Bound

by Piper Malone

  “A lover will do that, Blake.” His father gives his mother a passionate look. Their affection makes me blush. Blake proceeds as if the gesture was common.

  “I don’t know if their relationship has ever been that intimate. As far as I know, they aren’t together.”

  His statement has me biting my tongue. I know Nick and Skyler scene together. But they don’t have sex? How does that work?

  Blake releases a heavy breath before continuing. “I saw him a few days ago and he’s a mess. I suggested he try to move on and he almost took my head off.”

  The entire table is silent. Everyone either waiting for Blake to continue or offering space for the heavy topic to move away.

  “It will resolve itself when the time is right, son.” His father claps him on the shoulder.

  Blake nods and stands to start clearing plates from the table. He looks a little wounded, as if the conversation around his friend’s pain reminded him of a dense weight on his shoulders. Caleb is away and Nick is almost feral which leaves Blake to handle everything at Reign.

  And I’m dancing on the edge of wanting him and struggling to commit. Clean it up, Kat. Get your garbage together and help your boyfriend.

  Even in my mind, the word sticks to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter. Holy fuck, I have a boyfriend.

  I get up to help clear the table and get plates into the dishwasher. When the family disperses to various areas of the house, Blake pulls me into a darkened hallway off the living room.

  “Hey, how are you holding up?”

  “Your sisters ripped on you about wearing a thong for money at the dinner table,” I snort. “I’m fantastic. How are you?”

  “Quite pleased you are enjoying yourself at my expense. Can we go for a walk?”

  “Sure, Blaze. Can you grab that hoodie for me?”

  On our way out the door, he tells everyone we’ll be back. Blake grabs the thick sweatshirt from the car before we walk hand and hand down the lawn.

  “Hey,” I pause, looking behind me to make sure we’re alone, “can I ask a question about Nick and Skyler?”

  “Of course, Kat. What’s up?”

  “How do they not have sex?” I don’t know how else to say it because it just seems weird.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They scene together, right? Wouldn’t they automatically get it on?”

  “No, Kat. Scenes aren’t always about sex.” He stops our walk and stands to face me. “It’s about an expression of what feels good or offers a release for someone else. It could be that someone enjoys the sensation of being spanked or they want to watch other people engaged in an act. It’s not always about intercourse. It’s about meeting a need in a safe way.”

  “So, how did they get together?”

  “Nick and Skyler started demonstrating techniques for club members years ago. They both volunteered to work together and locked into a well-oiled routine of give and take. I’ve never seen them together outside of those moments.”

  Envisioning Nick and Skyler together is odd. She’s petite but bold. Nick is just… “He’s a beast.”

  “Yes, he’s rough. She’s not. She was very meek when she first started coming to Reign. When they connected, she blossomed. He’s always been tree bark.”

  “But they care about each other.”

  “Nick would kill anyone who laid a finger on her. Personally, I think she’d load a gun for him, too. Would they say that to each other? Nope. Do they know how they feel about each other? I’m not sure.”

  “You are awfully insightful, Blaze.”

  “I know.” His chest puffs. “I’m the package, doll.”

  “Easy, stud. Don’t get all crazy on me.” I snicker. His ability to make a difficult discussion light is a gift.

  “I’ll save that for later. C’mon,” he tugs on my hand, “I want to show you the pergola.”

  Before long, we are standing in the middle of a beautifully crafted archway. The floor is an intricate stone pattern covered by high beams draped with lush green vines.

  “This is gorgeous, Blake.” The space reminds me of a fairy tale. We entered this magical place and the world melted away.

  “My father and I built it two years ago.” He surveys the ceiling of the structure, a look of pride and satisfaction on his face. “It’s one of my favorite projects.”

  He moves to the center of the arbor, his relaxed stance appears confident, content. “This evening has been wonderful, doll. I’m glad you’re here.” He takes my hand, pressing his lips to the curve of my fingers.

