by Mari Carr
She turned to look over her shoulder at him. His eyes, which had been closed, drifted open at her movement.
He smiled, mistaking her actions. “Ready to get out?”
She shook her head. “No. Not yet. Elias, I know you said you want more, but…” She hesitated when she felt Elias’ body tense. Then she took a deep breath and continued. “I honestly can’t offer anything beyond this. Just a few nights. If that’s too much to ask, I’ll understand if you want to call things off, if you want me to leave.”
“Jayne.”
“No. Please. Just let me say this. I know what you want from me and I wish I were capable of giving it to you. But I can’t.”
Elias remained quiet for a long time. In the past, she’d felt comfortable in their companionable silences, but this time, it took all her strength not to fill it with mindless chatter.
Finally he spoke. “I know what you’re capable of, Jayne. I accepted the limits you proposed. We’re going to follow this through to its natural conclusion.”
She tried to dislodge the lump forming in her throat. Elias had addressed her concern.
But while his words said one thing, his eyes said something very different.
Chapter Five
Elias walked into Books and Brew early Sunday evening. After his night with Jayne a week earlier, he’d been struggling to maintain any sort of routine or sense of normality. She’d thrown his world on its ear and he didn’t even want to get things back on track.
Last Sunday he’d risen early, intent on finding a way to alleviate her fears about entering a relationship. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure how to prove her anxiety was misplaced. For that, he needed time. And time was the one thing she wasn’t willing to give him.
So they’d simply lounged in bed all morning as he took her twice more, their escapades almost vanilla in comparison to his usual sexual exploits. He’d discovered that with Jayne, he was happy to merely be with her. He didn’t need her complete compliance every time. There was a beauty in making love that he’d never experienced before her. And Jayne had accepted his soft touches and long kisses as hungrily as she had his rough claiming. She was insatiable and that state was definitely contagious.
He’d dropped her off Sunday afternoon at her apartment, telling her he wouldn’t see her again for a week. He’d had to leave town on Wednesday for a work commitment. Some foolish part of him hoped absence would make her heart grow fonder.
Instead it was his body that grew fonder. While he’d intended to give her time away from him to consider his pursuit, he’d been unable to resist. They’d indulged in long days of honest-to-God sexting. He and Jayne burned up the screens on their iPhones during the days as they enacted some pretty steamy scenes with merely words.
Then each night he called her just before bedtime and coaxed her to orgasm with his dark commands and with the help of some of her own sex toys. He’d jacked off every single night he was away, and most mornings in the shower—and his body still yearned for her.
“Elias.” He looked toward the bar when Sophie called his name. She beckoned him over. “Do you have a second?”
He nodded. “For you, always. I’m surprised to find you manning the bar.”
“Stephanie had a couple errands to run for the wedding. She and Jordan went to visit a woman who makes wedding cakes out of her home.”
He took the stool at the end, swallowing hard when he recalled Jayne naked and bent over it as he spanked her ass.
God, what the hell would he do if Jayne stuck by her assertion that she didn’t want more from him after the end of their five nights? He shook off the concern. He refused to give up. Now that he’d set his course, he was determined to see it through. He was going to claim not only Jayne’s body, but her heart and soul as well. He wouldn’t settle for less.
And in return, he’d offer her the same.
“Jayne said you were going to be her date for Stephanie’s wedding.”
He’d been thrilled when she’d invited him. It was that request that had given him his first spark of hope he’d succeed. “That’s right.”
“And she spent last Saturday night with you.”
While the co-owners of Books and Brew were as close as sisters, there was a part of him that was surprised to hear Jayne was telling tales. She’d always been the more private of the group, playing her cards close to her chest. “Yes.”
“She didn’t tell us. I was guessing and you just confirmed it.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You tricked me.”
