Page 38 of Wes

He taps his chin with a finger for a moment as his mind clearly goes around different scenarios.

He snaps his fingers and arches his eyebrows. “Blindfolds?”

I frown, considering the suggestion. When my stomach drops and bile churns inside it, I shake my head. “Sorry. Nope.”

“I know you don’t mind it when I order you around,” he whispers with a sinful smile.

My skin sizzles with the idea. I won’t lie. But I can play hard to catch. “So?” I elongate the one-syllable word.

“We can explore your wild side without shackles or blindfolds. Do you trust me?”

“I do,” I murmur, without hesitation.

His lips crush mine in a brief, hot kiss that leaves us breathless when he pulls away. “That’s my good girl.”

The praise uttered in his low voice makes my thighs shake as hot liquid floods my sex. He swats my ass and I jump.

His demeanor changes as he straightens his spine. All traces of humor disappear from his expression.

He commands, “Take off the dress and shoes and climb on the bed. Leave the stockings and garters.”

As I comply, my arms and legs shake with anticipation. I trust Wes won’t hurt me and I know he’s an expert lover. Lately, I’ve realized he’s also a good man. But none of that matters now. There is just a man and a woman chasing pleasure.

I sit in the middle of the king-size bed and watch him go through the top drawer of a dresser. He returns holding a tube of lube and a butt plug.

I wince and fight the nightmarish memories, locking them in the dungeon of my mind.

“Hey, sweetheart.” He plops his fine ass on the side of the bed. And, dropping his role of Dom, he cups my cheeks in his palms and rubs his forehead on mine. “We don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. You know that, right?”

My eyes fill with tears as his tenderness breaks my heart but puts it back together.

I nod a few times until I trust my voice to reply, “I know it, Wes. It was nothing.”

“Liar.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Just promise to tell me whatever is eating you up when you’re ready. Please?”

I squeeze my eyes shut and swallow the tears. Even though they’re of gratitude for his understanding, I don’t want to start bawling right now.

Opening my eyes again, I slant my head to snuggle against his hand. “Will do.”

“Good.” After a peck on my lips, he stands up again. As if he’s flicked an internal switch, his expression closes off and he becomes Master of the bedroom again. He gruffs, “Choose a safeword. Better be safe than sorry.”

I understand he’s doing this to protect me just in case I get uncomfortable. But I rebel against the sudden change in his mood. Plus, I want to test his boundaries as well.

“Auction.”

He blinks and his mask of indifference slides off just enough that I pick up his confusion.

I clarify, “I was going to pick ‘jacket’, but you’ve already claimed that.”

Wes guffaws, breaking character all together. “What am I going to do with you?” His laughter dies out as his eyes fill with lust. “Oh, I know. Come here.”

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WES

“Oh, I know,” I murmur. “Come here. You seem to forget who’s in charge.” She shakes her head as her eyes grow round. “I’ve got to show you I’m the boss tonight.”

I wrap my fingers around Maria’s waist and flip her. She squeals as she lands on her stomach.

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