Burning For Her Kiss

by Sherri Hayes

  “Me? Why?” That made no sense. Beth had never met Drew’s brother before he’d strolled into the kitchen.

  “No idea. I got the impression that he thought you may be trying to take advantage of me or something.”

  Beth furrowed her brow.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably just Seth being Seth. He’s always been a numbers guy. Maybe he’s only being like this because I brought you home. He knows if I did that you have to be pretty important to me.” And they were back to the one subject she really didn’t want to talk about.

  But Drew didn’t go there. Instead he reached for her hand and tangled their fingers together. It was a simple gesture, but it was exactly what she needed. How was she not to fall in love with him?”

  It took them a little over an hour to get home. He drove up to her house and parked the vehicle along the curb. “Do you want me to come in?”

  Did she? For all her insistence that she wanted space, the thought of him not being in her bed caused a lump in her throat. She should send him home. If for no other reason but to prove to herself that she didn’t need him as much as it felt like she did.

  She couldn’t do it, though. “Yes.”

  He retrieved their bags from the trunk and followed her up the walkway to her front door. It wasn’t too late. She could still tell him to go home.

  Then she felt his breath on the back of her neck. Desire shot through her, settling at the junction between her legs. Last night was the first time they’d slept next to each other and not fooled around. She wanted him. And whether she liked it or not, she needed him.

  Turning the lock, she opened the door and stepped over the threshold. As soon as they were both inside with the door closed firmly behind them, she faced him and brought his mouth down to hers.

  Drew dropped their bags and circled his arms around her, resting one hand on her ass.

  Beth drew back enough to look into his eyes. He’d rejected her last night. She was hoping he understood her need and wouldn’t do it again tonight.

  When she didn’t see any hesitation from him, she reached behind her and took hold of the hand he had groping his favorite body part. As much as she wanted to fuck him and forget the swirl of emotions, she needed to make love to him. Everything else—all the analyzing of what it all meant—would have to wait until tomorrow.

  Chapter 29

  Things returned to normal over the next week . . . or as normal as they were going to get until Beth could figure out her feelings. Drew was trying to give her time. He hadn’t brought up the subject of their future again, but she could tell he was frustrated. The stalemate they were locked in was entirely her fault.

  Although he’d spent the night with her on Monday, he’d told her he had some things to do on his day off on Wednesday and might be out late so he didn’t come over. With him working on Thursday, she didn’t get to see him again until Friday. He picked her up for dinner and then they made their way to Serpent’s Kiss.

  It felt as if it had been more than a week since they’d been inside the club. She took a look around to see who was there. Jeff had some sort of work function, so she knew he and Nicole wouldn’t be making an appearance. Drew’s friends Allison and John were across the room and Daniel was at one of the bar tables chatting with a small group of Doms.

  When Beth’s gaze landed on Katrina, Beth blew out a breath and turned to Drew. “Why don’t you go get us something to drink and see if you can find Allison and John? I’ll join you in a few minutes. I need to talk to Katrina about something first.”

  He raised his eyebrows slightly, but after a moment, he nodded. “Do you want your usual?”

  Beth nodded. “Yes, please.”

  She watched his retreating back and knew she had to figure this out soon. Drew was a great guy and she knew she could trust him. But knowing it and believing it were two different things.

  Katrina was finishing up a conversation with a man Beth didn’t recognize. She guessed he was a new member. He looked to be not much older than Beth, but he had a cane. Considering he appeared to be in fairly good shape, the cane seemed out of place.

  “Beth,” Katrina greeted. “I’d like you to meet Alexander. He just moved to St. Louis last week.”

  He shifted his weight to offer her his hand and Beth realized he must be recovering from some sort of injury. “It’s very nice to meet you, Beth.”

  “You, too.” Although she really did want to talk to Katrina, Beth was curious about this new arrival. It wasn’t often that someone moved into town one week and joined a private kink club the next. “What brings you to St. Louis?”

  Something passed across his face before he answered. “It’s a long story, but I made a promise to a buddy of mine.”

  “And that promise was moving to St. Louis?” She knew she was being nosy, but considering his cryptic response how could she not be?

  He chuckled. “Not exactly. It’s more that he wanted me to give something to someone and I’m here trying to find them.”

  “Does that mean you’re just passing through?” If that was the case, it still didn’t make sense as to why he’d joined Serpent’s Kiss.

  “I haven’t decided. So far, I’m enjoying the city. I might decide to stay and open a practice here.”

  “Lawyer?” she asked.

  “No. I’m a doctor. Spent nearly ten years in the army before this”—he tapped his leg with his cane—“forced me out.”

  Beth supposed that explained the cane. And his age. “I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully you’ll like it here and decide to stick around.”

  “That is a very real possibility.” He shifted his weight again as if his leg was bothering him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me ladies. I need to sit down for a while and get off my leg. It’s been a long day and I’m afraid I’ve pushed myself more than I should.”

  She watched him walk toward the bar and noticed a small limp. “Dom?”

  Katrina nodded. “He’ll be a good addition to the club, I think.”

