by BJ Wane
Caden’s words hit him as sharply as a slap in the face. Knowing him better than anyone else, his only sibling had guessed correctly that the cause of Connor’s sour mood following Tam’s departure to Boise had something to do with her decision. He’d told no one, not even Caden about what happened at his stable that morning, but Caden had always enjoyed ribbing him about his close relationship and attachment to Tam and easily put two and two together, guessing they’d had a falling out.
Bracing his hands on his hips, he bent slightly at the waist and sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck, you’re right.” He couldn’t get angry with her again. The last time he’d blown up at her he admitted to being unprepared for seeing the desire reflected in her pewter eyes and on her flushed face. And nothing could have prepared him for the blunt force trauma of his instant, lustful response that had caught him off guard and without the shield he usually erected to keep from acknowledging her as a grown woman. He couldn’t lose her again, but sure as hell couldn’t stand by and watch her submit to masterful men he shared close ties to. Their demands would taint the fresh innocence that didn’t belong here, and he said as much to Caden.
“She doesn’t belong here, she’s not submissive and… fuck it, Caden, we both watched her grow up.”
Caden nodded. “Yes, but she has grown up and from the hint of excitement and curiosity I’ve seen on her face, she may have a streak of submissiveness. She’s certainly exhibited enough interest and courage to give bondage a try.”
One thing Tam didn’t lack was courage. “Fine. I’ll just talk to her.” Remembering the past, this time he prepared himself for whatever level of lust she might reveal when she saw him. Greg must have spotted Devin just then because Connor intercepted him before he could reach his best friend. “Wait up, will you? She’s a friend of mine. I want to talk to her.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Thanks.” There was no way, no matter what Tam said, that he would let her indulge in a ménage tonight, not here where he would have no choice but to keep watch. With relief, he noticed Devin reaching down to her ankles to remove the cuffs as he approached. “Here, let me help,” he offered, moving to the side and reaching for her bound right wrist. He saw her jerk and then stiffen right before her head whipped up and she looked at him with round eyes filled with the same light of sexual awareness and need as the day he’d driven her away. Shit.
Heightened sexual awareness drew goosebumps along Tamara’s arms even as a slow, steady flow of warmth invaded her body upon hearing Connor’s voice. Her buttocks clenched as she imagined those blue eyes peeking at the lower part of her exposed butt. A frisson of unease had rippled down her spine when Master Devin first restrained her, but the longer she lay there with his hand running down her back in soothing strokes, the more relaxed she’d become. It was when he’d slid his palm down to her bare thigh and squeezed, asking her if she’d like to go a step further, that she’d balked. He hadn’t hesitated to remove his hand and reach to free her ankle, and she’d been contemplating whether to leave or return to the bar to continue watching when Connor’s sudden appearance delivered a jolting electric zap that puckered her nipples and dampened her pussy.
“I thought you weren’t coming tonight,” she managed to say as he helped her up and wrapped an arm around her when she wobbled. She didn’t mention her unsteady legs resulted from his presence instead of her first experience with sexual bondage.
“Well you thought wrong. We need to talk.” With a jerk of his head, he indicated the sliding doors leading to a back deck. “In private. First, thank Master Devin for his time.”
The touch of hardness he had injected into his light tone made her toes curl. Thank goodness what she could see of his face under the black Stetson remained calm and friendly. She didn’t want to fight with him, but she’d also decided she wasn’t ready to leave. Looking up at the other man, she smiled in gratitude. He’d been very nice and accommodating.
“Thank you, Master Devin.” Waving at the bench, she added, “It was different, in a strange way, but not off-putting.”
“Honest and pretty.” Devin bent down and brushed his mouth over hers. “If you return and want to try something else, look me up.” With a nod and knowing smile toward Connor, he pivoted and joined the man waiting several feet away.
“That was nice of him,” she said as Connor tugged her toward the doors.
Sliding one open, he ushered her outside with a hand on her lower back. “He’s not nice. No one here is nice. You need to remember that.”
