Cuffed & Collared (16 page)

There was no easy answer to that question. If it were a matter of where they lived, what he wore, or how they generally spent the money he earned, he supposed he would do whatever made her happy as he had with Julie. It was easy to cede such decisions because those things simply didn’t matter to him. Jazz’s murder did. And while he could trust Regan to make good choices about damn near anything and he could trust her with his body, he couldn’t trust her when it came to finding the killer. He wasn’t being fair to her, but it wasn’t only her that he didn’t trust. It was everyone. Kyle fundamentally trusted himself, and only himself, when it came to certain matters.

Besides, Kyle reasoned as he picked up his phone, if Regan found out about his efforts, she would punish him for it. The thought of what she might do pumped more blood to his cock, and he had to bite back a moan just as his call was being answered. The female voice on the other end sounded timid, yet professional. He covered the receiver as he cleared the passion from his throat.

“Yes, I’d like to make an appointment with Dr. Molvado please. As soon as possible.” He paused for effect. “I’m in a bit of a crisis.”

“I see.” The voice developed a concerned edge to it. “As it happens, the doctor had a cancellation, and a spot has opened up at ten o’clock on Wednesday.” As Kyle checked his calendar to see whether the time was free, the woman added, “Of course, if you need immediate help, we urge you to go to the hospital.”

Kyle smiled at the implication he was about to hurt himself over sex. Hurting him over sex, after all, was Regan’s job. “No, no, nothing like that,” he assured the woman. Damn, he had a meeting that conflicted with the opening. He’d have to reschedule. Jazz was more important to him than work. “That date and time work for me.”

“Good. If I could have your name please?” The timidity was back.

He hesitated only a second before replying. “Kyle Ramsey.”

“Very well, Mr. Ramsey. Please try to arrive fifteen minutes before your appointment to fill out some forms.” If his name meant anything to the woman, she hid it well.

“I will, thank you.”

He hung up and, sitting back in his chair, contemplated his ceiling. He had done it, and he would live with the consequences. If nothing else, maybe this Doctor Molvado could help him understand better what was happening to him. Why had he suddenly developed a passion for being dominated by a woman? The obvious answer was that the inclination had been in him all along, and he had ignored it, beaten it back. Perhaps the common desire had drawn him to Jazz as a friend without them even realizing it. Hadn’t they spent countless hours as young men watching Mrs. Peele kick ass in The Avengers and hooted and drooled in equal measure over cheesy sci-fi amazons in B-grade movies?

Regan was different, however. She was the real deal, although she struggled to accept her desire to dominate as much as he struggled with his desire to submit. But she was so good at it, and they were so good together. The memories of Friday night flooded in, and he pressed his hand against his dick as it swelled and hardened once more. The weak voice of the doctor’s receptionist had softened him. Now the thought of a commanding female voice tightened his balls and sent his heart pounding in anticipation. He needed the domination.

He needed Regan.

Sitting forward, he punched in another phone number, one he’d memorized already without even using it. The call was answered on the third ring by an impatient-sounding voice. “Sergeant Malloy.”

This time, Kyle couldn’t keep the groan from escaping his lips.

“Hello?” There was more bite now to the tone.

“Sorry,” he breathed into the phone. “It’s Kyle. Just the sound of your voice almost made me come.”

“Don’t.” She barked the order in a low voice that did nothing to diminish the strength behind her command.

With effort, Kyle brought himself under control and was pleased with how steady he sounded when he answered. “I won’t. You haven’t given me permission to.”

“That’s right, I haven’t.” Her tone was playful now. “What’s up?”

“Aside from my cock, nothing much. I called because I miss you, and I wanted to see how you’re doing.”

There was a stifled yawn over the phone. “Sorry, I’m beat. I guess that about says it all.”

Kyle felt concerned and frustrated. He wanted to take her home, his home, and tuck her into bed so she could get the sleep she so obviously needed. “It’s almost five. When does your shift end?”

“It doesn’t. Not when I’m tracking down a serial killer. I worked all weekend, too.”

“You have to rest, Regan.”

“I will later. Much later.”

Not the words he wanted to hear, yet he was also buried in work and wouldn’t normally contemplate leaving so early in the day. An alternative thought came to him. “You have to eat, though, right?”

