“All the way to a ranch in the middle of nowhere Montana.” Archer winked at him to let him know he was teasing.
“It’s my home now.”
“I know. I’m glad you found your place.”
Isaac nodded then stood. “Good. So can we damn well stop talking this shit out? You know I don’t do good with feelings and emotions and shit. Rather hit something than sit down and discuss it.”
Archer just rolled his eyes.
“You’d think Caley would at least have some beer around here. Something to make me feel more manly.”
“We could go try to wrestle a bear or chop down a tree or something if it would make you feel better.”
“Maybe another day.” He eyed the door to the office as though thinking about going to find his woman.
“Don’t even think about it. She’s working.” Archer stood and stretched. He knew what his brother’s problem was. He wasn’t used to not having much to do. Archer felt the same.
“You could let me punch on you a while. That would get rid of this excess energy.” Isaac shook out his hands.
“Think Caley might object to us fighting in her house.”
“Then we’ll go outside.”
Archer raised an eyebrow. “Wrestling in the mud? Sounds more like that would be Caley’s fantasy than yours.”
He nearly winced as he said that. He hadn’t meant that he was part of Caley’s fantasy but Isaac just grinned.
“We’d be doing her a favor. Give her some inspiration for her books. With the added bonus of getting her all worked up.” Isaac wriggled his eyebrows.
Archer grinned. Although he didn’t object to giving Caley inspiration. “She let you read anything yet?”
“No. I keep asking but she says no. I’ll wear her down.”
Archer knew Isaac wouldn’t stop until she gave him what he wanted.
15
Caley groaned as she laid down her hand. “I’m crap at this.”
Archer grinned. He was much freer with his smiles than Doc was. “You’re getting better, love. We’ve been playing for a while.”
“And you have a crap poker face,” Doc told her bluntly.
“Issy,” Archer scolded.
“What? She does! Lucky we’re not playing strip poker. Well, lucky for her. Not for us.” Doc wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
Archer gave his brother a look but didn’t say anything. Things seemed a lot better between them tonight.
Doc had gotten her at five on the dot. It had taken her a bit to finish off her scene, which he’d grumbled in the background about, but Archer had managed to keep him off her back. He’d pestered her for a while about reading what she’d written. But she didn’t want him reading it. Not yet. She’d written ten thousand words today. And in eight hours, rather than her usual eleven or twelve.
Maybe there was something to getting more rest and having regular breaks. She wasn’t ready to admit that to Doc though, his head was already big enough.
Doc had corralled her into doing some stretches while Archer mixed them up some drinks. Which Doc had continued to rib him about. But there had been a lighter note to his teasing. That darker note, the tension between them had eased. Maybe that fight earlier had been the breakthrough they’d needed.
She wished it could have happened without her getting her butt spanked. Sitting on it all afternoon hadn’t been possible. She’d ended up stacking her laptop up on a whole bunch of books and standing.
Which had been surprisingly comfortable, and she might try doing that each day for a while.
After the stretches, which she’d moaned about but had felt quite good on her poor body, she’d sipped the cocktail that Archer mixed. Then they’d eaten meatballs, which she’d only spilled on her clothes three times. Archer and Doc managed to eat them without spilling a drop.
She’d told them it was unnatural.
Then came the poker. Thankfully not strip poker.
She lay back on the sofa with a groan. “I suck.”
“You don’t suck,” Archer told her. “You’re new at this.”
“I just don’t have the brain for it. My brain is wired for words. Not card games. I even suck at Go Fish.”
“Hey.” Doc reached over and tugged her up into a seated position. He grasped hold of her chin. “I know you’re joking around, but you need to stop speaking about yourself like that, understand?”
“Like what?”
“Saying that you suck.” His face was serious as he stared down at her. Why would he object to that?
“Why? It’s the truth. I do suck at cards.”
“It is not the truth and say it one more time and see where you end up.” Doc gave her a stern look before rising and walking into her bedroom. Where was he going?
She looked over at Archer. “I don’t really get it.”
“Part of being a good Dom, hell, part of being a man, is taking care of those we take responsibility for,” Archer explained. “When you gifted him your submission, it became a promise between you and him. And not just one of pleasure and pain. But one of well-being. You give him your submission, Issy gives you his protection and care. That includes mental and physical. Putting yourself down, means you’re speaking badly of someone Isaac holds dear. You.”
She could feel herself going bright red. “But we…this is…we don’t know where this is going.”
“But you have agreed to be his sub while we’re here?”
“Yes,” she whispered. She didn’t know why she was so embarrassed by this conversation. It wasn’t like Archer hadn’t heard her being spanked earlier.
“Then he’s going to treat you as such. Something precious. I’m not criticizing, and you don’t have to answer, but did Dave have any training as a Dom?”
“Ahh, he’d done some playing before. But he’d never had any formal training.”
“You ever go to any clubs?”
