Cardinal's Rule (37 page)

An eager nod and playful smile.

How many other secrets were locked inside her? Maybe he’d have to have a long, private talk

with Cris and see if he could offer any insight. Then again, that might be crossing the boundary of respecting her privacy.

Not to mention she was no longer the girl Cris knew, even if her love life hit a stasis between Cris’ departure and his own arrival.

When he lined his cock up she tipped her hips, giving him better access. He viciously speared her, fucked her hard and fast and didn’t need to order her to come. Within a few strokes she was already crying out, her muscles contracting around his shaft, surprising him at the intensity but with that encouragement it didn’t take long for him to climax too. He rolled over, keeping her on top of him.

“So who are you now, baby?” he asked.

She squirmed against him before nipping one of his nipples. “I’m your good little slut,” she whispered.

He laughed and held her close, stilling her motions. “Then be a very good girl and let’s take a nap. You wore Daddy out.”

* * * *

Tilly awoke from her nap still draped over Landry’s chest. He’d never bothered removing his

jeans. She closed her eyes and silently moaned.
Jesus, what would happen now?
Yes, it’d felt better than great. She hadn’t counted on how safe he’d make her feel, how natural it felt slipping into old habits even if she’d never played with him before.

But ever since Cris had called her that at the hospital that afternoon, it had remained in the back of her mind.

When he nuzzled the top of her head, she knew he was awake. “Can we talk?” he asked.

She couldn’t look him in the eyes. “Okay.”

“Love, let me be what you need me to be for you. Please.”

“I don’t know what I need.”

He tipped her chin so she had to look at him. “Whatever happens is between you and me. Not

Cris. This is about us. I told you when we first started that I want to be what you need.”

She felt safe with him. He’d literally die before he left her alone.

Crossing her arms over his chest, she rested her chin on them and stared at him. “I don’t think I can scene with him in the house. Not right now, at least.”

He played with her hair. Now down to her shoulders, he loved to run his fingers through it. “Do you want Daddy and girl?”

She nodded. “Sometimes.”

He playfully smiled. She loved that about him, that she could bring out sweet and playful

Landry whereas Cris didn’t get to see that part of him very often. “Will I be lucky enough to see Daddy’s playful little slut on a regular basis?”

She laughed. “Yeah.”

He faked a relieved sigh. “Oh, good. I was afraid I might never see that chick again. She’s

wild.”

Tilly poked him in the ribs until he started tickling her. They ended up with her on her back under him, being tickled. She squealed in protest, but he wouldn’t stop until she finally realized what he wanted.

“Daddy, please stop.”

He laughed and nipped the base of her throat. “You do learn fast, sweetheart.” He rolled them 

over again, Tilly on top, his hands resting on her ass. “Am I allowed to instigate?”

She frowned. “Huh?”

“I know I can’t top you, but am I allowed to start play like that with you or do I have to wait for your lead?”

Fear gripped her, mixed with more than a heaping dose of longing. She crossed her arms over

his chest again and stared into his eyes for several minutes. He still had one more planned round of chemo to endure, then the doctors would wait and see what happened. It likely could be his last round as long as he continued to improve.

She had to be strong for him, to help him through that. Meanwhile…

“I want you to,” she softly admitted. “But I reserve the right to change my mind about that if I need to.”

“Of course.”

Chapter Twenty

Her agitation returned as she counted down the hours until Cris’ return. For the past couple of months she had tamped her jealousy back and held it securely in check. Landry spent every night with her, although it wasn’t uncommon for him to spend private time with Cris before he came to bed, or even get up in the middle of the night to go to him for a little while.

That she didn’t mind. If he did it with anyone else, she’d have castrated him with her bare

hands, but for some reason, she could deal with it.

Usually.

Landry had casually asked her before Cris’ return if she minded if he spent the entire night with Cris—in Cris’ room, of course—upon his return. To make up for Cris missing his birthday.

“Why would I mind?” Unfortunately, she realized she did mind.
He’s
my
husband, dammit.

Sharing him for an hour or two, no problem.

All night?

Landry carefully watched her. She knew from the way he tipped his head that he studied her

reaction. “Love?”

She turned away and wouldn’t look at him. “Seriously, it’s okay. I don’t mind. I had private time with you for your birthday. It’s all right.”

“I promise I won’t discuss any of that with him. That’s between you and me.”

“I know.” She’d suspected, but to hear his reassurance comforted her.

When Landry left for the airport to pick up Cris after giving her a soul-melting kiss, she called Loren.

“Hey, chica. How’s hunky hubby?”

“He’s fine. Not looking forward to the next round of chemo, but it’s probably the last round, so he’s feeling good about that.”

“Good. What’s on your mind?”

“You guys going to the club tonight?”

Wrong approach. Tilly picked up Loren’s caution tone. “Yeah? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Cris had to go out of town and I got to spend Landry’s birthday alone with him, so I thought I’d be magnanimous and let Cris have the evening alone with him. Landry’s picking him up now.”

Loren’s tone marginally relaxed. “Oh. You’re right, that is pretty adult of you. Dammit, that means you’re not making him sleep in the garage, are you?”

Tilly laughed. “You know damn well I’m not.”

She sighed. “Well, a girl can dream, can’t she? Sure, you want to come with?”

“Dinner first?”

“Abso-friggin-lutely.”

She glanced at the clock, it was nearly four. She knew Landry would take Cris out to eat before bringing him home. “I’ll just come over to your place and bring my stuff with me. I’ll ride to dinner with you and then change at your place.”

Aaaaand cautious tone returned. “Til, are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah, I just don’t feel like hearing a slave get beat tonight.”

