“Things were just about to get a little more intense,” Keegan continued. He slid his hand up the length of her arm to her shoulder and squeezed. “Weren't they, Alayna?”
Behind her, Rick groaned a curse under his breath. Logan's expression remained tight, and his chest expanded as he inhaled a deep breath as if attempting to calm himself.
It took Alayna a moment before she realized Keegan was playing the part of a shit disturber.
“I had a cramp in my arm,” she said to Logan, stepping from between the two men and turning to face him. “Keegan was just massaging it out for me.”
The tension lines around Logan's mouth softened.
“And he and Rick were about to show me how to use the speed bag,” she said, pointing to the small brown bag hanging twenty feet away.
When Logan entered the gym and saw Alayna between Rick and Keegan, he took great pains to stop himself from running over, grabbing her, tossing her up over his shoulder, and carting her off to his suite where she belonged. The sound of her labored breathing mixed with the sight of perspiration glistening on her skin brought visions of the night before to his mind.
The white T-shirt she wore was wet from her exertion with the heavy bag. The swells of her breasts were visible through the damp fabric. His mouth watered at the thought of tasting her, of sliding his tongue between those perfect tits. Inside his shorts, his dick came to life. Logan shifted in an attempt to hide the evidence of his straining cock. Inhaling a deep breath, he recalled the scent of her arousal when she had climaxed in her sleep just by listening to his words. There was no doubt in his mind Alayna would be a perfect submissive for him, but he reminded himself that giving in to that urge would only hurt them both in the long run.
The urge to turn tail and leave grew. It was different when he ate in her restaurant or when he watched her sleep. Being in the spacious area of the gym, Logan began to feel claustrophobic. She would never be his, and he was beginning to realize he should have kept complete distance right from the start. With each passing day, he lost a little more of himself in the idea of being with her. He definitely should not have slept in her bed the night before. It infuriated him that after all these years he was struggling to keep the Dom in him under control.
“Then I'll leave the three of you to it,” he said, turning to leave.
“Why are you leaving?” Alayna asked. She placed her gloved hands on her hips.
Judging by the tone of voice and rigidness of her body, Logan thought she looked a tad pissed.
“Yes, why, Logan?” The smug grin on Keegan's face made Logan clench his fists again. “You came down here to work out, so work out. We won't get in your way.” He sidled himself up to where Alayna stood and draped an arm across her shoulders.
When Keegan leaned over and inhaled against the top of Alayna's head, Logan seethed and then caught himself.
She isn't yours.
“You smell like a basket of fresh fruit, baby,” Keegan said to Alayna, yet he glanced over at Logan. “Suddenly I have a craving to taste something plump and juicy on my tongue.”
Logan growled a warning. Alayna seemed to miss it, but Rick didn't.
“For the love of God, Keegan.” Rick groaned in anguish. “Shut the fuck up.”
Alayna turned her head toward Keegan and cocked a brow. With a shake of her head, she muttered, “Oh brother, please.”
After rumbling like some alpha wolf in the wild, there was no way to walk away with any semblance of dignity. But Logan had to leave. The strength of his urge to stalk toward her and toss her over his shoulder was frightening. The Dominant inside was growing restless because of his proximity to her…and her proximity to other men, and it was growing more and more difficult for him to keep the beast under control.
“I've got some paperwork to look over,” Logan said.
“Paperwork?” Alayna echoed. “That excuse is becoming tiresome.”
“It's not an excuse.” Who was she to question his motives?
“You know what I think?” she asked and took a couple steps away from Keegan. “I'm thinking you're afraid to work out with a little estrogen scenting your testosterone-laden gym.”
His eyes narrowed; he didn't care for her challenging him so aggressively. Estrogen wasn't what Logan feared. His life had been so much simpler before she'd stormed into his home, his heart, and his head. Everywhere he went in the house, the scent of her perfume lingered. Logan studied her for several moments and realized that since she had come to the mansion, he'd been following her around like a lost puppy. Only she didn't know that. No one did. And he intended to keep it that way.