  “If he sticks around.”

  “We’ll see.” Katrina shrugged as if it was no big deal either way. “And how are you and your new sub doing?”

  “Good.”

  Beth drew out the word and Katrina picked up on it. “You don’t seem too confident.”

  When she’d decided to talk to Katrina, Beth hadn’t considered how she’d broach the subject with the club mistress. Nicole may have been her best friend, but she and Katrina had always had a good relationship. In the beginning, when Beth had no clue what she was doing, Katrina had helped her with Ben. Beth trusted Katrina’s advice. “I wanted to ask you something . . . personal.”

  Katrina cocked her head to the side. “And what would that be?”

  The more she thought about it, the more Beth thought this wasn’t such a good idea. “Never mind.”

  “Beth. It isn’t as if we just met. If you want to ask me something, ask me. I can always tell you it’s none of your business.” She smiled to soften the impact of her words.

  “And you may very well do just that.”

  “Never know if you don’t ask,” Katrina said.

  “Okay. Well . . . how did you know your husband was ‘the one’?” Saying it out loud made her feel silly.

  Katrina’s eyes went wide and flashed in Drew’s direction. “Really? That’s wonderful, Beth.”

  “Is it? I don’t know.” Beth chewed on the inside of her cheek. “That’s why I wanted to know how you knew.”

  It took Katrina a moment to answer. “I’m not sure I can really help you. My relationship with my late husband was complicated, especially during the last few years. But to answer your question, it was more a feeling that I didn’t want to be without him. For all of our issues, he had a way of making me feel as if I were the only woman in the room.”

  Beth nodded.

  Katrina placed a comforting hand on Beth’s arm. “Are things not going well with Drew?”

  “No. I like him. A lot.�
�

  “But?”

  “But nothing, really. I want to be with him all the time even though I know that’s probably not healthy.” She smirked. “So what you’re saying is that you’re in love.”

  Beth frowned.

  “That isn’t a good thing?” Katrina looked confused.

  “It’s just so fast. Everything with us seems to be going at lightning speed.”

  “Love takes as long as it takes.” Katrina shrugged. “It isn’t always practical. I learned that the hard way.”

  It was a lot to think about. As much as she hated to admit it, Beth was pretty sure she was in love with Drew. That didn’t mean confronting it didn’t scare her half to death.

  “Look, don’t stress too much about it. Things will work out the way they’re meant to.”

  Katrina’s gaze flickered to the right and Beth turned her head to see what had caught her attention. Nothing immediately stood out until she realized that Ryan was dancing with Madi, another one of the club’s Femdoms. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal—Madi danced with a lot of the single guys, Dom or sub. The look on Katrina’s face, though, made Beth think she was missing something.

  Then she remembered the wax play demonstration Katrina had and her thinking it was odd that Ryan hasn’t been involved. Something had obviously happened between Ryan and Katrina. Beth just had no idea what. She got the impression no one else at the club did either.

  “Something wrong?” Beth asked. Since she’d been dumping her problems on Katrina, she figured it was only right to give her the opening to do the same.

  She shook her head and smiled. “Not at all.”

  “Well, if you ever want to talk, I’m willing to listen. Heaven knows you’ve been privy to more than your share from me.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate the offer and will keep that in mind.” Beth could tell the chances of Katrina reaching out to her were slim.

  “I should probably get back to Drew. He’s going to think I deserted him.”

  She started to walk away when Katrina’s voice stopped her. “If it makes any difference, I like him. He’s much better for you than Ben ever was.”

  Beth nodded and continued across the room to where Drew sat with his friends. His face was full of questions. She sat down beside him and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I want you kneeling at my feet.”

  This was one of those gray areas in their arrangement. He could refuse, but he didn’t.

  Getting up, he moved to her other side, placed one of the pillows on the floor, and lowered himself onto it. He looked up at her, his eyes still questioning but trusting as well. As Beth combed her fingers through his hair, she felt him relax. Their connection was strong. She could feel the stress of the week melting away as he knelt at her feet.

  ***

  After their conversation on Monday, Drew had had mixed feelings as to what to do. Beth said she needed some space and had shown that by hightailing it into the house to help his mom instead of waking him up. Then she had completely contradicted herself by asking him to stay over that same night.

  Throughout his shift on Tuesday, he’d weighed his options. Things could go on as they were and he could pretend nothing had changed, or he could actually give Beth a little space and hope she figured out what she wanted. Neither option appealed to him. He didn’t want them hanging in limbo for the rest of their lives, but that warred with his desire to be with her at every possible opportunity.

  His crew helped to distract him most of the day, but it was at night when he was lying in his cot that this dilemma hit him full force. He needed to give Beth some time to figure out what exactly she wanted. If that meant putting a little distance between them, he would have to do it. Even if it wasn’t what he really wanted.

  With all his good intentions, Drew was only able to stay away from her for three days. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he would have made it more than two had work not kept him from hopping into his vehicle and going over to see her. It wasn’t the sex—although he missed that, too. No, it was Beth herself. He missed the feel of her hands in his hair and that mischievous smile of hers. It only reinforced that she was the one. Drew had never missed a woman like that before.

