by Mayburn, Ann
The ringtone for a text from Lawrence rang on Bryan’s phone, and he pulled it out of his pocket.
Mz KH r lte. B hur soon.
His mind translated the other man’s text to mean: Miss Kira Harmony is running late. She’ll be here soon.
Lawrence had taken a liking to Kira and in his own subtle way let Bryan know it. He knew Lawrence wished Bryan had someone in his life, but up until this point Bryan hadn’t found anyone that really clicked with him. That is until he met Kira. As polar opposites as they were on some things, like safety and self-control, something about her just fit with him. What had started out as helping a submissive had turned into a lot more. He wasn’t sure if he liked how much of a hold Kira already had on his life after having only met, but damned if he wasn’t looking forward to seeing her…more than he’d looked forward to anything in a long time.
A ding sounded through the yard, his alarm system’s indication that someone had entered the front gate. Bryan tossed the rag down and stretched, then started toward the front of the house. Before he rounded the corner to the drive, he ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. He couldn’t wait to touch her, suddenly starved for her company, dying for her kiss.
The drive came into view, and he frowned at the brief sight of a silver Mercedes Benz. When the car pulled into his drive, he looked through the windshield and saw an older man in the driver’s seat while Kira sat in the back. The man got out and opened the back door, giving Kira a hand as she exited the vehicle. Today she wore a pair of jeans that made him want to grab her ass in the worst way, and a pretty button-down green top that contrasted perfectly with her burning-red hair. She briefly spoke with the man, who got back into the car and drove off.
Wondering what the fuck was going on, Bryan started toward his beautiful girl.
THE WARM SUMMER sunshine caressed the exposed skin of her face and arms, and she took a deep breath, feeling so incredibly alive. Her day had been terrible so far, and she was looking forward to forgetting about her driver’s license getting suspended for too many speeding tickets. As state-of-the-art as her radar detector was, she’d been caught by cameras doing 102 mph on the freeway. That had put her over the allowed amount of points on her license in a year’s time. The judge had been less than impressed with her reasoning that it was after two in the morning and the freeway was practically empty.
So now, or at least for the next three months, she was carless, and that absolutely sucked.
As she looked up at Bryan’s house, she wondered what wonderfully wicked things they’d be doing today. Anticipation hummed through her, an impatience to not only see her lord but to serve him. Whatever happened tonight, she wanted to give herself to him in all ways.
To finally please him like a real woman.
Ignoring the way her stomach lurched at the thought, even as her pussy began to swell with desire, she started to make her way to the front steps. Before she reached the house, Bryan’s voice rang out over the courtyard.
“Kira, over here.”
He waved to her from the other end of the house, and the whole world seemed to brighten. Clad in a pair of worn jeans almost the same faded blue as the ones she wore, he looked good enough to eat. A dark brown T-shirt clung to his muscled form, and oh God, how she wanted to feel the fringe of his beard against her lips as they kissed. A smile lit him from within. It was nice to see she wasn’t the only one acting goofy. Attempting to be cool, calm, and collected, she managed to keep from skipping over to him, but it was an effort.
Then he held open his arms, and she gave up all pretenses of being an adult.
Running into his embrace, she then threw herself at him and began to cover his chin and neck in kisses. With a soft laugh, he captured her face and held her still so he could give her a slow, thorough kiss that left her wet—well, wetter—and panting. The warmth in his gaze when he looked down at her made her heart pound.
“I’m glad to see you too, love.” He released her and gave her a serious look. “Mind telling me who that bloke was driving you here?”
“My driver.” She winced, knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer. Not after all his talk about being reckless. “I…well, I kinda got my license suspended for three months for too many speeding tickets.”
His nostrils flared, and he said in a low, dangerous voice, “What the hell are you doing speeding like that?”
Stung and feeling a tad bit guilty, she fired back, “What’s the big deal? I know how to drive. I’ve never been in a car accident. Hell, the only reason they caught me this time is because of those sneaky fucking cameras they have now.”
Cupping her chin, he made her meet his eyes. Oh, he was so angry, but his touch was gentle and beneath that anger was a great deal of worry. She should know what that looked like. It was the same look her parents had worn since the day she started to crawl. He took a deep breath, visibly struggling to swallow his anger. “Kira, this is not a movie. This is the real world, and in the real world accidents happen.”
“But—”
His grip on her chin tightened just the faintest bit. “Listen to me. I don’t doubt your driving skills. You are an amazing daredevil, and I’m in awe of your reaction time. I worry about the car being driven by some idiot on a cell phone. You’re coming up on him at a hundred miles an hour, and he gets distracted, swerving into your lane at just the wrong moment. At lower speeds, you would have been able to avoid the crash.”
Not liking that he was right, she jerked her chin out of his hand and took a step back. “I’ll call my driver. Sorry to have spoiled your day.”
He reached out a hand to stop her. “Don’t you know what it would do to me if anything happened to you? You mean a great deal to me, but I don’t know if I can be with someone who constantly puts themselves at risk. I lie awake at night worrying about you. Do you know how odd that is for me? I feel like some old woman fretting about her wayward daughter, and I don’t like it.”
