Page 66 of Rough Ride

“No. Well, once. Being on the business end of a whip is not fun. I didn’t like it. I called out my safe word within two lashes. Not my thing.”

It was his turn to sigh. “Nor I.”

“Wait. You’re not a switch, right?” she asked.

“Correct.”

“Then why were you being whipped? Was it part of your training as a Dom?”

Crysta knew there were many communities that made you go through training as a sub so that you could understand the stress it could put on a body. Eli continued to move the cloth over her back. When she finally resigned herself to the idea that he wasn’t going to let her know, he answered her.

“When I was young and stupid, I was captured while I was undercover. I…made a mistake on whom to trust. They used a whip on me. Among other things.”

It took a second for it to click in her head. “They tortured you?”

Again, she sensed his nod. “My fault really. I let a little flattery from a woman guide my actions.”

He said nothing else and she didn’t want to push him. The idea that was done to him to gain information made her sick. Some people would equate what they did, the life they lived to something akin to torture. It was so far from that, but people who didn’t understand would always misinterpreted it.

“How did you get away?”

“I was lucky that Joe was staking out the group who captured me. His group moved in and saved me.”

Afterwards, he had come to be the son that Joe never had. He recited the facts as if they were no big deal. But she knew, for each of them, it had been important. Joe had been shunned by his family and Eli had never had one. They had found each other and became that family neither of them never had.

She knew better than to go down that road with Eli. Big strong Alphas didn’t like their tender feelings probed.

“And the woman?” she asked.

“She died in prison from what I understand.”

“Oh.” It was the only thing she could think of.

“Don’t mourn her death, love. She was a nasty bit of goods. She liked to hurt people.”

And that’s why he made a good Dom. Some people got off on the pain, but with Eli, she felt he was more interested in the connection. Maybe that’s why she was sure he’d never brought a woman to the ranch before. Not for play at least.

She turned in the water and his eyebrows rose in surprise. Crysta cupped his face and gave him a long, loving kiss.

“What was that for?” he asked his voice wary.

“Just because.”

Something moved over his face and he frowned. A proud man like Eli wouldn’t want to take compassion, which was stupid. But many times, men like him thought it was something else.

“Don’t even think this is for pity” she said her temper rising. She brought it under control, barely. “This is…well, I’m thankful that Joe saved you and then allowed me to come here to meet you.”

His lips curved slightly. “Yeah?”

She nodded and turned back around, afraid if she looked at him any longer, she might tell him exactly how she felt. But she was confident Eli didn’t want that. He didn’t want to hear how much she respected him. He was one of those salt-of-the-earth people. Like Joe. He didn’t want praise, just respect.

And she knew he wouldn’t be happy that she was falling in love with him.

twenty-one

“I’m sick of waiting,” Eli growled into the phone. “It’s been two weeks and nothing. You would think someone would know something.”

Dillon sighed. “I can’t explain it. There seems to be no one connected to it. Although, I do have one more thread to follow up on.”

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