by Brenna Zinn
Much to her surprise, her feet stayed rooted to the floor.
No. I am not going to leave. I will not give in to emotion. I haven’t rebuilt my life from the scraps Rick left me to run when things get a little uncomfortable. Not tonight. Not ever again.
But Trish?
Now that Trish was in town, could Chet be trusted?
Though she hesitated, Chet’s hand had stayed motionless. A bridge to transport her over the troubled water of her thoughts.
“Come with me. Everything is fine. We’ll talk in my room.”
Remarkably calm, Chet’s voice soothed her ruffled nerves. His eyes, two pools of blue tranquility, beckoned her to get her feet moving. Latching on to his hand, Emma followed Chet around the living room. Before they turned to go down a hallway, Emma risked a quick peek at Scott and Charlie.
Charlie’s face, framed by a mass of copper curls, had gone pale. Worry haunted his wide-eyed expression. Standing next to him, Scott couldn’t have been any more his opposite. Fumes seemed to appear around Scott’s head, his cheeks a bright red. His nose flared as his chest heaved.
The sound of the coffee table being kicked over and crashing to the floor, then the slam of the front door met them before Chet reached his bedroom.
“Don’t take anything Scott said personally. He’s just pissed at me and doesn’t know how to act older than a nine-year-old. I think all the steroids he’s been taking are making him a little nutty.” Chet closed the door, locking it with a quiet click.
Emma looked up at Chet, taking in his considerable height and the mass of muscles beneath his T-shirt. Though he wasn’t as big as Scott, he wasn’t far from it. “Aren’t you afraid Scott will go off the deep end one day and do something stupid? Something that might hurt you?”
An amused smile caused his dimples to sink deep into his tanned cheeks. “Scott try to take me on? Hardly.” He tossed his keys into a ceramic dish on his nightstand, then patted his back pockets for his wallet. “He knows better. That gym jockey might be able to bench-press five hundred pounds, but he’s as slow as molasses in January. I could run rings around him before he could take his first punch.”
“I don’t understand why you would want to live with him. Why don’t you kick him out or move someplace else?”
“One day I might, but I doubt it. I’m not the type to throw in the towel with a friend,” he turned to her, holding her gaze, “or someone I care about when things get a little rough. I don’t give up easy.”
A nervous flutter flickered in her tummy. His meaning came through loud and clear. He had patiently waited for Emma to take their relationship to the next level and made it plain he would continue to hold on until she was ready.
Am I ready?
Chapter Five
“What about Trish?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Emma cringed, regretting she’d spoken them aloud. The mention of his beautiful former sub caused Emma’s heart to pang from anxiousness, and being the jealous type made her feel like a stupid, insecure teenager again.
Did she have a right to see green?
No. Not after I’ve pushed away Chet’s advances for so long.
Who would blame him if he decided to dump her and find the kind of relationship he wanted with Trish? Most likely the raven-haired bombshell would be happy to be Chet’s sub and girlfriend.
Yet the fact Trish was back in town and not knowing where he currently stood with the vixen had Emma’s pulse thudding through her veins and her chest squeezing so tight her back was beginning to hurt.
Chet let out a deep sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose before taking a seat on his bed. “I really wish Scott hadn’t said anything about her. I was hoping to do that myself.”
Refusing to let Chet see how much even talk about his former lover bothered her, Emma turned and examined the room. Anything to help get her breathing back to normal and regain a little self-possession.
Though she’d often imagined what his place might look like, she hadn’t expected what she saw. Rather than being a mess with piles of unwashed clothes on the floor and rock posters covering the walls, the space was neat. Organized. Sophisticated. All signs of a man in complete control of his life.
Emma wandered to his chest of drawers where a picture of Chet and what must be his family sat near a stack of compact discs. In the photo he stood between his two brothers and his sister. Chet’s father, an older version of the boys, had the same adorable dimples. And each child shared their mother’s bright-blue eyes.