She shook her head. “After everything that happened back home, I could never have gone anywhere public. We left Spencerville, found this place and bought it. After everything, it was such a relief not to be so scared. Not to be judged constantly. Sure, it’s lonely sometimes. But I always have my stories.”
Issy came back and crouched down in front of her. He placed his hands on her thighs. “Ever thought about moving from here?”
She shook her head. “No. Move? I can’t move. Where would I go? I can’t leave here. This is where Dave…”
She swallowed, cutting herself off. Talking so much about Dave to Issy probably wasn’t the thing to do, right?
“It’s okay, you can talk about him.”
“Seems like you haven’t had anyone else to talk to,” Archer added. “It’s good to get it out. You don’t want to bottle everything up. Believe me, we know how badly that works.”
“Me. He means me. I bottle shit up, stew on it and let it eat away at me,” Doc told her dryly.
“The two of you seem better,” she ventured tentatively.
“Yeah, we had a talk,” Archer told her.
Doc stood, reaching out a hand. “Come on, your bath is ready.”
“My bath?” He’d run her a bath? She reached up and he took hold of her wrist rather than her sore hand, just another sign of how careful he was with her. It was something she could too easily get used to.
Which wasn’t a good idea considering these guys would be leaving soon.
“Yep. Will help with your sore muscles. Then I’ll give you a rubdown before bed.”
* * *
“You sure I can’t wash your back?” Isaac asked.
“No. Thank you for running me a bath. But I got this.”
He noted the way she couldn’t quite look at him, instead, she kept her gaze on the floor, her cheeks red.
He reached out, tilted her face up and kissed her gently. “You have nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. I’ll let you take this bath on your own. Just this once.”
She sighed. “Anyone ever tell you that you’r
e a pushy bastard?”
“Language,” he scolded. But his eyes twinkled. “And yes, all the time. Enjoy. I’ll go whip Archer’s ass at another game of poker. When you’re finished, stick your head out the bedroom door and holler. Then get on the bed, face down, naked. I’ll give you a backrub.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Okay, Doc or okay, Issy,” he said in a deep voice.
“Issy?” she teased. “I thought you didn’t like that nickname.”
“It’s growing on me.”
She glanced up, met his gaze and her eyes skittered away. How the hell had Dave been so lucky to find a natural sub like her? And then to discover her Little side.
Yeah, he was a lucky bastard.
And now, so was he. He gave her a last kiss then strode out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and back into the living area where Archer was pouring himself another of those godawful cocktails he’d made.
“Pour me another,” he said.
“Thought you said they taste like cough syrup.”
“They do. But I need a drink.” And Caley didn’t have any beer.
“She kick you out while she took a bath?” Archer guessed, handing him a beer.
“Yes.” He frowned as he sat. He could have demanded that she let him stay, let him help her. But that would go against the purpose of having her take a bath in the first place. To relax and unwind.
“Surprised you didn’t just tell her you were staying.”
“Thought about it. But she’s kind of shy about her body.” That wasn’t the only thing she was shy about. “She’s reluctant to show me her Little.”
Archer sat across from him. “It’s only been a few days, man. You have to realize you’re already moving fast. Give her time.”
He tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair. He didn’t want to waste time. If there was one thing he was not, it was patient.
“She’s happy to have me touch her.”
“Which just tells you how much she does trust you. And how vulnerable she feels letting her Little out.”
“Have you ever just known that something was right? That someone was meant for you?”
“No,” Archer replied quietly. “Because I’m thinking if I had, then I wouldn’t let that person go.” A strange look crossed his face. “You feel that about her, though?”
“Yeah. Guess I’m wondering if she feels the same.”
“Because she’s holding back.”
He gave a nod. He wasn’t used to talking about his emotions and shit. But if there was one person he could talk to, it was Archer.
“I’ve missed this.” He practically spat the words out. They made him kind of uncomfortable. Like he was admitting a weakness. And he guessed in a way it was.
“Me too,” Archer replied.
“Didn’t miss Evelyn, you know. Maybe for the first week I told myself I did. Told myself it was all about her, the reason I was so upset. But the truth is, I never really missed her. She wasn’t as important to me as I’d thought. It wasn’t her I was upset about losing.”
Archer leaned forward. “I was always there, Issy. You only had to call me.”
“Couldn’t. Stubborn. Too much damn pride.”
“Yeah, well, I guess we’re both at fault for not speaking up about things in the past. And things are good now. I’m here for you now.”
“Yeah. Ditto.” Verbose, he was not. “So how do you reckon I get her to trust me more?”
Archer looked thoughtful. “With what she’s told you about her past, I’m frankly shocked she trusts you as much as she does.”
He frowned, not liking that. “Those narrow-minded assholes.” She should have been treated like the treasure she was. Not ridiculed and hurt.
“A lot of people don’t understand the lifestyle. They think that just because it’s different and it doesn’t fall into their conception of normal, that it must be wrong.”
“Ass fuckers.”
“Well, some people don’t understand that either.”
