by Lexi Blake
She was his sub. He was her training Dom. They were doing what they were supposed to do. Exploring the lifestyle. One kiss at a time.
He was ready to explore her body again. It had been far too long.
“Did I mention how freaking hot you were tonight?” He probably had, but it should be said about a thousand more times because she’d taken his breath away. “We’re going to get you so much fet wear.”
She grinned at him. “I can’t wait to see you in a set of leathers, Sir.”
He kissed her again, letting their tongues tangle as arousal pulsed through his body in a pleasant fashion. He hadn’t changed into leathers, and Mistress Lea had allowed it for the evening, but she’d also used him as an example of how no one should be topping a sub while wearing a Spiderman T-shirt.
He could top Noelle in any number of geeky shirts. He had a never-ending supply of them.
He was not sleeping on the couch tonight.
She felt so fucking good in his arms. When he’d carried her back up to the dungeon and sat down in one of the trainee chairs, she’d sat on his lap and Lea had simply sighed and begun the class. He hadn’t even asked what they’d done with Jeffrey, though he’d been told he had a meeting with the lawyers in the morning. Erin would have taken care of that asshole, and now he could take care of Noelle. That was how his team worked. Even when they weren’t at McKay-Taggart.
He was oddly excited to go through it all again. With her. The first time he’d gone through training, he’d done it because his friends were all doing it and it seemed like a good way to fit in. Only later had he realized how much he’d needed it. Only after he’d gotten home from his enforced time with Dr. McDonald. Then he’d needed to be in control.
It felt different this time, and not simply because he was experienced. It felt fresh and new because he was with the right person now.
“I think we’re home,” Noelle said between kisses.
“Yes,” Kyle affirmed from the front seat. “And we should talk about what that means now that the two of you have canceled your membership to the lonely stares club. I never thought I would miss all the longing looks, but I think your fuck-’til-you-drop stage is going to be even worse, and that’s why we need to set up ground rules. I have to live here, too.”
He wasn’t listening to Kyle. He needed to get his pretty sub upstairs and start her real training. Oh, they would go through everything the class at Sanctum did, but he was going to be a stern mentor. And a playful one. And he was definitely a horny one. Fet wear would have to wait. “We’re going upstairs and you’re going to get naked for me.”
“See, that is exactly what we need to talk about,” Kyle continued.
“I will.” Noelle seemed perfectly willing to ignore Kyle, too. “But you have to be naked this time. I didn’t get to see you the other night. Not the way I wanted to. I think you’re beautiful.”
He wasn’t, but he would take her taste in men as a lucky break. “Deal.”
“No deal. Look, I can handle a pretty naked sub walking around the apartment. That’s cool. I’ve never lived that lifestyle, but it works for me in theory. But I draw the line at seeing Hutch’s junk on a daily basis. I am not getting paid to see that.” Kyle opened the car door.
“Do you think he didn’t like Elisa?” Noelle whispered, mentioning the name of the woman Kyle had been partnered with.
“I think he’s jealous.” He kissed her again. He didn’t care what Kyle thought. He’d barely noticed Kyle was around, though he’d been happy the guy was there to drive them home so Hutch could focus entirely on Noelle.
“He thinks Elisa is perfectly nice, but he is not planning on handing over his balls to the first sub he sees.” Kyle sounded awfully proper for a dude who’d been wearing leathers an hour before. “He is going to view this not as a love connection but a certification. He is not going to forget that he has a job to do and part of that is making sure our client stays safe, and I do not deem this parking lot to be safe. Let’s get a move on.”
Kyle was right about that. He needed to remember that she was still in danger. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Let’s do what Grumpy Dom says. That’s his nickname now.”
The rest of the class had gone off without a hitch, and all the subs had gathered around Noelle at the break to offer her support and denounce Jeff the Jerk, as they’d called him. She’d seemed to make a couple of connections, and he’d realized why she’d wanted the class.
