Their Virgin Concubine(70)

Kade stiffened, guilt clouding his features. “I thought it would be fun for them both. I knew she wasn’t for me, but she could have made Tal happy for a while and she would get something out of it, too. But six months in, she was making him miserable. She was clinging and jealous of everyone, including me and Rafe.”

Kade put his head to her breast again, but this time he seemed to need comfort. She let her hand find his hair, smoothing it back.

“It’s all right. You didn’t mean for her to get hurt,” Piper said.

Kade seemed to calm a bit. “Tal felt responsible for her. She’d played some before, but she claimed he was her first Dom. We know now that was a lie, but at the time he felt a deep sense of duty toward her. He’d taken a few submissives before, but never a slave. He was planning on letting her go. He just needed to find a way to do it with kindness.”

Tal would likely take the responsibility of a slave seriously, even if he wasn’t in love with her. Though she couldn’t be sure he hadn’t been. How could his brothers really know his heart? Tal believed in sacrifice, for his country, for his brothers. He would have sacrificed his own love if he’d been certain his brothers couldn’t accept her as their wife.

“So she died before he could end their relationship.”

A long look passed between Rafe and Kade. They were thinking about hiding something.

“If we wish her to be a member of this family, we must treat her as one,” Rafe said. “She should know everything.”

Kade nodded shortly. “We kept much of the incident out of the papers. What got through was bad enough. They took Lily along with Talib. He doesn’t talk about it. I believe she was tortured in his presence in an effort to break him.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. Talib would hold that guilt in. It would hurt him more than any physical pain. “How terrible for them both.”

Did he miss Lily? Had he loved her deep down? Was he still in mourning? And was that why he couldn’t open up to Piper?

Rafe turned, his face close to hers. “Piper, it was a terrible time, and I don’t know that he’s fully come out of it. He hasn’t taken another submissive. I don’t think he has played at all, and I believe this has created a void in his life. He needs a place where he is in control. I know it sounds crazy. He’s the sheikh, but his whole life is dictated by his country, by laws and traditions, by the press and our economy. In his playroom, he needed only to think of his own needs and those of the women who brought him pleasure.”

“It was more than pleasure.” Kade sat up. “It was about trust. He needed that perfect trust he got from his subs. I don’t need to control the way Tal does, but I’ve played enough to understand how that bond of trust would appeal to him. His life is hard. He works all day. He needs to relax, and he won’t allow it. The night of our bonding was the first time I’ve seen Tal relax. He slept. He never sleeps anymore. I know you’re angry. I know you feel we betrayed you.”

She gave him the slightest smile, touching his cheek. “I think you took the quickest path to success. It annoyed me, but we all know I’m not going anywhere. I think you knew that if you got me here, I wouldn’t be able to back down.”

Because she cared about the people around her. Because she loved them. Because she’d loved them since she’d met them. Because this was the journey of her life, and it had led her to three amazing men. She wasn’t going to walk away because she was scared. She was going to fight. Tal thought she was a safe choice. Well, maybe it was time for her to prove that he’d met his match.

Rafe put his forehead to hers. “I know I should apologize, but if I get to spend the rest of my life with you, then it was worth it. I would commit the worst of crimes if it meant bringing you into my family because I think you can save us. Kade and I already love you. I think Tal does, too. Be strong enough to hold us together.”

Strong. It was a word she never would have used to describe herself, but now she saw Piper Glen through their eyes. Through Mindy’s eyes. She had been strong enough to save her tiny family, to be true to her parents. She could be true to her own heart, too. She could form her family, her new world. She just had to be smart enough and brave enough to make it happen.

She kissed Rafe, forgiveness flowing. It was silly to be mad when she loved them, too. They had played a game, risked a lot to keep her close. They were offering her something extraordinary. Love. A crazy bright future. A whole country to build. How could she turn that down?

Rafe’s hand sank into her hair and his tongue surged in, rubbing against hers. Tal wasn’t the only one who seemed to need a little dominance. Rafe pulled back on her hair gently, his mouth controlling hers.