Alphas Confess All Read online

  “Oh, shit,” she breathed.

  He wasn’t out of control. There was nothing wild about Gideon’s eyes. They were focused, and she now had his complete attention. There wasn’t a hint of indecision in his gray eyes. He had a course, and he would follow through. His long legs ate the distance between them in no time at all.

  “Gideon,” Jessica began.

  “Too late,” Reid said under his breath.

  She lifted her hands in front of her in a vain attempt at warding him off. He pulled her wrist up and sank down to the nearby sofa in one smooth move. Jessica found herself over his lap in an instant.

  “Have you spanked her yet?” Gideon asked.

  She squirmed as he flipped up her skirt. She wished she’d been practical and had worn jeans. She had to try to impress Reid with her fashion sense. She protested as Gideon started to tug at her panties. He paid her zero attention.

  “No.” Reid’s voice was husky and dark. “I haven’t had to.”

  “She minds you better than me,” Gideon said with a certain bitterness. He dragged the panties down her thighs.

  “You never gave her a chance,” Reid protested.

  If he said anything else, she didn’t hear it. There was a loud smack as Gideon’s hand came down on her bare ass. She shrieked. She couldn’t help it. It hurt. Then…it didn’t so much. The pain sank deep into her muscles as a sensual heat. Just as she was starting to enjoy it, he struck again.

  There was no shriek this time. She moaned as he smacked her cheek and then caressed the spot he’d hit. His hand slid over and around her cheeks. His fingers closed in on the perfect spot and just when she thought he might stroke her, he struck again.

  “No, she’s not submissive at all.” Reid’s sarcasm seemed a distant thing. All Jessica could think of was where he would touch her this time. She wriggled her ass up trying to tease him into spanking her again. If he just hit the right spot, she knew she would go off like a rocket.

  “What the fuck am I doing?” Gideon’s voice pulled her out of the nice place she’d been starting to find.

  Jessica felt Gideon pull her panties up and over her ass. She was on her feet in a second. Her legs were wobbly. Only Reid taking her arm kept her from falling over. Her whole body was humming. She looked around and realized they had drawn a crowd. Her face flushed. She looked for condemnation in their eyes, but realized they were, at worst, curious and at best aroused.

  Gideon stood up, looking no worse for the wear. She was practically panting and he looked like he was taking a leisurely stroll.

  His gray eyes slid past her to focus on his partner. “Get her out of here. She doesn’t belong at this conference.”

  He began to walk off. Jessica found her balance and pulled away from Reid.

  “Why?” She shouted the question because she only had one shoe left, and she wasn’t sure how else to get his attention.

  He didn’t bother to turn. He just stopped and answered her question with a low growl. “You don’t belong here. It won’t work. I don’t want you following after me. I told you, it’s over.”

  She clenched her teeth and really thought about throwing the other shoe at him. Why had she loved him?

  “You are such an ass, Gideon,” she spat out, letting the venom fly. It felt good, actually. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. I didn’t come for you. I came for me. But, no, you’re the only one allowed to figure out who you are. You’re the only one allowed to experiment and find out you’re kind of a freak. You’re the only one allowed to seek out what you want.”

  Gideon turned and looked at her seriously for the first time.

  “She didn’t know you would be here,” Reid explained quietly. “I didn’t tell her because I knew she wouldn’t come if she knew you were here. I’ve been hanging out with her for six months, man. She’s never even bothered to mention your name.”

  Jessica was somewhat satisfied with the light stain in Gideon’s cheeks. It made her bold enough to ask the question she really wanted the answer to. There was no rage in her query, merely honest curiosity. “Why, Gideon? What did I do that was so horrible that I deserve your scorn? I loved you. I gave myself to you the only way I knew how. When you didn’t want me, I left and didn’t bother you again. So I need to know what I did to offend you. Why would you deny me the right you give to everyone else? I came here to find out stuff about me. I came to see if I could find someone who wants me, the crazy, freaky me I’m discovering. Why is that so wrong?”

