This is fine, thank you. As he took a seat across from her, she sipped the tea, enjoying the subtle flavor. You have a beautiful home, and I have a few ideas already as to landscape styles that might suit you. We could"
In the kitchen light, his unwavering eyes were more brown than green. Perhaps we could first discuss your unhappiness.
What? Her tea almost spilled, and she set the cup down carefully. Im fine.
Im afraid I dont believe you. His perceptive gaze swept over her, and the concern in his expression deepened. I know your Master returned yesterday. Perhaps, you should take the day to be with him. And talk. We can reschedule this appointment.
Thats nice of you, but hes sleeping late this morning. And hes exhausted. He doesnt need to know I had amoment.
Alastair leaned back in his chair, stretching long legs out in front of him. May I call you Beth?
She blinked and nodded.
Beth, I have heard your Master speak of you, his wife who is also his submissive. There is no doubt in my mind he is extremely protective of you. Am I in error?
No.
Wouldnt he want to know of yourmoment?
Stubborn, stubborn Doms. As the landscaper for the Shadowlands Capture Gardens and Master Zs private gardens, shed picked up many clients from the club. Shed quickly learned that even outside the club, Doms could be awfully persistent"and they didnt sidetrack worth a darn.
And this was a very experienced Dominant. The minute hed told Master Z he was settling permanently in Tampa, Alastair had been nominated for Master, the honorific awarded to the most powerful, skilled, and ethical Dominants in the Shadowlands. And he was a doctor, too. Of course, hed be both caring and observant. Dammit.
Unfortunately, he was correct. She breathed a sigh of capitulation. Yes. He would want to know. Ill tell him today.
Theres a good girl. Thank you.
Something inside her relaxed as she realized her decision had been made for her. No more worrying about when.
He took a sip of his tea, watching her closely.
When she picked up her own cup, he smiled. Very good.
She gave him a wry look. Are you going to be this obstinate about your landscaping?
His grin was a brilliant white in his dark face. Not unless the flowers start moping.
The laugh that escaped her was heartening.
You were wondering about the boxes and furniture, he said in a tactful change of subject. My cousin Max moved in last month, but his furniture only arrived last week. We havent had a day off at the same time to decide what to keep and what will be stored or sold.
I bet pediatricians have horrible hours. Hmm. How hard would it be to talk him into volunteering time at the shelter? What does your cousin do?
Hes a detective with the Tampa Police Department. Alastair set his cup down. Youll meet him one of these days. If not here, then at the Shadowlands.
Was Max a Dom like Alastair, or would he be a submissive? Is he a" Sheesh, Beth. Have some manners. Ah, how nice. I look forward to meeting him.
Alastair huffed a laugh. Hes a Dominant, and we play together much as Vance and Galen do. Or we used to before our paths parted.
Beth barely concealed her surprise. Like Galen and Vance? The two did co-top together"and had also married her friend Sally, which was unusual. Although two Doms might occasionally share a scene, two heterosexual men sharing a submissive in a full-time relationship was pretty rare.
Alastair rose with a grace that belied his height. Since youre back on your game, let us assess the yard.
TWO HOURS LATER, Beth shook hands with Alastair. To help her plan a smooth transition from inside to outside, her camera held shots of the house interior as well as the grounds. Ill have a detailed conceptual drawing along with a project description for you in a few days. Before the final drawing and proposal are created, well revise depending on what you like and dont like about it. She hesitated. Since your cousin lives here, it might be good if he was present, too.
That was the plan. Hed hoped to meet you today, but got called into the station unexpectedly. Alastair frowned at the barren front yard. You have your work cut out for you, I fear.
Itll be fun. And youll enjoy how quickly plants grow in this climate.
She couldnt stop smiling as she hopped into her truck. At one time, shed planned to follow in her fathers footsteps and own a nursery business, but a couple of years ago, shed realized she loved landscape design. With Jessicas accounting help and Nolans management expertise, shed expanded her yard service business and hired a small crew, giving her time to take on design work.
