BreakMeIn

Sara
Brookes

Book 3 in the Geek Kink series.

Elena avoids relationships by using
her flogger as a shield. Alex is struggling with substance abuse and Elena will
do nearly anything to help him conquer his demons, even risk losing him
forever. When he comes home, whole and healthy, he raises the stakes by
requesting their friendship turn into a D/s bond. His submission will change
their dynamic forever. She convinces herself it’s just sex. Love and desire
aren’t part of the equation.

Under Elena’s reverent command,
Alex finds a comfort he’s always yearned for. He’s happier than ever as he
spends his days slinging coffee and his nights bound and collared. Submitting
to Elena exposes more than his strengths—it reveals a powerful attraction. Most
of all, it uncovers their passionate love. He’s ready to convince her there’s
no reason to mask her feelings, but his efforts are derailed when his toxic
past resurfaces to annihilate their future.

A Romantica®
BDSM erotic romance
from Ellora’s Cave

Elena hated weddings.

Second only, of course, to love.

She didn’t have time to pussyfoot around with the dance two
people played with each other. Long ago she’d replaced love with sex because fucking
was simple. Fucking was clear-cut and no-nonsense.

Fucking was easier to sate.

One night inside the walls of her favorite place was enough
to take the edge off any desire she had to take a chance on love. Unfortunately
Sanctuary was being used in a different capacity tonight.

A wedding.

Despite her deep-seated loathing for celebrations of love,
she couldn’t help but tap her foot with the beat while she swirled her red
wine. The melody of the music pouring from the overhead speakers was slow and
romantic with just a hint of ferocity under the surface. The perfect song for
Patrick and Allison Conners as they shared their first dance as husband and
wife.

Elena watched the couple drift effortlessly across the
floor. They’d found each other, overcome insecurities and misunderstandings and
pledged their lives to each other. To love, honor and obey.

While they floated across the floor Elena was reminded of
what she’d missed out on in life because of the choices she’d made. Single.
Childless. Pitifully alone. All vivid reminders why she despised celebrations
of love. Events such as this one made her maudlin and morose for the
possibilities she didn’t have.

Stupid, pointless love.

It wasn’t as though she was unhappy for the pair. Two of her
closest friends had just committed themselves to each other. Great for them,
but it wasn’t her style at all.

The song ended and she joined the small group of revelers as
they congratulated the happy couple with enthusiastic applause. Her gaze moved
away as Patrick dipped his wife and the couple passionately kissed.

During her quick scan of the room, she gaze landed on Alex.

Poor guy. He looked pitiful, consuming beer after beer. His
quiet contemplation was a contradiction to the excitement and sheer joy
surrounding him. A stone statue amid riotous chaos. Being at a wedding had to
be hard on the guy. Divorce tended to make people see love in a different
light. The drawn expression on his face made Elena want to gather him up in a
tight hug, which clearly signaled she needed to leave.

“Another drink, ma’am?”

Elena turned to give the young man behind the bar a coy smile.
When she’d sat down earlier he’d immediately starting flirting with reckless
abandon. Much, much too young for her tastes. Much too inexperienced in matters
of sex as well, that much was obvious to her trained eye. He didn’t scream
virgin to her, but she liked her men with a few more years under the belt.

She wasn’t looking for a novice. In fact she wasn’t looking
for
anyone
at all. She’d made the choice to be single for a reason.
Being alone meant she could devote more time to things she enjoyed without
having to worry about attachments.

“Not tonight, thanks. I think I’m done.” She slid a hefty
tip his way because—flirting aside—he’d provided great service. Not to mention provided
her with some nice eye candy for a few hours.

Who needed love when there was lust?

He flashed a naïve smile at her again. She pushed away from
the bar before she changed her mind and took steps to find out what the
bartender would look like kneeling before her.

She had always been a sucker for a man on his knees. Bound
by chains and leather, a sturdy steel ring surrounding his cock to drive the
point home she alone controlled his orgasms. His pleasure. Her weakness was
exactly why she rarely allowed a submissive the privilege of being on his
knees.

Her job was to expose their weaknesses, not display hers.

Motion on the other side the room stopped her thoughts. She
watched with fascination as the only bridesmaid in the wedding party—Allison’s
cousin Sunny—plopped down into a chair next to Alex.

Oh boy.

This could get interesting.

