At his words, her startling blue eyes widened, sucking him in like a whirlpool. He’d surprised her. Almost an instant later, she opened her mouth, regret already softening her face.

Before she could refuse him, he cut in. “How much longer will you let your own happiness be denied? Why not seek it with someone ready to appreciate the beauty you are?”

He watched her, following her every nervous gesture: her slight shrug, the tilt of her head, the rise and fall of her chest, the cant of her hip as she leaned back against the counter. Her innate grace and the subtle feminine scent he inhaled as he drew closer sent blood rushing to his cock unexpectedly. The primal reaction surprised him, but he was male, and Raine was lovely, after all.

As he looked into her haunting eyes, he knew yet another reason Hammer had kept this one for his own. Innocence. Fear. Hunger. A swirling mirror to her soul lay just beyond reach. Interesting. A heady challenge.

She bit the fullness of her lower lip. It only took that instant to make him want to comfort her. But that wasn’t all. Lust to taste her sweet mouth, touch her, lay her back and—

He shoved the urge down and told his stiff cock to take a rest.

“I don’t understand.” She blinked up at him. “You want to train…me?”

“I think you need it. And you deserve it. I admire your spirit and your grace. I can’t imagine that you want to wilt away, pining for unrequited love.”

Her mouth pinched. “What’s in it for you? You saw my stupid display earlier.”

The girl needed reassurance. Liam reached for her and pulled her into his arms. The act nestled her pillowy breasts against his chest, her soft curves against his body. An intriguing musky lily scent wafted from her pale, smooth skin. A vision flashed across his brain of Raine beneath him, crying out as he fucked his way deep inside her.

Liam sucked in a shocked breath. He forced himself to think about something else—anything else. Absently, he rubbed her back, his thoughts racing. What the hell? Sure, he’d thought Raine was stunning when he’d first arrived at Shadows. Her inky hair and eloquent blue eyes turned heads every night. But now that he had her close, everything about her called not only to the Dom in him, but to the man as well. He needed to get his head screwed on straight, for Hammer’s sake.

“It isn’t your fault. You care for Hammer, and he’s...well, he’s got a few issues he needs to be sorting out, for sure. While he does, wouldn’t you like to learn about true submission so you might be ready for him? Have you ever wished to stretch a bit, find out if you truly have the courage to submit?”

The way her breath caught before she blushed and jerked her gaze to the floor again suggested that his idea intrigued her.

Liam curled a finger under her chin, raising her face to his once more, and had to steel himself against another shocking jolt of lust. “You have, haven’t you?”

“I want to be what Hammer needs, but I don’t know for certain that I have the self-discipline to kneel and hold my tongue. I’ve never had the opportunity to try.” She swallowed, honesty paining her expression. “But I still don’t understand what’s in it for you.”

“You’re a beauty, for sure. Touching you will be no hardship, lass.” Right now, he hated how true that was. “From what I’ve seen, you can be a mouthy wench who would benefit from a red ass now and again.” He forced himself to wink and grin.

After a split second of waiting for her reaction, her eyes flashed wide. Then she bestowed on him the sweetest sound he’d heard in months, her unbridled laughter.

“There’s a girl.” His smile became real. “Let me help you. I see your need. I enjoy molding and teaching.” He cupped her cheek. “You should be cherished and nurtured, and I’d be honored to give that to you, Raine. Are you game?”

Indecision washed over her face. Liam found himself holding his breath, praying she’d say yes. Hammer needed her…and Liam staggered with his own need to touch her—at least once. It wasn’t noble, and he wasn’t proud of it. But she was so damn fuckable, and he was just a man. This lust would pass.

“You don’t seem like the sort to do something halfway. You’ll want to lay my soul bare, won’t you? Make me show you all the broken parts?” She crossed her arms over her chest, nudging him back. “If I show you, are you going to run like Hammer, too?”

He uncrossed her arms and leaned closer. Now he could hear her softly indrawn breaths, see her fine trembling. Desire surged. Liam couldn’t stop himself; he curled a hand around her shoulder, eliminating her personal space, and brushed his palm down to fasten on the curve of her waist. “I never run from a challenge I’ve set my mind on. Yes, I intend to split your soul wide open like a ripe peach, study you until I know well every piece of the intriguing puzzle you are, down to the last detail, lovely. Then, I mean to put you back together with my touch and make it worth your while.”

Raine looked half terrified. “Wow, that’s awfully honest.”

“Best to set the expectation up front.”

She let out a deep breath and fidgeted, trying to drop her gaze once more. He didn’t allow it, lifting her chin again and bending until their eyes met. “Answer me, Raine. Yes or no?”

“I-I’ve wanted a good Dom. I thought it would be Hammer, but…” She closed her eyes and frowned.

Liam bit his tongue. She wanted to feel valued above all else—needed it. He tucked that knowledge in the back of his head and let her continue. “But?”

“I can’t be less than honest with you. You know where my heart is. As much as I would love to explore everything you could teach me—really, I would—I don’t know if I could give you the devotion you deserve. And I doubt Hammer would ever give his consent, even for you. It might be better for us all if I just left.”

He trapped her against the counter in an instant, pressing his body to hers. Her lips parted in question. Her wide gaze jumped to his, then she focused on his mouth. An electric jolt rattled down his spine. Damn, she was potent.

Yanking her soft curves flush against the hard ridges of his body, he ached to dig his fingers into her hair, pull her lips under his, and eat away at her mouth until she moaned. Liam forced himself to stop. This wasn’t about him, but Hammer. And Raine.

