by Cathryn Fox
Yours to Keep
Cathryn Fox
Yours to Keep
Copyright 2015 by Cathryn Fox
Published by Cathryn Fox
Edited by Tera Cuskaden
Cover design by Jan Meredith
Formatting by IRONHORSE Formatting
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.
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ISBN ebook: 978-1-928056-16-4
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Thank You!
Fever
Other Titles by Cathryn Fox
About Cathryn Fox
Chapter One
With a little extra spring in his step, Quinn Montgomery left the air-conditioned lobby of Freedom, his favorite, members-only resort a few miles off the coast of beautiful Nova Scotia. He walked outside, lifting his face to the sky to enjoy the late-morning sun as he thought about the woman waiting in his bed.
He breathed in the fragrant island smells of lilac, pine and marigolds, and his ears perked at the murmurs and soft, sexy sounds coming from the nearby pool. He glanced around the private resort to take in all the couples in various stages of undress. In the past he’d often joined his friends in such activities, had often tag-teamed with his buddies for a little early-morning entertainment. But now, well…now the only girl he wanted in his life, in his bed—on her knees in front of him—was Rebecca Andrews, the smart and sexy lawyer who’d gotten under his skin without even trying.
He looked off in the distance and let loose a contented sigh. Almost one year ago to the day, that smart mouth of hers had taken him down in the courtroom. His company might have lost a substantial amount of money to her client, but it was worth every penny, because here they were now, with him taking her down in the bedroom, and giving her everything she’d ever wanted.
He’d meant to take her training slow, but when she stared at him with curious eyes, how could he not respond to her needs and lead her down a path to sensual freedom sooner rather than later?
Quinn checked his watched and hurried his steps. No doubt she’d be awake and looking for him by now. She’d been sleeping so soundly when he awoke—compliments of a late night at the castle where he’d shackled her wrists and ankles and introduced her to a darker side of pleasure. Instead of waking her, he’d left her a note letting her know he had business to take care of. It wasn’t a lie. He did have things to take care of, and while he hated to leave their bed, he wasn’t ready for her to know what he was up to. Not yet, anyway.
It was shocking how much he’d changed since she’d first dropped to her knees and called him “sir”. For reasons beyond his understanding, he couldn’t quite get enough of her, even though he’d sworn off relationships long ago. The Montgomery blood was tainted with cheaters, but for Rebecca he’d do whatever it took to change that pattern.
Quinn wanted to be the man for her—the man she both wanted and needed. That revelation had driven him from their bed and to the lobby, where he called in a favor from his favorite jeweler. If things went according to plan, then soon enough Rebecca would be his, and his only. She’d given him her body, now it was time to break through her mental barriers and show her she had nothing to fear before he held a collaring ceremony and expressed his level of devotion.
He cracked his knuckles in anticipation. When it came to getting what he wanted, he was ruthless in his pursuits. It was that internal drive that had turned him into a successful billionaire at the young age of thirty.
He veered off the main walking path and strolled along the shoreline, his sandals sinking into the warm white sand as he waved to those passing by on their luxury yachts. His mind traveled back to last night, to the way Rebecca had opened herself to him. His cock thickened when he recalled the softness in her voice, to the way she’d so readily surrendered her body.
His breath came quicker and he drew in the salty tang of the ocean, adjusting his erection inside his khaki shorts as he made his way along the sandy shore toward his cabana, anxious to continue with her training. His fingers itched as he thought about that sweet backside of hers and how much he wanted to put her over his knee again.
Up ahead he spotted Jacob, the man who oversaw the BDSM castle. His bare feet crushed the sand beneath him as he jogged along the beach toward Quinn. His advance was rapid, and when his gaze met Quinn’s, a puzzled look moved over his face.
Jacob slowed as he approached, then came to a stop. Hands on hips, he took a couple breaths. “Quinn,” he greeted.
Quinn was an expert at reading others, and even if he wasn’t, from the strange way Jacob was looking at him, it was easy to tell something was wrong. He shaded his eyes and looked past Jacob’s shoulder. He searched the beach, scanning for signs of trouble.
He focused in on Jacob. “What is it?”
Jacob’s gaze went from Quinn, to the castle’s tall spires puncturing the overhead clouds, then back to Quinn again. He raked his fingers through his damp hair. “How did you get here so fast?”
Quinn angled his head and looked over his friend. He arched a brow and grinned. “Have you been jogging in the sun too long?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I just came from the lobby.”
Jacob shot another quick glance toward the castle, “But I…I just saw you with Rebecca.”
Quinn looked toward the castle. Jacob had to be mistaken. “Rebecca’s at the cabana waiting for me.” She had no reason to go to the castle.
Jacob scratched the back of his head. “I’m pretty sure it was her. I’m almost certain.”
“Like you were certain it was me?” Quinn laughed, and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I think you need to get out of the sun, pal.”
