by Madison Faye
“Then keep telling me what you hear before I tickle your bottom, again,” he said sternly. “I’ll not be so gentle the second time.” Again, her happy little shudder pulled his thoughts away from the woman in his protection back to the idea of a beautiful submissive in his cabin, and he had to fight the urge to nibble down the back of her neck.
“I hear the water lapping on the beach. Can we go down to the edge? I … I want to stick my toes in.”
“It looks like the storm has passed,” he agreed, opening the door for Rosie to go out ahead of them. “But don’t get those clothes all wet. I didn’t pack enough for two of us, and there isn’t a lot in my duffle that will fit you.”
He felt a slight loss when she ran ahead after the dog, her bare feet having an easier time on the path than the high-heeled stilettos. “Hurry, Caden,” she shouted over her shoulder. “I want to get down there before it gets dark and… and… scary. I bet there are wolves out here waiting to eat me.”
“The wolves have long been hunted off the island,” he said as he followed her down the hillside. “But you won’t be wandering out here after dark where the bears can find an easy meal.”
Despite the setting sun’s desperate attempt to find the ground, the foggy haze continued to envelop the harbor with cold, dark shadows. Both of them were warm and dry in heavy clothes, but his overheated body still struggled with her sexy proximity and the chill felt good. As Rosie ran along the beach, Nora stuck her toes in the water and shrieked happily. “It’s sooooo cold. It’s like goose-pimply cold.”
“We’re over a thousand kilometers north of the US border, so cold is what we have.” Picking up a stick, he twirled it in circles until Rosie started to jump into the air with a persistent bark. With a hurl, he threw it as far as his arm could go, the big black dog plunging into the water in pursuit, sending splashes of silver glitter around her. “Unless you have two coats of warm fur like Rosie does, I don’t recommend you go in any further than your toes.”
Nora smirked, a bratty grin forming from the corners of her mouth. With a kick, she splashed the cold water in his direction and splattered his pants. “Do you have two coats?” she asked innocently.
“Well, you’re a mischievous sliveen, but I’d be careful if I were you. There’s nobody to tell but the dog if I drop you into this water without my dry clothes.”
Her eyes grew wide as she evaluated the seriousness of his threat, but he’d firmly established himself earlier. With a quick nod of her head, she returned to the unhappiness she’d had when she first stepped off his plane. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I was just teasing.”
Her childish demeanor was gone, and he suddenly missed her saucy attitude. Not willing to let it disappear, he picked her up with a roar and held her over the water, pretending to drop her into the icy bath. “Were you, now?” he scolded.
“No,” she shrieked with a delightful squeal. “I promise, I’ll behave. I won’t splash… just don’t drop me. It’s too cold!”
“Well, that’s a better response for a little girl. I’ll make a deal with you. Around here, you can be a little girl anytime you want, as long as you’re a good little girl. But if you’re a bad little girl, I’ll strip you to nothing and drop you in this water until all the bears and fairies come to see why you’re screaming. Fair deal?”
She nodded emphatically, but her arms clutched at his neck even after he moved away from the water’s edge. Her warm, curvy body felt so right that he snuggled her a little closer before he set her on her feet to walk back up the hill. The night sky continued to erase the storm’s fury, allowing dim moonbeams to envelope the small cabin, and she chattered happily the whole way up the path.
When he showed her the small structure where she could relieve herself, there was only a hint of disbelief followed by a childish pout. “You need to clear out all the spiders before I go in there. And stand right there,” she insisted, pointing outside the door. “Promise me that you won’t go anywhere?”
“I’m a man of my word, kitten,” he said with a smile. “I’ll not go anywhere until you’re ready.”
When she came out, she immediately held out her arms. “I bet this place is crawling with snakes. I’m not walking any farther in the dark in my bare feet.”
