Page 7 of Naughty Desires

Chapter Three

Chris

“Kink?” Lily’s voice rises in pitch. “We have a kinky dentist? Do you think he uses his tools to . . .” Her voice catches and I can almost see her mentally cataloguing Aiden Steadman’s office, from the vibrating toothbrushes to the rinse basin and from the drills to the dental forceps.

Although she claims to be a two-feet-on-the-ground kind of girl, Lily has always had a vivid imagination. Some of the best sex we ever had when we first got together involved role-play scenarios. We were strangers hooking up in an alley. A driver delivering a late night “package.” A musician encountering a crazy fan backstage. Anywhere, anytime, Lily was never afraid to take a risk. It’s what I miss most about her in the twelve months we’ve drifted apart.

“Red Cherry.” I read the fancy red script lettering. “Doesn’t sound like the kind of place you’d get dental supplies.”

“Maybe it isn’t dental supplies.” Lily is almost trembling with excitement. I haven’t seen her so animated in months. But that’s my fault. I’ve failed her as a husband, and I’ve failed her as man. If not for the dental appointment she made for me with Aiden six months ago, I don’t think our marriage would have lasted the year.

“Open it.” I pull off the lid, and we both peer inside. Although Aiden told me he was sending something over today, I am as curious as her to see what it is.

Hand shaking, Lily pushes aside the cloud of red tissue paper and feels around inside the box.

“Oh. My. God!” She holds up a pair of shiny handcuffs, partially covered in fuzzy red material and tied together with a red ribbon. “Chris! Look! Real, live, honest-to-goodness handcuffs.” Her eyes sparkle under the over head light. Lily has the most incredible eyes. Sometimes hazel, sometimes green, always beautiful. I noticed her eyes first the day we met at the bus stop. Mysterious eyes, a ridiculous amount of golden brown hair, and lips that looked like they’d been made to kiss. And those curves . . . Damn, my Lily was all woman.

With a gasp, she drops the handcuffs on the table and backs up against me as if they might bite.

“Jesus.” It’s not the handcuffs that tear the exclamation from my lips but the feeling of my wife pressed up against me after so damn long—the softness of her body, the warmth of her skin, and the trust she still has that I will protect her from harm.

Unable to stop myself, I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her tight. I can’t remember the last time we were so close that I could smell the delicate scent of flowers in her hair or feel the silky strands against my cheek. She fits perfectly against me, her head tucked under my chin and her sweet ass a delicious heat against my hips.

We stare at the handcuffs, united for the first time in over a year in speechless, mutual shock.

“Are you sure he said this was for us?” I pick up the handcuffs and make a show of running my fingers over the locking mechanism. I’ve always been curious about how things work, and although I’ve seen handcuffs before, I’ve never had a chance to check them out.

“Yes. He was very clear.”

“Did you tell him we were into that kind of stuff?”

She looks at me aghast. “No. Of course not. Did you?”

“We didn’t do much talking. He had his hands in my mouth.” At least he did when we first met. But after the checkup was done, we got to talking. He was looking for someone to do a custom-build in his basement—someone discreet. I’d already started thinking about taking on projects on the side. Business wasn’t going well for Mike and he’d started laying people off. Although he’d assured me I would always have a job with him because of Lily, I knew it was a strain. I offered to give Aiden a quote, never imagining it would lead to a pair of fuzzy handcuffs on my dining room table.

“These are real.” After snapping them closed, I untie the red ribbon and hold up the keys. “We could get into a lot of trouble with these.”

“Oh my.” Lily’s cheeks turn pink, and she licks her lips. My cock goes rock hard beneath my fly. My Lily is a beautiful woman, but when she’s aroused, she’s a goddess.

Although we were always adventurous in the bedroom, we never used anything like this. I loved what we had together and never felt the need for more. I assumed Lily felt the same. After I started my soul-destroying job at the accounting firm, trapped indoors twelve hours a day, what we had was the only thing that made sense. I wasn’t willing to risk trying something new, especially when the rest of my life was spinning out of control.

“What else is in the box?” She dips her head, but she can’t hide her reaction from me. I know Lily better than I know myself. I have felt her pain and loneliness over the last year. Countless nights I wanted to reach across the bed and pull her into my arms, but I haven’t felt worthy of her comfort, and I have nothing to give. If not for my failings, she wouldn’t have had to take a second job, we wouldn’t have had to remortgage the house, and we would have started the family we had always dreamed of having. Is it any wonder didn’t she like the gift I gave her for her birthday? Who wants a reminder of our past when there is little hope for our future?

“Have a look.”

She pushes the tissue aside and pulls out a lingerie set on a pink padded hanger.

I whistle long and low. “How am I going to get my teeth cleaned again when I know he’s into all this?” It’s not exactly a lie. I’ve known what Aiden is into since the day took me into his basement and outlined his plans for the BDSM dungeon he wanted me to build.

Disappointment flickers across her face. “Teeth cleaning is the last thing a man should be thinking about when looking at a white corset trimmed in red lace, a matching garter belt and panties, and a white hat with a red cross on it.” She studies the outfit and her lips quiver with a smile. “It’s a naughty nurse costume.”

It’s everything I can do not to strip off her clothes and dress her up myself. “Looks to be about the right size for you now.”

“You noticed I lost weight?” Her voice wavers and I feel like even more of a heel. After she started a second job working as a waitress at ReTox, Revival’s biggest bar, she joined a local gym to kill time between shifts. Between that, the extra hours of work, and just picking at her dinner every night, the extra pounds that had always been the bane of her existence melted away. I’d never seen those pounds on her. I loved her curves, but I did notice when she lost weight, and now I regret not saying anything about it.

“Of course I did. You’re my Lily.”

She lifts an eyebrow and gives me a cheeky smile. “Nurse Lily.”

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