Free Comforting Touch (Touch #5) by Cara Dee

on it, too. Otherwise I know I won't be able to move on, no matter how much I'm hoping for it.
    When Rio returns, he strips off his boxer briefs and gets under the covers. He pulls me close and tucks my head under his chin as if we do this every night. As if this is normal.
    "You're stiff as a stick." He kisses the top of my head and lets his lips linger. "Relax, Chelsea."
    I'm trying, but this is weird. Scening is one thing, but spending the night like this? At the very least, shouldn’t I be shown to the slave quarters, as well? What makes me so damn different? Especially with our past and his reaction to my moving here— stop .
    I blow out a breath.
    Tomorrow. Or soon. I'll ask my questions then. Not tonight. Not right now. I'll savor this.
    Except for one thing. "Miranda," I blurt out. "Is she forgiven? For whatever she's done." I add that last part in a rush. After all, Dylan and I are probably not supposed to know that she apparently stole money from Switch.
    Rio doesn’t seem affected by my question at all. "That’s what punishments are for. Once you've been punished, you're forgiven."
    I need to see his face for this, so I lift my head to search his eyes. "Do you really mean it?" I need you to mean it.
    " Yes . Now, shush." He silences me with a hard kiss, and I'm torn. Never in my life have I considered myself insecure. I've worked hard to get to where I am, even though I'm not exactly a huge success. But I manage fine, and I will never be ashamed of my past. Still, closing the subject so fast has me wondering if he really does mean what he says. Then again, he has no reason to lie.
    Ugh . Overthinking is a bitch.
    "Let me look at you." Rio slides his hands underneath my armpits and hoists me up with a grunt, positioning me so I'm straddling his hips. "There we go." He grins faintly in the dim light, his eyes raking over my naked body. "Hell." At his whispered curse, I peer down to see what's causing that look of reverence in those green peepers of his. "You grew up, little rebel."
    I watch as he traces a finger along the henna tattoos then derails to brush his thumb over a thin welt on my hip.
    "Seeing my marks on you…" His jaw clenches. I feel his cock thickening between us. Heat pools in my stomach, and my brain struggles against the cobwebs of exhaustion. "Perfect," he murmurs, his eyes searching mine. "I'd like your thoughts on our scene before we sleep." His voice remains low and warm, but I can tell he doesn’t have another round of sex at the forefront of his mind. Shame . "The level of pain—do you want more or less?"
    "Not more." I smooth a hand down his chest, feeling the sparse hair under my palm. "Tonight was incredible, right up until I reached my limit."
    He nods pensively, his gaze never leaving mine. "Good. I wouldn’t be able to inflict any more, regardless. It was my limit, as well."
    To hear we're perfectly matched in at least this department is a heady feeling, but it will probably only fuel the heartbreak if we don’t want the same kind of relationship.
    I'm no stranger to sub frenzy; it happens too often. A sub desperate to find that special connection, and as soon as someone comes along and ticks off several boxes, it's easy to delude yourself and think you're in love and want it forever. I've been through it before, but this feels different.
    I'm experienced enough to not rush into things because once that frenzy settles, you're back to where you started. The crazy attraction and the lovely butterflies evaporate—unless it's real. Unless you're cautious. Unless you take time to build a steady foundation. Unless your limits match.
    With Rio, though… I sigh internally, tracing mindless patterns on his torso with my fingertips. My crush on him is consuming and alive, but my head is still in the game. I won't fold and give into him unless we find out we're really good for each other. Because this time around, I am looking for the real thing.
    I want to find someone I won't hold at