It struck him suddenly that he was being too open. He was putting everything out there-his heart, his pride, his soul-and maybe he shouldn't. Kinley had only asked for sex, not commitment. She might reject him.
He had no idea what the fuck he would do if she did. Or worse, if she laughed at his devotion.
"You can't take it back." She reached up and cupped his jaw. "I see you hesitating and … You can't say those things to me, then change your mind."
Kind of what Annabelle had told him, too. Kinley was a forever kind of girl. Law was ready to devour the cake.
Peace settled over him. This was the right woman. The timing might be shitty, but that didn't matter. He wasn't giving her up.
But damn it, even if his head had given up on Dominic and Riley, his gut refused to do the same. "Can we give the others some time? They might come around."
Maybe when they saw that Kinley wasn't going anywhere, that being with her didn't have to mean the end of Dom's justice or be the start of another heartbreak for Riley, they would give her a fair chance.
"What if they don't want me?" she whispered. That clearly worried her.
"They do. Oh, baby, I know them. Dominic might not be blood, but he's my brother in all the ways that count. Trust me, he's practically dying from hunger. It's why he's acting like such an ass. Riley is just … " God, he didn't want to bring up Simone now during a time that was supposed to be about Kinley and her needs. "He's being a pussy. Sorry."
He had to stop cussing like a fucking sailor in front of her.
"Stop apologizing, Law. I like you the way you are. Will you … kiss me? Touch me?"
"Gladly." He covered her lips with his and got ready to teach her everything. She deserved all he could give her and more.
* * * *
Kinley really deserved better than him, Dominic decided. He stomped to the liquor cabinet and poured himself three fingers of Scotch. Thank god the James brothers had excellent taste in liquor.
He downed it without really tasting it and poured a second glass.
"What do we do now?" Riley asked, his voice tight.
Because the guy thought he'd just lost his brother. Dominic conceded that he might be right. "We do what Law asked. We respect his rights."
Law meant to claim Kinley and become her rightful Master. He would be the one to take her hand and her virginity, then lead her into the world of Dominance and submission they'd all come to crave.
God, once Law took her under his wing, even if he forgave Dominic, the woman would probably still drive a wedge between them. He hated that fact. And he saw only one way to avoid it. Give in.
Law also had damn fine instincts. Did he sense that Kinley could handle what they all needed? Dominic paced, his thoughts racing before he paused to pour more Scotch. Instead, he put the bottle down and stared out the door, toward Kinley's room. Had he made a mistake? Had he just thrown away something precious?
"Law is going to regret this, right?" Riley's stare, too, trailed to the hallway where Law had just disappeared.
"I don't know." Dominic wasn't sure what to think. He'd been so certain earlier what path to choose. Now, he was at a loss. All because he couldn't stop thinking about one blonde-who just happened to be the key to the revenge he'd made the cornerstone of his life for years. If he embraced one, did it necessarily mean he had to give up the other?
"You want to join them, don't you?" Riley's tone came out almost like an accusation.
"Don't you?" Dominic turned on him. He could see plainly that Riley was struggling as well. He'd seen how Riley looked at Kinley, the way his eyes kept straying to her mouth, her breasts, and that luscious ass of hers. He'd noticed how Riley hung on her every word.
"It's a bad idea."
"But what if Law's right?" Dominic argued. "Your brother is no fool. What if she's the one?"
"Get your head out of this fucking fairy tale. There's no such thing as 'the one.'"
Riley was probably right, but Dominic couldn't stop wondering. "What if Kinley could be happy at the center of a ménage, at least for a while? It's more than we have now." What if she really was strong enough to handle them and could hold them all together?
"Women don't want what we have to offer. Kinley might seem open at times, but only because she's too innocent to understand what a future with three men would be like. She's got a high profile. She's giving in now because she's scared and doesn't know how else to feel safe."
Dominic turned Riley's words over in his head. Kinley hadn't seemed scared when she'd bartered with him, almost boldly telling him what she wanted. That didn't seem like an innocent looking for shelter from a terrifying situation.