Shadow Haven

by AJ Schippers

  “You do, hmm?”

  “I do. But I’m giving you time. I know it will happen when you are ready for it, and I can wait.”

  Alexandra captured Julia’s mouth with her own. Her hands slid down from Julia’s side to her ass. She cupped it and gave a firm squeeze. “What would you like to do while we wait for me to get ready, mine?”

  Julia beamed against crimson lips. “Everything.”

  “What’s everything?”

  Her lips connected with the outer shell of Alexandra’s ear. “I think I want you to use the toy on me that you spoke of before.”

  “What toy would that be?”

  “You know what I’m talking about.” The laughter that rang in her ears made Julia smile, and she buried her face in Alexandra’s neck.

  “I just really want to hear you say it. I thought you’d figured that out by now,” Alexandra said.

  “The feeldoe.”

  Alexandra let her hands wander beneath Julia’s shirt. “You’re a little minx these days. I think we need to do something else first.” Alexandra brought her hand to the back of Julia’s neck and moved her head so she could whisper in her ear. She smirked when Julia gasped at the words that fell from her lips.

  “You cannot be serious.”

  “I am very serious.”

  “Oh my God,” Julia’s face turned bright red. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I won’t let you do it just like that, though. You’re going to have to work for it.”

  “What do I need to do?”

  Alexandra grinned as she pushed Julia off her and jumped to her feet. She extended her hand and pulled Julia up as well. “First, we are both in dire need of a shower. We smell.”

  “Are we taking one together?”

  “Nice try, but, no.” She smiled when Julia pouted. “Patience, mine.”

  “So, what happens after we shower?”

  “That would be revealing my secrets. Weren’t you listening when I told you that I have a few tricks up my sleeve? You just focus on taking that shower and cleaning yourself up…thoroughly, and I will take care of the rest.”

  Julia took a step closer. She wrapped her arms around Alexandra. “I have a request.”

  “Do tell.” Alexandra smirked and clasped a fistful of Julia’s hair. She tugged on it softly.

  A moan erupted from Julia.

  “Can we make out a little before we shower?” Julia didn’t wait for a reply as she pressed her lips onto Alexandra’s. Her tongue darted out of her mouth and swept over Alexandra’s lower lip in much the same fashion as Alexandra would always do to her. Their kiss started out slow, and soon became more and more heated, but when Julia boldly started to wander down Alexandra’s body, firm hands stilled hers. She pouted.

  “Shower first. Playtime later,” Alexandra said.

  “Right.”

  They gathered their belongings and made their way back to the house. Julia’s shower was reinvigorating, and as the water stream massaged her tense skin, she grew more excited, waiting for their playtime to start. The promise that Alexandra had whispered into her ear was one that excited her, and the thought that their day would end with Alexandra using the feeldoe on her made her quiver with anticipation.

  When Julia finally joined Alexandra in the living room, her first reaction was a groan. “You have got to be kidding me. Can I safe word this?”

  Alexandra laughed. “Not really. You can help me.”

  “Why did we both take a shower if we’re going to clean the house? That seems like the wrong order to do it in.”

  “Dear, you should know that cleaning my house is never just cleaning. You know how much I love my games, yes?”

  Julia nodded. Damn Alexandra and her damn games.

  “I am quite positive that you are going to hate this game, which is something I will thoroughly enjoy.” Alexandra grinned. “You see, I’m going to clean the kitchen while you pick up all the things you’ve left strewn about the house. I don’t think you quite realize what a mess you’ve made. I took inventory earlier this morning. There are six items I need you to gather.”

  Julia hadn’t the faintest clue as to what Alexandra was going on about. “What are they?” She was sure that all her stuff was neatly packed away in her own room—the room she hadn’t slept in for days now.

  “First, somewhere in the living room, you left your chocolate bar. I want you to grab it and bring it to me.”

  “Okay,” Julia drawled out. “I’m pretty sure I left that in the kitchen cabinet, though.”

