by Zoe Mullins
Winning Cait
Zoë Mullins
After more than a decade, Cait returns home to St. Augustin and the Dom she left behind. A pampered sub, now widowed, Cait has had to adjust to making decisions for herself for the first time in years. With some help from her friends, she’s been able to begin the business she always wanted.
Then Jackson walks into her studio and it’s as if their years apart never happened. As if she hadn’t left him for his best friend. Their intense chemistry is still there, but she’s already balancing running a new business and making ends meet. Does she have room in her life for Jackson, or better yet, is she willing to relinquish her newfound control?
He’s not going to give her a choice. This time he’s determined to earn her submission, and have her back, not only as his sub, but as his wife.
Reader Advisory: This story has graphic sexual language and scenes—no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!
An adult BDSM romance from Ellora’s Cave
Winning Cait
Zoë Mullins
Prologue
She knew when the truck door slammed that it was Jackson. She heard his boots crunch across the gravel as he rushed to her door. Her bags were already sitting outside.
He didn’t bother to knock. “Where the hell are you going?”
“I left you a message,” she said quietly, keeping her gaze down. She couldn’t look at him. If she looked at him she would risk seeing the pain she was causing him.
“I know. I got it. You are leaving?”
“I have to. I can’t stay here.” She was on the verge of tears. She should have known he would get here before she could leave. He must have cut his trip to the lumber dealer short to get back here in time. His parents were going to flip if he messed up that deal.
“Caitie-girl, talk to me. Tell me what is going on with you.”
“You shouldn’t have come. If you messed up that deal…”
“Caitie, it’s fine. But you aren’t.” He wrapped his hands around her upper arms. “Why are you leaving?”
She couldn’t say anything, and didn’t have to.
“She’s coming with me.” Logan walked down the hall from her room, carrying her last suitcase. “She’s comingback to the city with me.”
Jackson looked sucker punched, his emotions immediately shuttered behind a stoic veneer. He let go of her arms, stepped back and stared at his best friend.
“You’re going with Logan.” His fists curled.
“Yes.” She nodded shakily. “He asked me to and I said yes.”
“My vacation time is up.” Logan slung an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side, kissing her temple. “I have to get back to the real world, but I’m happy not to be going home alone.”
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” she whispered.
Jackson was too stunned for words. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. With a resigned sigh, he stormed out the front door, the screen door slamming behind him.
Logan dropped his arm away from Cait and ran after him. He jogged down the gravel driveway, catching him by the shoulder. Jackson shrugged him off with a growl.
Logan stepped back. “Come with us, Jack.”
Jack froze, his hand on the truck door. “Come with you?”
Logan smirked. “You know you don’t want to live here. You justwant her. So come and get her. Come with us.”
“You self-righteous son of a bitch. Is this your idea of revenge?” He narrowed his eyes in disbelief.
Logan shuffled his feet and puffed up his chest, the smirk now a grin. “No, justa way forus both to get what we want.”
“You mean a way for you to get what you want,” Jack argued. “I want to stay here.” He stepped forward, forcing Logan to step back. “I have a business to run here, a future, and until last night,” he looked up at Cait, “I thought I had a woman to come home to.”
“A woman you were happy to share with me,” Logan shot back. “It’s not too late. You still have a career to go back to. A real life away from this backwater.”
“That’s not the life I want.”
“Bullshit.” Logan wasn’t going to be convinced. “She can still be yours if you come back with us. I’m willing to share.”
Jack saw red and raised his fists next to him, but he controlled his temper. “No. It is too late.” He ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath. He stepped back, putting distance between him and his friend.
Jack slowly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small jeweler’s case. He ran his thumb over it. “Here. You may be able to use this.” He tossed Loganthe case then jumped into the truck and pulled away, gravel flying behind him.
Logan kicked the gravel, watching the taillights recede. He bent down and picked up the case that had landed next to his feet. A perfect two-carat diamond sparkled up at him from the box. “Son of a bitch.” He sighed, snapped the case closed and slid it in his pocket.
Chapter One
She didn’t need to turn around. She remembered his scent—a mix of woodsy cologne and him. She’d been expecting him since she saw him at the chamber-of-commerce meeting last week. They hadn’t spoken then, but his eyes had caught hers across the room just before she had fled.
“Cait,” he said gently, and she felt her knees grow weak, her heart flutter wildly. The sound of his voice made her feel about twenty years old again. As if nothing had changed. But it had. Everything had changed.
She turned around slowly. “Jackson.” She smiled pleasantly, stamping down on the butterflies that had freed themselves in her stomach. “How have you been?”
Really? She scolded herself. You don’t see him in more than ten years and that’s what comes out of your mouth. She dug her fingernails into her palm. Don’t lose your cool now. Don’t you dare run into his arms.
He smiled indulgently at her. The tiny laugh lines around his grass-green eyes crinkling with his smile.