He came from a big family. They looked so damned happy.
One day, I’d like to have a family too.
But I won’t if I don’t get over my fears.
Pushing the thoughts aside, she picked up a compact disc jewel case from the stack and flipped it over, pretending to be interested in the band. “Hootie and the Blowfish. They’re good.”
“Emma, put the CD down and come sit by me.”
So used to following Chet’s direction without question, Emma returned the jewel case, then took a seat next to him. The bed dipped beneath her weight and she rolled next to him. His firm body radiated heat and strength, both comforting and reassuring. She breathed in deeply through her nose, catching the scent of Eternity cologne mixed with his earthy essence. Between his soothing presence and familiar smell, she relaxed enough to quiet her pulse and cease her heart pounding against her rib cage.
“I didn’t know she was back in town until yesterday.” Chet brushed a length of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers slide over her cheek when he removed his hand. “Scott and Charlie had invited her over. I got pissed because they know I’m involved with you, and yet they thought it was cool to bring in a former girlfriend of mine.”
“Girlfriend?” Emma tasted bile as she swallowed. “I thought Trish was just a sub.”
Chet let out a low groan while raking a hand through his wavy brown hair. “We dated for a few months during summer break while I was her Dom. At first things were great, but when the fall semester started, I quickly found out that she’s not in her right mind.”
Stunned, Emma drew back. “What do you mean she wasn’t in her right mind? What did she do?”
He shifted in his seat and placed his hand on the mattress as though looking for support to get him through what he had to say. “She became extremely possessive. She wouldn’t give me any time to myself or with my friends. No matter where I was, Trish found some kind of lie to justify being there too. Then the phone calls. At least twenty a day. Scott and Charlie used to make bets on how many messages she would leave when I stopped answering my cell. I tried my damnedest to calm her down and work things out. But the relationship was spiraling out of control.”
From the corner of her eye, Emma spotted the tightening hold Chet had of the edge of the bed. Minutes before, he had seemed relaxed, even after his run-in with Scott. Now his knuckles were nearly white.
“When I found her rummaging through my cell phone records to see who I had talked to, I had had enough. I broke up with her. Even so, Trish continued to call and follow me wherever I went. Stalking me. But I wouldn’t give in. Later on in the semester she was admitted to the hospital for a drug overdose, claiming I had injected her with a lethal dose of heroin. She told the police I had tried to kill her.”
Though she’d expected hearing a less than perfect tale about his breakup with Trish, the truth knocked the air out of Emma. Her stomach plummeted. “Oh my God. I had no idea.”
“Not many people do, including Scott and Charlie, and I want to keep it that way. As far as I’m concerned, the less people know about that particular situation, the better.” Chet released his grip and wiped his palms on his jeans. “Luckily I was visiting some friends down in Southern Illinois for Thanksgiving at the time, so I had enough witnesses to validate that I was nowhere near her when she ODed. At the end of the investigation I was cleared from any wrongdoing, and she was placed in the hospital’s psych ward for a few weeks. After she got out, I never saw her again.
The day I heard she had moved back to Chicago was one of the best in my life.”
Emma cocked her head to the side. Realization gripped her so hard her eyes went wide. “Wait a minute. I remember when you were away in Carbondale for Thanksgiving. Cleo had introduced us a week or so before, and I had already chosen you to be my Dom. This all happened while you knew me?” Emma placed her palm on the mattress as well, keeping herself upright as she spoke the question that could change her relationship with Chet forever. “Where you cheating on Trish with me?”
“No, Emma. Absolutely not,” he immediately responded, vehemence heating every word. “I broke things off with Trish weeks before I met you. After you’d told me about your experience with your ex-husband, I thought I was protecting you by not mentioning too much about Trish, especially her crazy antics.” A smile drew up his cheeks and warmth reflected in his baby blues. “From the moment I found you I knew you were special, so very special. I didn’t want anything to get in the way of being with you. I still don’t. Not now. Not ever.”
