Bunny and the Beast [Divine Creek Ranch 22] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)
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Divine Creek Ranch 22
Bunny and the Beast
Hard-working, strong, and sassy, Bunny Carrigan desires a simple life, far away from the complications of the big city, posh houses, and materialism. She makes her own rules and has no time for pushy men in fancy suits or playing games.
Joseph Hazelle enjoys taking control and has very set ideas about what the ideal submissive looks and acts like. In fact, his ideas are so set they might as well be concrete. Vibrant and full of life, Bunny challenges Joseph’s preconceived notions and she’s determined that if she submits at all, it’s going to be on her own terms.
Accustomed to being the instructor, Joseph discovers that Bunny has claimed his lonely heart and has a thing or two to teach him. All he has to do is educate her about his world and convince her that she does indeed “do” submission. What could go wrong?
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary
Length: 77,351 words
BUNNY AND THE BEAST
Divine Creek Ranch 22
Heather Rainier
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic
BUNNY AND THE BEAST
Copyright © 2015 by Heather Rainier
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-781-6
First E-book Publication: September 2015
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Bunny and the Beast by Heather Rainier from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Heather Rainier’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Heather Rainier’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
Not all men need to be flogger-wielding, steely-eyed Doms to inspire submission in the hearts of the women who love them. They do it with their protectiveness, their generosity, and their commitment to give everything they have in order to help create a love that lasts a lifetime.
I’ve heard it said that the good men are all gone, they no longer exist, or they exist only in romance novels. I disagree. He’s not perfect by any means, and he’d be the first to tell you that, but he is and will remain my knight in shining armor.
This book is dedicated to my husband.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The book you’re holding is the result of not one person’s efforts, but many. My gratitude goes to the terrific staff at Siren-BookStrand, as well as my editor, Devin, the cover artist, Harris Channing, who brought Bunny and Joseph to vivid life. Their collective efforts encourage and inspire me to create the best story I possibly can.
Thank you to the readers who continued to ask whether Joseph Hazelle would ever have a story. For the longest time I wasn’t sure. Special thanks to my personal assistant, Lily Castle who suggested that the previous story, Lumberjack Weekend, be set at Hazelle House, otherwise I might not have reconnected with Joseph or been reminded of how much he needed the right woman in his life.
A special thanks to my street team, the Divine Divas. Led by Lily Castle, they are a fantastic source of support, encouragement, and more than a few giggles. Special thanks to Kimberly for the “Three F’s.”
And thank you to my publisher. Her continued belief in me has resulted in a changed life. To make a difference in another person’s life is no small thing. Thank you, Amanda.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
About the Author
Cast of Main Characters in Book Reading Order
BUNNY AND THE BEAST
Divine Creek Ranch 22
HEATHER RAINIER
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
At a table in one of the darker corners of the Dancing Pony nightclub in Divine, Bunny Carrigan shifted in her seat, watching the scene unfold across the club. Joseph Hazelle was being chatted up at the bar by a busty and seemingly oblivious blonde, who evidently had a lot on her mind.
Violet nudged her gently with an elbow. “Come on, Bunny. He’s too polite to scare her the hell off by telling her he enjoys putting naughty girls over his knee and giving them spankings. Of all of us, you should be the one to save him.”
Bunny rolled her eyes and snorted. “As if I have some kind of magic powers? Joseph Hazelle is a big boy, and I’m sure he can take care of himself.”
Violet pooched out a lip. “The last time I talked to him he was so quiet.”
Bunny knew what Violet was getting at and didn’t want to go there. “He’s always quiet. I’d have better luck pulling hens’ teeth than I w
ould getting him to talk to me. Maybe he has a reason for being quiet. For all we know, he’s enjoying her attentions, no matter how ignorant she might be about his interests.”
Joseph Hazelle didn’t advertise the fact that he was a Dom, although his dark, you-should-be-kneeling vibe was rather hard to overlook. Or maybe it’s just me who’s knocked off balance every time the man walks into a room. All he had to do was look at her and she went weak in the knees, remembering how his warm lips felt mashing her own, or the way his hard hands gripped her ass cheeks and held her immobile with his body pressed against hers—
“She’s thinking about sex,” Cassie Resendez said with a snicker.
