His Battered Submissive (Restrained Fantasies Book 3)

by Brandi Evans

  God, she fucking slayed him.

  He pulled her in for a soft, lingering kiss. "You are so beautiful, Kat, inside and out, which is why I'll get you whatever you need to make this new dream happen for you."

  "No, Maddox, I can't ask you to…" But she trailed off and came to sit on his lap. "I didn't tell you this to guilt you into helping me pay for anything."

  "Never thought that for a second, but I want to help nonetheless, which is why, when I get home from work tomorrow, we're going to go out and get you a computer and whatever else you need. Tonight, we'll work on getting you scheduled for your exams and lining up whatever study materials you need."

  "Maddox, I—" Her voice cracked, and she closed her eyes, disrupting the tears that had been shining there, sending them streaming along her cheeks. "You've already done so much for me. I can't let you do this, too."

  "Yes, you can, and I'd appreciate it if you'd let me."

  He stole another kiss and told her why he wanted to help. Sort of. He wasn't about to tell her he loved her. If the time came and she wanted or needed to leave him, he didn't want her to feel trapped by any sense of obligation to him. She'd had enough of being trapped for eighteen lifetimes, so instead, because he loved her, he told her something only a handful of people knew about him: the story of why he'd become a cop.

  "Not all cops serve because some personal trauma drove them to the job, and I wish I hadn't been called to this job for that exact reason."

  She didn't speak, simply remained a quiet presence in his lap.

  "My dad used to terrorize us: me, my sister, and most of all, my mom. We were terrified of him. Mom wanted to leave, but she felt trapped, fearful no one would believe her. My dad had always been careful about his abuse, like most manipulative assholes. He made sure the bruises didn't show, convinced us into believing he was more powerful than the system, and we believed him because he was part of the system."

  She flinched. "He was a cop?"

  "Captain of the homicide division, right here in Dallas."

  "Oh god." Her arms came tightly around him, and her lips grazed his hair. "I'm so sorry."

  "My father was powerful, respected in the department, and an absolute monster. I overheard him tell my mom more than once that he could kill her and cover it up so perfectly that no one would ever figure out he'd done it, but he was wrong. His own department figured it out and took him down."

  She yanked back, her eyes like flooded saucers. "Your father killed your mother?"

  He nodded. "I was fourteen the day he was sentenced to life in prison, and as I sat in that courtroom, my sister on my left side, my father's former partner on my right, I knew I wanted to be a cop, but not the kind my father had been. A good cop. The kind who stopped bastards like him before they ended lives. It was what drove me to get my detective shield and why I fought to land a position in the Domestic Violence Division, right where I needed to be to help people like you. So, please, Kat, let me help you."

  Tears streaming down her face, she nodded, and silently, he gave her the rest of his heart.

  Katlyn looked at her brand-new laptop, surrounded by the bound and printed PDFs she'd downloaded from the testing website, and couldn't stop thinking about Maddox. What his father had done to his mother could have been what Jeff did to her, but Maddox had saved her. Was, in fact, still saving her.

  She was more than a job to him; she had seen the truth of that on his face. He was falling for her. She should be thrilled, and she was, even as it broke her heart. Maddox was more than the job; he was the job. She needed to figure out what that meant and how she would fit into his life once Jeff was in custody—and she had to believe they would eventually catch him.

  Maddox was a cop. This wasn't a newsflash. She'd just never thought about everything that entailed. She'd lived with him long enough to see what she assumed was his regular daily routine starting to emerge. He went to work, took some downtime to be with her when he returned home, and then continued working a bit each evening, fighting for others like her. And there would always be others, and he would always fight to save them—like he'd fought to save her. He wasn't built any other way, which brought her a new onslaught of things to worry about.

  Had he ever fallen for someone else in his care?

  Might he eventually fall for someone else?

  Would he lose interest in her when she was finally safe and no longer in need of his care?

  Were his feelings already starting to change?

  He'd supported her plan to get her nursing licensure back, but he'd seemed… off about it somehow. She couldn't quite explain her unease, but she felt as if he'd been pulling back a little.