The feelings she’d harbored about Chet but dared not trust in radiated from her heart in waves. Each ripple stronger than the last, they beautifully disturbed the still waters of her emotions.
“I was shocked as hell to find Trish here last night,” he continued. “Even more so to discover the college had hired her to work in the administration department. Considering what you’ve told me about your dean’s secretary in the math department, I guess I shouldn’t be.”
“If the school will hire a stoner like Stephanie, they’ll hire anyone.” Emma shrugged, playing along with the conversation though deep down struggling with the quiet but powerful undulations quaking her to the core.
Chet leaned in, capturing her gaze. “Emma,” he started, his voice not much more than a whisper, “I’ve promised you that I won’t rush you. And I won’t. But I want you to know, I care about you. I didn’t realize how much I could feel for anyone until I met you. I will never lie to you. I’ll never cheat on you. I only want to be with you.” He picked up her hand, entwining her fingers in his. “Emma, I love you.”
Euphoria swelled in her chest, pulling energy from all points within her body like a strong undertow. Her light squeeze of Chet’s hand became a death grip as a tidal wave of feelings for him peaked then crashed against all remaining traces of doubt.
“With my life still in a tailspin, I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but I love you too,” she uttered on a shiver as the impact of each word slammed against her. She tilted her head up and pressed her lips against his, unbinding the restraints she’d used in the past to prevent herself from falling for him. For the first time since Chet had come into her world, the kiss she offered had nothing to do with her carnal appetite or satisfying the need for sexual submission. This kiss, this meeting of her heart with his, was an offering of her trust. Her soul. Her love.
God help her, she was his now. And hopefully, he was hers. Truly hers and hers alone.
Seeming to understand the magnitude of the moment, rather than savagely take her, Chet kept his mouth soft, gently molding to hers and slowly drinking her in. Their kiss remained sweet, tender, even as he parted her lips and swept his tongue along the length of hers. When he took her in his arms, the kiss deepened. Emma allowed herself to completely let go, leaning her entire weight into him and abandoning all previous reservations. Giving him all of her.
He responded with a moan, the sound tingling her senses and encouraging her to reach for him. In all their time together, she had never really touched him or explored his body as a lover would. Tonight she wouldn’t rest until she knew every inch of him, felt the hard planes of his chest, his back, his thighs. Relished in the sensation of her fingers brushing over his sun-kissed skin.
Emma applied enough force to tip Chet over until he lay flat on the bed. Straddling his hips, she reached to unbutton his shirt, then ran her hands up the sides of his sturdy frame. Upon feeling the wild beating of his heart, she stopped.
Is he as into this as I am?
Could Chet enjoy being with her without directing the scene? Replace harshness for gentleness? Let their emotions flow into their actions?
“What’s wrong, Emma?”
“I’m—” She hesitated, suddenly self-conscious. After submitting to Chet as her Dom, what was supposed to come naturally between a man and a woman was as awkward as walking backward. Her heart ached as though an invisible hand were squeezing it. She couldn’t screw up this moment. “I’m not sure if I’m doing this right.”
Her embarrassment was enough to stop this moment together. How could her queer sense of liberation cause such paralysis? Should she roll off Chet and do her best to pretend what had just happened between them was nothing more than a fluke? A temporary lull of judgment?
“Honey,” he placed his hand atop hers, “there’s nothing you can do that won’t be perfect. Having you like this is more than I would ever have asked for.” He bent and offered the encouragement of a light kiss on the forehead. “Please, don’t stop.”
Relief replaced anxiety. She released the breath she was holding, the exhale taking with it all the tension she’d put upon herself. The uncomfortable weight on her shoulders lifted. She was really free to make love to him in any way she pleased. Tonight he was not her Master. She was not his to control. And what happened between them was a testimony to their feelings for each other. Not just a way to find sexual satisfaction or fulfill needs for dominance or submission.
