…”

  And good Lord, he had, showing the Swede the proper technique to paddle a tender behind. Pansy, as it turned out, wasn’t that much into pain, but she liked the noises floggers and leather made, so Beau had been more careful than he usually was, paying extra attention to every wiggle or moan, eyeing Pansy’s mouth as she’d ravaged it with her teeth. Cupping her sex—of course, only to test the success of his strokes.

  Something Billy had mimicked, when he’d jockeyed to stand behind her, proving he was a quick study.

  They’d played and teased, and both men had grown hard while Pansy oohed and cooed, but then she’d ultimately departed, leaving them both wondering what they’d done wrong. Because it wasn’t like the rest of the crowd was the least bit shy about their hookups.

  She’d left before finding her pleasure with one of them. And worse, before either man had found his. Stuck with undeniable hard-ons, they’d stayed on opposite sides of the large salon for the rest of the evening.

  Beau hadn’t been able to let her walk away. Now that he’d touched her intimately, she was never far from his thoughts. The very next night he’d turned up at the BDSM club, La Forge, seeking her out while she roamed through the crowd, an assistant manager with a keen eye for when play went a little too far.

  He’d asked her out, only to discover Billy had beaten him to it.

  Pansy had nibbled her lip and her gaze fell to her toes, before she’d glanced up at him from beneath thickly mascaraed eyes. “We’re not exclusive. I don’t do exclusive.”

  Inside, he’d roared, a lion ready to pounce on another male lion to fight him for the right to mate. On the outside, he’d given her a cool nod. “When is your date with Billy?”

  “Thursday. It’s his first day off.”

  Beau had sucked in a deep breath and made his decision on the spot. “I’ll see you Friday. Here.” Then he’d turned on his heel and went straight to Mondo, who was busy tying intricate knots in a rigging supporting a male sub as he hung, his elbows tied behind his back, his chest supported, ankles ringed and his thick cock pulsing beneath him.

  Beau pursed his lips, eyes narrowing on the blond in the sling. He wondered how he might trick a certain Swede into submitting to something like that. The thought of Billy suspended, completely helpless and with a ball gag keep
ing his comments muffled, made Beau smile. Add the picture of Beau fucking Pansy while Billy swayed helplessly above them, and he thought that particular fantasy might be just about perfect.

  Beau didn’t know what it was about the guy, but he liked tweaking the fireman, getting him irritated. Billy’s irritation added a lightness to Beau’s step. Having him hard and irritated and with no way to relieve his horniness—well, that thought made Beau really happy.

  This little competition they’d begun to win Pansy’s affections was the most fun he’d had in a long, long while. Not that he’d ever let another soul know it.

  Especially not any of his best buds. They might think he had a thing for the fireman, and while it seemed to work for Craig, sharing his bed with a man and a woman, Beau had never crossed that line and never intended to. He just wasn’t into dick. But competing dicks?

  He remembered when he and Craig had shoved up inside Marti during her initiation orgy. The sensations of rubbing dicks inside her hot, slick channel had nearly unmanned him. But he’d known his excitement was only because Marti made the sex so goddamn hot.

  Jackson’s woman didn’t have any inhibitions, didn’t seem to understand there were certain rules a hetero male kept sacrosanct when he shared a woman with another guy. That little no-crossing-swords taboo hadn’t lasted long when he and Craig had been faced with the challenge of giving her something she hadn’t had before.

  “Hey, buddy, are you goin’ all dewy eyed over the girl or over the Swede?” Craig whispered, leaning toward him. “I mean, I can see the attraction, but I didn’t know you swung that way.”

  Beau swung his gaze to Craig. “Wha—?”

  Craig’s mouth curved in a smile. “You were starin’ at him so long he gave you an eat-shit scowl and you didn’t do a thing. You falling for that dude?”

  Beau aimed an eat-shit glare at Craig.

  Craig raised his hands, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I wouldn’t judge you.”

