Liability (Suncoast Society #33)(18)

He glanced over at her at a stop light and realized she was blushing, but she was talking.

“I like it when you tie me up like that,” she continued. “Or when you hold my wrists or hands over my head when we’re in bed. I like feeling your weight on me. I like it when you make it so I can’t move because you’re pinning me down. But it’s because I trust you. Does that make sense?”

Not really, it didn’t, but he wasn’t about to disagree with her or stop her, much less interrupt her. He nodded.

Kim was at least talking to him. As she appeared to grow more confident that he wasn’t going to freak out, the depth and breadth of their conversations was exponentially expanding.

He hoped it’d continue. Maybe it would be the next step she’d need to take to finally feel comfortable with him broaching the subject of their future together. He loved her and was reasonably certain he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Her scars from Craige ran deep, though, and interfered with her being able to move on for fear of her making another, similar mistake.

Bailing on her wasn’t an option for him, either. Not unless she decided she wanted to end things between them or she committed a breach of trust so heinous, in his opinion, that he’d be forced to say good-bye to her.

Still, it would be nice to be able to…plan. She didn’t want to have kids. Okay, no big deal. He was going to be thirty-seven in a few months and, frankly? He was having fun with life. If that made him a selfish bastard to be okay with not reproducing, he’d own that, every last bit of it.

“And forget about any of the crazy gang-bang stuff,” she said. “I mean, I get it, some people like that, whatever. That’s not for me.”

Another silent worry rolled from him, even though realistically he’d understood with her trust issues that it wasn’t a fear he’d have to worry about.

“There was a couple of things I thought were really…parts of them were really hot.” Her voice softened a little, but not the way it had in their earlier talks.

“Tell me, sweetheart. I want to hear.”

“Well… This is embarrassing.”

“It’s not embarrassing if it turns you on.” Another stop light allowed him to look at her.

Her face was glowing red. “There were some pictures of women tied up and…they used a vibrator on her. Forced orgasm play, they call it.” Her lower lip caught under her teeth. “That doesn’t sound…bad.”

He fought the urge to giggle. “No, that doesn’t sound bad at all.”

“And I wouldn’t mind wearing a collar and cuffs. I saw some that were very pretty.”

He reached over and rested his hand on her thigh. “Would you like me to get you a collar and cuffs?”

Her fingers laced through his. “I think that’d be your decision,” she said, her voice now back to the uncertain territory. The scared territory.

The “please don’t make fun of me” territory.

He squeezed her hand. “I think you’d look absolutely gorgeous wearing a collar and cuffs and nothing else.”

Her thumb slowly stroked the back of his. “Yeah?”

“Absolutely. When have I ever turned down a chance to have you naked?” He smiled, relieved when she smiled back.

Whatever he had to do to keep her smiling like that?

He’d do it in a f*cking heartbeat, with absolutely zero reservations.

Especially if it meant she’d keep talking and opening up to him like she was now.





Chapter Eight


They reached the restaurant five minutes early, and Mason was just climbing out of his car when they pulled in.

Cole hoped it wasn’t breaking a protocol by automatically hugging the shorter man, but Cole restrained himself from doing more than hug Mason when what he wanted to do was hug Mason, lift him off the ground, and spin him around in joy at the progress Cole had already made with Kim.

The restaurant wasn’t too busy, fortunately, and they were able to ask for a booth in the back where they’d have privacy to talk without being overheard.

Once they were settled and had their orders put in, they started chatting.

“I meant to ask you the other night,” Mason said to Cole. “Are you originally from the area?”

“Yeah. Born and raised here in Sarasota. What about you?” Cole asked. “You have family in the area?”

“My dad,” he said. “My parents divorced years ago and my mom remarried. She’s over in the Miami area.”

“Did your dad remarry?” Cole asked.

“No,” Mason said. “He’s an *. He’s my father, and I love him, but he’s still an *.”

“Sorry,” Kim said.

“No, it’s all right. Even he admits he knows he’s an *.” Mason shrugged. “At least he’s honest about it and has accepted it. I mean, he’s not an * all the time. But he needs the right woman. I finally realized—although I didn’t tell him this—that he’s really dominant. He needs the right kind of woman, and he doesn’t seek out submissive women. It’s like he wants the most dominant, feisty woman he can find, and goes after that kind of woman.”

“Which doesn’t work out well,” Cole said.