Immediately chatty, the woman didn’t give a moment’s pause
despite the apathetic look Alex gave her. She prattled on as if they were best
friends who’d known each other for years. Alex didn’t stop her despite his
obvious annoyance. Like his younger brother, Alex Conners was a gentleman.
Their mother had made certain the boys had grown up considerate to a fault
despite the hellish childhood their father had put them through.

No doubt about it, the Conners boys were survivors.

Just then a loud cry split the air and Sunny clapped her
hands over her mouth. Alex stood, waving his hands as he put a few inches
between them. Despite his attempt to assure her he was fine, Sunny frantically
dabbed her napkin a few inches below Alex’s crotch.

Elena stifled a snort as he gently took Sunny’s wrist and
moved it away. He was apologetic despite the fact she had been the one to spill
her champagne. Sunny followed him when he dashed off to the restroom, waving
her napkin in the air like a white flag seeking surrender.

Poor, poor Alex. He’d be lucky to blow her off tonight. Or
he’d spend the rest of the night in the restroom hiding from her. The woman had
shown her persistence when it had come to picking out her bridesmaid’s dress a
few months ago, so Alex had his work cut out for him.

Allison, bless her heart, had given Elena complete freedom when
it came to her maid-of-honor gown. Of course, she made certain Allison was
always with her every step of the way, but the last thing Elena needed was a
pink confection dress to clash with her fiery-red hair. Such a travesty was
easily dismissed as cute at seven years old, but as an adult it was
unforgivable.

Pretty in pink she wasn’t.

Making her way to the exit, she was intercepted by half of
the newlywed couple. As a blushing bride, Allison Conners fit the bill
perfectly. At Elena’s insistence they’d taken a weekend trip to New York City
to shop for Allison’s wedding dress. Even though Allison had insisted she
wasn’t interested in some frothy gown, that was just what she’d ended up
buying. Yards of gauzy material floated behind her as she grabbed Elena’s arm.

“And just where do you think you’re going?”

“I was going to politely slip out—after wishing you two well
of course. My arches are screaming.”

“I’ll never understand your fascination with wearing those
killers.”

“If I’m not mistaken you’re wearing a pair of those
killers
yourself tonight.” Elena pointed to the splash of color peeking from under the
hem of Allison’s bridal gown.

“Only because you stole my sneakers.”

“Shabby black sneakers and Vera Wang do not mix.” Elena
laughed as Allison pulled up her dress and modeled the vibrantly colored shoes.
“Leave it to you to never do anything traditional. It’s like a Sunday morning
comic strip page come to life on your feet.”

“Have to keep my geek cred intact somehow, right?”

“How are my two favorite ladies doing?” As the man she
thought of as a brother slid next to his wife, Elena noted Patrick had lost his
tuxedo jacket and tie. He’d also opened the top two buttons on his crisp white
shirt. The photographer would undoubtedly have a small fit when it came time to
cut the cake because everything wasn’t perfect. Then again, it wasn’t as if
Patrick would likely care. He’d always tended to go his own way.

Allison curled her arm around Patrick’s narrow waist,
pulling their bodies together. “Elena was just about to slip out on us.”

“Meanwhile, I’d like to slip into something else.”

Elena covered her laugh with a soft cough at Patrick’s bold
statement. Allison flushed pink as she tugged on the thin gray band circling
her neck. She hadn’t removed her collar even for the wedding ceremony. “Ready
to consummate the marriage already?”

“Oh no,” he paused to flash a wicked grin at Elena. “Already
taken care of earlier.”

“When in the hell—never mind.” She held up a hand when
Patrick shot her a grin. “Don’t. I really, really don’t want to know. I really am
going to head out of here. Unlike those who get a week off to go traipsing
around St. Barts, some of us still have to work.”

Allison’s hand closed around her wrist. “You know, it’s
traditional for the maid of honor and the best man to dance together.”

The knot in Elena’s stomach tightened, nearly making her
sick. She’d had enough dealings with Alex tonight and she’d grown tired of
doing her best to avoid him. It was exhausting.

The minute they’d had to casually walk down the aisle
together had been sheer torture for her. She’s always treated both of the
Conners as her own family considering her fucked-up family dynamic, but
recently there had been a shift she kept doing her best not to acknowledge.

She’d watched Alex go through a horrible divorce. They’d
even had lengthy talks about the dark moment in his life. But one day something
had changed for her. Suddenly little Alex Conners wasn’t so brotherly anymore.
He was handsome and appealing. Charming. Attractive.