As soon as he closed the door, she moved away from him, finding it too hard to concentrate if they were touching. The bubbling hot tub looked appealing, but she doubted she would get a chance to try it out any time soon. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wood rail with a sigh. “I disagree. Connor, are we going to fight?”
Reaching out, he tugged on her hair with a familiar, indulgent smile that helped ease her tension. “No, little one. Caden pointed out you’re a grown woman, and an invited guest. But you don’t belong here. You’re way too… naïve for what goes on in this place and do not understand what you’re subjecting yourself to. You need to go home.”
His gentle tone unnerved Tamara. “Little one?” He’d never called her that before.
Connor shrugged. “You don’t want me to call you sweetie.”
No, she didn’t. Narrowing her eyes, she cut to the chase. “Like I and now others keep reminding you, I am not a kid anymore.”
“But you’re also not wise about kinky sex, admit it,” he returned in a cooler tone.
“Devin gave me a tour and explained a lot.”
“Master Devin, and here I’m Master Connor, regardless of our friendship. I just can’t imagine you bending to the will of a Master and don’t want to see you hurt. I’ve never wanted that. Go home, Tam,” he whispered, running one finger down her cheek.
Tears pricked her eyes. Not because he was being mean, like the last time, but because he wasn’t. He kept his tone reasonable, choosing his words with care, and yet they still cut her to the bone. He refused to step out of his over-protective friend role and regard her as someone capable of thinking for herself when her decisions involved her sexual cravings. Her first inclination was to politely refuse and return to watching and socializing, but her desire to do so had waned and now she wanted to distance herself from the man she continued to want but couldn’t have.
“Excuse me, Master Connor. I want to speak with Nan.” She sidled around him, surprised when he didn’t stop her.
Tamara heard his frustrated muttering as she went back inside and came close to smiling until she spotted her friend sitting on Master Dan’s lap, a look of pure, sated bliss etched on her face. As she neared their table, she noticed the red stripes decorating the fullness of her friend’s breasts and the top of her thighs, guessing her bottom bore matching lines from the way Nan kept fidgeting. She slowed her steps, rethinking her intention to whine to Nan and then take off. It wouldn’t be right to dim another’s pleasure because Connor succeeded in dampening hers. Yeah, she needed to go and do some serious thinking before deciding her next move toward pursuing this growing passion for a lifestyle that had intrigued her for years.
“Hey, girlfriend. How’s it going?” Nan tilted her head, giving Tamara a speculative look.
“Good, real good in fact. Uh, Master Devin showed me around and I even got up the nerve to let him tie me down. But I’m going to head home now. I need a little breathing room, and time to take all this in.” She looked around the room.
“I understand. Let me slip something on and I’ll walk out with you.”
Tamara waved her back down. Dan had released her but didn’t look happy about it. “Don’t be silly. This place is safe, inside and out, isn’t it?” She posed her question to the lawyer whose dark gaze was as unnerving as every other Dom in this place.
“Of course it is, but there is always the chance of someone lurking outside. I’ll walk you out,” Connor
said from behind her as he grasped her elbow. “Let’s go.”
“Eager to get rid of me?” she quipped as he wasted no time escorting her into the foyer.
“No, just wanting to ensure you’re okay, and that we’re good.”
Ignoring that statement, she pulled from his warm clasp and retrieved her shoes and jacket, remaining silent until they reached her vehicle. Opening the door, she slid behind the wheel and looked up at him. Shrouded in darkness, his tall, imposing figure would have appeared intimidating if she didn’t know him so well. “We’re good, Con, but that doesn’t mean I’ve agreed to not come back. I want to think about it. Goodnight.” Taking advantage of his surprise, she yanked the door shut and drove away without looking back.
Connor stood for a moment, swearing under his breath, digging his keys out of his pocket and striding to his truck. Those knots Tam was so good at tying him up in had returned and he needed to figure out how to loosen them without driving her away again.