  “Well,” Alexandra said matter-of-factly, “it’s not there anymore. Find it and bring it to me. After that, I will give you the second item to find.”

  Julia’s eyes narrowed, wondering what game Alexandra was playing—not that she cared much; she was already eager to start looking for it.

  “Oh, and Julia?”

  “Yes?”

  “You can only move around the house on your hands and knees, dear.” Alexandra crossed her legs.

  Julia instantly followed her directions and moved to the other side of the room. “Am I hot yet?”

  “Cold, dear. Very cold. Perhaps you should turn around and search a little closer to home.”

  Home? Well, that was easy enough. Julia turned around and moved to the one person she considered home. “Warmer?”

  “Getting there.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be cleaning the kitchen?”

  Alexandra arched a brow. “No sassing, Julia.”

  “Sorry, Miss Alexandra.” Julia stopped in front of Alexandra and moved to sit on her knees. “Warm now?”

  “Warm as you can be.” Alexandra broke off a small piece off the chocolate bar. “Open up.” She placed it inside Julia’s mouth, cupped her chin, and closed it. “I’m proud of you. Now, as for item number two: there’s a small bottle of champagne. It could be in the living room, or it could be in the kitchen. It will be in your line of sight, though. Find it and bring it to me.”

  “Yes, Miss.” She took off, still utterly confused as to what game Alexandra was playing, but if it involved champagne, she couldn’t wait. She crawled around the living room with only one thought consuming her mind—Alexandra Ortega, the most amazing person she had ever come across, had made her fall irreversibly and utterly in love.

  Chapter 21

  There were two things Julia hadn’t thought about before she started crawling around on her hands and knees. One, finding the champagne bottle was proving to be much more difficult than she had anticipated, and two, her knees were suffering from a severe case of rug burn.

  She had looked in every nook and cranny, her mood slowly beginning to deteriorate. A low groan made its way up her throat when Alexandra laughed from the kitchen.

  “Do you need a hint?”

  “No. I need a fucking compass,” Julia muttered under her breath as she passed the couch once more. “Yes, please,” she called out as sweetly as she could muster.

  “Perhaps you should come into the kitchen,” Alexandra suggested as she peeked around the corner. “Oh, someone’s grumpy.”

  “Kiss my ass,” Julia growled softly enough so Alexandra couldn’t hear. She winced when saw Alexandra’s tight expression.

  “What was that?”

  “I said I really like your face.”

  “I don’t quite believe you,” Alexandra said with narrowed eyes.

  “I would never lie to you.” Once she reached the kitchen, she sat up on her knees, her knees hurting even more from all the crawling around. “Promise.”

  “So you didn’t just tell me to ‘kiss your ass’? Because I could, you know. I could put you on the spanking horse and make your ass turn a lovely shade of red before softening the blows with a kiss.”

  A whimper escaped Julia at the prospect. “No, thank you.”

  “Again, what did you just say?”

  “I like snuggling with you,” Julia said, trying to regain control over the situation. She was in big trouble, and she kne
w it.

  “Stand up,” Alexandra said firmly, “and tell me the truth. Now.”

  Julia winced as she stood up.

  “I’m in a conundrum,” Julia finally said, hoping the statement would be a first step in fixing her defiant behavior.

  “Do tell.”

  “If I lie, I’ll get in trouble. If I tell the truth, I’ll get in trouble too. Can we drop this and move on to the next phase, where we kiss and make up?”

  “Not quite. Tell me what you said.”

  “Alexandra,” Julia whined. “Do I have to?”

  “Do not make me ask again.”

  Julia sighed. “I said for you to kiss my ass.”

  Alexandra gasped in obvious faux-shock. “What in the world would possess you to say such a thing?”

  “My knees hurt, and I can’t find the stupid bottle. I don’t like this game anymore. I’m done playing it.”