  Giving up on studying, she pushed back from the kitchen table and went to the living room. She'd take a few minutes with Sarge on the couch to clear her head, and then, she'd get back to studying. She'd signed up to take her exam two months from yesterday. For the first time in a long time, she had a goal that was all about her, and she needed to give her studies her full attention.

  On the sofa with Sarge beside her, she scratched his neck, his head resting in her lap. "Tell me what to do with him, Sarge."

  Sarge telegraphed his big ears in her direction as if letting her know she had his undivided attention.

  "At least, I'm not worried about you leaving me, sweet boy. It's you and me for life, right?"

  He sighed contentedly.

  "Yeah. That's what I thought."

  From where she'd left it on the table, her cell rang.

  "Sorry, boy," she said as she pushed from the sofa.

  Sarge stayed where he was as she hurried across the room, grabbed her phone, and checked the display. A smile instantly tugged at her lips.

  "Hey, you," she said, giving the human version of the contented sigh Sarge had just given her.

  "Hey yourself, kitten. I just wanted to let you know I'm in the car and headed your way."

  "Really?" She checked the time. It was only three-thirty! And she wasn't about to complain about an early start to their weekend.

  "Really. I'll be there in twenty. Unless you want coffee again, and then, it'll be thirty."

  "Guess it'll be thirty then. You know what I want?"

  "Hopefully, what you want is me."

  Her smile felt too big for her face. "Of course, I want you, Sir! If you want, I can drink you up when you get home, too."

  The blare of a horn mingled with his laughter. "I'll hold you to it, kitten."

  "I'd rather you hold me to you."

  Another laugh. "Say that again when I get home."

  "You can count on it, Sir."

  "Good to know. Oh, if it's still possible, would you mind making something light and carb-heavy for dinner?"

  Curiosity tickled her spine. "Yeah. I can do that. Any particular reason?"

  "Yes." But he didn't elaborate.

  Maddox found Kat in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot. Whatever she was cooking smelled nearly as incredible as she looked.

  She wore an outfit Raven would be proud of, ripped jeans and a Nirvana T-shirt. She'd piled her hair into a loose knot on the top of her head, and her feet were bare. He wasn't sure how she managed to pull off both casual and breathtaking, but she did it well.

  "Bread's got about twenty more minutes in the oven," she said, glancing over her shoulder and gifting him a smile. "The soup should be done at about the same time. I was planning on making this tomorrow for lunch, but when you said you wanted a light, carb-heavy dinner tonight, I swapped."

  He crossed the distance spanning them and, from behind, wrapped her close. For good measure, and because he wanted to, he nuzzled her neck. "What is it?"

  "Creamy tomato soup with tortellini and shredded chicken. I may or may not have doubled the recommended amount of Parmesan, but I won't tell if you won't."

  "Deal." He nipped along the vein in her neck, already imagining her several hours into their future, but those plans were still hours away. There wasn't any harm getting
a tiny sneak peek now, was there?

  He cupped her breasts and squeezed until she gasped. She slammed her spoon in its resting spot beside the stove and turned in his arms. Their lips met in a tangle of tongues and teeth, and he immediately tugged her from the burners—trips to the emergency room were not on his agenda for the evening.

  He lifted her, set her on the island, and her legs instantly came around him, pulling him close. Her desperate response to his touches, to his kisses, drove him fucking mad. He had to keep his head, or they'd never make their reservation.

  "Mmm, your kisses are dangerous, kitten. I can't get enough of them."

  "Then don't stop kissing me. I'll just turn the soup down to low."

  "Any other time, you'd have a deal, but we have a reservation tonight."

  She shifted backward, spine straightening, eyes narrowing. "We… do?"

  "We do. I called one of the owners at Restrained Fantasies and booked one of the dungeons."

  Her lower lip trembled before disappearing between her teeth, and she drew in a shaky breath. He'd surprised her, but something akin to pride played over her features, too.

  "You think I'm ready?" she asked hesitantly.

