“Merestone,” he said from behind her, most likely reading it off the page she was working on. “Isn’t that the big time-share company?”
Heat sizzled between them, and Kate had to force herself to remember what Dex had asked her, and to answer it. “Yes. They have locations worldwide.”
Dex watched her, and she had the impression he was envisioning unwrapping her like a present on Christmas morning. An idea she would wholeheartedly support.
He cleared his throat. “Do you want me to make some coffee, or were you planning on heading back to bed now that you’re done?”
She laughed. “That transparent, am I?” She looked over her changes and then published them out to the site with an hour to spare before her deadline.
Dex stepped close behind her and moved her hair away from her nape to study the skin just below the neck of her robe. “It looks even better than it did yesterday,” he said as he edged the robe off her shoulder to look at the spot over her shoulder blade. “This one, too.”
“They don’t hurt much anymore. They’re just tender, like the rest of the flogged spots.”
“Good.” He laid a kiss on the back of her shoulder and she shivered.
“I don’t think either of us will get any work done today if you start that again.”
“Very true,” he said with what sounded like a trace of regret.
“Are you going to The Dungeon today?” she ventured, not sure which answer she hoped she would hear.
“I’m not sure I’m up for dealing with that insanity again. It might take a few days for the Mark Stanton buzz to die down.”
She swallowed hard as disappointment churned in her stomach, even as she inwardly admitted it was for the best. She nearly asked him what he was doing later, but bit back the words. She didn’t want to appear clingy and needy. But the thought of letting Dex walk out without any idea when she would see him again nagged at her.
Kate’s earlier thoughts about her trip next week resurfaced. “Do you have any idea how long your ‘undetermined’ stay in L.A. will be? I’m sure your boss relies heavily on you.” She cringed as she realized how simpering and weak that question made her sound.
Dex shook his head. “I never really know. I’m out here meeting with some important clients, but if he deems something crucial elsewhere, he may recall me earlier. I never know when or where before it happens.”
Kate frowned as she realized she had never asked Dex where “home” was. She thought back through their conversations at the VIP lounge. It seemed like such an obvious question. He’d told her he had gone to Arizona State, that his parents still lived in Phoenix, and that he still maintained a house there. But he never said that was his main house or that he still lived there. Most of the people she had gone to UCLA with hadn’t lived in L.A., and many didn’t even live in California. And it felt too late now to ask for that clarification. But there was something else she could ask.
“Dex, you said you went to Arizona State. I’m not sure how long it has been open, but have you ever heard of a place called Club Desire?”
He showed no outward reaction, but there was something about his total stillness that made her feel like she had said something of significance to him.
He smiled, but when it barely reached his normally very expressive eyes, it only highlighted that he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep. “Yes. I know Club Desire. What would you like to know?”
She sat straighter in her chair. “I’ve been researching BDSM clubs in the Southwest, and it keeps popping up in my search results. From everything I can tell, it looks like a great dungeon, but I was curious if you had ever been there.”
His gaze swept over her face. “I think you would love it there. Amazing Gothic architecture makes it look like it erupted out of the top of Camelback Mountain. Inside it’s modern, with all the bells and whistles, but still retains the mysterious feel from the outside of the building. And the Doms and subs are top-notch. It’s a community there, not just a bunch of individuals who frequent the same place, if that makes sense.”
Warmth bubbled in her belly at having her research confirmed. “It does.” She cocked her head to the side. “Do you still live in that area? You said you went to Arizona State, but I wasn’t sure if that’s where you call home.”
He shrugged. “My work takes me all over the world, but I do keep a house in the Phoenix area. My family is still there, and we are all pretty close.”
A twinge of envy shot through her. She often wished she had a family that was close. Or really, a family at all. Since her mother, and then her grandmother, had died, her rocky relationship with her father had left her feeling like she had no family at all. She wasn’t willing to give up her own dreams just to stay in touch with him.