Pinch Me [Suncoast Society] (Siren Publishing Sensations)

by Tymber Dalton

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Laura’s head hurt like hell. And her chest. It felt like someone had pounded on it. Her throat hurt, too, scratchy. She took a breath that set off a coughing fit, and it felt like she was choking on water. Someone rolled her over and she was aware of voices, what felt like a pitching deck beneath her…

  * * * *

  A loud roar filled her ears before the world shifted and dipped. She thought she heard Rob’s voice, or was it Steve’s? And then the world disappeared again…

  * * * *

  “No!” Laura sat bolt upright, screaming, thrashing, fighting. She had to get to the boat, she had to swim—

  “Laura!” Rob gently shook her, his hands on her arms, his face in hers. “Honey, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

  The scream died on her lips and she stared at him, reaching for him. “Sir!”

  He engulfed her in his arms as she cried, sobbing, relieved. “It’s okay,” he soothed her, burying his face in her hair. “You’re okay, baby girl. You’re safe.”

  “Where am I?”

  * * * *

  Rob’s gut clenched. “You’re at Bayfront. The chopper brought you to the Clearwater air station and they transported you here.” But she knew him.

  That was good, right?

  “The boat—”

  “It’s gone. They’ll send a recovery team after the storm clears.”

  “He’s dead, Sir. I killed him. It was Don Kern.” She cried, long and hard while he rocked her, holding her.

  Rob breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently she remembered him. His not-so-secret fear, debilitating, sitting like a knife-riddled rock in his stomach, had been that she would wake up firmly in the clutches of the amnesia again.

  “It’s okay, honey. You’re safe.”

  She looked terrified to ask. “The baby?” she finally whispered.

  “She’s fine.”

  “Oh, good—” She pulled back and stared at him. “She?”

  Rob smiled. “Sorry. I know you wanted to be surprised. I didn’t even think about it when they examined you. I was just so relieved that they said you’re both—”

  She kissed him, cutting off his words. “Thank you, Sir.” She touched his face, as if trying to absorb his image. “What happened? I thought I was dead. I saw this bright light. I thought I was drowning.”

  Rob tried to stifle the laugh but didn’t quite succeed. “It was the shrimper’s searchlight.”

  They’d pulled up to the shrimper minutes before the chopper. Rob had enough time to scramble on board and examine her, trying to push his personal feelings aside and treat her like a critical patient and not let his emotions knock him back.

  The shrimper crew had already cleared her airway and got her breathing again before he arrived, but she didn’t regain consciousness. He couldn’t go with the chopper, because it would have taken too long to load him, and was too dangerous with the rapidly deteriorating weather. Instead, he rode back to the shop with Steve and Thomas, who had a marked cruiser drive him all the way up to St. Petersburg, to Bayfront Hospital, with lights and sirens running.

  “How long have I been here?” she asked.

  “Just a few hours. They want to keep an eye on you, to watch for pneumonia. You swallowed a lot of water. They’ll probably let you out in a day or two.”

  She nodded and lay back on the bed, closing her eyes, his hands clutched in hers. “But the baby—”

  He nodded, kissing her hand and holding it, not letting go. “She’s fine. Totally healthy. No problems.”

  * * * *

  Laura covered her eyes. “I remember everything, Sir.”

  “I was afraid you might have amnesia again.”

  “No. I mean I have it all back.” She finally looked at him. “I remember the attack, before. Everything.” She reached up and stroked his cheek. “I remember You…Sir.”

  His eyes went wide as she nodded at him. The slow smile that lit his face filled her with love.

  She told him what happened. “Then he came into the shop after I hung up with you. I was securing the boats, and he jumped me, knocked me out.”

  He looked down. “I’m sorry. If I’d been there—”

  “No. Stop.” She grabbed his hand. “Look at me, Sir, this is not your fault.”

  He stared at her. She could tell he wasn’t convinced.

  “Well, twice now this asshole nearly killed you because I wasn’t there for you.”

  “He won’t get a third try, Sir.”

  He brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them. “Are you really okay, baby girl?” he whispered.

  She nodded, unable to hide her smile. “I am now.”

  There was a knock on the door and Rob turned. “Come in.”

  Thomas stuck his head in. “Is she awake?”

  “Yes.”

  The detective entered. “How are you?”

  “I remember everything. It was Don Kern the whole time.”

  Thomas nodded. “His car was parked at the shop. It was his girlfriend we found dead.”

  Laura felt ill. She remembered. The girl from the dive. Another victim. “Tammy Smith?”

  A frown filled the detective’s face. “How did you know? We just ID’d her an hour ago.”

  “She went out on a dive with him that Saturday morning. I was at the shop when the charter returned. He must have killed her that afternoon. Oh, god—”

  Rob grabbed the wastebasket as Laura dry heaved, but she didn’t vomit. He rang for a nurse, who came in and checked on her before leaving again to fetch the doctor.

