Reclaiming His Submissive (8 page)

Before she could react to her
body’s awakening, the memory of him on the beach crowded her
thoughts. He’d told her he loved her. Love. She couldn’t
quite process all that entailed. Not when the unanswered question
about the baby hung between them. If he already knew, how would she
ever believe he’d meant what he said?

She glanced out the window she’d
left open and up at the impossibly blue sky. Heat and sunshine had a
way of soothing her soul. Unfortunately the seesaw of her emotions
kept her off balance and unsure. One minute she ached to go to her
Master and beg him to keep her and the next she wanted to hide in
this bathroom forever. Or at least until he gave up and went away.

Fat chance of that. A more
tenacious man she’d never met. He took stubborn to a new level.
Some might even call him sexist with his intense desire to protect
and cherish her. She secretly and not so secretly loved it. While
more than willing to fight him for what she wanted, there were plenty
of times that giving in to him fulfilled her wildest and deepest
desires.

Another deep sigh escaped her.
The luxury of the tub was heavenly but what she really needed was a
heart to heart with Alex. They’d skirted the issue with his
family but he’d opened up to her more than he ever had in the
past. Then he’d gone and confessed he loved her and she
couldn’t see beyond the probability that he knew she was
pregnant. Frustrated, she hauled herself from the deep tub, grabbed a
towel and stalked the stupid box on the counter. Enough already.

This time stage fright did not
stop her and afterward she laid the stick back on the counter and
checked the clock. The instructions said to wait five full minutes.
She drummed her fingers along the cool granite and watched thirty
seconds go by impossibly slow. Five minutes was going to kill her.
Maybe if she went and scavenged for some kind of clothing to wear it
would go by faster.

She stepped into the bedroom and
immediately noticed the items laid out for her on the bed. A long,
filmy white sundress and a small square box sat waiting for her along
with a note.

A smile tilted her lips as she
picked up and began to read the familiar scrawl.

Harper my love,

I have provided everything
here that you will need for tonight. Prepare quickly and then proceed
to the dock. I eagerly await your arrival.

Alex

She traced her finger over his
name and fought back the bittersweet emotions threatening her. He
often wrote her notes such as this with his instructions and she’d
savored each and every one. As she would again. She folded the paper
neatly and tucked it into her purse sitting on the nightstand. She
then turned to the small box and lifted the lid.

Inside, wrapped in bold blue
tissue, she found a stout silver anal plug with a gorgeous clear
crystal embedded in the end. Some women got earrings, she got butt
jewelry. She lifted it from the box and examined it closer. What the
toy lacked in length it more than made up in thickness. She’d
feel every inch of it when it went in and it would keep her mind
occupied while she wore it. Alex had never kept his love of toys a
secret. She’d received many such gifts over the time they’d
been together and they’d experimented and played with them all.
His creativity knew no bounds.

Some of the fear she’d been
harboring dissipated a fraction. Her Master had a knack for knowing
exactly how and when she needed his grounding. The simple ritual of
preparing for dinner at his explicit instructions with his chosen
garments had a profound way of calming her mind and giving her the
confidence to continue their earlier conversation over dinner.

Anxious now to see what Alex was
up to she quickly finished getting ready. She stopped in front of the
mirror and stared at her reflection. Her mouth gaped open. With the
sun-kissed glow of her skin from her afternoon on the beach, the
dress Alex had chosen for her complemented her coloring perfectly. It
made her think of an odd mix of innocence and seduction. Not to
mention the dress fit her figure perfectly. The snug halter cupped
and supported her breasts while the skirt skimmed along her wide hips
instead of clinging to them.

She couldn’t deny the
fabric felt divine against her body and she’d never felt more
beautiful in her life. Is this what pregnancy did to a woman?

That sobering thought brought her
mind back to the fact the test still waited for her in the bathroom.
She’d give it a quick peek and then she’d head out to the
beach for her rendezvous with Alex.

***

Harper stepped out onto the long
wooden dock that wound across the water’s edge to a secret spot
shrouded from her vision by a clump of trees. The large orange orb of
the sun was already sinking behind the horizon. She’d taken
longer to compose herself than she’d thought. But the last
thing she needed was to show up for dinner with red, puffy eyes from
crying. Alex and his all-knowing gaze would see right through her and
the rapid-fire questions would begin. God. Part of her wished she’d
never taken that stupid fucking test. She’d foolishly thought
the hard part was the not knowing for sure. She’d been wrong.

As more of the sunlight faded,
small solar lights began lighting the path before her. In any other
moment in time she might have found all of this extremely romantic.
Just the two of them alone on a tropical island… Instead her
nerves fluttered wildly as she took one step after another toward
Alex. At the first curve of the dock the lighting changed. She found
candles lighting her way and—

Was that—?

She bent and plucked a small red
petal from the ground. Her heart clenched. Her Dom had gone all out
for whatever he had planned. Sunset, candles and now a path of rose
petals for her to follow. The urge to run swelled inside her. Except
run where? They were on an isolated island with no one else around.
She had no choice but to keep moving forward and face the reality of
her fears.

At the last bend she straightened
her spine and took one last calming breath before taking that final
step to the right. When she did, the first thing she noticed was
Alex. Of course. He stood there waiting for her as if he’d
known she would arrive any second. Dressed in black tailored slacks
and a white button down shirt he looked even more amazing to her than
the first night she’d met him. He’d left the top buttons
of his shirt unbuttoned and her gaze was drawn to the dark patch of
skin with its sprinkling of hair below his throat. Her sex clenched.
It was her very favorite place to kiss.