Each new project felt like a childs unopened box of crayons"a gift filled with the potential for creating beauty. And utility. And fun.
As she headed back, she feltnormal again, and her anticipation rose. Nolan was home.
Maybe she should start by cooking a good Sunday dinner and feeding both of them up; she wasnt the only one whod lost weight. Afterward, shed tell him about the treatment and the results. They could talk"something else shed missed.
Two months apart was too long, especially when the phone service didnt allow long, chatty conversations. Then again, chatty and Nolan was a contradiction in terms.
She grinned. Her Master was comfortable with people, but talkative? Hardly. In his opinion, anything more than the bare facts was overkill. But he listened like no one shed ever met. When they talked, she had all of his attention, and his focus was as sexy as it was amazing.
Oh, she was glad he was home and that he was all hers today.
As she walked into the coolness of the house, she stopped and sniffed. Rather than cinnamon, the air smelled of a rich and musky perfume. Someone had visited.
Nolan wasnt in his office, the kitchen, or the great room. She found him outside, sleeping on the patio, wearing swim trunks. Two glasses sat on a nearby table.
The physical therapist. Alyssa had said shed come by today.
Nolans tanned skin gleamed with oil. That lush, big-breasted submissive had touched him. Rubbed oil into his muscular back. Pain stabbed Beths heart, as unexpected as when a thorny rose would pierce her leather gloves.
Stop, Beth. Jealousy is beneath you. Alyssa had seemed nice. Beth bit her lip as she watched her husband sleep. Maybe a little too nice. And too beautiful. And uncomfortably needy.
Nonetheless, having Alyssa come by was best; Sir certainly wouldnt take the time to get a referral to a regular therapist, let alone go to any appointments.
I can handle a little jealousy. For Nolan.
Of course, she could handle it better if she had some nice big breasts like the therapists. Beth rolled her eyes. Now, there was a goal.
What do you want in life, Beth?
World peace. A large family. Huge tits.
Talk about silly. Aside from giving her Master something fun to grope, huge knockers would totally get in her way, would probably make her shoulders ache"and, with her luck? Some bus door would close on them.
Go, girl. Take a shower and try not to think about Alyssa touching Sir.
Chapter Four.
HIS LITTLE RABBIT was taking a long time in the shower.
In jeans and T-shirt, Nolan leaned against the kitchen counter, drinking iced tea. When he came in from the patio, he realized she was in the bathroom. Odd. Normally, she woke him up if he was sleeping when she left or when she got home.
What was going on with his Beth?
Her exhaustion and weight loss, although worrying, werent unexpected. The distance between them though, this was new. Fuck, he wished hed turned Raoul down and stayed home for the summer. Of course, after hearing about the conditions, his softhearted Beth had been adamant he should go. And the village had needed him. Hed seen the piss-poor shelter theyd been using, seen the sick and injured lying in the dirt, suffering from heat and insects.
Now, he needed to find out what had happened here while he was gone.
He glanced at the fridge and considered making lunch. She didnt need to miss more meals. But perhaps a better strategy would be to catch her right out of the shower.
In the bedroom, he sat on the bed and worked his shoulder as he waited. Alyssa had good hands, and the pain was better. A pity shed broken up with her Master, though. Some submissives did poorly after being uncollared.
As he stretched, Nolan monitored the sounds from the bathroom.
The shower stopped. Drying off. Lotioning. The door opened.
Hair wet and tangled, Beth emerged with a towel wrapped around her body. Seeing him, she stopped dead.
Nolan smiled. Funny how sometimes she struck him as gorgeous, other times simply heartwarmingly pretty. He had to say, though, her big turquoise eyes were always the most beautiful hed ever seen. Her skin was lightly tanned, her face, arms, and shoulders freckled, and her breasts were a flawless white. Come here, sugar.
When she hesitated, he studied her carefully. With the abuse in her past, he was cautious of frightening her; however, he did enjoy raising her anxiety a bit. It was part of the push and pull in their relationship. Just as his clever Beth wasnt a blindly obedient submissive"no matter how much she loved to serve him"she preferred the reins in his hands, but would still give a tug now and then.
