Kaylin's Pursuit [The Black Iris Club 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Skye Michaels

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to talk to you. Can I come in?”

  “What’s the point, Jack? I said what I had to say. You didn’t want to listen. Story over. I thought you were in New York being the bachelor of the year or something?”

  Was that a little touch of jealousy there? That might be a good thing. It indicated she wasn’t as indifferent to him as she would have him think. Barbara had told him a photo of him and Melissa had been in the Times. He hadn’t seen it, but he wasn’t surprised. He was surprised that Kaylin had seen it.

  “The point is that I think we should talk about what happened and how each of us feels about it. Communication is the bedrock of a BDSM relationship, or any relationship for that matter.”

  “What makes you think I want a BDSM relationship, or any relationship for that matter, with you? You shut me down, Jack. You wouldn’t listen to a word I had to say. Now, I don’t have anything left to say.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. I think you have a shitload of things to say to me, probably none of them good. But that’s okay. If you need to vent your spleen, I can take it.”

  “You just don’t get it. You walked away from me without a word or a backward glance. Now you want to talk. Not going to happen.” She put her key in the door and unlocked it. When she was about to go through, he got up, held the door for her, and followed her in. She turned to him. “I don’t believe I invited you in. The last guy to push his way in here is sitting in a jail cell. Care to join him?”

  “Kaylin, don’t be a hard-ass. Give me a chance to talk to you. You’ll get your chance to say what you want as well. Can I come in for a beer or a cup of coffee?”

  She hesitated, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. “I guess I can put on a pot of coffee. I’m not giving you beer. With the mood we are both in, I don’t think beer would be a good idea.” She walked through to the kitchen and busied herself with making the promised pot of coffee. He followed her. Along the way, he noticed the gleaming hardwood floors, cathedral ceilings, and comfortable furniture. The house was immaculate with a lot of personality but not cluttered. It looked like Kaylin and fit her to a T. When the coffee had brewed, she put the pot, two cups, and some cookies on a tray and went to the French doors at the back of the house. She walked out onto the patio and put the tray on a table next to the pool.

  He followed her. “Nice house. Nice yard. I would have pictured you here.”

  “Really? I don’t think you know me as well as you think you do.”

  “Oh, I know you very well. I’ve made you come many times and enjoyed it tremendously. I also enjoyed spanking your butt and could be tempted to do it again.”

  “Now, that would be a big mistake. I took you down once. I can do it again. And this time I would be mad, not amorous.”

  “I think I can convince you to be amorous.” He grinned at her. He knew his dimple had made its appearance. He could feel it denting his right cheek. He knew she always responded to that dimple. That was an unfair tactic, but hell, all was fair…

  “You think you’re so cute.” Now she was starting to really look mad.

  He went for some humor anyway. “I know I’m so cute. Cut me a break, Kaylin. Can’t we just discuss this like adults?”

  “That’s rich coming from you. You were emotionally absent when I wanted to talk, to apologize, for one ill-chosen word.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you then. I was shocked and hurt. That is a very touchy subject, and that word grates on me.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “Did you mean what you said? Do you really think I’m depraved?”

  “God, you’re an idiot. An absolute, solid gold idiot. Of course not. It was one word. I was just teasing you. I couldn’t believe how you reacted. You hurt me, too. How do you think I felt when you just shut me down, let me leave without a kiss or a good-bye. I was devastated.” She waited a beat and then said, “And when I got home, Alan Baker was waiting for me.”

  “What? I never read about that. Del didn’t say anything about that. What happened? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?” His heart had hit the pit of his stomach.

  “We kept it out of the press. We didn’t want the story to be about me. It was about four murdered women. When I got home that night, he followed me up the stairs and pushed me inside. He had a gun. Thank goodness Del and a couple of uniforms had staked out the house, rushed in, and took him down. Good old Del’s gut feeling to the rescue again. It could have gotten ugly since my gun was in my handbag and I couldn’t get to it.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “No. He shoved me to the floor and I went flying, but I’m okay.”

