Free At His Mercy by Tawny Taylor Page B

— the dungeon.”
    “Oh that.” She giggled nervously , the memory of him catching her on her knees flashing through her mind . “I’m sorry for snooping. I was … um, looking for my keys so I could go home .”
    “It’s okay. I’m actually not bothered that you found ou t. It’s not something I would want to broadcast to the world, but I want you to know . I f you hadn’t discovered it on your own , we’d be having this conversation anyway .”
    Was that significant? Did he sit every woman down on the first date and tell her he had bondage gear in his house? “Okay.”
    “Forgive me if I ask you some silly questions, but I need to get a feel for what you do and don’t know. Do you understand what that room is used for?”
    “Well … ” S he imagined herself bound in that swing, Kyler standing between her spread legs. Her face grew so hot, she wondered if steam might be coming off it. “I’m guessing you participate in some kind of bondage play.” She hoped he wasn’t into the scary, hardcore stuff. Needles, blood, severe pain. She couldn’t imagine him doing those kinds of things, not with what she knew of him. But she supposed anything was possible. They’d spent very little time together.
    “That’s correct. I’m a member of a very private and exclusive group. We come together once a week.”
    She nodded, glanced down to toy with the corner of her napkin. This was a very uncomfortable conversation. Not so much because she was shocked or horrified, but more because she was so unsure of what exactly Kyler was getting at.
    Did he want to take her to the dungeon? Do things to her in there?
    A part of her thrilled at that thought. The rest of her was extremely nervous.
    He captured the hand that was picking at her napkin. His palm rested on the top of her hand. His fingers twined with hers. “What are you thinking, Elena?”
    She looked at his face, in his eyes. “ Believe me, I’m not judging you, Kyler. Not at all.”
    “But?”
    “ But this thing with you has been a bizarre rollercoaster ride, from the moment you got in my car back at the restaurant. And the bondage, submitting… I’ll admit, I’ve been curious about domination and submission for a long time. I’ve even considered going to a play party. But it’s very new to me, and it’s going to take a lot of trust for me to feel comfortable . I guess I’m not the kind to blindly trust someone, especially if I’ve been hurt by him before. ”
    He nodded. His gaze delved deep into her eyes. “I know. I’m very sorry. I guess there’s no going back and starting over, is there? As much as I want to.”
    “I want that too. But it’s a little hard to forget.”
    “I understand.” This time it was Kyler who dropped his gaze first. He stared down at their hands, hers still beneath his, his tapered fingers splayed between hers. He rolled his wrist and fingered his watch with his other hand. “ It’s getting late. You have to work tomorrow. Do you want me to take you home now?”
    “No. Not at all.”
    His gaze leapt to her face again, and she saw something there . Something she couldn’t quite read
.

“Are you certain ?”
    She smiled. Nodded. “I-I want to see where this is going. I’ve always been attracted to you. Since the first time I saw you at work. There’s a connection, a strong one. I’m scared. You hurt me. I can’t tell you how much. But I can’t just walk away from you. ”
    “The feelings were mutual, believe me.” He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb over her lip. “ I’m … scared too. You’re the most beaut iful woman I’ve ever seen. I waited a long time, watched you. I don’t want to fuck up again. I don’t ever want to hurt you. ” And then he blinked, and that…whatever it was… she’d seen in his eyes was gone, and a strength and sense of purpose that commanded her attention shone in its place. “You are a very special woman.”
    His words echoed in her head. He’d called her