by Shayla Black
“It would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but if she left us no choice? Yeah.”
An hour and a half later, Seth paced long strides between the back door and the front. He’d forgotten to turn on the location services on Heavenly’s phone last night. Thankfully, she was still wearing her necklace this morning, so he knew precisely where she was.
Unfortunately, that information wouldn’t help him if she either decided to leave him and Beck…or put him in a corner where she forced them to walk away.
Fuck, he couldn’t let that happen. If he was climbing the walls without her after ninety minutes, he wouldn’t last a lifetime.
Beck had his plan for keeping them all together—and it was good. But Seth’s gut instinct told him they were going to need more. He just had to figure out what.
Finally, he heard Heavenly pull into the garage and rushed out to meet her. “Open the back, angel. I’ll help you.”
Dutifully, she pushed the button to pop the hatch. “It took a little longer than expected. Beck was out of everything, and I’m not familiar with that store.”
Because she’d always been a bargain shopper, and Beck had sent her to some upscale organic food market.
“Find everything?”
“Finally.” She climbed out of the SUV and met his stare with a frown. “You look nice all dressed up. Where did you go?”
“To meet River for coffee.” He grabbed more than half the groceries in one big fist. “He had some surveillance footage to show me.”
“And you put on a suit for that?”
He shrugged. “Work is work. If I’m on the clock, I like to look the part.”
With a nod, she took the rest of the sacks into the kitchen. Seth followed.
“Everything okay?” she asked as she tucked some lettuce in the fridge.
Translation: was he still upset with her?
“I’m good.”
Not exactly. Seth was unsettled—and he was distinctly aware he wasn’t being honest. The double standard wasn’t lost on him. But Heavenly wasn’t going to give him the magic code to unlock her heart. He and Beck would have to figure that out. Since he had the afternoon alone with her, he intended to use this time to follow his gut and hopefully pick the goddamn lock.
As they quietly unloaded the groceries, she scanned the kitchen. “Where’s Beck? The hospital?”
“Yeah. About twenty minutes after you left, they called him in for surgery. He said he probably wouldn’t make it home for dinner.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I bought all the stuff to make a big chicken casserole.”
“You still can,” he encouraged. “I’m sure he’ll warm some up when he gets home.”
“True. It’s good reheated.” Seemingly happy for the reminder, she tucked the rest of the canned goods and meats away. “I’m not totally sure where anything goes…”
“Put it wherever it makes sense to you. I doubt Beck cares, and this is your kitchen, too.” It made his inner neat freak twitch not to put things in order for her, but if he was going to convince her to stay, she had to feel like she belonged.
She sent him a smile as she closed the pantry door and tucked the empty grocery sacks into a recycle bin. Then she studied the kitchen, a little furrow working between her brows before she set the morning’s coffee mugs in the dishwasher, wiped down the spotless counters, then replaced seemingly clean dish towels with fresh ones. Once done, she replenished the coffee supplies near the brewer, wiped down the sink fixtures, polished the front of the pristine stainless steel fridge, then reached for the broom.
She was putting his inner neat freak to shame.
“What are you doing, angel?”
“Tidying.”
“Why?” Everything was clean. “Beck said the housekeeper came while we were gone.”
She shifted her weight with a sigh. “There must be something I can do. Organize? Yard work?”
“Are you bored?” If she was, he would be happy to entertain her.
“No. I’m just not used to having time on my hands. But Dad doesn’t need my help anymore, I don’t have homework to finish, and Bridget Lewis doesn’t expect me until tomorrow.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll wash up last week’s clothes. It will be such a luxury not to have to go to the laundromat.”
Seth understood now. Heavenly was lost without structure.
When she turned away and headed for the hamper, he grabbed her wrist. “No. Why don’t you come with me, angel?”
“Where?”
“Let’s sit and talk.” And get you back on kilter.
“Everything all right?”
Other than the fact she didn’t know what to do now that every moment of every day wasn’t consumed by responsibilities? “I want to know how you’re feeling.”
“I’m fine.”
She answered him automatically. Because it was true…or because that’s what she was used to telling people?
When they planted on the big white sofa adjacent to the kitchen, Seth unbuttoned his suit coat, looped his arms around Heavenly, and dragged her onto his lap. “Tell me how you felt about last week.”
“Good. It was amazing, actually.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “At first, I was nervous about spending my days alone. Would I know where I was going? Would I be able to drive in this crazy traffic? Would I feel lonely? But I had a great time. Minus the traffic. I still don’t like that. You saw Bayfield’s version of a traffic jam.”
Seth smiled. “Two cars at a stop sign? Yeah.”
She laughed. “Exactly. But I had so much fun exploring, figuring out what was around the next corner, taking it all in at my pace, just snapping pictures and enjoying the little things without having to keep a conversation going. Not that I didn’t miss you guys. My day at Palm Springs seemed really long since I didn’t see you until after six. By the end of the week, I was ready to sightsee with you guys. I was really happy you weren’t too far behind me at Catalina.”