Jessica Bright nodded as she sipped from her glass of sangria and then said, “Or at least sex with a certain person.”
Violet burst into giggles. “Y’all be nice. Come on, honey, go rescue the poor man. I’d go and pretend to be his submissive and save him, but Josh and Lucas wouldn’t be very happy if they caught me cozied up to him.”
She was doing a quick check of her makeup and fixing her lip liner before she even realized she planned to do exactly what Violet was proposing.
“Oh yeah,” Cassie said with an enthusiastic squeal when Bunny got up from the chair and made sure everything was in place. Jeans falling perfect on the tops of her pointy-toe boots. Check. Cleavage showing, but not too much. Check. Makeup perfect and lips glossy and inviting. Check. Blushing because now I’m thinking about wrapping them around Joseph’s cock. Check. Get on with it, girl!
A hand restrained her gently, and she looked back to its owner, her new friend, Grace Warner. Grace grinned at her. “You know what you’re about to do, right?”
Bunny nodded while her inner angel was shaking her head hard enough to make her lips flap. “Save a guy who’s in need of a wingman?”
Grace giggle-snorted. “You’re in for a surprise if you think that’s all that’s happening here, but I think you’re the best woman for the job. One suggestion, though.”
“Yes, please, anything, because I still need to read those books Violet sold me on submission. None of this comes naturally for me.”
Grace took in her appearance, which made Bunny feel encouraged rather than inspected, and nodded. “I think it comes more naturally than you realize, sweetie. Avert your eyes when you talk to him.”
“Avert my eyes?”
Grace nodded sagely before taking a sip of her margarita. In the seat next to her, Ethan Grant, one of Grace’s devoted husbands, winked at Bunny. He was the reason she was at the Dancing Pony. After doing some work on the club’s audio system the week before, he’d invited her to come out with their group. Bunny hadn’t been out for an evening of fun in ages, and it felt good to be included.
She didn’t think Ethan had heard her quiet conversation with Grace, but then he nodded at Joseph at the bar and looked at her expectantly, as if to say, “Off you go, good little subbie.”
Violet patted her encouragingly, and Bunny approached the bar, where Joseph was seated. The blonde continued talking a mile a minute as Bunny edged close to him.
“And I was like, look at me, asshole. I’m just as good as her and if you can’t see that then you need to stay with your ho, honey. And he was like, I’m lookin’, boo, and all I can say is I want both of you, and I’m all like, dude, seriously? You’re already too skinny. If you’ve got both us workin’ you, you’re gonna dry up like a corn husk and blow away. I’m like, I need a man. Someone who can take care of my needs, who can take care of this,” she said, waving her hand down her body in a grand gesture. “So, I was like, bitch, you can have his ass. And he was like…”
The young woman continued on like that, and Bunny’s sympathy for Joseph Hazelle double, tripled, and quadrupled as he sat there, his eyes blank. Maybe it was her imagination, or whatever might’ve been causing the confusing feelings she had for him, but he looked tired, too. As if he didn’t care, as long as the bartender took care of him.
That struck her as so wrong somehow. Whoever talked to him should show respect—and talk a whole lot less.
She bit her lip, and with a gentle touch at the bend of his elbow, she averted her eyes and plunged in.
“Master?”
This close, his scent invaded her nostrils. Her nipples reacted to his body heat, and if she moved just a hair closer, she knew she could brush them against his upper arm. He looked down at her, and in her peripheral vision, she saw him double take and nearly grin. Her fingertips were still on his coat sleeve at his elbow, and she pressed her fingers against his arm again.
“Where have you been, fiammetta?”
Heat filled her cheeks at the surge of pleasure his words created, but she kept her eyes down. He’d used that foreign word with her once before, in the darkened stairwell leading to his private suite in his mansion. She didn’t know what it meant, but his tone was clear, and the pleasure in it registered deep in her heart. He must’ve understood what she was trying to do, and not just playing a joke on him. “I’m sorry I took so long in the ladies’ room, Master. I thought I was just overheated, but I’m…I’m not feeling well.”
