She took a sip of the wine and smiled. It was just like Adam—smooth, cool and elegant. “What are we having?” It smelled incredible, whatever it was.
“Lamb simmered in red wine, garlic and olives. It’s an Italian recipe I got from an old friend,” he answered, and tasted a small amount on a teaspoon. He added a pinch of salt then turned back to her. “It’s nearly ready. Come on, I’ll show you around before we eat and introduce you to Thor and Freya.”
Thor and Freya? Has he invited another couple?
Disappointment welled up inside her. She had been so flattered that he had made all this effort just for her and now it seemed that he hadn’t at all. She was probably just here to make up the numbers. How stupid of her to think otherwise.
Adam took her hand and led her back into the entrance hall then through a door into the living room. Two large black leather sofas dominated the room, separated by an oak coffee table standing on a dark red pile rug. Matching red suede cushions were propped up along the sofas and a large red glass bowl took center stage on the coffee table. It was simple and stylish yet looked welcoming and homely.
To her delight, there was a roaring open fire blazing in the hearth. She had always loved open fires. She relaxed as the warmth welcomed her into the room to join the dancing shadows being thrown across it by the lively flames.
Then she remembered the other couple and looked around the room with a frown. “Where are your other guests?”
“There are no other guests,” said Adam, tracing his thumb around her lips. “It’s just you and me. Oh, and Thor and Freya, of course.” He nodded toward the rug in front of the fire. Two black, toasting cats were stretched luxuriously over the red pile of the rug.
Rachel quickly made her way over to the sleeping cats. She loved cats and had dreamt of having one of her own one day when she could afford a flat with a small garden. “Oh, Adam, they’re so sweet. And hot—I nearly burned my hand on this one.” She laughed, shaking her hand in mock pain.
“I often marvel at the fact that they don’t actually cook in front of that fire. That’s Thor.” He nodded as she stroked the larger of the two.
“Thor—that’s an interesting name.”
The cat looked up at her, gracing her with a yawn before settling back to sleep.
“My grandmother was Norwegian and loved to tell me old tales of Nordic folklore. Thor was the Nordic God of Thunder and Freya was the Norse Goddess of Love whose carriage was supposedly drawn by two black cats.” He knelt down next to Rachel and stroked Freya with an affectionate grin. She immediately rolled onto her back and stretched out lazily.
“She’s such a tart,” he said affectionately, as he ruffled her fluffy tummy.
“I never had you down as someone who owned cats.” As far as she was concerned, anyone who liked cats had to be okay. Suddenly, the hard-edged businessman and scary Dom didn’t seem quite so intimidating.
He chuckled and stood up again. “I’m just going to check on the food. Make yourself at home.” He kissed her lightly on the lips then left her alone with the two sleeping cats.
She sat down on one of the sofas and stared absently into the fire, becoming mesmerized by the lively flames. The only sound was the crackling as the wood burned, and the cats purring in unison. Every now and again, the sound of plates and pans clattered in the kitchen. If ever there was a feeling of peace and tranquility, this was it.
She looked around the room, taking in as many details as possible so she could learn more about Adam. They settled on a large painting hanging on the wall. She stood up and walked over to it to take a closer look and was immediately captivated by the scene depicted in the picture. It was clearly an original—she could tell from the raised grooves of the paintbrush, although the artist hadn’t signed it.
The snow-covered mountains were set against a night sky and were reflected in the clear water of a large lake. What brought the picture to life, though, were the striking green waves of light floating across the sky. They were so beautifully painted that she could almost see the movement of the waves as they lit up the mountains and gave the snow a mysterious greenish hue.
“The Northern Lights.”
She jumped when Adam spoke, but was unable to tear her eyes away from the dramatic scene as he approached her.
“It’s stunning,” she whispered.
He nodded and put his arm around her. “Come on, dinner’s ready.”
She followed him out of the room and couldn’t help imaging how she would feel if he ordered her to strip and kneel at the dinner table to be fed by him. She’d seen a few subs at the club being fed that way, but it hadn’t really turned her on, so hopefully he’d let her eat her food on her own. Memories of the Master/slave relationship he’d had with his wife still niggled uncomfortably somewhere deep inside her, and she quickly pushed the unwanted thought from her mind.