Exactly what they’d hoped for. Seth didn’t mention that he and Beck had let her win their chase in Palm Springs just so they’d find out what she chose to do with her victory evening. He’d been completely satisfied with her choice. He’d bet Beck had been, too.
“We missed you during the day.” Seth lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “But we’re glad you enjoyed the trip. Tell me your thoughts about the next few weeks. How do you want to approach things now that we’re here at home base?”
She raised her head and cocked it. “Just like everyday life. I’ll start by checking in with all my professors tomorrow. And I’m looking forward to being back in the ER. It’s awesome without Kathryn in charge.” She gave him a little smile. “Thanks for that.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ve been thinking about getting another job.”
“One where you’re actually dressed?” He raised a brow.
“Get over it.” She rolled her eyes. “I meant something like one of those jobs Beck mentioned at the hospital.”
“You know it’s not necessary.”
“I’ve worked since I was sixteen. And I’d like to pull some financial weight around here, so I’ll need money—”
“You think we can’t take care of you?”
Heavenly huffed. “Obviously you can, but you shouldn’t have to.”
“We want to.” He brushed the hair from her face. “But more than that, if you’re going to school, volunteering, and working, when would we spend time together?”
“I thought about that, too.” She bit her lip.
“How can you really know what our lives together would be like if you don’t commit to the process?” he asked. “I hope you know Beck and I are committed.”
She cupped his face with her soft palm. “You’ve gone way above and beyond. I don’t ever want you to think I’m not grateful.”
“We’re not looking for gratitude.”
“I know, but I needed to say it.” She hesitated for a long momen
t, and Seth wondered if he would have to come up with a segue to the conversation he really wanted to have. But Heavenly went on. “We’ll figure out what it’s like to share a bedroom, a schedule, and day-to-day stuff by doing it, right?”
They had seven weeks left. It wasn’t a long time, but since none of that had ever been a problem, Seth figured it was plenty. “Yes.”
“Last week we came a long way in learning the more…intimate things about each other.”
When she blushed, Seth suspected where she was going with this conversation—exactly where he wanted. “Definitely. Let’s talk about that.”
“You two, um…showed me things I didn’t know about myself.”
That was a given. “We knew.”
Her gaze bounced up to his. “How? I’m not wearing a shirt that says”—she dropped her voice—“submissive.”
He had to smile. “To the rest of the world, no. To a Dom? Angel, you might as well have been wearing a flashing neon sign.”
The blush on her cheeks turned rosier. “When we were in Wisconsin, you and Beck both agreed you’d show me what goes on in Hammer’s club.”
“What makes you think we haven’t been?”
“You have?” She hesitated. “I still feel a little lost, but I guess I shouldn’t expect to know everything in a day…”
“You shouldn’t. But?”
“It’s been bothering me that I don’t know what you’re into.”
“I’m into you. Well, not this minute.” He sent her a little grin. “But I’d like to be. And before you worry, Beck and I have discussed individual alone time with you. It’s all good.”
“Oh?”
Her mouth formed the prettiest little pink O. Seth could think of a hundred utterly filthy things he’d like to do to it.
“Oh.” He winked.
“Good to know…” Her blushed deepened. “But that’s not what I meant.”
She wanted to know his kink. Seth shifted in his seat and readjusted her on his lap, settling her over his growing erection, as an avalanche of lascivious thoughts stormed his brain.
“Making you come is always at the top of my list.”
“I know it’s not that simple.”
Some days, it really was. But he saw her point.
“How about this, angel: You tell me your fantasies, and I’ll tell you mine.”
“You’ve pretty much made all mine come true.”
Between her words and that shy peek from under her long lashes, Seth was aching to lay her out and get deep.
“Already?” he challenged. “You don’t have any stray desires or dirty, dark secrets you haven’t shared?”
“You two figure this stuff out way before I do. I don’t seem to have enough imagination when it comes to sex.”
She merely lacked the vocabulary and experience. They’d work on that, too.
“But I’m asking about your, um…dirty, dark secrets because you haven’t shared them. How can you possibly know if I’ll make you happy unless you tell me and we try them?”
She’d had zero problem satisfying him, but he couldn’t encourage her to communicate, then shut her down the first time she tried.
Unlike Beck, he didn’t have a particular style of play, choosing instead to morph into whatever his partner needed. Except…there was one kink he hadn’t exercised in forever—and the mere thought of sharing it with her jolted him with a wretched, forbidden thrill.
And—bonus—he could use it to help provide the guidance she craved.
He sent Heavenly a speculative stare. She blinked back at him, blue eyes so curious and innocent that he wanted to corrupt her all over again.
“How would you feel about playing a game?”
“What kind?”
She looked cautious; she was smart to be. But she’d uncorked his most twisted desire. It wasn’t going back in its bottle now.
“All you have to do is follow my lead. If you get overwhelmed or afraid, you use your safe word. What is it?”
“Freedom, Sir.”
“Very good. I’ll be right back.”
Seth couldn’t manage to leave the room without taking her face in his hands and plowing her pink mouth with a quick, forceful kiss.
