by Sara Brooks
Beth suddenly felt like an interloper for crashing what was obviously the group’s standing plan. The last thing she wanted to do was be in the way. Ryan’s hand closed around hers as if he sensed her unease. “I see it in your expression. You want to get up and leave. But you’re just going to have to endure the entire group for the night. You’re stuck.”
“Most of the group,” she murmured as Dade stood, offering his condolences to the gathered crowd as he threw his napkin on the table. He cast a long glance to Genevieve and Tony, shoving his hands into his pockets before vanishing through the doorway. The dark expression was a marked difference from the amused man who had sat on The Quilted Cow’s porch swing with her.
Ryan’s body tensed.
“Do you need to go catch up with him?”
He hesitated but shook his head, tightening his hold on her shoulders. “No. I’ll catch up with him tomorrow. Knowing him, he’s already turned off his cell phone and I won’t be able to get him for the rest of the night. Better to let him stew, then frustrate myself trying to track him down.”
He glanced to both Patrick and Elena, a silent conversation passing between the friends. Beth wondered what she was missing but decided it was better to simply allow things to drop. She had her own problems to deal with right now without trying to decipher the clandestine meaning in a glance between the close friends.
* * * * *
Morning light filtered through the row of trees dotting Main Street as Beth walked toward Perfect Shot. She glanced at her cell phone as she yawned. A few weeks into the new job and she’d gotten used to her nocturnal routine again. But Elena said she wanted to meet before she went to work, which was just about when Beth was ready to hit the pillow. Maybe this wouldn’t take long so she wouldn’t lose more than a few hours of sleep.
Her sleep pattern had been interrupted enough by thoughts of Ryan swirling in her head. She couldn’t seem to get her mind off him since he’d taken her out to the woods and revealed something he enjoyed.
From binding her to whatever equipment he had at hand to outright orgasm denial, she found herself craving what he had to offer. Especially after he’d tied her up to the chair in the middle of his woods and showed her there was more to this lifestyle than what she was accustomed to.
Each day she felt the trust between them strengthen and become deeper.
She always greeted the day wondering what he had in mind for her next. It was a remarkable change from how she’d once spent her life when she’d been involved with Ethan.
With the dark thought still on her mind, she pushed open the door to the coffeehouse. Allison looked up as the bell chimed. A wide smile brightened her features as she pulled away her earbuds. “Not used to company so early.”
“Oh are you not open yet?” Beth glanced at her cell phone again, wondering how she’d gotten so frazzled that she’d lost track of reality.
“You’re a few minutes early, but I won’t tell anyone. How about you have a seat and I’ll join you for a few minutes before the crowd hits?”
“I’m supposed to meet Elena here.”
Allison smiled as she flipped another mug up to prepare a few drinks. “No problem.”
Beth watched her work, admiring her ease with the expensive-looking machine. A few minutes later Allison flopped onto an overstuffed chair, setting three mugs on the low table between them. “If I’d remembered how much work all this was, I don’t think I would have agreed to take over for the week.”
Beth took the mug she offered and sipped. “Fantastic tea, thank you. So you don’t run this place with Patrick?”
Allison’s horrified expression made her laugh. “Good God, no. This is a Conners pet project. I’m perfectly happy behind my desk and computer. Which I will, thankfully, be behind in a few hours when my help arrives.”
She’d heard Allison was handy with computer systems and was the one responsible for the sophisticated mesh network installed at the coffeehouse. “Goodness. So you’ll leave here and go to work? I thought I was a workhorse.”
Allison dismissed her surprise with a wave of her hand. “Oh it’s just for the week while Patrick and Alex are away discussing business. Despite my objections, I do love this place. It’s full of a lot of memories.”
“Not to mention a really choice automated system.” She nodded to the panel mounted on the wall behind the counter. “You install it?”
“That’s how Patrick and I met. The computer system was shot to hell and now the refrigerator delivers a shopping list to the main computer. Not to mention it delivers notes to both Alex and Patrick’s phones. Sad as it is to say, I love everything about this place.”
“I can tell.” Beth could only think of one time she’d been in the coffeehouse where Allison hadn’t been behind the counter. For someone who didn’t work here, she invested a lot.
The relationship Patrick and Allison shared was truly special. She’d love to have what they had someday. The chime on the door rang again and Elena rushed in, a flurry of red hair and blue suit. Beth admired her ability to walk so smoothly in those mile-high heels.
“Hey, how are you?”
“Still getting used to things around here.”
Elena elegantly dropped into a chair despite her harried disposition, taking a few moments to savor the coffee Allison had prepared for her. “Find anywhere to live yet? Ms. Chamblie has to be a little put off by your off hours.”
“That is an understatement.” The scowl the elderly woman had adopted since Beth had come to town had been permanently implanted. “She’s been very sweet, but I can tell she’s struggling with my hours. She does leave out a basket of pastries for me to grab when I leave. Told me I could take it to snack on during my shift.”
“How sweet.”
Beth smiled at the memory. Despite the woman’s steel demeanor, she couldn’t help but be touched by the heartfelt gesture. “She reminds me of Gran.”
