by BJ Wane
The pull on Tamara’s scalp coupled with Master Connor’s stern tone and hot look sent her pulse soaring, the combined effect astonishing. “I’ve never lied to you,” she reminded him, determined not to let him push her into retreating.
He smiled, the teasing grin all the girls fell for, the one she’d never been able to resist returning. “True, little one. Get ready.”
That was his only warning before he circled her nipple with the ice, the frigid cold drawing the puckered tip into a tighter pinpoint. A low moan vibrated in her chest as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The hard frame failed to render an uncomfortable distraction from what she agreed to submit to; instead, the smooth wood and secure bonds provided security for her quaking body and offered only two choices for her to consider—stay or go. The minute she’d seen Connor coming toward her, the choice had been inevitable.
Tamara gasped, a small startled cry wrenched from her throat as Connor bared her other breast and tormented that nipple with another ice cube. Her torso broke out in goosebumps but the heat emanating from the nearness of his much bigger, broader body and occasional brush of his denim-clad legs against hers added enough warmth to keep her senses stirred up and vacillating between discomfort and arousal.
“Give me a color, Tam.”
His deep voice resonated between them, drawing more heat, making her ache for more. “Green.”
“Green what?” he reminded her with a pinch on her thigh.
“Master Connor.” Oh God, why did that have to sound so right?
He brushed his fingers over the small throb and praised her. “Very good. Take a deep breath.”
“Why?” she asked, keeping her eyes closed against the onslaught of rioting sensations he kept stirred up as she fought the growing need to beg for his hands on her.
“Because I’m going to do this.”
With a quick shift of his hand under her skirt, he slid the ice inside her panties, withdrew his fingers and cupped between her legs to move the cube around. Tamara screeched in shock, her eyes flying open as she gasped and writhed in the restraints. To her astonishment, the inability to free herself combined with the numbing effect of the ice heated her blood into a torrential molten rush through her veins. Or maybe it was the warmth of Connor’s palm through the thin silk of her panties that was responsible for her off-the-charts response. His low chuckle in her ear didn’t help.
“You should have obeyed my directive without questioning me. Let’s try again. Deep breath.”
This time she didn’t hesitate, just sucked in as much air as possible and looked down. Watching his hand move under her skirt, he pulled what was left of the ice out of the front of her panties and around to the back, sliding his hot hand and the icy cube over her bare buttocks. “Connor,” she groaned, thrusting her pelvis forward in a silent plea for more of his touch, for something to ease the throbbing ache in her pussy.
Pulling his wet hand from her panties, he smacked her thigh. “Ow! What was that for?” she demanded, glaring at him despite how that sudden burn ramped up her arousal.
“Speaking and not addressing me properly. Color.”
She narrowed her eyes, rising to the challenge etched on his face. “Green, Master Connor.”
This was not going well, Connor thought as he looked down at Tam’s flushed, determined face, her gray eyes glazed with frustration and lust. His plan to show her this lifestyle wasn’t for her with a demonstration of sensation play had backfired on him with her response to the ice. Convincing Devin of his desire to protect Tam from herself had been easy compared to trying to deter her from the course she’d set herself on. He didn’t know whether she was pushing this to get back at him in some way or because she possessed an honest interest in embracing sexual submissiveness. Neither was acceptable for his peace of mind, and he refused to relinquish her to someone else.
“Good enough,” he returned, trying not to smile at her disgruntled frown. “But I’ll caution you about your tone. You can push me all you want outside these walls, in fact, I like it when you do. But in here it’s my way, as I command, or not at all.”
“Unless I go back to Master Devin,” she taunted.
Every muscle in his body cramped up from the image that popped into his head of his friend fucking Tam, another unacceptable possibility. “Then I’d best make sure you don’t want to do that.”
Following a light caress over the top of her chest, he slid his hand down and cupped one breast. Small and firm, the plump softness was a perfect fit for his wide palm. The delicate pink nipple beckoned for attention, a lure he found himself powerless to resist. Dipping his head, he licked the turgid tip and felt each nub under his tongue before opening his mouth to take in as much of her soft flesh as possible. Her taste was intoxicating, her breathy moans stimulating and the arch of her body pressing her breast closer irresistible. He cupped her other breast, kneading the cushiony mound as he suckled harder on the treat filling his mouth while laving the nipple over and over. Tam’s cries turned to mewls as she twisted her torso, thrusting her breasts ever closer to his face. With lips and teeth, he drew up on her nipple, elongating the tip before releasing it with a plop and then straightening to gauge her reaction.
Her breathing came in pants that jiggled her breasts as she yanked on the restraints. “Had enough?” he asked with forced politeness, praying she said yes. Instead, she gave a wild, negative shake of her head, sending her cloud of midnight silky hair flying around her shoulders. Left with no choice but to give in for now, he cupped her nape, arching her head back so he could rest his brow on hers as he reached under her skirt. Palming the damp heat between her legs, he wondered how much of the wetness came from the melted ice and how much had dripped from her pussy. Is that why he’d put it there, so he wouldn’t know if the ice play turned her on?