She hit his tongue, and he damn near lost his will to play. It would be so much easier to just rip off their clothes and fuck her blind. But she had a valid concern, and he had a responsibility both to help assuage it and to give her what she craved. Besides, he hadn’t indulged this side of himself in years, and he wanted it so fucking bad he was shaking.
Before the kiss got out of hand, Seth pulled away and pointed to the ground. “Wait right here.”
She licked her lips, swallowed, and dropped to her knees, her eyes already dilating. “Yes, Sir.”
Fuck, she was perfect.
Seth left the room, taking the stairs two at a time to the drawers in Beck’s massive closet he now occupied. In the back, he found something he’d bought at the specialty fetish shop they’d visited before their trek to San Diego. Even as he’d forked over cash for it, he’d called himself twenty kinds of crazy. But his gut had told him to buy it anyway. Now he was damn glad he’d listened because the gossamer fabric between his fingers felt softer than silk. Heavenly would wear it perfectly.
The thought sent his heart rate skyrocketing.
On his way out of the master closet, he plucked up the pair of Louboutins Beck had bought for her in Vegas, then headed downstairs. Excitement shuddered through him until he reached Heavenly’s side again.
He forced himself to set the shoes on the coffee table with slow, precise movements, then turn back to her softly kneeling form with an impassive face. “Strip.”
She clambered to her feet and glanced at all the open windows.
“They can’t see you. I can. And you’re not wearing the uniform I want. I suggest you fix that quickly. You’ll find I can be terribly exacting and not at all patient.”
“O-okay.” She kicked off her sandals and unbuttoned her shorts, staring at him like he was a puzzle.
He raised a disapproving brow. “Did you forget something? Okay what?”
“Okay, Sir. Sorry.”
“Don’t make me remind you again.”
Her eyes widened, and the pulse at the base of her neck picked up speed. But she didn’t balk. “Of course not, Sir.”
Seth said nothing more until she’d stripped down to her birthday suit. Then he waited, watching her fight the urge to wrap her arms around herself and cover the essentials.
“What now, Sir?” Her glance was somewhere between reverential and nervous.
He clenched his fists at his sides to stop himself from swallowing her whole and cast a critical stare to her clothes strewn on the floor. “Do any of those garments belong there? Did I tell you to litter?”
“No, Sir.” She bent to pick them up.
He grabbed her wrist to stay her. “Did I tell you to pick them up?”
“No, Sir. I just assumed—”
“I didn’t ask you to do that, either.” He pressed his lips together in a straight, reproving line. “Pick them up one at a time, fold them, and place them on the coffee table. I suggest you do it swiftly and neatly. Or there will be consequences.”
She shivered. Her nipples turned hard. “Y-yes, Sir.”
With a scrutinizing stare, he watched her retrieve everything she’d worn to the grocery store and attempt to arrange them with careful tucks and creases. It was a good effort, but…
“Not good enough.” He scowled—and repressed a smile when her breathing roughened.
“What did I do wrong, Sir?”
He cast a dismissive glance at the pile of garments. “Your shirt should be folded so that the buttons down the front are arranged in a straight row. You only fastened your shorts before you folded them. They should be zipped as well.”
“I can fix that, Sir.”
“It’s too late.” He shook his head, tsking at her. “Such simple instructions. Such colossal f
ailure. Is discipline in order?”
“No, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir.” She sounded properly chastened…but fought a smile.
Be still my kinky heart…
“Apologies are pointless. I make demands; I expect perfection. Is that clear?”
“Y-yes, Sir.”
Seth bent to pluck her bra off the table. He curled one finger under a shoulder strap and held it in front of her face. “What is this?”
“My bra, Sir.”
“I never said you could wear that to work.”
“But—”
“Are you going to argue with me?”
She cast her gaze to the floor, biting her lip. “No, Sir.”
He’d bet she was already wet.
“When you step foot in my house, you wear precisely what I demand—no more, no less.”
“O-of course, Sir.”
He wadded her bra into a ball and shoved it into his pocket. “I’m keeping this. Along with these.” He bent to retrieve her panties. “These are never allowed. Ever.”
“I don’t understand, Sir.”
The confusion in her voice sent fire razing through his veins. God, he fucking loved this game—the rush of power, Heavenly’s blinking confusion…and the way her own arousal flummoxed her.
He took her chin in hand and lifted her stare to him. “Because I said so. Because I demand easy access to your body whenever I want it. Because I own you.”
“Yes, Sir.” A tremble wracked her. Her eyes glimmered with barely disguised thrill.
He managed a cold smile while silently cheering. How delicious that she enjoyed his favorite game as much as he did.
“Is there anything you would like me to wear, Sir?”
“This.” He pulled the frilly, sheer garment from his other pocket and shook it out. “And your shoes. Nothing more.”
She took the gossamer from his hand. “What’s this, Sir?”
“A uniform. What else would I have my little servant wear?” When she hesitated, he tightened his grip on her chin. “Put it on. Don’t keep me waiting.”
Heavenly nodded as if she couldn’t accommodate him fast enough. “Of course not, Sir.”
Seth watched with supreme delight as she wriggled into the little blush-colored bit of fluff. But once she had it on and faced him, he almost lost his composure.
