She nearly snorted. “Ahh, yeah, there’s no issues on that front.”
> He grinned. Actually grinned. Had she seen him smile yet? Sometimes his eyes twinkled. Briefly. But actually smile? No.
And it was a thing of beauty. Her heart raced. Her clit actually throbbed. Without being touched.
Good Lord, a woman could live and breathe for a smile like that. Sacrifice everything to see that every day.
So why are you hesitating? Give that man everything he wants.
Because she’d given a man all of herself once. And when he was taken from her. . .she’d fallen into a dark place. She knew she couldn’t go back to that place. Wasn’t sure she’d find a way out again. Even though she knew logically that just because Dave died didn’t mean that anything would happen to Doc, it still made her hesitate. Made her wonder if she was strong enough.
“Good to know,” he crooned. “Because I think you’re gorgeous, girl. Smart, caring, a little odd at times—”
“Hey,” she protested. But she did it with a grin. Because let’s face it, she could be totally odd sometimes.
He rubbed her lower back. “I know it was hard on you, losing Dave. I’m not a replacement for him. I wouldn’t want to be. But I do feel a pull towards you, Caley. And I think you feel the same. So how about you give me a shot? I’ll stay here awhile and we’ll explore things. As much as you feel comfortable with. I don’t need to see your Little yet. I understand how much trust that takes. But I am a dominant guy. I can’t hold that back.”
“Yeah, kind of seen that already.”
“I can help you,” he told her seriously. He rubbed her back as he spoke, and she lay on her front. “I can help you get a bit more balance in your life. You work too much. You don’t eat or rest enough.”
“I need to work,” she warned.
“I get it. I wouldn’t stand in your way. But can you honestly tell me you need to work as much as you do? You might actually get more done in a shorter amount of time if you weren’t running on caffeine, no sleep and zero calories.”
She smiled. “There’s calories in the creamer.”
He snorted when she groaned as he reached her shoulders. “Not good ones. What do you say, girl?”
She sighed. “You’ll leave eventually.”
“Can’t guarantee forever. You might be begging for me to leave. I’ve got it on good authority that I’m not easy to live with.”
She didn’t know. If he gave massages like this, she could forgive a lot.
“But we can face that hurdle when we get to it. Sometimes, you’ve just got to have a bit of faith that things will work out the way they should.”
“Didn’t take you for a believer in fate.”
“I’m not. But I’m not the sort of person that stands back and lets life come at me. If I want something, I go for it. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out. But I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve gotten. Makes me appreciate it all the more. Let me Top you. Nothing heavy. A few rules. Bit of punishment if you disobey. Doesn’t have to be anything sexual. Doesn’t have to be any age play.”
She thought it over as he continued to rub her back. She should likely say no. Save herself heartache. But then would she always regret it? Always wonder? When was she ever likely to get an offer like this? And from someone like Isaac? Gorgeous. Dominant.
If she said yes and then couldn’t do it, she could always safeword out.
And she had Archer as back-up. Not that she didn’t trust Doc but there was something about having Archer here that made her feel safe.
But he’s not part of this. You need to remember that.
“All right,” she said quietly, before she could talk herself out of it. “But I can’t…I don’t know that it will go anywhere. I have so much baggage where Dave is concerned. I’m not sure I can ever give you anything more.”
“You can try. That’s all I ask. Let’s just try. If either of us don’t want more, then it doesn’t go further.”
“All right. Do I have to call you Sir, though? I’ve never been much into that.”
“No, you can call me Doc.”
“I rather like Issy.”