wetness flooded between her legs.
But he didn’t linger there, where the welts sensitized her skin. He gripped her head between his powerful hands and broke away.
Her eyes had drifted closed during the kiss, and now she forced them open. She wanted to know the extent of the effect she had on him.
Color ruddied his olive cheeks, and desire blazed through eyes half obscured by heavy lids. This evidence intensified her desire for him. She might be a submissive, but she was a woman first and she loved the heady rush of power that came from knowing a sexy man desired her.
“Lie facedown on the bed so I can tend to your back.”
She wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary. It barely stung, and she loved the tingles that shot across her back every time she moved. But she knew better than to argue. Wordlessly she did as he commanded.
Cool air touched her back when he lifted the blanket, baring her to the waist. He left her bottom half covered, which seemed redundant to her since she still wore her skirt and stockings. He checked out her back visually. She turned her head to watch his face. Any indication of his earlier desire had vanished. His clinical gaze lacked emotion.
“Is your lotion in the bathroom?”
“Yes.” She used the same kind as always—vitamin E and aloe, unscented. Perfumes and dyes often stung. While she wouldn’t have minded the additional pain, it wasn’t the kind that led to relaxation.
Weight shifted on the bed as he left it and returned. He administered aftercare with a tenderness that belied the clinical way he had regarded her moments ago. Darcy wondered how one man could be so blasted difficult to read.
He pressed a kiss to the base of her neck. “I’ll leave you to dress, but I want to check up on you after your morning session. Meet me here at noon. And Darcy? No more hurting yourself.”
As the door closed, she realized he had deliberately avoided seeing her naked breasts. She didn’t know how to feel about that.
Chapter Three
Theo had her turn away from him when he checked her back before lunch, and again later that evening when he checked her after dinner. Darcy thought about disobeying that authoritative tone he used when he ordered her to turn around before she shrugged out of her blouse. The idea traveled no further, though. His respectful treatment made her feel good. For the first time in far too long, she found herself smiling just because she was happy.
That evening he took her away from the hotel to eat. Though the hotel and convention center were essentially located in the middle of nowhere, they were close to Battle Creek.
On I-94, they passed billboards and hand-lettered signs touting local wineries and an outlet mall, but sun-washed brown fields of soy skeletons marked most of the miles. The signs changed over to flashy bits offering hotel rooms and tours of breakfast cereal museums the closer they came to their destination.
Theo had told her the power suit she’d worn all day would fit in fine where he planned to take her to eat, but he’d said jeans would also be appropriate. Since they would be away from the convention center, she took a chance with the comfortable jeans she’d brought for the drive home. The stretchy material molded to her legs, and the low-riding waist managed to accent the right parts of her midsection while camouflaging the parts she wanted obscured. When she’d stumbled upon these perfect jeans several years ago, she’d purchased four pairs.
She paired the jeans with a short-sleeved silk shirt she had thrown in her bags in case she spilled something on herself. One huge pale pink rose made a pattern on the bold pink background. It lent a splash of color to her otherwise dull clothing. Scott had liked to see her wearing bright colors, but she hadn’t felt much like it in a long time.
They didn’t have to wait once they arrived at the quiet, Italian-themed restaurant. Theo smiled at the hostess, who barely glanced up from her
But he didn’t linger there, where the welts sensitized her skin. He gripped her head between his powerful hands and broke away.
Her eyes had drifted closed during the kiss, and now she forced them open. She wanted to know the extent of the effect she had on him.
Color ruddied his olive cheeks, and desire blazed through eyes half obscured by heavy lids. This evidence intensified her desire for him. She might be a submissive, but she was a woman first and she loved the heady rush of power that came from knowing a sexy man desired her.
“Lie facedown on the bed so I can tend to your back.”
She wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary. It barely stung, and she loved the tingles that shot across her back every time she moved. But she knew better than to argue. Wordlessly she did as he commanded.
Cool air touched her back when he lifted the blanket, baring her to the waist. He left her bottom half covered, which seemed redundant to her since she still wore her skirt and stockings. He checked out her back visually. She turned her head to watch his face. Any indication of his earlier desire had vanished. His clinical gaze lacked emotion.
“Is your lotion in the bathroom?”
“Yes.” She used the same kind as always—vitamin E and aloe, unscented. Perfumes and dyes often stung. While she wouldn’t have minded the additional pain, it wasn’t the kind that led to relaxation.
Weight shifted on the bed as he left it and returned. He administered aftercare with a tenderness that belied the clinical way he had regarded her moments ago. Darcy wondered how one man could be so blasted difficult to read.
He pressed a kiss to the base of her neck. “I’ll leave you to dress, but I want to check up on you after your morning session. Meet me here at noon. And Darcy? No more hurting yourself.”
As the door closed, she realized he had deliberately avoided seeing her naked breasts. She didn’t know how to feel about that.
Chapter Three
Theo had her turn away from him when he checked her back before lunch, and again later that evening when he checked her after dinner. Darcy thought about disobeying that authoritative tone he used when he ordered her to turn around before she shrugged out of her blouse. The idea traveled no further, though. His respectful treatment made her feel good. For the first time in far too long, she found herself smiling just because she was happy.
That evening he took her away from the hotel to eat. Though the hotel and convention center were essentially located in the middle of nowhere, they were close to Battle Creek.
On I-94, they passed billboards and hand-lettered signs touting local wineries and an outlet mall, but sun-washed brown fields of soy skeletons marked most of the miles. The signs changed over to flashy bits offering hotel rooms and tours of breakfast cereal museums the closer they came to their destination.
Theo had told her the power suit she’d worn all day would fit in fine where he planned to take her to eat, but he’d said jeans would also be appropriate. Since they would be away from the convention center, she took a chance with the comfortable jeans she’d brought for the drive home. The stretchy material molded to her legs, and the low-riding waist managed to accent the right parts of her midsection while camouflaging the parts she wanted obscured. When she’d stumbled upon these perfect jeans several years ago, she’d purchased four pairs.
She paired the jeans with a short-sleeved silk shirt she had thrown in her bags in case she spilled something on herself. One huge pale pink rose made a pattern on the bold pink background. It lent a splash of color to her otherwise dull clothing. Scott had liked to see her wearing bright colors, but she hadn’t felt much like it in a long time.
They didn’t have to wait once they arrived at the quiet, Italian-themed restaurant. Theo smiled at the hostess, who barely glanced up from her
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