To her shocked amusement, he ran his hands through his hair and grabbed tight, then let go. It was something she’d seen her father do on a regular basis when she was growing up. She called it his “Sonic the Worry Hog” look. Before she could stop herself, she giggled, and he looked up at her like she’d gone mad. “You find this funny?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that you totally reminded me of my dad for a second there.”
He gave her a baffled look, his hair an unruly mess from his hands. “I’m failing to make the connection.”
She sighed and closed the distance between them, resting her head against his stiff body. At least she had a lot of practice apologizing for worrying people who cared about her. “I didn’t mean to stress you out.”
The solid mass of his chest lifted beneath her cheek as he took a deep breath. “When I think of all the terrible things that could have happened to you, it drives me crazy. I can’t keep you safe if you’re so determined to get yourself killed.”
She pulled his arms around her. In a fucked-up way, knowing he worried about her and wanted to keep her safe made her feel happy and loved. “Can we pretend everything is okay? I really want to spend the day with you, my lord, but I’ll understand if you want a rain check. I am sorry and I do know better than to speed and I am aware of just how dangerous it is. I just get carried away sometimes.”
His hold on her relaxed, and he cuddled her to his chest, kissing the side of her head. “You drive me bug fuck.”
With a smile, she turned her face to his chest and nibbled on his pectoral muscle. “Then you should punish me for being such a naughty girl.”
He barked out a laugh. “Remember you said that. I won’t say I completely forgive you for being so utterly reckless, but there is no place in the world I’d rather be than with you today.”
She looked up at him and fluttered her eyelashes, then took a step back. “So what do you have planned for us?”
He started following the curve of the drive around to the side of the house. “Come wi
th me. I have a surprise for you.”
Anticipating some type of kinky outdoor bondage arena, she followed him, then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what sat in the drive that led to his ten-door garage.
A beautiful black motorcycle.
She froze, fear roaring down on her. Phantom pains shot through her pelvis, ribs, arm, and shoulder. Nausea pushed a burst of bile up her throat, and she staggered back a step, unable to take a breath. True, the motorcycle in front of her was a touring bike instead of the street racers she used to favor, but that didn’t matter to her mind.
“Come here, Kira.”
She tore her eyes away from the bike and stared at Bryan, praying he wouldn’t want her to go for a ride. His dark brows drew down, and he held out his hand. Reluctantly she grasped it, absently noting how warm his hand felt.
Pulling her closer and turning her away from the motorcycle, he rubbed her back. “Bad memories?”
Unable to speak, she nodded and rested her head on his shoulder, letting him support her, because she would end up on her ass soon if her legs didn’t stop shaking.
“Talk to me, love. Have you been on a bike since your accident?”
“No.”
“Not once?”
“No.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry. I should have asked you first. Please forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive.” She swallowed hard and tried to still the panic by forcing her mind to think about something else. “So you ride?”
“Yes. After that bullshit in England, my parents banished me to the States—”
She held up her hand. “Wait? They banished you? People still do that?”
“Unfortunately, yes. They didn’t call it that, but my father purchased this home and gave me the deed, while my mother gave me money to start up a business. They even managed to get my green card approved in record time.” The faint lines around his eyes deepened. “The sooner I was gone, the quicker they could pretend I didn’t exist. My scandal had put a real damper on their ability to get invited to parties.”
Pain rolled off him in almost visible waves, and she once again flung her arms around him. She couldn’t imagine anyone ever disowning their child because of a sex tape. The very idea just struck her as ludicrous, and she marveled at how different the world she grew up in was from Bryan’s upbringing. Wanting to turn his mind to good memories, she cleared her throat. “So you bought a bike while you were over here?”
“Yep, the beast behind you is the first bike I bought in the US. I spent the next seven months driving across the States, going to both cities and small towns. Your country is an amazing place with its variety of people and habitats. It’s like traveling to different worlds. And the freedom you have here just blows my mind. When I rode through Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, I always had to keep in mind that some of the areas I’d be driving through weren’t exactly stable.”
She grinned up at him. “That sounds like so much fun.”
He gave her a bemused smile. “Did you ever go on long rides?”
“Yeah.” She leaned away, and he supported her with his hands around her lower back. They fit together so well, her body curving into his as if they’d been made for each other. “I used to love riding up and down the California Coastal Highway. All that beautiful ocean and sunset views that would shatter your heart with their beauty. Nothing quite like being exposed to the elements, surrounded by nature rather than a car frame. Thought I’ll admit I always stopped at a high-end hotel for the night and would usually get a massage. Man, that was fun.”
He hugged her closer. “Maybe someday we’ll ride together. I’d love to show you this bed-and-breakfast I found outside of Yellowstone Park. They have these hot-tub suites that are situated so you get the best sunset view you’ve ever seen.”
An ache developed in her heart, a yearning for what she used to have, the freedom that was now missing from her life thanks to her stupid need for speed. “I’d like that.”
