Braden smiles. A big smile showcasing his perfect teeth. A smile I’ve so rarely seen. The darkness that is always present disappears for a moment as he looks at me, looks at the dogs.
He’s happy.
Braden Black is happy.
I want to bottle this moment and save it forever. Hold it close to my heart and never let it go.
I love you.
The words hover on my tongue, but I can’t bring them forth. He most likely won’t return them, and I can’t risk that devastation.
“Do you have a name for her?” Braden asks.
“Penny. I named her at the shelter.”
“Oh? Tessa didn’t tell me.”
“Because I didn’t tell her. I kept it to myself. I didn’t think I’d ever see this baby again.” I pick Penny up once more and snuggle her soft fur against my cheek. “I love her so much.”
Again, Braden is smiling. And God, he’s so handsome. So magnificent. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him look more devastatingly beautiful.
And I make a decision. A true and honest decision for tonight and for however long he’ll have me.
I’ll give him what he craves.
I’ve said it before, yet still I’ve struggled against it.
No more.
He’s earned it.
My control.
I’ll give it up to him for good. Tonight.
Braden takes Penny from me and ushers Sasha out of the room and up the stairs, where I presume Annika or someone else will tend to them. I’ve never been up those stairs, and though I’m curious, my curiosity is tamped down by my pure love for the man before me.
Can he love me back?
Will he love me back?
A man doesn’t rescue a puppy for a woman he feels nothing for, does he?
I don’t dwell on it. I want to be in Braden’s bed. I want to show him how I feel even if I can’t tell him.
I want to give him what he desires.
“Braden,” I say.
He fingers a few strands of my hair. “Hmm?”
“Take me to bed. Please.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
He doesn’t hesitate. He sweeps me into his arms and marches to the bedroom. The lights from the harbor illuminate the dark wood and bedding. Later, I’ll do my last post for Susanne standing by this window.
Now, though?
I don’t think about work. I think only of the man whose arms hold me as if I’m light as a feather.
“I’m yours,” I say. “Do whatever you want to me.”
His eyes darken. “That’s a tall order, Skye. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely sure.”
He lifts his gaze to the contraption above his bed. “Anything?”
I nod, trembling. “What is that thing?”
“It’s no longer functional,” he says.
I hold back a sigh of relief.
“It was a harness, where I could suspend a partner, but I found that sort of play wasn’t particularly enjoyable for me.”
“Oh? What about your partner?”
“Depended on the partner.”
I opened this can of worms, and I suddenly wish I hadn’t. I’m about to give up control for good to this man, and I don’t want to think about all the other partners he’s had in this room.
“Why is it still there, then?”
“I just haven’t gotten around to having it removed yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I met a woman who invades my mind every fucking second.” He sets me on the bed. “And all I can think about is all the dark and dirty things I want to do to her.”
I swallow. It’s okay. I want these things as much as he does. I want to give in.
“Did you like it when I bound your wrists?” he asks.
I nod, my body thrumming.
“How about these?” He tugs the chain between the clamps. “Do you like these?”
I nod again, inhaling swiftly against the torturous pleasure the clamps inflict on my nipples.
“Say yes, Skye.”
“Yes. I like them. A lot.”
“Did you like it when I covered your eyes?”
“Yes, Braden.”
“What else would you like me to do to you, Skye?”
I suck in a breath. “Whatever you want.”
He raises his eyebrows, sits down on the bed next to me, and fingers the odd notches on the runs of his headboard. “Do you know what these are?”
“No.”
“I had this headboard specially designed. I have bindings that secure here and here, and same on the footboard. They’ll hold you in place, all four of your limbs, render you completely helpless, Skye. What if I want to do that to you? Tie you up spread-eagle and then have my way with you?”
My body pulsates. “Then I want you to.”
He stands and walks to his highboy, opens a drawer, and pulls out what appears to be a riding crop. “What if I want to use this all over your body while you’re tied up?”
“I want you to do it.”
He sets the crop down and picks up a stainless steel object. “This is the anal plug I used on your body while you were blindfolded. What if I want to put this in your ass and then fuck you?”