Free Third Chance by Ann Mayburn, Julie Naughton Page A

Justan get rid of the Mohawk?”
    He glanced over at his friend, then shrugged. “Nah, it looks good on him.”
    “I agree,” Master Chris murmured and if Ryan hadn’t been looking at his friend, he wouldn’t have caught the hard flush that lit his cheeks before he looked down at his plate and speared a fork full of perfectly cooked salmon.
    Before he could focus on his friends unusual reaction Emma put her hand on his knee. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
    “What?”
    Her smirk made him want to look away, but she gently cupped his chin then leaned in and whispered into his ear, “It’s okay. You know I find the idea of you and Master Chris together to be sinfully hot.”
    Feeling unsure and more than a bit embarrassed, Ryan tried to move away, but Emma moved her hand from his chin to the back of his head and gripped tight as he whispered, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I love you. I want you.”
    “Yes,” Emma murmured in a soothing tone, “and because you know I find the idea of two men together intensely arousing, it turns you on as well.”
    Ryan couldn’t think of anything to say to that which didn’t make him sound like an idiot, but Emma didn’t give him a chance. She took his hand beneath the table and slid it up her thigh, past her garters, to her bare pussy. Jesus Christ, she wasn’t wearing panties. Nothing but slick, wet flesh met his stroking fingertips. His arousal surged to life and he bit back a growl as she rested her head against his chest, shifting her hips into his touch.
    “So wet.” He whispered while he circled her clit. “I love how wet you get for me.”
    “I want to push your boundaries tonight,” she whispered into his ear. “Will you let me do that?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Do you mind if Master Chris touches you?”
    The desire in Emma’s voice was Ryan’s undoing. “No, I don’t mind if he touches me, but I do have one request.”
    Emma squirmed in her seat and he fought the urge to bite her neck while he tore her dress off her body. “What’s that?”
    “Can it be in a private room?”
    The muscles of her body stiffened and Ryan worried that he’d said something to remind her about her stalker, but then she relaxed. “Of course. Let me talk with Master Chris. Ryan, I promise you, I’m going to make tonight amazing for you.”
    He laughed, breaking any lingering tension as he dropped a kiss on Emma’s lips. “Every moment of my life has been amazing since I met you.”
    Her pretty blush was sweet, but even sweeter was her whispered, “I love you.”
     
    An hour later, Ryan stood before a wall with a series of holes at groin height with his Mistress freaking out next to him. Emma clutched his hand hard enough that her nails dug into her skin, but Ryan caught her repeatedly looking at the security cameras in the corners. Emma had been fine until she realized that someone could be watching her in the control room, and from that point she’d been in a downward spiral that he’d so far been unable to snap her out of. It wasn’t as if she were running around while screaming and tearing at her hair, but her usual social grace was absent and he could see the light sheen of sweat on her face.
    Master Chris had noticed it as well, and while Tanya picked up any lulls in conversation and filled them with her bright chatter, Master Chris had stayed within range of them, easily moving through the crowd without being obvious about it. When Emma had fled to the bathroom to presumably regroup with Tanya hot on her heels, Master Chris had quietly spoken with Ryan about his observations. While part of Ryan had wanted to bundle Emma away and bring her home, he knew she’d never forgive herself for what she would view as running away from her fears.
    Damn stubborn woman was pushing herself too hard, and he didn’t know how to snap her back to the real world instead of the dark one her mind wanted to invent around her.
    Fortunately, Master Chris had