  He nodded. He'd decided on the dungeon because he wanted Kat's complete attention focused on him and what he was doing to her. She'd have enough on her mind just being there, so the last thing he wanted was to trigger a panic attack from over-stimulation. She might be strong, but she was under immense strain. He'd be damned if he'd cause her unneeded distress.

  "You have done well here, kitten, so much better than I thought you'd do, considering your past. That said, we're still in the take-things-slowly phase. I'm not ready to take you into the club proper, not quite yet, but the upstairs dungeons are private, and they're away from here, your safe space."

  He drew the pad of his thumb over that trembling lower lip and gave his words a moment to sink in.

  "We'll perform scenes there for a while, and if you continue doing well, then we'll talk about going to the main room of the club. It can be a bit overwhelming to even jaded subs, and I don't want you backsliding."

  "I understand, Sir." She pressed her cheek to his, her palm coming to rest on his other cheek. "Thank you for this. I feel like that's dumb to say, but Jeff destroyed so much of me, of who I thought I was. But with you, Maddox, I don't feel broken. I feel… whole."

  Emotion tightened his chest, so he found it fitting he tightened his arms around her. He wanted to tell her she made him whole, too, but he couldn't. Not yet. Maybe not ever. He'd give her this experience and as many more experiences as he could, so if or when their time together came to an end, she could leave a stronger woman and a stronger sub.

  Chapter 16

  Katlyn held tightly to Maddox's hand as the elevator ascended. He was finally taking her to Restrained Fantasies. He'd been a member as long as he'd been a cop; Carrie, Carter, and Raven were members, too.

  Raven!

  Katlyn had to admit that one had shocked her. She could see Carter as a Dom. He and Maddox were cut from similar cloth after all, but Raven was so, so, so… larger than life. But she'd embraced the sub life. Knowing kick-ass Raven could be happy and healthy as a sub made Katlyn feel even more secure in her ability to do so, although she doubted she'd ever be as kick-ass as Raven, and she was okay with that.

  "We're a tight-knit community at Restrained Fantasies," he said, "and the owners go to great lengths to assure everyone's safety. Management screens all new members, and new members must agree to a background check. There's even a fingerprint scanner outside and on the elevator, so only members and their guests have access."

  That, too, helped put her at ease. Somewhat anyway.

  "I wonder if I'll see Carrie here," Katlyn said as the doors slid open, mainly to distract her from her mounting apprehension. You want this, she reminded herself, and she did. She felt like a newbie sub all over again. "I should have called her to check."

  "She's not usually here on Fridays, but you could always text her before we get started. We still have about forty-five minutes before our reservation. I know Raven will be here, though. Carter mentioned it before I left the office."

  "Good. At least, there'll be two more friendly faces—oh, Raven! Hey!"

  Raven nearly knocked Katlyn on her ass, both literally and figuratively, as they rounded the same corner from opposite directions. Raven wore her trademark tattered jeans and combat boots, but she'd traded in her tank for a corset that showed off her tats and curvy frame. She was a stunning counterpoint to her Dom.

  Master Carter stood at Raven's side looking sexy in a pair of leather pants and a black T-shirt that pulled taut over a well-developed chest. Carter was thicker and more muscular than Maddox, as well as being a tad shorter. He was total Dom eye candy, but he was no Maddox.

  Katlyn snuggled closer to her Sir while offering Carter a smile. "Master Carter. I have to admit, it's… weird to see you here."

  "I could say the same thing about you." Index finger to her chin, Carter lifted her face, turned it right and left. "You look nervous but not too nervous. That's good."

  "What?" Katlyn fought the urge to pull back from his touch.

  Raven laughed and tucked her arm around her Dom. "You'll get used to it. The man reads facial expressions like he's clairvoyant."

  "Ahh." Katlyn smiled, remembering the revised story Maddox had told her of how Raven and Carter had hooked up.

  "We were actually coming to find you," Raven said to Katlyn. "I wanted to see if you'd like to go to the gift shop while these two lovely specimens of Domliness get your paperwork ready for your signature."

  Maddox had told Katlyn there'd be some paperwork to sign, some legalities that helped keep members safe.

