The Natural [Answers 3] (6 page)

Moments later, Micah eased back away from her, untangling her legs from his shoulders. He dropped down beside her on the bed, his breathing coming hard as if he’d worked out.

Dawn lay there, one hand on her stomach, her muscles feeling like rubber. All she could do was smile.

Micah awoke with the sense of being exactly where he should be at this moment in time. Dawn lay sleeping beside him, snoring softly. The sound made him smile.

Trying not to wake her, he slipped out of bed and grabbed his clothes off the floor. Dressing quickly, he left the room and went straight to the phone in the living room. With a yawn, he dialed Hunter’s extension.

“Yeah?” Hunter sounded like he had been asleep.

“Come on over. We’ll have breakfast.”

“Did you stay the night with her?” Hunter asked.

“Yes, and it was fantastic. See you in a bit. Bring Wilder.” He hung up the phone and went to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. Eggs and toast and champagne. Perfect.

Micah whizzed around the kitchen, scrambling eggs and buttering toast. He made enough for four, figuring the twins would be hungry, too. He was scooping eggs onto the plates when the twins knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Micah called, adding toast to each plate.

The twins entered the kitchen. “Wow, smells good,” Wilder said, rubbing his tummy.

“I was just about to wake Dawn for breakfast.” Micah turned the champagne bottle he had been chilling in the ice bucket.

“Last night,” Hunter said, taking a seat at the table, “did you continue her therapy?”

Micah parked his hands on his hips. “Yes, and no. We didn’t experiment with any bondage, but I did find out she enjoys a little bit of pain. I think she’ll do fine once we get her restrained. When it comes down to it, she’s a natural, I’m sure. A little bit of pain, a whole lot of pleasure, she’ll make a great submissive.”

“That’s good to hear. I was worried she’d be skittish about giving up control.” Wilder picked up a piece of toast and began to munch.

“Oh, I think she may balk a bit, but between the three of us, we can coax her along.” He smiled and headed for the bedroom.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said softly so he didn’t startle her as he entered the room. He moved to the bedside table and turned on the lamp.

“Mmm,” Dawn grumbled, covering her head with the pillow. She was lying on her stomach, and the only part of her now visible was one elbow sticking out from under the covers.

Micah sat down on the edge of the bed and placed one hand on her back while using the other to pull the pillow from her head. “Time to get up. Breakfast is ready.”

She looked over her shoulder at him out of the corner of her eye. “Breakfast?” Her voice sounded a little raspy.

“Mm-hmm. I know you’re hungry.” He pulled the covers from her shoulders and drew them down to her waist, revealing her bare back. She had a dime-sized, light brown birthmark in the center of her back. Its shape reminded him of a fingerprint.
It must be where God touched her, because she sure looks like an angel lying here.
He reached out and lightly touched the spot with his index finger.

She rolled over and brushed her hair out of her face. “I am hungry,” she said, smiling. “You pretty much wore me out yesterday.”

“Well, let’s get some food in you,” he replied, patting her tummy. “You’re going to need your energy.”

* * * *

Even though she’d just awakened, Dawn felt giddy with happiness.
This is crazy. One day with these guys, and they’ve turned me into a love-struck schoolgirl.
She threw the covers back when Micah stood up and looked for her robe. It was on the floor, near the foot of the bed. Before she could reach for it, Micah had picked it up and held it out for her.

She looked into his deep brown eyes, and this feeling of attachment tightened its hold around her heart. Pushing off the bed, she turned her back to him and slipped her arms into the sleeves.

Micah stepped closer, his arms snaking around her waist to tie the sash at her tummy. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said right next to her ear.

Dawn couldn’t help but smile. She turned toward him and kissed him quickly on the lips. Without another word, she stepped around him and, grinning, walked out of the bedroom.

Inhaling deeply, she made a beeline for the mouthwatering scent of eggs and toast. “Well, hello, you two,” she said when she entered the kitchen to find the twins seated at the table. She pulled out a chair and sat down. “Wow, a champagne breakfast? What did I do to deserve this?” She picked up the empty champagne flute from beside her plate of eggs and toast and held it up. “Who’s pouring?”

Micah came around from behind her and pulled the bottle from the ice bucket. “That would be me.” He filled her glass, then the other three, before taking his place at the table. “Okay, everyone, I didn’t cook all of this just so it could get cold. Eat.”

Dawn stifled a giggle and dug into her eggs. The four of them ate their breakfast together as if they did this every day of the week. They talked about the weather and the news, things that people who were comfortable with each other spoke of.

The more time she spent with the twins and Micah, the more she felt her affection for them growing. It was unexpected and surprising—and totally thrilling. She seemed to fit right in with them, as if sharing intimacy with them was the most natural thing in the world.

Dawn raised the glass of champagne to her lips and sipped.

If she wanted to put a name to the feeling she had for these men, it would have to be love.

* * * *

Micah took the last bit of his eggs and noticed the way Dawn was looking at him. Her eyes held a soft, faraway look as she held her champagne flute near her lips.

He laid his fork down beside his plate, wondering what she was thinking. “Are you finished?” he asked, nodded at her empty plate.

She blinked, as if coming out of a dream, then looked at him with the most beautiful smile. “Yes. It was very good. Thank you.”

“Would you like to go sit on the patio? Relax a bit and have some more champagne before we start our day?” He smiled at her.

She drew in a deep breath. “That would be nice.” She looked at Hunter and Wilder. “Let’s all go, and while we’re sipping champagne, you all can tell me a little about yourselves.”

“Sounds good.” Wilder kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll grab another bottle. Hunter, grab the glasses, would you?”