She smiled, but he noticed there was no happiness surrounding it. “Jayne’s very tight-lipped when it comes to personal matters. You were supposedly walking her home Saturday night, but then I saw her getting out of your car Sunday afternoon. I would have asked Jayne, but…”
But what? How had Jayne fared this week? He felt as if a thousand stampeding horses had trounced him.
“She’s been too preoccupied. Texting nonstop. With you?”
It was pointless to lie and he didn’t want to. Part of him wondered if Jayne’s friends would be willing to help him in his quest. “Yes.”
“I kind of wanted to talk to you first anyway.”
Sophie was acting odd. Usually she was carefree, easygoing, but there was a tension around her mouth that told him she wasn’t happy about something.
“Talk to me about what?”
“This is completely none of my business and you can tell me to take a flying leap if you want, but, um, I was wondering…I just, well, there’s…” Sophie paused.
“Wondering what?”
Sophie sighed then spoke rapidly, as if talking very fast would make what she had to say less difficult. “Marc represented a woman once who claimed her husband was cheating on her. He did some investigating and ended up following the guy into a local sex club. He said he saw you there. Said you had a woman strapped to some sort of cross thing and you were using a whip on her.”
So much for enlisting Sophie’s help. Her eyes were wide, more than a little bit horrified. Then he recalled a much different look from Jayne when he’d spanked her ass.
Elias leaned forward. “When did Marc see this?”
Sophie shrugged. “A few months ago. He didn’t tell me about it until this week, after I said I’d seen you and Jayne together. He said something about not realizing Jayne was into…” she paused again and this time, she didn’t continue.
“Marc didn’t realize that Jayne was into BDSM?”
Sophie tilted her head. “Is she?”
“That’s not for me to say, is it?”
“You don’t have to say anything. Like I said, it’s totally none of my business. It’s just, she and I have been friends for—well, forever. She’s let things slip from time to time. Taken on their own, they meant nothing to me, but now that I’m left to wonder, it’s all coming together.”
“I’m in love with her, Sophie.”
She smiled and this time the response was genuine. “I know. And she loves you.”
Sophie’s words soothed his mind. He’d suspected Jayne’s feelings. They’d been close friends for years, but it was a far cry from loving someone to being in love with them. Elias wouldn’t rest until he had both from her. “She seems very resistant to the idea of a relationship.”
Sophie didn’t look surprised by that. “No. She’d love to have a boyfriend, to be committed to someone, but you’ve got a big mark against you.”
So he’d been told. Even so, he wondered what hurdle Sophie thought he was facing. “How so?”
“You’re a very strong, assertive man. Considering the fact you were wielding the whip, I assume that means you’re the…” Sophie struggled to find the word.
He helped her. “I’m a Dom.”
She blew out a long breath. “Wow. Marc tried to explain a bit of what he saw in the sex club. I’m not really up to speed on all that PDMS stuff.”
Elias laughed. “BDSM.”
“Right. Has Jayne ever talked to you about
her parents?”
He nodded. “I gather her father is a bit of a bastard?”
Sophie shrugged. “I’ve never heard her say as much, but I know Jayne grew up in a very strict environment. TV time was limited, dinner was fairly formal. I mean my dad and I ate dinner in the living room with our plates on our laps and the TV blaring. Jayne didn’t have those sorts of freedoms.”
“I see. But I’m not sure how that relates to my relationship with her.”
“He was a very strong, hard man. He expected absolute obedience in everything. Jayne had to get straight A’s. B’s weren’t tolerated. She had an early curfew and God help her if she came home late.”
Unease churned in Elias’ gut. “Did he beat her?”
Sophie shook her head. “No. I didn’t mean to imply that. He never lifted a finger against her as far as I know. According to her, the punishment was pretty much just a lot of yelling, belittling comments, locking her in her room, grounding her for months at a time, taking away her phone, TV privileges. I think her childhood is one of the reasons she’s such an avid reader. About the only thing she ever got to keep were her books.”
“I’m struggling to make all of this fit with why Jayne won’t date me.”
