And he thought she was stubborn? She stifled her frustration and let him have his secret. “If you say so.”
“As you wish, Sir would sound so much better coming from that sweet mouth of yours, but yes, I say so.”
She rolled her eyes, didn’t bother to hide it, and he laughed.
From the corner of her eye, she saw that Colin and Delia had stopped, too. He had her pressed up against the wall just outside the dining room, one hand under her skirt, the other resting on her throat. He was talking, and she was shaking her head. Liv watched back and forth as they held a battle of the wills. It was odd being a voyeur, but it was interesting, too. Colin was clearly in control in their relationship, but Delia was a more than willing participant, even though she was fighting it right now. She could see much of what she felt around Gabe and his always-there dominance reflected on Delia’s face, the struggle between wanting to obey and needing to stay in control. She didn’t know what was going on in Delia’s head, but she knew how she felt when Gabe was giving her orders, and she guessed it was similar.
Finally, Delia gave in, widening her legs. She moaned and shuddered as Colin grinned wickedly. He removed his hand and then kissed her nose, resting his forehead against hers. Liv had been entranced by the love flowing between the two of them all night. It made her wonder. Was this what she looked like with Gabe?
He spoke quietly in her ear. “I see you watching them. I’ll bet he just pushed a vibe in her pussy. I should’ve thought of that myself.” He nipped her neck, then licked it and she shuddered, both from his vivid words and his talented tongue and teeth. “Maybe next time.”
He was still holding her hand tightly. She liked the connection, maybe a little bit too much. It was too easy to get caught up in the sensual moment, to allow herself to imagine they were really together for the long haul like the Butlers. Dangerous thoughts, those. He’d never mentioned anything like it, and with her life and health still as unsettled as it was, she had no business thinking this was anything more than what it was, a fun interlude.
She tugged her hand free.
* * *
Jesus, Olivia’s emotions were bouncing all over the place tonight. Gabe bet she didn’t realize how many of them were etched on her face and echoed in her movements, but he saw them. Fear, frustration, jealousy, desire, worry.
She was thinking too much.
He glanced her way. She didn’t know what to do with her hands, and when she realized she didn’t have pockets, she tucked them behind her, clasped together. Yeah, he liked that. Aside from the submissive nature of it, it pulled her dress taut against her breasts, showing him the tight beads of her aroused nipples. His mouth watered. He was semihard himself. He was nearly always that way around Olivia, but watching Delia and Colin struggle through that exchange of power was heady on its own.
But his arousal was tempered by her emotional state as well as the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about what the hell he was going to do about Bondage and Breakfast. The fiasco surrounding the fire and everything that led up to it and followed after it had consumed a large part of his waking consciousness—right up until Olivia had come to stay with him. It had also shaken his confidence in himself and how he read people. Even though he’d been moving forward with renovations and restocking the house, and even though her helping him work through all the details made it less of a chore, he was still considering chucking it all.
Jesus. She wasn’t the only one thinking too much, being too fucking emotional. He shoved his personal shit back into the far reaches of his brain.
Delia hesitated at the doorway to the dining room, unusually quiet, and Colin wrapped one arm around her waist, the other across her shoulders, speaking softly in her ear. Gabe couldn’t hear the words, but whatever Colin said made Delia nod and smile tremulously, and they stepped inside.
Gabe had known this would be hard for both of them. This was the room where Kayla, the emotionally damaged sub who’d been manipulated by a psychopath, had set fire to the house, nearly trapping Delia inside. Quick thinking on Colin’s part had saved her life, but when he’d come back in to save the girl, he’d been injured. The girl had died in the fire.
Colin and Delia had been back to the house twice in their official capacities, and a few times at his invitation for dinner, but this room hadn’t been put to rights yet. “You okay, Delia?”
She nodded. “It looks good, Master Gabriel. Different than before, but with the same charm.”
“Thanks. I wanted it to be different. Exorcising demons, I guess.” He rolled his eyes at his choice of words. “Anyway, Olivia is responsible for all the finishing touches. We redid all the bedrooms on this side of the house, too, because of major water damage.”
He stepped across the hall and opened the doors to the newly finished sitting room. “Why don’t we head in here?”
“Sounds good.” Colin grabbed one of the small mats Gabe had stacked on the sofa table and moved to a wing chair. He dropped the cushion in front of him then put his hands on Delia’s shoulders, pressing gently. “On your knees, brat.”
Gabe smiled. She’d been a handful, that one, and it had been pure pleasure watching her learn to submit to Colin’s dominance. He turned to Olivia, who had an odd look on her face. Her eyes were a little wide, her color slightly pink. She didn’t look horrified, which was good, because he liked to play openly in front of like-minded friends. It was something he might ask of her one day. He held out his hand, but she didn’t take it. He frowned. Something was going on in that pretty head of hers, but he couldn’t figure out what.
