by Opal Carew
No wonder he’d handed her the tissue a few moments ago. Damn eyes were starting to tear up without her permission.
“Please tell me those are tears of happiness.”
She cocked her head in genuine surprise.
“I may be able to anticipate some of your needs, woman, but I’m nowhere near a mind reader. I have no idea what’s running through your head, or whether I’m making you happy or sad right now.”
So she smiled because that’s all she could manage just now.
“Okay, happy then?”
She nodded.
“Good,” he said with a relieved sigh. “Back to my little monologue…. Shit!” Then he jumped up and flew out the door.
“Well, wow,” she grumbled to herself. The snarl turned into a grin when the smoke detector blared. In fact, Solie stifled a very unladylike snort. Neither of them had ever been good at cooking. Thankfully Mac and her husband, Landon, usually took care of that particular task whenever they had dinner and movie night at any of their homes.
Back in the bedroom, Burton presented her with a small plate of perfectly crisp bacon and two of the most burnt English muffins she’d ever seen.
She laughed. Just couldn’t help it. And thankfully, Burt had a good sense of humor and joined in.
“Uh, since this is still smoking I think I’ll just leave the bacon and go toss the rest.” He picked up the charred bread with a napkin and started to head out again. “Be right back. Windows are open in the kitchen.”
Before he could get up, Solie’s free hand shot out and took him by the wrist. The moment he stilled she snatched her hand back. She hadn’t meant to snatch him like that, but there was no way he could leave the room. Not now.
His expression was wide open and she was glad to see that he wasn’t offended that she’d grabbed him like he owed her money. Instead, he simply stood and waited for her to say whatever was on her mind.
“Wait, Burt. I-I really need to finish this conversation. Please.”
Instead of leaving, burnt bits were tossed into the little waste basket next to the nightstand and he sat back down.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I want to know when your feelings for me moved past friendship.”
“Beautiful, they’ve always been past friendship. But I was with someone else at the time, and so were you. I don’t cheat, and I wouldn’t disrespect you or the person I was dating at the time by asking you to be the ‘other woman’. Having you as a friend wasn’t my way of settling for what I couldn’t have. It was important to me to be a good friend to you because you deserve it. And you’ve been a good friend to me right back. Been there for me. Saw me through all kinds of ridiculous drama with idiots in the lifestyle. And we’ve had some good times, too.”
He gently traced her jaw with one hand, and snatched another tissue out of the box to dab at her tears with the other. “And there’s no denying that the attraction between you and I has always been there, just kind of buzzing beneath the surface.”
She blew her nose and took a bite of bacon. How did he make perfect bacon but manage to burn water? Solie sipped a bit more coffee, and then offered him the cup.
She felt all kinds of special when he took it, gulped without hesitation and set it down with a smile.
“While you’re healing from your relationship with Wonder Dick, I hope to have a chance to play with you, then perhaps be more.”
“Wonder Dick?” Solie snarfed her coffee and started coughing. Burt just shook his head at her and pounded her on her back.
“As I was saying, when you’re ready, I want to talk about where this zing thing between us could go. What we could possibly grow to be to each other. So think about it, Solie?”
“But, but I have cooties!” she wailed. She never wailed…except for last night…in Burton’s arms after learning about just how deep Marcais’ dishonesty went. She’d been so upset that Mac fed her coconut brownies after dinner. Okay, so maybe she did occasionally wail. Whatever.
Burton looked at her with a mix of compassion and anger. “Luckily the cooties he gave you are curable. You had your massive dose of antibiotics yesterday. Seven days of no sex and you’re good.”
She knew this, but still she felt…tainted. Unclean. She tested clean before and after being with Marcais. In fact, he’d shown her his paperwork, so she knew he’d tested clean, too. So for him to give her an STI now meant he’d picked it up outside of their relationship. Obviously.
“Solie, stop it. I know what you’re thinking.”
“I thought you said you couldn’t read minds,” she snapped.
“Really?” he growled as he gave her “that look”. She rolled her eyes and mumbled an apology.
“You did everything you were supposed to do, Solie. You’re not at fault here. If you’d been the one slinging your pussy around to any and every one without protection, then yes, I’d blame you for this. But you didn’t. That’s all on him. I can’t tell you not to feel angry or hurt, but I can remind you that this is not your fault. And it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
She didn’t say anything. Couldn’t form the words past the lump in her throat.
“Do you hear me, Solie?”
She lifted her chin and looked at Burton as she had so many times over the years. Even while baring the most vulnerable parts of himself, the man was still a force of nature. Right now, Solie drew on that special energy of his and let it settle into herself. Chest loosened, upper lip stiffened and suddenly it was as if the tears of last night, and the sniffles of three minutes ago never existed.
Strength. It’s what he gave her. Though she had plenty of her own, this was a different kind of fortitude. This wasn’t boardroom-politics strength. This was more of a weather-a-shredded-heart kind of determination. She was more intimidated right now in her pj’s trying to fathom letting her guard down the tiniest bit to let Burton in, than she would be if she were standing toe-to-toe with someone who threatened to take over her company.
