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She stared at him for a long moment, and he could almost see when the awareness dawned.
“You’re a dom,” she said flatly, not looking at all happy about this conclusion.
The term sounded almost foreign to his ears, it’d been so long since someone had called him that. “I used to be.”
She shook her head and looked to the heavens. “I should’ve known.”
Wyatt crossed his arms. “But Jace told me you were, too. Why are you in here?”
All the starch seemed to leave her body as she knotted the sash around her waist and pulled the robe more tightly around her. “I’m trying to get promoted to a trainer so I can make more money. This is part of the process.”
“How much money do you need, Kelsey?” he said, the possessiveness flaring up in him again. He’d be damned if he was going to let her turn her body over to some random guy so she could get cash.
She pinned him with a warning gaze. “I appreciate your concern, but don’t get any charitable notions. I don’t take handouts, Wyatt. I can handle this.”
The door opened behind him, and he spun around to find his brother with an I-told-you-so look standing behind a man who could only be Colby. The guy was as tall as Wyatt but built like a fucking lumberjack. And he looked mad enough to swing an ax Wyatt’s way. “Kelsey, you all right, sweetheart? Or do I need to haul this fucker outside?”
Wyatt gritted his teeth.
Kelsey raised a palm. “It’s okay, Colby. He’s a friend of mine. And was just leaving. I’m sorry about the delay. I’ll be ready for our session in a second.”
Wyatt looked between the two of them. The hell she would. He stepped closer to Kelsey, thinking fast, altering his original plan. “I can offer you a job.”
“Wyatt—”
“I’ll pay you twenty-five thousand dollars for a week of work,” he said, snagging a figure out of the air. “But you’ll need to come with me right now.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “What?”
“I can explain everything to you, but not here.” He glanced at Colby and Jace, then back to her. “You don’t have to do this right now. At least hear me out first.”
Kelsey stared at him for a stretch of seconds, and he thought she was going to tell him to take his money and fuck off, but then she blew out a breath. “Fine.” She peered past Wyatt. “Colby, I’m sorry, hon. I didn’t mean to screw up your schedule. Can I take a rain check? I need to take care of something.”
Colby shrugged. “Sure thing. Gives me a good reason to cut out early tonight. I had a long week at the day job anyway. Let me know when you want to reschedule.”
Kelsey walked around Wyatt and pushed up on her toes to kiss Colby’s cheek. “You’re a sweetheart.”
His lip curled. “You wouldn’t have said that if you’d gone through my training session.”
Kelsey smiled and patted his arm before peeking back over her shoulder at Wyatt. “Come with me. I have to change, then you can walk me to my cabin and we’ll talk.”
For the first time ever, Wyatt saw the glimmer of dominance in her own eyes, the sass. He was on her turf now and he sensed the confidence of that running through her. The sight should’ve warned him off. He didn’t have a submissive molecule in his DNA. But somehow it only made him want her more.
“Yes ma’am,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting as he sidled up next to her, slipping a hand on the small of her back. “You’re in charge.”
Fornow.
SIX (#u8ef9626e-5fb1-53b2-bbc2-406b940a008a)
Kelsey curled her legs under her in the arm chair, listening to Wyatt make his offer. She was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that Wyatt Austin was here at The Ranch and in her cabin, chatting with her like they had some actual friendship. It was like she’d stumbled through some portal where fantasy and reality collided and morphed. But what Wyatt was suggesting was even more mind-scrambling than finding out that he used to be a dom.
“What do you think?” he asked after laying out his crazy proposal with stoic precision.
She strung together his last few sentences in her head, rewinding and digesting them again to make sure she was hearing him right. Yep. Still crazy. “So, wait a second, you want to pay me all that money to be your date?”
Small frown lines appeared around his mouth, like parentheses framing his dissatisfaction with that explanation. “Sort of. You would be posing as my girlfriend and accompanying me to events at the retreat.”
Unbelievable. She would’ve never thought the man delusional. She reached up to pull the too-tight band from her hair, releasing her ponytail and some of the pressure building in her head. “Wyatt, have you met me? I’m a waitress who grew up in a neighborhood that cops were afraid to go to at night. No one’s going to believe I’m some rich chick from out of state.”
He leaned forward on the couch, bracing his forearms on his thighs, his features half in shadows in the lamplight. “Yes, I have met you. And what I see is a beautiful woman who can think on her feet and who has the ability to charm anyone in a room. I can get you up to speed on the finer details, the etiquette. And maybe you can help me, too, because God knows making small talk and schmoozing clients are on top of the list of things I suck at.”
She arched a brow. “You can’t be that bad.”