  "Actually…" Katlyn turned to Maddox. "If that's okay with you, Sir, I'd very much like that." Not that she had any money to buy anything, but it would give her some time with Raven, sub to sub.

  "Of course." Maddox tilted her face up and touched his lips to hers. "If you find anything you want, tell whoever's working to put it on my tab."

  But Katlyn was already shaking her head. "You don't have to do that. I just want to look and hang out with Raven a bit."

  "Let me rephrase, kitten. If you find something you think I'd like on you, tell whoever's working to put it on my tab."

  She cupped both his cheeks in her hands. "Thank you, Sir. Thank you. I'll find a way to pay you back. I promise."

  He grinned wickedly and bent so close that his lips grazed her ear as he whispered, "I take re-payment in the form of orgasms only."

  "Sounds fair, Sir. How many orgasms are we talking about?"

  "Dozens and dozens and dozens."

  She was still smiling when she and Raven stepped into the Restrained Fantasies gift shop. "Whoa."

  "I know, right?" Raven said. "It still hits me right in the oh-hell-yeah."

  The shop was so much more than Katlyn had imagined. When Maddox had told her that the club had a gift shop, she'd pictured the kind of place inside hotels where someone could pick up snacks or the odd toiletry the site didn't supply complimentarily, but this was, to quote Raven, oh-hell-yeah amazing.

  This was a full-on kink store!

  Raven waved at a petite brunette in the corner who stood next to a headless mannequin dressed in a dark blue mesh bodysuit. The outfit had a black collar and no sleeves. Rhinestone chains covered the mannequin's breasts with just enough coverage to make her wonder if the bodice was as see-through as it appeared. Random rhinestones were woven throughout the rest of the bodice, giving it a gorgeous shine.

  It was love at first sight.

  The woman waved back at Raven and headed toward them, but when she was about a half-dozen steps away, she stopped, cocked her head at Katlyn, and then grinned. "So, this is where my clothes went."

  "Sure is," Raven said, "and doesn't she look great in them?"

  "She does at that."

  Katlyn looked down at herself. She'd changed befo
re leaving the house, but her outfit wasn't anything fancy, just "shiny" leggings, a purple tunic, and a pair of strapped sandals.

  The petite brunette stuck her hand out to Katlyn. "Hey, I'm Viv Michaels."

  Katlyn returned the handshake. "Katlyn Matthews. Thanks so much for the clothes. I can't even begin to tell you how much they meant to me."

  Viv waived off the thankfulness. "It's no problem whatsoever. I'm glad they're helping. When Raven told me your story, I wanted to give you everything in my closet. I can't even begin to imagine what you've gone through. My ex is a complete shithead, and he's doing everything he can to make my life miserable. But he never once laid a hand on me. A serial cheater, yeah, but never—" Viv stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't come here for my life's story."

  "No, not really," Raven teased Viv.

  "I don't mind," Katlyn said, and she honestly didn't. She liked hearing stories of women who'd come through something terrible and emerged all the stronger for it.

  "Don't encourage her!" Raven teased.

  Viv rolled her eyes.

  The two women's banter made Katlyn think of what Maddox had said about the members being a tight-knit community. Would she be like this with other members if she stuck around for a while? She wanted to know.

  "Actually," Raven continued smoothly, "we came to see if there was anything sexy in stock that spoke to Katlyn."

  "Well…" Viv spread her arms wide. "We've got loads of sexy here. Do you have anything specific in mind?"

  "I do." Katlyn pointed to the rhinestone bodysuit. "And I think I've already found it."

  "Oh, yeah. That's it. No sense trying on anything else."

  Raven's praise made Katlyn feel a bit odd, but she agreed with her friend's assessment. If this didn't make Sir's jaw hit the floor, nothing would.

  The bodysuit did have a minimum amount of built-in coverage, so she wasn't showing any nipple. There was, however, plenty of side-boob action she hoped Sir would like. Also, it went perfectly with the black skirt Viv had suggested before a text had called her away. The short, leather number barely deserved the designation of skirt. Hell, it was hardly more than a swath of material just big enough to cover her ass. If push came to shove, Sir wouldn't even need to push it out of the way.