When she straightened, Kade met her eyes and held out his hand. “You ready to become mine, Tessa?”
The simple question held a thousand warnings beneath it. She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t take this step. But she’d come too far not to see what was on the other side of the neat lines she’d always played inside. She found herself moving toward Kade. Her hand slipped into his.
His.
If only that didn’t sound so good.
TWENTY-TWO
Tessa and Kade headed to the porch, and Kade knocked on the door of the cabin.
Here we go. Tessa adjusted her corset and tried to smooth her expression so she wouldn’t show all the trepidation moving through her. This is just a game. A fantasy. I can bow out at any time with one simple word.
But it didn’t feel like that. It felt real and intense and heavy all of a sudden. Like this was some test she hadn’t studied hard enough to pass. What if she humiliated herself? Or made some mistake and embarrassed Kade? Were there certain rules or customs she was supposed to follow?
The door swung open, and a gorgeous dark-haired man in glasses greeted them with a smile. Tessa blinked, not sure what she had expected, but not really anticipating Clark Kent in a polo and slacks to be at a place like this. He reached out and shook Kade’s hand. “Good to see you, Vandergriff.”
“Wyatt,” Kade said, returning the warmth. “Sorry we’re a little late.”
“Not a problem, the whole plan’s pretty fluid tonight, and you’re not the last to arrive by any means. We actually just moved out to the back lawn.”
“Everything ready?”
“Yep, Kelsey’s taken charge of it all. She loves a party.”
Party? Tessa swallowed hard. Kade hadn’t mentioned anything about a party.
“Glad to hear she’s enjoying herself. I’m looking forward to saying hi. I haven’t seen her since you guys eloped. Congratulations, by the way, I knew when I saw you two on that island that it would only be a matter of time before that girl had your collar around her neck and a ring on her finger.”
Wyatt chuckled, the sound deep and genuine. “I’m a lucky bastard, what can I say?”
“Yeah, you are.” Kade’s wistful tone caught Tessa’s attention, but she didn’t have time to ponder it because Kade was placing a hand on her back, drawing her into the conversation. “And hey, we’re looking forward to joining y’all outside but I need to prepare my girl before we do. I had sent a few special requests to Jace.”
Wyatt smiled and spared Tessa a kind glance. “Yep, he has everything you need set up in the downstairs bathroom. We’re using that as the prep room tonight. Take a right when you go inside, second door on the left. I need to go change, but I’ll see you two in the backyard in a while.”
They exchanged good-byes and it wasn’t lost on Tessa that no introductions were exchanged. She’d asked not to be brought into his circle of friends as Tessa, the girl he was kind of dating. And he was sticking to his word.
Kade took her elbow again and guided her forward. “Come on, this shouldn’t take long.”
The house was rustic-chic and tastefully decorated, but Tessa couldn’t take in much because her mind was scrolling through endless possibilities of what exactly Kade meant by preparation. When they reached the large, slate-tiled bathroom, she began to put the pieces together. A wide bench had been placed alongside the oval bathtub and shaving cream and fresh razors where lined up along the edge. Kade shut the door behind him and locked it.
She turned to him, feeling heat of a different sort flare in her cheeks. “You want me to shave?”
She’d only ever shaved her bikini line. Doug had preferred the natural look. Now she wondered if it was some faux pas now to not be waxed or whatever.
Kade gave a hint of a smile. “No, not exactly. Lie down on the bench on your back. I’m going to shave you.”
Oh, shit. “You’re kidding, right?”
His brow arched. “What part of being a slave do you not understand? I’ll prepare you however I wish. Lie down and don’t make me tell you again.”
The firm words probably should’ve made her run instead of shiver in anticipation, but she’d asked for this fantasy for a reason. She could stand here wasting time trying to decipher her motivations for being turned on by this, but what did it matter at this point? Kade had told her he’d never judge her about her desires, so she needed to afford herself the same luxury.
“Yes, sir. My mistake.” Her hands were still bound, but she managed to get herself in position and lie down. It wasn’t long enough for her whole body so her feet stayed on the floor, her butt at the edge of the bench. Kade turned on the faucet in the bathtub, and the roaring sound of the water filled her ears.
He touched the top of her foot and she jumped. He gave her shin a little flick with his finger, silently telling her to stay still. Once she complied, something smooth wrapped around her ankle and tightened. “This is a spreader bar. It will keep your legs open for me and will stop you from squirming so I don’t hurt you.”
He locked her other ankle into the device, and she tried to move but couldn’t draw her legs together. “Kade, sir . . .”