Pulling into the drive in front of the house, Tamara spotted the glowing orange tip of a cigarette from across the wide lawn between her and the stable. Hopping out of her vehicle, she dashed over and recognized the new hire, Neil, leaning against the wood building as if he didn’t realize the stupidity and carelessness of his smoking.
“Neil, right? I’m sorry, we don’t allow smoking anywhere on the ranch. It’s too easy to toss a burning stub onto dry timber or grass. Put it out, please.” It was difficult to keep her irritation in check.
“Who the hell are you?” he drawled, blatant insolence portrayed in his voice and stance.
Stiffening against the rude comeback, she bit back the urge to fire him on the spot, giving him the benefit of the doubt he was just reacting to a stranger’s reprimand. “I’m the owner of this spread and your boss.”
“Shit.” He straightened and crushed the bud beneath his boot. “Sorry. It’s been a rough day.”
She nodded. “Jason mentioned you’re still learning the ropes, and I’m good with that, but please don’t speak that way to anyone here. We’re like family, one I hope you’ll learn to be a part of. Goodnight.” Pivoting, she heard him return her goodnight as she headed back up to the house.
Tamara entered the darkened entry, putting that unpleasant incident out of her mind as she went straight to the kitchen. Flipping on the under counter lights, she opened the freezer and pulled out a carton of Rocky Road ice cream. Grabbing a spoon, she sat at the table and dug in, her mind continuing to whirl with everything she’d seen at the club, her surprising response to bondage and her not-so-surprising reaction to Connor. Most times, she didn’t know whether to drop to her knees and beg him to change his mind about expanding their relationship or to smack him upside the head for being so rigid.
“Stubborn moron,” she muttered around a mouthful of cold chocolate.
“Uh, oh. It didn’t go well.” Amy shuffled into the kitchen wearing a robe and concerned look.
“What gave it away?” Tamara groused.
“You only stuff your face with ice cream when you’re upset or mad. Share that and tell me what happened.” After getting a spoon, her stepmother joined her at the table and Tamara pushed the carton between them.
Shrugging, she gave Amy an honest answer. “Not much. One of the members, a nice guy, showed me around. It was embarrassing at first, but you can’t help getting turned on.” Fanning herself, she grinned at the woman she’d always felt comfortable talking to. “Hot with a capital H.”
“I’ll take your word for it since I have no interest in that lifestyle. Thinking about getting involved with someone else has been difficult enough. I still miss your dad. I take it Connor showed up.” Amy indulged in a large scoop as she kept her gaze on Tamara.
“I still miss him too, and yes, Con was there.” Tamara sighed, envying Amy a relationship she despaired of ever having. Shoving aside her melancholy, she told her about Connor’s continued obstinance. “I want to go back, but honestly, Amy, I only want to explore further with him.” Dropping her head into her hands, she groaned, “What am I going to do?”
“I can’t tell you that, but my advice is to stop letting him dictate your life, as hard as that might be.”
Tamara set her spoon down and looked up again. “You know, you’re right. No matter how many trips back here I made when I was living in Boise, it wasn’t the same. I missed seeing you and Dad every day, and Galahad, all because of him.” She didn’t mention her failed relationship with Jeremy, or the guilt she still harbored from leading him on for far too long. All she’d told anyone was that it hadn’t worked out and she intended that to be all she revealed. Some mistakes were best kept private. “I’m going back to the club and damn it, I will have fun without him.” She gave a decisive nod, as if sealing her decision.
“Good for you, sweetheart. Now, let’s polish this off and get to bed. I’m tired.”
“First, tell me about you and Jason,” she insisted, wanting Amy’s happiness.
Amy shifted her eyes away and then returned her gaze to Tamara. “I like him. How much, I haven’t decided yet.”
“Good. You deserve to find someone else. And,” her grin turned wicked, “he’s hawt.”
They both giggled like teenagers as Amy stuttered, “Yeah… he is that.”
The first thing Tamara did the next morning was place a call to Nan, asking her how much it cost to join the club and what she had to do before she could change her mind or think the decision to death. After expressing her approval, Nan passed on the website where she filled out the application. Given the high cost of a year’s membership and her uncertainty over how far she was inclined to go, she opted for the more affordable one month’s entry fee to start with.