Connor groaned at his stupidity. “Every time I heard you were back visiting, I hoped you would stay, or at least talk to me.” He pressed up against her crotch. “Now that you have, I find myself in the strange position of thinking you were better off in Boise, away from me.”
“How can you say that?” she asked, their mingled breath filling the small space between their faces, the sounds of BDSM play resonating around the loft going unheard.
“How can you push me into something I don’t want to do?” he returned without thinking.
Shit. Connor realized his mistake as Tam stiffened and answered that unintentionally hurtful question with one word. “Red.”
Tamara went cold, remorse and despair replacing the euphoria that had been building since Connor had taken her over so fast it made her head spin. “Let me go,” she demanded, her voice emerging as shaky as her emotions.
He pulled back, his hands reaching to free her wrists, his tone laced with regret as he said, “Tam, I’m…”
Shaking her head, she lowered her arms and pulled up her top. “It’s Tamara. I keep telling you I’m no longer a child and don’t need nicknames, or apologies for being honest with me.” As soon as the cuffs fell away from her ankles, she stepped out of his reach and tried retying her top.
With an impatient brush of his fingers, he shoved hers aside and made short work of securing each side and then snatching her hand before she could avoid his reach again. “We can discuss this later, away from here and all the distractions. Come on, I’ll walk you out.” He surprised her by halting at the bottom of the stairs, gazing down at her with a worried expression and reluctant resignation as he offered, “Unless you’d rather stay and wait for Master Devin.”
Because he did offer, and Tamara could see how much it pained him to do so, she declined. How could she stomach another man’s hands on her when she could still feel Connor’s calloused touch and her body ached with a need she feared only he could assuage? “No, thanks. I’m ready to go.”
Tamara returned from a long vigorous ride the next afternoon to find the horse stalls hadn’t been cleaned or strewn with fresh hay, a chore that should have been done
hours earlier. Lady, her new mare, remained corralled instead of being turned out to pasture to graze, which added to her irritation of waking tired this morning after tossing and turning in frustration all night. She didn’t need this added grief, she thought, dismounting and tethering Galahad. Maybe she would be in a better mood if she’d used her vibrator last night, but she hadn’t wanted a fake phallus, no matter how much pleasure she’d always gotten from it in the past. Now that she’d felt Con’s hands on her, she wanted him more than ever. Damn it.
She reached up and stroked her steed’s sleek neck, murmuring, “Who needs the jerk, right boy? You’re the only guy I need, aren’t you?”
Galahad tossed his head and then butted her shoulder. She laughed and unsaddled him, glad to see Lady trotting over for attention without being coaxed. The little mare had been shy when she’d first brought her home but was slowly warming up to both Tamara and Galahad. The loud rev of a running motor drew her attention as she opened the gate to turn both horses loose in the field. Seeing Neil rolling to a stop by the cattle barn, apparently just now showing up for work, stirred up Tamara’s annoyance as she remembered the stalls that still needed cleaning.
She strode across the yard, working to rein in her temper until she made sure he didn’t have a good reason for missing half a day’s work when he hadn’t completed his three-month probationary period, as was standard for new hires.
“Where have you been?” she asked with a slight edge to her voice.
“Sorry.” Neil sent her a sly grin. “Partied too hard last night. Don’t worry, I’ll get my chores done.”
“That’s not the point, Neil. I can’t put my horses up until the stalls are cleaned, and Lady hasn’t been out to graze all morning.”
“Well, why didn’t you turn her loose?”
Narrowing her eyes, she questioned, “Excuse me? I believe you are assigned to the horse stable, and I have other chores, not to mention…” Tamara halted as Jason and Amy emerged from the barn, Jason’s pleased expression mirroring her stepmother’s until he looked at Neil and frowned. Does everyone have to look so friggin’ happy together? Shrugging off the unfair observation, she kept quiet and let her foreman take over.
“It’s about time. Early afternoon is not a little late.” The reprimand didn’t sit well with Neil if the angry glint in his eyes meant anything.
“Hey, I said I’d be late, not how late. I’ll get to work,” he added hastily when Jason’s frown turned to a glower. He stomped off toward the stable, attitude written in every angry step.
“Are you sure we should keep him?” Tamara didn’t speak lightly of letting someone go, but Neil needed a wake-up call, at the very least.
Jason huffed in frustration. “No, but with the threat of rustlers still active, we can’t be a man short while I look for a replacement. But I can start the ball rolling if you want.”
Tamara shook her head with a sigh, seeing the question about her sour mood in Amy’s eyes. “It’s your call. I guess we can give him more time to settle down. Maybe not a lot more though.”
“That was my thought.” Jason squeezed Amy’s shoulder before stepping back. “I’ll check on him in a little while. Did you find the fencing I thought needed replacing?”
“Yes, and I agree. Go ahead and give me the list of what you need. I’m headed in to order supplies now.”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Amy said, falling in line with her as she pivoted toward the house. “I thought your ride would put you in a better mood.”
“Am I that obvious?”
Amy grinned, pulling open the front door. “Only to me as I know you so well. Connor?”
“That man is driving me nuts,” she bemoaned, leading the way into the kitchen where she poured them each a glass of iced tea.
