Finding You Bk. 02: Paradigm Shift

Besides, growing up a tomboy had taught her that it was better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. Cooking naked was fine in romantic movies and books, but the reality would have really sucked.

By the time Marcus appeared, shirtless and clad in a sexy pair of black denim jeans, Tabby already had the makings of a feast on the go. Potatoes simmering on the stove would soon become home-style hash browns, the bacon was sizzling happily in the oven and she was just about to start sautéing peppers and onions for a frittata. Engrossed with her cooking, Tabby failed to notice Marcus standing in the doorway, attracted to the kitchen by the aroma of cooking food.

Unnoticed, he leaned against the doorframe and watched with interest as she chopped, flipped and fussed with the food. He could see her years of dance show up in the effortless grace she had while she flitted between the stove and counter, but it was the confidence in her actions that really intrigued him. Watching her cook, told him that Tabby was no stranger to the kitchen and the way she handled the knives and frying pan showed that she had more than a passing interest in cooking - the girl had real chef's skills under her belt.

Turning to pick up the cutting board loaded with chopped onions and sliced peppers; Tabby caught sight of his huge body and almost dropped the vegetables in her fright. "Holy crap!" she yelped, "You scared the shit out of me!"

He couldn't help it, she just looked so damn cute with her face all scowled up in annoyance, he burst out laughing, then calmed, making a show of noticing her activities. Adopting a stern expression, he stepped slowly into the kitchen, indicating to the array of food spread out on the island. "What are you up to, angel?"

Tabby froze, unsure of whether she'd just made a huge mistake. She stared at him uncertainly. "I..I'm sorry, Marcus. You mentioned that you were hungry. I thought I'd make brunch for you and Cooper." She felt awful, like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing.

Please, please don't let him be angry, she prayed. Really dumb, Tabs. You should have asked first!

Marcus couldn't bear the dejected, frightened look on her face and strode to her side. "Oh, angel, I'm sorry. It wasn't fair of me to scare you like that. I was only teasing. I love that you took the initiative to prepare a meal for us." He kissed her and let her get back to her sizzling pan that was just beginning to smoke.

"Oh shit!" she grabbed a potholder and moved the hot pan off the heat before the oil burst into flames. She deftly tipped the ruined oil out of the pan and into an empty tin can that she'd found in the recycling and was going to use to dispose of the bacon grease later.

Tabitha was a different woman in the realm of the kitchen. She was able to put aside her nerves, where Marcus was concerned and function with practiced experience, no hint of her insecurities in evidence. As he watched her add a squirt of fresh oil to the cleaned out pan and reset it on the flame, Marcus made it his goal to bring out that confidence in other aspects of her life, especially in the bedroom and during scenes. He wanted her as confident with her sexuality and submissiveness as she was with food.

"Did you find everything you need?"

Her relief shone like a beacon, lighting up her face and she nodded vigorously. "Yes! I can't believe how well stocked your fridge is!" She tipped the cutting board over the heated pan and the sound of sizzling filled the air as the vegetables hit the hot oil. With a talented flick of her wrist, Tabby flipped the vegetables over several times before setting the pan down and lowering the flame so that they'd sauté and not burn.

"You sound surprised?"

She glanced back over her shoulder and grinned at him. "Honestly? Yeah. I expected to find beer and maybe some leftover take-out that was still edible. Not a better selection than the Benny's Organic Market near my apartment!"

Marcus laughed and sat on a tall stool by the island. "Ten years ago, that's probably exactly what you would have found. Time has taught me the value of eating healthier and easing off the beer if I didn't want to be carrying my gut around in a wheelbarrow by the time I was fifty."

That suddenly brought an interesting question to Tabby's mind, highlighting the lack of information that she had on her new lover. "Um...can I ask you something personal, Marcus?"

CHAPTER 62

"Ask away, angel. Nothing is personal between us anymore, pet. What did you want to know?" The coffee pot pinged and Tabby retrieved a mug off the rack on the corner.

"How do you take your coffee, Sir?" she asked, pouring him a steaming cup.

"Black is fine, Tabitha. Was that your question?" he replied, watching her fidgety movements with curiosity, knowing that she'd used the coffee as a distraction.

Setting the mug down in front of him, he grasped her wrist before she could escape and caressed the sensitive underside with his thumb. "You're shaking, baby girl. Why? Do I still frighten you?"