  Gideon’s jaw clenched, and he suddenly turned and walked away. Jessica cursed, the tears falling down her cheeks. He wasn’t worth her tears, but they fell anyway. She felt Reid’s arm around her.

  “Could you help me get my trunk to the car?” Jessica asked, taking in a ragged breath. She knew when to retreat. She hadn’t meant to see him again. She would leave and find another way. There were other avenues. This time she would leave Reid out of it. She wouldn’t let Gideon Michaels dictate the way she lived her life.

  “Sweetie, you can’t drive down the mountain in the dark.” Reid pulled her close. She knew she should push him away. He was the reason she was here. She couldn’t. She just burrowed closer. “Let me take you to your room. We’ll talk about it in the morning, okay? I’m so sorry. If I had thought he would react like this, I would never have invited you.”

  She laughed a little through her tears. “What did you think he would do?”

  Reid’s green eyes were sad as he looked down at her. “Fall at your feet and beg your forgiveness because you’re everything he ever wanted in a woman?”

  She shook her head. “Silly man. I have it on the greatest authority that I’m not his type.” She glanced at the window. The snow came down hard and fast. Reid was right. She wasn’t driving down the mountain tonight. “Take me to my room. Luckily, I brought a couple of books. In the morning, I want to go home, okay?”

  “I’ll drive you myself if I have to.” His hand wound around her waist. He picked up her trunk with no effort at all. “How about I settle you in, and then I’ll go grab us some dinner. I’ll build a fire, and we can cuddle. I won’t leave you alone.”

  She sank into Reid’s comforting warmth and let him lead her.

  Gideon strode away, his stomach in knots. He carefully schooled his face. There were plenty of seminar participants watching his retreat from a five-foot-three-inch curvy brunette who knew exactly how to rip his heart out.

  Of course, she wasn’t trying to hurt you, the rational part of him said. She was trying to understand why you’re such a fucking asshole.

  What had she done that was so terrible? She’d been open and completely giving when they made love. He’d punished her for another woman’s crimes. He’d taken a long-time friendship and tossed it away because he couldn’t handle getting involved with another woman. Jessica had been brave. He’d been a coward.

  Gideon opened the door and dragged cold air into his lungs. He lifted his face and let the snow fall on him, willing it to penetrate his body and worm its way into his heart. He preferred the cold of the last several months to the ache seeing Jessica again caused.

  He remembered the day he hired her. She’d been twenty-four and fresh faced. She’d been eager to learn. Against his better judgment, he’d hired her on the spot. She tirelessly helped them build their law practice. How had he repaid her? He’d fucked her senseless and told her she wasn’t his type.

  But she was. That was the trouble. He knew now that he had a type, and it was very specific.

  He should have either not hired her at all or realized he was never going to be his father’s golden boy and accepted it. He’d been willing to marry Anna to please his family. He’d been willing to marry Anna to further his career. Anna was a practical girl. They’d had an ironclad arrangement. She got his money and connections. He got to please his family. She was beautiful and came from a good background, but her family money had dried up. They would never sleep together and had agreed to divorce if either fo
und a person they wanted to be with. He didn’t need to know about her lovers and she didn’t need to know about Reid.

  It was a simple exchange that went very wrong. Two weeks before their wedding, she’d discovered him in bed with Reid. Anna had gone straight to his father and found another way to get at the Michaels’ family fortune. She promised to keep her mouth shut about their son in exchange for two million. His father paid her off and then promptly cut off Gideon. That was the night he’d found Jessica in the office. He’d taken comfort in her softness and acceptance, then pushed her away as fast as he could.

  Gideon shivered. It was really cold. The snow was starting to cling to him. She hadn’t mentioned his name to Reid in six months? He’d thought of her every second of the day. And she’d been visiting BDSM clubs with Reid.

  He remembered the way her naked backside felt in his hands while he spanked her saucy ass. Jessica was a spit-fire when pissed off. The back of his head still stung from her shoe. If he looked at it logically, he knew Jessica had been wet and ready at the end of that spanking. It probably wouldn’t have taken much to get her on her knees sucking his cock despite the fact that they had an audience.