Logan didn't want to think about would happen if he gave in to his driving need to dominate Alayna. He would surely hurt her, let her down, or disappoint her. Or worse. Due to his ineffectiveness in protecting his submissive, she could wind up dead. Just like Tasha.
“I'm not afraid of any such thing,” he said with as much disinterest as he could muster and stepped farther into the gym. He could maintain some sort of control. He could run a few miles on the treadmill, spend some time on the cross-trainer, even with Alayna in the same room. Couldn't he? “When you're finished playing girlie games, Keegan, perhaps you won't be too tired to go twelve rounds in the ring.”
Alayna's huff of irritation as Logan brushed past her ripped at his insides. With his back to her, he could almost feel her narrowed eyes boring holes in the back of his head. It was for her own good that she stayed clear of him. He was determined the next two weeks would be different than the previous two. He would not go to his suite again to watch Alayna as she slept. He could do this. On the treadmill, Logan pressed the keys setting his speed and hit Start. Staring straight ahead, he tried his best to ignore the beautiful woman glaring at him. She lowered her eyes after a moment and spun away from him and toward Keegan. Keegan still wore a smug grin, and Rick's expression had turned stoic.
The hum of the machine he was on eliminated any chance he had of hearing the trio converse. That suited Logan fine. Her voice sent his pulse racing and created a tightening in his groin that took hours to ease. From the corner of his eye, he watched Keegan lead Alayna over to one of the speed bags dangling from the ceiling and demonstrate how he wanted her to hit it.
Alayna fell into a rhythm, effortlessly alternating the combinations with either hand. Logan watched her connect with the bag over and over again. It was as if she'd been doing it all her life. Though he hadn't seen her throwing punches at the heavy bag, he'd heard Keegan and Rick commenting on her ability. They were correct. The woman was a natural.
As he continued to watch, Logan wondered if Alayna was imagining the bag was his head. He wouldn't blame her if she was. His blatant disregard of her just minutes earlier had been despicable. After several moments, she stopped beating the bag, and the three of them burst into laughter. It irritated Logan at how comfortable she was with the other two men.
That should be you, the harping voice in the back of his mind chimed. She should be laughing with you.
When Alayna once again began to hit the bag, he watched Keegan place his palm against the small of Alayna's back to position her at a better angle. More than once he brushed the stray damp curls behind her ears, which only served to fire Logan's fury. Keegan was taking liberties with his woman. The other man displayed no regard for Logan, who was watching from the other side of the room. But why would he? Logan had all but pushed her aside by his actions and clipped remarks.
Keegan's blatant caresses along her arms and shoulders were nearly enough to bring Logan across the room.
Nearly.
She's not yours, the annoying voice of his subconscious taunted.
No she wasn't, but that didn't stop his body from wanting her. If his dick got any harder, he was going to lose his rhythm and fall flat on his face. The perspiration glistening on her skin made him want to lick every salty drop from her body. He wanted to spend hours, days even, paying homage to the incredible creature she was. A woma
n like Alayna deserved to be placed upon a pedestal and cherished.
Despite the satisfaction he'd given her the night before and her apparent comfort with Rick and Keegan, the need for something more showed in her face. His feet pounded along the belt beneath him. Not. Worthy. Never. Each blow emphasized the words echoing in his head. Keep. Her. Safe.
But, the niggling voice in his head whispered, is it her you're trying to keep safe? Or yourself?
Chapter Nine
Day Fifteen
Two days later, at the tail end of another failed training session, Alayna was at the end of her rope.
Though it pained her to admit it, she'd finally come to the conclusion that Logan's absence and his behavior toward her was proof positive that he saw her as nothing more than a stain marring the perfection of his home. She was certain that anything she thought she'd seen when he was at the café was just that—her imagination. Deep inside, she had wanted him to desire her, to want her for his own, but it was clear now that she'd been deluding herself.