Sophie giggled. “Yeah. Me too. So I’ll just say it this way. Jayne’s dad was a domineering man and her mom never stood up to him, even when he was wrong. Jayne’s mom walks on eggshells to keep the man happy and still tiptoes around him despite his arrogance because she’s in love with him. Jayne has said a million times she will never make her mom’s mistakes, never marry a man who won’t let her speak her mind or express her own opinions or make her own decisions.”
“Do you honestly think I’m like Jayne’s dad?” The idea he was being compared to a male chauvinist tyrant rubbed against the grain.
Sophie shook her head. “No. But maybe Jayne is making that comparison? You said yourself you’re a Dom. Doesn’t that mean she has to be the one doing what you say?”
“There’s a big difference, Sophie.”
She reached across the bar and squeezed his hand. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“I can’t give up on her. I need her in my life.”
“When I was fighting with my dad over the closing of the community center this past summer, you gave me some advice. Do you remember what it was?”
He shook his head.
“You told me to be brave. So if you really do love Jayne, don’t be afraid to fight for her.”
“Even if she’s the one I’m fighting.”
Sophie stood up straighter. She was a beautiful woman, there was no debating that. Tall, slim, striking. Regardless, he preferred Jayne’s nymph-like cuteness to Sophie’s perfection. “I really want you to win. Jayne’s been so sad these last few months. The shadows in her eyes disappeared this week. You’re good for her. Even if she doesn’t realize it yet.”
He appreciated Sophie’s support. There was something refreshingly honest about the women who owned Books and Brew. He was grateful he’d found this place. “Thank you, Sophie.”
“Elias?”
He turned at the sound of Jayne’s voice. She was carrying an armful of books. He quickly crossed the room to take the heavy load from her.
“You’re back. I thought you weren’t getting home until tomorrow.”
“I’d had enough of scientists. Damn convention looked like a Big Bang Theory fan club meeting. Caught an earlier flight and decided to surprise you.”
She gestured him over toward a table near the bookstore checkout counter. “You can put those here.”
He was grateful for the excuse to put some distance between them and Sophie. There were precious few patrons in the store and the place was too quiet.
Elias set the books on a table and pushed her behind the tall checkout counter. Once their lower bodies were shielded from her friend and the other customers, he reached around to grasp her ass.
“Elias,” she quietly chastised, her blushing grin telling him she didn’t mind what he was doing at all.
“Are you wearing it?” His fingers ventured along the denim of her jeans, between her ass cheeks, searching for evidence that she’d followed the instructions he’d texted her this morning. When he found what he was looking for, he leaned forward under the guise of kissing her on the cheek.
Instead he whispered in her ear. “My dirty girl. How does it feel having your ass filled with my plug?” He’d had several toys, including the butt plug, overnighted to her house during the week. Which each one, their phone-sex games had grown hotter, more adventurous.
His cock thickened. Despite his marathon of hand jobs, he wasn’t sure he could wait much longer to take her. “Can you leave?”
Jayne glanced around the store and sighed heavily. “I wish I could, but if I did, it would leave Sophie on her own. I know we’re not that busy, but it’s still too much for one person to hand—”
She was interrupted when the front door flew opened.
“Holy fuck! You will never believe what I just bought.”
Elias chuckled at Stephanie’s excited entrance. The woman had no sense of decorum. An older woman enjoying a drink with her husband scowled at Stephanie’s loud curse, but the bride-to-be was too exuberant to contain her happiness.
“I’m afraid to ask.” Sophie put down the rag she was using to wipe the bar.
Jordan rolled her eyes as she followed Stephanie into the store. He and Jayne walked over to join them as Jordan sank down wearily on one of the barstools. “She’s getting a bit carried away with these wedding plans.”
“Oh hush, Jordan. You know it’s awesome.”
“What’s awesome?” Jayne asked.
“I found— Oh, hey Elias,” Stephanie said, noticing him. She frowned. “What are you doing here? It’s Sunday.”
