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Fro and withdraw so and red that looked like a colorful paddle Liah Beck crossed his arht the paddle doith a quick whoosh in a backhanded swat

Sos of Hammer’s chair scraped the floor as he leapt to his feet and shouted just as Beck whacked the back of Raine’s thighs

The telltale whiff of rubber assaulted hiony erupted across her face, as if Beck had split her very flesh open down to the bone Her wee body jolted as she stiffened every muscle and screamed And screamed And screamed so open in horrific silence Her face looked shocked and wounded, eyes ith distress

Furious, Lialeaain when Raine hung her head and sobbed, tears pouring down her cheeks

"What the hell are you doing?" Hae

Exactly what Liam wanted to know His hand curled into a brutal fist, and he charged toward Beck Suddenly, Ha scowl doht really throw hi the girl?

Rushing back to Raine, Lialance down into her eyes--so blue, wide open, and terrified--kicked hiut Silently, she pleaded for help as the tears kept running He wanted to take her in his arot a safeword Use it," he deritted her teeth, holding herself together by pure will

The whoosh filled the roorabbed the table, obviously bracing for another brutal blow Lialared at Hammer incredulously The air stopped He wondered if his old friend would really let this continue

The Hammer he’d known once upon a time, never But this one was miserable and tormented Liam didn’t knohere this man’s head was at all

"Then say yes toher to understand and accept "Say yes, and all of this stops"

"What?" Beck barked "The only thing the princess gets to say is, ‘thank you, Sir May I have another?’ And I’ve got plenty more where that came from"

Raine’s eyes darted from Liam to Beck’s reflection in the mirror

She flinched and breathed, "Yes"

Relief and a dizzying thrill flooded Liaoddamn paddle do," Ha mind? She’s not a pain slut"

"Don’t be a pussy," Beck sneered, fingering the rubber paddle, clearly eager to bring it down on Raine’s tender flesh again "A few good whacks will pull the starch right out of her bitchy attitude and ree more, and neither man seemed to have heard what she’d said

"If you hit her with that again, I’ to chain your ass to a cross and beat you with it myself," Hammer threatened

"Louder," Liam demanded "Let everyone hear you"

"Yes!"

Raine wailed out the word, but it was finally enough

Suddenly, Halare fell back on Liaht now, Liaoddamn word, not where Raine was concerned Nor did he have time Only Raine herself mattered He shook off Ha them out of the cuffs one at a tilance at the backs of her thighs proved an angry bruise was already for where Beck had struck her

Worry and fury hit him in equal measure, but he buried both for Raine, wrenched her ankle cuffs off, and pulled her into his arainst his chest

"What the fuck are you doing? Give her to me" Hammer strode toward him, arms outstretched to take Raine away "I decide when the scene ends"

"Not any collar She is now my submissive So it’s my scene, and I’ve decided this bloody farce is over" He pointed at Beck "Get the fuck out of here Now!"

Disbelief fell across Ha the sockets under his eyes, e his icy stare A fury Liam had never seen in all the years they’d been friends blared there "You planned this, you son of a bitch!"

"I did what I needed to keep you froaze away and settled on Raine Stark pain consumed his expression "Precious…"

The devastation in Hammer’s voice as he called out to Raine would haunt him, but he refused to worry about that now He shoved aside what ht have been if Hammer had just listened Would have, could have, and should have been Waste of fucking time

As far as Liam was concerned, the only one who had set Hammer up for a fall was the man himself, the minute the stupid fuck had allowed a sadist like Beck anywhere near the woman he supposedly loved