With a light step over making that decision, she skipped out to the barn and saddled Galahad. “Good morning, big guy,” she crooned to the fourteen-year-old stallion. She could still recall the exaltation that had swept through her when her dad and stepmother presented the Arabian colt to her on her sixteenth birthday. She’d been competing in jumping competitions for three years and had been considered a top teen contender. Her excitement over the chance to raise and train a horse all on her own had known no bounds. But Galahad was also a prime herding equine and this morning they needed to check the herd before they could play.
Leading him out into the sun, she swung up into the saddle but paused before riding out as Jason rode up with Mark, his right-hand man, both wearing grim expressions. “What’s up?”
Frustration tightened his lined face. “We lost two head out of the west pasture last night to the rustlers. I haven’t heard if they hit anyone else.”
“Was anyone on watch?” With as few employees as they had, it was hard to have someone watching each pasture twenty-four-seven.
Mark scowled. “Neil was supposed to but apparently left early, not feeling well.”
Tamara wondered if her lecture on smoking the night before prompted Neil to cut out early. It was getting more difficult each day to cut the new guy some slack. “I guess that can’t be helped. At this rate, we’ll go broke before the end of summer. I’ll do a head count on the herd in the north end. Will you contact the sheriff?” she asked, ready to relieve some of her tension over this news with a long, fast ride. Galahad shifted under her, as if he too found the thieves continued pilfering upsetting.
“Will do,” her foreman replied, tipping his hat. Jason swung around with ease, proving he could sit a saddle as well as any of the younger employees. She’d seen him eying Amy from afar since she’d been back, more than a hint of interest in his blue gaze. Amy tried to hide her interest, but Tamara had caught her returning that look and wondered how long the two of them would continue to dance around each other. If anyone deserved a second chance at happiness, it was her stepmother.
Tamara waved to Mark and prodded Galahad into a gallop, the cool morning breeze stimulating her as much as the feel of her steed’s powerful muscles bunching under her. She didn’t slow until
they reached the rest of her small stock. A quick count tallied correctly, offering a touch of relief. At an estimated eight to ten-thousand-dollars a head, she couldn’t afford to lose any more.
Pulling the reins, she veered Galahad toward the fence, both of them now eager for playtime. “Come on, boy. This one’s a piece of cake.” With a nudge to his side, he took off and her whoop of success as he took her over the wood rails with flying ease resonated in the air. Just as they landed on solid ground on the other side, she caught wind of another galloping horse and looked behind her to see Connor trotting up on his Palomino, a wide grin splitting his rugged, tanned face. Her heart leaped before she could control her response to seeing him. Nothing she’d tried managed to put a dent in her desire for the man.
His teeth shone bright white against his swarthy skin and the sexy bristles covering the lower half of his face. With his sun-streaked brown hair pulled back in a leather tie, his wicked blue eyes mere slits under the brim of his Stetson and his arm and leg muscles rippling as he pulled up on his horse, was it any wonder he could have any woman he wanted, in or out of his club?
“You’ve still got it, little one,” he praised her as he drew alongside and they set out at an easy trot with the comfort and ease of old times.
“Of course,” she boasted with a laugh and toss of her head, refusing to let him see how pathetic she was over him. “My guy and I are a match made in heaven.” Thank goodness he seemed to be in his usual, affable mood. After last night, she wasn’t sure what his attitude would be when they saw each other again. He hadn’t been happy with her, that had been clear.
“I agree.” Connor’s eyes turned serious as he said, “I just heard you got hit. I’m sorry. Everyone’s stayed vigilant about going after these bastards, but so far, they’ve proven damn elusive. Grayson is wondering if they have an inside man at one of the ranches.”
“That would explain how they can elude the sentries everyone is posting. Unfortunately, our guy was sick last night. I hope they get caught soon. My resources aren’t anywhere near yours.”