by Tara Rose
Everything they’d said and done to each other Friday had been so real. It had been erotic and intense, and passionate. But was that enough to sustain a relationship that clearly his parents didn’t want him to have? Was it possible to talk to Ria about this?
In all the years since she and Rafe had broken up, Ria and Marisol had only discussed it at length once. Ria had wanted to know if Marisol had had sex with Rafe, and Marisol had assured she had not. Couldn’t Ria convince her parents they were being stubborn without just cause? Or would that make matters worse?
Marisol groaned out loud and tossed the rest of her coffee down the drain. Ellis would be here soon, and she didn’t want to be all gloomy and brooding in front of him. This wasn’t his problem to deal with, and she wanted to forget about it for today and try to enjoy his company.
Ellis greeted her with a big smile, and Marisol admired the way his ass looked in jeans. She’d rarely seen him in anything except dress pants, as he was usually on official business when their paths crossed. Today he looked relaxed and casual, just as he had the day before during the meeting. The casual look suited him much better.
She inhaled the scent of leather as she slid into the passenger seat, and that combined with his cologne made her mouth water and her pussy tingle. While they drove, she glanced sideways and studied his profile. He and Maddox had similar features, but Ellis’s face had more of a roguish appearance than Maddox’s did. His hair was longer than most men wore it these days, but she liked it. It looked soft to touch, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to run her fingers through it.
When he glanced at her, she realized she’d never noticed before how his eyes were actually a combination of green and gold. The color reminded her of summer, warm and full of life. What was wrong with her? Had her hormones suddenly gone off the deep end? First Rafe and now Ellis McCree?
“You’re quiet this morning, Marisol.”
“Am I? I guess I didn’t sleep well.” Shit. Why had she said that?
“Yeah, I don’t imagine anyone in this town will for a while.”
He’d assumed she’d been restless because of the tornado damage. Fresh guilt washed over Marisol. Here she was agonizing over her situation with Rafe instead of rallying with her neighbors to help those in need. She was the most selfish woman on the planet. “Ellis, you were really awesome during that meeting yesterday.”
“What do you mean?” His voice sounded sincere, and she was surprised to hear the tone.
“The way you stood up to the mayor about opening your house to people, and the way you fought to restore the buildings downtown to their original condition.”
“Well, it’s important to this town.”
“I didn’t realize you and your cousin were funding some of that.”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “Marisol, I know a lot of people think of me and Maddox as rich and unaffected, but we love Racy. We can trace our family back to the original settlers. Did you know that?”
She shook her head. She’d had no idea.
“Our grandfather Skeeter is a mean old fart, but his father, Jedediah, was one of the original residents of Racy. Jed started the farm where I grew up with only one horse, a mule, and a hand-made plow. You know all those old homes on Lawnview Drive that were torn down recently? They were once part of the farm. The water treatment plant hadn’t been built yet, and the man-made lake was a pond Jed dug out with the help of his family and neighbors.”
“I didn’t realize that.”
Ellis nodded, and Marisol shifted in her seat to face him. “Yes. Skeeter’s real name is Samuel. He earned the nickname Skeeter when he was in his twenties because he used to shoot skeet, and he’s a deadeye.” He gave her a quick glance and a very sexy grin. “That means he’s a good shot.”
“I always wondered why he was called that.”
“He won’t even answer to ‘Samuel’ anymore. And he won’t answer to ‘grandpa.’ Even when Maddox and I were younger he insisted we call him ‘Skeeter.’”
“How did you both end up living on his farm?”
A frown crossed his face, and Marisol wished she hadn’t asked. “I guess not everyone knows that. Maddox’s mother left my uncle Randy when Maddox was a baby. She had issues. Randy and Maddox moved back in with Skeeter afterwards. And my mother died in childbirth.”
“Oh, Ellis, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
He shook his head. “You couldn’t have known. Maddox and I don’t talk about our mothers. It was really good for us to grow up on the farm with Skeeter. He taught us the value of hard work, and that money didn’t grow on trees, you know?”
“Local gossip about you two doesn’t include any of that.”
He pulled into the town of Lafayette and began to weave his way through the city streets. “I know. They’re more interested in how Randy made his money, and that my father took me, Maddox, and Adison Kincaid to BDSM clubs in Chicago when we were teens. My father may not have had the sense of a mule, as Skeeter always said, but he did his best.”
“Well, you don’t seem worse the wear for it.”
He gave her a big smile. “Thank you, Marisol. I’m glad to know at least one person in Racy doesn’t think so.”
“So, why did Maddox end up with the BDSM club in his house instead of you?”
“Simple timing, I guess. He built his house before I built mine. Truthfully, we had talked about starting a club for a while because we were tired of driving back and forth to Chicago. Plus, we’d both gotten into some trouble there in our wild-oats days, so eventually we wore out our welcomes. Racy is home, and we don’t want to leave, so it just made sense to start a club here.” Ellis gave her a thoughtful look as they pulled into a dealership and he parked his car. “You seem very comfortable talking about this, Marisol.”
“You mean about you?”