The heady revelation sparked an overwhelming love for Chet she’d never imagined she was still capable of. As though some unseen puzzle piece of her soul had fallen neatly into place, Emma finally felt whole. Here was the man who completed her, and he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Possibly more so.
Okay, girl. Let’s have some fun.
Smiling, Emma took advantage of his position by removing his shirt and tossing it to the floor. A second later, her blouse landed next to his. “There. That is much better.” She placed a palm on his breastbone and gently pushed him back down to lie flat on the mattress. Righting herself to a seated position on his hips, she surveyed the manly terrain of his torso.
A marvel to behold, his body oozed masculine perfection. His chiseled pecs, lightly tufted with dark hair, provided a starting point for row after row of sculpted abs. The muscles of his lower abdomen appeared to form a V, the point of which led her eye farther down. Unfortunately, because he still wore jeans and she sat on his hips, what lay below was still hidden. Though she had seen him nude many times, tonight things seemed different. His cock was suddenly mysterious territory she wanted to explore. But she would force herself to wait until they both had removed their clothes. For now all she wanted to do was kiss him—everywhere.
Emma leaned and inched herself forward, grazing his chest with the tips of her breasts, then placed her lips on the side of his face near the crinkled corner of his eye. He groaned as she kissed him there multiple times, lingering long enough to take in his scent and taste the slightly salty flavor of his skin. When she’d had enough, she moved to his ear, placing the fleshy bit of his lobe in her mouth. She bit lightly and scraped the thick skin before she headed farther south to his neck.
Warm and incredibly sexy smelling, the stretch of skin between his ear and shoulder drew her in as if she were a hungry vampire. Inexplicably, she couldn’t resist the desire to bite his neck, then suck on his flesh as though doing so she would somehow absorb his very essence. He’d have one hell of a hickey in the morning, but she didn’t care. Let whomever saw the mark of their lovemaking know he was no longer available. He was hers.
Her lips located his artery and she traced the vein with her tongue, feeling the blood pumping to the rhythm of his heart. Moving lower still, Emma left a trail of kisses over his shoulder and down his chest. When Chet jerked as she lightly scraped her teeth on his dusky nipple, a rush of cream flooded her pussy. That she could create such a powerful reaction in him was an incredible erotic
charge. Before she knew what she was doing, her hips started rotating in small spirals in a shameless attempt to grind her aching clit against the tight seam of her shorts. In all the times they had been together, she’d never wanted him so badly.
Chet moved his hand from where it laid draped on the pillow and unbuttoned her shorts. He slid his warm digits beneath her panties and over her wet mound. Emma looked up just as he drew a finger through her soaked folds. His blue eyes, hooded by lowered lids, took on a dreamy quality. The dimples she adored sank deep into his cheeks as a contented grin pulled at his lips.
“I’m a little turned-on right now.” The husky quality of her voice couldn’t keep her confession from sounding silly. How turned-on she was couldn’t have been any more self-evident. But she was too full of absolute bliss to hold anything back. Now that they had professed their love for each other, sharing every intimate thought and feeling seemed so right.
“Yeah,” he said on a sigh as his lids completely closed over his eyes. “I kinda figured that out. I am too.”
He placed the pad of his finger on the hard nub of her clit, then massaged the needy kernel with amazing precision. The teasing effect coaxed even more wetness from her pussy, preparing her for the inevitable moment his hard cock would slip inside.
Emma bore down and thrust her hips forward and back, her body now craving the sweet release only he could provide. Desperate for more sensation, she arched her back and heaved her breasts near his face. When she swept the twin peaks over the soft curves of his mouth, his eyes flew open and he latched on to her puckered breast. He drew in the tender tip and sucked, creating a mind-blowing tension in the already sensitive flesh.
Between the flicks on her clit and the tug on her nipple, the string holding her orgasm at bay was slowly coming unraveled. Second by aching second, Chet pulled her closer. Gently persuading her to release every ounce of restraint she still maintained.