Those were strong butterflies dancing in her belly. She took a deep breath, noticing he was the same as when she’d left.
Okay, not the same, but not changed. Sure his dark hair had a healthy dose of silver, but he still exuded a self-assured calm. Like he knew who he was and where he belonged. That he was used to manual labor was evident in the strong, lean body. His arms were thick with muscle, and his shoulders were broad and hard. As if he can carry the weight of the world’s problems—or at least the weight of mine, she thought.
“I’ve been well,” he said finally.
“Good.” She pulled her sweater tight around her. “I heard things were good.”
He ran a hand over his face. “I was so sorry about Logan.”
Cait nodded. She knew Jackson and her late husband had remained colleagues, if not friends. “Thank you for the flowers you sent to the funeral.”
“I wish I could have made it there myself.” He had been out of the country, but upon reflection, he thought that was probably for the best. It would have been awkward for her. For both of them.
He cleared his throat and began looking around the studio. “This space turned out very nicely,” he complimented. “It is good to see it put to good use.”
She smiled, feeling oddly proud to have him approve of the yoga studio. “We were lucky to get the space. Sophie found it for rent and helped handle the renovations while I was finishing my certification.” She looked at the small yoga studio that opened through patio doors at the back, onto the beach. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
Logan had made sure she finished college, but after that he hadn’t wanted her to work. He thought taking care of him as he nurtured his career was a big enough job, and she could honestly say that most days it was.
She shrugged that thought away and fo
cused on the space. She felt herself going into business owner mode as she gave him the nickel tour.
“From the practicestudio the windows open up to the deck that overlooks the beach.” She walked him through into the brightly painted blue studio. The trim was white and the floors were white washed. “I wanted the room to remind me of the beach, even in winter.” She explained. “In the winter, we canpractice inside, but when the weather is good we can either throw open the sliding doors and let the outside in, or actually go out onto the deck.”
“There’s a nice piece of beach here too,” he noted.
“We’ll see if we have anyone brave enough to join us on the beach. I think it may only be Sophie and me.” She led him back through the studio. “We have two change rooms with bathroom and showers, and then the little boutique up here at the front.”
“I wasn’t sure you had kept up with yoga over the years.” He laughed gently and touched her shoulder. It was a comfortable movement. His hand paused only a moment before sliding down her arm. He backed away. “I’m glad that didn’t change.”
“I suppose some things never change.” Like how you can throw me for a loop with the lightest touch. His tone was calm, comforting, but she could feel the heat in eyes.
“I still scare you.”
“No, you don’t.” She shook her head. In truth, he terrified her, but she wouldn’t let him know it. She knew he didn’t believe her, but he nodded and graced her with another of those killer smiles.
“Good.” He walked back toward the reception desk. “Then we can have dinner.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes. You know, that meal people eat after work and before watching Law and Order.”
“You don’t watch Law and Order.” She laughed, remembering his fondness for comedies, not police dramas. Big Bang Theory was more his style.
“You’re right, I don’t.” He smiled. “But I do eatdinner.”
“Oh.” Her voice hitched. “Yes, we could do that.” Surely there was nothing wrong with a nice public dinner sometime. Maybe in a few months, she thought, once the studio gets off its feet.
“I’ll pick you up at eight then?”
She shook her head. “Wha-huh?” Real mature there, Cait, she scolded herself.
“Tonight. Seven-thirty at your house. I’ll pick you up. Class is over at seven.” He was already walking to the front door. “That will give you enough time to get ready after your last class, right?”
She didn’t know what to say. It was too soon. “Okay. Yes.” No, not yes. Say no, say no! “That’ll be fine.”
He turned back, halfway through the door. “And I still love the way you look in green.” He winked before closing the door and walking away.
Caitlin looked down and saw she was wearing a moss-green infinity scarf. His favorite color.
* * * * *
Jackson climbed in behind the wheel of his Dodge Ram and let out a deep breath. She was just as he remembered her. No, that was wrong. She was so much better than he remembered, and his erection had been pressing hard against his zipper even before she started walking around the studio in those tight little yoga capris.
His fantasies had kept her the same as she was at twenty. But she wasn’t the same. Her curves were softer, more generous now. The swell of her breasts enticed him nearly as much as the curve of her buttocks. She had cut her hair and lightened it. The now-golden waves fell softly against against her shoulders. And her eyes. Ah, he thought, there is the kicker.Her eyes were jewels, glittering with a shy sensuality.
Jackson had kept tabs on her over the years, from photos online. He had trouble reconciling the girl he knew with the woman in the designer dress and heels at gallery openings and fundraisers. Her makeup and perfectly styled hair. The Cait he saw today was the closer to the girl he remembered than any of the photos he’d seen over the years.
But she was still skittish. He knew she had thoughtLogan was the lesser of two evils, but Jackson had known that Logan would take someone likeCait and mold her into what he wanted, what he needed. He would push her hard and fast, and he would keep pushing until she fit the idea he had of her.
