“We never talk about it but please, Cassandra…” He reached out and brushed her flushed cheek with his fingertips, very lightly. “Please, I need to know. If he hurt you…”
“He didn’t—honestly.” Cassie took another deep breath, wondering why this was so hard to talk about. It wasn’t a big deal, really. Lots of people dabbled in kink to try and spice up their relationships—especially after the 50 Shades movies had come out. But the way Stone was looking at her made her feel like she’d done something really deviant.
“It was nothing, really,” she said, as lightly as she could. “We took a few lessons from a dominatrix and did a little role playing—that’s all.”
“Role playing?” Stone frowned, clearly not understanding.
“Pretending—playing parts.”
Cassie shifted uncomfortably in her oversized seat. The Kindred shuttles were built for the large-framed Kindred warriors and she always felt like a kid when she was riding in the shuttle-car. When she drove, she had to pull the seat all the way forward to reach the pedals.
“Playing parts?” Stone asked.
“Geez, Stone—do I really have to spell it out? He was the Master and I was the slave. Or he was the schoolteacher and I was the naughty student who forgot her homework—stuff like that.”
Her cheeks were flaming now, though she kept telling herself it was no big deal.
“And he…disciplined you?” Stone raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, he spanked me. Mostly with his hand, sometimes with a ruler or a paddle,” Cassie said, feeling both embarrassed and exasperated.
He frowned. “And…you enjoyed this? Being…spanked?”
“Honestly, no,” Cassie said flatly. “I mean, I think I could enjoy it, with the right person. But with Keith, it just didn’t work for me.”
“Why not?” he wanted to know.
Cassie thought about pointing out that was a personal question too, but everything her partner was asking was personal it seemed they had gone too far for her to stop answering now.
“Well, the dominatrix we were taking classes from, Madam Electra, seemed to think it was because I didn’t respect Keith enough to be honestly submissive to him. She recommended that he try wearing a mask so I couldn’t see his face—I guess to up the fear factor or something. But before we could try that, our marriage crumbled so…” She shrugged.
“Did he derive pleasure from this…role playing the two of you did? Did he enjoy hurting you?” Stone demanded. “Did it make him hard to beat you?”
“Whoa, there—he never beat me!” Cassie protested. “It really only amounted to a little light spanking and paddling. And we were only doing it to try and put the spark back in our marriage. Which, as you know, didn’t work worth a damn.”
Stone shook his head.
“We have a name for a male who derives sexual pleasure from inflicting pain on a female among my people—we call him a ‘Broken One’. It is shameful to be a Broken One—perhaps the worst thing a male can be.”
“So I suppose you think it’s shameful to participate in any kind of BDSM or kink at all, then?” Cassie demanded. “I have to say, Stone—I never pegged you for the narrow-minded, judgmental type.”
He glared at her, his pale eyes burning.
“And is it ‘judgmental’ to be disgusted by what we saw in the house on Bayshore today?”
“Of course not! But there’s a world of difference between that murder scene and role playing with your spouse to try and put a little heat back in your relationship!” Cassie snapped. “Besides, you’re one to talk! The Blood Kindred bite their mates when they make love, don’t they?”
“Only to bond them to us by injecting our essence, which causes instant pleasure—not pain!” Stone protested.
“Right,” Cassie scoffed. “You can’t tell me you’ve never hurt a woman with those fangs of yours. They’re so freaking long you look like a vampire!”
Which might not be nice but it was true—she had noticed that Stone’s fangs seemed to get longer, especially when they were in close proximity to each other in an enclosed space. It was the same way his scent—a subtle, spicy, masculine aroma that smelled incredibly good—always seemed to fill the room when they were together. Sometimes he smelled so good Cassie had to physically distance herself from him in order to keep herself from doing something she was sure she would regret. It was then that his fangs were always the longest and the sharpest.
Like they were now.
“You think I can’t be careful of my fangs?” Stone demanded, his piercing eyes glowing in the dusk.
“I’m just saying they’re really long and sharp. I don’t see how you could kiss a girl without biting her,” Cassie pointed out. She wasn’t quite sure how they had started talking about this but it seemed important to carry her point.
“Fine. Give me your hand.” Stone held out his own, much larger hand for hers.
“What?” Cassie frowned at him.
“Give me your hand,” he repeated doggedly.
Uncertainly, Cassie extended her arm.
Stone took her hand in both of his and brought it to his mouth. Slowly…deliberately, he began to kiss her. First the back of her knuckles and then he turned her hand over and laid a gentle kiss in the center of her palm. From there his mouth traveled to the delicate bracelet of blue veins on the underside of her wrist, leaving a trail of slow, hot kisses that sent helpless shivers down Cassie’s spine and made her heart pound.
Oh God, what was going on? Why was her partner acting like this?
He’s just proving a point, she told herself, even as her heart continued to pound. Don’t read too much into it, Cassie.
“St-stone,” she stammered at last. “What…what are you doing?”
“Proving my point.” His voice was a low purr and his glowing eyes were half-lidded in the dim light. “Did you feel my fangs? Even once?”
“N-no,” Cassie breathed. What was wrong with her? Why was her voice shaking?
“So you see—a Blood Kindred can give pleasure without pain.” Stone kissed her again, this time laving the tender skin in the crook of her elbow with his tongue.
“Stone!” she gasped. Her heart was pounding so hard now she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. “You…you shouldn’t.”
“Why not? I am simply proving my point.” He pulled back at last, holding her eyes with his own. “A male should not cause pain to his female—ever. He should only give her pleasure.”
“But…I’m not your female,” Cassie pointed out breathlessly.
“You are my partner…the one I count closest in all of this world or any other. You are my female, Cassandra,” he growled softly. “Do not forget it.”
Then, without another word, he put the shuttle-car in drive again and pulled back onto the highway.
Cassie just sat there, looking at him, without a word to say. Her hand and arm still tingled where he’d kissed her and her whole body felt electrified with some emotion she was afraid to name, even to herself.