The last several hours had been incredibly satisfying but on the whole, he was disappointed.
“What’s the matter?” Her tone and the way she looked up at him with big innocent eyes increased his guilt. He had a different mindset now than he had when he was younger and he knew evading her question was unacceptable. She’d asked a question and she deserved his honesty.
“We didn’t treat you the way we’d intended, Maizy.”
In his peripheral vision he saw her tilt her head and then turn to look out the windshield. “You didn’t?”
“No.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
Cody smiled and his heart clenched. He’d acted like an oversexed fiend and she thought she’d done something wrong.
“Maizy…you bring out the animal in us.”
He glanced at her and saw her eyebrows shoot up.
“We intended to take things slow. Show you how it would be with us. What we did was overwhelm you. We—I should’ve had better control.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We kept you up all night, something you’re clearly not used to. We broke our word to bring you to the house only to talk. I rationalized getting you into the shower with us and then into bed when what I should’ve done was kept my promise. I can’t say I’m a man of my word and then act differently. To top it off we let you sleep for an hour and then all three of us fucked you.”
She frowned and then looked up at him. “I initiated that.”
“Doesn’t matter. I was the one who should’ve stopped it.”
“Because you’re the leader?”
Cody let out a slow breath. “In a way, yes, I am, baby.”
“What does that mean?”
“Heath, Spencer, and I met in foster care, in San Antonio, as teenagers. They were smaller than me and got picked on by the older kids.”
“Picked on?”
“Yeah, but that’s putting it lightly. They got the shit beat out of them on a regular basis. I got sick of watching it happen and started watching their backs. As they grew stronger they watched mine.”
“You’re older?”
Cody shrugged. “By just a year but I was bigger already than most of the older kids, which was why they left me alone. I could take on any of them.”
Maizy rubbed her forehead and then put up a hand. “I want to talk more about that but right now can we get back to what happened this morning?”
“Baby, I didn’t want you to feel like we used you. We know better.”
“Pull over,” she said in that same steely, yet gentle, tone she’d used with him earlier. He did as she asked.
She unbuckled her seat belt and turned to kneel on the bench seat next to him and palmed his cheeks. “Listen to me. You showed me last night that a man is capable of taking his time with a woman. Do you know how powerful that is, Cody?”
“We wanted you to feel special.”
“I did. I was with three men who denied their own gratification and didn’t whine like little babies about it. I felt guilty for falling asleep because I was determined to do something to reciprocate. When I woke up, I was…I was hungry with that need. There was no way I was getting out of the bed without giving the three of you what you needed.”
“We were rough with you. I was rough.”
“You were not. Each of you took your time. You didn’t force me and you didn’t ram your cocks inside me for your own pleasure. I came with every one of you. Even when I would’ve used the lube and just climbed on Heath, he wouldn’t let me. That’s not rough. That’s very…loving.”
“Well, but…” He couldn’t believe the way he was stammering. “We wanted to take sex slow with you, introduce you to lovemaking with the three of us gradually. You said you didn’t need it, but I wanted to give you the romantic trappings.”
Maizy’s bright smile dazzled him. “I would love all those things, Cody. But like I told you last night, I’m well-acquainted with the romantic scene-setting that isn’t backed up with any substance.”
“Baby, I—” He didn’t want to hear again about her ex’s attempts at romance.
“No, you listen.” Her attitude was gentle but firm and he had to smile at her tenacity. She wouldn’t be easy to bowl over or boss around. She’d call him on his shit. “I’ve been disappointed more times than I can count by a man who could set a mood and then fuck it up. I know how it feels to be gotten just aroused enough to be wet, fucked, and then left behind. I know how it feels to be told that I’m in charge of my orgasms and if I didn’t get there in two minutes flat then I needed to work on my issues. I know how it feels to be so worked up and have no choice but to sneak into the bathroom after he’s snoring so I can take care of my own needs so I can fall asleep. Before you beat yourself up too much more, I want you to think about how that compares with what the three of us had this morning, Mister Alpha Male, because you opened my eyes and rocked my world.”