“No. Trust me. The universe gave all of that skill set to my brother.” His focus drifted to the hand she was using to finger comb her hair, his gaze tracking her movements with open appreciation. “I like your hair down. I never get to see it that way.”
“Thank you.” She clasped her hands in her lap, the memory of how he’d looked at her in the training room coming back to her. Even before she’d gotten over the surprise of seeing him standing there, her body had gone hot and needy at his blatant perusal of her form. Never had she had that kind of reaction to such a clearly dominant assessment. The rush of it had nearly knocked her on her ass.
But she couldn’t let herself get distracted by the bone-deep attraction he always roused in her. This was dangerous territory. The suggested deal was way too reminiscent of how her mother first started her “career.” Rich men making seemingly harmless offers. A night on the town, a few pretty things to wear, and a wad of cash to help a girl with her tough situation. What was expected in return was easy, right? Especially if the guy was good looking and charming anyway. Her mother had stepped into the trap of that fairy tale facade, and the sharp-toothed demons waiting on the other side had devoured her and spit her out, leaving her irreparably broken.
And though Kelsey didn’t want to believe that this was the type of arrangement Wyatt was suggesting, she needed to ask the question. She cleared her throat. “What exactly would you be expecting for the money?”
“Precisely what I said.”
She lifted her gaze to him. “But we’d be staying in the same room.”
“Of course,” he answered, looking a bit exasperated. “I thought that was clear.”
She shifted on the couch, the answer stinging and anger welling. “So you think because I let men pay me to beat them, that I’d just take a check to fuck someone, too?”
For a second, he looked as if she’d thrown ice water in his face, then he grimaced. “Kelsey, no. Do you honestly think I’d expect sex in return for money?”
She shrugged, her heart still beating too fast. “You wouldn’t be the first guy in my life to make that offer.”
Or the tenth.
When she’d stripped at the club, the offers had come nightly. Luckily, even in her haziest days of drug addiction, she hadn’t taken anyone up on it. But she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she’d stayed with boyfriends much longer than she would’ve because they’d funded her habit. She bet if Wyatt knew all of that he wouldn’t be sitting here wanting to parade her around his clients. He wouldn’t want to be seen with her anywhere.
He dragged a hand through his hair, appearing to be truly pained that she’d ever been propositioned in that way, and met her gaze. “Look, I’m not good at lying. So I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I don’t want you. That I haven’t thought about you in exactly the position I found you in tonight. That sharing a room with you and not touching you isn’t going to be a challenge. But nothing has changed since the day I didn’t kiss you in the car. I’m not going to pretend to offer something I don’t have to give just to get you in bed.”
The stark honesty startled her, hitting some unfamiliar spot inside her. She wasn’t used to guys straight-shooting with her. All her life, the men she attracted were the smooth-talkers, the snake charmers, the guys with the wink-and-a-smile promises. This man wasn’t feeding her a line. If she took this money and stayed with him, he’d keep his hands off her no matter how much he wanted to do otherwise. She knew it without a shade of doubt.
But the question was, would she survive it? She hadn’t slept with anyone in almost a year and for the last few months, the man sitting across from her had been playing the lead role in her fantasies. Fantasies that had scared her, had made her want things she hadn’t been able to do with anyone else. Things she’d been dreading doing tonight with Colby …
“Thank you for being honest with me. And I know I can take you at your word,” she said, her voice steady as resolve began building in her, crystalizing.
“You absolutely can,” he assured, some of the darkness and tension lifting from his face, hope replacing it. “So you’ll do it?”
Twenty-five grand would solve her most pressing issue with the snap of her fingers. She’d be able to move and get on her feet, find another job. One magical sweep of the money wand and it’d be done. Someone else fixing her problems for her again. The carrot danced in front of her at the end of that stick. And it looked mighty delicious.
But before she could reach out and take a bite, she thought back to her session yesterday with Hawk, the way she’d felt when he’d dropped that fifty-dollar bill on the table. Did she want to be bought by yet another man? Hired help? The little spark of pleasure she got when she was around Wyatt would be twisted and tainted once money got dumped into the mix. And that spark was the only pure thing in her life at the moment.
A menacing voice whispered in her head. You’re going to trust this guy, you stupid girl? You’ll be all alone with him. He could hurt you, Kelsey. It could be a trap like last time. Why else would someone like him want trash likeyou?
She swiped her damp palms on her pants and mentally gave Davis Ackerman’s ghost and his ugly whispers the finger. “I’m not taking your money, Wyatt.”
His mouth went slack. “What? If it’s about sharing a room, I can get a suite with a sofa sleeper—”
She shook her head and held up a palm, halting him. “Youmay be able to survive sharing a room for all that time. But I won’t.”
He clamped his mouth shut, his brows quirking upward.
