Cherished (Masters and Mercenaries #7.5)(29)

He just hadn’t figured out if she was bored or skittish.

“Damn it.” Bridget’s voice carried down the hall.

Why had he fallen asleep in her bed? He never slept anywhere except his own place. He made sure to take women to his place. Always. But he’d walked toward her bathroom and her bed had looked so inviting. He’d lain down because he kind of wanted to see what type of mattress she liked. It was one of the mattresses that conformed to a person’s body and he’d sunk into it like he’d found paradise. The bed had smelled like her—all sharp and citrusy, with the hint of sweet cherries.

He’d had a crappy day and all he’d wanted to do was sleep and be surrounded by that scent.

But he was awake now and he had to deal with the fact that he’d lost his cool.

He never did that. He was always in control around his lovers. He never barged in and caused some stupid scene. He was the anti-drama guy.

She was standing over the stove as he walked into the room. She bent over, giving him a spectacular view of her ass. Her hair flowed down her back. He caught sight of bare skin and wondered if she was wearing a crop top.

“Bridget?”

She stood up, her back stiffening, and then stopped.

Damn it. He was going to have to apologize. “I need to talk to you.”

She turned around and he damn near had a heart attack. She wasn’t wearing a shirt at all. She stared at him for a second. “I made dinner.”

He’d been pretty sure she didn’t cook. “Really?”

One hand went on her hip and she gave him the sassiest frown. “Yes, really. I can manage to follow a recipe. Sort of. It should be edible.”

She’d cooked and she’d foregone her shirt. It was definitely a good sign. Maybe he hadn’t f*cked up. Maybe she was more into the D/s relationship than he’d thought she was.

“It smells wonderful, sweetheart. And you look stunning.”

She blushed. “Serena told me being naked might make you less annoyed with the fact that I ran away.”

His affection for Bridget’s best friend rose. His cock was already erect and he had to admit, she had every bit of his attention. Usually his brain was working on ten different things, but when he was with Bridget, he was focused. He couldn’t think of anything but her. She was a challenge.

“Tell me why you ran.”

“The boobs aren’t enough?” She was a bit insecure and he couldn’t figure that out. She was f*cking gorgeous.

“The boobs are lovely, but you’re not getting out of punishment.” Now that he knew she was all right, he wanted to spank that sweet ass of hers. His hand was itching and his cock was twitching. She got his motor running.

It couldn’t last. He would want peace eventually. This crazy focus on her made him feel so f*cking good though. It had been forever—maybe never—since he was so focused on a woman.

Her shoulders squared. “Fine. It was silly of me. I should have woken you up and told you I was leaving. I get it. I was a little childish. I can handle a spanking. I kind of like them. Then we can have dinner. If you want to.”

“I want to. How long does it need to cook?” He didn’t want to screw up her dinner plans. She’d bent for him and he was willing to bend for her.

“It’s got another thirty minutes. It might be really bad. I usually order takeout or nuke a dinner or something. This feels weird. The naked thing feels weird. Maybe it’s because you’re all dressed and my boobs are hanging out.”

“Well, maybe you would feel better if you were actually naked. Take off the pants. You don’t need clothes when we’re alone. Do your characters wear clothes around their Doms?”

“No, but I have to admit that apparently my characters are more carefree than I am.”

“You wanted some experience.” An idea was brewing in his head. “Let’s try living as a D/s couple until after your sister’s wedding. You’ll get real world experience out of it.”

“What do you get out of it?”

“I get to f*ck the hell out of you for a couple of weeks. I get to spank you and discipline you. Don’t think this is charity here. I want you, Bridget.” Maybe after a couple of weeks, he could think straight again. Maybe if he f*cked her out of his system, he would be able to concentrate on something other than her.

Her hands went to the waistband of her sweat pants and she slowly pushed them over and off her hips. “Look at me. No undies. See, I can obey. Also, I haven’t done laundry lately. I’m not the world’s greatest housekeeper.”

“Give it to me and I’ll throw yours in with mine. Now come here and let me look at you. God, you’re the f*cking best thing I’ve seen since the last time I saw you.” She made his mouth water. He sank down on her couch. It was a good height for what he intended to do. He’d kept it vanilla up to this point, but it was time to put them on a proper footing.

She walked across the space, the tiniest awkwardness showing through, but he knew she would get accustomed to being naked. After a few days, he hoped she would come to enjoy it. “You want to do my laundry? I kind of thought you would order me to do yours.”

“If I want a maid, I’ll hire one. I’ve seen your bathroom. I would not hire you.” She was a little messy. He could live with it, though he intended to introduce her to his maid. She came twice a week and was worth every penny. Bridget stopped in front of him and he took in her form, allowing his eyes to enjoy for a moment. “No, beautiful, I don’t mind doing your laundry with mine. Every D/s couple is different. We need to find our strengths and play to them and find our weaknesses and figure out how to balance. Poor baby. It looks like some man left his mark.”