She blushed and uttered a nervous giggle. "Yes...no...sometimes you do. I'm still not sure how to act when I'm with you, Marcus. This is so much more than finding a new boyfriend and I don't really know anything about you."

He smiled and turned her hand around so that he could trace the lines on her palms with his finger. "You won't find out anything if you're scared to ask. I don't want you to be afraid to ask me questions, angel. I won't hide anything from you."

"I was wondering...just...well...how old are you, Sir?"

"Is that all, pet?" He turned her hand over and kissed the center of her palm, smelling onions and peppers on her skin. She smelled delicious and he licked her skin, sending a shiver up her arm.

"Mmmm, if your food tastes as good as you do, angel," his eyes sparkled darkly. "Cooper and I are in for a real treat." He let her go and Tabby quickly returned to her pan of sautéing vegetables giving them a few more flips in the pan before sliding them into a prepared baking dish.

"For your information, I'm thirty seven. Cooper is thirty four." Tabby remained quiet absorbing the information. Her silence worried Marcus. "Do our ages bother you, little one?" he asked gently.

Tabby was deep in thought.

Thirty-seven.

That surprised her. She didn't think that he was that old, it put twelve years between them and nine between her and Cooper. She didn't hear Marcus calling to her and when he came up behind her and wrapped his long arms around her middle, she jumped back, slamming into the wall of his rock hard chest.

"Oof," Marcus pretended to wheeze, catching her before she could trip over him and fall.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you."

Marcus cinched his arms tighter, pulling her naked ass into his hips and finding himself wishing that he could take her again. If she hadn't been busy cooking, he would have done so and continued their conversation with his cock snug in her pussy. "I noticed. You didn't answer my question, angel."

"Um, what question was that, Sir?" she asked shyly.

He spun her around and gazed down into her brilliant green eyes. "Do our ages bother you?"

She shook her head and smiled brightly. "No. I rather like that you're both older than I am. It's...sort of sexy."

Marcus frowned. "Only sort of?"

Tabby stretched up on her tiptoes so that she could reach his lips and stole a kiss, turning Marcus' frown into a happy grin. "Okay, how about really sexy?" She pretended to check him out and nodded her head with approval. "Yup, I'm going to go with that. For an old fart, you've still got it, Sir."

Marcus let out a guffaw and pulled her in close so that she could feel his growing erection push into her belly. "Not bad for an old fart, little one. I'll be sure to remind you who made you scream for mercy last night when he was fucking her senseless."

Tabby went bright red with embarrassment and turned to take care of the food she was cooking. "I look forward to it, Sir," she replied.

"Oh, angel," Marcus chuckled. "I can see that our lives are going to be very interesting with you in them."

"Hey! Anybody home?" Cooper's voice called out from the living room. "Damn, something smells awesome! Hope you made enough to share because I could definitely eat! Where the hell are you guys?"

"Don't you ever knock asshole?" Marcus yelled back. "We're in the kitchen. Follow your nose."

Cooper's blond head poked into the doorway, sniffing the air with enthusiasm. His boyish face split into a happy grin when he saw Tabby at the stove. "There she is. I've missed you Tabby-cat."

"Hi Cooper. Brunch will be done in about half an hour."

Cooper walked into the kitchen and Marcus met him half way, clapping hands on each other's shoulders in greeting. Marcus immediately noticed an odd tension in his friend. "What's up?"

Cooper gave him a curt shake of his head. "Later. Can I?" he asked Marcus quietly, indicating Tabby with his eyes.

Marcus just smiled and nodded. Cooper shifted his gaze to Tabby.

"Come and give us a hug, Tabby. These arms have been dying to get a hold on you, baby girl."

Tabby was nervous, not sure how to behave now that Cooper was here and real and not just a possibility. She turned off the element and dumped the parboiled potatoes into a colander in the sink so that they wouldn't over cook. As she rounded the island and approached Cooper, he threw his arms wide and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning around with her in his arms.

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted to do this, baby girl."

"Put her down, you asshole. You don't know where she's been!" Marcus joked.

Cooper buried his nose into the hollow of her shoulder, smelling her clean skin and fresh, feminine aroma overlaid with a distinctly masculine scent. "Seeing as your scent is all over her skin, brother, I have a pretty good idea where she's been and with whom she's been."