“So you really think it’s just time she needs?”
“Wouldn’t hurt you to let her see your vulnerable side.”
He groaned.
“Don’t go making that noise,” Archer told him. “You’ve made breakthroughs in talking to me.”
“Breakthroughs, gag.”
“Must you always act like a child when I try to speak to you about your feelings?”
“Hmm, let me think about that…yep. Pretty much.”
“And how are you going to help her with her issues around trust and being vulnerable if you don’t get hold of your own?”
“Aww Christ.” He had a point. And he knew it. Bastard. “Fine.”
“You both have a lot in common. You were both hurt and rejected by people who were supposed to love you unconditionally.”
Yeah, except for him it had been just two people. And he was a big guy.
She’d only had Dave. And Isaac wasn’t convinced he’d been good enough for her. Driving under the influence with her in the car? He’d kick the other guy’s ass just for that.
“You think talking about that with her will really help?”
“I do. And I think it will also help you.”
“You always did like talking. Even as a kid, you wouldn’t shut up.”
“Not all of us prefer to pretend that we are emotionally shutoff.”
He wasn’t pretending.
Well, mostly.
“It will help her understand that you’ve experienced what she has. And it will help her see that you’re willing to open up to her. Trust her with your issues. So she can trust you with hers.”
“Right. That’s all.”
“That’s all.”
“You make it sound fucking easy.”
“I know it’s not, Issy. I do. But I know that Caley is special. It’s only been a few days, but I can see that. She lost part of herself when Dave died. She’s smothered her needs, her desires since then. Work has become her everything. She needs to know that it’s okay to be that vulnerable with someone else. To allow herself to open up to someone else.”
“What if she decides she can’t? She defends him, even when he’s in the wrong.”
“We didn’t know him. We can’t determine what sort of man he was. Caley loved him, though. And he’s not here to defend himself. My advice, don’t say anything to disparage him. It will only hurt her. And there’s no point to it.”
He took a deep breath, let it out slowly knowing that his brother was completely right.
The door to the bedroom opened. “Umm, Issy? I’m done.”
Archer grinned as the door shut. “See that nickname is taking off.”
Doc shot his brother a look. “You’re an asshole.” He reached out to squeeze his brother’s shoulder. “But thank you. Your advice is actually okay.”
“Don’t strain yourself with the praise there, brother.”
Doc flung the middle finger behind his back as he walked towards the bedroom door. But he was grinning as he did it.
16
“Rise and shine, it’s exercise time.”
She cracked open an eye. Stared up at Issy. Why was he smiling? That didn’t bode well for her.
More and more she was thinking of him as Issy. Doc was strict and grouchy. A disciplinarian. Issy was sweeter. She liked both sides of him. She promptly shut her eyes again.
“Caley, time to wake up.”
“Don’t wanna. Is it the weekend?” Not that she didn’t get up and work in the weekends anyway. So it didn’t matter if it was or wasn’t. But she’d had such a good sleep and she wanted more.
“No, it’s Monday, baby doll. Far as I can see you never take a day off. We’re gonna fix that.”
They were? Hmm, she wasn’t so sure about that. She had a routine. Her routine did not involve being woken up by a sexy, drop-dead gorgeous guy.
Huh. Maybe that was where she was going wrong. Because it seemed her day should start with that.
“Incentive? I might like an incentive.” Her clit tingled as all sorts of thoughts flooded her mind.
“Girl, tell you right now I fucking love the look on your face. However, we don’t have time for that and exercise.”
“Isn’t that considered exercise?”
“Come on, get up.” He rolled her onto her front and landed several hard smacks on her ass. She didn’t feel much through the bed covers, but still, the intent was there.
She got onto her hands and knees and nearly screamed as she saw the time. Shit! How was it so late? How had she slept in so long?
“Oh God, you should have woken me up an hour ago. I don’t have time to exercise.” Or shower. Or have breakfast.
“Exercise. Then you can shower while I make breakfast. Then work.”
“I can’t.”
“Did you get enough work done yesterday?”
“Well, yes, more than enough,” she replied honestly.
“And that was working less hours than usual?”
“Ah, yep.”
“Is your body sore? Hands aching? Back sore?”
“Not as bad as usual.”
“Exercise is good for your body and mind. Gets the blood flowing. It will help with the aches and pain. And help you concentrate. I don’t want your body giving out on you in a few years because you didn’t take a bit of time now to look after yourself. I know what I’m talking about. Trust me, I’m a doctor.”
She sighed. “You know just because you’re a doctor, it doesn’t mean you know everything.”
“It doesn’t? You sure about that?” He grinned.
Yep, she was in trouble.
* * *
“Come here a minute.” Issy patted the sofa. It was late afternoon and Caley had just finished work. Archer had given some bullshit excuse about chopping some kindling in order to give them space.
She sat next to him and he placed the heat pack on her lap. She put her hands down and he wrapped it around them. He really needed to get her onto doing more dictation.
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