Love Unbound by Angela Castle

eyes, the pillows and
the bed scented of her, like fresh flowers in summer. He felt wrapped in a
cocoon of Jay’s soft, comforting voice, along with the feel of her soft hands.
    “Sleep, Master,” she whispered, the feel of her lips on his forehead the last thing he remembered, before
blacking out.
     
     

Chapter
Seven
     
    Sunlight filtered through the curtains of
her apartment, making striped, sunbeam patterns on the bed, where Brendon still
slept. She was already up and dressed, her resolve set to have a talk with him,
before she left for work. She set the brewed coffee down on her bedside table,
along with the aspirins he would need for any ill effects from his obvious
drinking binge last night.
    The sheets tangled in his legs, as he
began to stir, gave her a better view of his wonderfully muscled torso, his
lovely skin her fingers itched to touch. Her gaze moved up to his face,
shadowed in beard stubble. His hair was disheveled, giving him a rough, dark,
sexy look. It made her body respond, her nipples tighten, and moisture pool
between her thighs. Decadent memories of his every intimate, controlling touch
made her blood burn for more.
    For such a dominant, controlling man,
there was a sense of vulnerability about him. It made her heart ache and want
to spill all the secrets hidden deep within her soul. He’d given her so much in
such a short while, instilled a new sense of worth and strength.
    Her heart would accept nothing less than
absolute surrender to the love she felt for him. He didn’t need the
complications of an emotional woman at this time. They both had another focus
and needed to work together, despite what feelings, love or hate, may be
between them.
    Jay sighed and sat down on the end of the
bed, watching, waiting for him to awaken.
    His chest rose in a deep breath, before
he let it out slowly, rolling over onto his side; a rough, hoarse groan rumbled
from his throat. His eyelids cracked open halfway. She bit down on her lower
lip, watching him glance around in confusion, before his delicious, chocolate
eyes settled on her, recognition dawning.
    “Your place?”
    The deeper, husky tone of his voice made
her shudder with shivers of sexual awareness running down her spine, and her
lower belly clenched. This was not the
time to think of sex, focus.
    She cleared her throat. “Yes, what do you
remember?”
    He lifted a hand, scrubbing it down his
face, then scratched at his chin stubble. “Not much,
but I remember you, I remember fucking you. Was I a total ass?”
    She held in the flinch of his stinging
words, instead giving him a forced smile.
    “We all deal with stress and grief in
different ways. You were simply dealing with yours.” She climbed to her feet
and got him the coffee and aspirin. Brendon shifted, sitting farther up in her
bed, the sheet falling dangerously low. He frowned, eyeing her wearily.
    “Oh, god, Ryan. Where’s my phone?”
    “It’s okay. I
sent him a text earlier. He knows you’re safe. Here, this’ll make you feel better.”
She handed him the aspirin and coffee
    He sat, taking
them from her trembling hands, throwing the pills into his mouth, then sipping
at the coffee. He moaned.
    “It’s good,
thank you.” He eyed her warily. “Why are you being nice to me, when I’ve done nothing
but treat you badly?”
    She raised an
eyebrow. “I was upset, yes, but I’ve also had longer to deal with Ryan’s
condition than you. I love him, and I care for you, even if you are an ass. I
didn’t go along with Ryan’s plan, just for Ryan. I also did it out of selfish
reasons. I wanted what he and you have, to feel wanted, to feel special. I won’t deny it. I like the feeling of
belonging this gives me.” She motioned to her side table where the collar he
had given her lay. “But now that you know the motives, you may feel
differently.”
    His brown eyes
studied her intently; his silence cut her more deeply than any words could. She
masked her pain, keeping her expression