Page 39 of Unravelling Nell (Fairford Affairs)

Though his brows arched, he seemed amused, not angry.Gentle amusement.

Goddamn it, why was he being so fucking nice to her? Was her life so fucked up that even Rafe Erikson—the Dom the naughtiest of Manor guests got sent to when their own Doms couldn’t punish them hard enough—was treating her like a fragile little bird with a broken wing?

“Come on,” he whispered, scooping her up off the floor. “Let’s put you to bed.”

She didn’t want to be carried to bed and tucked in with care. She wanted Rafe to throw her over his shoulder, carry her down to the dungeon, and cane her until she couldn’t even see straight anymore. Then he could fuck her into oblivion, taking his own pleasure again and again, paying no attention to hers.

Christ, the very idea had her pussy pulsing again.

But as she snuggled her face against the soft fabric of his T-shirt, breathing in the scents of cedar and leather, wood polish and burning leaves, the crude fantasy drifted away.

Both, a Holly-ish voice in her head said.Both is better.

After all, she hadn’t wanted both with Micah, and look where that got her.

As her eyes fluttered closed, she thought perhaps the existence of one end of the spectrum was what made the other end so exquisite.

CHAPTER12

Rafe

Global warming definitely sucked balls. But it was really hard not to enjoy it when northern Vermont was in the mid-seventies the day before Halloween.

Rafe had come out of the shower to Nell curled up in a chair by an open window, a dreamy look on her face. Since his sweet, mischievous little sub’s body could use a break after the last few days, he decided then and there that some fresh air would do them both good.

And apparently they weren’t the only ones. They found Aiden and Olivia on the front porch, curled up together on a loveseat, her head in his lap. It hadn’t taken much to convince the pair to join them on the front lawn. Especially after Rafe gave his fellow Dom a loaded look over Nell’s head.

Nell and Olivia had the potential to be great friends if given enough of an opportunity. If Rafe had ever been a hundred percent sure of anything in his life, he was sure of that. They were kindred spirits—both kinder and more cheerful than people with their pasts had any right to be, as far as he was concerned. And both women had found a strength he couldn’t even fathom, learning how to trust and submit after everything that happened to them.

Knowing how much good Olivia could do for his new little sub’s healing process, he wasn’t about to pass up the chance.

When Luca arrived with a picnic basket and a second blanket a few minutes later (“Compliments of Zach,” he said when greeted by four surprised looks), it truly felt like a perfect morning.

The muffins and mimosas long since gone, the party split. Rafe and Aiden stayed on the original blanket, while the girls moved about ten feet away. Sprawled out on the second blanket in their lingerie, they soaked in the unseasonable sun while they whispered and giggled like a couple of teenagers.

For the life of him, Rafe couldn’t figure out why he found the sight so ridiculously appealing.

It wasn’t simply that he enjoyed their bodies, though that much was definitely true. He’d scened with Olivia a handful of times in the last ten or so months, and loved her curves almost as much as he adored Nell’s long, lithe body. The pair of them together deserved to have artists painting them, poets writing sonnets, and all that sappy renaissance shit.

And it wasn’t only the self-satisfied feeling of knowing how very right he’d been about Nell and Olivia forming a genuine friendship. The more friends Nell had in her life—especially those involved in the lifestyle themselves—the better.

He watched the pair for several more seconds, smiling to himself as he tried to work it out. When it finally hit him, his mouth dropped open for a moment. He snapped it closed again, hoping no one noticed.

As the morning warmed up, the girls had taken off most of their clothes, even slipping off their bra straps to avoid tan lines. It seemed sexy and fun while they stripped, and he and Aiden enjoyed the way the girls preened and arched their backs, throwing covert looks their way from time to time.

But it only just occurred to him that every single one of Nell’s scars was visible. Including the half-carved name on her hip. Even a few days ago, Nell balked at the idea of him seeing the scars.

Yet here she was, mostly naked in front of two near-strangers, not a hint of shame on her radiant face, her hands never once creeping in to cover the thick, raised lines.

Jesus fucking Christ, she was incredible. He’d never met a woman like her in his entire life, and he couldn’t imagine he ever would again.

“They certainly seem to be getting along,” Aiden said.

Rafe glanced over to find Aiden leaning back on his hands, a speculative look in his eyes. But it wasn’t directed at their subs. It was directed at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Rafe demanded, scowling. People kept giving him the weirdest looks, but no one would explain why. It was fucking annoying.

Aiden’s smug half smile didnothelp matters. “If you have to ask, you’re not ready to hear the answer.”

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