Her shoulders slumped. A lump formed in her throat. A solitary tear rolled down her face. She headed for the shower. Time to face reality and get out while she could.
She could move on without Evan.
Maybe if she told herself that often enough, she’d actually start to believe it.
The shower spray had turned from hot to warm, and then to cold before Anne stepped out. She studied her red, swollen eyes in the mirror and sniffed. You’d better pull yourself together, girl.
The persistent buzzing of her cell phone caught her attention. She donned a fluffy terry cloth robe and went to the bedroom. Anne knew without looking that it would be Evan. The phone might as well have been a threatening rattlesnake for the all desire she had to answer it. Resolving to do what needed to be done, she punched the on button.
Answer, damn it.
As she suspected, Evan. She scrolled upwards. Only about a dozen or so similar messages. I might as well get this over with.
I’m here, she typed.
Thank God. I was worried something might have happened to you.
I’m fine. How nice that he was concerned. Maybe he does care for me. Anne tried to shrug off the heart-warming gesture.
Why did you leave without telling me?
Anne could almost picture his scowl. She replied, I didn’t think you’d want me to be around when you woke up.
If I didn’t want you there, your sweet ass would have been sitting in that poor excuse for a car even if I had to push-start it.
He was never going to let her live her cute little Bug down. Not that it was any of his business now that she wasn’t going to see him again.
More to the point, if I hadn’t wanted a repeat of that first night, I wouldn’t have made contact with you afterward.
I thought it might be awkward if I was still there. Her fingers shook.
That was the understatement of the year. Anne didn’t know how she could have faced him, remembering everything they had done and how she had reacted. A tingling swept up the back of her neck and across her face as she thought about it.
Awkward? For who? You? Not for me.
That should be self-evident to him, right? Anne didn’t think that comment deserved a response.
Are you still there? Or did you run away again?
I’m still here. Anne would never be able to tell him to get lost if she were facing him.
I should have handcuffed you to the bed so you couldn’t leave.
A vision of Evan standing over her while she lay in bed, handcuffed and helpless, flashed through her head. Anne tried to shut it out. It served no purpose to have naughty fantasies about Evan now. Naughty fantasies? Really? Weren’t handcuffs supposed to scare her and not get her nipples all tingly?
Anne, are you there? What’s wrong?
She might as well get it over with.
I’ve been thinking a lot about last night.
Evan would probably think that sentence meant she thought about how great it had been. Not that it wasn’t…great, that is.
Visions of how she must have looked fast-forwarded through her brain—of being down on her knees, taking him in her mouth, or later, practically hanging upside down while he turned her inside out. Damned if she wasn’t getting turned on from the memories.
I was hoping for a repeat performance this morning or this afternoon. Maybe even tonight.
She steeled herself for what she had to write.
I’m thinking it might not be such a good idea to see you again.
There, it was out. How would he react? Anne waited with bated breath.
What?
Would he be angry or relieved?
Why? You seemed to be enjoying yourself. I know I was.
Anne shook her head. Such a man, thinking sex was the answer to everything.
That’s beside the point. It doesn’t seem proper to do what we did.
Let him argue with that. Average people did not tie people up or whip each other.
Anne ignored the little voice telling her she had known full well she would be blindfolded and had looked forward to it. Evan did not spring that little detail on her at the last minute. And I did enjoy it.
She continued before she lost her nerve.
I did some research this morning on the Internet.
I don’t want to be someone who submits to a Dominant.
I don’t want to kiss your feet like a servant.
I don’t want to be whipped.
I don’t want to be embarrassed in public.
I don’t want to wear a collar on my neck and be led around like a dog.
That just isn’t done.
I’m an educator, for God’s sake. I’ll lose my job.
What would people think?
What would my parents think?
All of her objections rushed out in a flash flood of emotion.
One minute went by, then two.
Anne, we need to talk about this, but not this way. You’re scared, and you didn’t understand what you were reading. We need to discuss this in person.
No, I can’t. When I’m with you, I can’t think straight. You cloud my perspective. You use my body against me.
You think too much, Anne. You want to stay in your safe little world, away from the big, bad man who does bad things.
I’ve already decided.
This isn’t a decision you get to make by yourself.
Anne waited. There were no further texts.
What did he mean by that last statement?
Who cares anyway? I don’t. Who cares if he makes me come alive, makes my blood sing, makes me feel instead of think. I don’t care at all. Good riddance.
Then why did her heart feel this aching sense of loss?
* * * *
“Fuck!”
Evan threw the phone across the room. It hit the opposite wall and fell to the floor.
He paced his bedroom like a lion in a cage, its tail whipping back and forth. What in the fuck does she think she’s doing?
He needed to calm down and think.
Do what you’ve told her not to do; after all, you are the one supposed to be in control, right?
Evan sat down in the oversized chair next to the fireplace and poured a couple fingers of scotch from the crystal bottle on the end table. He picked up the broken heel from Anne’s shoe he kept there. He rubbed it as he brooded over what must be done.
Maybe I should let her go. So what if she wants to call it off?