“I’m not exactly in the market for a relationship either, you know. I’m not searching for some guy from the castle on top of the hill to come save me from my poor, peasant life. Up until that asshole dragged me into the alley, I was pretty damn happy with where I was. And now I’m just pissed that I have to turn everything upside down because of him.”
“I wasn’t trying to imply that—”
“I’m not done,” she said, shifting her feet back to the floor and leaning forward. “What I need is a job that pays more so that I can get away from this current mess and get back on track with my plans. And what I have to have in order to get that job is for a dom to put me through a month of sub training.”
He scowled. “With that fucking lumberjack.”
She smirked. Colby would love that nickname. “Maybe. Or maybe you and I could do an even exchange.”
“An exchange?” he asked, his tone growing wary.
“I’ll go with you to your retreat and be the best pretend girlfriend a guy could have.” Before she could think too hard on it and chicken out, she slid off the chair and onto the floor, her knees hitting the cool wood and her heart trying to pound right out of her chest. “And you knock the dust off your dominance and put me through my paces for the first week or so of this. After that, you can decide if you want to finish my training or send me back to Colby for the rest.”
He made some noise in the back of his throat, and she couldn’t tell if it was a pleased sound or a horrified one. “Kelsey, I don’t … I haven’t since college.”
She sensed fear there, resistance, but it was underscored by the pure need that flared in his irises. And that alone sent more heat through her than anything she’d experienced in years. “Were you any good, Mr. Austin?”
He closed his eyes, rubbing his brow bone, as if looking at her wasn’t allowing him to think properly. “I mentored under the best. He told me I was a natural.”
She didn’t doubt it. The man reeked of power and control. And she had a feeling Wyatt Austin didn’t do anything unless he could master it completely. “Why did you stop?”
His eyes snapped open at that, a veil sliding down between them, his whole demeanor going distant. “Things got too … intense. Kelsey, I don’t think I can—”
She scooted closer, sliding her hands onto his spread knees. His reluctance only added more fuel to her resolve. He was scared, too. “It won’t be easy for me either. It’s been a long while since I’ve been with any guy. And giving over control triggers a lot of old fears in me. But with you, I feel like maybe I could do it. Like I want to try.”
He looked down at her, conflicting emotions waging a battle in the set of his mouth, the clench of his jaw. He cupped her face. “You asking me this while on your knees in front of me is not even close to fair fighting.”
She let a slow smile curve her lips. This was what she loved about being around Wyatt. He didn’t see her as the fuckup or a trauma victim or even as a piece of ass. He saw her as a woman. He saw her. And the simplicity of that felt amazing, empowering. “A week away. We both get something we need and something I think we’ve both been wanting since the day you sat in my section. And at the end, I don’t expect anything of you, and you don’t expect anything of me. Clean finish.”
He traced her cheekbones with his thumbs, and the simple sensation rocketed through her. She rarely let subs touch her, and never without permission. But even a brush from Wyatt had her swallowing hard. “I’d be taking advantage of your situation.”
“Maybe I’m taking advantage of yours,” she countered. “I’m attracted to you. I wanted you to kiss me in the car that day. And I’ve wanted you to act on those looks you throw at me in the restaurant. I was just afraid to make a move because I figured you wouldn’t like what you saw behind the sweet, young waitress image you’d assigned to me.”
He gave a rueful smile. “You are young. And I still think you’re sweet.”
“I’m twenty-five.”
He groaned. “Christ. I’m more than a decade older than you.”
“Like that matters.” She let her hands slide farther up his thighs, growing bolder there at his feet. “And I promise you, I’m not as sweet as you think.”
His gaze devoured her, and he pressed his palms into the couch cushions, as if it was taking everything he had not to reach out and pillage. “I wasn’t an easy master. You need to know that. And if I open up that part of me again, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep it to a CliffsNotes version.”
A shiver went through her, some strange cocktail of apprehension and anticipation stirring. She knew—really knew in the deepest part of herself—he would never harm her. She’d been eye-to-eye with evil before and could sniff out the stench of it like a dog. But seeing the honest worry in the lines around Wyatt’s mouth and the tight hold of his shoulders had her wanting to curl into his lap and kiss away those fears. “You aren’t a man who does things halfway. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you in this arena either.”
He regarded her for another long moment, then finally reached out for her.
“Come ’ere.” He cupped her shoulders, his palms hot against her bare skin, and guided her off her knees and onto the couch, straddling his lap like it was the most natural spot for her to be. Like they hadn’t been simply server and customer a few weeks ago.