  Blake’s heated stare blooms warmth in my chest. Tonight has been a combination of everything I love: fun, food, and Blake. “I’m glad I’m here, too.”

  His smile is restrained as if he knows my words don’t articulate my thoughts. I want to tell him, I just don’t know how. I’m afraid of what the words might mean. What if I confess that I have crazy feelings for him, but then we fall apart? What if I can’t be what he needs? Will he be happy with me if I falter? Being the source of his disappointment might kill me.

  He pulls his phone out, tapping the screen until a beautiful melody fills the air. He moves to the corner post and places the phone on a small built-in shelf. In two fluid steps, he has me in his arms. “Can we wobble a bit, doll?”

  In the waning sunlight, Blake rocks us back and forth with the rhythm of the seductive song belted out by a classic crooner. His embrace feels so right, as if I belong this close to his body. It’s so simple, the movement, the place. It’s natural and perfect. The entire evening has been fluid, graceful.

  When he turns me away from him, then pulls me close, my back to his front, the delicate pressure of his lips against my neck makes my knees weak. “You are stunning, Kat. If we aren’t careful, we might be out here all night.” His body curls against mine, the thick presence of his erection pressing into my back.

  The sensation of his arousal triggers mine. Heat and need making their presence known at the apex of my thighs. The suggestion of his words sparks a wildfire of desire. “What would happen if we didn’t leave here?”

  The low grunt that accompanies the calculated kisses up my neck sends goose bumps across my skin. “No one can see us, Katya.”

  “I don’t know that I would care if they could, stud.”

  “That’s my girl.” With a single motion, he scoops me up and carries me off the stone floor.

  He kneels, lowering me down onto the soft green grass. His hands cup my face, tilting my chin before his lips capture mine. The smell of nature mixes with his masculine scent. The intoxicating blend of soap and earth permeates every cell of my being, open and wanting.

  “Kat,” Blake hesitates, “shit…” He sits back on his heels, hands resting on his hips.

  “What’s wrong? Out of the gate already?” I giggle from my earthy bed.

  “No, doll,” he admonishes, “I’m not that quick to shoot and you know it. I’m unprepared.”

  No condom? Well hell…

  “I’m on birth control, Blake.”

  He hesitates. “Sorry for the question, but what are you on? The pill? I don’t like the idea of risking pregnancy if you miss a day.”

  “Me neither. I’ve had the shot for almost two years. I’m locked down.”

  “I’m clean, Kat. I have the records to prove it.”

  “I believe you. I just had my yearly and I asked to be tested for everything.”

  “Why?”

  I don’t want to ruin the moment, but he deserves the truth. “I was scared after we had sex in the hospital.”

  “Shit, Kat.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “We could have talked about it.”

  “What was I going to say, Blake? That I freaked out because I worried you might have had an STD.”

  “We used a condom, Kat. I would have never put you, or anyone I slept with, in danger.”

  The idea of him sleeping with anyone other than me burns despite the fact that I had sex with someone else. He’s not inno
cent, but it still irks me.

  “Can we not talk about other women you sleep with, please?”

  “Just to clarify, doll, there is no one I’m sleeping with, or have slept with, since you. The closet was it for me. I wanted you and no one else. It was me, my hand, and thoughts of you for the past ten months.” He looks at me, the corner of his mouth picking up. “What kind of a lover was Dudley? Did he take any of his clothing off? Did he hump your leg?”

  His goading makes me laugh. “His name is Dane and he was…” Not you… “Sometimes people need time to figure out how to meet each other’s needs.”

  “We didn’t take any time, did we?” he challenges. “I fit in your sweet pussy like it was made for me.”

  “You really know how to romance a girl, don’t you? Encourage me to talk about sex with another guy and compliment my genitalia in a crude fashion. Wow, buddy, I am so hot right now.”

  “Buddy? I’m not your buddy, Kat.”

  “Because you’re my boyfriend?” I question, classic Valley-girl twang bending the words.

