ERICFriday afternoon marked a week since I left my apartment on the Crane Division Navy Base for the final time and completed my move back to Morrow Falls. Just a few weeks earlier, I'd been planning for reenlistment, never imagining that my month would end with an application for a hardship discharge, raising my sister's son, or living in my parents' rental house. I rubbed my forehead as I paced at the end of the driveway, checking my phone for at least the fifth time. It was Charlie's second full day back to school since the accident and I'd been hesitant to send him on the bus, but his counselor insisted that getting him back to his regular schedule and activities would be the best start. Maybe so, but watching my nephew - who hadn't said a word since the day of the accident - climb onto a school bus was one of the hardest things I'd ever been asked to do. I'd done my training on computer systems, not child psychology, so all I could do was hide the ticking in my jaw as I follow
By the time I returned from dropping Charlie off with my parents, Cade's black BMW 6-series was waiting in front of my house. He stood against the fender, hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. I'd hoped to catch a few minutes before he showed up. My neck and back were killing me, and he'd notice the tension immediately. I already knew what he'd suggest in the form of stress relief, and I'd been avoiding that conversation since I came back.Hell, I'd been avoiding that conversation for a year. According to Cade, Club Obsidian was a miracle cure for just about anything, and in the past, I would have agreed. But now, the thought of returning to the club only added another layer of complication to my stress.Charlie. Mom. Lena. There she was again. A woman who had no real place in my life and yet I couldn't shake her. I parked next to his car and banged my head against the back of the seat as I jerked up the parking brake. Cade lifted his head and straightened while I slid
As Cade and I worked our way through the boxes that littered the main rooms, he filled me in on Club news. I didn't know when or if I intended to return, but his stories provided a welcome distraction. "Rhea's been a regular again," he said. "Unattached." "We spoke last week." I mumbled as I flattened another box and added it to the stack in the sunroom. Rhea and I had scened together regularly at Obsidian before I left. She was even one of the rare few I tried dating outside the club, but we didn't hit it off as well in the restaurants as in the dungeon. Two weeks ago, the thought of pairing up with her again would have been tempting. But she wasn't the girl I couldn't stop thinking about. A night at the club didn't sound that appealing when I knew the girl with golden-blonde waves and deep green eyes, whose face I hadn't gotten out of my head all week would not be at Obsidian. Cade leaned against the window frame and crossed his arms. "How long have you been out of the game now
LENAThe concert wouldn't start for another forty-five minutes, leaving me with full reign over the empty auditorium. I found a good spot along the aisle near the back of the room, pulled out my book, and settled back in the uncomfortable seat, propping my feet up on the back of the chair in front of me.Rude, yes, but I could never sit like a "lady" despite the years of nagging.People darted around the auditorium and across the stage, fixing this and that, tweaking the lighting and sound equipment. I hated coming early to these things, but it gave me time to read - as long as I could get my brain to concentrate on the words instead of letting every movement of the tech crew disturb me. But I couldn't really blame the tech crew for my inability to concentrate. I blamed Eric and my own damn curiosity since crashing into him on Wednesday. If not for that, I wouldn't have started clinging to the idea of seeing him again. Of knowing more about him.And now, because I opened my mouth, the
By the end of the second movement, my skin was covered with the prickle of goosebumps as if the cool air of the auditorium, at war with the heated sensation of Eric sitting next to me, was dead set on pushing me over the edge. They must've turned the air conditioners on high. I fought a shiver, but it ultimately won, making me wish I'd packed a sweater in my bag.The performers exited the stage for intermission, and as the overhead lights kicked on, I quickly pulled my arms over my chest and leaned forward, hoping to get warm and hide my embarrassingly hard nipples. The man who noticed everything would definitely notice that.From now on, always grab a sweater. Even if it's a hundred degrees, always grab a sweater."I have a jacket in my car," Eric said, rubbing my back."I'm fine." But, damn, his warm hand left a soothed trail along my cold-bitten nerves."I'll go grab the jacket." He tapped the bottom of my chin with his index finger, drawing my eyes up to his. "No arguments."I sat
The music swelled, and I jerked my head up from Eric's side. Either time was playing a cruel joke on me, or I had actually passed out in the middle of a concert with my head resting on a guy I'd known exactly a week.Eric squeezed my shoulder, his chuckle audible under the sound of the music. I glared at him, but his smile didn't waver. Instead, he caught my chin and quickly pressed his lips to mine.Startled, I jerked back."You owe me," he mouthed.I shook my head and leaned in to whisper, "It's your fault for being comfy."And warm, and so very... irresistible.He raised an eyebrow. "At least you didn't drool on me."No other retort available, I stuck out my tongue, then buried my face in my hands before I burst out laughing and manage to disrupt the audience more than I already had. I'd been spending way too much time around elementary school kids. Thanks to the shock of adrenaline, I was now wide awake, but I had a feeling this whole incident was going to turn Eric from incorrigi
The dimly lit restaurant was busy, but we were seated in a booth at the end of a narrow section near the back, where - for better or worse - it was quiet. After the waitress brought our drinks and took our dinner order, I was left to fend for myself as the sole object of Eric's attention."How long have you been teaching?" he asked. "I managed to get a subbing position last year, and they hired me full time this fall." I fidgeted, playing with the napkin roll, then the little coaster under my glass. Now, there were no sports games, crowds, or dimming lights to offer an occasional diversion, just plenty of quiet space for the doubt and anxiety to wind around my spine and cloud my head. I hated the feeling and wished more than anything that I could really be the girl Eric had met in Diggers. The girl he claimed to know was really me."What grade?" he asked."Third."Eric chuckled and sat back. "This isn't an interrogation, you know. I'm trying - ""I know." I took a deep breath and drop
"Lena," he said calmly. "We're just having dinner.""That thing in the cab?" I whispered. Just thinking about that night made the sensations slam into me again. "You have a thing for what? Tying girls up and spanking them?"Even I knew that was a narrow definition, but it was all I could come up with - and at the moment they were the only things I was concerned with."Former, yes. Latter, only when needed." He tilted his head forward. "And none of the above unless it's consensual."Needed? Consensual? I managed a slow breath. Just in time to notice the movement just passed Eric as the waitress arrived with a tray of food. Eric continued caressing the side of my wrist as the waitress sat our plates in front of us. She didn't even blink twice to see Eric in his new seat.I thanked the waitress and lowered my voice as soon as we were alone again. I had too much going through my head to eat. "What if I'm not interested in that?""What if you're just afraid to try?"My breath rushed out. "A