“Sweetheart, men were born to drive us women crazy. Life would be boring though if they didn’t.”
Amy’s endearment reminded Tamara of how Con had switched from calling her sweetie to little one after her disgruntled protest. He was thoughtful like that, which had made it so easy to fall in love with him right after a bad case of lust had replaced adolescent worship as soon as she was mature enough to know what those stirrings were whenever he was near. “I’d go for boring if he’d quit thinking of me as the kid he’d befriended twenty years ago.”
Amy hugged her with a light laugh. “Oh, Tamara, can’t you see? His little head has already acknowledged you’re a very desirable, grown woman. Their big heads are always much slower to respond to the obvious.”
“Really?” Tamara teased her in return. “How long have you been fighting your attraction to Jason?”
“That’s different.” Amy sniffed with a toss of her head. “I’ve loved a wonderful man already and was lucky enough to have his love in return. That’s harder to work through than what you and Connor are struggling with.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Tamara squeezed Amy’s hand. “I miss Dad too, but at least you now seem open to more, and I’m glad.”
“I’m taking it slow and he’s patient. I just hope his patience lasts until I’m ready.”
They left the kitchen together and padded down the hall toward the office as Tamara said, “Yeah, well my patience ran out, and I was all set to have a little fun by moving on. But, oh, no, he had to interfere.”
“And how did he go about that?” Amy asked, settling behind her desk as Tamara strolled over to the larger, ornate mahogany desk that was her father’s and now hers.
She flipped her stepmother a self-deprecating smile as she sat down. “He strode up to me and the man I’d hooked up with and looked at me with those bluer than blue eyes.”
Amy raised a slim brow and her lips twitched. “The jerk. No wonder you were doomed. So, now what?”
“Now I go back and try again and hope it’ll be easier to tell him no.”
When Amy left for the afternoon to attend a cattle auction with Jason, Tamara went back to brooding over Connor’s reluctance to move beyond friendship and her inability to think about anyone but him, to want no one but him. By the time she had finished eating a solitary dinner, she couldn’t get up any enthusiasm for changing out of her comfortable loose jeans and old college sweatshirt and into the short black skirt, let alone to return to The Barn.
After taking a batch of carrots out to Galahad and Lady, she curled up on the sofa in front of the television until she heard Amy return. Not wanting to answer questions about her change of mind, she turned in early, praying she slept better than she had last night.
“You have company,” Amy said the following afternoon, her announcement startling Tamara and she jerked, banging her head inside the oven she was scrubbing out.
Scooting back, she sat on her heels and looked up at her stepmother with a frown. “I’m not expecting anyone. Who is it?”
“Us.” Nan, Sydney and Avery breezed into the kitchen, the three of them wearing identical smiles that reeked of a conspiracy.
“Hi. What’s up?” Tamara asked, suspicion tightening her abdomen as she glanced at Amy and saw she was in on whatever was going on.
“This is an intervention.” Nan grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. “No need to change, it’s just us girls, pizza and wine. Emphasis on wine. Let’s go.”
“Where to?” Tamara couldn’t help but be pleased over the prospect of not spending another long evening brooding as she followed her friends to the front door.
“To our house,” Sydney answered. “Caden is at Connor’s playing poker with a bunch of other guys, so we have the place to ourselves.”
“And I, for one, am more than ready for some girl time that involves lots of wine. I swear, Grayson gets more and more protective instead of less now that my ex and his partner are going to jail.”
“What’s he worried about?” Tamara asked Avery as she waved goodbye to Amy and slid into the backseat of Sydney’s car with her.
“Who knows? He says he doesn’t trust them, but I think he just likes being bossy.” Av
ery sighed, but the small smile curving her mouth hinted she wasn’t all that put out by the sheriff’s demands.
“They all like being bossy. Haven’t either of you figured that out yet?” Nan swiveled to face Tamara and Avery from the front passenger seat as Sydney drove toward the Dunbar Ranch. “Which is precisely why I intend to stay footloose and fancy free, playing the field, committing to no one.”
“I predict our friend falls before the end of the year,” Sydney announced.
Tamara laughed. “No way. I’ve known her a long time. Nan loves her independence.”
“Yup, almost as much as I love giving it up for a few hours of sexual submission. Nothing beats that. Speaking of which. That’s why we’re hauling your butt out of the house tonight. We’ve decided you’ve pouted enough over that man. That is why you didn’t show last night, isn’t it?”
“He’s driving me crazy,” Tamara admitted as they pulled up in front of Caden’s sprawling ranch home, the front porch lit up to guide their way inside.
Nan eyed her with a shrewd look. “Would it help if I told you he left early last night after rebuffing several subs obvious interest?”
“He did?” That tidbit perked Tamara up until she forced herself not to read too much into it. “I don’t care. He can play with whoever he wants.”
“That blatant lie is why we’re going to take your mind off the pigheaded jerk with lots of junk food and alcohol. And then you will forget all about him and think about Master Devin when I give you graphic details of some of his scenes, especially the ones with me. Did you know he and Master Greg are into sharing?”