  Thomas was still there, had moved into the corner and now spoke. “I know it’s a bad time to ask for a statement—”

  “He’s dead,” she said flatly. “I shot him with a speargun. Multiple times. And a powerhead. Unless the cabin hatch gave way after it sank, he’s still in there. If the powerhead didn’t kill him by the time the boat sank, then he must have drowned.”

  He nodded. “Okay. When you’re discharged, call me. I’ll come take your statement.”

  Alone again, Rob looked at her. “It’s over.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead as he rested a hand on her stomach. “You’re finally safe. Both of you.”

  “I feel like a different person.”

  “Well, that’s understandable.”

  She shook her head. “No. I mean it. Like there’s these two halves of me that are back together. I had some memories of before, but it was different. Like I was looking at things from an outside perspective without the context. Now I have all the original feelings and memories back, but there’s this new part of me from the attack until now.”

  * * * *

  Rob felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn’t sure he liked where this conversation headed. “Is that good or bad?”

  She met his eyes and smiled. “Don’t worry, Sir. All of my parts love you.”

  He grinned. “You sure have a way of scaring me, you know that?”

  “Gotta yank your chain, Fireman.” She winked.

  She was back. All of her. Even her voice sounded different. Or, depending on your point of view, she finally sounded normal again. Some might say it was from coughing up seawater, but even how she talked sounded different, not just her voice.

  She sounded confident, assured. Her old self.

  Rob’s smile grew. “Gonna ring your bell, baby girl.” He leaned in and kissed her again. “Glad to have you back.”

  She snuggled tightly against him, his shirt clutched in her fingers as if she was afraid he might leave her.

  “I’m glad to be back, Sir.”

  Epilogue

  Rob was prepared to help Laura through the nightmares he’d expected her to have. Surprisingly, she slept like a rock most nights, rarely waking unless she had to go to the bathroom. Which, as the baby grew, was frequently.

  Having her memory back in full was a weird sensation for him. He’d gotten so used to the new Laura, so similar and yet different from his old Laura, that it was a
n odd adjustment going back.

  The doctors assured them it likely wasn’t the blow to the head so much as the emotional stress that brought back the memories. But it was a coinkydink, as Laura said. However it happened, they didn’t care.

  She noticed his discomfort. She was five months pregnant, and he was off for forty-eight hours on rotation. He had her feet propped in his lap, rubbing them, watching the original Night of the Living Dead with her. He wore shorts and a T-shirt.

  She wore her leather collar, wrist and ankle cuffs, and her wedding ring.

  And nothing else.

  She cocked her head as she studied him.

  “What?” he finally asked.

  “You miss her a little, don’t you?”

  Rob stared at her. “Huh?”

  Laura smiled. “The new me. You miss her.”

  “You’re one person.”

  “I acted differently though. You and I both know it. I can see it all, looking back. I was a totally different person.”

  He shrugged. “I’m glad you’re back to normal.”

  “Whatever that is.”

  He laughed. “Hey, baby girl, trust me when I say it doesn’t matter how I have you, I do have you. That’s all that matters to me.”

  She patted her stomach. “We have the proof of you having me right here, Sir.”

  He laughed. Old Laura shared her bawdy side with him, even though she acted professional at work. New Laura had been more reserved in that way. Tentative.

  He’d missed her frequent laughter. “I didn’t hear you complaining all the times I had you.”

  “Thank you, Sir, may I have another?” Their play had changed as her pregnancy progressed. He was afraid of inadvertently hurting her or the baby, so they’d downshifted to more sensual play, gentler.

  And he was happy to do it.

  Although he still gave her maintenance spankings, because it broke his heart to see the sadness in her eyes when he’d suggested giving up on those, too. Now, she stood and bent over the bed for those, without putting any pressure on her belly.

  He was satisfied it wouldn’t hurt the baby doing it like that, which had been his overwhelming concern.

  He put her foot down and grabbed her arm, hauling her into his lap and kissing her. He caressed her belly. “You can have it all you want. Maybe I’ll keep you barefoot and pregnant.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and nibbled his ear. “Might put a crimp in our sex life, too many kids running around. Maybe I’ll take you to Doogie’s vet.”

  He smiled. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you, baby girl?”

  “No, I don’t suppose I will.” She snuggled against him, her head on his shoulder. New Laura hadn’t been as much of a snuggler as Old Laura. That was one thing he was definitely glad was back to normal. They’d spent hours…before…wrapped together in front of the TV. Not that she had to be glued to him, but it was their personal thing.

  And boy, how he’d missed it.

  “I missed all of this,” she admitted. “I didn’t realize it then, Sir. I’m sorry.” But she still wore the slightest of frowns.

  He wrapped his arms tightly around her. “I’m sorry we didn’t have the wedding you wanted.”

  “That’s the least of my worries.” She met his gaze and smiled. “Am I too heavy to carry to bed, Sir?”

  He grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  He carried her into the bedroom and gently lowered her to the bed. As he stood over her and stripped, he stared down into her loving gaze. So beautiful, and now her eyes were filled with nothing but peace.

  No fear.

  No worry.

  Nothing but their future ahead of them.