  “Yeah, what else would we be?”

  “I don’t know.” I’ve tried to think about what other titles we could have. Lovers. Fuck friends. Ships that pass in the night. All the options seemed cheap. I want more from him. “I guess we could go with the formal labels,” I acquiesce before mumbling, “It would have been nice if you asked me first.”

  “I would have if I was confident in your ability to say yes. I knew if I gave you the option, you’d balk.”

  The questions about Dane and confessing that I went to the doctor after we had sex wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as his statement. He knew I would deny him if he asked? That’s crap!

  “Ask me.”

  “No.” He feigns playful resolution. “You had your chance to have all of me and you passed.”

  “Come on, Blaze!” I swat his chest, his hands playfully batting away my attempts to touch him. “Ask me!”

  “I don’t know that my fragile heart can handle your constant rejection, Kat.” His hand covers his heart, voice modulating as if he was a weak and wounded man. “I play a good game, but I have feelings too.”

  “Yeah, and they are all below your belt.”

  “And they’d like to be below your belt. More specifically, under your skirt.”

  “You want in my skirt? Ask me to be your girlfriend. Then we’ll roll around, get grass stained, twigs stuck in our hair, and then face your family like a united team. Deal?”

  “You are a fucking dream. Be my girlfriend?”

  “Done. You’ll be my boyfriend? You won’t cheat on me with Lefty Louie there?” I ask pointing to his hand.

  “Louie’s on the bench unless you want to see me use him, which I would totally do for you. Don’t go trying to corrupt any more choir boys, got it.”

  “Sold.” I get to my knees, pushing Blake to the grass and straddling him in one smooth movement. My fingers get to work on his belt buckle. The banter has made me nuts; I want to ride him like it’s my job.

  “Kat,” his hand covers mine, stilling my forward progress, “we still don’t have a rubber.”

  “Do you have health concerns, boyfriend?”

  “No, girlfriend, I don’t.”

  “I don’t either. Dane’s experience was limited. I had to guide him the first time.”

  “I’m losing wood talking about him, Kat. Let’s move this conversation along. We’re exclusive and making the decision that bare is acceptable?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank fuck.” He releases my hands, lacing them behind his head. “Proceed, doll.”

  Chapter 16

  Blake

  My girl is gone.

  Kat is arm’s length away but she is miles from me.

  “Turn here.” She gestures to the next road with a limp hand. Her voice sounds as distant as her mind. Given the fixed gaze, I’m almost certain she’s locked on something she cannot actually see.

  The ballsy, brassy woman I swindled into being exclusively mine is nowhere in sight.

  “Kat?”

  Nothing…

  She snaps back to the present when I pull over and throw the car in Park. “What are you doing?” she demands, sharp and edgy.

  “I should ask you the same question.”

  The hesitation on her face is enough to make me wonder if someone abducted my woman. Last night she was wild, free. Her laughter illuminated the dark evening sky. Passion flowed. She was so present and open in the moments that bonded us. She met my family. My mother loves her. I knew I had to make her mine in all ways, brand her with title and my body.

  Was it a coincidence I took her for a very romantic walk, planned a seductive interlude with music, and just happened to forget a condom? Maybe, but I couldn’t care less. I wanted to mark her in the most intimate of places. I didn’t want anything between us. She’s protected. We are making this work. I need to make this woman understand I want her to be the pinnacle of my universe so we can get over her skittish shit.

  She blinks slowly, contemplating her response before returning her glassy gaze to the scene outside. “I’m not like them, Blake,” she whispers, her fingers tangling with each other.

  Her anxiety is palpable. I’ve never seen her so unnerved. “What do you mean, doll?”

  She inhales as her gaze drops to her lap; her shoulders hunch ever so slightly. “You are just…so connected to your family.” She inhales, her head rocking slightly before releasing her breath. “Last night was really nice.”

  She’s right, it was a perfect evening. Kat was on top of the world, happy and energetic. But now, she seems so unsure. Her plump lips part and close as if she wants the words to escape.