“I mean about the lifestyle. You aren’t blushing or squirming in your seat.”
Now of course that he said that, she felt a flush start up her neck. His eyes were so intense and piercing. She suddenly knew what it felt like to be a bacterium under a microscope.
“And now I’ve put you on the spot. I apologize.”
“No, no. You haven’t. I’m only repeating what I’ve heard others say. I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable, Ellis. I shouldn’t be gossiping like this.”
He chuckled. “I’m fine. And it doesn’t sound gossipy at all, if that helps. It’s just that I don’t run into too many people in Racy who can discuss it so easily, or who don’t feel the need to lecture me about my lifestyle and shove their pole-up-the-ass opinions down my throat.”
Marisol laughed. “You see? That’s what I meant about how you conducted yourself at the meeting. Bernie was just dying to slam you and Maddox for that club. I knew it, and so did everyone else in that room. But you were so calm and unaffected. You and Maddox both. Maddox actually looked bored.”
He nodded, and the grin that he gave her made her panties moist. “Bernie has certainly made no bones about how he feels. I guess pretty much everyone who works for the city knows that, right?”
“Oh yeah. And everyone who works at the courthouse knows it, too.”
“How did he ever get reelected?”
“Are you kidding? He’s old school. You know how it is. He’ll be in office until he dies.”
“Marisol, it’s so refreshing to be able to talk openly like this. Thank you.”
Once again, she didn’t know what to say. It was nice to hear a compliment on her personality from a man, instead of watching him make small talk simply so he could ogle her boobs and her ass. Not that she’d mind if Ellis did that, but right now he seemed to be enjoying her company. It was a nice change of pace and she liked it.
“Have you ever been to a BDSM club, Marisol? I know I’ve never seen you at Maddox’s house, and I’m there all the time.”
The question caught her off guard. Images of Rafe spanking her on Friday night filled her head, and she had to
avert her gaze because she was certain he’d be able to see them by looking into her eyes. Would he be shocked by what she and Rafe had done? “No, I haven’t.”
“Well, if you ever want to come and have a look, just let me know. I’ll give you a tour.”
Ellis was larger-than-life and lived a life she found fascinating and intimidating at the same time. Just to be here with him was overwhelming for Marisol. “I don’t know if I could…you know…watch people.”
“You wouldn’t have to. I would show you around the club when no one was there.”
It had suddenly grown warm inside the car. Her palms were damp and the air felt dry. She licked her lips. “Well, I am a bit curious.”
“Nothing wrong with curiosity. It’s free and harmless.”
An image of her draped over Ellis’s knee while he spanked her as Rafe had done rose up in her mind, and she had to bite back the sound that tried to escape from her throat. What the hell was going on with her?
“You know, a lot of people think that when my father took us to clubs as teens we engaged in play.”
“You didn’t?” She’d never heard any other version of the story.
He shook his head. “We were underage. He took us there when no one else was in the club except the Doms who let us tour it. All we did was look around and ask questions about the bondage equipment and toys. Probably not the most appropriate pastime for three teenage boys, but the general assumption of what we did in those clubs is wrong. At least until we turned twenty-one, that is.”
“I’m sorry, Ellis. I believed it, too.” And she knew what it felt like to be accused of having had underage sex. Should she tell him that, or did he already know?
“It’s okay. But thank you for telling me that. I hope you no longer believe it. I will admit I made some stupid decisions early in my life as a Dom, but I like to think I have it figured out now.”
Marisol shivered. What would it be like to be a submissive? Would a Dom expect her to give up her job? Would she have to do things for him and with him that she really didn’t want to do? “Ellis, I would like to see the club. And I have so many questions.” Questions that she’d never revealed even to her best friends.
“I’d be happy to answer any questions you have.” He glanced out the window as a salesperson approached his car. “But right now it looks like it’s time to go shopping. You ready?”
Chapter Eight
“Ellis, I really don’t know how to thank you for today.”
“No thanks necessary. I enjoyed it.”
Marisol had spent the day engaged in a constant battle with her hormones. Her brain wouldn’t stop playing images of her and Ellis kissing, having sex, and using various sex toys. Other than the sexy spanking Rafe had given her Friday night, Marisol had zero experience with sex toys…at least while in bed with a man. She had a vibrator, of course, but did that really count? She’d never used it in front of anyone.
She, Ria, Leela, and Bonnie took turns hosting movie night once a month, and the four would usually get a bit loaded and spend more time discussing sex than watching movies. The club in Maddox’s house came up often, as did various floggers and bondage equipment they found online. But no one in the group had any firsthand experience with BDSM, so the discussions were more than likely filled with inaccuracies. And when they weren’t slightly inebriated on movie night, they never talked about such things.
But now, after what had happened Friday night, and ever since Ellis had begun to talk about Maddox’s club, Marisol’s curiosity had been piqued. All she’d have to do was ask Ellis to clarify a few things, but as the day wore on she wasn’t sure she could handle nonchalant discussion without throwing herself at him. What on earth would a lengthy Q and A session do? She’d make a damn fool of herself.