He took a deep breath, then rubbed his lips against her temple. “Do you miss it? Riding on your motorcycle?”
Did she miss it? Of course she did. Memories of being young, beautiful, and carefree while racing through LA and Hollywood on her pink custom street bike played through her mind like a movie. She’d felt so invincible back then.
So happy.
Fuck yeah, she missed it, but she’d chickened out of every attempt to ride again.
“I do.”
“That’s what I thought. You know, I watched one of your movies today.”
Happiness and the ever-present actor’s inability to believe their own worth mixed within her. “Which one?”
“Red Devil, the one where you were in Hong Kong playing the role of a woman trying to stop a drug-smuggling ring.”
“What did you think?”
“That I can’t believe such an amazing, brave, talented woman is mine.”
She leaned up and gave him a hard kiss on the lips. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You might not like what I have to say next.”
She tried to keep from looking over her shoulder at the motorcycle, knowing where he was going with this. “Please, my lord, I don’t want to drive it. Not now, not here. Please let us have a nice day together that doesn’t end with me throwing up all over your beautiful bike.”
“Do you trust me?” He stroked his knuckles over her cheek. “By the way, you called me ‘my lord.’”
She tried to give him a seductive smile, but by the way the fine lines around his eyes crinkled, she didn’t think it was working. “How about we go to the dungeon instead? You can shove hot pokers up my ass or something.”
He laughed, a rich sound that soothed her frazzled nerves. “Tempting, but no. I have something I’d like to try. Hang on.”
“Bryan, my lord, please. I don’t want to do this. Don’t make me do this.”
“I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t like. I have a backup vehicle we can use.” His smile faltered for a moment, and he shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. You must swear to secrecy that you will not reveal to anyone, ever, what I’m about to do.”
Giggling at his sudden playful turn, relieved he wasn’t going to push her into something she really didn’t want to do, she nodded and pantomimed zipping her lips.
He gave her that devastating grin of his, then turned and began to walk away from her. She stared after him, admiring his ass in those jeans as he moved quickly toward an enormous ten-bay garage. Trying to keep from getting freaked out by the motorcycle, she looked around, and a flash of pink caught her eye. When she looked closer, some of her nerves fled on a tide of giggles. There, sitting next to an enormous pile of pads and other safety gear, sat a beautiful baby-doll-pink helmet.
Almost exactly like the one she used to have.
Nostalgia moved through her in a warm, bittersweet wave. Without being aware of even deciding to move, she found herself in front of the helmet and picked it up, turning it this way and that in the sunlight. On the back, done in small purple script, was her name. Well, that settled any thoughts she’d had that he might keep a pink helmet around for other female guests to use. Running her fingers over the smooth surface of the helmet, she felt bad that she wouldn’t get to use it. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the motorcycle, and her stomach gave a nauseous lurch.
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
An engine started up in the garage, and she clutched her helmet, afraid of what Bryan was going to try and get her to ride. When she caught sight of Bryan behind the wheel of a golf cart painted like the Union Jack flag, she burst out laughing. He scowled at her and drove up, then stepped out of the golf cart.
His jaw firmed, and he crossed his arms. “It’s not mine. It’s Lawrence’s.”
“Sweet baby Jesus. That looks like something Austin Powers would drive.”
He glared at her. “Piss off. I’m doing this for you. Even
though you are a spoiled brat.”
She laughed harder at the sight of his big, bad, sadistic ass standing in front of such an almost whimsical vehicle. Her giggles subsided as she thought about the implications of his words. He must really like her.
A lot.
Once he was sure he had her attention, he lifted his chin and gave her that growly Dom voice of his that melted her panties. “Unbutton your shirt.”
The thought of being naked in public was very naughty and very arousing. Still, she had to play a little hard to get. It was so much fun. “What? People can see me!”
“No. I’m the only one who can see you. Trust me, Kira, and take off your shirt before I rip it off.”
Fumbling with her buttons, she managed to get two undone before he did as he’d threatened, much to her delight. His tanned hands gripped the front of her pale green shirt and tore, sending buttons flying. A second later, he eased the cups of her bra down, revealing her swollen nipples. The heat of the sun on her pale skin was nothing compared to the blast of desire in his gaze. Her clit throbbed, and she pressed her thighs together in a vain effort to relieve the ache.
“Oh, that is pretty.” He stood back, and she reached up to pull the cups back in place. “Hands down.”
She did as he asked, praying to every god and goddess she could think of that no one saw her like this. Now if they were in Wicked, that might be different. She rather liked holding the attention of that many handsome Masters and beautiful Mistresses. It reminded her of the high she got from acting. And frankly, doing anything with Bryan aroused her into almost a frenzy of need.
Licking his thumb, he then brought it down to her exposed breast and ever so lightly traced the areola. Shit, it stung, but the more he touched, the more the sting became something else, something hot and dirty. She bit her lower lip and let the sensations he evoked take over. Abandoning herself to his touch, his care, was a decadent pleasure she’d begun to crave.
