Page 56 of Tempt

She takes a bite of her eggs, then another. Then she puts her fork down with a clatter. “Or we could just go. It’s not a closed club, anyone can go. You just have to sign a waiver around privacy and let them take a photo of your driver’s license.”

“You’ve done your research.”

Hazel looks uncharacteristically shy. “Yes. But it’s not just research. I mean, it always has been. In the past, when it’s come up with men I’ve dated, I have always segmented kink off as work, as research, because every time I bring it up, it winds being…complicated. Good, at first, but then bad. Very bad.” She gives me a hard-to-read-look. “And there are some echoes from the past, between us, of you liking me because I’m dirty.”

Well, that’s direct. “I like that you’re dirty. Sure. Okay. But I love you because you’re straight with me. That you hold me to a higher standard than the jackass I once was.”

Her eyes widen again. She’s not the only one who can be direct.

“Let’s eat,” I say again. “Do you want me to feed you?”

She laughs. Our knees bump as we dig into the food, and after a few bites, she reaches out and tangles her fingers around my free hand. “This is really good. The food, the company. The relationship. What we have is really good.”

“I agree.”

“So I want to say that I haven’t been keeping anything from you, not exactly, but I have maybe tried to temper what I say out loud versus maybe what’s in my head. But there have been a few times when the world I write in has bumped up against what we have here, and I guess it’s time to talk about that more fully.”

Fuck, yeah. I’m all ears. “Shoot. What’s in your head?”

“Lots of things. Pain and…bondage.”

My cock twitches eagerly. “Okay. Yes, please.”

She laughs. “But there are right ways to do it. Safety considerations.”

I frown. “Has anyone ever hurt you?”

“Eh, maybe. Nothing bad, but some stupid shit. Rope burn once, and a bit of a panic-inducing couldn’t-get-a-knot-undone situation. That was the end of that exploration outside my head.”

“I’ll learn whatever needs to be learned.” I squeeze her hand, but that’s not enough. I haul her into my lap, the table jostling because I’m too big and too rough, but only with it. Never with Hazel, unless she wants me to be.

She straddles me, our breakfast forgotten momentarily, and I kiss her.

“Whatever you want,” I promise against her lips. “Because you’re mine. And I love all of you. Your sweetness, your cleverness, and your darkest thoughts, too.”

“They’re not that dark,” she giggles. “But maybe a little depraved?”

I groan. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

We eventually finish eating,but as soon as the dishes are cleared, I’m on her again. I pin her against the counter and kiss the back of her neck. “Did you have any other plans for the day?”

“Other than telling you about my kinkiest desires?” Hazel clears her throat. “I thought maybe we could go shopping for a new porch light.”

I ease my hands under her shirt, making her shiver. “I’m at your service.”

“I like being trapped,” she whispered. “Here, against the counter. And when you pin me down in bed.”

“I’ve noticed that. I like it, too.”

“You could be rougher.”

My cock agrees. I press against her at the same time as I tighten my grip on her side, just below her bare breast. “Yeah?”

A wordless nod.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. You’re going to make me feel good.”

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