  “I see. Well…by all means, Julia. If you’re done playing the game, I’m just going to put all my attention on cleaning my kitchen. Off you go.” Alexandra turned around and grabbed the wet cloth from the bucket before wringing it out in the sink.

  Julia furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

  This was new, and it completely baffled and unsettled her. “Alexandra?” Julia tried again, to no avail. After a couple of minutes of just standing there watching Alexandra clean, she stalked out of the kitchen and slammed her bedroom door shut. As far as she was concerned, she had done nothing wrong to deserve the silent treatment from Alexandra, and if anything, two could play that game.

  As it turned out, two could most definitely not play that game. After two hours of trying to distract herself by reading a book, she finally lost it. Alexandra had been in the wrong here, and Julia was going to tell her that, word for word. Today, Alexandra was going to be the one who was going to listen.

  With that in mind, she stalked over to the living room, where Alexandra sat in her chair, reading her book. Julia shook her head before walking further into the room, pacing back and forth on the rug in front of Alexandra. When Alexandra didn’t say anything, Julia stopped, pointed a finger at her, and spat out the words that had been bothering her for the past two hours.

  “What the hell are you doing? Are you seriously treating me like a child because I won’t play your stupid crawling game anymore? You have no idea how ridiculous it is to crawl around on your hands and knees. It’s humiliating.”

  Lashing out hadn’t exactly been the way she’d intended to start this conversation, but it was as if the waterfall had finally begun pouring, and she couldn’t stop. “For days, you’ve teased me, and I’ve done your every bidding. I’m on my hands and knees, doing what you told me to do. What more could you want, huh?”

  “Sit down. Right now.”

  Julia gulped at the harsh tone and quickly sat down on the couch. “Do not treat me like a child.”

  “Tell me what happened in between your enthusiasm of finding the chocolate and your behavior now,” Alexandra said.

  “No. You didn’t want to talk to me before, so I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Julia made a huffing sound.

  Pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers, Alexandra said, “Julia, I have a lot of patience, but it’s going to run out quickly if you don’t start talking.”

  Julia crossed her arms and shrugged. “Don’t care.”

  “What’s gotten into you? I’m baffled by your behavior.” Alexandra got out of her chair and took a step toward Julia. “I am just trying to understand what happened in the few minutes where I left you alone. Obviously, something happened, but if you don’t talk to me, I can’t help you.”

  Julia refused to answer her, choosing to stare at the ground instead. As far as she was concerned, she had told Alexandra exactly what the problem was.

  With a sigh, Alexandra took a step back from her. “Fine, I’m taking the car for a ride. I need some time away from you, because honestly, Julia… I’m incredibly angry. We promised each other we would communicate, and while you do not want to be treated like a child, you’re sure acting like one.”

  “Funny how you want to communicate now but didn’t when I asked you for it. Do what you have to do, Alexandra. I suggest avoiding any tree hugging.”

  Alexandra stared at Julia for a long time. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet, and Julia had to strain her ears to hear the words. “What the hell happened to you?”

  The silence was met with a front door slamming behind Alexandra.

  Julia’s anger subsided the moment Alexandra closed the door behind her, and it was immediately replaced by regret. She honestly hadn’t meant to lash out like that, especially not since Alexandra had only tried to get her to talk. She got up from the couch and walked to the door to see if she could go after Alexandra.

  The dark, gloomy clouds that hovered over the island made her hesitate. She didn’t know the island like Alexandra did, and with her having taken off by car, it meant she could be anywhere by now. Not being in any mood to go for another tree-hugging session, she walked to the kitchen to make herself some tea instead. A pang of guilt seared through her when she saw the champagne bottle in the bucket of water.

  “Great,” Julia spat out as she emptied out the bucket and placed the champagne in the fridge. Her eye caught the bar of chocolate that lay on the kitchen counter, and she was half-tempted to eat it. Two days ago, she had eaten a few small pieces and honestly—she was surprised Alexandra had never mentioned it. This time she knew better, though. It was only meant as reinforcement for positive behavior; she knew she couldn’t have it. Instead, she put it away in the cupboard, and when her tea was ready, she made her way over to the couch once more.