  Beau grunted, his gaze following Billy and Pansy as they paused at the bar to speak with the bartender.

  Marti strode up beside the couple, smiling, her head tilting back to look up into the tall Swede’s cool-blue eyes. She said something and then pointed—toward the table where Beau and his buddies sat. A table where they always sat.

  “Don’t look now. Looks like Marti’s up to somethin’,” Jackson said, his tone getting a little surly.

  None of his cronies were happy when Billy and Pansy allowed Marti to push them toward the table. “Look who’s here,” she said, her smile so wide a dimple dug into one cheek. “I told them not to act like strangers. We’ve all seen each other naked. Well, we haven’t seen Billy yet,” she said, giving his long, burly frame a curious glance.

  “Yet? She didn’t just say that,” Jackson muttered under his breath.

  Billy’s eyes were narrow chips of ice as he aimed a glance around the table. The arm wrapped around Pansy’s waist tightened until she molded against his side, a hand braced against his chest.

  “Hiya,” Pansy said, her voice tight, perhaps because she couldn’t catch a full breath.

  “Why don’t you both join us?” Mondo said, rising and pulling two chairs toward the table.

  Before Beau knew what Mondo was up to, Pansy was seated between Beau and Billy, her wide-eyed gaze darting between both men.

  Beau drew a breath that lifted his chest, marveling at the instantaneous arousal that occurred whenever she was near. He pasted on a slight smile. “Pansy, you look…nice,” he said, his voice a deep rumble.

  “She’s fucking beautiful,” Billy said, his square jaw lifting.

  Beau wished he had led with equally emphatic praise, but that wasn’t him. He let his gaze slide over the short sleeveless black dress that rode every lush curve of her body. Her legs were nude and smooth, a little shiny with whatever fragrant oils she’d smoothed on her pretty, creamy skin. Her pink-tipped toes glinted from open-toed silver strappy stiletto heels.

  He swallowed hard, in an instant imagining her nude except for those sexy heels, and bent at the waist for him to enjoy licking the honey from her pussy.

  Billy cleared his throat, drawing Beau’s gaze from those long, slender legs. The firefighter set a hand on her knee, which Pansy didn’t bother to move away.

  She tipped her chin upward, her gaze slicing boldly to Beau. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

  Beau blinked then shot Billy a glance.

  Billy frowned and his hand slid from her knee. Was he as confused as Beau?

  Beau leaned toward Pansy’s ear. “Girl, what are you playing at?”

  “I’m not playing,” she whispered while she gazed at him from beneath the thick black fringe of her lashes. “I told you. We’re not exclusive.”

  Beau snorted. “You got a guy for every night of the week?”

  She jerked back her head and glared. Then she raised her hand, cupped his jaw and gently tugged his face closer. When her lips were a breath away from his, she whispered, “I’m not seeing anyone else. Haven’t for a while. And I don’t appreciate the implication. Got a problem with me having two boyfriends?”

  Beau swallowed hard and then slowly shook his head, wondering how she’d managed to take control so quickly.

  “Don’t expect either of us to play fair.”

  “Lover, I’m counting on it,” she said, a slow smile stretching across her face.

  Beau’s gaze locked with her steady glare, and he started to chuckle.

  Billy’s chair scraped backward, and he reached for Pansy’s hand and tugged her up. “Baby, let’s get out of here.”

  Beau rose and gave Billy an even stare. “Why did you come here?”

  Billy frowned.

  “He wanted you to see them together.” Mondo pursed his lips as he studied Billy. “Bet he didn’t decide until he saw her in that dress.” His gaze slid slyly to Pansy. “Are you wearing panties, Pansy?”

  Her cheeks flushed. “Of course not.”

  Billy’s hand slipped boldly to her waist, then lower, cupping her bottom.

  Pansy lifted her leg and rubbed against his thigh.

  Beau’s dick jerked against his fly, and he sank his thumbs in his jeans’ front pockets and let his fingers frame his sex.

