Any doubts Julien entertained concerning Adara and Nika getting along vanished when Marc opened his door. Whether instinctual or through experience, she knelt upon seeing the massive black and gold shepherd. Avoiding eye contact and remaining still, she waited as the dog approached calmly and sniffed several times before rubbing her head on Adara’s shoulder.
Marc just shook his head. “Some people are just naturals.”
“Despite her unusual friendliness, Nika is a good watch dog.” Marc gestured them to enter.
“Oh, I believe you. I grew up with shepherds, love them. Never seen one this beautiful, though. Kinda looks like a wolf. Bet nobody’s tried to break into your home…”
“No, I’ve never had a problem. Would you two like a drink?”
“No thanks, Marc. We gotta get home to settle our new guest. Thanks, by the way. Really appreciate it.” Julien reached down to rub Nika’s chest as Adara continued to coo over her newest friend.
“By the way, I’ve arranged to go look at a litter of pups next week—maybe you’d like to bring Adara along to see them. They’re from a strong working line, Hungarian import.”
“Sure…What do you think, sweetheart? Interested?” To see her eyes light up again made Julien’s night.
“Can we? That would be wonderful…”
A confirmed bachelor, Julien’s thought of a second car in his attached garage hadn’t occurred before meeting Adara. As he looked at the empty space, it begged for fulfillment. Adara’s car there made sense, though he preferred to keep her by his side and escort her where she needed to go. Until he’d sorted her family and stalker situation, it was a necessity.
After disengaging the alarm and opening the back door, he gave Nika the search command then retrieved the box of dog paraphernalia and food from his trunk. “Adara, I’ll teach you the proper commands starting tomorrow. How about tonight, we relax.” Minutes later, Nika returned and sat quietly at his feet. “Okay, we can enter.” He motioned for the shepherd to settle in the kitchen.
“And if someone was inside?”
“Believe me, we’d know it. She wouldn’t come sit by me. Marc has worked long and hard with her. She’s Schutzhund trained.”
“Would you care for some coffee?” Setting his hand on her waist, he guided her to a deep-tufted sofa in the great room. The gentle sway of her firm hips, muscles moving in perfect sync, reminded him of her love of gymnastics. Thoughts of various apparatuses flitted through his mind—vaulting boards, parallel bars, and a balance beam. His home gym offered plenty of space to accommodate equipment. The mental image of her on the tumbling mats made him groan. She reminded him of a strong filly—thin, long legs, unsure of herself. How he wanted those legs wrapped around his waist.
“Sure, if you’re having some.”
“Have a seat, I’ll be right back.”
Named appropriately, the great room sprawled far enough to encompass heavy yet comfortable furniture. Wood beams, burnished to a deep rich luster, gleamed in the cathedral ceilings. A large pool table dominated one corner of the room with a flat screen TV high on the wall. Two leather sofas sat perpendicular to each other, anchored by an area rug in rich earth tones. Hardwood floors gleamed around its edges.
A cultured stone fireplace anchored wall cabinets on either side that held vestiges of his life, from memorabilia during his military days to pictures of the brothers scuba diving. Each time he pressed them into deco diving, they accused him of cavorting with his fellow cigar sharks.
The entire front wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling glass, showcasing the beach in all its fury. Bunches of ammophila waved in the breeze, reflecting amethyst light from the LED fixture while tall grass dotted the small sand dunes behind. A three-quarter moon hung low in the sky, gracing the water with diamond-like brilliance.
The beauty of an open floor plan allowed him to observe her in quiet contemplation while the sea view drew out her inner theorist. She startled when he returned with a tray of coffee, sugar, and creamer.
“Help yourself, Adara.” He didn’t miss the tightening of her thighs when he settled beside her, the conflicting tells a recipe for stress. “Relax, Adara. We’re just going to talk.”
Mere inches of separation highlighted the slight tremble in her fingers as she prepared her coffee. Two teaspoons of sugar approximated twenty pounds each, according to his estimate. She stirred, yet didn’t taste, apparently afraid she’d spill.
“You know me so well…” On a deep breath, she sat back against the sofa and crossed her legs, then uncrossed them and tucked her feet under her after slipping off her shoes. Here was Adara, folding in on herself, emotionally and physically.
“Your body language is very explicit. You demonstrate your emotions in your expressions and nonverbal. I just happen to read you and know you’re a very responsive woman.”
“But I don’t like…”
“Don’t like what?”
“Um, do we really need to talk about this?”
“Let me ask you this. Would you like to be more comfortable around men? Hell, more comfortable in your own skin? Less anxiety, fear, frustration. To always feel the confidence you radiated when dealing with Jackie.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible. Dealing with a woman is one thing, but men? I’ve been nervous around men since—”
“Since the men in your family started abusing you?”