He was in no way asking for all of her—not her heart, and perhaps not even her body. She knew that BDSM play wasn’t all about sex with Burton. Sure, he enjoyed impact play with floggers, crops, rope and cuffs; however, what he loved most was getting into his play partner’s head. And still, he hadn’t even asked for that.
He’d only asked to give her what she needed…and she would be the one to decide what that was. And later, if she wanted to, he was open to moving into something a bit more…personal.
Slipping her hand into Burton’s, Solie said exactly what was on her mind.
“Burt, I don’t need to think about it.”
“What are you saying, Solie,” he asked with quiet surety. “No beating around the bush. Just let me have it.”
“I want to explore this zing between us, B. And I’m ready to explore it now. Yes, I will admit I’m on the rebound, but we both know that. And right now, I want you more than anything or anyone else I can think of.”
“More than a new sooped up gaming computer?” he teased, poking at her nerdy side.
“That’s kind of pushing it, but yes, more than a new gaming computer. And more than World of WarCraft. And more than non-burnt English muffins. I want to be with you more than I want a bare handed, over the knee spanking.”
“Now that’s hard to believe,” he quipped back. “But I think we can do something about that. Last I heard, there was nothing like a spanking from Mr. Big Thuddy Paddle Hands.”
Solie’s mouth fell open. “Mac told you about that?”
“Of course she did. And she had no shame in admitting that she’s the one who came up with that loving little title for me while you wholeheartedly agreed. So I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Solie fell backwards onto her pillow laughing like she hadn’t in weeks…hell, months even. She could tell Burton was seriously restraining himself from tickling her. When she caught her breath, she sat back up and smiled as he fed her more bacon.
�
�So what’s the next step, Burt?”
“That depends. What do you want? I may be a dominant, but I’m not a bully. You set the tone and the pace here, Sols. After that last D.I.N.O.—”
“D.I.N.O.? What’s a D.I.N.O.?”
“Dominant-In-Name-Only.”
“Oh.” She chuckled and rolled her eyes. Didn’t that about sum it up?
“Neither of us are into casual dating, but after he who must not be named, you may not even want a D/s dynamic, hon. And this may sound fucked up, but I want you happy, even if it’s not with me. I can give you what you need until you decide that what you need isn’t me.”
“Not want a D/s dynamic? Oh, I definitely want it, Burt. I need it, actually. That’s part of why that last thing was so disappointing and destructive. He knew what I needed, but his narcissism was more important. And now that I understand sociopaths, I get that it wasn’t personal. Hey, did you know that he was actually convicted of domestic violence while we were living together?”
“What the fuck, Solie?!”
“Hey, I just found out myself. I knew he was going back and forth to court for some stuff with his ex-wife, but I thought it was simple post-divorce proceedings. He kept all the nasty details to himself. Straight up lied, actually.”
“So he was living with you, was going back and forth to court for ex-wife stuff and ended up convicted? Fucking convicted, Solie? For domestic violence against…who? The ex?”
“Yep. And she’s terrified of him, Burt.”
“Damn. Talk about bullet dodged, woman. Given how aggressive he could be sometimes, and the way he would get up in your face and yell, it could have easily been you pressing charges against him, love.”
“No doubt. But he wasn’t stupid in that regard.” Solie was trained in two different martial arts, plus was proficient with firearms. Hell, she even had a hunter’s license and could bag a fully grown elk at two hundred yards. “But back to the question you asked me about next steps. I think the next step is to determine what kind of relationship we want. I want to negotiate, set boundaries and all that, but even still, I want to take it one day at a time. And most important, I want you to be who you are, Burt. And that’s alpha to the bone. And I’m not afraid of where that will lead because I know you, and alpha doesn’t mean jerk in the Book of Burt.”
“Book of Burt? I like that. We should also discuss triggers and things that might set you off given your recent ordeal. I don’t want you walking on eggshells and I don’t want to tip toe around either. Okay?”
Then Solie got up on her knees and did something she’d never done in all the time she’d known this man—she kissed Burton Khrys. And she put all her hopes, fears and desires into it as if her life depended on it.
* * * * *
He tasted of coffee and his own distinct flavor of pure man—a mix of strength and spicy heat that she hadn’t realized she’d been dying to sample…until now.
But Burton didn’t sample. He feasted.
One moment she was on her knees pressing her lips to his, and the next she was dragged into his lap and positioned to his liking. He held her tight as he slanted his mouth over hers. She felt the flex of muscle against her body as his arms tightened and released around her.
Suddenly he was pouring himself into the kiss, taking, plundering. She couldn’t breathe. Didn’t want to.
God, it was like drinking from a bottle of her favorite champagne after it had been shaken, uncorked and then pressed to her lips.
She opened to him. Held nothing back. Let him take what he wished. His tongue tangled with hers—not so much that she felt like she would gag, but just enough to make her want to chase him for more.
Burton pulled back just a bit.
“Let your head fall back, Solie.”
She instantly obeyed, trusting him to keep her from tumbling off his lap and onto the floor. The second her neck went limp, Burton groaned his appreciation. And the sound was so deep, so masculine it made Solie’s thighs quiver—thighs that happened to be pressed against his as she straddled his groin.
