Still, she had to wonder. The look in his eyes had been haunting and almost fearful as though he was afraid she was going to slip away from him. That would never happen. She knew she’d always be there for him but maybe he needed to be reminded.
Donovan Corbett was the center of her world and had been almost from the first moment she saw him. Their beginning hadn’t followed the blueprint for any courtship she ever thought she would have but the end result had been spectacular. Living without him simply wasn’t an option.
What a contradiction he was. How could she contrast his need for control and his desire to dominate against his pure and unhesitating submission to her and his children? He would do anything for them and for her. What in his personality gave him absolute confidence unless he was dealing with her? Those moments when he babbled almost incoherently were some of the most precious in her memories. Was it possible to balance his complete strength and dependability with his near phobia about a stuffed unicorn? Certainly Virgil was a special part of her life but Donovan and her children were her life and perhaps her Dominant needed a little extra reassurance about that.
Her lips made contact with his ear and he heard her whispered breath “Don’t move. Stay completely still and don’t look away.”
Look away? He was a little too busy looking and feeling dazed. What was she doing?
Her lips made gentle contact with his and he could already feel tremors building deep inside his body. She ran her fingertips through his hair, gently rubbing his entire scalp before moving to massage his neck and shoulders. Donovan could feel himself melting into relaxation as he moaned with satisfaction. Laci and her magical fingers could wipe away every knot of tension he had. She kissed him again, stroking his lips with her tongue. Magical fingers and an expert in tongue massage. His eyes started to close.
“Look at me!” she demanded. His eyes flew open. Dominant/submissive. He really was going to have to refresh his memory on the meaning of those words and he planned to do just that right after he finished watching her mouth move lower. She was straddling him, licking back and forth across his stomach and making him flame with pleasure.
Laci was touching him everywhere and the need to have her again was making his groin ache but she had taken control. Suddenly she stopped and sat up, watching as he watched her. Her pink tipped breasts were so close and so enticingly perfect; he had to reach for them. The look in her eyes stopped him, mid-reach, and his arms dropped to his sides. Wait! Wasn’t he the Dominant? Training session. Texas. Master’s Master. A little hazy but the words seemed familiar.
She leaned in again and started nuzzling his neck. Slowly she moved lower, kissing his heart that was now beating so hard he could see his own chest pulsing. A moment later she sat up again and continued watching him. He seemed to recall telling Victor her eyes were like color of the sky at dusk when it reflected on the ocean but that was part of his dream and what was happening now was very real. Her eyes did look like an ocean but her ocean was dark, stormy and ravenous with her desire for him. Again he was overcome with the need to reach for her but the look in her eyes was mesmerizing and almost hypnotic. It was everything he needed to see.
Laci resumed kissing his chest, allowing her tongue to again drift across his stomach. She stroked between his thighs before taking him slowly into her mouth and caressing him until he shuddered. Her magical fingers were cupping him, tracing every part of him that she already knew so well. He truly never minded submitting to her but, at the moment, submission wasn’t on his mind. Not tonight. Tonight he needed the assurance of being in control. It took nearly all his strength to pull her down and push himself above her. He kissed her with such fierceness it took her breath away. He loved what he was witnessing, watching her breathing get ragged, feeling her arms wrapping so tightly around him he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pry her away even if he wanted to.
His hardness again plunged into her and she was tilting her hips to take him even deeper, clenching and holding him as tightly as she could. He was claiming her and yet something in her eyes made it clear that she was also claiming him, made it clear that she understood the power she had over him but she’d never misuse it. She arched her back, meeting him thrust for thrust, his entire body shaking with exhaustion. Still he pounded into her, over and over, until finally sweet orgasm swept over them. At last satiated he allowed them both to relax and swallow deep breaths of air. There was no more darkness. Laci was his light and he was finally home.
Chapter Ten ~ Radiant Illumination
Occasionally, when noise and chaos were everywhere, Donovan remembered the days that used to be filled with nothing but silence. He was shocked when he started looking forward to the chaos but sometimes silence was perfect and this was one of those moments. Laci was curled under his arm, so close it was almost as if they were one person and he felt as if he was floating on a luminous cloud of contentment.
He wasn’t certain what had prompted his dream of a life without her but, yet again, there had been a subtle shift in his world; only this time it was something very special. Those incredible eyes of hers had always pulled him in but he’d never forget what he’d seen in them tonight. He supposed it had always been there but the confused and uncertain thoughts, the shattering fear that she didn’t exist had given him a new clarity. He knew she loved him but Laci wasn’t just his wife, lover, or mother of his children. She was his soulmate and that concept was astonishing.