She sucked in air and continued
taking him in, all the way to his bare feet. Like her he’d
dressed impeccably and without shoes. She lifted her head to find him
staring down at her with his mouth quirked in a slight grin and a
deep five o’clock shadow that lent a dangerous quality to his
look tonight.

“
Do I meet your approval?”
he asked.

“
You’re gorgeous,”
she replied, a little breathless.

He stepped forward and took her
hand. “Thank you.” His eyes softened. “I hope you
know how beautiful I find you.”

When a blush began to creep up
her neck she turned her head to the side. “You have exquisite
taste in clothing as usual, Mr. Woodman. I love my new dress.”

“
A perfect gown for a
perfect night.” He cupped her chin and lifted her head at the
same time he stepped aside and she got her first glimpse behind him.

His friend Jeremy stood behind
him in similar attire as Alex. Waiting.

Taken aback, she glanced between
the two men. “Jeremy? What are you—” Her gaze
settled on Alex. Had he set up another night of the three of them
without her knowledge? “What is he doing here?”

At the sound of another voice
clearing she turned and took in the rest of the scene. There were
literally hundreds of candles lighting the small space and a man she
didn’t recognize stood not far from Jeremy in a black suit with
his arms crossed in front of him holding a book. The message of his
intent started to sink in when her eyes landed on the white collar at
his neck.

She pulled her hand from Alex’s
grasp and staggered back a step. “What the—?” She
felt a sudden loss of balance as if the proverbial rug had been
pulled from under her.

Alex smiled and got down on one
knee in front of her. “I already told you how I feel about you.
Now I need to make it official. Harper Allison, will you marry me?”

Her mouth dropped open as her
gaze flitted from one man to the next. Any words she might have said
died behind the sudden lump in her throat. What? How? Why? Every
question she’d ever had about Alex bombarded her mind all at
once.

“
I know it seems sudden.”

“
Oh my God.” Her hand
covered her mouth as the realization of why this was happening dawned
on her. “This is because of the baby.” She took another
step away. “You knew all along. You think you have to marry me
because of a pregnancy.”

Harper turned away. She couldn’t
face it anymore. Pain sliced through her at the loss of everything
she’d ever wanted. He didn’t really love her. It had all
been a ruse. The moment he’d seen the test in her purse he’d
gone into action. The island, the sex, the talk. All designed to keep
her around for the baby. Not her.

“
Harper, what the hell are
you talking about? What baby?”

She heard him speak, but the
words made no sense. She had to get out of here. In what felt like
slow motion she started back toward the house. There had to be
somewhere to hide. Or a way to escape.

“
Just leave me alone,
Alex.”

“
Stop!”

The very loud and sudden command
stopped her cold. In an instant his voice had turned dark and
insistent. No way in hell could she not respond.

“
Present to me. Now.”
The chilled slice of his command engaged an almost auto pilot
response she’d held close to her heart for over a year. She
turned to face him, dropped her to her knees, placed her hands palms
up on her thighs and cast her eyes to the ground.

“
Gentlemen, leave us. It
looks like we aren’t quite ready for this. As previously
arranged, my pilot will take you back home. Thank you for coming at
the last minute, however, my submissive and I need to be alone.”

“
Alex, I don’t
think—”

“
Everything will be fine,
Jeremy. Obviously there has been a major communication breakdown that
her and I need to work through. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

No further words were spoken. And
there wouldn’t be. Every ounce of who he was came through loud
and clear with every syllable he spoke. She listened to the telltale
signs of both men shuffling past her and the sounds of their steps
moving down the dock until the air around them grew quiet and they
were once again alone.

“
Alex, I’m—”

“
Did I ask you a question
yet? Did I give you permission to speak?”

She felt the anger in his voice
clear to her bones, but it was the bleak thread of something else
underlying his words that tore at her heart. He stood quiet and
motionless in front of her with only the sound of his breathing
punctuating the silence stretched between them. She stared at his
feet and waited as the seconds turned to minutes and her knees began
to ache from the wooden deck digging into her flesh. She welcomed the
pain. It served as her reminder of how fucked up things had gotten.
The situation between them had spiraled out of control and she had no
idea what came next.

“
Can you stand and talk to
me without running away?” His quiet question came out so
differently than she expected. It was as if the anger had disappeared
and all he had left was sadness. It shattered her heart to hear him
like that.

Yet, she still had to suppress
the childish need to ignore him. Instead she nodded. “Yes,
Sir.”

He gently grabbed her forearm and
helped her to a standing position. “Look at me.”

Despite her trepidation to face
him, she obeyed only to discover the pain from his voice echoed
across his beautiful face.

“
You’re pregnant and
didn’t tell me? What the hell, Harper? First a break-up and now
this? Fuck.”

“
I thought you knew or
guessed. You went through my purse and I just assumed you’d
seen the test. And then I walk into this?” She gestured around
her. “I mean why else would you spring a wedding on me?”
A wedding
.
She was beginning to get her footing back and she didn’t like
these kinds of head games anymore than he did.

“
Maybe because I love you
and want you in my life permanently? Does that not even enter your
mind a little?”

She shook her head. No, it
couldn’t be that simple. She couldn’t be that wrong. Now
she had to tell him the truth. “It’s not true. It was all
a mistake.”

“
You do not get to tell me
that what I feel is a mistake,” he started.

“
No, that’s not what
I mean. The baby. The pregnancy. I was certain I was pregnant but I’m
not. The missed period, the weight gain, the lack of sleep, it meant
nothing. I made a mistake.” There she’d said it out loud.
All the pain and loss she’d felt the moment she’d looked
down at the negative test result came rushing out. “I’m
not pregnant.”