Bonds of Desire by Lynda Aicher Page A

sure you’d still be here.”
    Tyler flashed a smile. “Neither was I.”
    Seth puffed out an agreement, his smirk softening the action. “Why are you?”
    The shrug tugged at the wounds on Tyler’s shoulder, the little knife bites slashing across his back. “Don’t know.”
    A small chin lift of acknowledgement was Seth’s reply.
    The muted action on the flat screen absorbed both of their attention for a while. Tyler didn’t reach for the remote to increase the volume; their conversation wasn’t over. The Dom was stewing on something. Probably the same thing Tyler had been grinding on all day.
    What the hell was going on? And there was no denying that something was brewing between the three of them.
    “Is Allie coming back?” he asked, his eyes trained on the military shootout taking place on the screen.
    “Would you like that?”
    The grin stretched his lips before he could stop it. He cut a quick glance at the other man. What did he want to hear? Tyler couldn’t tell, so he answered honestly. “Yes.”
    Seth nodded and set his glass on the end table. The pure intent on the Dom’s face seemed to suck all of the saliva from Tyler’s mouth. He swallowed, the refreshing wetness from the soda long gone.
    Three steps was all it took for the Dom to be standing before him. Anticipation tingled over his skin, pinpricks of sensation that had nothing to do with his injuries. He wasn’t afraid; there was no malice on Seth’s face or in his posture. Possessiveness, oh yeah. There was scores of that stamped all over every action.
    Tyler held still, waited.
    It was Master Seth who kneeled down, crossed his arms over his bent knee and leaned forward. It was impossible for Tyler to look away. The fabulous sunburst eyes held him as strong as chains or bonds. The Dom had the most amazing eyes he’d ever noticed. From a distance they appeared light brown, but this close it was impossible not to see the fine lines of gold that spread out from the pupil. “Me, too.”
    Tyler fumbled for a moment, his brain scrambling for what Seth meant. Allie. The previous question rammed into his numb brain as he caught up with the conversation. He cleared his throat, willing his voice to remain steady. “Yeah?”
    The Dom flicked a half smile, his eyes dancing. “Yeah.”
    Tyler curled his fingers into a tight fist as Seth reached out to lay his palm on the back of Tyler’s neck. He couldn’t contain the sigh that breathed out. There was no other way to describe the slow unwinding of every muscle other than melting. Only with this man.
    Just one touch, right there, and all of the tension dripped from him, leaving behind nothing but calm compliance. Right now, he would do whatever the Dom wanted. Anything.
    “And do you want this?” Seth asked, the rumble of his voice as commanding as it was questioning.
    The nerves in Tyler’s stomach spun into a tight corkscrew of need and fear. He knew everything would end badly. Nothing that felt this good ever ended well. That didn’t stop him from sliding off the couch, his bare chest sticking on the smooth leather as he slowly lowered his knees to the rug. Seth straightened, easing back to give Tyler room.
    He grunted softly, the sound escaping around his clenched teeth. The fire intensified down his back and ass as he moved, but he didn’t care. He had to do this.
    Bracing his hands on the edge of the cushions, he pushed up and met Seth’s eyes. He settled on his knees before deliberately clasping his hands behind his back. The action pinched at the skin between his shoulder blades, and he couldn’t rest his wrists against his lower back to make the position more comfortable. It was still fine. Better than.
    The buzz that hummed within his head had nothing to do with the pain meds. The Dom had shifted to face him. Their eyes were almost level now, Seth being a few inches taller even on their knees. Tyler liked that, almost equal but not quite. He wanted nothing more than to run his