She wanted friends. She wanted to belong on her own so if anything happened, she wouldn’t be left out. Noelle wanted to be more than merely his sub. He wanted that for her, too, so he’d decided to stand back and let her fly whenever they were in class. He wouldn’t crowd her or be overbearing, but when they got home, then he would be all over that sub.
“That is not my nickname,” Kyle groused.
“He doesn’t have to worry about Elisa falling in love with him.” Noelle let him help her out of the car before settling into her crutches. “She told me she’s gay. But she didn’t want a female partner because she said she doesn’t want any temptation. Just the class. She works in the DA’s office and there’s a woman she’s interested in, but she’s a top. She wants to make sure she enjoys the lifestyle before she pursues the relationship.”
Wasn’t that interesting? Because he was fairly certain Kyle was doing the same thing before he decided if he was going to chase after MaeBe. No matter what denials were about to come out of his mouth.
“So we’re the perfect pair because I was very plain that I did not want a relationship at all, even a temporary one.” Kyle engaged the alarm system and started for the lobby door. “Back to our actual important discussion. We were talking about safe places to indulge yourselves. Do you know what I deem as a safe place? Her bedroom, with all the doors closed and the windows shut. You could even lock the doors, maybe barricade yourselves inside so there is zero possibility that the doors come open and I have to see something I shouldn’t have to see.”
He was too young to be the old dude yelling at the kids to stay off his lawn. Kyle was also forgetting an important part of club life.
“How are you going to survive the class?” Noelle proved they shared similar minds as she asked the question he’d been about to pose. “I looked at the curriculum and talked to my aunt. I think there is definitely nudity coming up soon.”
“Ah,” Kyle began. “You obviously do not understand the value of compartmentalization. There’s the club, where nudity among friends is acceptable. The locker room? Acceptable place to see your friend’s junk. Waking up and walking into the kitchen? Not acceptable. I did not sign up for that risk. I will jump in front of a bullet for either of you. I fully expect to die on this assignment because it’s been that kind of year. Honor my future sacrifice by not forcing me to die with the sight of Hutch humping seared into my brain. Lock the door.”
Hutch rolled his eyes as Kyle strode up the stairs. Hutch followed Noelle to the ramp. It was easier on her than the stairs right now. When she used her cane the stairs here were manageable, but the crutches made things harder on her. He’d spent days watching her, learning how she adapted to her environment and filing it all away to make things easier on her.
He stopped as emotion threatened to swell again. He cared about her and she was vulnerable. She was smart and capable and still vulnerable. He fucking wished he’d had more time with Jeff. He’d barely managed to make the fucker bleed, though he’d gotten a couple of excellent gut shots in that the asshole would hopefully feel for days.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Noelle was standing in front of the door. “I’m okay. I’m tougher than anyone thinks, and I’ve already let it go.”
Kyle held the door open, frowning. “What are we talking about now?”
Noelle’s eyes never left Hutch. “He’s still angry about Jeff and his rejection of me, but I need him to understand that I’ve moved on and would prefer to concentrate on him and locking that door to my bedroom for the night.”
“Okay.” Hutch let the anger go because she didn’t need it. What other people thought didn’t matter, and he’d handled the situation. It was time to let it go. He moved up the ramp to join her. “It’s done.”
She lifted her face up to his, a glowy smile on her lips. “I’m glad. I love that you fought for me, but I need you to understand that it will happen again, and I don’t want you to punch everyone who insults me.”
He stared at her. She couldn’t believe he would sit back and let someone treat her like crap.
She stared right back. “I mean it.”
“I reserve the right to defend you, but I’ll think about it before I lose my shit,” he promised and dropped a kiss on those pretty lips of hers. He could quietly take names and make them pay for it later.
“I do not understand you two,” Kyle said with a sigh. He walked through the door.
“Thank you.” Noelle grinned before turning and starting inside.
Kyle didn’t understand how they could get each other. Noelle had known exactly what he was thinking. Hutch had never been so in synch with a woman.