Dragging in a rough breath, he palmed her nape tenderly with one hand, fingers teasing the perfect pink shell of her ear with the other before trailing down to caress her throat. Finally, he settled his hand on her chest, just above her plump breast. Her breathing changed to soft pants. He could feel her heart beating madly under his palm. She wasn’t immune to him. An intoxicating rush of power filled him.

Then he took her wrists in his free hand and brought her arms up slowly, bracing them against the cabinets above, her breath caught. A triumph he didn’t welcome spiked inside him. Still, he bent to Raine, giving her ample time to push him away. She didn’t. Her tongue swept nervously across her upper lip. His cock jerked. Then he couldn’t stop himself from seizing her mouth with his own, capturing her gasp.

Soft. So fucking soft. And sweet. Bloody hell… Pleasure fired through his blood like a potent drug as he delved inside. She melted beneath him.

Curling his tongue around hers, he feasted on her addicting flavor, hungry to memorize it. One kiss melted into the next, and he devoured her, inhaling her into his lungs. She turned to liquid desire against him, wild and tumultuous. One leg slid surreptitiously around his, capturing his calf, pulling him in tighter against her small frame, splitting her thighs open. He should pass up that perfect invitation, but he didn’t. Instead, he ground himself against her pussy, leaving her no doubt that he desired her. Despite Raine’s little skirt, her flesh burned him. A low groan ripped from his throat. He didn’t need air or space or tomorrow, just more of her. Right fucking now.

Liam imagined her body welcoming him, her cunt opening to him. He groaned. Lust thundered through his veins. The urge to possess her burst in his brain as she surrendered to the moment. To him. He curled his fingers into the top of her blouse, ready to rip it wide open. Her little startled whimper brought him back to sanity. He tore his mouth from hers, breathing hard.

Raine was his best friend’s girl. But even knowing he must secure her trust if he intended to resurrect Hammer from the depths of the past, he couldn’t deny that something about her had shaken him down to his very bones.

“Don’t worry about Hammer’s consent now,” he managed to spit out. “I’ll see to him. You need training, and I’ll give it to you. Can you deny the passion sizzling between us?”

She swallowed. “No.”

Good. He needed to kindle Raine’s desires to keep her here, but the kiss had proven that arousing her would be a double-edged sword. The more she responded to him, the more he wanted her.

Liam pushed the thought away. “Be aware, lovely, if you say yes to my offer, I’ll test your submission and expect you to give me everything, no less. You deserve some happiness. God knows, I could use a little myself. Think about it. Find me when you’re ready.”

Liam released her, turning away and striding out of the room as quickly as he had come. Nothing more he could do now. And if he stayed, he feared he would do far more.

The ball was in Raine’s court.

Sleep was impossible, and Raine was tired of trying. The night was warm for November, and she couldn’t get comfortable in any position in her bed. In fact, nothing about her life felt comfortable now.

Liam O’Neill had to be brave. He’d thumbed his nose at Hammer’s no-touching rule and kissed her. Actually, he’d more than kissed her. In that shocking moment, he’d owned her, and she’d been desperate for his mouth on her own, to feel his naked body sliding against hers as he spread her legs with his powerful thighs and filled her completely. He’d do her the way he did everything else: well and with a single-minded purpose. She might love Hammer, but Liam was very easy on the eyes and he intrigued her. No denying it had been forever since any man had touched her, but Liam had proven he could more than take her breath away.

More importantly, he was offering her something she needed: A chance to see if the submissive path was truly right for her.

She swallowed. It was probably time to give up on the dream of being Hammer’s. But Raine could barely remember a time she hadn’t loved him. He’d not only taken her in as a runaway, but given her a roof over her head, food in her belly, and a job she loved. He’d also taught her to drive, urged her to get her GED, and helped her pay her way through college until she had earned her bachelor’s degree. Hammer had held her and listened to the bits she’d confessed about her terrible childhood, then reassured her with his compassionate words that she wasn’t to blame. In many ways, he made her feel safe and cared for. And utterly treasured.

Just not as a woman.

The painful realization that he didn’t love her as anything more than a little sister made her soul bleed. And so her life had come to a fork in the road. Stay on the same path she’d dogged down for six years? Leave Shadows altogether? Or take a new trail to explore her submission with Liam?

Hammer probably wasn’t going to suddenly fall in love with her, not when he had women like Marlie at his beck and call. But if she gave up before she ever gathered her courage to show him that she was a woman who could please him, wouldn’t she always regret it? Could she say yes to Liam’s offer in good conscience if she was always haunted by the thought that Hammer might have come around if she’d just waited a bit longer?

Then she had to show him. Now. And she couldn’t do it halfway. No more coffee and muffins, like she was a damn waitress. She finally had to lay it all on the line and demonstrate that she could be everything he could ever want.

The clock said it was nearly four in the morning. She could take Hammer by surprise now, so he’d simply react, not think. His response when he wasn’t guarded would tell her all she needed to know.

She showered quickly. After hair, makeup, and lingerie designed for seduction, she was ready. After adding silk stockings and a pair of sexy stilettos, she slipped from her room by quarter ‘til five. Nerves scraped and knotted her stomach as she reached for her keys and made her way down the hall to Hammer’s room.

Opening the door to his private office and bedroom with a trembling hand, she tiptoed to minimize the clattering of her stilettos on the marble tiles, wincing with each little click. She prayed he was alone.

It seemed like forever before she reached his sleeping form, looking so strong and male, moonlight streaming in across his bare torso. And not curled up with someone like Marlie, thank god. Silvery beams highlighted the ridges of his shoulders, chest, and abdomen. His black boxer briefs barely concealed his cock.

For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. She rarely got the treat of seeing Hammer this bare. Her mouth was suddenly dry as she imagined sliding into bed with him and melting into him as he thrust inside her.