I pass him his coffee mug before I go into my closet and change into a pair of jeans, a navy blue knit sweater that hangs off one shoulder, and some boots.
I hear the water running as I walk out of the closet. I put on some makeup while I wait for him.
Luke comes out of the bathroom, clean shaved and dressed. He comes up to me and wraps me in his arms, planting a gentle kiss on my lips. “Morning, baby. Merry Christmas.”
“Good morning. Ready for the craziness of Christmas with my family?”
“As long as I get my present afterwards.”
Snorting, I push against his chest. “Well, maybe. As long as I get mine too.”
He pulls me against him and kisses me. “Of course. Now let’s go and deliver this wagon full of gifts to everyone.” We head out, hand in hand.
We get the wagon filled with gifts out of the back seat when we arrive. I run towards the door to intercept Brayden and take him back in the house while Luke follows with the wagon.
I have Brayden in my lap, covering his eyes when Luke comes in carrying the wagon. Once he sets it down, I move my hands away from Brayden’s eyes. He finally sees the wagon and squeals, running to it. He throws all the other presents out and puts a heap of his toys in the wagon and pulls it around the house, tearing down anything in his path.
Will rolls his eyes at his son.
Avery walks over beside me. I pick her up and grab her gifts from the wreckage. She begins to rip into them beside me while I throw Mason and Will their gifts.
Avery hugs me before putting on her princess dress up clothes. Mason opens his present and looks up at me in disbelief.
I grin as he tries to find something to say.
“How did you get him to do this? Uncle David always told me no.”
“That’s because he is an ass, but I made him realize he already has too much on his hands, so the club in Detroit is yours. I’ll monitor your transition and all as boss, but after that, it’s all yours.”
“But-”
“Uh-uh. Stop doubting yourself. You always said you wanted one so you could give the money to charity like I do, so there it is. All yours, and those are the keys.”
Mason gets up and pulls me into a hug, lifting me up off the ground.
“Thank you, gorgeous.”
“Not a problem, hot stuff.”
Will is next and I’m a bit worried about his response. I don’t give presents like this one often, and when I do it can go both ways.
He unwraps it and looks down at the box, taking a deep breath before he opens it. I hold my breath while watching his face. The emotions that flash across his face bring tears to my eyes as he looks up at me.
“How did you get this made?”
“I took the photo for my minor in college, remember? I just got it put on a canvas. Hang it up so the kids can remember her.”
The canvas he has is a picture of his wife a month or so before she died. I had to portray classic and modern beauty in a picture, and his wife was exactly that. She was as beautiful on the outside as she was within.
Will stares at it for a few minutes longer before setting it down on the coffee table and coming to hug me.
“You have no idea what this means to me, Abbey. None at all.”
“What are cousins for?”
We turn the TV on to have Christmas movies in the background while we watch Avery twirl around in her new princess dress, visiting and sharing memories of Christmases past. We each pitch in to prepare a good lunch a while later so we can eat and then play with the kids. Luke and Brayden are using the wagon as a battleship for all of his superheroes while Mason and I play with Avery putting on princess stuff. Mason, of course, is the prince while she is the princess. Will joins in with Brayden and Luke playing battleship once the lunch is cleaned up.
Before long, Brayden and Avery are asleep on the floor. Will’s face looks like he wants to join them.
Luke and I take the opportunity to excuse ourselves, saying goodbye and that we will see them soon.
“So, do I get my present now?”
“I actually have to set the house up for your present, so when you get home, you get the gift of sitting in the living room while I run around the house like a wild woman. It’s not going to be the easiest present for you, but if you don’t like it, let me know, and it can be changed. I have a feeling you will like it, though. I’ll be really surprised if you don’t.”
“Okay… I’m really confused.”
“And that’s okay. I was hoping you had figured it out by now, but I guess not.”
Pulling into the driveway, I quickly unbuckle my seatbelt and head for the door.
“Wait in the living room!”
I head in and grab his present from inside the dresser, slipping it in my back pocket. I start walking around, locking every door in the cabin, upstairs and down.
I find him seated on the sofa when I’m done, obediently, if not patiently, waiting. I pull the box out of my back pocket and hand it to him.
He takes it and opens it, holding up the set of keys.
“Abbey, what are these keys to?”
“Funny you should ask. That key opens a door in this house. It could be the front door, back door, or anything in between. Your present lays behind the door that the key opens.”
His eyes light up in excitement at the challenge.
He starts in the obvious places, checking the front and back doors and then works his way around the house, not yet finding the door it unlocks. The door isn’t easy to find in the first place.
He finally makes his way upstairs again. I trail behind him, leaning against the banister while I enjoy watching his search. He has tried every door in this place except for one.
“Baby, I can’t find it.”
“I told you every door. You haven’t unlocked one.”
“What?”
“Keep looking.”
He huffs and finally finds his way to the end of the hallway to find the other one.
