CHAPTER26
Justin froze for a long moment before turning off the water and turning away from his friend to dry his hands. “Why would I know what’s going on with her?”
“You knew where to find her last night.”
After drying his hands, Justin moved to exit the bathroom. “That’s a big leap to me knowing what’s going on with her.”
Mark followed him out. “I think she’s seeing someone.”
Keeping his gaze straight ahead, he continued to make his way back toward their table. “You do realize your sister’s an adult, right? As much as you don’t like to think about it, she does date. I’m sure she has sex, too.”
His friend didn’t respond right away, so Justin was thinking he was going to let it go. Instead, Justin felt Mark’s hand wrap around his arm, his fingers digging into Justin’s flesh. It wasn’t painful, but it was meant to get his attention.
He turned and looked at his friend. Mark’s breathing was more labored than it should have been for the pace they were walking. “Someone hit her last night.”
Justin’s eyes widened. “What do you mean someone hit her? She looked fine to me.”
“I told you about the marks on her back. Someone did that to her.” Mark took a step closer and lowered his voice. “I think they were from a rope or...what do you call it...a crop or something. I should have had you look at them.”
Swallowing, Justin tried not to react to the disdain in his friend’s voice. He knew Mark didn’t understand his lifestyle, but he’d never heard him react this way. Then again, they’d never been talking about his sister before. “Maybe she likes that sort of thing.”
Mark’s brow furrowed, and he released his hold on Justin’s arm. “She can’t like that stuff, man. Kim’s too...”
“Too what?”
His friend shook his head. “I just don’t want to think about her into that kind of stuff.”
He was getting irritated with Mark. Even if he didn’t realize it, what he was saying was kind of insulting. “Kinky stuff, you mean.”
“Yeah.” Then he must have realized how what he was saying sounded. “I know that’s your thing, man, and that’s cool. But Kim...”
“Is a grown woman and able to make her own decisions.”
Mark blew out a breath. “She’s my little sister.”
Justin just looked at him, not trusting himself to speak.
Running a hand through his hair, Mark averted his gaze. “What if she gets hurt?”
He wanted to say something along the lines of I’d never hurt her, but of course he couldn’t say that. “I hate to break it to you, but you can’t always protect her.”
“I can break the bastard’s nose.”
Justin tried not to react. Luckily, Mark wasn’t paying attention to him. His gaze had drifted to Belinda, Kim, and Ali as they made their way toward them. Apparently, they’d gotten tired of waiting for them to return.
“We were wondering if you two got lost,” Kim said, eyeing both of them.
“Nope,” Justin said. “You ready to go?”
Belinda finished doing up the buttons on her coat. “Hopefully, they have Davis back in his room. I’ll feel better once I see him.”
Once again, he took up the rear as they walked the short distance back to the hospital. Davis was propped up in his bed. He was a bit groggy but otherwise seemed okay. The nurse advised us not to stay long so he could get some rest.
Ali and I stood by the door and let Belinda, Mark, and Kim have a moment with the family patriarch.
“Did Mark grill you?” Ali asked, in not much more than a whisper.
Justin shrugged. He wasn’t sure what he’d call his conversation with Mark. His friend was worried about his sister. He understood that. But Mark took his protective streak too far sometimes. Kim wasn’t a little girl anymore and Mark needed to come to terms with that.
“Go home and get some rest, sweetheart. I’ll be fine. The nurses will take care of me.”
Belinda didn’t want to leave his side. “I can sleep on the cot like I did last night.”
“You couldn’t have gotten a lot of rest on that thing, Mom,” Kim said. “Go home. Get some sleep. Dad will be fine for one night and he’ll get to go home tomorrow.”
Mark placed a hand on his mom’s shoulder. “Kim’s right. You need to take care of yourself.”
Realizing she was outnumbered, Belinda nodded. “Okay. But we’re making sure the nurse has my number.”
“Of course, Mom.” Mark stood next to his mom as she kissed her husband goodbye, then walked with her to the nurse’s station to make sure they had all her contact information.