His hand slid down to cup Tabby's ass and she yelped, hissing as he put pressure on the painful welts left by Marcus' belt the night before.

"What the hell?" he cursed, and almost dropped her when she suddenly pushed away from him. He quickly set her down but didn't let go. "Tabby? What's wrong? What did I do?" He tried to turn her but she resisted, backing away, straight into Marcus who had come up behind her.

"Nothing. It's nothing," she mumbled, flustered and embarrassed. Her poor ass still burned as the welts throbbed.

"Show him, angel," Marcus commanded, keeping her from escaping.

Cooper looked confused, glancing between Marcus and Tabby, waiting for someone to explain what was going on to him.

Tabby's eyes dropped to her feet and she could feel heat radiating from her cheeks, matching the fire burning on her ass. Marcus stepped back and turned her so that her back faced Cooper.

"Bend over, pet." She reluctantly did so and Cooper sucked in a curse.

"What the fuck happened?" He took in the dark purple bruises overlaid with stripes of raised, red welts. "What did you do?" He cast an accusatory glare directly at Marcus, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

Marcus ignored the aggression hitting him like waves from a blast furnace. "Tell him, Tabitha."

She shook her head, hot tears of shame burning her eyes. "No. Please don't make me, Marcus," she begged. Her words were no sooner out of her mouth when Marcus' palm hit her squarely on her sore ass making her cry out in both pain and surprise.

"I won't ask you again, Tabitha. Explain to Cooper why you are bruised this morning."

She hated the sound of her full name coming out of his mouth. He had forgiven her, and she had believed him, but the sharp edge of hurt underlying his voice told her that Marcus hadn't forgiven himself as easily.

Swallowing her sobs, Tabby cleared her voice. "I was punished!" she blurted out.

A hand settled lightly on one of her ass cheeks, Cooper traced one of the lines with his index finger. "Why, kitten? What did you do that was so terrible to deserve this on your first night?"

"I lied to Marcus." Her voice was so quiet that it was barely audible. Cooper's finger pressed down on a bruise and Tabby whimpered.

"About what, Tabitha?" The disappointment in his tone hit Tabby like a physical blow. Now he was using her full name too and it stabbed her in the gut.

Tabby couldn't speak. She tried to explain how she'd withheld her virginal status from Marcus, but shame closed her throat and all she could do was choke on her sobs.

"Brother?" Cooper looked at Marcus and the hurt and loathing he saw burning in the man's eyes caught him by surprise. What had Tabby done to get Marcus turning his anger onto himself?

"I took her, Coop. Hard. Last night. It wasn't until afterwards that I discovered that I had..." Marcus swallowed hard, sour bile clawing up his throat and scalding the delicate tissues. "Fuck! She didn't tell me that she was still a virgin, Cooper! I fucked her like a rabid dog and she never said a word!"

"It wasn't your fault, Marcus."

Marcus stormed away, running his hand through his tousled, damp hair. "I should have fucking asked! Not assumed." His self-hatred deflated and Marcus' words came out as a choked whisper. "It wasn't until I saw the blood on the sheets that I knew what had happened. I might as well have raped her, Coop."

Tabby couldn't stand to hear the pain in his voice any longer. "No! It wasn't your fault, Marcus." She stood up and marched to face him. "You said that by accepting the punishment, this would be put behind us. Please, Sir," she dropped to her knees and bent forward, placing her forehead on the cool tile of the floor. "You gave your forgiveness to me when you left your marks on my flesh. Now extend that forgiveness to yourself. I am the one that lied...the blame is all on me."

Cooper stared between Tabby and Marcus not believing the drama he had missed the previous night. "She's right, Marcus. I'm disappointed to hear that you lied, little one, but I am proud that you accepted your punishment." He strode over Marcus and grasped his arm, giving him a squeeze. "Our little sub is correct, brother. You need to forgive yourself as well. Don't let this fester any longer."

Marcus gave Cooper a grateful nod. He hadn't known that he had been worrying about telling him what had happened with Tabby, but now that it was in the open, he could feel the weight lifting.

CHAPTER 63

"Stand, angel." Marcus helped her to her feet and tugged her to his chest. As soon as he did, Cooper pressed in from behind, sandwiching Tabby between their hard bodies.