He hadn’t asked for her to intrude in his life. She had shown up on his doorstep like a lost kitten, although not one afraid to show her claws. She would not let him shut the door in her face.
Who would have thought that bedraggled stray would look at him with pure lust in her eyes? He could have taken her right then and there, just as she was, soaking wet and covered with mud. “And I bet she would have let me.”
Did I just say that out loud? Oh, fuck, now she has me talking to myself. What’s next? Jerking off to her memory? Yeah, right.
He had been in the middle of a sexual dry spell when Anne came knocking at the door. That didn’t come close to explaining the intensity of his attraction.
And Anne? He had never seen anyone go from zero to one hundred as Anne had that first night. He knew damn well she had taken as much pleasure as he had.
If Anne was ballsy enough to be baited with the scarves, she was capable of getting over her fright. Last night, although she had been a bit hesitant at first, she had ended up an enthusiastic participant.
The thought of her hot wet mouth on his cock had that autonomous appendage twitching. It stiffened as he recalled the fiery jolts hurtling through it and slamming into the back of her mouth. Each spurt of that ejaculation had boomeranged to every pleasure sensor in his brain.
She had disappeared from his bed in the dead of night and had driven the couple of hours back to Denver. That was not the act of a timid girl. A deep reservoir of strength resided inside this woman. She had the fort
itude to not only cope with his needs, but to delight in the experience.
He drained his scotch and set the glass down.
He would not allow Anne to run away.
The time had come to show that delectable school teacher that she belonged to him.
Past time to show Anne who was the Dominant and who was the submissive.
Time to teach the feisty educator some of his lessons.
Chapter 9
The knock at the door came while Anne was in the kitchen, her hands in soapy water, tidying up after a late evening meal.
“I’ll get it.” Macy hurried to answer the door.
Anne had finished drying her hands and was headed for the living room when the deep masculine voice stopped her cold.
“Does Anne Rutledge live here?”
Evan. Anne took a deep breath. The lion had come to confront the mouse in her home.
Anne took an unobtrusive step forward. Evan stood in the doorway. Evan being roused in the middle of the night from bed was impressive; his come-to-town look was to die for. His large frame filled the doorway, the top of his black Stetson nearly touching the door lintel. His sheer masculine impact made her appreciate being female.
“Oh my.” Macy’s breathless voice betrayed her interest. “You must be Evan.”
“Yes, ma’am.” A slight smile broke the stern planes of his face. “How’d you guess?”
Macy pointed to his belt buckle. “And I bet you are Anne’s Evan. Duh, I guess that’s a bit obvious, isn’t it? Why else would you be here?”
Evan chuckled. “I’d prefer to think of her as my Anne, if you don’t mind.”
Macy chided him with a tsk-tsk sound. “Anne said you were a bit bossy.”
“Oh, she did, did she?” Evan turned the full force of his smile on Macy. “And what if I were?”
Macy’s cheeks turned hot pink.
Macy was silent for a heartbeat, but she conceded, “I think you’d make a girl plain adore bossiness in a man.”
Macy’s bosom rose and fell rapidly as she flirted with Evan.
She reached up and toyed with one of the metal buttons on Evan’s black leather vest. “Are there any more at home like you?”
“As a matter of fact, there are. I have two brothers, Ethan and Eli.” He doffed his hat to Macy. “And may I have the pleasure of knowing your name, ma’am?”
“I’m Macy, Anne’s roommate.”
Macy’s grin had melted the hearts of more men than Anne could count. Would Ethan succumb?
“Two brothers, huh? Are they as…imposing…as you?”
Anne swore Macy batted her big blue eyes at Evan.
Evan sat his hat on Macy’s blond locks. He dug in his wallet and handed Macy a business card. As she studied it, he retrieved his hat from her.
“That’s Ethan’s card. Call him if you like. Tell him I told you to call.”
This had gone far enough. Anne cleared her throat and stepped through the doorway. Evan turned to her at once, hat in hand. Macy stood slightly behind him and fanned herself with the card Evan had given her. She waved the card at Anne and grinned.
“Hello, Evan.” Anne tried to keep her breathing at an even keel. “Why are you here?”
As if I didn’t already know.
“Miss Macy, I require some time alone with Anne. We have matters to discuss.” His tone was solemn and polite, but a muscle jerked along his jaw line. “Is it possible you could give us some privacy?” His gaze never wavered from Anne.
Macy looked doubtful. “I was planning on staying in tonight.”
His eyes still on Anne, Evan reached into the pocket of his vest, pulled out a cell phone, and dialed a number. “Ethan, I have someone here I’d like you to meet. Her name is Macy.” Pause. “Would I steer you wrong?” He chuckled, still watching Anne like a starving man eyeing a prime cut of steak. “You won’t regret it.” He paused again before giving out the address. “You owe me.” The phone went back in the vest.
“Miss Macy, my brother Ethan will be here in ten minutes. He would like to get to know you better over drinks. I have no doubt that you are going to just adore him.”