  She really was submissive.

  She was perfect for him. She loved Reid, and Reid was crazy about her. A sudden vision of Jessica in between him and Reid made his cock harden painfully. She would be small between them. He would have to prepare her, but she could take them both.

  Put it out of your mind, Michaels.

  He’d dug a big hole with Jessica. It was too big for him to crawl out of. He should send her a note of apology and let her move on. He didn’t deserve anything like another chance with her, even if he wanted one.

  A man held his woman’s hand, hurrying her inside. Gideon recognized the man from various functions though he couldn’t place the name. He nodded briefly as he brushed past.

  “It’s getting bad out there, Master Gideon,” the man said deferentially. “It’s snowing like crazy. The ski operator said they’re closing the road down. Looks like we’re stuck for a couple of days.”

  The lovely blonde looked like she knew what to do, Gideon thought, and then quickly disregarded the pair when he remembered he’d ordered Jessica to go home. His heart thudded in his chest. Had she already left? Could he catch up? She wasn’t used to driving on these roads. Anything could happen to her.

  He sprinted inside, desperate to stop her from leaving.

  2

  “You don’t have to stay with me.” Jessica glanced around at the suite Reid had brought her to. It was gorgeous, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the mountains. The world looked fresh and clean. It was so different from her bland apartment in Alabama. It would have been nice to spend the week here. Maybe she would stop somewhere on her way home. She’d told the temp agency she needed the whole week. It seemed a shame to waste it.

  “Maybe I want to,” Reid murmured as he uncorked a bottle of wine.

  “Don’t you pull stuff out of the mini-bar. I can’t afford that.” She really couldn’t. Temping paid crap, and her savings was almost gone. She would have to think about getting a smaller apartment soon. She’d gotten too used to the healthy salary she’d earned when she’d worked for Reid and Gideon.

  Reid’s dark eyebrow arched elegantly. “Darling, who do you think owns this place?” She shrugged and he continued. “This is my uncle’s lodge, but I bought in a couple of years ago when he needed to renovate. It’s why he shuts down for a week to give us the place to ourselves for the retreat. I told you I used to come here and work during the summers. My uncle and I are very close. Since he doesn’t have any kids, he’s always meant to leave the place to me. When I’m sick of being a lawyer, we’ll move up here and be innkeepers. Tomorrow we can go skiing.”

  Jessica threw him her best “you’re crazy” look. She ignored the “we” comment. He loved to joke. It didn’t mean anything. “Do I look like a girl who’s ever skied before? This is the most snow I’ve ever seen in real life. Besides, I told you, I’m heading home tomorrow. There’s not a lot I can do if Gideon won’t let me in any of the classes. I suppose the mixers will be off-limits, too.”

  Reid poured himself a glass and lounged casually on the bed. He looked incredibly sexy leaning back against the snowy white comforter. He was all lean elegance and male model hotness. She rather thought he knew the effect he had on her. “You can mix with me. Screw Gideon. He can handle the conference all by himself. He doesn’t need me, anyway. I’ll spend the week teaching you to ski and…other winter sports.”

  “Dare I ask what those are? I doubt it’s hockey. Are you going to teach me to figure skate?”

  He snorted elegantly. It was a thing Jessica thought only Reid could manage. “That is so stereotypical. I do not watch figure skating. I prefer hockey. The guys are way hotter. No darling, I was talking about other winter sports. What do you say we fuck?”

  She threw her head back and laughed. He was such a tease. “Sure, Reid. We’ll just hole up in here and fuck each other’s brains out. I would believe that you were fucking Gideon before I would believe that was going to happen.”

  Reid’s handsome face flushed. “Well, now that you mention it…”

  There was a loud knock on the door.

  “Saved by the bell,” Reid muttered under his breath. “That must be your martini. I told room service to bring it up.”

  He crossed to the door and opened it. Gideon charged in.