"She wants us both, brother," Marcus said, watching Cooper's face light up with pleasure.

"Is that right, kitten?" he asked, pressing against Tabby's back so that she could feel the bulge growing behind the fly of his jeans. "Are you sure that you are prepared to serve two Masters, little one?"

"I am ready to learn how, Sir."

Cooper chuckled. "Well, it looks like you've already learned about consequences." He rubbed against her bruised ass to emphasize his statement. She sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, but didn't try to shy away. He moved away, releasing her. "I don't want the preparations you've made for brunch to be ruined, so I'm going to let you return to your cooking, kitten."

Marcus turned her around to face Cooper who lifted the front of her apron and cupped her bare mound. "But I will be staking my claim on this later, kitten. You have amends to make to me as well. When you lie to one of your Doms, you are lying to both of us. We are responsible for you and your actions reflect on both of us. Marcus had the right to punish you because your lie directly affected him." Two fingers pushed into her opening in a manner that spoke more to Cooper exerting his dominance over her rather than for pure pleasure. The rough intrusion caused Tabby to shudder, her hips jerking forward into his grasp, driving them deeper inside her.

"But after hearing what you did, I need to see for myself that you are repentant and have learned your lesson. Lies in our sort of relationship will not be tolerated, kitten. Trust requires a solid, unshakable foundation and lies are like water seeping into concrete, slowing weakening and eroding the stability. You've shaken that and need to prove to me and to Marcus that you can be trusted to always be honest. Understand?"

Tabby quivered and nodded shakily. "Y-yes, C-cooper. I, I...oh god!"

The slow slide of his fingers as they dragged against the walls of her canal fanned the simmer heat building in her core and Tabby squirmed and moaned, her need for more friction eroding her will to retain her dignity. Cooper's fingers slipped out of her wetness, coated with her juices and his cock gave an almighty jerk against his abdomen in its frustration to get at Tabby.

How the fuck did Marcus resist this girl?

He brought his wet fingers up to his nose, inhaling the earthy scent of her arousal and tormenting his already throbbing dick. Her eyes were on him, silently begging him for more while the shadows of her shame swirled in their depths. Seeing the honest remorse pouring out of her soul, helped to nurse the tendrils of a fragile bond to strengthen and wind around his heart, drawing him closer to this irresistible woman.

"Please, Cooper," she pleaded, her pelvis twitching towards him in involuntary thrusts. "Please don't leave me like this." She ached with a hunger that had nothing to do with food. Tabby didn't know when she'd become such a wanton slut, but Cooper had started up that craving for release and his stalling was killing her.

Looking into her eyes, he was mesmerized by the way that the luminescent green slowly darkened under the heat of his stare, transforming into the liquid azure blue of the ocean. He would willingly dive into those pools and happily drown, if it meant that he could maintain this connection to Tabitha. The passion he saw smoldering behind those irises burned him as her stare penetrated through him, scorching a path straight to his aching erection. In one simple glimpse, he saw the honesty of her heart and the true desire he was feeling, reflected back at him.

His nostrils flared and his cock twitched and pulsed. This close to her, it was hard for him not to notice that her scent was changing as well, becoming stronger, muskier and much more enticing, indicating that her level of sexual frustration was increasing. Her body was producing more pheromones in the hopes of attracting the means for the release she craved and if he didn't do something quickly, he was going to give in to the siren's call that her body was broadcasting.

It was hard for him to believe that the woman begging him to make her cum was the same emotionally shattered woman he had met a month ago. Somehow, Marcus had tempted her out of her protective shell and he was witnessing her blossoming into a beautiful, sexual creature. In a purely selfish way, Cooper wasn't disappointed to hear that she had been a virgin when Marcus had taken her, the alpha male part of his ego swelled with pleasure from the knowledge that no man had ever had her before him and his brother.

She was theirs and only theirs.

He was only sorry that she hadn't trusted either of them enough to share that secret. If she had, he and Marcus would have collaborated to celebrate her first sexual experience, surrounding her with ceremony and reverence - not the fear and pain that she must have felt. He joined Marcus in feeling the regret for that lost opportunity but the bruises on her innocent ass attested for the remorse she had shown and the courage she had possessed to accept responsibility for the harm her misguided lie had caused.