Kissed her neck. Nipped her jaw just enough to make her hiss. The bit of sting made her nibble on her own lips in anticipation of what he would do next.
He broke the kiss and whispered quietly into her ear.
“Tell me what you need.”
“Hair,” she gasped.
His fingers eased into her hair, to glide across the scalp and play with her locs. The gentle press of his fingertips was sweet followed by an exquisite bite of pain as he gathered a hank of it in his hand and squeezed. Hard.
Her hair, bundled in his hands as if his fingers were a scrunchy, reminded her of the man himself—tightly controlled, bundled strength.
Then thought faded away completely as she sank deeper into the kiss, further under this soul-satisfying spell, to feel rather than wonder at it all.
“What else, Sols? Now.”
Without hesitation, the words tumbled from her lips between thick gasps. “Bite me. Please.”
“Where?”
“Here.” She touched the spot just beneath her ear and slid her fingers down her neck to a certain spot on just shy of her shoulder.
“Cross your arms behind your back and hold your elbows.”
The moment she did, Burton yanked her head sideways and then nibbled along the path that her fingers had shown him. Suddenly his teeth sank into the muscle between neck and shoulder and Solie’s eyes rolled back into her head.
“Oh my God,” she gasped.
It was her sweet spot—the one place on her upper body where sensation could drive her to the brink of orgasm.
Fingers tightened even more at her scalp as he began to suck earnestly. Then he was biting again, then sucking. And all she could think of was…more.
He didn’t try to touch her anywhere else, but focused only on what she’d said she needed. The sting of scalp and skin, mixed with the intimacy of his lips on hers was indescribably delicious.
And Solie was quickly heating up to a point where this bit of play wasn’t enough.
Her hips went wild and there was nothing she could do to control them. The thick ridge of his cock pressed against her core, made her squirm and pant as he continued to bite her neck. Gasps became moans. Moans became cries. Cries became pleas.
She wasn’t sure what she begged for, but whatever it was, only Burton could deliver it.
Lips left her skin and when Burt spoke Solie was pleased to hear he was just as winded as she was.
“I do believe kissing you has made my day, and it’s only seven o’clock in the morning,” he said. “But no sex. Not yet.”
Solie started to withdraw, to sink down into a pool of disappointment as she was reminded of the sexually transmitted infection she’d been treated for just yesterday. But Burton Khrys wouldn’t let her pull away.
“No sex, but not only because of your condition, Solie. I don’t want to move too fast or rush you in any way. Understand?”
His consideration ramped her right back up to boiling. Arms twined around his neck, she held on for dear life. Solie’s ears heard the words, but her brain wasn’t processing them.
“Sols, I need to go. We’ll finish this later.”
But she was dialed up and eager. She ground her Hello Kitty jammy bottoms against his cock, reached for the little bit of sensation that would take her over the edge. She could come without sex, right? Hell yes! All she needed was just a little bit more. Just…
“Solie Alise Shaw.” Uh oh. No one but her grandmother said her entire name, and only if she was in trouble.
Burt sank his fingers into her thigh with just enough pressure to deliver his message without actually hurting her. Solie stilled immediately.
“You’re not speaking, but I’m not missing a single thing that your eyes or your sexy and oh-so-tempting body are saying. We will talk this out Solie. Starting tonight. You game?”
Game? Hell yes. She nodded her agreement.
“Use your words, Soli
e. Are you game?”
“Yes.”
“Meet me at Twilight this evening. No working late for you. Six thirty sharp.”
“Okay.” He stood up with her still in his lap, then turned and eased back into bed. Head on his chest, Solie relaxed under gentle strokes that calmed and brought her down from that brink of delicious madness.
They shared the rest of the jumbo mug of coffee along with some comfortable small talk. Burt grabbed the remote off the nightstand and Solie found herself sharing a very “normal” morning with her friend as they watched the day’s weather forecast on TV.
A few minutes later, a sexy, nicely caffeinated Burton climbed out of bed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
His gaze took her all in as he said, “I’m all yours as of this moment, Sols.”
She gawked as he grinned at her and backed into her bathroom. A few minutes later he was dressed and gone, and Solie headed into a scalding hot shower.
Her whole body hummed—every spot he’d touched and even the ones he hadn’t. It was as if her very blood shimmered beneath the skin.
For a woman who managed a corporation on a daily basis and planned damn near everything to the nth degree, this thing with Burt she hadn’t seen coming.
She moaned aloud as the water sluiced over the bruises forming on her neck where Burton had been so very thorough. It was tender to the touch and the thought made Solie smile like a loon.
She looked up at the ceiling, watched the steam swirl around as it rose. Then she let out the elation bubbling in her gut as she screamed, “Oh my God, I haz a boyfriend! Burton Khrys is mine! Wheeee!”
She twirled until she almost fell and busted her ass on the slick tiles. And even then, Solie couldn’t stop the wild grin from spreading across her lips, nor the flash of anticipation from dancing around in her belly.