  “Oh, baby.” He started toward her, but she put up her hand. He stopped and then dropped down into a chair at the table. He knew she didn’t want him close right now, so he would honor her wishes, but that was not going to last long. He needed to hold her, feel for himself that she was okay.

  “And then I didn’t hear from you for two weeks—no calls, no smoke signals, nothing. And then I saw that lovely picture of you and some woman in the Times. It was a sign from the universe or whatever. I’m over it. It’s over.”

  “It’s not over, and I am certainly not over you. I’m not sure what we have, but I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Well, too bad, so sad. I’m done.”

  “That picture was nothing. I’d promised my cousin, Barbara, a couple of months ago that I would participate in a charity bachelor auction for a women and children’s shelter she supports. She’s relentless. She would have sent out a hit squad if I hadn’t shown up. I was going to call you a hundred times, baby.”

  “But you didn’t. When I was aching for you, you didn’t call. When I needed you, you weren’t there.” This time he got up and pulled her into his arms despite her weak struggles. He ran his hands over her back and arms. He looked into her eyes.

  “I missed you, Kaylin. If I had known you needed me, I would have been here. I thought about you all the time, but I couldn’t get past that word. It carries some heavy weight for me. My father and I have gone around and around over that word. It hasn’t been pretty. I am what I am. I can’t change it. I don’t live every moment in the lifestyle, but it is a part of me. Those Dominant urges are strong.” He held on to her tightly when she would have pulled away. She gave up trying to get free of his arms.

  She put her face into his chest. “I never judged you for that. I was actually starting to enjoy it. Don’t think that I’m ready to sign up for full-time subdom—because I’m not. I’d need to know a lot more about it before I do that.”

  “I wouldn’t rush you into anything or force the issue if you don’t like it. Our scenes in the club were because of the undercover operation. I would have given you time to try it privately, get used to it, before I ever took you into the dungeon if I’d had a choice.”

  She pulled out of his arms and sat down at the table. “Have some coffee before it gets cold. I need to think about this. I don’t know if I’m up for another disappointment with you.”

  “I wouldn’t disappoint you or let you down again.”

  “You can’t know that.” She looked torn. He could see the hurt he’d put in her eyes, and it was killing him. He wanted her back in his arms. He wanted to kiss that hurt away.

  “I can promise to try if you promise to try. What do you say? Can we give each other another chance?” He knew his heart was on his sleeve, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted this woman.

  “I guess.” She didn’t sound overly enthusiastic. He thought he could fix that. He got up again and pulled her back into his arms. His lips came down on hers and he kissed her for all he was worth. Finally, she opened her lips to him. She let him in. Thank God. He hadn’t known how much she already meant to him until now. Yes, he’d missed her. Now he realized how much.

  “I want to love you.”

  She got up, took his hand, and led him toward her bedroom.

&nbs
p; * * * *

  Kaylin didn’t know if she was making a mistake or not. She knew she wanted Jack Dalton Brown as much as she ever had—if not more. She had missed him with every fiber of her being for the last two weeks, and her heart had ached when she’d seen that picture in the paper. She could be stubborn with the best of them, but who would that hurt if not herself? She thought he deserved another chance, and so did she. She definitely knew one thing. She was going to erase that particular word from her vocabulary, maybe rip that page out of the dictionary. That was for sure.

  She had barely cleared the doorway before Jack was stripping off her jacket, blouse, and bra. Before she knew it, her slacks, panties, and shoes had followed them to the floor. He was out of his jeans and T-shirt in a flash and they were on her antique brass bed rolling around on the soft, old quilt her grandmother had made. Grammy might take exception to the action going on here, but she really didn’t think so. She had been a pip in her day. Ha! Maybe she still was.