It probably shouldn’t have taken so long to see it. He’d been drawn to her right from the first time he’d seen her even if it had taken him awhile to figure things out. And what if he hadn’t? Instead of the calmness and peace he was feeling, he wouldn’t be feeling anything. His existence would be cold, dark and without any emotion instead of the satisfied and significant connection he had with her. Somewhere in the far corners of his mind, he’d always feared that one day she might tire of his need for control and walk away from him and their life, but every doubt had vaporized when he read what was in her eyes. What they shared went beyond love; it was complex, deep and on a level he never thought possible. She didn’t belong to him and he didn’t belong to her. They belonged to each other and he was going to make damned sure nothing ever got in the way of that. Master Donovan Corbett, the cold and emotionless Dominant had a soulmate and she was the best thing that ever happened to him.
“You look as if you’re feeling better about whatever was bothering you.” She had been lying by his side, watching the emotions dancing across his handsome face. She could happily watch for hours.
“What makes you think anything was bothering me?” he asked then shook his head in frustration when she simply smiled at him. “Why do I even bother to ask? You always know.” He smiled back at her. “I do feel better although I’m still a little confused. The training went better than I was expecting. It’s not exactly easy to get an entire group of stubborn and controlling Dominants to agree about how things should be done but, eventually, I was able to persuade them to do things my way although it was extremely exhausting. Some Dominants and Masters have absolutely no patience whatsoever.”
“Dominants are stubborn and have no patience? Really?” She tried to sound shocked. “I never would have guessed.”
“You know,” he pretended to glare, “earlier I was thinking about how it would feel to turn that gorgeous ass of yours the perfect shade of Lusty Crimson. It’s not too late.”
“Sorry, Master Donovan. Please continue, although I must say the idea of Lusty Crimson does sound interesting. We might have to explore that a little later.”
He pulled her closer. “We’d probably explore it more frequently if I didn’t always feel so damned guilty about what happened when that bastard Harding sent you to me for training.”
Laci sat up. “Donovan, what made you think about that? We both know neither of us was at fault and it happened so long ago. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“Did you ever wonder what would have happened if we’d ne
ver met? How different our lives would have been?”
“No,” she answered honestly, “because I think we were supposed to find each other and we would have met regardless of the circumstances.”
“I wish I’d thought of that earlier,” he grumbled. “Might have made my day somewhat easier.” He gazed into her ocean eyes. “I’m still not completely certain but I think I fell into a very deep sleep when I got on the plane and had a nightmare about never having you in my life. I was back at Anscombe Manor and I thought Victor was playing games. I wanted to get to you and the kids but he had no idea what I was talking about. I was so positive you’d be here in Georgia, but this house was the way it was before we did the renovations and Marion claimed you’d never worked for her. I barged into your father’s office in Pennsylvania and he swore he didn’t have any kids. Victor and I went to the ranch but your room was a tack room and the foreman said you’d never worked there. He also told me your horse had been euthanized because he was dangerous and kept hurting his handlers. At that point Victor said I had to stop chasing something that didn’t exist and accept that you weren’t real but I insisted on going to California to find Trent and see if you were with him. And then I glanced into a shop window and saw Virgil sitting all alone on a shelf and the truth hit me like a speeding train. Somehow you were only in my imagination because if you were real, you’d have your unicorn. It was like a black cloud descended over me and nothing mattered. Without you, I was back to living in the dark but this time it was even darker because I knew what I’d lost.”
The feeling of her arms around him gave him more comfort than he ever felt. “Donovan, you always have mixed feelings about leaving when you travel for business and this time was especially hard because Victoria was so young. It sounds as if your guilt took over but it was just a dream. I’m here and I’m definitely planning to stay. Is that why you felt as if you needed to take control when you came to bed?”
“Laci, are you ever going to not be able to read my mind?”
“Probably not. Loving someone means being able to tune into their moods. You do it to me all the time.”
Donovan frowned. “I do?”
“Master Donovan, that Lusty Crimson ass is going to be yours one of these days if you don’t stop doubting yourself.”
He frowned again. “No Laci. Not happening. No. Not ever.” A low gurgling sound echoed in the quiet room. “What the hell is that?”
“That’s your daughter’s voice coming over the baby monitor. She’s waking up for her middle of the night snack.” Laci pulled on her discarded nightgown. “I’ll go get her.”
“No! I’ll go.” Donovan grabbed his robe and headed for the door. “I haven’t held her for almost a month.” He was gone leaving Laci alone to marvel at how quickly he could change from Master Donovan to Daddy Donovan. She wondered if her husband would ever understand what a truly remarkable man he really was.
Only a few minutes passed before he was back, very comfortably cradling Victoria in his arms while he nestled his cheek against her baby-silk hair and murmured softly into her tiny ear. Donovan settled on the bed next to Laci, watching his infant daughter stare up at him, her big, dark eyes wide with interest. “You stare, too, huh? Your brother used to stare all the time. Uncle Victor stares although I try not to ask why. The dog-moose stares. The unicorn stares. Uncle Trent stares although he’s most likely trying to recall where he’s seen me before. Why does everyone stare? I’m not that interesting.”
Victoria was willing to debate the matter. She cooed at him insistently for several seconds before a tiny giggle bubbled out of her. Seemingly quite pleased with her accomplishment, she giggled again. He was almost certain he saw the glimmer of a small sunbeam radiating from his daughter.
