Page 34 of Always

“Meaning just you and me. No toys. No games. No bindings and no commands. Just the act itself. I want to experience something special with you.”

“What’s so special about vanilla sex?”

I pause a moment, staring out the windshield at the street. The town of Liberty is almost awkward in its simplicity, but beneath the surface, there’s a deeper rhythm, a connection that roots itself into every whispered story of its inhabitants. I can feel it unveiling, a soft awakening to something both familiar and entirely new. It’s not perfect, but it’s unforgettable in its honesty, and I know this town will leave an imprint on me that will linger long after I’ve moved beyond its borders.

Much like Skye herself.

And much like making love—simply making love—must be.

What’s so special about vanilla sex?she asked me.

I turn then, and I answer her.

“I’ve never done it before.”

Chapter Thirteen

Her mouth drops open. “Never?”

“How can that possibly surprise you?”

“I…” She pauses, and again I can almost see the cogs working in her brain. She knows about my sexual history with Addie, that it involved kink. She knows I own a BDSM club. She knows my proclivities. Why is my revelation so surprising?

“You’ve really never just made love?” she finally says. “Without all the…”

“The word you’re looking for is kink, Skye. Without all the kink.”

She clears her throat. “Yeah. The kink. The dominance.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because”—I clear my throat—“I’ve never had the desire to. Not until now.”

It’s the truth. The unadulterated truth. I want to make love. I want to kiss her flesh, and I want her to kiss mine. I want to sink my cock into her pussy without her being bound, gagged, blindfolded.

“All right, Braden. I’ll go up with you.”

A few moments later, we’re in my hotel room. The bed is queen-sized, not what we’re used to when we’re together, but still, it seems perfect.

It’s understated. Old. Vintage.

I stand and stare at Skye.

“Well…?” she says.

I smile, which is unusual for me. I’ve smiled a lot since I got to Kansas. “I’m not sure where to start.”

“You’ve never had that problem before,” she says.

“You’re right, because I’ve always known where I’m going. Even when you challenged me at every corner, I knew where I was going and I ultimately got there. The fact that you made me work for it was part of the game.”

“We were a game?”

“I don’t mean it in a bad way, Skye, but you know as well as I do that we were playing a game of cat and mouse.”

She sighs. She knows.

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