“I came to see Jayne,” he answered matter-of-factly. There was no sense hiding a truth they all knew.
“Cool,” Stephanie said before turning her attention back to Sophie. “This woman makes the most amazing wedding cakes. She even makes one out of…wait for it…are you ready?”
Sophie crossed her arms. “You’re annoying me. What kind of cake did you get?”
“Doughnuts!”
Elias frowned…then laughed as her cause for excitement became clear.
Sophie didn’t catch on as quickly. “Doughnuts?”
“Because Jarod’s a cop. Get it? It’s freaking hilarious!” Stephanie’s laugh was infectious.
Sophie shook her head and sent Jordan a dirty look. “I knew I should have gone. It was a mistake to send the two of you alone.”
Stephanie climbed onto a barstool. “Don’t panic, Soph. Jordan did her job. She talked me out of buying it for my wedding cake.”
“Thank God.” Sophie released a long sigh of relief.
“So instead I bought it for a groom’s cake.”
“What the hell’s a groom’s cake?” Sophie asked.
“No clue. But I think it’s a southern thing. By the way, thank you very much, Jayne, for making me watch that sob-fest Steel Magnolias back in college. I got the idea from that movie. Remember when they had that red-velvet armadillo cake with gray icing?”
Jayne nodded. “I love that part.”
“Well, I decided I could be southern too if I wanted.”
“You’re originally from Seattle. I’m not sure you can physically get farther away from the south and still be an American,” Sophie said drolly.
Elias watched the four friends with great amusement. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Stephanie incorporating different cultural traditions in her wedding if she wants to.”
Sophie scowled. “Don’t encourage her, or next thing you know she’ll want to pretend she’s Jewish and demand we all lift her and Jarod up on chairs while dancing to Hava Nagila.”
Stephanie leaned forward. “Oh my God. Is that a thing? Because it sounds completely cool.”
Elias tried to hide his chuckle by pretending to cough. “Ma
ybe you should just stick with the groom’s cake.”
“I guess. By the way, you are all sworn to secrecy. I don’t want Jarod to know about the cake until he sees it at the reception. I can see the looks on the faces of his friends down at the precinct now. Priceless.”
They all laughed then Elias quietly drew Jordan aside as Stephanie, Jayne and Sophie decided how to unveil the groom’s cake for the best effect.
“Jordan, I was wondering if you’d mind filling in for Jayne tonight. I just got back into town and I’d like to take her out to dinner.”
Jordan smiled. “You mean on a date?”
It was a loaded question, and one she clearly knew the answer to. “Yes. A date.”
Jordan raised her hands and waved them around a little while giving a quiet, “Yay! I was hoping you two would find your way to each other eventually. You’re perfect together. Of course I’ll cover for her. Gabriel and Casey have probably just cracked open their first beers and planted themselves in front of a football game. I have no desire to spend the evening listening to them yell at the TV when things don’t go the 49ers’ way.”
“Thank you.” He walked back to Jayne. “Jordan said she’ll cover for you. What do you say we go to your apartment? Order Chinese?”
She nodded. “Sounds perfect.”
They said their goodbyes to her friends and walked out to the street. “I just need to stop by my car and grab my bag.”
Jayne tilted her head. “Bag?”
Elias wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her to where he’d parked his Volvo. “It’s a surprise. You ready for night three to begin?”
She nodded. “So ready.”
Retrieving the overnight bag he’d loaded with “supplies” for their evening, he forced himself to walk slowly and take several calming breaths. He’d spent too many nights alone this week, plotting their reunion. There was no way he would rush things, despite the fact his cock was hard enough to drive nails into wood.
As they entered her apartment, Jayne walked over to the coffee table and lit several candles before picking up a few things, tidying. It was his first time inside her place and it was exactly as he would have imagined. Jayne was neat, but not to the point of being a clean freak. There were a few magazines scattered around, a couple pairs of shoes lying by the front door, a sweater casually thrown over the back of a chair.