“How the hell did you have this hallway designed to where it wasn’t visible unless you were right on top of it?”
“I asked them to do it that way.”
“If this isn’t the door it unlocks, I’m giving up.”
I smile and watch as he puts in the key and the lock turns.
I walk closer to him but don’t pass him, wanting to see the look on his face when he sees what’s inside.
He flips the light switch and does a double take before turning back to stare at me.
“I told you I was going to show you a room here. I think I told you to remind me, but you never did.”
“Abbey, I…”
I giggle at the fact that he can’t even finish a sentence.
“Yes?”
The silence stretches and I start debating whether to laugh or hug him. He’s completely speechless.
“Luke, this is your present. It’d be nice if you could talk though.”
“My pr-present?”
I can’t help it anymore. I let out a fit of laughter. The guy is in shock.
“Yes, this is your present. I know you know more about all of this than you claim. Your best friend told me so. I’m completely yours for the night. You do whatever you want to me, and I take it for one night. I’m your sub for one night. No questions or anything, as long as you don’t actually hurt me badly.”
“Are you being for real?”
“Yes I am, or else you wouldn’t be standing here looking inside the room.”
“What did Mason tell you I knew?”
“He said you knew enough. I didn’t ask for specifics, just if you would like it or not.”
“I absolutely like it. Love it is more like it. It took me by surprise, though. I didn’t think you trusted me that much.”
“That’s where you are wrong. I trust you more than you think. I trust you more than enough for this. Why didn’t you tell me that you actually knew about this stuff?”
“Because I had never been
to a club, and I didn’t know how much different it would be. Mason always talked big about it, so I thought it was something totally different. It is on some levels, just not much. I’m not the most educated, but I know and have done enough. Plus, saying I didn’t know anything gave me the chance to talk to you and be near you more.”
“Nice excuse there, but I’ll let it go. Are you going to do this?”
“Oh yeah. I think I will I like this gift.”
I grin and walk into the room. “I thought you would. Now what?”
The challenge was there in both my tone and in the question. It was up to him to answer it.
He walks into the room, closing the door behind him.
He looks down at me with a smirk on his face. “Strip, now.”
I bite my lip and do as he says. My sweater comes off first and my pants follow. I stand there waiting for what’s next.
“As sexy as you look in those, take them off.”
I really try not to snort or laugh, but I can feel myself losing the battle.
I unclasp my bra and take it off before I slowly slide my panties off.
He steps up right in front of me and bends down, planting a kiss on the corner of my mouth.
“Safe words?”
I go to grab his shirt, but he catches my hand in his, waiting for my answer.
“Normal? Red, yellow, green?”
“Sounds good.”
He pulls back and scans the room looking at everything that’s in here.
He looks back down at me with a hint of concern. “What are your limits?”
“I’m not a big fan of anything anal, at all. If you use a cane, please use it wisely. I don’t mind feeling it a couple days afterwards but no longer than that. I don’t mind being tied up, but I like to keep my feet on the floor or bed in those instances, even if it’s just the tips of my toes. If you plan on gagging me, we need to establish signals first.”
“Can you show me where everything is in here?”
“Sure.”
I spend the next few minutes showing him what’s in which drawers and walking through the various other accessories.
“Is there anything else?”
“No, not unless there’s something invisible floating around.”
“Thank you, smart ass.”
I give him a cheeky grin. “You’re the one that made me do all of that naked.”
“It was a nice view. Now go sit your ass on the bed. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah. I used to do this all the time, babe.”
He smirks and pulls his shirt over his head, leaving just his jeans on.
At this point, I have no idea what he’s going to do next. I find the thought exciting.
He turns around and grabs something before coming back to me holding a blindfold. He kisses me chastely before putting the blindfold on.
In the few seconds afterwards, all of my senses heighten and I hear him moving around. He takes my hand and pulls me to him, turning me around.
He leans down and whispers “You know you are quite the smartass to me, and it gets rather annoying.”
“My bad.”
“Is that even an apology? I hear a hint of an attitude. Do you need to be punished?”
“I don’t know. Do I?”
“With that attitude, yes. I believe you do.”
I snort. It doesn’t help my situation, but I don’t care.
He releases me, leaving me standing there. I hear him pick something up, but I can’t determine what the sound is. Damn it. I hate not having done this in a while. I don’t know what’s coming.
The next thing I know, I’m being pushed against the bed so that my upper body is leaning against it and my ass is sticking out.
His hand comes down on my ass, smacking me and rubbing. He keeps this up for several minutes, and I catch on that he is warming me up. I wonder what he’s going to use.
I cry out as something strikes against my skin.
That’s a belt. Definitely a belt. Fuck.
“Count, Abbey. You should know this.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was too busy adjusting to the pain of the belt you just hit me with. My bad.”
I cry and wince when he hits me harder.
“Two!”
I’m not fucking with him. Nope.
