Just One Taste (Topped #2)(14)

Yeah, that was a good plan.

“It felt serious last night.”

He let go of her hand. “So that was why you scampered away after class.”

Her chin came up. “I did not scamper anywhere. I left with Tiffany.”

“New rule number two is I pick you up and take you home after class.”

“I can get a ride with Tiffany,” she argued.

“Tiffany is not your Dom for the next six weeks. I am and I will take care of you getting to and from class. Unless you can give me a real reason why you need to ride with Tiffany. Does she have narcolepsy and needs you to wake her up when she falls asleep at the wheel?”

Her lips turned up. “No. Of course not.”

“Does she forget the way?”

“You know it’s nothing like that.” She stared at him as though he should easily know the answer.

The truth was he did know the answer. He simply wasn’t sure she was ready to admit what the real problem was. “Then tell me why you don’t want me to drive you.”

“Because I think you might get handsy at the end of the day.”

“Well, maybe I’m afraid you’re the one who’ll get handsy.” He was a little insulted, but he kept his cool. Her fear wasn’t about him assaulting her. It was about something else altogether. “I wasn’t the one who begged for a spanking last night.”

She flushed again. “That is so untrue. I did not beg for a spanking.”

“All I’m saying is I can handle myself around you, sweetheart.” He moved in close again, backing her up until she was against the metal door of the freezer. She looked like she could handle a cooling off period. He moved in close until his chest almost brushed the curves of her breasts, until his mouth was over hers. “I can spank you and not f*ck you. I can top you without ever touching you in a sexual fashion if that’s what you’re afraid of. If you don’t want me to, I’ll never kiss you.”

“You don’t want to kiss me?” The question came out in a husky tone.

“Oh, I want to, but I have control over myself and I want you to think about that. We’re together for the next six weeks. We’ll sign a contract tonight. We can spend those weeks blandly learning the ins and outs of the club or we can spend them figuring out if we work as sexual partners. I’m lonely, Deena. It’s been a long time since I had a lover. I would very much like to spend this time getting to know you in every way I possibly can, but I won’t take you if you don’t want me back. I can be your Dom and not your lover. I can control my impulses. Hell, I’m always in control, and you should think about that. You should consider the fact that I would use every ounce of that control to bring you pleasure, to take you as high as I can.” It was time to pull back. He pushed off the door, having never once touched her. “But it’s your choice. In the end, it’s always the sub who chooses.”

“Why? Why would you want me?” All her arrogance was gone.

“Because we’re friends and I like you and you’re gorgeous. I’ve wanted to sleep with you from the moment I saw you. That might not be what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. I think we could be good for each other. Neither one of us has had a lover in a long time. Am I right?”

“You’re right,” she replied. “I haven’t even dated anyone since my divorce.”

“Then why not try? If it doesn’t work, we’ll go back to being friends.”

Her head shook. “That never happens.”

“I don’t know what kind of douchebags you’ve been dating, but I’m still friends with almost every woman I’ve ever dated. It doesn’t have to end in either happily ever after or hate. Especially if we’re both honest. The contract is for six weeks. I can promise you right now that I’m still going to like you after six weeks. You be honest with me. Were you planning on experimenting with your training Dom if you’d had chemistry with him? Before you knew I was the Dom. Would you have given that Dom a chance?”

She nodded silently.

“Well, then I suppose we’ll have a very abstinent training period and then we’ll go our separate ways when it comes to the club. I guess Big Tag and the shrink aren’t as smart as they think they are.” He wasn’t about to give up. This was only the beginning of a very long battle, but it was time to retreat. “We’ll talk about the contract later tonight and set up all the rules. I’ll still have to touch you during the scenes, but I’ll make it as impersonal as possible.”

“We don’t know that we have chemistry,” she said quietly, making no move to grab the bags.

He shrugged. “I guess we won’t know.”

He turned to begin helping her. He would take the bags out to her car and then let Grace know she was on her way. Someone would meet her in the parking garage to help her bring everything up. He would spend the afternoon planning menus with Chef and heading to the farmer’s market to find fresh vegetables for dinner.

A hand on his arm gently pulled and he turned.

Deena was standing right there, her face turned up to him, her eyes wide. “Shouldn’t we know?”

She went on her toes and pressed her mouth to his. He went still, unwilling to frighten her away. Soft lips moved over his as her hands found his waist. She was tentative, but he could sense the fire in her. Those hands told the real tale. They moved restlessly, as though she had them on a leash. He wanted that leash taken off.