He had no trouble picking her up, but he didn’t want to teach her that snakes didn’t come out on cold spring nights. He enjoyed the feel of her warm body nestled against his chest, her full breasts snuggled into his favorite worn sweatshirt. With a half-stretch of her arms, she yawned and closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder before they’d even entered the front door of cabin.
Rosie turned in three distinct circles, scratching at her own pile of blankets before curling into a not-so-small ball. Caden settled Nora under the covers with equal care, but she looked almost waif-like, sucking gently on the end of her finger. “Where… where are you going to sleep if I take the bed?” she asked, running her free hand over the sheets next to her.
It took everything in his power to remember his responsibilities. This little thing wasn’t a submissive at his club. She wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl, either and deserved more than a quick romp through his bed before he sent her back to St. John’s and the distant big city. “Lie down,” he demanded, his voice growing huskier as he busied himself by re-stoking the fire. “I’ve spent more than one night on the floor of this cabin with my sleeping bag. You’re fine.”
“I… I don’t think I can sleep,” she said quietly, a sliver of moonlight reflecting off the water to frame her face. “It’s kind of dark… and way too quiet.”
The empty spot next to her grew more tempting as the memories returned, her warm, soft frame nestled into his shoulder and creamy white bottom transforming to a soft pink under his palm. When he’d helped her change out of the wet dress, her full breasts had been accented by a hint of rigid nipples, ripe for a tiny bite or a scrape of his fingernail. His fantasies moved forward, her body wiggling with a desperate need, restrained by an intricate pattern of ropes and sharp clamps that displayed her swollen clit, all waiting to be brought to the pinnacle of a powerful release until she begged him to come.
But she’d given no indication that she’d ever played the role of a submissive, and he’d learned the hard way that too many women couldn’t participate in a BDSM relationship. The unique level of trust and communication was hard enough, but too many people shunned the idea due to deeply engrained societal expectations about ‘proper’ sex. Or, even worse, they considered themselves experts after reading a book or watching a silly movie, totally destroying the integrity of the commitment. These were the couples who struggled to balance the fine line between dominance in the bedroom and the creepy, one-sided relationships bordering on abuse.
But leaving the stunning woman alone in his bed was tough. Surrounded by mountains of pillows and warm blankets, she displayed an aura of vulnerability that made her even more appealing, and his cock worked in direct contrast to his integrity.
“Don’t leave me, please?” she whimpered. “I think I hear a bear. Should we close the door? I don’t think the screens are strong enough.”
Tucking the covers more firmly around her body, he sat next to her while she rubbed her eyes with another adorable move. Instead of scolding her, he started to sing, making a choice his American mother used to sing to him about raindrops on long afternoons.
He was all the way to the fourth verse before he realized that she was fast asleep. Pulling the covers around her shoulders, he moved to his sleeping bag on the floor and spent the next two hours listening to the sound of her soft breathing while he reevaluated their day.
Chapter Five
Lulled by the quiet night sounds of frogs and cicadas, she slept soundly until the sun’s sharp rays pierced through the open windows. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes to find the prior day’s thick foggy layers had surrendered to the bright morning sun. The effect created an entirely new portrait, combining warmth and depth rad
iating from the green forests coated with a glittery wet dew.
She kicked off the covers, only to realize that she was alone in the small cabin. A moment of panic followed until she heard the dog bark in the distance, and she breathed a deep sigh of relief. He wouldn’t be far if his dog was close, but the vulnerability left her unsettled. Any kind of a connection to this man would create complications too deep to fathom. She needed to keep this temporary relationship in perspective, but she was secretly pleased that she had another day or two before the promised ride to St. John’s showed up.
Pushing the future aside to embrace the beautiful day, she went to find him. Framed by the deepest, darkest blue water she’d ever imagined, he stood on the screened porch in his bare feet, watching the morning sun sparkle across the harbor. Nestled in another soft, worn sweatshirt and jeans, he leaned casually against the railing with a mug of something hot and dark.
