Free Master (An Impossible Novel) (Impossible #6) by Julia Sykes Page A

George four years later because it seemed like the right thing to do.  We were adults in a committed relationship.  Wasn’t that what people did?
    But George hadn’t ignited passion within me, either.  What we shared didn’t come close to the steamy scenes in the books I secretly stored on my Kindle.  Alpha males; bondage; spankings.
    I hadn’t dared to pick up my ereader since I came across Lydia Chase’s case.
    But now…   My closely-guarded fantasies were bleeding into my reality when it came to Reed Miller.  I spent plenty of time around alpha males, but he was the only out-and-proud Dominant I knew.  That knowledge did funny things to my insides.
    If I was being honest, it was more than just the knowledge that did it for me.  Reed was gorgeous, and a flirt at that.  What woman could resist fantasizing about him?
    I recalled the Reed in my dream, the way he had incited my lust as he bound me, teasing me.  An echo of that heat flared between my legs, even as my mind tangled around the way he had changed into Martel and hurt me.
    Wrong.  No matter what Reed said, no matter how good he was, BDSM was wrong.  It would bring me nothing but grief.
    “Does my little pet like pain?”
    “You okay?”  I jolted at Reed’s voice.
    Crap.  I was still standing where he had left me, frozen in my brooding.
    “I’m- ”  I was about to tell him I was fine, but the lie died in my throat when I turned to him.  His black eyes and taut lips forbade my dishonesty.  I sighed.  “I’m just a little off this morning.  I didn’t sleep well last night.”
    His expression softened.  “Bad dreams?”
    “Yeah.”   My voice was small, but I told the truth.
    “Want to talk about it?”
    “No.”  I was grateful he had given me the option.  No way was I going to admit to my kinky dream about him.  And I didn’t want to tell him how he had turned into Martel.  I got the feeling he wouldn’t appreciate that.  I recalled how angry he had become when he accused me of thinking he was like Martel, that he enjoyed abusing women.  No, I definitely wasn’t willing to tell him about my messed-up dream.
    “Okay,” he capitulated easily.  “Let’s get some coffee, then.  I don’t know how much longer I can make it without going into withdrawals.”
    It struck me all over again that he had gone without sleep to watch over me.  He looked more refreshed after his shower, but I knew he must be exhausted.  I continued to study him anyway, helpless to stop myself.  His black hair was slick with water and mussed where he had run the towel over it to dry it.  He looked slightly messy.  He wasn’t wearing his suit jacket, and his black tie was loosened.  It was so different from the smoothly cultured look he usually portrayed.  This was a wilder, more intimate side of Reed, the real man behind the carefully controlled FBI agent.  And yet, he still radiated that same sense of power.  If anything, it was more potent, as though the trappings of everyday life kept it leashed.
    I was suddenly aware of how close he was.  I could feel the heat of his body pulsing towards mine, almost as though it was reaching out for me.  I didn’t understand why he seemed to be drawn to me, why he was so concerned with protecting me.  The man hardly knew me.
    “Why?”  I breathed, truly baffled as to why he would go to such lengths to keep me safe.  “Why are you looking out for me like this?”  A cruel conclusion was my first answer.  My gaze narrowed.  “Do you think I need a babysitter?”
    He stepped right into my personal space, and his heat enveloped me.  “No.  I think you need a Dom.”  His voice was deep, the statement an absolute.  His hand curled around the back of my neck, tenderly caressing at first, then gripping me firmly when I didn’t protest.  I couldn’t even begin to formulate an objection.  My skin sparked where he touched me, and when his fingers tightened around my nape, something