Page 60 of Forbidden Obsession

Grant

The minute the words fell from my tongue, waves of sadness rolled off Emma. As a sinking feeling landed in my gut, I knew exactly what she was thinking. I was now thinking the same thing. As soon as the merger was finalized, Emma would pack her things and leave…start her new life as Aubrey.

And there won’t be a thing you can do to stop her, whispered the voice in my head.

An internal howl of regret and sadness screamed inside me while a desolate hollowness I hadn’t felt since burying Aubrey and Mom spread through my soul.

I’d find a way to keep her. I’d do whatever—

“It’s about time you crawled out from that hole you’ve been hiding in, Blade,” Mistress Magic chided from behind the bar with a grin.

Flashing the tall, willowy blonde a forced but friendly smile, I tabled my plans to keep Emma on the ranch and gently clasped her elbow.

“Come, little one. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Emma grudgingly peeled her coveted gaze from Master Creed’s scene with his sub, Meadow, and nodded before I guided her to the bar. After helping her onto a vacant barstool, Magic darted a curious glance between me and Emma.

A shit-eating grin tugged the Domme’s lips as she thrust her hand out to Emma. “Hi, precious. Welcome to Genesis. I’m Mistress Magic.” At the same time, her sub—and bar back—eased in beside her with an armful of soda cans. While shaking Emma’s hand, Magic sank her other fist into her boy’s dark curls and yanked his head back. “And this insolent little shit is my boy, Knotty.”

Emma tensed and forced a smile, warily watching Magic.

I knew she didn’t grasp the dynamic playing out before her. Skimming a palm down her back, I did my best to reassure her as she studied the silver collar around Knotty’s neck.

Visions of fastening a delicate collar around hers crowded my brain, igniting a blazing brushfire of longing to actually own Emma. Unwilling to analyze the bizarre craving, I introduced her to the couple, then arched a brow at Knotty. He was a sweet young man, but he had a penchant for Topping from the bottom. “What did you dothistime, boy?”

Sticking out his bottom lip with an exaggerated pout, he sighed. “I disobeyed Mistress.”

“You jacked off without permission…again, you horny little bastard,” Magic railed, releasing his hair before landing a hard slap to his ass.

Knotty jolted, then smiled with a dreamy purr before pressing a contrite kiss to her cheek. “Thank you, Mistress.”

“Suck up all you want, boy. You’re light-years from getting on my good side,” Magic warned, then turned to us with a grin. “What can I get you tonight?”

“Two colas, please.” I chuckled.

While Magic fixed our drinks, I felt the tension melt from Emma’s body. I leaned my hip against the bar and bent close to her ear. “Tell me what you learned from Magic and Knotty’s exchange, little one?”

Emma pursed her lips and pondered my question briefly. “That Mistress will, at some point, punish Knotty for his…transgression. But I also see and feel the bond they share. It’s strong. I can tell they love each other very much.”

My heart and chest swelled at once. “Yes. They’ve been together for several years. You’re very observant, my sweet slut.”

Emma’s proud smile was all but blinding.

As we sipped our drinks, I watched her reactions to the various scenes playing out around us.

She shivered and glanced away as Master Memphis painted his sub Moonlight’s backside in long, red stripes with his single-tail.

When she locked an enthralled stare on Indigo, reddening un-owned sub Sutton’s ass with a wicked rubber paddle, curiosity and hunger burned in Emma’s eyes before she turned her attention on Master Gray Wolf. The older Dom had an un-owned sub, Luna, draped over his knees. One arm was tightly bound around her waist, holding her in place, while he firmly spanked her wiggling backside with the open palm of his other.

Emma’s eyes shimmered with longing as she nibbled her bottom lip.

Without a doubt, I was going to introduce her to some impact play once we got home.

Home.

As the word echoed in my brain, I realized I’d never once called the ranch or the house sitting on the land,home. In my heart, home was the familiar structure on a quiet street, nestled between big, shady oaks. The place I’d grown up with laughter and love. The house on my ranch had never felt like home until Emma stepped through the—

“Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch,” Dalton barked, clapping me on the back, saving me from the ball-shrinking ramifications of my disquieting epiphany.

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