“Yeah, when I was seventeen.”
“And you’ve never told a soul? What about Graham?”
“No. But I think he knows. He’s a bit like you…I mean, he just—reads me.”
“Might help if you talked about it, even if in vague terms to start.”
She let out a deep sigh. Her gaze held trepidation and then resignation. “In my head, I know you’re right. It’s just difficult to do.” Another deep breath accompanied a long blink. “At first, it consisted of just intermittent whippings. When I turned eighteen, they decided I needed to become a woman, with the beatings thrown in as a bonus. At first I thought I could run away when I turned eighteen. Then I realized they’d find me and life would be worse.” Her gaze drifted toward the open sea, only to flit back to beseech his understanding. “Can you teach me how to disappear—fall off the legal radar?”
“I can teach you to hide, if that’s really what you want. However, that won’t set you free. You’ll always be afraid, always looking over your shoulder. There’s no peace in that type of life.”
“What else can I do? I’m not a brawler. They’re both bigger and stronger—it would take me years to learn to defend myself. I can’t stay here that long. And any piece of paper they receive from a lawyer or judge will end up in the trash.”
Of course you can stay until you’re safe. And there are other avenues open to you.”
“Like?”
“Let’s break it down to legal and physical, okay? Legally, we’ll have all your assets tied up in funds so that if you married, even your husband couldn’t touch a cent. That will negate the idea of marriage.”
“I know you mentioned it, but is that possible? Besides, they’ll just think they can kill me and inherit that way.”
“Not if they know you have a will—one that’s specific in excluding them. We’ll see an attorney in the morning who will take care of the legal end. The other aspect, physically, I know you couldn’t fight them, yet. But we could make it crystal clear that you’re under my protection.”
“You’d do that for me? Long-term?”
“Sure. I could help you in other areas, too…like how to relax around men.”
“You have a lot of experience with women. I’ve um, never been with a man before—of my own free will. I don’t know if I could go that far. It’s one thing to kiss one, but the rest of it? No thanks.”
“Oh, sweetheart, did you just throw down a gauntlet? Really? Bet I can change your mind.”
“Please. You gave me your word.”
“I did, and I won’t break it. I won’t force or coerce you into a sexual relationship, but if you beg me? I don’t think I could deny you something we both want…eventually”
A deep breath cooled his ardor. “Tell you what. You look tighter than a…” He grinned and shook his head but didn’t finish the sentence.
When he slid several feet away, she took a slow, deep breath, twisting the virtual knife in his gut. He motioned for her to rest her feet in his lap. “Why don’t you let me rub the tension out of your feet?”
With a dubious look, she gave him first one leg, then the other, placing them on his thigh. He slipped off her knee-high stockings and started massaging the soles of her feet. Every muscle in her foot and lower leg was locked tight.
“Wow, that feels wonderful. Nobody’s ever done this before.” She closed her eyes, her head falling forward on a long sigh. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because it’s what you need. I’d like to take care of you, Adara. Take care of all your needs.” He continued to massage her foot, then the ankle, before taking the other leg. “Go ahead, relax. You’re safe. Let your head fall back and just drift.”
“God, this is just too good to be true. Yet you haven’t said why you’re helping.”
“First, it’s not too good to be true. Not at all. It just happens to be helpful to you now. I want you to understand something though, sweetheart.” He stilled until she raised her head to meet his gaze.
“What’s that?” Her lips rounded as her brows drew together.
“As you can see, I enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. Though I certainly like my creature comforts and believe in working hard, I’m not a slave to the dollar and I’m not looking to expand my business interests.” He needed her to understand his motivation in courting her, from the start.
“I can see that. Everybody in the office knows you and your brothers have done very well.”
“Good.” He resumed kneading the tension from her tight calves. Once again, her head dropped back to the sofa and her eyes closed on a moan. He liked the sounds and hoped to hear more of them, as a response to different stimuli. “As for why I’m helping you. I think you’re a beautiful, bright, compassionate, and very responsive young woman. Not to mention, a submissive. I want to get to know you better. How do you feel now?”
“Relaxed. Good. Actually, very good.”
He’d felt the tension drain out of her calves even as her shoulders relaxed.
“So, you’ve let me massage your feet and legs, and you trust me enough to close your eyes in my presence. That’s good, Adara, very good. How about spinning around and letting me work on your head and shoulders, nothing else.”
“What? Um…you sure?”
She frowned when he shifted her feet to the floor. It would be another milestone in their relationship if she could turn her back to him in their current situation.
“It’s okay, hon, just spin around and scoot toward me.” As she did, he put his left leg along the sofa back so that she could nestle between his thighs. She froze when his foot slid alongside her.
“It’s all right, Adara. This just makes it easier on me. Slide back just a little. You don’t have to rest against my chest if that makes you uncomfortable. It would just make it easier to reach your shoulders.”