“Two what?” He roars out.
“Two, sir!”
I cry out each time the belt comes down, the next number escaping my lips with the gasp of air after the belt strikes me.
No mercy would be an understatement at this point, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.
I’m able to slowly block out enough of the pain that my cries are followed by moans before his next strike.
When he finally stops, we are both panting.
“I’m not done yet.”
He pulls me up against him. His hands are gripping my waist as he walks us across the room.
He takes off my blindfold and wipes away what tears have managed to fall down my cheeks.
“Are you okay?”
I nod. “I’m good. I would let you know if I wasn’t.”
A look of relief flashes over his face.
“So I want to do something, but I’ve only done it once. You have this room set up for it, but I’m going to leave this one up to you.”
“What?”
“Well, it’s not technically suspension, but it is. Spreader bar on your ankles and your arms tied up, being pulled up in the air.”
“Go for it. I told you what I didn’t like. My feet will be on the ground.”
He grabs a spreader bar and attaches it to my legs, spreading the bars out all the way. Then he has my arms tied behind my back, cuffed together at my wrists and upper arms. He hooks them up to be suspended, and I feel like I’m about to fall on my face.
I let out a half scream before stopping it, trying to find a way to balance. Luke grabs my waist and holds me still so I can get used to the position. My head is hanging down. This is going to take some getting used to.
“Everything alright?”
“Yeah, I need to find my balance. I feel like I’m about to fall on my face. I honestly don’t know if I can hold this for a long time. It’s different.”
“You won’t need to for long. I like it because it gives me complete control. I think we will be visiting in here more often.”
“Haha, Mr. I-Don’t-Know-What-This-Is.”
He chuckles and pushes himself up against me. I didn’t hear him get undressed.
He pulls back and slams into me, hard. I fall forward and my restraints pull. I groan from the pain, but also the building of his thrusts.
We form a rhythm and eventually he’s pushing me towards the edge.
“Luke, can I cum?”
He groans and picks up his pace.
“Not yet.”
My moans are getting louder, starting to sound more like screams.
After a few more minutes of this intense rhythm, his hand comes down on my ass, and he says the one word I want to hear. “Cum”
I let go in the most intense orgasm I’ve had in a long time.
He continues to pound into me and I roll straight into another orgasm.
He thrusts into me a few more times and then stills.
His head rests on my back and I’m hoping he doesn’t let go, because if he does, I’m going to be hurt.
He finally stands up, but keeps an arm on my waist while undoing my arms. I finally am able to stand up straight. I move my shoulders and wrists, trying to work out the kinks in them. He takes off the spreader bar, releasing my ankles, then moves up to massage my shoulders. I groan and lean back against him.
“Can I give you my present now?”
“Mhmm.” To be frank, I had completely forgotten about it.
I sit on the bed and he throws his shirt at me to put on while he pulls on his pants and leaves the room. He comes back in with a small box.
“This isn’t as awesome as the present you gave me,
but I found this and it reminded me of you.”
I unwrap the box and open it to find a very beautiful necklace that has two hearts that are connected in a stunning silver color.
I look up at him. “I love it! Thank you!”
I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him. He pulls me into his lap. He puts the necklace on me, and we sit there talking until my stomach growls. We both laugh at that, then head downstairs together, back out into the real world that awaits us.
Chapter 24
The week between Christmas and New Years passes in a peaceful haze of cuddling, campfires, warm blankets, and visits to the playroom. We stay inside because the weather has turned frigid. It’s been snowing nonstop, so there are a couple of inches on the ground, but it will melt this weekend when the temperatures get above freezing.
On New Year’s Eve, we head over to my mom and dad’s house. All of the family is going to be over there to ring in the New Year, so we are going to go, too.
“Come on Luke!! We have to go!”
“Hold on, I’m grabbing something! I’m coming.”
My arms are crossed and I’m tapping my foot in mock irritation when he finally appears with nothing in his hand.
“Where’s the thing you were grabbing?”
“Oh, that? I couldn’t find it.”
“So we are late because you couldn’t find anything?”
He shrugs and pulls me into a hug . “Quit being so worried about being on time. It’s a party, we can be late.”
I sigh and wrap my arms around him, relaxing. “I know. I just like to be on time.”
“I know, and that’s why I love you.”
I pull against him tighter. “The fact that you put up with it is why I love you. Now, let’s go.”
He chuckles and heads towards the door. “Let’s go. I’m sure Brayden is dying because we aren’t there.”
“I love that kid.”
“Me, too. He does call you my princess.”
“Hmmph. I’m not a princess.”
“And I’m not a prince, but he thinks so, and we can go along with it.”
“Have I ever stopped him?”
“Fair point. Now come on.”
He grabs my hand and hauls me towards the door, even though I was the one who wanted to leave. We drive there, singing along to the radio. It’s freezing outside. Hell has frozen over.
Secluded Nature Page 20