She slipped to his side, resisting the urge to wrap her arms around his waist. Instead, she grabbed his spare hand, and he turned to her with a surprised smile. “Whaddya at, this morning?” he said, “In Newfoundland, that means, what are you doing?”
“It’s like you run your words all together,” she said with a grin. “I’m starting to hear it.”
“I guess.” He laughed. “Do you like the view? I told you it would clear this morning.”
“It’s beautiful and so isolated. It makes me feel like… like… I’m the most important person in the world.”
“Come down to the water,” he added, lazily stretching his back. “There’s something that I want to show you. I saw it coming in on the plane yesterday, but you can see it better from the shoreline.”
They walked down the slope, and the dog ran to greet her, barking happily. The water was still goose-pimply cold, but she moved slowly over the rocks and pebbles smoothed from years of exposure, Caden’s soft voice a perfect complement to the beautiful morning. “I’ve always loved to come here,” he said, “especially after we moved to the city. My brothers and I could wander for kilometers without fear of being hurt or accosted.”
She didn’t usually talk about her past, but he made it easy to share. “Before my parents got divorced,” she said, “my dad used to take us to the Delaware coast every winter when nobody was around. I thought that was isolated, until I came here, that is.”
He looked at her with a frown. “I’m sorry your parents were divorced. That must have been really tough.” Nobody had ever validated her emotions with such sincerity, and she didn’t know what to say. “Tell me more about yourself,” he added. “Did you grow up in New York?”
With his prompting, the casual conversation continued while they walked along the shoreline. The cold stones provided an easy path for her bare feet, her arms straight out to the sides for balance. While she talked, she kept her focus on the color of each brown, tan, and gray rock, trying to create a pattern for her footsteps in a simple game.
Without warning, her foot slipped and she stumbled. He grabbed her by the elbow before she could fall, and his strength immediately settled both her nerves and her gait. “Be careful, little girl,” he warned. “I don’t want to treat a twisted ankle up here.”
“Stop fussing,” she snapped instinctively. “I’m fine.”
“Watch your tone, Nora,” he warned. For no discernable reason, her skin tickled with excitement, and she shyly slid her hand down his powerful arm until it rested in his palm, secure and safe. He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. “Just look over to the left. What do you see?”
She’d been so busy keeping her gaze on the pretty rocks that she’d missed the moment when they’d turned the corner of the harbor. In front of her, she saw a group of icy white contrasts rising above the blue water, each one sculpted by the wind and rain to form a series of unique shapes and sizes. “Holy hell,” she shrieked in childish delight. “Those are real freaking icebergs. No wonder I was so cold yesterday. I want to, like… can people ride on them?”
“No, but I have a seaplane that could have taken you for quite the tour if a naughty little girl hadn’t broken it. Come on, let’s get back to the cabin. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I can offer hot chocolate, hot tea, and a nice box of donuts from my cousin’s bakery back in St. John’s. It’s not particularly nutritious, but I eat what my heart wants when I’m on vacation.”
She chewed on her bottom lip to deal with the guilty conscience. “I’m really sorry about the plane, Caden. I don’t know what I was thinking. You were just… well… you were damn scary with that whole belt thing wrapped around your hand. I… I just needed to get away, and the ladder was the closest thing possible. And…then you spanked me and…” The rest of it, her secret, erotic reaction to his stern authority and gentle comfort had no words, so she remained silent, the unspoken message carrying more weight than she ever could have imagined.
He stared at her in what was becoming a ritual, his piercing gaze igniting the unspoken electricity dancing between them. Her clit swelled to deliver a wet layer along her channel, and she pushed her thighs together to defeat the sensual overload. She wasn’t a virgin by any stretch, but there was something innocent about being dressed in his clothes, his scent nestled among the soft fabric rubbing against her nipples. The isolated cabin, the beautiful views, the only two people around for miles…
It was too much, too fast. She turned quickly to get away from him, but her feet failed her again. Only this time she fell before he could save her, and a searing pain in her ankle caused her to cry out.