Wide, uncertain eyes gauged his intentions and the distance between them before turning around. Gently he reached out and massaged her shoulders and neck, tight as spandex on a bicycler.
“Let’s talk about hard limits, Adara. It’ll make you more comfortable if you know what to expect.”
“Hard limits?”
“Yeah. No-go areas. Places you won’t allow me to touch. Obviously, feet, shoulders, head, and neck won’t be on that list.”
“I don’t understand. Why?”
“Consider it desensitization. We’ll start where you’re comfortable and go from there.”
“A little scary, but I’m game to try. Maybe for now, let’s leave things status quo.” She groaned as his long fingers worked on the deep knots in her shoulders. When he edged his way down her back, she became putty in his hands until arching away on a gasp.
“Hmm, sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t realize…you must have a bruise there. Let me take a quick look, okay?”
“It’s getting better.” Slumped shoulders and ducked head defined her embarrassment.
With a gentle touch, he lifted the edge of her shirt and scrutinized her back. Anger churned in his gut and he ground his teeth until his jaw hurt on seeing the many white lines marring otherwise perfect skin. He’d left the lighting dim to help her relax, but now it hindered his exam. A large purple bruise covered her lower ribs. His stomach roiled to think of her bound and beaten. No one could tolerate that and remain still, which prompted a mental note to look at her wrists later.
“Yeah, it’s a fairly large bruise over your ribs. I should take you to the doctor for an x-ray.”
“Oh, no. Please. It’s fine. It’ll go away in a few days. Really. They always do.”
His fists clenched reflexively. They always do? An attempt to expel unwanted images slithering through his mind brought bile to scorch his throat.
“All right, we’ll keep an eye on it.” He let his fingers gently pad over the area before placing his hands on her chest wall, front and back to apply slight pressure. He couldn’t detect a rib fracture and she didn’t recoil. As much as he wanted to let his fingers drift over her beautiful skin, he wouldn’t violate her confidence in him. When he lowered her shirt again, she exhaled slowly.
“All right, how do you feel about your arms? Can we add them to the list of areas I can massage? You’re so tense. You’d probably feel better if I can work on them a bit.”
“Sounds wonderful. Who thought desensitization could feel so good.”
With soft pressure, he rotated her head side to side and slid his fingers up over her scalp then down her neck to root out the knots on either side.
Her low moan reverberated in his mind.
“You can lean back against me if you like, so I can reach your arms better.” Gently, he helped her scoot back to lean against him. When her back made contact with his chest, her body clenched tight.
“Shhh, Adara. You’re safe. Nothing’s going to happen except a massage…our clothes will stay on. You can relax and enjoy a rubdown.” Julien crooned softly as she settled against him. She wouldn’t understand his Gaelic phrases, but they helped distract him from the warmth of her lush body. The words came unbidden, spilled forth from times long forgotten, a time when his mom was alive.
Thirty minutes later, Adara’s boneless frame rested against him.
When he traced light circular motions over her temples, she took a deep breath and sighed. Goose bumps followed the path of his fingertips. Piloerection, the technical term for goose bumps, skittered over his mind. Yeah, that’s why I thought of it. I’m a technical kind of guy.
As his hands traced down her arms, the little arch to her back and her deep inhalation conveyed her heightened emotions. He understood the body language of arousal overcoming anxiety. In his mind’s eye, he noted hardened nipples, dilated pupils, and a blush stealing over her body. He wanted nothing more than to roll the tight buds between his fingers, to cup the weight of her perfect breasts in his palm and explore the sinfully soft flesh. The scent of her lotion eluded him, yet equaled the serenity pervading the room.
“Tell me what you’re thinking now, sweetheart.”
“Just that this feels so good. I’ve never been this close to a man before without…”
“Without what?” The muscles in her back tightened against his chest.
“Umm, do I have to?”
“You need to.” Using his Dom voice was manipulative but didn’t break his promise.
“I’ve never been in this position before. Ever.”
“And?”
“And…I like it. A lot. Have you done this before? With other women?”
“No, actually, I haven’t. I’ve kept my home as my private space.”
“What’s different?”
“You. You’re different. Everything about you calls to me on an elemental level.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Give it time, sweetheart. Give it time.” Minutes stretched out as he decided how to best extract the information he needed. “Tell me a little about your family,” he suggested.
Her body clenched again. She tried to sit up, but he held her gently by the shoulders and settled her back again.
“Easy, hon. I’m not gonna hurt you. Just relax.” It took a few heartbeats for her to respond.
“My uncle Tony and cousin Gary are innately evil.”
Again, he invaded her emotional fortress while using distraction to help. “The marks on your back, which one did that?” It was important for him to discern who’d receive which form of justice.