Elena’s face brightened at the mention of Beth’s grandmother. “How is she? I felt as if we rushed our visit in Nashville because we were both so busy and I didn’t ask how everyone was doing.”
She had, but Beth had enough on her plate at the time too. That hadn’t helped solve the problem. They both led such crazy lives and had been lucky to find the time they had a few months ago. “They’re good. They’re both driving Mom crazy since she moved down to Florida to live with them.”
An expression of sorrow crossed Elena’s face for a split second. “I miss them. I should give her a call. How is everything else?”
Swallowing her tea, Beth leaned forward, setting her empty mug down. She gave Elena and Allison a sly look. “And by your tone I assume you mean with Ryan.”
“You know I’m not one to assume.”
Beth snorted. “Right.” She wasn’t sure how much information to share with her former roommate, mostly because of Allison’s presence. “Sometimes I get the impression he’s keeping me at arm’s length. I don’t know, maybe I’m just off base. Not as if I have a lot of experience in this area.”
“But things are progressing along?” Beth glanced skeptically at Allison. Elena waved her hand in the air between them. “Oh it’s all right. Allison knows exactly what we’re talking about. Patrick’s been a wonderful teacher and Dom for her. She’s coming along nicely from what I hear.”
Allison blushed, tugging at the slender gray band around her neck. Beth was taken aback by the fact she hadn’t noticed the collar earlier. Then again, the item was extremely nondescript and not something the everyday person would recognize for the symbolism. Beth scolded herself for not paying better attention to small details. She should have known better. Especially since Ryan had told her they had a room at Sanctuary. Her guard was just so high because of everything she’d been through.
Well past time for her just to chill the hell out.
Relaxed now about her company, she answered. “Yes, things are going well. I trust him and he seems to trust me. I think if we can manage to run wit
h that a bit more, we’ll get somewhere. Why are you wearing that smile?”
“What smile?” Elena hid her grin by taking another sip of coffee.
Beth had seen the sly smile enough in college to know better. “That shit-eating grin you get when you know something I don’t.”
Elena’s ruddy eyebrows shot up. “I don’t have any idea what you mean.”
“Bullshit,” Beth fired back.
Elena’s eyes widened in surprise. “Such strong language from a sweet Southern girl.”
“Coming from you, I take that as a compliment.” Beth had heard worse come from Elena’s mouth more than once. “You’ve talked to him, haven’t you?”
Elena took her time answering. “Yes. And he feels as though things are progressing at a nice pace. Same as you.”
There were unspoken things in Elena’s statement, but she couldn’t decipher what they were. “But?”
Elena paused, sliding her finger along the rim of the cup. Beth felt as if she’d stepped into territory she wasn’t supposed to tread and wondered if she’d taken this conversation too far.
“There’s more from what I understand. He was unwillingly forthcoming with what I could get out of him, but there is something different about you he won’t admit just yet. To be honest, it’s probably something you should discuss with him. And it really wasn’t anything he needed to come to me about. Before you start worrying, we were just talking and the subject came up.”
This at least confirmed her suspicion Ryan had something to hide. That, aside from the fleeting seconds in the woods, he was holding back. In some ways, it bothered her to hear Ryan had talked to Elena. But then again, they’d known each other for a long time and shared a level of trust enough to feel as if they could talk so freely. After all, wasn’t she sitting here talking with Elena and Allison about the very same thing?
“How do you know?”
“I know Ryan. I don’t think it’s something he’s conscious of, or willing to admit just yet. Between you and me, he’ll tell himself it’s not true, but there’s something about you he can’t put his finger on. He’ll drive himself—and you—until he figures it out. I’d be prepared for a long haul with him if you weren’t already prepared for that route.”
Beth remembered how she felt pressed up against the wall, his rock-hard body shoved against hers. While the moment had been about control, something about it hadn’t been entirely about their agreement.
“Well, he certainly put his finger in the right place. But there’s…something I can’t figure out about him.”
Elena wet her lips. “Does it bother you? Knowing there’s a distance you may not be able to bridge?”
“No, but I get the sense I need to help him. That we’re going into this both needing something from each other.” She’d never gotten the sense from someone she’d scened with before and wasn’t quite sure how to deal with this new sensation.
“That could very well be the case. It is nice to see you build a relationship with someone. To have the level of trust this kind of thing takes. A lot of people would have packed it in after what you went through.”
“I questioned things for a while.”
“As you should have, but you didn’t give up. Ryan seems like the perfect choice to guide you back into the lifestyle.”
The women fell quiet as the conversation seemed to be over with for now. Relationships such as this needed time to grow and flourish—rushing it now wasn’t going to help matters. She’d forgotten, probably because the choice had been taken away from her by Ethan. No doubt she’d need to remind herself more often.
Allison coughed and gave Beth a warm smile. “Listen, I have a favor to ask.”
“Only if you’ll tell me where you got those.” She pointed to the socks peeking from the hem of Allison’s jeans. “I searched every comic-book store in Nashville and couldn’t manage to snag a pair of those Wonder-Woman socks. Do they have the little cape at the knee?”