  Beth played with the hair at the base of his neck while she talked with Allison. He was only half paying attention to what they were saying.

  He felt something poke him in the leg and he shifted his attention in that direction. John had joined him on the floor and was grinning back at him. Drew could only guess that his friend was mentally saying ‘I told you so.’ The first night he attended the club the hardest thing for him was seeing the male subs kneeling at their mistress’ feet. It felt wrong somehow.

  During the course of the night, he watched John do the same thing. His friend had explained the best he could how freeing it was, but Drew wasn’t convinced. Of course, then he met Beth and the draw to her had been difficult to explain, even to himself. He wanted to worship her in every way possible.

  Drew rolled his eyes at John, letting him know where he could stick his smugness.

  His friend chuckled.

  “You should talk to Michael,” Allison said. “He’s a good teacher.”

  Drew knew who Michael was—everyone in the club did. He was one of the dungeon monitors. What Drew didn’t understand was why Beth would want to talk to him. Then again, if he’d been paying attention to their conversation from the start, he would have had his answer.

  “I probably should. Drew likes being bound and my experience with rope is limited.”

  He guessed that answered his question.

  Allison lifted her drink to her lips with one hand and ran her nails down John’s back with the other. He closed his eyes and let out a hum of contentment. “Haven’t you ever seen one of Michael’s demonstrations? The man is a true artist.”

  “No. My . . .” Beth paused. “My previous sub wasn’t into rope bondage.”

  Unease seem to hang in the air for a moment before Allison spoke again. “That’s too bad. John has come to enjoy it immensely, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, Mistress.” There was almost a longing in his friend’s voice, and Drew wondered if Allison and John would be heading upstairs before the night was over.

  The topic of conversation soon shifted from bondage to some television show. Drew lost interest, closed his eyes again, and went back to enjoying the moment. Beth’s fingers were hypnotic. It had been a long week, and he felt himself drifting.

  “Drew?”

  He glanced up. Beth looked worried about something. “What’s wrong?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  Drew grinned. “I’m fine. More than fine.”

  She caressed the side of his face, and he leaned into her touch. “I take it you like sitting on the floor at my feet?”

  “Yes. John was right. It’s liberating.” Speaking of John, he was no longer on the floor beside Drew. Allison was gone as well. When had that happened?

  Beth bent down and brushed her mouth over his. “I quite like you there myself.” She held his gaze and ran the tip of her tongue along the seam of his lips. He opened willingly.

  By the time she broke the kiss, the position Drew was in was becoming uncomfortable. His erection was stretching his jeans to the limit.

  She lowered her gaze, and he knew she could see how painfully hard he was. “Stay with me tonight.”

  Although it hadn’t been phrased as a question, he knew he had the option. He could always say no. Even if he said yes, there was no guarantee they would have sex. Granted, since this wasn’t one of his four days off, he could jack off, but that wasn’t even close to what he wanted. It had been four days since he’d felt his cock inside her pussy. If there was the slightest chance that he would get to make love to her, he would take it. “I’ll have to stop by my apartment to get some clothes for tomorrow.”

  Beth kicked off her shoe and brought her foot to rest on top of the bulge in his pants. He sucked in a breath as s
he started moving her foot in a back and forth motion.

  “I’m sorry I ran away.”

  What? What was she . . .

  “I should have stayed in the tent until you woke up.”

  Drew closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on what she was saying and not what she was doing to his appendage. “It’s okay. I-I understand.”

  She increased the pressure slightly and he opened his eyes. “That’s no excuse and I want you to know that I’m sorry.”

  “B—” He caught himself, but just barely. “Mistress? Please?”

  Her breath tickled his ear, only adding to his arousal. “Please what?”

  “You’re . . . if you keep it up, I’m going to come.” He hated to admit it, but it was the truth.

  “And would you like that? To come here in front of all these people?”

  He took a deep breath, trying to clear his head enough to give her an honest answer. “I don’t know.”

  Beth licked his ear and removed her foot.

  Drew stared up at her, not sure if he should be grateful or not that she’d stopped.

  She grinned down at him and grazed the side of his face with her fingertips. “Think about it and let me know.”

  Swallowing, he nodded. It was like with the kneeling. Drew knew what she had done should embarrass the hell out of him. If they’d been anywhere else it would have, he was sure of it. But this wasn’t just anywhere. This was a kink club and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t witnessed subs being made to come before. It didn’t happen often on the main floor but Drew had seen it. On his third visit, he observed a female submissive who had been made to wear a chastity device with vibrating dildos filling both her pussy and her ass. Her Dom was able to control it remotely and had spent the entire night turning it off and on.

  “And what are you thinking about?” Beth asked.

  There was no reason to lie. At the time he’d felt kind of bad for the woman, but now, seeing it from the other side, he wasn’t sure if he should have. “I was remembering seeing a sub being made to come here at the club.”