He led her back to the kitchen where a table was laid for two by a set of large French doors leading out to the darkness of a garden. Several candles flickered romantically in silver candlesticks and a single red rose in a small crystal vase had been placed in the center.
If Adam did have any kinky plans for her, he certainly didn’t let on as he pulled a chair out for her to sit down. He refilled her wine glass and placed a bowl of steaming soup in front of her before joining her.
Adam nodded at her to begin then watched her as she took a small sip of the steaming soup.
Hmm, sweet potato and pumpkin. Nice.
“It’s delicious,” she said.
He looked pleased. “Good.”
They ate in silence for a few seconds then he spoke again, “I invited you here tonight for two reasons, Rachel.” He was looking serious again and his Dom voice had replaced the relaxed tone from before.
Uh-oh, she’d known there would be a catch.
“Tonight, you will tell me about yourself—your family, past relationships and those insecurities that seem to follow you everywhere. I want to know everything about you. You asked me on Saturday to wait for another time to discuss it because it’s painful for you. Well, I’ve waited and now it’s time to talk.”
His words made it clear that there was no use trying to dodge around it again, and her heart sank at the prospect of having to reveal her inner demons to him.
She smiled sweetly, not letting her anxiety show. “So, what’s the second reason?”
A devious grin spread across his face as he leaned over the table. “So I can order you to strip because I want you to be naked when we have dessert.”
She swallowed as heat flared inside her body. “Oh? And what’s the dessert?” she asked softly, her pulse rapidly increasing by the second.
“You.” There was no mistaking the sexual promise in his reply.
Her nipples hardened unbearably under her braless dress, and a persistent throbbing deep inside her made her move slightly in her chair to try to calm it. Her dress had ridden up when she had sat down, though, and her naked pussy rubbed against the leather of the chair, causing her to let out a small moan.
Adam grinned, and a flush crept up her neck onto her face.
Damn him, how can he have such a powerful effect on me?
“Okay, sweet thing, time to talk.” His sharp eyes held hers, letting her know he wouldn’t accept any excuses. Shit, her sudden arousal had made her forget about their impending chat. The sexy throbbing stopped as quickly as it had started.
“Well, what do you want to know?” she faltered. She genuinely didn’t know where to begin. Her life hadn’t been exotic or exciting or even remotely interesting, it had just been filled with rejection, pain and guilt—and that was a difficult thing to put into words. She’d never talked about it before, even to Mandy, and she wished she could just erase her whole sorry past and create a nice, normal upbringing.
“Well, let’s start with your last boyfriend. What happened?” He stood up, then cleared the empty soup bowls before dishing up the main course. She waited until he sat back down, and took a deep breath.
Here goes
.
“His name was Paul. He was the first boyfriend I’d had that lasted more than a month.” Her eyes watered as memories of laughter and innocence invaded her, memories she had buried over a year ago. Adam remained silent, as if he knew she needed time to process the intense emotions overpowering her.
“He was sweet and funny and actually liked me for who I was. We loved each other and the day he asked me to marry him, I was the happiest girl alive.” A tear ran down her face and Adam reached across and gently wiped it away for her. She smiled, comforted by the gentle touch.
But then she felt her face twist with bitterness as she recalled the day her world had fallen apart. “A week before the wedding, he dumped me and ran off with another woman.” Somehow saying the words aloud didn’t portray the depth of the pain they signified.
Adam reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Oh, Rachel, that’s horrible.”
“Oh, there’s more,” she laughed bitterly. “It wasn’t just any woman he’d run off with, it was my sister.” The tears were running freely down her face now, as the pain of everything that had happened finally caught up with her.
“And what about now?” probed Adam. “Have you seen either of them since? Maybe talking to them after all this time will help you let go of the bitterness. They owe you that.”
Rachel shook her head as fresh tears exploded from inside her broken heart. “No, and I never will,” she sobbed. “Because they’re both dead and it’s my fault!”