“I’d better go put something on,” Dawn said, tugging at the lapels of her robe.

Micah slid his arm around her waist. “You’re beautiful just like you are.” He steered her toward the patio doors at the west end of the dining room. “It’s very private on the patio. No one will see you unless you want them to.”

The patio doors slid open with a
shush
, and they stepped out onto the cement slab into the warmth of the morning air.

Micah watched Dawn shield her eyes and look out over the desert beyond. The sun glinted off her hair, highlighting its pale strands with gold. He ached to see her standing in the early light, naked, the sun’s rays bathing her in golden hues. Micah pressed his lips together, wondering what it was about her that touched him so deeply.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice soft and filled with what sounded like awe. “I didn’t realize there was nothing beyond the building except desert.” She dropped her hand and looked up at him. “You could do anything back here, and no one would see you. There’s only desert out there, and these walls hide the patio.” She gestured toward the privacy fences that ran down the sides of the patio and were attached to the building, shielding the patio from view on three sides. “Do you think I could come out here naked and not be seen?”

Micah nodded. “Yes, you could, but why would you want to hide such a beautiful body?” He touched her shoulder then ran his hand down the length of her arm.

Something sparked in her eyes, flashing quickly like a strobe of warning. One corner of her mouth rose in a crooked smile. “I normally don’t hide it.” Her hands went to the sash of her robe. “I’m tempted to take this off and bask in the sun before it gets too hot, but I really wanted to talk, and I think, if I’m naked, we won’t get much talking done.”

Micah had to grit his teeth to keep himself from helping her out of the robe. She was daring him, and that could be dangerous. Instead of ripping the robe from her body, he took her elbow and led her to a chair at the patio table. “Sit, before something happens.”

She grinned then, almost bringing him to the point of snatching her robe open, but she sat before he could follow through with that inclination.

Hunter and Wilder both occupied chairs at the table, and both wore the same smirk as they watched Micah struggle with his urge to take Dawn right here, right now. “Wipe those smiles off your faces, boys,” Micah said, dropping into the only empty chair left.

“What? We’re not smiling. Are we, Hunter?” Wilder looked at his brother, eyebrows rising dramatically.

“I’m not. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Micah.” Hunter blinked innocently at him.

Dawn laughed, the sound ringing through the warm Nevada air like a spring rain. “The three of you really do act like brothers, biting at each other all the time. How long have you known each other?”

“I’ve known these two for about ten years. We went to school together.” Micah leaned back, draping one arm over the back of his chair and sitting so his body was turned toward her. “We just clicked, so I guess you could say we are close enough to be brothers. I think I’m the better looking of all of us, though.”

“I beg to differ,” Wilder said. “We, the infamous twins, are definitely more handsome than a mutt like you.”

“Guys, really, you’re all easy on the eyes, so stop arguing.” Dawn ran her hands beneath her hair and gathered it into a pony tail, lifting it off her neck. “It’s sort of warm out here, isn’t it?”

“You can always take your robe off,” Hunter offered.

“Why did you end up here, Hunter?” Dawn asked, dropping her hair back onto her shoulders.

He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I wanted to help people. I know that sounds sort of lame, but it’s true.” Hunter shook his head. “Most people think that we work here because we like the sex. We do, but that’s not why we’re here. I, personally, hate to see people who have trouble with their sensuality. It’s so much a part of life, and they’re missing out on it. I think I speak for all three of us when I say we don’t want anyone to miss out on one of the richest parts of life.”

Micah nodded, agreeing. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“I guess I never thought of it that way,” Dawn said, her eyes taking on that faraway look again.

Micah wondered what memory had entered her mind. She looked a little sad. “You’ve never thought of what that way?” he asked, trying to pull her back into the conversation.

“What?” She blinked, looking at him as if she had recently woke up. “I’m sorry. I guess my thoughts just wandered off for a moment. What did you ask me?”

“You said you’d never thought of ‘it’ that way. What were you talking about?”

“Oh,” she said, smiling. “Sex. About it being one of the richest parts of life.” She took a sip from her glass of champagne. “I guess I’ve always thought of sex as something you did to please someone, or to please yourself. When I think about it now, you all are right about it being a big part of life.”

“I’m glad we’re helping you to see what your life can be, if you let it,” Wilder said. “It can be so much more than just sex for sex’s sake. You can delve deeply into your desires and reach a heightened awareness of your body.”

“With your help, I think my life is going to change for the better.” The smile on her face was soft, making her eyes glow with an inner light.

Micah watched her intently, still wondering what had happened to her before to make her always want control of a situation. How was he going to get her to talk about it? He cleared his throat. Might as well give it a try now, while all four of them were sitting talking together, rather than when they were involved in a session and their minds were on other things. “I’m going to ask you a probing question now, Dawn.”

She locked eyes with him, her smile fading. “Okay.”

Micah drew in a breath, hoping he wasn’t going too far. “To help you reach your goals, we need to know more about what makes you who you are. You said earlier that you couldn’t stand not having control, yet you want us to teach you about bondage. You did well with your first experience with Hunter and Wilder, but you seem a little shaky about going any deeper. What happened in your life to cause you to not want to be the submissive one?”

* * * *

Hunter clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his mouth shut. He couldn’t believe Micah was asking her to reveal her deepest secrets so soon. Hunter could tell Dawn had something in her past she was trying to fight against. A dragon she wanted to slay so that she could live her life on her terms. He hoped Micah hadn’t just blown the whole thing.

Dawn drew her hands into her lap and lowered her chin, her gaze following the direction of her hands. “It’s hard to talk about. It was a long time ago, and I’ve buried it pretty well.”