Page 30 of Forbidden Obsession

After a bit of tiny mental math, I blinked in shock. “You don’t look thirty-six, Blade. More like twenty-three.”

He tossed back his head and laughed in a tone so deep and rich goosebumps peppered my arms and a naughty chill raced up my spine.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, darlin’.”

“It’s not flattery, it’s the truth.”

“That didn’t hurt too bad, did it?”

“What?”

“Telling the truth.” He smirked.

Guilt slammed me like an anvil. Lowering my chin, I stared at the envelope on my lap. Out of all the words I’d written down, the only one that leapt from the page as if mocking me wasTruth. The ache to spill my guts and tell Blade everything throbbed through me.

“Hey, look at me.” His voice was soft, but so damn commanding; I couldn’t help but comply. “I was teasing. Yeah, it was a bad joke. I wasn’t purposely trying to insult you or make you feel bad. I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry.Those two words were so foreign to my ears. I repeated them over and over in my mind. No man hadevertold me he was sorry.

“Look, I don’t know why you’re here, but I do know you’re not from here.”

Panic and guilt sliced through me. Jerking my head up, I narrowed my eyes. “What makes you think that?”

“You mean besides the way your eyes lit up when I pulled into the mall parking lot? Or how excited you got when you saw all the stores on the marquee? Darlin,’ NorthPark Center has been around since Jesus wore diapers. If you’d grown up here, you would have known every store inside the place before we left the interstate. But you didn’t. You also didn’t know that Denton was the next town from where the tornado hit. On top of that—”

“Enough! You’ve made your point.” I loathed how damn observant he was, but feared how he could see through me so easily. “You’re right, I’m not from here. This is the first time I’ve ever been to Texas. Look, I’m sorry I lied to you, but —”

“You did it for personal reasons. Yeah, I know. I also know you’re not a mass murderer, an escaped prisoner, or some nut-job from an insane asylum,” he said, glancing at me with a tiny smirk.

“You sure about that?” I countered, trying to resurrect our playful banter again.

“Positive.” He grinned, then quickly sobered and gently cupped my hand. “I’m also positive you’re in some kind of trouble. Hopefully, soon, you’ll trust me enough to tell me what’s going on. Until then, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

My heart swelled and tears stung my eyes. This man…this amazing man I’d known less than a day, had not only apologized but also just vowed to keep me safe.

I swallowed the lump of emotion lodged in my throat, then without thinking, I smiled softly and threaded my fingers through his. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Blade continued telling me more about the power exchange, the codes of conduct for both Dominants and submissives. He stressed the importance of anonymity and protecting the identity of others at the club. He said, what happens in the club, stays in the club. Then he took time to explain the different types of scenes that play out in the dungeon. When he offered to take me to the club, to see them for myself, a part of me wanted to jump out of his truck and run and hide. But a bigger part of me struggled to keep from dancing in my seat.

After passing the wreck that caused the time-consuming backup, it was smooth sailing to the restaurant. When Blade pulled into the parking lot, I mentally kicked myself for not changing into one of my new outfits before leaving the mall.

Once we stepped inside, my fears were confirmed. I was definitely underdressed, but no one seemed to notice. At least, not as much as they would have if I’d waltz in wearing designer wear. I’d already pressed my luck by opting to shop at the mall. Thankfully, the salesclerk hadn’t recognized me. I was such a banged up hot mess, I doubted anyone in the restaurant would either.

I did grow nervous when our waiter asked if we’d met before. Though I’d assured him we hadn’t, intuition told me my window of anonymity would be closing soon.

Blade hadn’t been kidding about the steak. Mine was so tender and juicy it nearlydidmelt in my mouth.

Stuffed, sated, and serene, I couldn’t miss the pained expression on his face when I plucked up the bill and put some cash inside the little leather folio. I’d inadvertently dented his fragile male ego.

Reaching out, I patted his hand and flashed him a playful smile. “Tell your inner Dom to chill. It’s just one dinner.”

“Easier said than done. It’s hard-wired in me.”

“Well, if we ever meet up again, I’ll let you buy me dinner. How’s that?”

“Meet up again? What do you mean? You’re coming back to the ranch with me, right?”

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