“More or less,” she agreed.

“How about meeting me for dinner?” When they parted in the wee hours of Saturday morning, he had spoken of dating, and he had meant it. This thing with Regan was more than sex. He wanted to get to know her.

She groaned over the phone. Not a sexy sound, but a weary one. “I don’t have time. Sorry.”

“I’m talking about an hour, Regan. You can spare an hour, can’t you?”

“I suppose.”

“Good, I know a great Thai restaurant right around the corner from your precinct. We can meet there so no one will know you’re taking a break for yourself,” he teased.

“Okay,” she agreed, but he sensed reluctance.

“What? Don’t you like Thai? We can go somewhere else. Whatever you want.” And he was serious. He would clog his arteries with a fast food burger and fries if it would please her.

“Thai sounds fine. It’s just that I’ve never had it.”

“Do you like Chinese?”

“Sure.”

“Then, you’ll love Thai.” He gave her the name and address of the restaurant. “I’ll see you at six.”

****

Kyle checked his watch again before taking another sip of his water. Regan was almost ten minutes late, hardly something to worry about, yet he couldn’t stop fidgeting. It was nerves, plain and simple. The kind of nerves a young man has on a first date, which was odd because he was neither young nor on a first date. Unless one didn’t count having sex as any kind of date. He shifted his body to agitate his sensitive skin and immediately felt the confidence and calm the discomfort gave him. He was a submissive. If his mistress was making him wait, then he would wait patiently, because he was strong enough to handle anything she dished out.

When he saw her walk inside the restaurant moments later, however, he knew she wasn’t playing any game. No one who looked that exhausted was up for anything more than a good meal and some down time. He intended to give her both.

Spotting him, she gave a quick smile as she walked over. That one bit of affirmation sent a bolt of desire through his body. It also warmed him in a way that was purely emotional. He knew then he was infatuated with this woman, if not falling in love with her.

“Hi,” she said, running a hand through unkempt hair. “Sorry I’m late.”

“I don’t mind waiting for you.” He held out a chair for her. He could tell by her brief hesitation the move surprised her. It pleased him to know he was doing something for her that no other man had. Even better was the look on her face when he planted a quick kiss on her lips. It was a gesture of affection, not lust, and he grinned knowingly at her as he sat down.

She gave him a look he suspected was one usually reserved for people she thought might be suspects before settling in her own chair. She took a look around. “This looks like a pretty popular place. I’m glad it’s not fancy, though, given how I’m wearing clothes that look like they came from a dumpster. I didn’t have time to do laundry this weekend.”

He heard the insecurity underlying her comment and said simply, “You’re beautiful and sexy.”

She narrowed her eyes and gave him that suspicious look again. This time, he kept his expression serious, because he meant what he said. “Thank you,” she finally replied and opened up her menu. “What would you recommend?”

“Thai iced tea, for starters.” He followed her lead and switched away from personal comments. “As for food, I guess it depends on whether you like noodles.”

She looked at him from over the menu. “Who doesn’t?”

“Everyone who’s on a low carb diet.”

Regan shrugged and scanned the menu again. “I never diet.”

“Really?” He was truly surprised to hear her say it.

“Why? Do I look like I need to diet?”

It was the first time he had ever heard Regan say anything he considered typically female, and like a typical male, he back-peddled as fast as he could. “No. Absolutely not.”

She grinned at his obvious discomfort. “Men are so easy to tease. I know you didn’t mean I was fat. I’m sure you’ve never met a woman who wasn’t on a diet, which is pathetic. I control my weight with exercise. So, back to my question. What do you recommend?”

Kyle felt himself relax, really relax. Not merely because he hadn’t insulted her, but because he was enjoying her company. Other than Jazz, he couldn’t remember the last person who made him feel that way.

Thinking of his dead friend reminded him that he was keeping a big secret from the woman across from him. Not wanting to spoil his good mood, he pushed the thought aside. He would deal with the consequences of his decision later. Feeding Regan was the most important thing on his list right now. “Do you like spicy food?”

“Not so much,” she confessed.

“May I order for you?”

Closing her menu decisively, Regan replied, “Yes, I trust you.”