Kim leaned over and kissed her dad on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dad.”
He gave her arm a squeeze and smiled up at her.
Justin and Ali both said their goodbyes to Davis, then left him to get some rest.
It was after eight o’clock by the time Justin pulled into his driveway. Kim was taking her mom home, and he was hoping after that she’d be coming to his place. These long days of having her so close but not being able to touch her were wearing on him.
His conversation with Mark was also weighing on his mind. They weren’t going to make it the three weeks. He knew it in his gut. But Kim was still reluctant to take that final step. He knew she could be a good submissive for him, but he had to get her to see it as well.
He was putting a load of laundry in the wash when he heard a car door slam shut. His heart rate kicked up a notch at the thought of seeing her. It had always been that way to a certain extent, but it was different now. Before, it had been mixed with dread because he couldn’t do anything about his feelings. That wasn’t the case anymore.
She didn’t get a chance to knock before he opened the door and gathered her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair, absorbing her warmth...her scent.
Her lips grazed his neck, and he felt a shiver travel down his spine. His love for this woman filled his chest and he wanted so badly to be able to tell her.
Taking her face in his hands, he lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss wasn’t rushed. It was soft, yet firm. Loving, yet possessive. Her lips glided against his.
Justin ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, and she opened her mouth, allowing him inside. His tongue caressed hers, dancing, playing. He loved kissing her.
Kim snaked her hand between them and began unzipping her coat. Once the zipper was free, he helped her push it off her shoulders and onto the floor. “That’s better,” she mumbled against his lips.
He hummed and kissed his way down her jaw to her neck. “Much.”
She canted her head to the side, giving him better access as she threaded her fingers through his hair. “Make love to me.”
He hadn’t planned on having sex tonight. Yes, he wanted to, but he always wanted to have sex with Kim. “You’re sure, baby?”
“Yes.” She gazed up at him. “I need to feel you inside me. I want to forget about everything but you.”
Placing another kiss on her lips, he released her. “Get yourself ready for bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Kim nodded and made her way down the hall to his bedroom.
He took his time checking the doors and turning off all the lights, needing to calm down a little. The last thing she needed tonight was for him to jump her. She’d asked him to make love to her, not fuck her senseless.
The sight of her lying naked on his bed was something he wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon. He’d expected to find her in his bed, under the covers, preferably naked. But she wasn’t in his bed. She was on his bed. Laid out like a dish waiting to be devoured.
Kicking his shoes into the corner, he crossed his arms at the waist and lifted his shirt up his torso and over his head. He threw it onto the floor and crossed to the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight as he crawled on top of her, bracing his weight with his arms. “I thought you’d be in bed.”
She gazed up at him without an ounce of shyness. “I was waiting for you. I was afraid if I got under the covers, I’d fall asleep.”
Her hands grazed his chest, gliding over his nipples before she circled her arms around his neck. He gazed down at her, his erection pressing painfully against his jeans. “And you don’t want to sleep.”
Kim shook her head, the motion causing strands of her hair to tickle his forearms. “No. I don’t want to sleep. Not yet.”
His cock pulsed at her words. He eased himself on top of her and captured her mouth with his.
There were so many times today when Kim had wanted to touch Justin. Her dad rarely got sick, and seeing him in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors, was difficult to process. It was as if all at once she was hit with the fact that he wouldn’t always be there.
Sadness had gripped her and all she wanted was to fall into Justin’s arms and have him tell her everything would be okay. Given how independent she usually was, it felt wrong to need someone like she felt she needed him.
But as he pressed her body into the mattress, the comfort she’d been seeking warmed her body in ways she never thought possible. She’d had boyfriends before, but never once had she felt connected to them the way she did Justin. Wanting to see him...talk to him...feel him...was a new experience for her when it came to men.
She turned her head to give him access to her neck as he licked his way down the column of her neck, and then back up to take her earlobe into his mouth. He suckled it and worried it between his teeth, sending little tingles shooting down her body. She’d never had someone play with her earlobes before and she found she liked it. At least from him.