  “Thank god,” he breathed upon catching sight of her. He crossed to her and laid his hands on her shoulders. “I thought you had left.”

  “Reid wouldn’t let me.” She pulled away from him. “He said it wasn’t a good idea for me to drive back tonight.”

  “It’s not. They closed the road,” Gideon explained.

  Yet another crappy thing to happen in a crappy day. If this kept going, she’d be electrocuted by the hair dryer. “How long will that last?”

  Reid was the only one who seemed vaguely amused at the news. “It could be days. Looks like we’re all snowed in. Whatever shall we do?”

  Gideon rolled his gray eyes. “We’ll teach our classes, Reid. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but we have fifty paying guests. Some of them are only here to mingle, but we already have some full classes. My class on the single tail filled up immediately.”

  Reid grinned at her. “That’s a bull whip.”

  She pulled the wine glass out of Reid’s hand. She needed it far more than he did. He didn’t complain, simply poured himself another one. “Well, I’m so sad I’ll be missing that one.”

  “It wouldn’t be for you, pet,” Gideon said, distracted by something. “A little sub doesn’t flick the whip. She takes it.”

  “Again, so sad I’ll miss it,” Jessica said sarcastically. She pointed to the door. “You’ve done your duty. I’ll stay in my room until the snow clears. I’m sure Reid will find ways to amuse me when he’s not spanking the students.”

  “I’d rather spank you, love,” Reid said with a wink. “I know how much you like it. And I wouldn’t leave you unsatisfied the way mean old Gideon did. Did he get you all hot and bothered? How wet were you after that spanking, Jessica?”

  She pinned Reid with a glare. “Do I need to open that trunk? I have more shoes, you know.”

  Gideon stared at the trunk. “Do you have an extra person in there?”

  He sounded normal. The wry teasing tone took her back to the days when they were friends. This was why she had turned in her notice. She’d known that if she’d gone to work, she wouldn’t be able to stay angry with him. She loved him too much. “Go away, Gideon. My luggage is my business. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible. I promise to remain utterly hidden away so you don’t have to answer how the fat chick got in.”

  Gideon stopped. He frowned the way he did when he was thinking through a problem. “I deserve that. I never meant to make you think that way about yourself. I was an ass. I was trying to protect myself. Please, if you
can’t accept my apology, at least understand that I think you’re a beautiful woman.”

  There wasn’t any point in arguing with him. It would just make her look desperate and prolong this painful encounter. Being in the same room as Gideon Michaels couldn’t end well.

  “Thank you,” she said evenly. “I appreciate it.”

  The blond hunk didn’t seem to know what to make of that. He stood there with his hands on his lean hips. “Good. I’ve thought about what you said. I was wrong. If you want to attend the seminar, you’re more than welcome.”

  That didn’t seem like such a good idea now. Learning from Gideon would probably cost her more than she was willing to pay. He’d probably brought along a gorgeous, slender sub to show off. She didn’t know if she could handle that. “I think I should take a pass, but I appreciate the offer. It’s better I stay out of your life, and you stay out of mine.”

  “Are you afraid?” Gideon pinned her with his gaze. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt you again?”

  “Yes,” she replied with a laugh. It should be blatantly obvious. “I might be submissive, but I’m not a masochist.”

  “That’s a shame,” Reid pouted. “And a little untrue. You liked getting your nipples pierced.”

  Gideon’s face flushed. “You pierced your nipples?”

  He seemed to be trying to see through her sweater. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. “That’s none of your business.”

  Reid’s fingers rubbed together as though he were playing with her nipples. “They’re pretty gold rings. She wanted silver, but I convinced her gold would look prettier against her skin. One of these nights I’ll get her drunk enough and we’ll pierce her hood.”

  “There is not enough vodka in the world, Reid Chandler,” Jessica shot back. Her clitoris was staying piercing free.

  “A little barbell would be so pretty,” Gideon was saying. His voice had taken on a distinctly husky tone. He sank down on the bed next to Reid.