Is that why Cait is still wary? He wondered—and not for the first time—what her marriage to Logan had really been like.
Tonight at dinner, he was sure he’d find out. He glanced at the dashboard clock as he turned the key in the ignition. He was running late for a meeting with the town planner but he didn’t care. His mind was a million miles away.
Chapter Two
Cait shifted from one foot to the other as she waited on her front porch for Jackson. Her heart was pounding and she couldn’t stop fidgeting with her dress. It wasn’t green. It was coral. Her favorite coral dress. A simple wrap-around style that dipped low in the front. Classic.
But it isn’t green, damn it. She bit her lip. He hadn’t told her to wear green, just that he still liked green on her.
She squared her shoulders. She could do this. She had called Sophie as soon as Jack had left the studio and Sophie had reminded her that it was dinner, and it didn’t have to be any more than that if she didn’t want it to be.
And it wasn’t Logan. Logan would have been disappointed if she didn’t wear what he requested. He may not have said anything but he would have taken it as brattiness and disobedience, and punishment would have surely followed.
She was so deep in her head thinking about her late husband that she missed Jackson pulling up in front of her house. She raised her head when she heard his car door slam. He was walking up the short driveway. She grabbed her shawl from the rail and hurried down the front steps to greet him, careful not to twist a heel on the uneven walk.
She cringed when she saw Jackson’s eyes narrow. Damn it, she thought. What was he thinking. Had he already noticed the dress? Of course he had. She took in a deep breath and gave him wide, disarming smile, as she let him lead her to the passenger side door. He was back to smiling when he held the door of the Mustang open for her, and she felt the tension drain from her shoulders.
“I’m glad you could join me tonight,” he said, settling into the driver’s seat. “Would you rather the top up, or is it okay down?”
“Oh, down is fine.” She looked over at him. “It’s such a nice night.”
“I’ll take the ocean road rather than the highway then. I made reservations for us at Savour. Have you been there yet?”
“No, but I’ve heard it’s very good.” And way out of my price range.
“Chef Patrick is very particular, and the menu changes every day depending on what fresh ingredients he can get. The wine list is undoubtedly the best in the area.”
“I look forward to it.”
Jackson had never felt the need to fill the silence with meaningless small talk and she appreciated that. The silence wasn’t awkward, and Cait used the time to take in the view as they headed down St. Augustin’s main street—Water Street—and out along the coast. It took about fifteen minutes to drive out of the city to the renovated Victorian that housed Savour.
She had recently read an article that had detailed how the house had been restored and turned into an intimate dining space with a screened terrace off the back, overlooking the water. The pictures hadn’t done the place justice, and it was obvious that Jack was a regular.
After the hostess seated them Chef Patrick came out to greet them. He was a bear of a man. Large framed but not fat. His thick golden-brown hair was drawn back into a ponytail and he had a short, well-trimmed beard of a matching color.
“It’s a lovely space here,” Cait told him, looking around at everything, from the furnishings, to the woodwork and finally that million-dollar view.
Patrick laughed. “Jackson has to take much of the credit for that. He oversaw the design and restoration. I just have to cook.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Jackson shook his head. “The vision for this place was all his. Steele Construction just had the pleasure of making that dream a reality.”
/> “Yeah, whatever.” Patrick shrugged. “So you opened Elemental Yoga, right?”
“Yes, we opened a couple of weeks ago.”
“My wife’s been looking at giving it a try. When we lived in the city, there was a studio she favored but now she practices at home.”
“There’s certainly a different energy when you practice with others.” Cait opened her purse and pulled out a card, passing it to Patrick. “First class is on us. I hope she will join us.”
Patrick gave her a warm smile as he took the card. “Thank you. I am sure you will see Samantha there soon. Now, may I recommend a pinot noir with tonight’s dinner? The tannins will enhance the duck.”
“I should have mentioned, Patrick never lets me order. It’s like coming to his house for dinner. He will serve you what he wants.”
“Only good friends get that treatment.” Patrick winked.
“Whatever you suggest.” Cait smiled.
“Do you still want a beer to start?” Patrick looked askance at Jackson.
“Only if you think it won’t ruin the meal.”
“I may have something.” Patrick called over the hostess and gave her instructions before disappearing into the kitchen.
“So we get no choice about dinner?” Cait asked. The Jackson she knew would want to know what he was about to eat, how it was cooked, where it was from.
“Absolutely none. But if there is anything you don’t like, don’t hesitate to let him know. He will prepare something else. He probably has six something else’s all prepped.”
“Have you known him long?” she asked, taking a sip of water.
“About five years. He and Samantha were looking for a change of pace from the city and decided to move out here about three years ago. You’ll like Samantha. She can be a little shy but she’s a whiz with desserts.”
“She works with Patrick?”
“She does desserts here, but she also does specialty cakes for events and weddings.”