  Her gaze dropped and held. She raised her thigh a couple of inches higher and tightened it against Billy.

  Billy slid his hand lower.

  And there in the shadowy club, a seduction began. Beau felt lazy fingers of heat tug at his crotch. He welcomed the heat, welcomed the challenge. When his friends had succumbed one by one to premarital bliss, he’d felt a little abandoned.

  Now he had his own little drama, a sexual tug-of-war he was eager to explore. “See you tomorrow night,” Beau said, his voice smoky and deep.

  “See ya, Beau,” Pansy said huskily with a curl of her raised fingers.

  “Where are you taking her?” Billy asked.

  And although they both knew he didn’t have any right to know, Beau smiled. “I’m not. We’re meeting at the club.”

  Billy let out sharp gust of air and turned Pansy away from the table, apparently eager to be away.

  Mondo’s long dark hair shivered around his face as he chuckled. “Do you have a plan?”

  Beau gave him a rueful smile. “I was hoping you might help me with that. I have to blow her socks off. Whatever he does, I have to do better.”

  “No worries there. But Pansy’s not new to the scene. She might enjoy the fact Billy isn’t well schooled. His innocence might feel refreshing.”

  “For a time,” Beau said, but then he remembered how quickly Billy had taken to the flogger he’d used to lightly stroke her flanks. “Perhaps.”

  “Exactly,” Mondo said, as though reading his mind. “She’s a sub. She wants a man to lead. Wants punishment, just not anything heavy handed. Even if she likes Billy well enough, she’ll still expect him to learn what she needs.”

  Beau settled slowly into his seat, his gaze following Bil
ly and Pansy but his ears tuned to what Mondo was saying.

  “He’ll make missteps. He might be shy about taking charge. You will reinforce her identity each time you press her to submit. Billy won’t stand a chance. Just—” Mondo touched Beau’s shoulder, drawing his gaze, “—make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons. I like Pansy. She’s sweet. Funny. I don’t want her hurt. If she could be happy with him, and you’re not that into her, let her go.”

  Beau nodded slowly. Although he wasn’t accustomed to sharing his intimate thoughts, he aimed a glance around the table. His buddies were all leaning forward to hear. “I don’t know where this is going. We’ve never even shared a bed or a full-on scene. But I can’t get her out of my head.” His gaze slid back to Mondo. “I’ll see you at La Forge. Early. And I’ll need to borrow your room.”

  “What if Billy shows up early?”

  Beau grinned. “So what if he does? Tomorrow’s my night.”

  Chapter Two

  As they drove to the Italian restaurant where Billy had made reservations, Pansy watched the handsome firefighter from the corner of her eye. He was all wrong for her. A vanilla guy who didn’t understand the first thing about what a girl like her needed.

  And yet she couldn’t do the right thing. Couldn’t tell him take her home and forget about seeing her again. There was something about him she really liked.

  Didn’t hurt he was easy to look at. Tall and thickly muscled everywhere, he looked like a Viking come to life. Only with short, bristly blond hair. And with pale, penetrating eyes that were completely swoon worthy.

  The first time she’d felt that arctic-blue gaze settle on her naked body at the party, she’d felt an electric spark sizzle across her skin. She’d been so excited her nipples had tightened as though pinched by naughty fingers.

  Or maybe it was the added bonus that Beau’s whole body had stiffened beside hers as Billy had approached. She’d been trying to get Beau’s attention for the longest while, every time he entered the club. At last, that night, he’d given a hint of jealous possessiveness regarding her.

  Billy’s expression had been open for anyone to read. Predatory, stark, his gaze raking her nude body and snagging for long moments on her breasts and bare mound. His chest beneath his orange University of Tennessee T-shirt had expanded. His arms had tensed, both displaying impressive bulges, but not a show he’d purposely given. He’d just been in a rush to reach her. A heat-seeking missile homing in on a hot target like the ones she’d watched on the news.