He dropped onto the sofa and tugged Olivia down with him. Once he’d rested his feet on the coffee table in front of them, he pulled her close. Her body was stiff and unyielding, but he kept rubbing gently at her back, his hand occasionally brushing against her sweet ass—her sweet, naked-under-the-dress-because-he’d taken-her-panties-again ass. She was tense, but why? She’d had a good evening, laughing and joking over dinner. She couldn’t still be jealous, could she? And she was so quiet he was starting to worry. She hadn’t said more than ten words in the past twenty minutes. She wasn’t a chatterbox by any stretch, but this seemed excessively quiet for her.
Finally, she relaxed into him and he kissed the top of her head. “I was surprised to hear you’d eloped rather than having a traditional wedding. I thought you were getting married next year?”
Delia looked up at Colin from her place at his feet. When he nodded, she spoke. “We decided we didn’t want to wait any longer. And we’d already been apart for a year, so we were over that, or at least I was.”
Colin ran his finger down the slope of Delia’s nose. “I was too.” He continued down her chin and her neck until he got to the buttons on her blouse, opening them one by one as she trembled. As soon as the shirt was undone, Colin scooted forward on the chair and slid it from her shoulders, and then off her body completely. She was wearing a barely there bra that hid nothing. He slid open the drawer in the table by the chair and pulled out the nylon cuffs Gabe had placed there earlier, dangling them in front of Delia’s face. “Ah, sweetheart. Your old friends.”
She loved this, Gabe knew, so the trembling wasn’t fear but anticipation. And she remained in position, on her knees, waiting for whatever Colin had in mind. “I see you’ve gotten her trained.”
Colin grinned, restraining her wrists in front of her, resting them in her lap. “Oh, she still likes to fight it sometimes, don’t you, brat?”
Delia stuck her tongue out.
“Still likes to be punished too, I see.”
Olivia flinched, and Gabe turned his attention her, keeping his voice purposely low. “You okay? And I’d like an answer, princess, not a nod or a shrug. You’re awfully quiet tonight.”
“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
Guilt sliced through him. She’d been up before
him, working out even though she’d been in pain, and then he’d kept her busy the rest of the day, shopping and getting things ready. “Sorry about that. I should’ve taken it easier on you.”
She sighed, and it sounded like it had come from the depths of her soul. “I’m going to grab my wine from the kitchen. Can I get you anything?”
“Nothing for us,” Colin said, answering for both him and Delia. “But thanks.”
“I’ll grab it for you.”
She shook her head. “No, I can get it. Stay and talk.”
He kissed her temple. “Okay, but don’t be long.” He watched her walk out of the room, frowning, then turned his attention back to the Butlers. “So how was the honeymoon?”
Colin grinned. “It was great. Beach was incredible, but I didn’t like everyone staring at my wife in her tiny bikini.”
“I wanted to go to the nude beach, but Colin said no.”
“Damn straight I said no. Time for you to be seen and not heard, troublemaker. Open wide,” Colin said as he pulled the tie from around his neck. She didn’t open her mouth and he raised a brow. “Now, brat. Or I’m going to spank you right here, where Master Gabriel can watch.”
Gabe stifled a grin. “Need a little help controlling your woman?”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Finally, with the devil shining in her eyes, Delia ceded to Colin’s demand, and then he made quick work of gagging her.
“Jealous bastard,” Gabe teased. “I thought you were going to lose it that first night I worked with the two of you.”
Now that she was gagged Delia couldn’t answer, but she rolled her eyes anyway.
Colin snorted. “You’d better believe it. When you stripped her and then spanked her, I nearly ripped your fucking head off. But now that we’re married she’s off-limits to everyone, and that includes you. And there will be spanking tonight, because she needs it. Don’t you, love?”
Delia nodded, her eyes bright and her body quivering with need.
There was a noise behind him and Gabe turned. Olivia stood there, her body rigid, her face pale. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m heading up to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Olivia, wait.” Gabe rose to stop her but she’d already disappeared, faster than he’d expected. Well, hell. When he heard a snort from Delia, he turned his head. “I’m glad you’re gagged, because I’m not sure I want to hear what you have to say.”
Colin laughed, then sobered. “She seems uncomfortable with all of this. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have started this in front of her. I’m sorry, man.”
Gabe ran his hands through his hair. “Christ, I don’t know. This is all new to her, but I thought she’d be fine with it. I’m going to check on her. The security system is set, so don’t head outside. Otherwise, you have the run of the house. Olivia made up the room you used last time.” With that, he turned and made his way upstairs to see what was going on with his princess.
Chapter Twelve
Bloody hell. Gabe had touched Delia, taken her clothes off and spanked her? The thought made her a little sick. The jealousy was unfounded because she hadn’t known him then, but the idea still stung, and Liv found it hard to breathe.
He’d said she called him Sir out of respect, but now she wasn’t so sure she believed him.
And the way Colin and Delia played, the casual, easy way Colin had stripped his wife down to her bra as if it was an everyday occurrence? He’d bound her wrists with restraints and told her she was going to be spanked, and she’d loved it. That much had been obvious.
She hadn’t been uncomfortable with that part of things, much to her shock. She’d been aroused, her stomach a ball of nervous energy. No, it was overhearing that Gabe had taken off Delia’s clothes that had sent her head reeling.
