Page 24 of Training His Pet

“Whatever.” She pushed past him and started walking. “Well, let’s go.” She jerked a hand in the direction of the cabin.

The blonde gasped, and her eyes went wide. Erika hadn’t been paying attention to the few onlookers who’d moved their attention from the punishment—now over—to her exchange with Dax.

Dax didn’t miss it though. His hands pumped into fists at his sides.

Dax took a deep breath, his chest expanding against his shirt before letting it out slow. He was forcing himself to calm down.

“I didn’t—that sounded worse than I meant it.” She tried to shove the horses back into the barn, but they were already in a free run.

“Let’s go.” He stalked toward her, snagging her hand and yanking her along with him.

“Dax, I’m sorry. Really, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” She tugged back against him. But no amount of yoga could get her ready to combat against his muscle. He dragged her easily, not responding to her apology.

Once they made their way to their cabin, he released her and pointed at the front door. “Trevor left groceries for us.” He grabbed two bags from the porch.

She grabbed the other two and followed him inside the cabin, bringing them to the kitchen. Trevor had brought fresh fruit and enough lunch meat to supply an army picnic.

“I really didn’t mean to embarrass you,” she tried again after more minutes ticked by in stifling silence.

“You didn’t embarrass me,” he said and snagged the empty plastic bags from the table and crumpling them together before shoving them into a drawer. “You disobeyed me, then you talked back.” He scratched his forehead. “I’m not used to not being able to do something about it when that happens.”

“Do people always just do what you say?” she asked. Not that she would blame them; the glimpse of his dominance had her almost caving right off the bat. If he had kept himself so close, and didn’t remove his touch from her chin, she might have melted right to her knees for him.

“For the most part. Yeah,” he answered with a sharp nod.

“And your girlfriend? She does too?” She edged herself to the wall and pressed her back to it.

He huffed. “No girlfriend.”

“By choice?” she continued. No way this beautiful man couldn’t score a woman. Even if he was a little heavy-handed with the authority.

His eyes darkened, but not with the irritation she’d seen up at the dungeon. She’d hit a nerve with her question.

“Do you ever stop interrogating people?” he asked with a flat-lined tone.

“Once I have all the information,” she said. “So? By choice?”

“I’m not in the market, that’s all.” He pushed off from the counter and swiped a bottle of water from the counter.

“Ah, bad breakup?”

“Divorce. Five years ago.” He unscrewed the top of the bottle. “You?”

What depleted sort of woman could let a man like Dax go? He was a dying breed—strong, confident and protective. Men like him weren’t strutting around Chicago in masses.

“No. Never been married,” she said.

“Boyfriend?”

“Maybe you should have asked that before you had me pack a bag and drove me out of state to a BDSM resort?”

“So, no boyfriend.” He nodded.

“You don’t know that—”

“If you had one, you would have mentioned him when I asked you to pack a bag and leave town,” he pointed out.

“Did you punish your wife?” she asked since some of the tension had eased out of his body.

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