The purpose of her agreeing to be trained at the mansion had been to tap into her submissive nature, and it was getting her nowhere. Alayna wondered why she was putting off the inevitable. She would never be the submissive Logan wanted.
She confronted Rick in the hallway outside the dining room. “Listen, I've had enough of this,” she said. “I can't do it anymore. The failure, the disappointment—I just can't. It's a drain on my emotions, Rick. Though it's hard to admit it, I think I'm ready to throw in the towel.”
Understanding crossed his features, and a placating smile curled one side of his mouth.
“Before you make any rash decisions, pet, you should speak to someone you trust, Alayna.” Rick handed over his cell phone and motioned her inside the library.
“I trust you, or at least I'm working on it. Besides, I'm not allowed outside contact,” she protested, wondering if the offer was some sort of a test.
“Sweetheart, you don't trust me enough,” he said and flashed a grin. “Believe me, there's been a ton of shit happening that's out of the norm.”
Rick's comment piqued her curiosity. What was he talking about?
“So go ahead. I'm your master—in theory anyway—and if my weight carries anything, I'm giving you permission. Go.” He pushed the phone into her hand and settled his palm against the small of her back, urging her through a doorway.
Inside the library, windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling along the length of the outside wall. The three inside walls were lined with hundreds, if not thousands, of books. Several Edinburgh chairs were scattered in various locations around the vast openness of the room, and beside each stood an antique wooden table with a lantern-style lamp sitting on top. Two oblong tables without chairs around them sat lengthwise, opposite one another in the middle of the room. A selection of newspapers was stacked neatly in one corner. A subtle mustiness from the ancient volumes lining the shelves scented the air, yet not in an unpleasant way. Taking a seat in one of the chairs overlooking the lush green lawn that stretched out behind the house, Alayna flipped open the phone in her hand and pressed the buttons.
“Thank you for calling Valerian's Root. How may I help you?” DeeDee's cheery voice sang.
“Dee, hi, it's Alayna.”
“Hi back. How's the vacation?”
From her perch by the window, Alayna scanned the acre and a half of verdant grass and the swimming pool on the far side of a small knoll in the middle of the lawn. Just then a jackrabbit sprinted across the yard.
“The scenery is breathtaking,” she replied.
“I hope you're taking a ton of pics,” DeeDee continued.
Alayna grinned as her mind wandered to the photos she'd seen on the Web site a couple of weeks earlier. “I'll be sure to,” she said. “Listen, Dee, I'd love to chat, but I don't have a lot of time. Is everything going well?”
“Sure. Things are fine,” she said, but Alayna picked up on the slight hesitation in the other woman's voice.
“Dee, what's going on?”
“Al, you know me, I don't want to cause problems. You're on holiday and all—”
“Spill it.”
“All right, Ari and Dane are, you know”—her voice dropped to just above a whisper—“like oil and water.”
“Oh no.” Alayna sighed.
“It's not that bad, Al, honest,” DeeDee quickly amended. “It's just, you know what Ari's like with someone new poking around. That's all. By the way, thanks for sending that studmuffin here while you're away. He's is way yum.”
Alayna giggled and rolled her eyes. Poor Dane. Not only was he tolerating Ariel's…eccentricities…but she hadn't given any thought to Sadie and DeeDee drooling all over him. When this was over, he was getting his lunches on the house for a month. At least.
“Is Ari busy? Can she spare me a few minutes?”
“Lunch was a madhouse today, Al, but you know Ariel; she took it all in stride. Hold on, I'll get her.”
“Thanks,” Alayna said.
A moment later the line clicked as someone picked up the phone.
“Al, what's up? I thought you weren't supposed to make any calls? What's wrong?” Though the query was casual, Alayna honed in on the underlying anxiety in Ariel's voice.
Alayna smiled at the sound of her sister's voice. Warmth spread throughout her body, and she settled into the chair. The first two weeks apart had been something to get used to without her. Perhaps the call would help.