Allison dragged up the edge, displaying the bright blue, red and yellow design complete with satin cape. “Give me a few days and I’ll get you a pair. Anyway, Patrick will be back in a few days and I wanted to surprise him, but that night is usually Ryan’s night at Sanctuary. Would it be too much of a problem if we ousted you guys for the night? Shit, shit shit. I just realized I shouldn’t have asked. You guys are still trying to get your feet wet getting to know one another and here I am asking you to compromise. You shouldn’t have to make adjustments this soon.”
The bell rang and she glanced over her shoulder at the customer who entered. “Hey, Scott, I’ll fix your coffee in just a sec. Why don’t you grab a seat in your favorite spot and I’ll bring it out to you?” She turned to face Beth again, her eyes bright with worry.
“Go. Take care of your customers. I need to go and get some sleep anyway. It’s been a long night. I can’t offer you the room because it’s not mine to freely give. But I can talk to Ryan, if you’d like.”
“Thank you.” Allison seemed grateful for the reprieve, hurrying to take her place behind the counter. “I’ll get you another for the road. A muffin too since I bet you haven’t eaten anything yet.”
No, she hadn’t. She’d been too busy on the walk over here wondering what it would feel like to ride Ryan. In fact, her body seemed to be begging for it even right this moment.
She shook off the feeling. Damn him. “Thank you.” Turning, she felt Elena’s gaze studying her. “What?”
Elena smirked. “Heading over to see Ryan? Scratch the itch I see written all over your face?”
“Actually no, I have a meeting later with a real-estate agent to look at a few houses.” She needed to set down stakes, grow some roots she could call her own. The only way to do that was get a place of her own where a doting B&B owner wasn’t hanging on every moment she was there.
Chapter Ten
Ryan adjusted his coat, waiting for the magic hour of four when Beth would leave the station. It had been an interesting few weeks, learning about her bit by bit. He always enjoyed this part of the process. Discovering the little things that made someone tick. He especially enjoyed uncovering the nuances that set Beth apart and made her special.
The combative nature she had when it came to complete submission was actually something he enjoyed. Though he wouldn’t tell her anytime soon. Better to keep the information to himself. He knew his job in this and wasn’t about to upset their dynamic any time soon.
But there was something about her…
When the door opened, his thoughts trailed off as Beth stepped out onto the sidewalk. She’d worn her hair down so the ends had tangled a bit while she’d worked. The Muppets graphic on her fitted shirt wasn’t even enough to detract from the fact the shirt hugged every curve just the right way. Suddenly now he couldn’t think of anything else but getting her clothes off.
Giving in to the heat flowing through him, he pushed his body against hers so hard she stumbled against the building. His arms came up, steadying her as his mouth brushed against hers. She sighed against his lips as he deepened the kiss.
Because of her reaction, he did something he hadn’t done in years.
He poured himself into the kiss.
A blaze ignited low in his gut as he felt things stirring inside him that hadn’t been present since Lisa. He felt something unlock inside both of them when his tongue slid into her mouth. His hands cradled her jaw, tilting her face to make her more accessible as the kiss progressed. Her hands rested lightly against his wrists, but it seemed more to keep steady than to stop him.
Emotions rose to the surface, nearly obliterating his lust.
A loud catcall shattered the morning air. He wanted to scowl and volley a few choice words to the offender, but he was enamored with the flush of her skin, the slightly swollen state of her lips and the bright glow in her eyes. He chose to ignore the early morning audience, dipping his mouth to hers because he had to taste her again.
She pressed a light hand to his chest and
he stopped short, stunned.
“Is this really where we want to go?”
Her question was like a cooler of ice water being dumped on the winning coach of the Super Bowl. He slammed away the sensations he’d allowed to flourish, stepping back to put more than a few feet between them.
She was right.
She didn’t deserve that kind of show of emotion from him because that’s not why she’d sought him out.
He’d let his hormones get the better of him—again.
Not about you—her, you complete and total asshat.
If he kept fucking things up this way, he had no right to be her Dom.
He neatly avoided her hand as she reached for him. He needed to get out of here before he really screwed things up between them. “Sorry, I was out of line. I’ll catch you later.”
Impulse had grabbed him, forcing him to call out and almost blow his whole plan to high hell. He’d nearly ruined everything he’d worked so meticulously to achieve for the past few months. All because he couldn’t take the sight of Ryan passionately kissing Beth.
It was only by sheer dumb luck his catcall had brought everything to a grinding halt. Now he was left to gaze at Beth’s form as she leaned against the radio station wall, trying to understand what had just happened.
Rage burned through his body.
He wanted to go to his submissive. Wrap her in his arms to take away whatever pain Ryan had been responsible for. He wanted to surround her with his own brand of pain.
No one else deserved the right to do what he alone had worked so hard to command. He was the only one who should have the privilege of giving Beth the pain and torment she deserved.
That she’d earned.
This incident reminded him how she would ignore his commands. In turn, he’d punished her severely. Her cries had been a reward still burning through his veins. He missed hearing those wails of agony echoing off the walls of Impact.
He couldn’t wait until her screams ran as freely as her blood.