The 30 Day Sub (10 page)

“England or Scotland.”

His eyes glanced at the road and then back at her.
The answer to his question made sense.
“Your romance novels.”
The tightness of his throat almost made swallowing impossible. “I wish we had
enough time. I’d have you read me more. I’m interested in why you like them so
much.”

“They’re dreamy,” she said, again staring out the
window. “They’re romantic.” A smile came to her face as she looked off into the
distance. “Men like the ones written in those books hardly exist anymore.” Her
eyes came to him. “You could easily be one, I think. Maybe someone should write
a book about you.”

Torrance laughed. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.
The only book someone would write about me would be some kind of
BDSM
book. There’d be whips and chains, and crops and
floggers.”

“I’d read it,” Cate said, kissing his knuckles.

All Torrance could do was stare.
Which
wasn’t safe at all.
He really should watch the road more. As they turned
onto his street, he fought traffic to get to the parking garage. The moment he
hit the elevator, he pinned Cate against the wall. “What’s your idea of the perfect
life?”

Her hands embraced his face.
“Why
all these questions?”
The worry masking her face returned and he stepped
back.

“I want know you. Really know you.”

They walked out of the elevator. Torrance’s hand was
shaking as he unlocked the door. He led her inside and pulled her to the couch.
“Tell me, Cate. What’s your perfect life like?”

“Well.” She looked down at her lap and he brought
her face up while she started. “I guess a loving husband, a comfortable house
that could really be called a home.
Kids.”
Something
passed over her face and he shook his head.

“You’re not telling me something.”

“It’s a dream, remember.”

Torrance didn’t understand. “It’s an easy enough
dream.
Very attainable, especially for you.
The man
who wins your heart will be the luckiest person alive. So why is it just a
dream?
Because of your ex-husband?”

Cate stood and walked over, grabbing the scotch. A laugh
came from her mouth. “Well, he did a hell of a number on me. That’s for sure.
But I guess you already know about that. Doc probably told you everything. It
always had been an abusive relationship.
But after a week in
intensive care.
Three broken ribs.
Jacked up insides.
Left for dead.
 
He finally got taken care of, courtesy of
Austin
PD
, of course. Is that why you’re in this
mood?
Because my past was getting to you?”

Torrance swore his blood went cold and his heart nearly
stopped altogether at her words. “I didn’t know. Not until you just said. Your
ex-husband did that to you?”

She shrugged. “He’s in jail now. I’m safe.
Outta sight, outta mind.”

Nausea threatened. If he ever saw that man, he was
dead. Torrance tried not to let her see how badly it affected him. “So why is
it a dream then, if it’s not because of him?”

The scotch quickly disappeared from the glass.
“Because of him, I’ll never have kids. I can adopt, yes. But to actually have
one, it’s impossible.”

Torrance closed his eyes and lowered his head. “I’m
sorry. So very sorry for everything you’ve been through.”

She remained quiet as she refilled her glass.
“So what about you, Torrance McLaren?
What’s in your future?
What do you long for the most, deep down in your heart?” The graceful way she
walked forward, with her head held high, showed a woman so brave and strong
that he almost said,
you
. But he
couldn’t. Not when he wasn’t sure if she even felt anything for him other than
sexual pleasure. He knew he had that one in the bag.

“The same as you.
I
want a home in the country.
A wife.
Kids are optional.
I don’t think I’d mind a few little toddlers running around.
Maybe
a dog or two.”

She smiled and sat down. “It sounds like a great
dream. The country is beautiful.” She grew quiet and Torrance took the glass
from her and sat it down on the coffee table. He pulled her into his arms and lay
down with her on the couch. While he stared into her eyes, he wondered what was
going through her mind. How would she feel if she knew she was leaving
tomorrow? For minutes neither of them moved.

Cate’s lids began to lower and she yawned. “I’m kind
of tired. Do you mind if we just go to bed, early?” Her finger traced over his
lip. “You did mention making love to me. I think I’d like that.”

“Anything for you.”
He
scooped her into his arms and lowered her to stand next to the bed. She
instantly reached for the button of her blouse, but he stopped her. Slowly, he
undid each one, and let it drop to the ground. Torrance didn’t stop undressing
her until she was completely nude.

As he reached for his own shirt, she shook her head.
“Allow me.” The action was done with such care. Her delicate fingers worked the
buttons through without a stumble in their advance. When his shirt fell to the
floor, she reached and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. His cock was hard by
the time he stepped out of his jeans.

“I want your hands all over me, and your eyes never
leaving mine, Cate.” He pulled down the blankets and the moment he lay
down,
he pulled her body to cover his. The need to see her
looking at him overpowered everything. She was going to ride his cock and he
was going to imprint it into his memory forever.

Chapter
Nine

The sound of the doorbell echoing through the penthouse
had Cate’s eyes blinking open. She turned to Torrance, who’d been woken up by
it too. His eyes grew wide and he pulled her body into his. “Promise me you
won’t forget me.” The fear on his face threw Cate’s heart into panicked rhythm.
This was it. She knew her master was the one at the door. Her eyes scanned over
his face. So this was why he’d asked her all those questions. It all made sense
now.

“I’d never forget you, Torrance.” His lips crushed
into hers and Cate felt tears come to her eyes. Before she realized it, her
arms were locked around his neck. ‘Don’t forget me, either.”

“Never.”

The look in his eyes made her believe it. Cate
pulled back before the tears could spill over. She climbed from the bed and he
followed, sliding his pajama bottoms on. The clock read a little after nine.
Damn, they’d only been asleep for four hours.