“That’s the first time she’s giggled,” Laci told him. “I knew she was waiting for you.”
Victoria waited to giggle for the first time and Donovan knew that within a couple of years he’d be immersed in doll houses, teddy bears, Prom Queen stories and tea parties while happily loving every minute of it although he had every intention of drawing the line at wearing butterfly wings. Victor and Trent could wear the wings in this family. Master Donovan would be the forever wingless boy butterfly and he was already in so much trouble knowing how far he’d be willing to go for the little miracle in his arms.
Donovan handed the baby to Laci who pulled her nightgown from her shoulder exposing her breast. Almost immediately Victoria attached herself to the nipple and hungrily suckled. “I never get tired of watching you do that,” he told her as he leaned in for a kiss. “You look so beautiful.”
Laci smiled up at him while she rocked the baby and Victoria was almost immediately back to sleep. Closing his eyes, Donovan leaned against his pillows and tried to relax. He couldn’t remember ever being so tired but it had been a nightmare of a day.
“Daddy?”
Donovan opened his eyes. There at the foot of the bed was a sleepy Matthew clutching Virgil the first in his arms and accompanied by Virgil the second who yawned loudly and lumbered into the room to find a new place to nap. “Matt! I thought you were asleep.”
Donovan held out his arms and Matthew dove into them.
“I was but unicorn Virgil waked me up to tell me you got back. He said I should give you two hugs. One from me and one from him.” Always excellent at following instructions, Matthew threw his arms around his father’s neck and gave him two giant hugs which Donovan was more than happy to return.
Keeping one arm around Matthew, Donovan pulled Laci and Victoria a little closer. “I don’t think Virgil is especially interested in hugging me but getting two hugs from you is the best,” Donovan told his falling back to sleep son.
“N-uh. He said you taked care of him when he was all alone and he wants to be friends. He said you taked care of each other and you’ll always be together. He taked care of Momma and now he takes care of me and Victoria and Daddy so everybody’s Virgil’s friend. Virgil’s a good unicorn, right Momma?” Laci smiled knowingly and nodded in agreement as Matthew snuggled closer to Donovan and was instantly back to sleep.
“Uh … Laci?”
“Hmmm?”
“Did you hear what Matt just said?”
“Of course. Virgil is a very good unicorn.”
“Uh … yeah … but that whole part about taking care of each other and being friends … didn’t that sound a little strange?”
“Not really. After all, it is about time you and Virgil stopped resenting each other and it’s very nice that’s he’s reaching out to you.”
“Reaching out? I don’t think so. That whole thing about me and Virgil taking care of each other … that happened in my dream. How could Matt possibly have known?”
“Did you promise to take care of Virgil?”
“Yeah, but that was only in my dream. I saw him alone in the store and I bought him and took him with me. I couldn’t leave him there and I told him he’d always have a home with me but it wasn’t something that actually happened.”
“Donovan, all unicorns have magical powers. That’s what makes them unicorns.”
“Laci, that doesn’t make any sense. A stuffed unicorn couldn’t possible know what I was dreaming about. Next you’ll be telling me I don’t see sunbeams when I look at you.”
“Did you ever stop to consider that the light you see radiating from me is a reflection of the happiness emanating from you? I love you, Prince of Darkness.”
Why argue? “I love you more, Prom Queen.” His dark dream had seemed so real but his true reality was what was right next to him and his blissful cloud returned. He looked at all he might not have had if he hadn’t permitted himself the opportunity to experience love: a beautiful and very sexy not at all submissive wife, a semi-submissive dog-moose, two amazing very dominant and demanding children and a magical stuffed unicorn who transcended dreams and wanted to be friends. Hell, if he could handle sex slaves, Victor and Trent, the rest would be easy. He gave Virgil the firs
t a pat on the head and sighed with contentment. He was home: his favorite place in the entire world.
About Christine Hart
In every gathering of individuals there is someone who looks at things a little differently. In the Erotic Collective, that person would probably be Christine Hart. Her favorite thing when writing is to play with words, frequently using them unexpectedly and sometimes giving them unusual or sexy new meanings. Her stories are about romance and relationships that are funny, quirky and slightly unbelievable but always have a happily ever after.
She lives in California and when she is not writing, she is most likely reading, experimenting with recipes or collecting sandcastles.
Also by Christine Hart
THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS vs. THE PROM QUEEN
DONOVAN DOES GROUP SEX ( part of The More The Merrier boxed set)
End Notes
Thank you for reading A Darker Side of Love! If you enjoyed the stories, please help spread word about this box set! Word of mouth recommendations continue to be the very best way of spreading exposure for YOUR favorite authors!
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Before you go, have you checked out our other release?
The More the Merrier is another Erotic Collective boxed set, containing SEVEN Brand New Scorching Hot Standalone Stories. No Cliff-hangers! Over 500 pages of incredibly hot, erotic ménage action.
The Darker Side of Love (A Dark Erotica Boxed Set) Page 60