Anne caught her breath at the searing intensity in Evan’s eyes. Somehow, she didn’t think he had a polite goodbye in mind. He was here for a reckoning.
Despite her earlier resolve to say goodbye to Evan and the hedonistic lifestyle she suspected he embraced, some inner part of her wanted to shout in glorious exultation that he had come for her. Anne clasped her arms across her chest under his staid scrutiny as he stood there, hat in hand. Watching. Waiting. She lowered her arms.
His hot gaze dropped to her unfettered breasts; her traitorous nipples pebbled in response.
She wore her nighttime clothes of a white cropped tee and silky ankle-length bottoms in soft pink. Her dark curls were pinned atop her head from her earlier shower. She had dressed for a quiet—celibate—night at home.
Why did his penetrating contemplation leave her feeling like she was standing in front of him naked? A sudden ache in her loins revealed she wasn’t as immune to him as she hoped.
“Anne, I don’t know where to begin with you.” Evan placed his hat on the nearby table. “I would have thought by now there was trust between us, that you know I would never harm you.”
He took one step toward Anne. She moved away. So much for trust.
“Haven’t I made it clear that my aim is to give you pleasure? Only pleasure?”
Evan advanced another step. Anne gave ground again, but found herself up against a wall.
Evan towered over her, leaning against the wall with both hands, effectively corralling her between the wall and his arms. Further retreat would not be possible.
Anne couldn’t concentrate. The scent of him clouded her senses, reminiscent of wind blowing through a stand of quaking aspen, of the afternoon sun warming the mountain meadow.
“Why are you concerned with what you’ve read on the Internet? I’m not. That isn’t me. That isn’t us. You know that.”
“But my job… My parents…”
“No one but us will know what we do behind closed doors. This isn’t high school, and I’m not some immature jock hoping to make a name for himself.”
“But what about wearing a collar? Everyone will know.”
Evan put his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.
“I don’t need you to wear a collar to know you are mine. I don’t think you do either. I know that as a teacher, you need to have a spotless reputation. What we do won’t detract from that.”
Goosebumps raced across her skin. Why does my body react like this around him? Her breasts ached for his caress, for the rasp of those sexy whiskers against her sensitive nipples, her inner thighs.
“I thought…”
“You think too much. Pay attention to your body, how it responds to me. I’m not going to let you run away from yourself, from me, from us.”
“I…I can’t.”
Evan shut her up with a kiss.
A kiss that staked possession, claimed ownership, gave notice that he would keep what he considered his.
Strong hands held her head with gentle firmness while he plundered her mouth and demanded entrance with his tongue. Her arms wound around his neck as she pressed herself against his solid frame. She whimpered when he drew back.
He sighed. His face grew stern.
“You’ve given me no other choice but to punish you for doubting me.”
Anne knew what to expect from her research earlier in the day. He would spank her. Had she left spanking off her list of won’t-ever-do items on purpose? Her ass tingled in anticipation, but she protested anyway.
“This isn’t fair. I thought you wanted to have a discussion.”
“I did and we are. This is a discussion about trust. Control. Submission.”
Evan ignored her grumbling and walked back to the dining room, pulling out one of the chairs from the table.
He removed his vest.
Unbuckled his belt and took it off, unbuttoned and loosened his shirt.
He did not rush. He moved with a deliberate lack of haste that indicated objections were futile. He sat down on the chair.
“Come here, Anne.”
His command hung in the air. Anne stared at him, as a mouse stares back at a snake before it strikes.
“Now.”
Still contemplating whether she would capitulate, she stood in front of him, hands on her hips, chewing on her lip.
“Lie across my lap on your stomach.” He was calm and patient.
“This isn’t a discussion.” She had to stop herself from stamping her foot.
She trembled, not in fear, but in expectation. Only pleasure, he had said. Evan was a man who kept his word.
“Anne.”
His voice was dispassionate as a stranger; he sat on the chair, his back stiff as a board. For an instant, she was apprehensive. She wanted the other Evan back, the one who looked at her with smoldering desire, the one whose touch ignited her as no other man’s. Not this stranger she didn’t know.
Perhaps that’s the point of discipline. It’s not about pain; it’s about the alienation.
She lay across his spread legs with care. The rough denim of his jeans chafed her tender nipples as she leaned over his legs and settled in his lap, her breasts and head hanging off one side, her legs on the other.
He pulled her loose top up, leaving her back exposed and the underside of her breasts snug against the outside of his leg. She waited, tense and rigid, holding her breath.
“I will spank you ten times.” One hand caressed her bottom, sliding smoothly over the silky pink fabric. “Relax, baby.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one getting spanked.”
His chuckle hinted that she might have her Evan back. Perhaps the other was just a façade.
Evan urged her legs apart and slid his palm over her buttocks to tease the juncture between her thighs. His other hand tweaked her nipples as her breasts hung taut and swollen. Anne whimpered and moaned as her body came alive in his expert hands.
“That’s it, baby. Feel what we have between us.”
Shaken (Colorado Bold Book 1) Page 6