Page 25 of Savage

Right now, while I’m sleepy and blissfully close to someone who’s just holding me, it really, really is.

I wish he would kiss me.

Would that be so much to ask? Probably, and I don’t want to ruin this moment. Instead, I close my eyes and stay there, pressed against his chest, not wanting to move.

“All right. Come on. You did such a good job, you can sleep in my room.” Hunter doesn’t let go of me as he leads us to his bedroom.

It’s dark, but even if it were light, I don’t think I’d be in a state to take anything in. I just follow him, and I lay down across the foot of the bed as directed.

“Stay,” he says when he lets go of me. I whimper, suddenly cold. I don’t want to be alone.

I hear him rummage for something, and when he returns, he has a thick leather collar in his hand.

“Let’s get this on you, then you can sleep,” he says.

I blink drowsily at him, and I have a feeling I should be protesting. But I just feel so sleepy, so relaxed, that it doesn’t seem to matter. I struggle to sit up, finally managing to rest up on my elbow, and look at him as he moves in closer.

He’s gentle as he secures the collar around my throat, and I swallow hard, feeling how tight it is. It doesn’t inhibit my breathing, but the sensation is new.

Not exactly welcome, either.

Hunter finishes by attaching a chain to the d-ring on the collar. I follow the chain blankly, noting where it attaches to the post at the foot of the bed. I have maybe two feet of slack. Enough for me to roll around, but not enough that I could sleep the right way around.

“There you go. Good girl.” Hunter ruffles my hair. “If you can be good, I’ll let you sleep here regularly. But if I can’t trust you, I’ll need to constrict you more.”

Good girl.

Again, the words strike me, but I’m just too tired to really pay much attention to them. “Thank you… Master,” I say, the words slurring a little. “I’ll be good.”

He covers my naked body with a soft blanket, and for a split second I think I see a hint of a smile. But when I look again, he’s as stern as ever.

Wishful thinking.

I drift off, wondering what it would take to actually get him to smile.

CHAPTER 7

Hunter

I lock the door to Stef’s room, ignoring her pleas. She’s crying about being a good girl, and she doesn’t deserve it, but I can’t trust her alone in my condo just yet.

I check the camera feed from my phone as I ride down the elevator, watching her sob to herself.

The tears look amazing on her.

It had been so hard not to simply fuck her mouth yesterday. She’d been open and pliant and so malleable, but I’m biding my time until she’s truly ready for me.

I have the concierge hail a cab for me, and even though I should be using the time to read the news or a journal article, all I do is keep watching that camera feed. The usual interminable 30-minute drive is over faster than expected.

As I ride up to my practice’s floor, I realize I don’t actually want to work.

It’s the strangest sensation. I don’t think I’ve ever dreaded work, not in the ten years since I’ve been doing this job. I’ve never had anything else I’d rather be doing, though.

The elevator dings open, and I head to my practice, stopping short when I see a man hanging around out front.

I scowl when I see him. It isn’t unusual for men to visit my practice, although they’re normally accompanying a wife or a girlfriend. The few times we’ve had lone men, they were stalkers trying to gain access to their pregnant ex.

Judging from this man’s demeanor, he likely fits that category.

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