Her hips lifted off the bed of their own accord, seeking the friction she so badly desired. She could feel his length, hard and firm against her thigh.
“Patience, baby.”
“I want you. I want to feel you inside me.” She paused as an overwhelming rush of emotion came over her. “I need you.”
He skimmed his hand down the length of her body, resting it on her hip, and lifted his head to meet her gaze. She had no idea what he saw, but he placed a firm kiss on her lips and scurried off the bed.
She watched as he removed his jeans and socks, kicking them to the side. Then he opened the drawer in his nightstand and fished out a condom. It only took a few seconds for him to tear the package open and roll the protection down his length.
Justin stood beside the bed, looking down at her. He brushed the hair away from her face and trailed the back of his hand along her cheek. “Push yourself up onto the pillows.”
Doing as he asked, she lowered her head onto the soft pillow and sighed in contentment as he positioned himself between her legs. He placed two fingers at her entrance, circling before pressing them inside.
Kim closed her eyes and arched her back as he massaged her inner walls. She was wet and ready for him.
The mattress moved under his weight, but it wasn’t his cock she felt next. It was his mouth. He slid his fingers in and out of her as he licked her swollen flesh. She wanted his cock inside her, but this felt so good, too.
His tongue began to circle her clit and she felt her orgasm building. She reached down, fisting his hair, not sure if she wanted him to stop or keep going.
With his free hand, he removed her hand and placed it on the bed. “Keep your hand on the bed. I’m not stopping until you come all over my face.”
Heat zinged through her and zeroed in on her clit. She arched her back, silently begging for more.
He traced her lips with the tip of his tongue before returning to her clit. It seemed to go on and on and her chest was heaving with her exaggerated breaths. She was so close, but she needed a little more. Just a little more pressure to her clit and she’d be flying.
Sweat beaded on her body and she gripped the sheets with white knuckles. Her entire body was vibrating.
Then he took her clit into his mouth and sucked as if his life depended on it.
Her body collapsed in on itself. Something between a cry and a scream left her lips as she rode out her climax. Wave after wave hit her, prolonging her release.
Then she felt him. Not his fingers. Not his mouth. He thrust his cock into her in one fluid motion, sending another shock wave through her system.
“Breathe, baby.” His lips hovered over hers and she could smell herself. Her scent wafted off him, marking him as hers, and a sense of possession gripped her. He was hers.
She needed to touch him. To show him how she felt because she wasn’t sure she could put it into words. No man had ever made her feel the things he did. “I want. To touch. You.”
Her words were broken up between her ragged breaths, but it didn’t matter. He licked across her bottom lip and whispered, “Touch me.”
Kim wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her hands up his muscular back. He kissed her, plunging his tongue deep into her mouth as he pumped his hips, driving his cock into her sex. They couldn’t get any closer, and yet she couldn’t seem to get close enough. She wanted more. Always more of him.
His lips never left hers as his hand moved lower, bracketing her hip, holding her exactly where he wanted her. He ground his pelvis against her clit, and she felt another orgasm building.
This one didn’t hit her with as much force as the first, but that didn’t lessen its impact. He swallowed her screams as she rode out her climax before grunting his own release.
Justin rolled over and pulled her onto his chest. He was breathing as hard as she was and she closed her eyes, not wanting to let go of the moment.
They lay there as their breathing returned to normal. His fingers brushed through her hair, relaxing her even more. “I need to go clean up.”
“Okay.” She didn’t move.
He chuckled. “That means I need to get up.”
Reluctantly, she let him go.
Kim rolled over and watched him stroll into the bathroom. Once he was out of sight, she flopped onto her back and sighed. The man made her feel as if she had no bones left in her body every time they were together. It didn’t matter if the sex was hard and fast or if it was slow and gentle. Her body would take him any way it could get him.