With every step, she felt soreness take over her
body. Torrance hadn’t lied about making love all night. They’d done it three
times, and each time was for well over an hour. She sighed as she put her bra
on and slid on a pair of her panties. Torrance walked out of the room and shut
the door behind him. Cate slipped on a dress and walked into the restroom to
brush her teeth and hair.

As she washed her face, she couldn’t get the images
of her night with Tor out of her head. What would he say if she asked to stay?
The thought vanished just as fast. He wasn’t interested in keeping her around
as his sub. He definitely would have said so if that were the case. Torrance
was a man who went after what he wanted. If it were Cate, he’d have said so.

A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away,
furiously. Why was she crying? This was ridiculous. They’d only known each
other for a few weeks. It’s not like people could fall in love that fast. An
agonizing ache settled in her chest. If they couldn’t, then why did she feel
like her heart was breaking?

Cate threw on some make-up and finished getting
ready. She grabbed her things from the restroom and put them in her bags. As
she picked them up, she slid on her shoes. Christopher’s big smile was the
first thing she saw when she walked out.

“Cate.”
He
walked up to her and she automatically lowered to her knees and looked down.
“Oh, yes. Torrance, you did well.
Rise, pet.”
He
grabbed her hand and she swallowed hard. Cate looked up at Torrance. The look
on his face almost had her rushing to him. Well, at least he appeared a little
upset that she was leaving. That made her feel like maybe she’d at least left a
tiny piece of herself with him, and that was a good thing.

“I’ll get your bags. Go tell Torrance, goodbye.”

Cate fought the tears as she walked forward.
“Goodbye, Tor. Thank you for everything.”

He gave her a stiff nod and glanced at Christopher.
His head lowered and he looked into her eyes. “You call me if you need
anything.” His voice grew softer.
“Anything, Cate.”

“Come, pet.” Christopher grabbed her hand and pulled
her forward. She watched Torrance until they stepped through the door and the
barrier hid him from view. The elevator came too quickly and before she knew it,
they were in the underground garage. “Torrance said you’d just woken up. We
only live a little over an hour away. You can eat when we get home.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good, you remembered how to address me. I was
hoping I wouldn’t have to remind you. I’d hate to have to punish you on the
first day.” He threw her bags into the back seat of the white Range Rover and
opened her door. The moment the door closed, Cate gripped the edge of the seat
tightly. This was her new life. She needed to just accept it. Christopher
seemed like a good enough guy…things would be all right. They had to be.

As he climbed in and left the building, he headed
for the north side of Austin. “After you eat, we’ll drop your stuff off at the
house. Then we’ll hit the gym. I thought you’d have lost more weight by now.
You’ve been following the plan I sent, haven’t you?”

Cate paused. Since she’d been back with Torrance,
she did splurge a little too often. She had lost eight pounds since she had
started tracking, but apparently that wasn’t enough. “No, Sir. Not like I
should have been.” She looked down.

“I see.” His tone deepened and he got quiet. After a
few miles, he cleared his throat. “You’ll put in an extra two hours of training
every day for a week. And I have a new plan for you. It won’t be easy, but
you’ll do it.”

“Yes, Sir.”
Shit
. She should have just kept to her
damn diet. Well, she wasn’t going to let him break her that easily. She’d push
herself as hard as she could and when she was still going, he’d see just how
strong she really was. A smile tried to appear, but she kept it hidden. Her
eyes stared off at the countryside as they left the Austin city limits. For
over an hour they drove. It wasn’t until they reached a big two-story house in
the middle of nowhere that Cate was reminded of Torrance’s dream life. She
liked it here. It reminded her of him.

“You’ll take a shower before anything. I know you’ve
been fucking your trainer and I want you as clean as possible. When you’re
done, you’ll meet me downstairs. Then we’ll hit the gym.”

Cate immediately picked up on his personality
change. He was mad. The energy she got from him was all too familiar and she
couldn’t stop the antsy feeling prickling the back of her neck.

Christopher grabbed her bags and she followed him
inside. They walked up a white, carpeted staircase and into a large bedroom
down the hall. “Bathroom’s in there. You have ten minutes to be at the bottom
of the stairs. Not a minute later.” He walked out and left her standing there.
Cate dove to her bag and dug through, searching for her workout clothes. It
felt like an eternity before she found them.

As she rushed through the shower, fear took over.
What would he do if she were late? She didn’t trust men, and for good reason.
She’d been down this road before. At the first opportunity if something went
wrong, she was calling Tor to come get her. No way was she going through this
shit again.

Cate slipped her tennis shoes on and raced down the
stairs. Christopher was standing there with his arms crossed. “You’re three
minutes late.” Her mouth opened, and she immediately shut it and lowered her
head.

“I’m sorry, Sir.”

“Are you? What are you sorry for, Cate? Is it for
getting me hot and heavy and never following through? You said you were going
to send me pictures and you never did. Maybe you’re sorry for having to leave
your pretty boy trainer? Which is it?”

Cate’s eyes came up, glaring at him. “Torrance
doesn’t deserve to have you trash talk him. He didn’t do anything to you.”

The slap came out of nowhere. Blood filled her mouth
and she looked down, shocked.

“He corrupted my sub is what he did. You will learn
to respect me, Cate. If not, fear will do just as good. You’re mine now. Not
his. Anything he put into your head had better disappear, and real fast. Now
get your ass in the gym.”

Cate knew she could do one of two things. Rebel and
try to leave or call for help, or she could listen and follow his orders and
leave at the first opportunity. She’d tried calling for help before. She knew
exactly where that had gotten her.
“Yes, Sir.”
The raw
taste of her busted lip drove Cate to walk faster. Let him load a bullshit
amount of work on her. She’d do it till she couldn’t move. No way was she going
to get pushed around again. She was no man’s punching bag.