He adjusted her, and the hard ridge of his cock pressed against her through the thin material of her yoga pants. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed for a moment with the feel of him, his heat, the heady masculine scent she’d only gotten teasing whiffs of before. God, how long had she imagined being this close to him? Moisture coated her sex, her whole body going into melt mode at the contact. And the feeling was good—so good—to just be turned on and hot for a guy. A taste of normal.
She forced her eyes open, not wanting to miss a moment of this. Up close, Wyatt was even more potent than she’d imagined, the blue in his eyes more intense, the curve of his mouth more sensual. Male beauty tucked behind dark-rimmed glasses and a stoic’s disposition. His palms glided across her shoulders and over the straps of her tank top, then his fingers were threading in her hair. He touched her as if he were sculpting a piece of clay to create her form—a reverence and appreciation there that made everything in her want to break open. “Promise me you won’t let me hurt you, Kelsey.”
The words were so soft, the look in his eyes so stripped, that she lost her breath for a moment. She reached out and brushed the back of her hand along his stubbled jaw. “I promise.” You can’t break the broken.
With that last assurance, it was as if the tide he’d been swimming against reversed. His fingers tightened along her skull, and he brought her mouth down to his, his lips capturing hers in a soft but demanding kiss. Her body seemed to sigh into it, to surrender to the moment. But the second her muscles went lax, his tongue parted her lips, and all semblance of slow and easy fell away from them. Their tongues collided in a rush, hungry and seeking. Her hands began to roam, grabbing at his shirt, pressing against the hard, solid body beneath, wishing there were no layers between them.
All the pent-up months of wanting this man, wanting to know what he tasted like, what would please him poured into the connection between them. Everything went electric, like static coursing over her skin, heightening her senses. The feel of his hands against her scalp, the spicy scent of his cologne, the scrape of stubble against her face—it was all amplified.
This man lit her up.
And his kiss was as desperate as hers, his lips and mouth drinking her in, consuming her one stroke and nibble at a time. He arched his hips, grinding his cock against her sex and making her moan into his mouth. In that moment, she was ready for whatever this crazy agreement would entail, as long as she got to experience him like this. This untethered abandon. She rocked forward, curling her fingers into his dark blue polo shirt and holding tight, as he bit her bottom lip and then worked his way along the curve of her neck.
He lowered his hands to the curve of her hips, guiding her against him in a slow, undulating motion, his hard length teasing and tormenting her. The soft satin of her panties brushed along her now-slippery cleft, making her skin go flushed all over. When he grazed her collarbone with his teeth, she let out a pleading gasp. “Wyatt.”
“I want you to come for me,” he said, the heated command hitting her like a branding iron, marking unfamiliar places inside her. “And then you won’t be allowed to again until our trip. You understand?”
Fuck. The shift in him was so absolute, so gut-wrenchingly sexy, she could barely form her response. “Yes, sir.”
He closed his eyes, as if inhaling and absorbing her reply. Then he moved his hand between her spread legs, cupping her sex through the thin cotton and massaging her clit with toe-curling accuracy using the heel of his hand. “I can smell your arousal, love. And you’re wrong about one thing: You’re definitely sweet. I can’t wait to taste just how very.”
Her head tilted back, the pleasure crawling up her spine and climbing out in a groan. It wouldn’t take long. Even though she was more than adept at handling her own needs, she’d thought about Wyatt touching her for so long that she felt as if she’d been on the edge of this particular orgasm for months—one only he could give her.
While he continued the skillful rocking pressure between her thighs, his free hand traced up her sternum, brushing the inner curves of her breasts through her shirt, and then collaring her neck. She’d seen the move done a hundred times by doms in The Ranch’s playspaces, but never before had anyone done it to her. An overwhelming wash of pure need went through her system, the press of his palm against the hollow of her throat slaying her. She closed her eyes against the dueling sensations of helplessness and blinding desire as he held her exactly in the spot he wanted her, not allowing her to escape his erotic torment.
“Come for me, Kelsey,” he said, his voice like warm cider on a cold night. “I’ve imagined it one too many times alone in my own bed. I want to know what you sound like when you break open.”
The words sent her body aflame. Images of him slipping his hand beneath the covers at night, taking his cock in his hand and thinking of her was a little too much for her stampeding hormones to handle. His grip tightened against her throat, and the hand between her legs became more intense and precise, her swollen nub pulsing now.
“Wyatt.” His name was more plea than anything else. Every muscle in her body seemed to contract, bracing for impact.
“Let go,” he said softly.
At that last whispered command, blessed release crashed over her, wrenching a sharp, keening cry from her throat. Her hips bucked against his hand, shamelessly seeking every bit of pleasure he was willing to bestow upon her, as she rode the wave of orgasm.
“That’s it,” he said, still holding her in place, though there was grit and strain in his voice. “So fucking gorgeous.”
