He reached for her, guiding her gently back into his arms. “Hey,” he soothed, stroking her hair. “Right now it’s just a fantasy. I get that. But it’s a powerful one. You can’t deny that.”
He was right. She couldn’t.
Eventually, she relaxed again in his embrace, fatigue getting the better of her. He continued to stroke her hair, his touch soothing.
Just as she was drifting toward sleep, he whispered, “One day, Dahlia, I’m going to bring that slave fantasy to life for you. One day soon.”
She lifted her head to look at him in the moonlight filtering through her bedroom window. “Is that a dare?” she asked, going for a saucy, playful tone to defuse the zing of nervous excitement his words had engendered.
“More than a dare,” he said, smiling back at her. “It’s a promise.”
Chapter 16
On New Year’s Eve at around four, Hayden opened the weather app on his phone, frowning as he scanned the forecast. Staff chatter at the hospital had been growing throughout the day about the pending storm. They were predicting upward of a foot or more of snow over the next twenty-four hours, with winds exceeding forty miles per hour. The city would come to a standstill.
He had planned a nice dinner out at a fine restaurant to celebrate the last day of the year with Dahlia. But with the whole city apparently shutting down, possibly for days, he had a better idea. He thumbed a quick text to Dahlia.
Looks like this is going to be a mess. The weather guys are recommending anyone who can to get home and stay there. Are you in a position to leave yet? If we’re going to be stuck at home all weekend, we might as well be stuck together, right?
While waiting to hear back from her, Hayden headed to his office to gather his things. He could definitely think of worse things than being housebound with Dahlia Simon. She responded about ten minutes later.
Just got out of surgery. I have to wrap up a few things and brief my on-call resident. I could be ready in about twenty minutes. Does that work?
Hayden fired back a response.
Like a charm. I’ll get the car from the garage and meet you outside emergency.
He was just pulling into the line of cars queuing in front of the emergency room entrance when his phone rang, automatically connecting through his car’s Bluetooth as Dahlia’s name flashed across the screen.
He clicked on the call. “What’s up?”
“It occurs to me I don’t have any extra clothes. Should we stop at my place first so I can pack an overnight bag?”
“Not wise,” Hayden said. “It’s really bad out here. This is turning into a blizzard. We’ll be lucky just to make it to my building at the rate things are going. Anyway, don’t worry. I’ve got plans for you, and they don’t include clothing.”
“Oh, you do, huh?”
Her tone was playful but he responded seriously.
“I do. This is your chance to advance from the BDSM baby pool into deeper waters. With the city shutting down, we’ll have no distractions. You’re ready to move out of your comfort zone and into new territory. I want to be the one to take you there, Dahlia. I want to claim you as you’ve never been claimed. The question is, are you courageous enough to take the plunge?”
She didn’t respond immediately, save for an audible intake of breath. He wouldn’t push her. He’d made the offer. It was now up to her.
Finally she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes. Yes, Sir. I am.”
Though his heart swooped with excitement, he managed to keep his voice calm. “Excellent.”
Once he’d ended the call, he allowed himself a triumphant smile. Everything had been building toward this moment. If things went according to his plans, he would strip away the last vestiges of her resistance. No more BDSM lite. She was ready for the real thing.
He couldn’t wait to begin.
A moment later, Dahlia emerged from the building, bundled into her winter coat, sneakers on her feet. He tapped his horn lightly and flashed his lights so she would notice him in the line of cars. She waved and headed in his direction, wind and snow buffeting her as she went.
Leaning over, he opened her door a crack, letting in a blast of chilly air.
“Whoa,” she exclaimed as she slid into the passenger seat and pulled the door closed. “It’s worse than I thought out here.”
“Don’t worry.” Hayden eased the car out of the line. “You’ll be safe and sound in my dungeon. There are no windows in that room—nothing to distract you.” He kept his tone light, as if he were only teasing.
“Yeah, right,” she responded in the same playful tone. But a flush moved over her cheeks, and it wasn’t from the cold outside.
Turning back to the road, he smiled.