Page 57 of Blue Velvet

I follow his lead, stepping up on my toes when he leans down so our lips can meet. The kiss is cautious and gentle, as if it’s our first kiss after a long period of flirting and dancing around each other. He never lets go of the leash, pulling me even closer, until the collar begins to tighten around my throat, not really choking me but keeping me in place.

I moan when he wraps his other arm around me, pressing my body against his hard-muscled frame. His warmth embraces me, comforts me, and envelops me with heated shelter. There’s a devotion in that kiss that he hasn’t shown me before. It’s as if he’s the one sinking in my arms, and not vice versa.

It’s as if he’s finally willing to let go, not of me, but of himself and whatever has been holding him back.

He breaks our kiss reluctantly.

“I don’t want to lose you,” he whispers, his eyes still closed and his lips so near mine that I can feel his hot breath brushing my skin.

“You’re not going to,” I whisper. “I’m yours, Loran.”

I place a soft peck on his lips. “I’ll always be yours. If you let me.”

My eye search for his, and finally, after a few more minutes of solitary contemplation, he’s ready to face me. His eyes open, seeking mine, and a smile appears on his face - a smile finally void of darkness.

“We have some things to take care of,” he says.

I nod. “Yes. We do.”

His grip around me loosens and his hands wander down to my ass, lifting the negligé and squeezing my naked cheeks greedily, the leash still encompassed in one of his hands. I can feel the hard leather pressing against my skin as he kneads and massages my ass.

“We have to go to the agency,” I say randomly. “They need to know where I am.”

He nods. “We will do that, my toy.”

It’s all the admission I need at this point. He’s not ready to let me go, but he’s ready to leave this part behind us.

He’s ready for something else - with me.

“I will take you there first thing in the morning,” he promises, before leaning in for another kiss. His lips only touch mine for a moment, before he moves further, inching along the side of my neck as he grabs a fistful of hair at the back of my head. I let out a needy sigh when he pulls my head back, his other hand still locked on my ass while I lean into him.

He’s overpowering me and I’m melting in his arms, my heart beating with anticipation as I hollow my back for him, the collar tightening around my throat. He pulls on it until the tension starts cutting off air. I don’t mind. I don’t needair. I needhim.

Still, I moan gratefully when he lets go of the leash, using his hand to slip between my wet folds, carefully teasing my swollen nub.

Our eyes find each other, mine dazed with lust, his filled with desire.

He’s smiling when he invades my core with not one, but two fingers, at once - and so am I.

Epilogue

Ruby

Six months later

I takein a deep breath and fix my skirt for the millionth time, casting a superimposed smile at my reflection in the mirror. The girl who’s smiling back at me looks like an entirely different person, a person I haven’t seen in years.

When we went to the agency, so I could make sure they weren’t looking for me six months ago, I knew it would be the very last time I stepped foot in there. I will never know what happened to that last client of mine, the client who never showed up and who never reported my disappearance to the agency. Our madame, Miss Barry, was surprised to see me, because she thought I’d be with my client as planned. He may have copped out at the last minute without telling anyone, or perhaps he found another way to satisfy the desire he was willing to pay so much for - I will never know. It remains a mystery to me, just like my red coat, that was sent to the agency anonymously a few days after I showed up there. The package showed up out of nowhere, leaving Miss Barry just as confused as myself.

Neither Loran nor I had to face any repercussions from our more than unconventional meeting. Sadly enough, neither my parents nor my sister even noticed that I had vanished off the face of the Earth for three whole weeks.

Fate has its twisted ways in bringing people together. Loran and I are a perfect example of that.

I pull myself away from the mirror and leave the bathroom to go downstairs. My fingers absentmindedly search fort he bracelet around my wrist, twisting and turning the two little black hearts anxiously. I haven’t been this nervous in months, and I don’t think my heart has ever beaten this loudly. I make my way down the hallway, my fingers dancing along the wall on my right, seeking contact with the house that has become my home. It’s only been a few months, but the intensity of my first weeks here evolved into stronger connections than any I’ve ever developed anywhere else.

I pass by our bedroom door and continue on my way to the stairs. I pause again before making my way down to the kitchen. I’m wearing a navy blue suit, the jacket draped over my arm, as I walk down the stairs on shaky legs. I’m not wearing my heels yet, but I still feel as unstable as a newborn deer.

His eyes meet mine when I reach the first floor and join him in the kitchen, where he has been preparing breakfast for us.

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