And very, very off-limits.

“Think I’ll skip the traditional route if you don’t mind.
Besides, Alex doesn’t seem to be in the party mood anymore.” Allison frowned as
Elena explained what happened. “Anyway, don’t let this ruin your celebration.
You two enjoy, I need to get going.”

As she started to turn away, Allison grabbed her into a hug.
“Thank you. For everything.”

In the year she’d known Allison they’d become great friends.
Their closeness had deepened and bloomed so Elena couldn’t help loving her like
a sister. She still remembered the night they’d talked about the trouble
Allison had found herself in with Patrick. Nothing a good, long conversation
between the two hadn’t fixed, but she’d felt some kind of eternal connection
with Allison she’d never been able to explain.

“No thanks, remember?”

Allison pulled away, tears glistening in the corners of her
eyes. “Don’t get in too much trouble, all right?”

Elena tipped her head. “I cause trouble, remember?”

Patrick winked as he clutched Allison close, spinning her
back out onto the dance floor. The two were so made for each other, the
sweetness of the moment nearly hurt her teeth. Laughing, Elena stepped out onto
the sidewalk and into the cold February night.

A ring of smokers stood off to the left, huddling around one
another as they puffed on their cigarettes. Feeling nostalgic, Elena
deliberately strode past them on her way to where she’d parked her car. Damn,
some nights she really missed smoking. Times like these she also missed the
fact she couldn’t use a vice to work off her frustration.

Those little addictive sticks were so simple and easy to get
lost in.

She couldn’t even use Sanctuary to help take the edge off
either because the former warehouse site had been transformed as the gathering
place for Patrick and Allison’s wedding and reception. But it seemed only
fitting the couple marry in the same place their relationship blossomed.

Elena forced out a heavy breath as she waited for the
interior of her car to heat. The snow that had fallen just days earlier had
crystalized everything as far as the eye could see. Now the town was overrun
with tourists seeking their thrills on the ski slopes.

Her cell phone chimed on the console and she made a grab for
it with cold fingers. The message was from Chaplin Ellis, the owner of the club
she frequented when she didn’t want to use Sanctuary. His sister had fallen ill
and he needed to stay home with her. Ian would oversee operations for the
night, but he wanted to know if she could be around to lend an extra hand.

Which meant she would have to change her plans, alter the
time she’d planned to arrive at the club to a few hours earlier. She’d already
decided to duck out after Patrick and Allison left the reception in order to
head for the club around midnight.

She responded to Chaplin then fired off an instant message
to change a meeting time before tossing the cell phone into the seat beside
her. Reversing out of the slot, she punched the gas.

The club would be the perfect thing to get her mind off the
wedding.

Off love and all the fluffy shit those emotions brought to
her life.

She didn’t have time to deal with them.

Thirty-five minutes later she pulled into the parking lot of
the one place she did have time to deal with. Element Twenty-Six, an exclusive
BDSM club on the outskirts of Gatlin Falls. Now there was a place she could
understand whatever her mood.

Giddy with the possibilities the night now held, she parked
in the side lot for members and entered the building. A quick change into her
favored white leathers and she was out on the main floor in a matter of
minutes.

Her second home.

The club was in fine form for Open Door night. Chaplin
allowed those without memberships to enter the exclusive fetish club for a
single evening each year. He’d pulled out all the stops tonight, draping small
white LED bulbs around the crown molding to add a soft glow to the entire room.
The gentle lighting highlighted the darkest corners of the club. The glow even
emphasized the crowd milling around waiting for any sort of activity to get
started.

The fact nothing was happening wasn’t a good sign.

If someone didn’t start a scene soon the newbies would lose
interest and leave. Not good for a club trying to grow its membership. Or the
word-of-mouth advertising the club depended upon. It wasn’t as though Chaplin
could slap a thirty-second ad slot on during the nightly news.

The town gossips would have a field day.

These people milling around didn’t know this wasn’t normal
operations. By this hour on most Saturday nights the scene areas were in use
and the atmosphere was much different.

What the hell was up with the rest of the membership
tonight?

Anxious to get things started, she stepped onto a stage in
the center of the club and dropped her toy bag onto a table. A quick glance at
the numbers of the discreet clock embedded in the post behind the table
indicated her partner for the night was late. Certainly didn’t help her mood much.
Ideally she would have liked to arrive and find Gideon already waiting for her.