“Jesus, I must be losing it.” He shook his head. “Either that, or you two both have twins.”
“Wait. What?” A flash of unease moved through Quinn and his smile dissolved.
“You both must have twins,” he repeated.
Quinn stared down the beach and considered the members on the island who might resemble him enough for Jacob to think Rebecca was with him, then he turned his attention back to Jacob. The man wasn’t prone to rash comments, and the confusion on his face was genuine. Quinn had learned early on to trust his gut instincts, and right now it was telling him to listen. Something was wrong.
“Are you sure it was her?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“And she was with someone who resembled me?”
“From the back anyway.”
His mind raced, then came to a resounding halt.
Fuck.
Quinn might not have a twin, but there was one man at the resort with the same build and stature, a man he’d stood eye to eye with last night. With single-minded determination, he ran full throttle toward the dungeon. His heart crashed against his chest as he took a direct path that circumvented the winding walkway
. He pushed through the bushes, cutting left and right to avoid a collision with the century-old pine trees. He broke through the trees near the castle and darted up the stairs. Shaky hands fished the key from his pocket as fear crept in and squeezed his gut. He pushed through the main door, shoving so hard it banged off the wall, the crash reverberating through the huge, airy castle.
“Rebecca,” he called out. He blinked, willing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He shot a glance around, struggling to see in the dark. When he heard a cry coming from one of the rooms, he rushed down the hall toward it.
The second he saw her—arms and legs shackled to the cross, a blindfold covering her eyes—his heart slid into his throat. Oh, fuck no.
No. No. No.
“Rebecca,” he said quickly, protectiveness firing his brain. “Oh Jesus, Rebecca.” He started toward her, and from his peripheral vision spotted Felix stepping around the cross. Fury clawed at his insides, demanding he beat the man dead. But at the moment, the need to rip that fucking covering off her face, to free her from the nightmares that came with crossing a hard limit, was far more important than tearing into Felix.
Quinn extended his hand, but seconds before he reached the blindfold, Felix rammed into him from the side, sending him flying across the room. He landed with a thud and air rushed from his lungs. Christ! He climbed to his feet as Felix came toward him again.
Quinn ducked and drove into the man’s stomach, tackling him to the ground. They both went down hard, the anger coursing through his body so toxic he could taste it on the tip of his tongue. They rolled, but Quinn gained purchase. He pinned the fucker to the floor, and knew in an instant he was going to kill him, and he was going to enjoy every fucking second of it.
He drove his knees into Felix’s chest to hold him down. Quinn’s body vibrated at the rush of adrenaline as he fisted his hands and pounded the man’s face. A chorus of violent sounds echoed in the room and red bled into the whites of Felix’s eyes as he struggled to protect himself. He failed miserably, unable to stop the assault. Too fucking bad. Now he’d know what Rebecca felt like.
As he continued to pummel Felix, the coppery scent of blood filled the air. The tang urged him on, but some small part of his brain registered Rebecca’s cries.
Rebecca.
His stomach tightened and he jumped to his feet. He left Felix in a pool of blood and rushed to the woman who’d come to mean so much to him.
“Take it off! Take it off!” she shrieked.
He ripped the blindfold from her eyes, and when his gaze met with terror, he almost sobbed. His heart squeezed to the point of pain.
“Rebecca.” He cupped her face, his hands still shaking as he held her. He softened his words, a breathless whisper, when he said, “I’m here, kitten. I’m here.”
She tried to pull away. “No, don’t,” she cried out, her voice rising to the point of hysteria. “Stop, go away. Go away!”
His throat tightened. Jesus Christ, he’d never felt so powerless in his life. He tried to touch her but she struggled against him, chanting something incoherent under her breath.
“Rebecca,” he said again.
The chanting continued, and if he wasn’t mistaken she was reciting the alphabet. This was bad, so fucking bad. He needed to help but his soft, soothing words weren’t enough to break through the nightmare of having been kidnapped and blindfolded. Perhaps his dominant tone might. He hardened his voice.
“Rebecca, I’ve got you.”
She looked at him, unfocused, her mind somewhere else completely. Jesus Christ, where had she gone? Her chest was rising and falling so hard she was going to hyperventilate and pass out. He needed to snap her out of it, and he needed her to do it now.
“Rebecca,” he said again, tapping her cheek to bring her back.
She blinked three times, and her gaze darted around the room before turning to him. “What… Where?”
“Rebecca. You’re safe. It’s me, Quinn.”
“Quinn,” she said around a sob, her body sagging.
The fear in her voice nearly killed him. His blood ran cold and he clenched his teeth, wanting nothing more than to drag Felix back to standing and beat him again for doing this to her.
His body tensed as he looked at the man struggling to climb to his feet. Blood oozed from his mouth, his nose, and pooled on the floor around him. He went up on his hands and knees, but his palms slid forward and he groaned as he landed with a hard thud on his chest. Fuck him. He wasn’t going anywhere soon. Quinn would deal with him after he took care of Rebecca.