  Her fingers drummed on the rim of the cup as she looked around the living room. Feelings of regret were well on their way to being replaced by anxiety, and she took deep, steady breaths. She hated the fact that Alexandra had walked out on her like that—she had no idea what to with herself now, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was no longer a welcome visitor in this house.

  Alexandra’s fingers were trembling as she got out of the car at the far end of the island. She walked over to a bronze statue and kneeled on a patch of grass. Bowing her head, she closed her eyes and whispered words that were her version of a prayer. After a minute, she opened her eyes and looked out over the water. Her temper dissolved.

  The statue had been her grandfather’s idea. With minimum input, he had let Samuel and Alexandra pick a suitable memorial. After searching for a long time, they had eventually found the perfect one in a hand-sculpted image of two stylized figures bending toward each other, curved so that their bodies made a heart. This was a part of the island she’d kept hidden from Julia. This was her safe haven in times of distress. She reached out a finger and let it slide over a small patch of moss that had formed at the foot of the statue. It could do with a good scrubbing, and she smirked at the timing of that.

  It disappointed her that she had lost her temper like that. There was no doubt in her mind that Julia had been a giant asshole to her, but still—leaving the house the way she did had been stupid. This was not at all how she wanted to behave as a dominant.

  She had fully intended on having a perfect day with Julia, and now it was anything but. Part of her wondered if the assignment had been too much, too soon, but Julia did seem to enjoy it when they had first started. She wracked her brain trying to come up with possible scenarios of why Julia had flown off the handle like she did, but came up empty. A feeling of dread overwhelmed her as she looked around. God, Julia must have been scared to death when she was out here all alone.

  Her thoughts drifted back to the day Julia had arrived on the island. Initially, she had been scared to death when she had found a strange woman on her porch, knocking on the door. After the incident with Marcus, Alexandra had made damn sure no one could get to the island without her permission—or at least she’d thought she had. The terror had soon faded, though,
when Caroline explained the situation to her. Her anger had quickly been replaced by intrigue, and Julia had wriggled her way into her life. Alexandra had not been ready for it at all. She had never planned on falling in love again, and yet here she was…

  “Goddamn it, Alexandra, where the fuck are you?”

  If Julia had been utterly frustrated, she was even more so now. It had been hours since Alexandra had walked out on her, and she was growing more anxious with every passing minute. In her mind was nothing but flashbacks of the people who had walked out on her before: foster parents that returned her to the group home without a care in the world, friends that no longer contacted her, and the parents who had basically abandoned her. And now…now Alexandra had done the exact same thing.

  Voices from the past came back to haunt her, and she willed them away. It would be so easy to give in to the idea that she wasn’t worthy, that she would never be loved. While she knew there wasn’t any truth to those thoughts, it was incredibly hard to ignore them. Hadn’t it always been like this? Julia Quinn, the woman who gets left behind by those who were supposed to care and love for her. Yet here she was, on the verge of an amazing relationship, and now she had pushed Alexandra away beyond the point of no return.

  Her heart ached for what could have been but now would never be.

  Tears formed in her eyes as she walked to her bedroom and packed her bag. It was no use staying here. Alexandra would return soon enough, and she would send her away, all because Julia had decided to mouth off over a silly game they both wanted to play. Or, well, to her it was a game, but to Alexandra this was real, something she did every day. Julia couldn’t do it; she wasn’t cut out for this lifestyle. She needed to get back to work and forget about the existence of Alexandra Ortega. It would be better that way.

  She ignored the voice in her head that told her she was overreacting, that tried to make her understand that she did enjoy certain aspects of BDSM. Alexandra had been so loving when she had first tied Julia up. She remembered the delicate fingers that had traced over her body and the luscious lips that had connected with her and how right it had all felt.