Rough fingertips stroked her cheek, and the blood surged under her skin, producing even more heat, and Joseph said, “You’re still flushed and seem feverish. You could’ve stayed home, fiammetta.”
His affectionate tone made her want to lean against him as if she really did need him to take care of her. And she wasn’t faking the shuddery sigh that escaped when he put his arm around her. He gathered her hair in his big, capable hands and blew on her shoulder.
She hadn’t thought Doms showed affection in that manner. She liked it, a little, but reminded herself she was doing this as a nice gesture. They had no ties, other than the hot kiss and heady encounter in the private stairwell, and he already had a sub, judging by what she’d seen and heard when they’d been interrupted. She could be nice and help him out, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be his dirty little secret.
Being someone’s doormat wasn’t something she was interested in, either. He was a Dom, and he might play with her, but then she’d be no more than a distant memory. Yes, this was just a nice gesture for…what was he? A friend? No, he was just a business contact. And off-limits. She so didn’t need this drama.
Why are you doing it then?
The girl who had been talking to Joseph finally rattled to a stop. “Who’re you? Are you sick? Why are you in here?” She scrunched up her nose as if she smelled something stinky, and Bunny went so far as to wipe beneath her nose with the bottom of her hand, holding a giggle in check as the girl leaned back and added, “I hope you’re not contagious because ew!”
Trying to cover her trembling laughter, Bunny turned toward Joseph, and he responded by putting protective arms around her. She heard him clear his throat, and the rumble she felt in his chest could’ve been laughter, or it might’ve been a vibration from the music. Whatever, she thought, enjoying the moment a little too much. She wrapped a hand around his arm but then remembered maybe she wasn’t supposed to touch him without permission and settled for just cuddling into his chest as if she was his precious little subbie-whatever.
He patted her back comfortingly and spoke to the other woman. “I apologize for cutting our conversation short. My companion is obviously unwell. Would you excuse us?”
“Uh, sure. I didn’t realize you were waiting on anyone,” the young woman said, her nose still scrunched up, and she eyed Bunny as if she had the plague. “She’s your…companion? What’s that?”
Joseph stilled, and Bunny couldn’t see his face but felt the pause build before he said, “My submissive.”
The young woman’s eyes went wide, and then her jaw popped open. “Oh. Okay, sure…Sir.”
Evidently she’d read the same romance book Bunny had.
* * * *
Joseph looked down at his little fiery-haired savior, tempted to laugh at her subterfuge, but mostly he just wanted to hold her against him without any bristling or arg
uing on her part.
Bunny Carrigan didn’t “do submission,” according to her conversation with his best friend’s submissive, Mona, but she did do an amazing impersonation as she blinked her dark lashes and kept her eyes downcast.
The blonde who had been sharing her man problems with him got up and backed away as if she feared a punishment caning. While he had Bunny in his arms for a few seconds longer, he buried his nose in her red curls. Her scent was a bold mix of flowers, vanilla, and a burst of citrus and, beneath it all, the provocative essence he’d experienced the first time he’d kissed her, in the stairwell beneath his master suite at Hazelle House. He could’ve taken her right there, but he wanted her horizontal for hours while he taught her how deep her responsiveness to him really went, past the mask she wore.
His little flame. Fiammetta suited her to a tee.
After finding out from Grogan Home Theater and Communications that she wasn’t available when he’d asked them to send her out, he’d called her cell phone and left a message for her. She’d never returned his call, and he wanted to know why. He wanted to finish their conversation…to finish what they’d started.
With his hand at the small of her back, he guided her to the front door.
“Good night,” Mike, one of the bouncers, said with a nod of his head as he held the door open for them.
“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll be coming right back in,” she said to him as she paused and turned to Joseph.
Joseph frowned at her. “But that young woman will see you come back inside. I appreciate you saving me from an uncomfortable situation, but I don’t want her confronting you, either.”