“No flogging this week. You need to heal fully before any more impact play.”
Some darker emotion flashed across her face, but he couldn’t put a name to it, and it was gone before he could study it. Finally, she gave a single nod. “That’s probably best.”
He reached out and laid his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll see you later. If not tonight, then tomorrow.”
She nodded, but the expression on her face told him something was wrong.
He took her chin between his fingers and turned her to face him again. “Kate. What’s wrong?”
She hesitated, and he knew whatever she said was going to be at best a half truth, but if she didn’t trust him enough to tell him, he wasn’t going to press her. He had done everything he could to make sure she was all right.
“I’m still tired. I think a nap and a shower will get me to a point where I can at least get some work done. Then I can decide if I feel up to going to The Dungeon tonight.”
Dex thought back over their exchange and couldn’t see anything he had said that would hurt her, or even bother her. But he knew that something had. “Are you sure you’re all right? I want to make sure before I go.”
This time there was no sign of the darker emotion. Maybe he had imagined it?
“I’m good. Great, in fact. I haven’t felt this good in ages.” She smiled, and the tightness in his chest lessened.
He leaned in and brushed a kiss across her lips.
Chapter 13
As soon as Kate closed and locked the door behind Dex, she slapped her palm against her face. “Stupid girl,” she scolded herself aloud. “You have no business being upset because Master Dex assumed you would go to The Dungeon and play with another Dom.”
Ugh.
She was disgusted with herself for having those thoughts. Neither of them was restricted from playing with others. For him to assume she might was only natural, considering he knew she’d had multiple Doms before he arrived.
Kate couldn’t believe she was hurt because he didn’t insist, or even try to demand, that she not play scenes with anyone but him. She would have been pissed had he tried to demand such a thing.
She shook her head. She was definitely still wiped out if she was thinking like that.
She wouldn’t mind having Master Dex all to herself. But she was sure he had plenty of subs. He said he still kept a house in Phoenix, but he never said where he actually called home. She pursed her lips, annoyed that she hadn’t pressed for that information when she had the chance.
She cringed away from the thought of him playing with another sub.
“I just need a shower and a nap, and this sappy, clingy version of me will be banished, hopefully never to return.”
As she padded toward her bedroom she thought of how sweet he had been, making her coffee with vanilla syrup and bringing her breakfast.
No Dominant had ever done that for her. Hell, no boyfriend or anyone else had ever done that, either. Not since her mother had passed away, anyway.
Familiar pain squeezed her heart. She missed the knowledge that there was someone in the world who would accept and love her no matter what. Someone who would always be there for her when she needed them.
She huffed out a harsh breath and thrust those thoughts away as she dropped her robe and crawled back into bed. She had better things to do today than feel sorry for herself.
It took only a few seconds to set the alarm on her iPhone so she could wake, take a shower, and get some work done before she decided if she was up for The Dungeon later.
A few kissing noises brought the sound of Rusty’s claws skittering across the tile in the kitchen and then on the hardwood floor in the hallway. A few seconds later he bounded on the bed and curled up next to her, a warm, fuzzy, purring ball.
One betraying thought of how nice it would be to have Dex spooned against her back while she fell asleep flashed across her mind. She ignored it and rested her hand on Rusty as she closed her eyes and gave herself up to sleep.
—
Merrick guided his Harley into the parking lot of a Circle K and then tapped his earpiece to answer his phone.
“Caldwell.”
“Merrick, it’s Dex Alexander.”
Merrick steered around to the side of the building to block more of the breeze and road noise.
“Dex. I was just on my way to The Dungeon to see if I could find a few of those subs you mentioned.”
“Good. Listen, I have some news you’ll need if you’re headed into the lion’s den up there.” Something in Dex’s voice told Merrick that the news might not be good.
“What’s up?”
“Mark Stanton was found dead this morning.”
Merrick frowned, not sure he had heard correctly. Stanton had been under investigation more times than he could count. “Cause of death?”