“Hey there, baby sister. Miss me?” she teased.
“Damn straight. That wannabe Dom is useless on the register.”
“You were paid on time, right?” she asked, attempting to keep the nervousness and disappointment she felt at her own situation out of her voice. “So that's an upside. And how's Dane making out with ordering your supplies?”
“I'm fine. Money's not everything, and let's not talk about supply orders.”
“All right, fine, we won't talk shop,” Alayna conceded. “How are you holding up? What's new? How are you and Dane getting along? He hasn't said anything.”
Alayna had only crossed paths with Dane twice in her two weeks at the mansion, and his only response when she asked about Ariel and the café had been a gruff “everything's fine.” His tone had played on her insecurities. Alayna loved her sister with all her heart, but she knew firsthand just how difficult Ariel could be when she wanted to be.
“It's going. It's going. I'd rather hear all the details of your training.” Ariel laughed. “Is that sexy Logan tying you up or tying you in knots?”
“Oh, I'm in knots all right.” Alayna huffed out a breath. “But I've only seen the sexy Logan a couple of times since I arrived.”
“Logan isn't around? I thought he owned the place with Dane?”
“He does.” Alayna sighed. Absently her fingers began flicking at a tassel hanging from the corner of a mustard-colored pillow beside her. “But apparently Logan is too busy to bother with the training of subs. Maybe he works with the Doms. I don't know. Rick is great though.”
“Rick? Who the fuck is Rick?”
Alayna jumped at the sharpness in Ariel's voice. Knowing it wasn't directed at her, she settled against the high-back chair.
“The fellow Dane set me up to train with. You'd like him, Ari. His sense of humor reminds me of you.”
“But he doesn't 'do it' for you.”
“Not even a little. It's me, I'm sure of it.”
Day after agonizing day it was the same thing. She'd set out with the best of intentions, only to return to her room at the end of the day disappointed.
She had been thankful when Rick introduced her to the gym in the basement a couple of days earlier. It had been helpful to take her frustrations out on the heavy bag suspended from the ceiling. With Keegan's assistance, she had learned the proper stance and breathing techniques to get the most out of the exercise. She planned to have a bag installed in the basement of her own home when she returned, and perhaps a second in
the cellar of the restaurant. That way when Logan showed his face there for lunch, she could head downstairs and beat the hell out of the bag and imagine it was him. He didn't even need to be around to frustrate her. Though now she wasn't only sexually agitated, she was simply pissed off.
“No, Al, there's no way it could be you. You haven't done anything wrong.”
“You're too sweet,” Alayna said.
“I want to know about this training.”
“You mean my lack of training,” Alayna grumbled and punched the pillow at her side.
“What? Are they that lame?”
She'd placed the call in search of her sister's support; Alayna realized she needed to come clean. “This is really embarrassing,” she began. “Our sessions are a futile endeavor. Sure, Rick and I have developed a bond, a friendship, but he doesn't do anything to help me tap into my inner sub.” Though he seemed to be trying, she neglected to voice aloud.
“So maybe you just need someone who makes you want to submit.”
“Ari, I came here because I want it to be Logan…but…” Alayna wasn't ready to confess to her sister that during her residency he'd all but snubbed her. Instead she offered up a white lie. “Since he's more or less MIA, I'm wondering what the hell I'm still doing here. This is a big waste of time. I think I made a mistake coming here. This isn't for me, I guess.”
“Are you sure about that? I mean, you seemed so interested in being a submissive.”
“Yes, I did. But who I want doesn't seem to be interested in me.”
Ariel muttered something that sounded like, “Sounds like we have the same problem.”
“What's that?” Alayna asked, not certain she heard correctly.
“Nothing, nothing.”
“What's going on, Ariel?” Alayna didn't like the angst in her sister's voice.
“If it's Logan you want, can't you request he be the one to train you?”
An Invitation: Alayna's Training Page 14