  “I’ve missed you, baby.” His lips cruised down the column of her throat to glide over the soft mounds of her breasts. He took one puckered nipple into his mouth and pulled hard before he left it and began to torture the other one. She groaned. She had missed him, too, but she wasn’t ready to give up all of her emotions yet. He had to earn that again. She knew she was still cautious after her experience with Paul. The last two weeks had put the frosting on that cupcake. “Trust but verify” would be her catchphrase.

  “I’ve missed you, too—a little anyway.” Kaylin was wild to touch every inch of him she could reach. Her hands worshiped the muscles of his back and chest and moved down over his hard ass. She had not been able to get the picture of him standing wet and naked at the edge of his lap pool in the first light of dawn out of her mind. It was burned on her retinas. God, he was beautiful.

  “You’re full of it, subbie. Don’t lie to your Master.”

  “You have a way to go before you’re my Master. Don’t talk, Jack. Love me.”

  He rolled over on top of her, and she welcomed the sweet weight of his body as she sank into the soft mattress. The heat of his skin burned her lips as she kissed down his neck to his chest. She needed this. She needed him. He reached down into a pocket for a condom. She took the package from his hand and ripped it open with her teeth. She rolled it on with shaking fingers. He was in her in seconds. He really must be eager since she had never known him to rush the moment, not to be sure she was ready—ready to beg. He groaned as the velvet walls of her vagina surrounded him. He began to pump hard and fast as his tongue drove into her mouth as hard and deep as his steel-hard cock was driving into her pussy. She blasted over the top, and he followed a few strokes later. “That was too fast, baby. Way too fast. I promise to make it up to you on the next go-round.” He collapsed on top of her, and she could feel his heart racing against her cheek and the light film of sweat covering his skin. She nestled against him and just inhaled his warm spicy scent and felt the silk-covered steel of his body against hers. Oh, yes. I missed you. I missed this glorious feeling. There’s nothing like it in this world.

  The ceiling fan was sending a rush of cool air over their damp skin. Jack pulled the quilt over them and rolled her into his chest. He looked deep into her eyes as though searching for truth there. She decided to give it to him. “I really did miss you. I don’t know exactly when you became so important to me, but you did. Screw this up, Jack, and I’ll make you pay.”

  He laughed as he kissed her temple and brushed back the dark waves that were spread over the pillow. “I have no intention of screwing this up. I knew you were important to me almost from the get-go. You burned into my psyche that first night in the dungeon. I had a taste of honey, and I wanted the whole hive.” He went into her bathroom and disposed of the condom. He came back with a hot washcloth and cleaned her and himself.

  “What? The first night? You’re crazy.”

  “Crazy for you. We’ll work on it, Kaylin.” Which he proceeded to do a few minutes later. She was surprised when he suited up and was ready to go again that quickly. She was still savoring the shockwaves of the orgasm that had just ripped through her body when she watched the desire flare in his eyes again. This time he made slow, sweet love to her. He didn’t rush. His hands and lips were everywhere, driving her crazy but never staying long enough to satisfy. He threw her legs over his shoulders and went down on her center. He played with her clit and then his tongue was dipping into her and tasting her honey. A shaft of intense pleasure speared through her body, and she was ready to beg again.

  * * * *

  Jack smiled an internal smile. Kaylin’s deep and throaty moans urged him on. She ignited something in him he didn’t think would ever burn out—everything about her turned him on. He didn’t understand it. He’d had hundreds of women. Why was she the one? He had no idea, but her moans were sweet music to his ears as he continued to play with her pussy. He pulled himself up, separated her inner petals, and plunged into heaven again. Her hips bucked, but he would not be rushed this time. His long, slow strokes were driving them both crazy, but he was determined to make it last until the absolute last possible second. His body was as tight as a bowstring. The urgent need began to build again. He kept up his relentless slow and easy strokes as her hips rose to meet his and her whole body convulsed under him. He let go as he watched the ecstasy jolt through her. It was a perfect moment as he gave her one last powerful thrust and came with her this time. The dam had burst and the passion had flowed out. They both collapsed. He pressed his body to her chest and finally relaxed. He felt like he had come home. This woman’s body was home. He didn’t think she was ready to hear that yet. He didn’t know if he was ready to say it. He would let his body do the talking for now. But soon she was going to have to know how he felt. He wanted her for a lifetime.