As that thought resonated through her post-orgasmic brain, her worries surfaced again. She wanted a future with him. Wanted it more than anything she’d ever wanted in her life. But the fear that she couldn’t be everything he needed still plagued her. He deserved a submissive who could serve him without overthinking everything.
Was she able to do that?
Justin emerged from the bathroom in all his naked glory. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and reached for her hand. “How are you feeling?”
That was a good question. But he wasn’t asking her about her mental state. Or at least not in regards to the thoughts currently swirling around in her head. “Tired.”
“Your dad’s going to be all right. He’s strong.” That grin that did things to her insides pulled at his lips. “And stubborn.”
She squeezed his hand. “I know. I’m glad it wasn’t worse. Sometimes he doesn’t realize he’s not as young as he used to be.”
He smiled and brought her hand to rest on his thigh. “I know the timing might not be perfect, but I’d like to take you away for a couple of days. Just the two of us.”
So many emotions hit Kim at once. Her first thought was yes, please. But it was quickly followed by worry about leaving her dad.
Before she could come up with a coherent response, he continued. “I don’t think Mark is going to let this go. You know how he is. He’s not likely to let this mystery go unsolved.” Justin met her gaze. “It will be so much worse if he finds out on his own. I don’t want to wait for that to happen.”
“And you think the two of us disappearing for a few days is going to fix that?” She was trying to follow his train of thought, but his logic wasn’t making sense.
“I don’t think it’s going to take him three weeks to figure out that you and I are seeing each other. He’s already come close to catching us once.”
She hadn’t known at the time it was Mark, but the thought of her brother walking in on her, naked, in Justin’s bedroom had her pulse kicking up a notch and not in a good way. “You don’t want to wait the three weeks.” It wasn’t really a question. He’d hinted at it before.
“I don’t.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the tips of her fingers. “The month was to figure out if you can be a good submissive for me.”
He held her gaze, waiting for her to nod her agreement.
“I want to prove to you that you can.”
Kim sat up, feeling strangely at a disadvantage lying down. “How?”
“We go away for the weekend. I’ll pick you up from work Friday night and we can spend two days alone, just us.”
“And we’d be playing the whole weekend?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Kim wasn’t sure what to say, so she took a moment to process what he was saying. She couldn’t argue with his logic, but could she submit to him for two days straight? The whole problem was that, according to Ali, she couldn’t get out of her own head. How were two days away going to change that?
On the other hand, maybe it would answer the question that was looming over their relationship. Could she be a good submissive for him?
It was the one thing holding their relationship back. He was right about that. The sex was amazing. And they had no issues out of bed either. The only sticking point—the only thing standing between them and a future together—was whether she could live a D/s lifestyle with him.
Justin stood. “Think about it and let me know by Wednesday so I can make the arrangements.”
“Where would we go?”
He didn’t seem bothered by her question...or surprised. “A friend of Katrina’s owns a cabin about an hour from here. It will give us privacy and your brother doesn’t know about it.”
Two days in a cabin alone with Justin. Her sex pulsed at the thought.
Releasing her hand, he stood and walked around to the other side of the bed. He slid in beside her and gathered her into his arms as if their conversation hadn’t happened.
Kim snuggled against his chest, letting what he’d said permeate her brain. The chances of keeping their relationship a secret from her brother for the next three weeks were slim. Justin was right about that. And it was only her concern about submitting to him that was holding her back. Every cell in her body wanted to be with him. It was only the fallout if things didn’t work out that she feared. She knew that if push came to shove, her brother would choose her, and she didn’t want him to lose his best friend.
She propped herself up on her elbow so she could look at him. “Two days?”
“Yes.” He grazed his knuckles over her cheek and waited.
As much as the thought of giving over control to him for two whole days terrified her, she knew she needed to try. Their future depended on it. “Okay. I’ll go away with you this weekend.”
“And be my submissive?”
She swallowed. “And be your submissive. You’ll be in control.”
A wicked smile bloomed on his face and he brought her lips to his. “We are going to have so much fun, baby.”