It'll Be An Adventure (Masters of the Shadowlands #15)(42)
Author: Cherise Sinclair
When he returned, he made a quick call to his neighbor to send her teen over to walk Sherlock and feed all the beasties.
Hanging up, he listened and heard the shower turning off. Aside from the welts on her ass, Murphy should feel better, and the alcohol should have mostly worn off.
Which made him remember why the alcohol had hit her so hard. She hadn’t eaten all day.
In the kitchen, he located the fixings and made her a ham and cheese sandwich, setting it on a colorful red plate.
The worn counters held only a coffee maker and toaster. Not a woman who bought a bunch of kitchen appliances. But purple African violets bloomed on the windowsill. Through the window, he saw a tiny patio with flowering plants in dark blue pots.
He’d guess she savored simple pleasures.
The living area was small. A computer desk and chair took up one corner. In the center was a traditional couch slipcovered in white, with two armchairs covered in royal blue. Pillows in blues and reds matched the patterned rug depicting red sailboats on a blue sea.
An old wooden trunk had been painted white with blue trim as had the equally battered entertainment center. The TV was probably older than Murphy.
Saxon turned in a circle, oddly satisfied with his survey. She lived in a cheap rental on what was probably a strict budget—yet she’d created a comfortable nest. A cheerful one.
A bookshelf under the window held used paperbacks—history and writing texts along with a batch of romance novels. On top of the shelves were foliage plants and a glass bowl with fossilized seashells. A print on the wall showed a lonely beach at sunrise.
As he was setting the food and her glass of juice on the coffee table, she walked into the living room, freshly showered and wearing a thigh-length dark green robe.
He took a moment to savor the sight of those fine legs, muscular and tanned…and damned if he didn’t want to see if she wore anything beneath the robe.
“Your car’s in the driveway, keys in the basket.” He motioned toward the wine-colored stand beside the door.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s sit. I’ve had a long day on my feet.” He pulled her down beside him on the couch, smothered a grin at her pained squeak, and set the sandwich in her lap. “Eat, subbie.”
“Yes, milord. And thank you.”
He smiled, oddly satisfied when she took a bite and made a happy sound. Picking up his neglected beer, he took a drink.
“Thank you for your help, Saxon. Seems like you’re always saving me. Tonight—and then after the search and rescue encounter with Ross.” She looked away from him in…humiliation?
His eyes narrowed. “What are you thinking?”
“Milord, we’re not in a—”
“No?” Odd the satisfaction of hearing that title in her soft voice. But she did have a point. This wasn’t a scene, and he wasn’t her Dom. He tilted his head—point to her—and rephrased, “If you don’t mind sharing, why would you look humiliated when referring to your ex?”
“So nosy,” she muttered, but her color stayed pink. “Why didn’t I see how cruel he could be? What kind of a crappy judge of character am I?”
“Ah, that.” He caressed her flushed cheek. “I’m guessing, but I think you gave Ross everything he wanted and never thwarted him. Not until now. The uglier sides of a person’s personality show up when they’re under stress—or frustrated.”
“Oh.” The puckered line between her eyes made him think she was going to give his comment a lot more thought. And since he wanted her focused on the idea that she’d, perhaps, gone overboard in pleasing her ex, he didn’t point out that BDSM scenes revealed a whole lot about a person’s nature. As did search and rescue missions.
So he knew full well she had a quiet, giving personality. Strong and resilient with an adorable sense of humor. Unfortunately, the way her brothers and Ross treated her indicated her need to please might go too far for good health. That was a concern.
Only, no, he wasn’t her Dom, dammit. Back off, Halvorson.
He nudged her plate closer. “Eat, Murphy.”
After drinking her juice and eating most of the sandwich, she sighed, contented, and turned to eye him. “Can I ask what you do?” She gave her kitten-sneeze laugh “I can’t believe we’ve…I mean that we…”
Her flush told him all he needed to know. “That we’ve fucked twice now, and you don’t know what I do?” He couldn’t suppress his laugh.
She sniffed. “You, sir, have a warped sense of humor.”
“I might have heard that before.” Usually from Jake. “I work in a vet clinic.”
“Is that a vet like veterans or veterinarians?”
He took her hand. “A small animal clinic.”
“And then you go and supervise human pet play?” She shook her head. “You really are warped.”
And she really was delightful. He cupped her chin so he could bend and steal a slow, apple-flavored kiss.
Damned if he didn’t get a kick out of the way her eyes lost focus when he kissed her.
“Now, pet,” he emphasized the word, enjoying her narrow-eyed frown, “Since your brother probably still has a key, I want to spend the night, and we’ll rekey your locks in the morning.”
“What?” Her mouth dropped open. “Saxon, you don’t need to—”
“I’ll sleep on the couch if you don’t want me in your bed, Murphy.” But he would be spending the night. Her pissed-off brother could have continued drinking and be working up to something ugly.
She studied him, probably seeing his determination, then glanced at the couch that was way too short for him. “Not the couch.”
“I’m tired, sweetling. If you’re comfortable with me in your bed, I’m fine with just sleeping.”
When she nodded, he hauled them both off to bed.
As she curled into a ball with her back to him, he smiled at the warm soft woman in her silky, skimpy pajamas. Who could resist?
Pulling her close, he spooned around her and pulled her closer, careful of her tenderized skin. With her back to his chest, her perfect ass gently nestled against his cock.
When she stiffened, he kissed her hair. “You make a fine teddy-bear, Murphy, and we both enjoy cuddling. Go on and get some sleep.”