He was going to get his hands on her again. He was going to turn the lights on and caress every inch of her skin. He wouldn’t give a flying fuck what Kyle thought, though he would definitely close the door. What happened tonight was going to be between the two of them. It was the real start of their relationship because they were both on the same page now.
He was falling in love with Noelle, and it felt good. And he didn’t care that his friends would make fun of him. It didn’t matter. He was going to understand why Big Tag still smiled when his wife walked in a room. Why Sean and Grace still held hands after all these years.
“Are you hungry?” Noelle asked. “I could make us some grilled cheese sandwiches.”
She stopped because Kyle held up a fist. It was a military gesture that let anyone who understood it know to go silent. It was a gesture that had his heart pounding for a completely different reason than it had two minutes before.
Hutch stood in front of Noelle, who seemed to understand what Kyle wanted. Hutch moved his hand to the back of his jeans where his Glock 22 was secure in a holster under his shirt.
“You can’t come in here and expect me to take care of you.” A deep voice spoke out of Hutch’s sight. Masculine.
“I don’t know. You seem to be doing pretty well.”
This voice was familiar and feminine. He recognized it from the night she’d spent at Noelle’s dinner table.
“Is that Cara?” Noelle whispered the question.
Hutch nodded. It sure sounded like her, and he thought she was talking to the second shift guard. Chris Taylor. Chris Taylor, who was also DPD and perhaps working with the feds.
What was Cara doing talking to Chris Taylor at almost eleven o’clock at night? Had she had a security problem? It didn’t sound like it. There was a hushed tone to her voice that spoke of some kind of intimacy.
“I’m not going through this again with you,” Chris replied. “You can’t take what you want and then leave me.”
“You know I don’t have a choice.” Cara sounded angry for a moment and then she sighed. “Come on, babe. I don’t want to fight. It’s been a long night. Can’t we enjoy the now?”
A deep chuckle came from Chris, an unamused sound. “You would like that, wouldn’t you? You would love it if you could use me and discard me as often as you liked.”
“That was never my intention. The last thing I expected…” Cara stopped.
Then suddenly there was the sound of footsteps on the marble floor of the lobby and then Chris was moving into view. He wore his night guard uniform, but all Hutch could see was the police officer.
“Ms. LaVigne.” His shoulders didn’t relax, though he sighed as if relieved. “Welcome home.”
“Noelle?” Cara put a hand over her mouth. “Oh, my god. I thought you were out for the evening.”
“I was,” Noelle replied. “It’s late. We’re just getting back. Are you all right?”
Cara’s hands had a fine tremble to them. “I’m fine. What did you hear?”
“Nothing.” Noelle was a terrible liar.
Cara started crying, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I should have told you that Chris is my ex.”
Chris’s face went a nice shade of pink. “I didn’t feel like an ex thirty minutes ago.”
Cara gasped, a shocked sound. She turned on her ex, her fists clenched. “Are you kidding me? God, you’re such an ass.” Her attention refocused on Noelle. “Please don’t tell anyone. I’m not this woman. At least that’s what I tell myself. I keep going back to him when I know he’s bad for me. I got him this stupid job and I should have known it was a terrible idea, but he needed the cash.”
Hutch watched the pair. He was good at reading body language, and every line of tension in their bodies told him they’d been on the cusp of something sexual. They were also shocked to be found out. This wasn’t the place to question them. He needed to think, to go over any possible connections between the two of them. How deeply had they vetted Cara? “Hey, it’s none of our business.”
“Is he bothering you?” Kyle looked Chris up and down as though assessing him as a threat. “I can make a call to management.”
Ah, Kyle was making the play to see how far he could push her, how far she would take it. It was a good play because if they could get Chris fired, he wouldn’t be close to Noelle. Of course, it wouldn’t be a move Hutch would make since the authorities would almost surely send someone else in, and they would have to figure out who.
