“Don’t remind me,” Seth groused.
When the four of them met up near the hostess stand, Beck scowled at River. “Hands off her, GI Joe.”
River lifted his arms in the air. “Just trying to keep her from being accosted by a drunk coming out of the john.”
Beck took Heavenly’s hand. “Time to go.”
She nibbled her bottom lip once more. “I know. I just feel like…I failed.”
“Why would you think that? No. You’ve been drowning for a long time, little girl. You stayed afloat as best you could.”
“Let us give you a life preserver, angel. Hang on and we’ll pull you to safety, all right?” Seth cupped her shoulders.
“I’ll try.”
They wrapped their arms around their girl and followed River out the door. Beck and Seth climbed into the back of the massive pickup, situating Heavenly between them.
River jumped in behind the wheel, then twisted and grinned. “Hey, Seth. I got licensed, like you said. You wanted me to prove I had some PI skills. Did I pass the test tonight?”
“How did you do it, man?”
“You’re the one who snitched?” Heavenly gaped.
“Twice. But I especially owe you an apology for blurting out your personal shit in my sister’s kitchen last night. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or air your business where anyone at the party might have overheard.”
“And you have the nerve to call Raine a troublemaker,” Heavenly chided. “How did you find out I was waiting tables at Bazookas?”
“Good detective work.” River preened, then laughed. “And luck. When I called the guys earlier to apologize and they told me where they’d dropped you off for your shift, I was leaving the gym not far away, so I decided to swing by the pizza place and apologize in person. When I got there, I saw you walking away from Pepp-E-Roni.”
“We watched you walk in,” Seth pointed out.
Heavenly nodded. “I know. I stayed for about ten minutes.”
“In other words, long enough for us to leave the area?” Beck raised a brow at her.
She nodded and sent him a little grimace.
“I followed you,” River told her. “Imagine my surprise when you went inside Bazookas. When you didn’t come back out, I peeked in and saw you in your…um, uniform. Since I’d already violated the guy code once, I called Beck and Seth back and invited them to join me for a beer.” River turned an expectant stare to Seth. “Did I get the job?”
“All right. You’re hired. Now drive.”
“Where to?” River asked.
“My condo.” Beck tried to tamp down his impatience.
Heavenly clasped her hands together and nervously worried her thumb over her finger. Long minutes of thick silence stretched through the car. She broke it with her soft voice. “I know you’re both upset with me right now, and—”
“We’re not happy. But we’re not going anywhere.” Seth threaded his fingers through hers.
Beck seized her other hand, strumming his thumb over her wrist. “Later, we’ll talk about what happened tonight. Right now, there’s something more important.”
She tensed, trepidation crawling across her face.
“Stop,” Beck admonished. “We’re not leaving or kicking you out or even asking you to pay us back. Get those fears out of your sexy little head.”
“We’re simply going to open more lines of communication,” Seth assured. “So we don’t have any more…surprises.”
“Okay.” Heavenly lowered her lashes and nodded.
“Is there anything—big, small, or seemingly insignificant—you’re still keeping from us?” Beck prodded.
She shook her head.
Oh, no. If they were going to let their kink flag fly, reinforcing rules started here and now. “We expect verbal answers, little girl.”
She jerked her stare up to him. Yes, she remembered the way he’d made her speak each response at Angelo’s when he’d bound her wrists.
“No. You know all my secrets.”
His nerves were pinging like the signal off a cell tower. He and Seth shared a pensive stare as another uncomfortable silence filled the air.
“You two are starting to scare me. What’s with the serious expressions? What’s going on?”
Having this private conversation in the back of River’s truck wasn’t his first choice, but Raine’s brother already knew about their kink. Besides, Heavenly had chosen to give him first dibs on her virginity, so he must not make her too self-conscious.
“We have to be honest, too.” Seth squeezed her hand. “I know you went with Beck to a BDSM art exhibit. He said you two had a good time.”
She stared at the two of them as if they were from Mars. “Yes.”
“Was it educational, angel?”
A pink flush crawled up her cheeks. “I-it definitely made me think about things I never had.”
“Some of those works turned you on,” Beck pointed out. “Your pulse quickened, your breathing slowed, your eyes dilated, and I could smell your sweet pussy.”
Heavenly’s eyes widened. “You really were watching how I reacted?”
“I cataloged every shiver and gasp.”
“B-but…” Suddenly, she seemed to confront the unavoidable truth and swallowed tightly. “You’re into that stuff?”
“We both are,” Seth confirmed, cupping her chin and turning her to face him.
“Oh, my gosh.”
“We’re not saying this to frighten you,” Beck explained. “If we expect you to be honest with us—”
“Which will be an absolute from now on. No more lying,” Seth interrupted sternly.
“Ever.” Beck nodded. “That means we have to be totally honest with you.”
A soft shiver wracked her body. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Then listen. There are rules. Like Seth said, one is always telling the truth,” Beck began. “Another one, which is sacred, is anonymity. You always protect the identity of those in the lifestyle.”
“So you can’t talk about Beck’s proclivities at the hospital. It could ruin his career. You understand? We’re sharing our secret with you, and trusting you to keep it.”
Heavenly blinked. “Raine, Liam, and Hammer. They’re…in the lifestyle, too?”
The two men shared a glance. Finally, Seth shrugged. “The morning Bill attacked Raine, that fucking newscaster basically spilled it to the world.”
“True,” Beck bit out. “Ignorant prick.”
“So, the answer is yes?” Heavenly prodded.
“Raine, Liam, and Hammer are,” Beck confirmed. “Hammer owns a BDSM dungeon here in LA. Where I’m a