Ellis behaved like a perfect gentleman all morning, but she caught him watching her closely more than once. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, but by the time they stopped at a fast food place for lunch, her panties were soaked and her clit was throbbing. He was seriously more gorgeous than she’d ever realized. She’d never spent this much time with him and hadn’t had time to get to know him before.
It wasn’t just his classic good looks that had her so captivated. Talking to him was so surprisingly easy and comfortable that she found herself growing more relaxed as the day went on. It was almost like being with her girlfriends, except that there was nothing feminine about Ellis. He was pure male all the way. But the way he put her instantly at ease no matter what they discussed intrigued her. She’d always imagined him to be elitist and aloof, but she’d been wrong. He was anything but.
He projected such a confident, sexy aura that Marisol found it difficult to look into his eyes for longer than a few seconds at a time. She had the feeling he could read her thoughts, which of course was ridiculous, but his gaze was that penetrating at times.
Her attention kept wandering to his mouth, and she wondered if he kissed as well as Rafe did. When he rose from their table to refill her plastic cup with more Coke, she turned to watch his ass move under his jeans. She was still watching as he turned toward her unexpectedly, and she scrambled to pretend she’d dropped something on the floor because her eyes had gone straight to the impressive bulge in his pants.
After lunch they visited the last two dealerships, and Marisol still hadn’t chosen a car by the time they headed back toward Racy, but she did have a list of possible vehicles that she could buy. Ellis hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d told her that he knew something about cars.
He also knew quite a bit about people because he effortlessly deflected the high-pressure sales techniques and managed to steer the conversation toward things about the cars that would matter more in the long run than the special sale only available that day, or the fact that the color she liked was rare, and she’d better grab it now while it was available. Marisol had been more than happy to let him do the talking for her. The whole process of trying to choose another car after so long was overwhelming, but it didn’t seem to faze him a bit.
“Thank you again for helping me today, Ellis. If I’d done this on my own, I would have just caved and bought the first thing that caught my eye.”
“That’s what they count on.”
She laughed. He was so right. “And if I’d gone with my friends we’d have ended up going out to lunch and getting nothing accomplished.”
“It’s wonderful to have friends like that, Marisol. Don’t discount the therapeutic powers of lunch and gossip.”
She touched his arm lightly, mainly to see how he would react, but also to sneak a feel. His clothing couldn’t hide his muscles. “You know, it’s nice to hear someone say something positive about me and my friends for a change.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when we’re out in Luke’s Bar or at Nan’s Place, I see the looks people give us. Like we’re still in high school or something. They dismiss us as obnoxious teens. I almost expect people to start rolling their eyes or something.”
“They’re just jealous. People who react that way wish they were sitting around laughing and talking with friends. Ignore that crap, okay?”
Marisol was too stunned to do anything other than smile at him. He had such a different way of looking at her social life than she’d been used to hearing from her parents and the men she’d dated. Both men with whom she’d had semiserious relationships had constantly told her to be careful when she was out with her friends and not to be quite so gossipy and obvious. Even Rafe had passed judgment on the group, as Ria had often told her.
Guilt washed over her at that thought. She didn’t want to compare Rafe with Ellis. It wasn’t fair. Ellis didn’t have parents who’d turned inflicting guilt onto their children into an art form. Her own parents and Rafe’s could easily win awards in that category.
Then again, when she tried to imagine what it would have been like to grow up without a mother, she couldn’t. Ellis’s life wasn’t something she could relate to, and to com
pare the man he was now with the one Rafe had grown into wasn’t fair or relevant. They were so different from each other, but both were sexy, handsome men, and each possessed qualities she admired.
“Speaking of friends,” he said, “I didn’t realize you and Rafe were still so close.”
Oh shit. She forced herself to meet his gaze. “Well, I’m not sure where things stand, to be honest. His parents pretty much still hate me.”
Ellis frowned. “Because of what happened when he was a senior?”
“Ellis, nothing happened. That’s the point. Rafe and I never had sex back then. I swear it.”
His sudden glance toward her was sharp but more surprised than doubtful, and Marisol exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “Now it’s my turn to be embarrassed. I’ve always assumed the rumors were true.”
She sighed loudly. “Everyone has. That’s the problem, apparently. Even my own parents refuse to believe me.”
“Why? That seems kind of rigid, no?”
“I agree.” She gave him a droll look. “But you didn’t grow up in an Hispanic Catholic family, did you?”
He grinned and shook his head. “No, I certainly didn’t.”
“My parents will concede the point that perhaps we didn’t actually go all the way, as they put it, but they still refuse to believe that an eighteen year old boy didn’t take advantage of my lovesick fourteen-year-old self and talk me into doing something. And apparently his parents feel the same way.”
“Well, not to play devil’s advocate or anything, but you just hit the nail on the head, Marisol. You were fourteen and he was legal.”
“I know. I get that. But to hold a grudge for all these years? And to be so obstinate that you flat-out refuse to believe your own son or daughter is telling you the truth?”
“I don’t know Rafe very well, but from what little I saw when were in school together, his parents run a pretty tight ship. It probably has less to do with you, per se, than with the way they act toward all their children.”