It was a good play if Kyle wanted to bring in his own person to watch her, to back him up.
Chris took a step forward, an obvious aggression. He was sexually frustrated and wouldn’t mind taking it out on Kyle. “I’d like to see you try.”
Cara put herself between them, one hand going to Chris’s chest. “No. He didn’t do anything I didn’t ask him to do. Please. I’m sorry. I’m embarrassed to get caught. I was down here and we fooled around. After we were done, I felt bad and we got in an argument. Please forget you heard anything. Like I said. I’m not proud of myself, but I’ve been lonely.”
“It’s okay.” Noelle moved toward her friend, empathy plain on her face. “I can understand. I didn’t know you knew him. You acted like you didn’t.”
Cara’s jaw tightened, and she wouldn’t quite meet Noelle’s eyes. “I didn’t want anyone to know. We were engaged at one point in time, and it blew up pretty badly. I don’t like to talk about it.”
“You blew it up, Cara. Put the blame where it belongs. I was perfectly happy. You were the one who let me know I wasn’t enough for you.” Chris took a long breath and backed off. “I’m going to do my job before you blow this up for me, too. Ms. LaVigne, I assure you I won’t let her affect my performance again. I hope you have a good night.”
He turned and stalked back into the small security office.
Cara’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I’m sorry you saw that.”
“Do you want to talk?” Noelle offered.
Damn it. He could see his whole perfect night turning into a long session where Cara cried and Noelle held her hand.
Cara shook her head. “No. I’m going to do what I should have done. I’m going to bed and when I wake up in the morning, I’m going to make better choices. I’ll see you then.”
She practically ran to the stairwell, eschewing the elevator that would likely have had them all going up together.
“What the hell was that?” Kyle whispered the question.
Hutch shook his head. “Not now. Cameras.”
“I think it was obvious. Cara’s sleeping with the security guard, and they have some kind of history.” Noelle’s eyes were still wide. “I’m so surprised. She mentioned an ex, but I didn’t imagine he worked here. I’ve never seen her this upset.”
“Well, now we know she’s human.” Hutch leaned over and kissed her, his voice going low. �
�Let’s go upstairs to talk about this.”
She nodded and followed when he started for the elevator.
“Like we needed more drama tonight,” Kyle complained, sounding tired. He yawned. “First, I had to watch the two of you make out all night, and now I’ve got an image of Cara and the guard in my head. I need to find my own place and fast.”
Good. Kyle was good. He’d moved into his role with no effort at all. He’d given no signs that he believed that fight they’d overheard was anything but a lover’s quarrel. His face was bland, and that was all the camera would see. He didn’t give up the fact that it was a lot of coincidence to think Cara had a connection to the man who might be watching Noelle.
Kyle was a pro.
It was easy to forget the secondary mission. Kyle was unassuming. He did his job, played around on his computer, talked to his brother most nights. He’d called his mom twice and made plans to have dinner at her place as soon as he could get free. He was a working guy. Nothing more.
Which was exactly what he should be if he was spying on all of them.
Still, Hutch took the cue because Chris could be monitoring them from that station of his. “Buck it up, brother. I’ve got the prettiest girlfriend in the world, and you just have to deal with it.”
When the elevator doors opened, he walked inside and gave Chris something to watch. He backed Noelle to the corner and kissed her all the way up to the fifth floor. She’d been briefly surprised, but then her lips had opened and she’d seemed to forget about everything but softening for him.
Kyle simply groaned and grumbled the entire time.
Before too long the doors opened and he escorted Noelle to her apartment, no sign of Cara. Kyle shut the door and turned the lock.
“I don’t think I’m hungry,” Hutch announced. He wanted to get her into bed as soon as possible. They could talk in the morning. For now, he wanted to spend time with Noelle and when she was asleep, he would consider everything that had happened. “I think I’d like to head to bed. If you’re hungry, let’s get some snacks and lock ourselves away for the night.”