Her heart, too, if she was being honest.
Sure, Gabe had pulled her T-shirt off, but he’d done it to look at her scars. It hadn’t been a sexual situation in the least. Where were the spankings and the restraints? Was he just amusing himself with her while she was staying with him, a diversion to pass the time?
She changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, then shut off the light and stood at the window, staring outside into the night, her mind a jumbled mess. This was getting her nowhere. She wished she could shut off her damn brain, forget what she’d seen and heard tonight.
A knock came at her door. Gabe. She debated not answering, but only for about ten seconds. First off, it was his house and she was his guest. Second, it was rude and she’d already learned that lesson tonight, thank you very much. And third...she sighed. And third, he’d be disappointed with her and that thought didn’t sit well. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but she didn’t want to talk to him either.
She opened the door.
He didn’t wait, just walked right in, light from the hallway illuminating the dark room. “All right, what’s going on?”
His hair was standing on end as if he’d run his fingers through it on his way upstairs. And he didn’t look disappointed, or even angry. He looked perplexed.
Her resolve wavered, but he wasn’t the only confused one. “Nothing. I’m tired,” she said, evading the truth even though she knew he’d see right through that.
And he called her on it, his jaw tight. “I thought we’d had this discussion before, about you keeping secrets from me.”
She threw up her arms. “I was done for the evening. Why isn’t that enough for you? Can we talk about it some other time?” Like when hell freezes over? “It’s been a long day already.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a rough sigh. “If you’re not feeling up to it, sure, we can shelve it for tonight. But this discussion isn’t over, Olivia. We will talk.” Some kind of struggle flitted across his usually impassive face, and then he swore softly. “Sweet dreams,” he muttered, and then he left.
She dropped onto the bed, ridiculously deflated. Wasn’t that what she’d wanted, him to leave her alone tonight so she could work some of this out in her head?
She lay wide awake in bed for a long time, turning things over and over again in her mind. It wasn’t until she was right on the verge of sleep that she realized what it was that was nagging at her, what piece of their confrontation had her heart feeling so battered.
When he’d come up to her room, he’d demanded answers, but she’d expected that. No, the problem was he hadn’t once called her princess.
Her sleep was restless, and when she woke, she was itching to run. It had been part of her normal routine for so long before the accident, and she really missed it. It always helped her clear the cobwebs, and maybe it would do that for her now.
She wasn’t going off half-cocked, either. She’d done some jogging on the treadmill at the physical therapist’s office last week so he could monitor her, and he’d told her that as long as she stretched first, didn’t overdo the distance and ran on a treadmill or flat, even road, she should be fine. Slow and steady. She could do that.
She got dressed and laced her trainers, then headed downstairs.
* * *
Gabe stood over the stove, getting breakfast together for everyone. It felt good to have guests under his roof and to be cooking for others again. That gave him pause, made him think over his nondecision about whether or not he was keeping Bondage and Breakfast open. He’d really miss the satisfaction he got from this kind of caretaking if he gave it all up.
He stepped into the pantry to grab syrup for the pancakes, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Olivia zip by and out the back door. She was dressed differently than she usually was for exercise, and it took a long moment for him to realize what that difference was. She had on running gear.
Oh, fuck no.
He shoved all the food into the warmer and turned off the oven, then took off after her, hoping he’d c
atch her before she did something stupid. Christ, she wasn’t in any shape for running.
He caught up with her under the tree around the side of the house where she was stretching.
She looked up, startled. “I...um...hey.”
He didn’t bother with pleasantries. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Her face went from wary to shocked in the blink of an eye, and then went carefully blank. “I’m going for a run once I finish stretching.”
He was appalled, and he didn’t bother trying to keep it from his face or his voice. “That kind of pounding on your body? You’re not healed nearly enough for that.”
“You know what? I don’t care to hear your opinion on my recovery. I’m a grown woman and I make my own decisions.” She tightened the laces on her running shoes and turned to leave.
Oh, that attitude was not going to fly, and she meant far too much to him for him to let her make such a potentially dangerous mistake. “Don’t push me, Olivia. I’ll put you over my knee so fast your head will spin.”
She whirled around, hands on her hips, eyes blazing. “No, you won’t. You know why? Because you see me as weak, and you’re never going to see me as anything else. Well, screw that. I’m going for a bloody run, so you might as well get over it. And while you’re at it, whatever games you’ve been playing with me? Red. We. Are. Done.” With a low curse, she took off for the street.
He was so stunned by her outburst he didn’t follow after her. Weak? What the hell? He didn’t think she was weak, far from it. And done? He rubbed his hand over his suddenly aching chest. His feet felt like lead as he went back inside to the kitchen, her angry words playing over and over again in his head. They couldn’t be done. They hadn’t even started yet. They’d barely scratched the surface. A voice startled him out of his headspace.
“Hey, you okay there, Master Gabriel?” Delia was alone, standing at the coffee machine in those stretchy exercise pants and tops women loved, her hand on the pot.
Forbidden Obsessions Page 12