“Master?”
“Yes, pet.”
“Do you want to kiss me?”
“Yes.” Still, he remained a breath away.
It might not mean much to him, but she had to thank him for showing her more about herself than she’d ever known before. “Master, I’m glad you let me come to your home. Thank you.”
His eyes widened, and then he pressed his mouth against hers. Our first kiss!
There was no softness in his lips. They were powerful, urgent, and demanding. As his tongue leapt into her mouth, she became so wonderfully woozy. He continued kissing her until her lips throbbed and her body melted into him. Clearly there was more to this kiss than she knew, but she couldn’t even tempt a guess as to what.
Even as he deepened his kiss, she knew Austin was still closed to her. Didn’t matter any longer. He’d conquered her completely. Seven days and nights might be all she would have with Austin, but she prayed for forever. Either way, she’d go the distance with him—even if it broke her heart in two.
Austin released her mouth, and his stare locked onto her. Another long pause had her trembling.
Finally, he said, “Time for your bath, sweetheart.”
Jessie couldn’t help but smile. Until this moment, he’d only called her by name, or “pet,” or “sub.” Sweetheart! Hearing that word from him thrilled her, and she needed to hear it again and again.
The Big Bad Wolf kissed her again, causing a tingle to shoot down her spine into her toes. This time he attacked her mouth less ferociously, but still she sensed something unspoken from him, though she didn’t know what. She hoped this embrace was his silent claim of her. How could she be certain with Austin so guarded and closed to her?
He broke the kiss. Looking pleased, he asked, “You ready?”
Jessie nodded, realizing if Austin tossed her away after this week, then her heart would break in two, and she would lose all her cowboy loves, which now included a man she called “Master.”
* * * *
Austin sat in a chair next to his bed, waiting for Jessie to fall asleep.
“Master?” Her eyelids were fluttering heavily from fatigue induced by the bath he’d given her.
“Shh, pet. Go to sleep.”
“Thank you.”
Jessie’s bravery and determination had totally trampled his self-control, sending his previous game plan out the window. “You’re welcome.”
She sighed. “Austin, thank you for showing me—”
“Pet, you’re exhausted. Rest.”
“I will, but…” Tears brimmed in her gorgeous eyes. “Your brothers and I shouldn’t have tried to…I mean, I shouldn’t have…tricked…sorry.” Two little streams fell down her cheeks.
“Quiet, sweetheart.” He leaned forward in the chair, grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Talking can wait. Now, be good and catch some zees.”
She smiled, nodded, and closed her eyes. As he expected, she dropped off in less than a minute.
Austin gazed at the metal around her tiny neck. An unbreakable connection to Jessie wrapped itself around his being as she continued to meet his dominance with the most courageous submissiveness he’d ever experienced. Soon, he would replace her training choker with a permanent collar.
He stood up. Though tempted to crawl in next to her, he needed time alone to think. He walked to the panel of paper and wood, and then turned back.
Before quietly closing the divider, he glanced once again at the center of the bed that held the sleeping beauty. Mine.
So much for his plan to push her away. Instead, she’d ensnared him completely. Seeing her on his A-frame had broken his willpower flat. He’d tried to keep his head, tried to stay focused on the task, and tried to keep his brothers’ happiness in mind. But every thought crumbled when he felt her trembles as he applied the salve to her marks he’d given her.
He’d been willing to let her go to be their wife, knowing how it would crush him. How he wished he could see his way clear to join his brothers in a plural marriage with her, but he couldn’t.