Page 30 of Desire

Chapter 22

I learnedsomething about Bridget at the hospital. She was a terrible patient, and had no idea how to lie still. She was constantly getting up and moving even though the doctor told her she needed to rest. I understood that moving around a little was good for her, but she was always in motion. She suffered from occasional dizziness due to the concussion and needed to take a quick break from what she was doing until it went away. Other than that, she didn’t stop. She was constantly walking around the room, flashes of her ass driving me insane.

They kept Bridget overnight Sunday for observation, and early Monday morning, she was released from the hospital. We had picked up a few things from her house that she needed and then I got her settled in at my place. Gina had taken over running the store while Bridget was recovering. And even though it probably wasn’t my place, I told Gina that she would remain in charge for a few more days. I planned on making sure Bridget stayed off her feet for a while until she recovered. Plus, the fact that she was finally in my house and my bed was something I didn’t want to change any time soon. I planned on keeping her here as long as I could. Forever, if possible. She just didn’t know it yet.

I didn’t know how long I could resist her now that she was finally in my grasp. Seeing her day in and day out was going to drive me mad. I wanted to touch her all the time. To reassure myself that she was really here. I had no idea how I was going to sleep next to her tonight and not reach out for her.

I showed her around the house when we first got there, and I caught her wincing once because of the bruised ribs when she turned a certain way. It was then that a fury unlike any I’d felt before came over me. Instinct was pointing a finger at Malcolm Shipman.

For the last few days, my entire focus had been on Bridget. But now I needed to get back to the reason why she came to me in the first place—to help Alex. Knowing she was safe with me, I could relax a little and shift my attention to Alex and getting him out of the hands of that bastard.

“I need to leave for a few hours. Are you going to behave yourself and rest while I’m gone?”

“Of course. What kind of trouble do you expect me to get into?”

“With you, I have no idea. But I need you to stay put and get some rest. We still don’t know who did this to you, Bridget. And until he’s caught, I want to know you’re safe. Which means you stay here and behave.”

Bridget’s playfulness faded a little with my words. “I understand, Sir. I’ll be a good sub and follow your orders. Today.”

I could only shake my head. I knew I had my hands full with this one. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I fucking loved this woman, brattiness and all. I was going to enjoy attempting to tame her. I certainly didn’t want to change anything about her, but I loved having some fun and pushing her to her limits. Which was something we needed to discuss. It was time to begin more fully communicating with each other. We certainly had not been practicing safe BDSM. And I took full responsibility for that.

She had been correct when she said she didn’t know what was expected of her. And that was no way to treat a sub, especially my sub. Subs needed rules and boundaries. They want to please their Dom, but they can’t do that if they’ve not been given the tools to do it. Without that foundation, resentment would be the result. I felt I had failed my responsibility as a Dom to guide her and direct her. That was about to change.

“Before I leave, though, there are some things we need to discuss.”

She made a face. “Well, that sounds ominous.”

“Not really. Come here.”

When she was within arm’s length, I pulled her against me so she rested in the cradle of my hips. Unconsciously, she leaned into me and wrapped her arms around the back of my neck.

“We need to talk limits. It’s my fault we’ve been remiss in this. But I’m trying to be more open and communicate enough to meet your needs. So, this is me communicating. You are now in my home. The rules are much different here than they are at your house. Here, I am Master of all things. I am the one in control. I’m not expecting you to be my slave. I have a housekeeper who cleans, and we can share meal prep. I don’t expect you to wait on me hand and foot. However, when we are in the bedroom, you belong to me. I need to know what your soft and hard limits are. Are you on birth control, because I want to feel you skin to skin? Do you have any triggers? Most importantly, what is your safe word?”

My spine tingled and my cock became semi-hard as she played with my hair. I didn’t realize my head was such an erogenous zone. Not many women had the opportunity to touch me like this. I was realizing how much I enjoyed it.

“Well, Sir, I only have a few hard limits. I’m not into blood, golden showers, or scat. I don’t do needles or knives. I’m also not into age play. I don’t have any triggers that I’ve discovered in any of my play. I’m on the pill. so I’m okay with forgoing condoms. Also, my safe word is unicorn.”

“Unicorn?” I couldn’t help but smirk a little at this.

She pulled my hair. “What’s wrong with unicorn?”

I could only shake my head. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Now that we have that out of the way, if I have special instructions for you during the day, I will make sure you know exactly what they are so there are no misunderstandings. I have one very specific rule in the bedroom and that is you do not touch me unless I tell you to. This is non-negotiable. Do you have any questions?”

I sensed her evaluating everything I’d told her. I could almost see the wheels turning in her gorgeous head.

“No questions, Sir. But, may I speak freely?”

I nodded my assent.

“How long will this rule be in effect? You obviously have a reason for it, and as my Sir, you don’t have to explain to me, because it’s your rule. But, trust goes both ways, Connor. I’ve trusted you with everything from the very beginning. Besides my father, you were the first person who ever knew about Alex.

“Do you know how hard it was for me to open up to you about giving up my child? It’s a secret that has tortured me for years. I was ashamed of my choices. So I understand how difficult it is to open yourself up to hurt. To show vulnerability. I’ve been there. But there comes a time when you have to take that leap. You have to reciprocate that trust. I swear to you, Sir, you can trust me with whatever it is you’re hiding.”

She leaned up and softly brushed her lips across mine. It wasn’t enough. I needed to taste her sweetness. I deepened the kiss, teasing her lips with my tongue, coaxing them open. I loved her flavor and would never get enough of it. I needed to put a stop to this before it was too late. She was still too sore. Reluctantly, I pulled away.

“Thank you for your trust, Bridget. I am thankful for it. And I do trust you. Old habits are hard to break. I’ll take what you’ve said into consideration. Trusting people hasn’t worked out well for me in the past. Just be patient with me. Now, I need to get going. Remember what I said, Bridget. Rest.”

I left the house before I changed my mind about taking her to bed. The first place I needed to stop was my office. Then I needed to pay a visit to a couple of people, including Malcolm Shipman.

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