And they both enjoyed the fact he didnt loosen his grip.
When he took her hand and pulled her between his legs, she bit her lip nervously. Heat rose from her shower-warmed skin along with the fragrance of her strawberry-scented shampoo and soap.
Mmm. Ever since meeting her, the scent of strawberries would give him a hard-on.
With one finger, he traced the velvety skin above the top of her towel. Several shiny white scars bore evidence of her previous husbands torture. Itd be a pleasure to kill the bastard again and, this time, go about it slower. When he realized his gaze had lingered on her scars, he looked up.
Distress showed in her eyes. Her puffy, reddened eyes. What the hell? Youve been crying. He curved his hands around her waist, securing her in front of him. Tell me why.
Her head gave a shake, and she covered the scars with her hands.
Hell, hed fucked up. She was sensitive about the marks of past abuse, partly because of the memories, partly because of the marring of her skin. And hed rubbed in the fact that she had scars, damn him for a fool.
Talking would have to wait. Good thing he was just the Dom to get her to mellow out. All right. We can talk about the tears later.
Under his palms, her muscles relaxed.
Is your period finished, little rabbit? The same syndrome that rendered her infertile also gave her extremely short periods lasting hours instead of days.
She nodded, her gaze averted.
Are you achy? Tender?
No, she whispered.
She hadnt been this insecure since theyd first gotten together. He needed to find out why. And he damn well would. Carefully.
Im glad to hear it. He tugged her towel downward, ignoring her half-grab as her breasts were exposed. Mercilessly, he tightened his legs, trapping her in place so he could use his hands.
He loved all of her body, but, yeah, he was a breast man and hers were amazing. So small and firm. Her solid muscles beneath held them up as if she were in her twenties rather than early thirties. Enjoying the pure white skin, he ran his knuckles underneath each one, and the small raspberry-colored nipples puckered. He leaned forward and traced his tongue over the pebbled sweetness, flicked the tips, and felt her start to tremble.
She tried to step back.
MISTAKE, BETH THOUGHT, when Sir lifted his head and pinned her with his black gaze.
Do you think Ill let you back away from me today? he asked, ever so quietly. His sable hair was loose, brushing his broad shoulders, and he hadnt yet shaved. The jagged scar over his cheekbone and the dark, short beard gave him an edgy menace.
Her mouth went dry as her knees wobbled. She shook her head.
Were going to make love, little rabbit. His hard lips curved, reminding her of the relentless Master he could be when he decided on an action. Do you remember your safeword?
Her eyes widened. It had been a long time since shed even thought about a safeword, but that he needed to remind her meant he was going to push hernow, when she was feeling so off. When she didnt want to talk with him or"
Beth?
Red. Its red, Sir.
Good. Holding her in place with his legs, he deliberately resumed his actions, twirling his tongue around and around each nipple and licking over the top. So wet and slick and warm.
Shivers coursed down her body. Oh God.
His teeth closed on one peak, compressing to the very point of pain, before pulling it into his mouth and sucking.
A slow pulse of arousal awakened in her pelvis.
As he alternated breasts, he rubbed his short beard against the sensitive sides in an erotically unfamiliar sensation. He nipped. He sucked. Teeth. Tongue. Lips. Beard.
Her breasts swelled. The skin tightened. And a lovely heat bloomed beneath her skin.
Now, kiss me, subbie. He didnt wait for her compliance, but curved a hand over her nape and pulled her head down. Her cold, wet hair spilled forward, slapping over the heated skin of her breasts.
When he teased his lips over hers, the beard made him feel like a stranger, and she stiffened. His hand closed tighter. But, as he nibbled on her lower lip, her mouth softened, letting him take possession. Nothing was unfamiliar about the insistent, confident way he kissed, and a sigh escaped.
He took her mouth deeply, possessive and demanding, continuing as he rose to his feet and bent her back, pressing her pelvis against him with one steely arm. His erection was thick against her stomach, his body rock hard against hers.