Free Tell Me a Desire (The Story Series Book 2) by Tamara Lush Page B

These restraints, I wasn’t so sure about. My ass felt like it was on fire. And yet, I was creamy and wet between my legs, and all I wanted was to beg for release of all kinds.
    “You’re struggling against the straps. Remember what Doug said? Submissives go through stages. Struggle, acceptance, surrender.”
    At those words, I blinked and began to wonder: was that what I was doing in our relationship? Struggling? Should I be more accepting? Should I surrender to his needs and wishes? No, it wasn’t in my nature to accept. In my thirty-five years, I’d never accepted the status quo or allowed someone else to take the reins.
    Surrender wasn’t in my lexicon. I needed answers about us. About him. I deserved answers. I writhed a little, feeling caged and feverish. A tiny voice of panic popped into my mind. Was this what I really wanted? More sex? Or was intimacy what I truly desired?
    Caleb stood up and gently flicked the flogger in the air with his wrist. He trailed the fur fronds softly over my thigh and ass, and I shivered. It felt sensual, but it didn’t feel right. Not tonight.
    When he moved his hand and appeared as though he was going to strike me, I opened my mouth.
    “Caleb, no. Wait.”
    He paused.
    “Trust,” I whispered.

Chapter 7
    I ’d never seen Caleb’s blue eyes turn so stormy or watched his fingers move so fast. With shaking hands, he undid my wrists, then the strap around my waist, and then the ankles. I turned to sit on the bench, and he hugged me, hard.
    “Oh, God, Emma, I’m sorry.” He knelt on the floor, rubbing my ankles. “Did the strap hurt? Did it cut into your skin because it was too tight?”
    He pressed his lips to my right shin where the restraint had left a faint, pink indentation. His apologetic eyes turned upward and met mine, and my heart quaked. I hadn’t meant to scare him.
    “No, it wasn’t too tight. I’m okay. Really. I got panicky and… Caleb, please stand up.”
    “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “Jesus. I shouldn’t have pushed you into this tonight.”
    “You didn’t push me. I wanted it. Or I thought I did. My hesitation has nothing to do with sex or submission. It’s, well…Caleb, I don’t want to have this conversation here. Can we go to my house? I feel like I need to be in my own space all of a sudden.”
    He swallowed and nodded, then reached for my dress on the hook and gently helped me pull it over my head and tug the hem firmly toward my knees.
    “I love you. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you.”
    “I know. It’s okay. Let’s leave.”
    I put on a bright smile as we walked out, thanking Doug along the way. I didn’t want him or anyone else there to think I didn’t appreciate their hospitality. “I’m sure we’ll be back,” I said to Doug, who shook my hand, then Caleb’s. “You’ve been incredibly kind to show us around.”
    Once in the car, though, my smile faded and my heartbeat was even faster than it had been in the club. I didn’t speak all the way to my house and neither did Caleb. It had started to rain, hard, and he chewed on his lip as he navigated through the wet brick streets of my historic neighborhood.
    Once we pulled into my driveway, he paused. “Give me the keys and stay here.”
    I obeyed, rooting around in my purse until I found them. He ran through the rain to unlock the door, then came to my side of the car, opened it, and scooped me up.
    “I don’t want you to fall in those shoes.”
    As he carried me inside, my chest hurt from the love I felt for him. Which made me all the more scared to reveal my feelings. I didn’t want to lose him.
    Inside, I slowly eased the stilettos off my feet, and between the relief of bare feet and the familiar, homey surroundings of my messy, packed-with-junk place, my muscles relaxed. I flopped onto my old, green sofa, heaving out a sigh and tossing a few embroidered throw pillows onto the floor.
    “Come here.” I was a little self-conscious because my house smelled