  Naked, he climbed onto the bed and kissed her before swinging around, positioning his cock over her open mouth. “Come as many times as you want, baby girl.”

  He laughed as she grabbed his ass and yanked him down on top of her, her soft moan vibrating through his cock as she happily began sucking his cock.

  She spread her thighs wider when he dipped his head to her pussy. Clean-shaven, as ordered, he swiped his tongue down her clit and another, louder moan from her vibrated through him.

  He struggled to hold back and get her over first. He’d loved doing this with her before she got pregnant, but even more now because she’d happily discovered she was hornier than ever.

  And more sensitive than ever.

  It only took him a minute to get the first orgasm out of her. Her fingers dug into his ass, almost painfully, as her back arched.

  He inwardly smiled and redoubled his efforts. Two fingers easily slid into her wet cunt as he sucked and licked her clit. Before long, another round of loud, long moans, accompanied by her slick muscles squeezing his fingers inside her pussy, signaled he’d gotten her over again.

  He waited until he knew he’d gotten four out of her and her entire body quivered beneath him before he took pity on her. Bracing himself with his arms to keep most his weight off her, he began rocking his hips, setting the tempo and letting her catch up and match his movements with her talented mouth.

  “That’s it,” he encouraged, his eyes falling shut. “Just like that, baby girl. Suck your Master’s cock.”

  A tiny moan escaped her. She loved it when he talked to her like that during sex. Something else he was so glad was back to normal.

  “My good little cocksucker, aren’t you? Yes, you are.”

  She undulated beneath him, her pace quickening, sucking harder, reaching between his legs to cup his sac and gently roll his balls along her palm.

  That was all it took. He drove deep, Laura keeping up with him and skillfully deep-throating him, patiently waiting until he was ready to move before she dropped her head back to the bed with a happy sigh.

  He laughed and turned around, pulling her into his arms. “Better, baby girl?”

  She snuggled tightly against him, hooking a leg around his. “Always, Sir. You always make everything better.”

  * * * *

  That Saturday night, Rob wouldn’t tell her where they were going. But he’d picked out a plain black sundress for her to wear, and flat sandals.

  She also suspected the duffel bag he’d tossed in the backseat held her leather cuffs and a leash.

  Sure enough, they parked in front of Venture. When Rob shut the engine off, he turned to her.

  “I know things are about to change for us in a big way in a couple of months. But I want to do this before that happens.”

  She nodded.

  “We won’t get a lot of chances to be here once the baby’s born. Not at first. I wanted to do this now, while we can still—”

  “Enjoy it, Sir?” She smiled.

  He laughed. “Yes, my sweet baby girl.”

  He grabbed the bag and walked around to her side to help her out. She knew from the cars in the parking lot that most of their friends were already there. Sure enough, Loren had put her mad party skills to good use decorating the club.

  Everyone applauded when they entered. Laura felt her face heat.

  Tony called for quiet. “Now that the guests of honor have arrived, let’s get started.”

  Someone had decorated a little archway. In front of it sat a pillow Laura recognized as one of Shayla’s. Rob led her over to it and helped her kneel.

  He turned and set the duffel bag on the floor and rummaged through it for a moment, but she didn’t see what he had in his hand when he straightened.

  She looked up at him, watching him as he spoke and so painfully in love with him she knew everything they’d gone through since the attack in March had been worth it.

  Anything was worth going through to be with him.

  To be owned by Him.

  Rob looked at their friends, who gathered close. “You guys have been beyond wonderful all these months. We never could have made it through without your help and love and support. We ended up improvising our wedding, which we’d originally planned to do in front of you all after I for
mally collared her.”

  He looked down at her. “But better late than never.” He smiled as a soft wave of laughter rolled through the audience.

  He held up what he’d pulled from the bag, a velvet jewelry box.

  She felt the lump in her throat and hoped she didn’t start bawling in front of everyone.

  He opened it. Inside lay a gold necklace with a heart-shaped locket. He took it out and stood in front of her.

  “We’ve been through a lot lately. But I knew when I first met you how special you were. I was willing to wait as long as it took to not just make you my wife, but to make you my slave, if you wanted it.

  “I consider myself damn lucky that I got a second chance with you, and even luckier that you picked me the second time around. No matter what you say next, you are my friend, my wife, my lover, my reason for being, my partner, and the soon-to-be mother of our child. Beyond all of that, and above all of it, I wanted to ask you in front of all our friends, will you please be my slave?”

  She couldn’t speak, but as the tears filled her eyes, she nodded hard enough to rattle her back teeth.

  He smiled. “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes, Sir!”

  He knelt in front of her and fastened the necklace around her throat, touching the locket as he centered it against her flesh. “You have made me the happiest man in the world.”

  She threw her arms around him and kissed him as their friends cheered.

  “I love you, Sir,” she whispered.

  He smiled, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. “I love you, too, baby girl. But I’m still going to bend you over a spanking horse and put five cane strokes across your ass tonight.”

  She let out a laugh. “Why?”

  He grinned. “Because I want to.”

  THE END