Callum started to unbutton his shirt, his jacket and tie gone the minute they’d left the party. “I know she does. I’ve seen her work. She’s excellent at her job, but she’s also the kind of woman who tries to please everyone around her. She struggles to say no, and the world is filled with people out there who take advantage of her.”
Oliver nodded. “She takes on far too much because she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. I don’t see how taking more choices away helps her.”
“Because you don’t understand the philosophy. I’m not taking a single choice away from her. Every time she obeys in the bedroom, it’s because she chooses to. It’s because she trusts us with her pleasure. She can always say no and walk away, but I intend to teach her that she never has to. I intend to teach her that she’s worthy of being pleased and that her choices matter. Gradually, I hope that she’ll learn she can say no to people because she’s got a strong core of self-confidence and trust in her family. We’ll be the ones who matter.”
Oliver frowned. “But—”
“We take control or Talib will do it,” Cal cut in. “Tori might think she’s going to go her own way, but I know her brother-in-law and he’ll make sure no one can take advantage of her. If we don’t do something, she’ll end up working here in the palace again and Talib will maneuver her into a relationship he feels comfortable with. I happen to have heard he was planning on introducing her to his cousins tonight.”
The hell he would.
Callum pointed at him. “There. Tell me what just went through your head. You look quite fierce right now.”
“Talib has a woman of his own. He should stay away from…” Mine.
He’d been about to call Tori mine.
Callum’s lips curled up in obvious satisfaction. “Just because you don’t say it doesn’t make the facts less true. We can top her or Tal and his brothers will quietly do it until they give up the role to men of their choice. They care about her and she needs someone to watch out for her. It won’t work because she’s a stubborn little vixen and they can’t spank her properly.”
“If they try, I’ll kill them.” He was surprised at how savage he felt at the prospect of someone coming in and organizing her life. She might need it, but he would be damned if he let someone else see to the task. All his good intentions seemed to be flying out the door. He’d intended to apologize and give Tori over to his brothers. After all he’d heard, Oliver wasn’t sure he could leave the room tonight if his life depended on it.
“Now you’re talking like the brother I know. You always were a possessive arse. And yet you let Yasmin run around with whomever she wanted.”
His stomach turned at the very mention of her name. “I don’t want to talk about her.”
Callum held his hands up, placating him. “I’m merely pointing out that you never acted possessive with Yasmin. Because you never really loved her. You got caught in her mess. Tori is different. You’ve been a prick since the day you met her. You tried everything you could to keep the rest of us away.”
“And yet here I am.”
“Because now you’re being a reasonable prick and all you have to do is change one little pronoun. Not my woman. Ours. She’s ours. And the good news is if someone needs an arsekicking because they’ve done our woman wrong, we’ve got our own gang.”
Callum made it sound so easy, but Oliver wasn’t sold yet. Oh, he was sold on tonight. He simply wasn’t certain it could work long term.
Then the door opened, and he couldn’t think about anything but her.
She hurried in behind Rory. A gorgeous flush made her skin glow. Her hair was mussed in a way that made Oliver’s dick throb. Rory had gotten his hands on her at some point.
Callum stood beside him. “Fuck, she’s gorgeous. Did you finally kiss her?”
The look of satisfaction on his brother’s face was nearly palpable. Rory was always so buttoned up and proper, but now his hair was messy, his jacket wrinkled from whatever he’d been doing with Tori, and he seemed so much happier for it. “Not as much as I would have liked, but I believe she understands the situation now.”
Tori’s gaze moved between the three of them, her eyes wide and her lips swollen. “He’s wrong. I don’t understand anything.”
Oliver was in the same boat. He didn’t understand… but he was curious. “Show me how you kissed her, Rory.”
He needed to know if he could handle it. The idea of it didn’t make him want to murder his brother the way he would have thought. Yes, he’d been furious at Callum for fondling Tori during the fundraiser, but mostly because he’d assumed his younger brother meant to keep the girl for himself. Now Oliver had to know if he could handle his brothers touching her without going into a rage.
A slow smile slid across his brother’s face and he reached out to draw Tori in. She gasped, the little sound making Oliver think of a kitten who got caught by a lion. She was small compared to Rory, delicate, but not fragile. Oliver knew from experience how solid Tori was. She wouldn’t break. She could handle them even when they were total bastards.
Rory’s fingers tangled in her hair as he tilted her head up before his mouth descended on hers. He wasn’t soft or sweet. His brother devoured her, and Tori responded. Her whole body softened against his, her breasts crushed to his chest. He watched her, watched how readily she responded to Rory’s dominance. Her arms wound around his neck, her hips cuddling his.
She wanted Rory. Did she want him, too?
“Feel the need to rip her away from him?” Callum asked, his voice low.
Oliver shook his head. The truth settled deep inside him. He didn’t try to dodge it or rationalize it. He just accepted it. “I like watching her.”
She was beautiful and he wouldn’t get to see her like this if he was the man doing the kissing. He wouldn’t be able to watch how she responded, to really study her. He would be driving toward his own pleasure and now he could see that would be a mistake. Her pleasure would heighten his own. He wanted to give her as much as possible.