Chapter Two
Rachel didn’t know how long she’d been in Adam’s arms. She’d lost all sense of time as the past had returned to haunt her. They were snuggled up on one of the sofas in front of the fire, the dinner dishes left unattended in the kitchen. Thor was snoring contentedly in front of the fire and Freya had jumped up and settled with her body on Adam’s lap and her head resting on Rachel’s.
Adam had tried to tell Rachel it wasn’t her fault that Paul and Sasha had died. She hadn’t been there when they’d jetted off to Spain on their honeymoon and she certainly hadn’t made them get on the sightseeing coach that had veered off the cliffs and killed everyone on board.
“I told them, though,” she’d cried as Adam had tried to calm her. “It was the last thing I said to them, that I wished they were dead.”
He’d told her, quite rightly, that people were always saying things like that in heated arguments and that it didn’t mean she was to blame.
But he didn’t know. How could he possibly know?
Adam must have taken pity on her because he hadn’t demanded any more information from her. He had held her close to him and comforted her, and she had cried on his shoulders, gradually feeling calmer as time slipped slowly by.
“Thank you,” she whispered, eventually, and nuzzled farther into his chest.
He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
“You don’t have to tell me the rest tonight, but I know there’s more and you
will
tell me another time, okay?” His voice was soft, but tinged with an edge that made her pull away slightly and look up into his face. He grinned and gently lifted Freya off them, before, putting her on a cushion next to him. The disgruntled cat gave him an angry glare and jumped down before stalking off with her tail in the air.
“I bet she’s the only living creature who dares to defy you.” Rachel smiled, feeling more like her usual self again.
He laughed—a deep, sexy laugh that sent a little shiver down her spine. “She’s the boss around here. Thor is well and truly under her thumb, as am I.” He stood up and pulled her to join him. “Come, there’s a special room I want to show you.”
A shot of electricity charged through her body—was he going to show her his dungeon now? She’d read all about Doms who had converted their cellars into dungeons that even the big clubs would be proud of. She took his hand and allowed him to lead her out into the hallway. There was no obvious door that might indicate a cellar, though, and when he turned toward the staircase going up, she realized she may have been wrong. Of course, there was always a possibility he had some sort of dungeon or playroom in the spare room upstairs.
When they got to the top of the stairs, they walked past an open door to what was probably his bedroom. She tried to take a peek, but all she saw was a large double bed. He pulled her toward another, narrower set of stairs going up into the attic.
Ah, that’s where his playroom is
.
They stopped at the top, outside a closed door. He looked down at her and smiled, almost nervously. “I’ve never shown anyone this room before,” he said, quietly.
Why does he have a playroom if he never brings anyone here? Strange.
Adam turned a key and pushed the door open. Rachel gasped in surprise when she looked in. It wasn’t a playroom at all, but a spacious, airy artist’s studio.
“Welcome to my secret world,” he said proudly. “This is where I spend most of my spare time.”
“Oh!” Rachel didn’t know what else to say as she stood still, taking in the huge room. There were numerous skylights that would undoubtedly illuminate the room perfectly during the day. A couple of easels were propped up against a wooden table that was covered with multi-colored paint splodges.
“You look surprised,” Adam said with a frown. “Is it really so odd that I paint?”
“Oh no, of course not.” She flushed and added, “I wasn’t expecting a studio, that’s all.”
He narrowed his eyes inquisitively. “Oh? What were you expecting?”
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, but I thought you had a dungeon or playroom or something.”
Oh, God, he’s going to think I’ve got sex on the brain.
He grinned and pulled her closer to him. “Are you disappointed?”
“No, of course not,” she said, a little too quickly.
His eyes narrowed even deeper to match the dark tone in his voice. “I may not have a playroom here, but I’ve got a pretty mean toy box, so I wouldn’t get too complacent.”
That was more like it. Her body tingled at the implied threat. She stood slightly on tiptoes to reach his mouth and planted a kiss on his lips. “I’ll look forward to seeing it.” She grinned suggestively and stepped back into the large studio.