  “It was a beautiful evening.” I reach across the car, gathering her hands in mine. Her finger are cold and a little shaky. “Tell me what’s wrong, Katya.”

  “I’m the hot-pink sheep,” she blurts before her porcelain cheeks flush.

  “As opposed to the black sheep?”

  “I’m too loud,” she says.

  “That’s the issue? Your volume surpasses theirs? I think that’s something we can work around, doll.”

  She pulls her hands out of my grip, shaking them out. “There’s more,” she seems resigned, guarded, “but we’re almost there. I need to get this over with.” The statement is followed by a sharp nod before her spine straightens. “Let’s go. It’s the third house on the left.”

  I want to press her statement, inquire about whether or not she really wants to do this. I would never force her to be in an uncomfortable situation.

  Before I can tell her I’m cool with just grabbing a burger and going home she whispers, “I just have to prepare myself before I see them.”

  What could be so bad that she needs to put a game face on before dinner with her family? The thought to turn the car around halts when she finds her voice again. “Are we going to sit here all night, stud? I’d like to go out for a drink, or sixteen, after this.”

  I try to flick through the reasons she’s anxious. The conclusion makes my nerves sit on jagged edges. “Are you sure you want me to meet your family, Kat?”

  Her features tighten and pinch before she turns to me, her hand reaching across the car to caress my leg. “You aren’t the issue, Blake,” she whispers. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know how to explain it. I struggle with my family. We aren’t always on the same page with stuff.” She looks like she wants to say more but stops. While her statement is intended to be clear, the act of Kat closeting the issues pulls her back into obscurity. “Give me some time, Blake. I can’t talk about it right away.”

  My mind reels. How can this confident, brilliant woman appear so shaken? She stands her ground with everyone. She’s so loveable, I thought for sure she’d kick in the front door and her parents would set cannons off in her honor.

  “I’d like to know what’s going on, but I understand if you can’t talk about it right now. If at any point in time you want to leave, you tell m
e and we’re finding the closest bar.”

  Her eyes brighten as if the prospect of an escape plan just saved her from walking the plank. “Okay, but we need to do it on the sly. I can’t just blurt out that I need to leave.” She taps her lips, mouth scrunched up as she thinks. I hold back my laughter. My doll who had done nothing but avoid all things BDSM is using some serious energy to come up with a safe word to end dinner with her parents.

  “How about we refer to having to tend to the lawn.” I give her a quick wink when she softens under the memories of last night.

  “Perfect.” A small smile eases her tense features.

  Ten minutes later, we are standing outside an unassuming house on a cookie-cutter block. They are older tract homes from the fifties. When I comment on the neighborhood, Kat mumbles something about it always being loud and cramped.

  A man a few years older than Kat opens the door and after passing a glance at Kat, looks to me. “Hey. I’m Mika.” He extends a hand to me without greeting Kat.

  “Blake Roman,” I offer to the obviously arrogant young man. I don’t like that he passed over greeting her. “How do you know Katya?”

  “She’s my sister.” He gives her a stupid grin before mussing her hair, making her pin-straight locks fly in all directions.

  Before I can punch him for touching her, he’s in the house hollering something in Russian.

  “Welcome home,” she sneers, as she pulls a comb from her bag.

  “Is he always an asshole to you?”

  “Yup,” she sighs. “It was worse when we were younger. Mika’s always been an ass.”

  After trying to flatten her hair, we step inside the dim foyer and face the firing squad. Immediately to our left, her mother, father, and Mika stand at attention. All of them watching us, none of them greeting us.

  “It’s nice to see you dressed for the occasion, Katya,” her mother drawls with a thick accent. “Could you have worn something that covered your knees?”

  “Mother,” she walks into the house and kisses the stiff woman on the cheek, “it’s lovely to see you.” She immediately steps to her right and repeats the same action with her father. “This is Blake Roman.”