There was a quick squeeze to his heart, and he held her gaze for a second before turning to the server who’d arrived. He ordered the tea, steamed shrimp shumai, Siam rolls, and pad Thai for them both. When they were alone again, he tried to think of something to ask her that didn’t involve the serial murders. He was on the verge of asking her a standard question about what she liked to do off duty when she blurted out what he hadn’t dared ask her.

“The killer struck again Friday night, as you’ve undoubtedly heard on the news. I confirmed it when I arrived at the crime scene.” Her voice was quiet so as not to be heard by other diners. “It…” She took a sip from her water glass. “It was really bad. The poor bastard had his own sound-proofed dungeon and our girl took full advantage of the opportunity.”

She was looking down, so she didn’t see his hand reaching toward her until he clasped hers. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

She still didn’t look up at him, and whatever response she was going to make, it was delayed by the arrival of their tea. Kyle was happy when she didn’t pull her hand away from his. Instead, she tried the tea with her other one.

“This is great,” she exclaimed and treated him to a bright smile. “And I’m not going to think about the details of this latest murder, or it’ll put me off my dinner. I do need to ask, though, did you know David Foster?”

Kyle caressed her fingers while he thought. Finally, he had to shake his head. “No, sorry. I didn’t know him, and I don’t remember Jazz ever mentioning him, either.”

“Damn, too much to hope for, I guess.”

The appetizers came, and he reluctantly let go of her so they could eat. He missed the contact but enjoyed the way she dug into her food. They talked about more pleasant things than murder. He found out that she liked to play softball, and he resolved to find a coed team so they could play together. He told her more about his daughters and felt that strong emotional tug again when she said she’d like to have children of her own. It was a comfortable, if hurried meal, and while the sexual tension was there, it was simply a low humming in the background.

At least, until Regan leaned over and remarked, “So, how does your ass feel?”

Just like that, he got stiff. He wiggled his body to gauge how he felt. “Decidedly tender still.” When a concerned look crept across her face, he did a preemptive strike. “Don’t you dare start on the mea culpas. I like having a sore ass.”

“Do you?” The skepticism in her voice was clear.

“Yes.” He held her gaze for long seconds so she could see the honesty in his eyes.

“Hmm.” Leaning back, she picked up a few stray noodles and sucked them into her mouth. She let the fork linger for a few seconds between her lips and sucked as she pulled them it again.

Kyle closed his eyes to the sight. His body ached enough as it was. “You’re not making me any more comfortable.” He popped his eyes open again at the sound of her throaty laughter. Seeing her relaxed and well-fed was worth a case of blue balls.

She waited until their dishes were cleared before she let out a long, slow breath. “Don’t move.” He cocked his head at her in confusion. “Not a muscle.”

He did as she commanded, instinctively responding to the authority in her voice, although not understanding why she wanted him to do it. Then he felt toes sliding up against his bulging package and understood very well indeed. The pressure against his burgeoning hard-on was like an electric shock, yet no one around them would have ever guessed Regan was playing footsie with him, such was his restraint. He kept his gaze fixed on hers, daring her to do more.

And she did. With lazy circles, her big toe teased his aching flesh, lightly at first, then with increasing firmness. His cock hardened, lengthened, and pressed back painfully against her foot. She used her sole to rub up and down from tip to balls, using a rhythm guaranteed to make him shoot his load.

“Regan,” he hissed out a low warning.

Still she kept up the stroking, a look of challenge and demand on her face. Kyle remained motionless as she had commanded, except his hands curled into fists and his breath became more labored. It wasn’t possible she was going to make him come right here in the restaurant, was it? Surely, she would stop and leave him in agony. The tension built, however, all the faster because of the day he had spent yearning for her. He could almost feel the cum pumping up his dick, desperate to erupt.

He opened his mouth to give her one final warning to stop, and the climax hit him with shocking intensity. His eyes widened, and he forced his lips closed so that he wouldn’t cry out. His fists tightened so hard, he thought his fingers would crack with the strain. His body shook with fine tremors as he worked to keep still. It was like a sunburst going off inside him, the pleasure dispersing to the far corners of his body. And all the while, his gaze remained locked with Regan’s, her mouth formed into a small smile while she gently milked his orgasm.