A garbled sound caught in Rebecca’s throat. Shit, she shouldn’t be seeing any of this. Quinn cupped her head, forcing her to focus on him, not the bastard on the floor. He tamped down his anger. That’s not what she needed from him right now.
He pressed his forehead to hers, and her tears fell harder. He wiped his hands on his khakis, scrubbing away as much of the blood as he could before he touched her. Thumb under her chin, he gently lifted her face until their eyes met, then brushed away the stream of tears. “Rebecca, sweetheart…” he began, but how could he reassure her that everything was okay when it wasn’t? Fuck. Her hard limit had been crossed. She might never come back from that.
She sagged into him and struggled against the bindings. Quinn quickly released her, rubbing the red chafe marks on her skin. Another rush of anger cut through him. The fucker had strapped her too tightly and nearly cut off her circulation. He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. After he’d seen her to safety, he was going to enjoy coming back here and fucking the bastard over some more.
With her muscles seizing and her joints rebelling, her body was about to collapse. He ran his hands over her arms, gently massaging her muscles and warming her cold, clammy skin, but she began to shake harder. Christ, she was going into shock. He quickly gathered her in his arms and scanned the room for a blanket.
To work against the shock, he hurried to the aftercare room and grabbed a blanket from the electric, stainless steel blanket-warmer cabinet. He swathed her in it and darted outside, nearly crashing into Jacob as he rushed up the castle stairs toward them.
Jacob’s eyes widened then he hissed in air. “Felix?”
Quinn nodded. He jerked his head toward the door and lowered his voice. “Get ahold of security, but I want to see him before they take him away. I’m not done with him.”
Jacob nodded. “What about his father?”
“Alexander Coffrey might own the castle and half the island, but he’s a reasonable man. I’ll deal with him later. Right now I need you to send a medic to my cabana.” Jacob nodded and Quinn hurried down the stairs, desperate to get Rebecca away from all this.
Quinn ran through the resort, anger seething from every pore in his body. He mentally kicked himself. How could he have let this happen to her? She was so unsure of this world that he’d brought her into, and he’d promised he’d to take care of her, that he’d always ensure her safety. He was a man of his word—he prided himself on that—but he’d let her down. No way could he ever forgive himself for that.
A soft sound caught in her throat, and her body shook, almost violently. He gathered her closer and ran faster, his mind going over the events of last night and what he could have done differently. One thing was for certain. He should have taken Felix’s key. Regardless of who his father was, he should have taken the key and had him removed from the island for abusing his sub. A hard lesson learned, and a mistake he wouldn’t make with any other Dom who sidestepped the rules.
He reached his cabana and shouldered the door open. Once inside he hurried to the bedroom. He removed the utilitarian blanket and tucked her between the soft Egyptian sheets so she’d have something familiar against her body, then pulled the comforter over her. She blinked rapidly, and he slid in beside her, offering his warmth and security.
“Quinn,” she murmured.
He went up on his elbow and pulled her in tighter. “I’m here, Rebecca. I’m here. You’re safe.”
/> Fear reflected in her eyes as she pressed a shaky hand to his chest. He closed his palm over hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze as worry clawed at his gut.
“Take me home,” she said, jerking her hand back. Shit, she hadn’t been touching him for comfort, she’d been pushing him away.
Her rejection stung like a slap in the face, but he fucking deserved it. “The doctor is on his way. You need to be looked at.”
She shook her head, the soft brush of her hair on the pillow grating over his heart at her rejection. “No, what I need is for you take me home right now.”
“Rebecca…” he began cautiously, then shut his mouth when she shook her head harder.
“I need to be away from all of this.” She turned from him, and he couldn’t see her face when she curled up in the fetal position and added, “Away from you.”
Chapter Two
Rebecca closed the file on her desk. She let out a slow breath, stole a glance at her clock and sank back into her chair. The familiar noises outside her office gave her a modicum of comfort, reminding her she was back in Manhattan, safe from Felix…the blindfold. It had been three days since she’d left the private island and while she wanted to forget about Felix, and the darkness that took her back to the fearful days of her childhood, she was having a much harder time putting Quinn out of her thoughts.
Quinn.
He’d been so sweet, incredibly concerned and caring after finding her tied to the cross, and for the first time since they’d met, she’d seen him come undone. She hadn’t seen him beat Felix half to death, since she had the blindfold on, but she’d heard each curse that had fallen from Quinn’s mouth as he pummeled his fists into her captor’s face. But after he’d taken if off, she saw the mess of blood on the dungeon floor, saw Felix rolling around in it and moaning in agony. She had no idea what had happened to him after the beating. Her only thought had been to escape, return to the comfort and familiarity of her condo in Manhattan. Quinn had only told her that he would take care of matters, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know any more than that.