  Epilogue

  Hallway outside Courtroom A of the Circuit Court, Criminal Division, Broward County Courthouse, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tuesday afternoon, November 11, 2014, 4:00 p.m.

  Kaylin and Jack were standing in the wide, marble-floored corridor outside the courtroom where Alan J. Baker had just been tried for the murder of Lucy Evans, Angela Gomez, Serena Benitez, and Candy Jackson. The judge had just read the jury instructions, and they had retired to begin deliberations. As she had presumed would happen, the prosecution of the Sarasota County murders was on hold pending the results of this first trial.

  They were joined by Gabriella Delaveccia, the Assistant State’s Attorney, and Miguel Gatto, her boss. It didn’t escape Kaylin’s notice that Miguel had his hand in the small of Gabby’s back. Ugh. She wanted to swat his hand away. She noticed that Gabby moved a little to the side and turned slightly away from him as she greeted both Kaylin and Jack with friendly hugs.

  “Hi, guys.” Gabby smiled at both of them. “You never know what a jury will do, but I think Mr. Baker is toast—thanks to your hard work. And Del’s, of course. Where is he by the way?”

  “He took a detour to the men’s room. Do you think they’ll come back with a verdict tonight?” Kaylin was anxious for this to be over. The matter had come to trial in a surprisingly short time. Often criminal trials suffered long delays in the court system. Baker’s wife had left him and taken most of his cash resources with her so he’d had to make due with a public defender. Kaylin could hardly blame her. She had two children to raise, and her dear husband had not only been a murderer but a rapist as well. That had to give her nightmares. She had not attended the trial.

  Miguel broke in. “That is highly unlikely even if we have a slam dunk. Juries don’t like to be seen coming to quick verdicts. It smacks of preconceived opinions.”

  Del joined the group. “Well, here’s hoping for a guilty verdict.”

  Miguel continued. “I have to say that your testimony, as well as that of Detective Gallagher, was excellent—well-reasoned with solid facts and evidence to back it up. If we prevail, it will be in large part due to your hard work, Detectives. Thank you.”
r />   Woo-hoo! Miguel was putting himself out to be pleasant today. What gives?

  “Gabby, your closing argument was brilliant. It brought chills to my skin and tears to my eyes.” Kaylin had been surprised that Miguel had been willing to let Gabby present the initial closing statement. He, of course, saved the final rebuttal closing argument for himself. He had to have the last word. That was only to be expected. That man never gave up the limelight.

  “Anybody want to go get a beer and burger? Tap 42 on Andrews maybe?” Del looked around the group. Kaylin was happy that Jack and Del had become somewhat uneasy friends. They sometimes went out for a beer or watched a game together. At least they were now able to tolerate each other—albeit with a great many jokes and sarcastic comments on both sides. Maybe they made the effort just for her sake, but she was grateful nonetheless.

  “That’s an excellent idea. Tab’s on me.” Miguel glanced at all of them standing there.

  “Well…” Gabby did not look thrilled at the idea of breaking bread with her boss. “I think I should hang out in case there’s a verdict.”

  “That’s no problem, Gabriella. The clerk will call my cell if the jury comes in with a verdict. How about it? Tap 42 sounds good. We’ll only be a few minutes from the courthouse.”

  Jack said, “Sure. Sounds good to me. I haven’t seen you in a while, Miguel. Is that okay with you, babe?”

  Kaylin knew Gabby would want to kick her under the table, but she thought it would be rude to refuse the man’s invitation. “Okay with me. Gabby do you want to ride with us? I haven’t had an opportunity to talk to you in days. I’d like to get your take on the high points of the trial.”

  Gabby gave her a grateful look. It was clear that she didn’t want to have to make the short trip to the restaurant in her boss’s car. “That would be good, Kay. We can catch up while Jack drives.”