Atonement (Master's Protege 2)

“Oh?”

“It is. You know where I am, at all times. If you’re not by my side, one of the guys is, and you make sure that I’m safe from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed, and even when I go to sleep.”

A shadow darkens his eyes for such a brief moment, I almost miss it. “Do you feel smothered, Violet?”

I shake my head. I know the answer to this question. “No. I feel… loved.”

For the first time in my life.

I know that if I decided to leave, he’d let me. He let me go once, even though I know it pained him to do so, and he’d do it again if he had to. It would wound him… scar him, even… but I’m certain that if I needed him to, he’d let me. The freedom that comes from being his, from really, truly, being his, is worth every smothering thing he does, because I know he loves me.

“Good, Vi,” he says, kissing the top of my head, an easy target for him because of how tall he is in proportion to me. “I want you to feel that way.”

A ferocious little bark sounds not far behind me. I turn to see Cudgel, nearly fully grown, bounding his way toward me with endless puppy energy. I bend to greet him, and he nearly tackles me over in his enthusiasm to greet me.

“He’ll be a strong defender one day,” I say to him. And to myself. And soon we’ll need that.

I need to tell Cain. I will, I just… I want to hold my news to myself for a little while longer. I also want to take him to the target range for “practice,” and I’m afraid he won’t touch me if I tell him now.

“Got my new Wilson. You know, it’s okay to actually make me earn these things every once in a while.”

He grins. “You like it, baby?”

I grin back at him. “Ah, hello, I fucking love it. Is that even a question?”

“Then you’ve earned it. I’ve never seen anyone get as excited about a new gun as you.”

I reach for his hand. “Not true. You lit up like a bonfire when your new Ruger showed up.”

“Well, yeah, that baby was on back-order for fucking ever.”

“Still, you can’t deny you were excited.”

He squeezes my hand. “Not denying anything. Want to test them both out?”

“Hell yes I do.”

We head to the range. I’ve already set things up so we’re ready. We shoot until our guns are hot to the touch and our stomachs are growling with hunger, but there’s still plenty of time for a little more.

“I will never forget taking you here. I will never fucking forget that first day here. I teased you with the knife…”

“Mmm. Now that I haven’t forgotten.”

His eyes heat, and he reaches into his pocket. “You haven’t?”

My mouth is dry, and my throat doesn’t want to work. I shake my head from side to side.

“Good. Because I know an excellent way to establish more trust between us.”

I blink before I nod. I want this. I need this.

“Hands over your head, baby, and bend over the table.”

I obey by instinct, offering him my wrists. He quickly secures them in the straps above my head. My feet are planted on either side of me, supporting me, as I hear him draw the knife out of its sheath.

“There,” he says, as if he’s just revealed a perfect masterpiece. “I’ll buy you a new one.”

Panic slams into me. “A new what?”

“A new everything.” Rip. The knife slashes through my leggings, and they fall to the floor like ribbons. Another tear, and my panties join them.

“Will I need to wear your T-shirt back to the house again?”

“I’ll figure it out. Hush now, Violet.”

I hush.

I close my eyes.

I draw in a sharp breath when the knife grazes my shoulder blade, then my neck. He draws a pattern across my back, then kisses the scars there, before he drags the knife between my ass cheeks.

“Cain,” I gasp, trembling.

“Trust me, Violet.”

I close my eyes and nod. I do. I trust him. I trust him implicitly. It’s taken a while to get here, but he’s proven himself so often, I know now that I can trust him fully.

The tip of the knife crosses lower still, to where my thighs meet my ass, and then he scrapes it along each of my thighs. The skin burns, then tingles, and I feel as if every sense has been magnified. I freeze completely when he places the handle of the knife between my legs.

“Open those legs up.”

I trust him.

I do what he tells me. He glides the handle between my legs. It’s cold and hard, but I’m so turned on, I’d come with one stroke of his fingers.

“Fucking gorgeous. Look at you,” he murmurs to himself. “You really do trust me.”