Free BeyondAddiction by Desiree Holt Page B

it had to be for the right reasons.
    And tonight it would have to take a different from.
    “And that’s all of it?” he asked.
    “Yes. All of it.” Her voice was muffled by the carpet.
    “Yes, who?”
    “Yes, Sir.”
    “And he will never intrude into our lives again, correct? If
thoughts of him distress you, come to me at once and I’ll talk you through
them. If you run into him, you call me right away. If you need me to pick you
up because he’s upset you, I’ll be in my car before we’re off the phone.
Understood?”
    “Understood.”
    He didn’t remind her again that she hadn’t used the
honorific. She was in enough emotional distress as it was.
    “All right. Get up, girl,” he ordered, doing his best to
hold on to his own emotions. He had to physically restrain himself from racing
out of the house, finding Brian Willoughby and strangling him with his bare
hands for causing so much anguish and distress to this very special woman.
    He watched her balance herself carefully as she managed to
get to her feet, her equilibrium off-kilter because she couldn’t use her hands.
When she was standing before him, he cupped her face with his palms. He hoped
when she looked into his eyes she could see the depth of the love he felt for
her, as well as the respect. He chose his words carefully.
    “No punishment tonight, Fallon. At least not the kind you’re
asking for. I think today did enough damage to you.”
    “But—”
    He touched a finger to her lips. “Never argue with your
Master. Tonight it’s all about doing what I can do to wipe away this blackness
gripping you.”
    She wrinkled her forehead. “Sir?”
    He could see she was confused, but the kind of pain she
expected was the last thing she needed right now. He might want to beat every
last trace of Brian Willoughby from her body but that would be irresponsible on
his part. How could he punish someone who was so visibly punishing herself? He
was smart enough to know that he couldn’t erase one kind of brutality with
another, no matter how lovingly delivered. In her fragile state, he was sure if
he did what she asked it would destroy her, and he loved her too much for that.
    But tenderness was as much a part of being a Dom as pain and
punishment, both for pleasure and discipline. Tonight it was important to show
her how much she meant to him and what a special place she held in his heart.
Had he taken the time before now, he wondered, to let her know his depth of
feelings? Or had he just assumed from everything they did that she got the
message? After the event center’s grand opening, when she filled in the missing
details for him, he would decide how to move forward. Right now his mission was
to subject her to torture of the sweetest kind.
    “Perhaps it’s my fault for not making sure you understood
exactly how important you are to me,” he told her, putting as much feeling into
his words as he could. “How much I value you. How I feel about you. That’s what
this will be about.” He stroked his fingers lightly on her cheek. “Now. I want
you on the bed, flat on your back. I have a specific kind of torture in mind.”
    When she was situated as commanded, he knelt between her
thighs and braced a hand on either side of her. For a long moment he stared at
her still-pale face, saw the anguish and conflict in her eyes and made a silent
vow to protect her from this asshole no matter what.
    Provided, of course, she let him.
    No. He blanked that thought and focused on what he needed to
do right now—reinforce that tenderness was as much a part of being a Dom as
administering painful punishment. A good Master knew what to use when.
    “What I have in mind, girl, is all about making sure you
understand I love you.” He gave her a smile. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not
still in control of your body.”
    He raised her hands and wrapped her fingers around the
spindles in the headboard.
    “Keep them there,” he commanded. “Don’t move unless I