From the angle of the sun streaming in through the sliding glass door, she guessed it was around six o’clock. Normally at this time she would be in the bathroom of her cozy room in the slave quarters, getting washed up and ready for morning exercise and positions training on the beach with the other staff slaves and trainees.
The others would know where she was, since there were no secrets in the small, close-knit community. The girls would no doubt be discussing her and Adam, all of them desperately curious to know what was up with the handsome whip maker who had returned so soon to the island after his last visit.
Very uncharacteristically for her, she wanted to rush down and gush to the others about her amazing night with this gorgeous, sexy man. She wanted to share every marvelous detail of his surprise return with the women who had become her close friends—as close as she allowed anyone to get to her these days.
Since she’d arrived on the island, she’d watched her fellow staff slaves fall, one after another, for wonderful, worthy Doms. She’d listened with rapt attention to the details of their romantic adventures, both past and present. She’d tried her best not to be jealous. Surely, it was only a matter of time before she, too, found a true connection. But as the months passed, she was forced to confront the very real possibility that Sir had ruined her for any future relationship. She was too afraid to open up again—to trust.
Yet, she wasn’t ready to give up. A part of her—the strong and noble warrior spirit her mother had instilled in her from childhood—refused to accept that one man—one bad experience—would shape the rest of her romantic life. Yet, she’d been unable to lower the barriers she’d erected in the aftermath of that trauma.
Adam was the first man to penetrate her defenses, at least to some degree. Whatever was happening between them was wonderful and exciting. Rather than fretting that they only had a day or two together until he left again, she would make the most of it.
She pulled the pocket door between the bathroom and bedroom silently closed. She used the toilet and brushed her teeth. After a quick shower, she reached for a towel. While drying herself, she turned away from the mirror and twisted back to regard her back and ass. Other than a single faint welt still visible on her right butt cheek, there was no evidence of the skillfully rendered fire play from the night before. She was already looking forward to whatever fresh marks Adam chose to give her today.
She opened the pocket door carefully and peered in the bedroom, now awash in lemony sunshine. Adam was still sleeping, one arm thrown over his eyes.
She could see the sexy bulge of a morning erection beneath the sheets and her mouth actually watered with desire. But again, she forced herself to resist. He had to be exhausted after a full day of travel and a full night of sex.
Padding silently to the sliding glass door, she pulled it open and stepped out onto the balcony that overlooked the beach. She drew in a deep breath of the cool, salty air as she lifted her face to the sky. The ocean glittered beyond the shore. Her eye was drawn toward the graceful arc of a dolphin rising above the water, her baby alongside her. As Shani watched in delight, several more dolphin mamas with their babies appeared, cavorting in the waves, the sun gleaming on their silver flanks. She watched them until they eventually disappeared beneath the waves once more.
She startled at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Adam. He had pulled on a pair of shorts, his broad, smooth chest bare. There was a sexy bulge at his crotch.
She started to sink to her knees, hungry to kiss his gorgeous cock. But before she could, he took her into his arms and gave her a long, melting kiss that left her breathless. “I was worried for a minute you’d disappeared on me,” he murmured as he held her close.
“You won’t get rid of me that easy,” she said with a laugh.
“Good to know.”
Eventually he let her go. He gripped the railing as he faced the water. “Man, it’s so peaceful here.” He lifted his muscular arms in a long stretch over his head. “Even without the awesome BDSM, this place is like heaven on earth.”
“It is lovely here,” Shani agreed. “Even in the winter, it’s beautiful, with the white-capped waves crashing against the empty shore. It’s quite a contrast to an Oregon winter.”
“I remember you said you grew up not far from Portland,” Adam said, his face suddenly lighting up with what seemed to be barely suppressed excitement. “How long has it been since you went home for a visit?”