He was there instantly, holding her in his arms. A thin layer of sweat iced her skin to fight the shock and rising nausea. It hurt… it hurt badly enough that the innate indifference and bravery that had sustained her for so long pushed to the bottom of her resolve and huge crocodile tears began. “Ow,” she cried. “Ow… it hurts…”
“I told you to be careful, kitten,” he said seriously. “You need to mind what I say. Come on, sit down and let me take a look at it.”
“I… don’t touch it. I don’t want you to touch it. It hurts,” she whimpered, giving up her last bit of adult resolve for the childish reaction that offered surprising comfort.
“Of course it hurts. Let’s just see how bad it is.” He slid the leg of the gray sweatpants past her knee, his hands moving up and down her calf, gently prodding and poking. “I think it’s just twisted,” he said with a frown, lifting her into his strong arms. “But we’ll set you up in a nice chair with an instant ice pack from my medical kit while I get you some breakfast. We’ll see how it feels in a few hours.”
The pain had lessened with each of his gentle touches, but she buried her head on his shoulder for the long walk back to the cabin, her tears reduced to a slight sniffling as she sank back into his comfortable embrace.
Chapter Six
Settled in the big wooden rocking chair, she ate the eggs and bacon he’d made on the small propane stove. “I’m starving,” she said, reaching for her second donut. “I don’t usually eat like this, but I have to admit that cold canned chili really didn’t do it for me last night. Why didn’t you heat it up if you had a stove?”
“There’s only so much propane when you’re camping out, and we have to haul it all in with the plane.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t have the stove at all, except my mother and sister-in-law refuse to come up here without some luxuries. Besides, if your ankle feels better, I’ll take you fishing today and we’ll cook our catch over the charcoal grill, then you’ll see what good food really is.”
“I… I’ve never been fishing before,” she said with more childish enthusiasm. “Are there big fish out there?”
“You bet… We can fish the saltwater right off the shore, but if you’re up to the walk, there’s a freshwater lake a mile or so inland for salmon, char, and trout the size of your arm.” He held his arms out to his side, getting wider and wider until she giggled.
“Are you going to tell me about the one that got away, too?” she laughed.
“Every good Newfoundlander has a fish story to tell,” he said, giving her nose a gentle tap. “My whole family was almost all fishermen until the government banned the cod on the Grand Banks, but I’m sure my Toronto years have dulled my stories. I should take you to my cousins in Port aux Choix. I’ve been out on their fishing boat a few times, but I don’t mind admitting that I damn near froze my ass off. It’s a hard life.”
While he spoke, he slid his sweatshirt over his head to reveal glossy, smooth skin covering rock-hard shoulders and chiseled abs. Sorting through the bags, he said, “It’s getting warm for a sweatshirt. Do you want to borrow one of my t-shirts?”
For the second time in as many hours, she became too hot, her physical space too small… and she needed to move. She stood quickly, only to stumble on her tentative ankle, and he was by her side in an instant, embracing her against his firm chest, bringing more heat to stimulate her core.
“I told you to be still, Nora.” His scolding didn’t help calm her nerves. “Mind what I say before I take you over my knee, again.”
Her clit tensed, and she pushed him away with a growl. “My ankle’s fine, really. Geez, Caden. Do you have any idea what you do to me when you talk like that?”
“Like what, Nora?” he drawled slowly, his eyebrow cocked in suspicion. “I’m just trying to keep you from getting hurt.”
“I… I just…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, but nothing in her soul could convince her to be quiet. “Just shut the fuck up, and back off…”
She expected his scolding, but instead, he drew her even closer, his muscled legs straddling hers until his swollen cock pressed into her outer thigh. “I… I need some space, really… Caden…” she mumbled weakly. Her gaze dropped to the floor accompanied by an involuntary shudder across her body.