Loren roared with laughter. “So you want to go to a BDSM club? Um, logical much?”

“I meant the slave I live with. I’ll see you in a little while.”

“You’re coming right now?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind, but the Marquis de Sade’s been playful today. Give me enough time to get a little less uncomfortable.”

Tilly could only imagine what Ross had done to her. “No visuals, please. Let’s say I’ll be there around five-thirty.”

“That would work perfectly.”

Tilly hung up and quickly gathered what she’d need to take with her. She was about to walk out the door when she realized something.

She needed to leave a note for Landry so he’d know not to worry.

Leaving her stuff by the front door, she sat at the counter and tried to work up something in her mind that wouldn’t come out looking petulant and jealous on paper.

Have fun fucking your slave tonight, I’ll be fine…

Don’t worry about me, enjoy yourself…

I made plans…

“Fuck!” She stared at the blank sheet of paper.

She finally wrote something.
Going to dinner with L&R, then to the club for the evening. Will
probably be back very late.

She hesitated.

Love, T.

To kill time before Loren’s, she headed to the bookstore and bought herself a hi-test coffee. It’d been two months since she’d gone to the club and she wasn’t used to the late nights.

Being a happily married couple had tamed her.

She sat in a corner of the bookstore and paged through a magazine someone else had left on a nearby table, but she didn’t do more than look at the pictures. She couldn’t concentrate anyway. In the back of her mind she couldn’t escape the mental image of Landry sleeping curled around Cris.

Why now? She could watch him torture and humiliate and fuck Cris, but the thought of him

sleeping
with the man roiled her jealousy?

But he’s
my
husband.

Was this a result of their new dynamic? Realizing she trusted him more in a few short months than she’d trusted Cris in their years together? Not much more, but then again, she also had the comfort that he wouldn’t simply up and disappear on her the way Cris had.

Maybe that had been her mistake. Getting her fucking hopes up.

Hope was for chumps, and she never should have forgotten that.

* * * *

Loren opened the door as Tilly carried her bags up the walk. Loren wore a bathrobe Tilly

suspected covered whatever remained of Ross’ kinky diversion for the day.

“What’s wrong?” Loren asked.

“Nothing’s wrong!” She dropped her bags in the doorway to the guest room. “Why are you so

convinced something’s wrong?”

“You’re frowning, and you’re biting my head off.” She scowled. “What the fuck did Cris do?

Can I castrate him?”

“Jesus! Enough with the castration fantasies, all right?” She took a deep breath and, after sitting at Loren’s counter, admitted a little of what bothered her.

Not what she’d done with Landry. That was something she wouldn’t even talk to her best friend about.

Loren’s face softened. “Tell Landry you’re not okay with it and fuck Cris and his feelings.

Landry’s
your
husband. You said he told you he’d give Cris up altogether if you asked.”

“I don’t want to ask that. Normally it doesn’t bother me.”

“Because normally you’re there.”

Tilly nodded.

“Then tell him you’re not okay with him spending the night with Cris.”

“You just want Cris’ feelings hurt.”

“No, I don’t want
your
feelings hurt, girlie. Him getting his feelings hurt is just a nice bonus, in my book.”

Tilly leaned back and laced her fingers behind her head. “My feelings aren’t hurt. I’m not sure what my feelings are or why I’m having them.”

Loren smacked her shoulder. “Duh. You’re in love with your husband. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out, Einstein.”

* * * *

Kim and Kylee joined them for dinner. Later, Tilly rode back to Ross and Loren’s house with

them to change clothes and head to the club. She tried not to look at her phone, to check the time and see if there were messages or missed calls from Landry. She rode to the club with her friends, knowing they were usually one of the last to leave.

No excuse for her to duck out early and go home.

Less chance of listening to sounds of the men making love behind a closed door she didn’t feel right about opening.

She immediately regretted her decision to ride with Ross and Loren five minutes after arriving.

Bob walked in, alone.

Oh, fuck me.

Loren apparently picked up on her apprehension and followed her gaze. She leaned in. “Yeah,

as much as I hate to tell you this, I feel sorry for him. He misses you.”

Bob spotted her and the smile that lit his face filled her with more guilt. He walked over and she mustered the courage to deal with him.

“Hi, Tilly.” She didn’t miss the way he glanced around, as if looking for someone.

“I’m here alone,” she told him. “Well, I came with Ross and Loren, but just me.” He relaxed. So she’d picked up on that correctly. “So what are you doing here?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I come here sometimes.” His gaze flicked down to his feet. “You know. Just…

hanging out.” She realized he wore the collar she’d bought for him.

If Landry could be fucking Cris’ brains out tonight, then dammit, she could do something to

take her mind off it. “Are you meeting anyone tonight?”

He pulled his gaze back up to her face. “No. Just thought I’d cruise in and hang out.”

Part of her brain warned her this might be a very bad idea. “Would you like to play? As

friends,” she added with a smile. “Tilly and Bob.”

The sweet smile on his face made her want to cry. “Yeah. I’d like that a lot.”

When she tried to grab her gear bag, he beat her to it and carried it for her.

She led him to the far corner of the dungeon where few people were playing yet and staked out a bench.

This was wrong on many levels. She shouldn’t be playing with him just to take her mind off

Landry.

Then again, even Landry had said he didn’t have a problem with her playing. Not like she’d be sleeping with him.

She tried to ignore the wistful pang that elicited.

He waited for her instructions like the good boy she remembered. Tonight, she could be more

than just Mistress Cardinal.

“Get undressed,” she softly told him. He smiled and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Digging through her bag, she found a pair of wrist cuffs and when he stood before her she

fastened them to him.

He did have a nice body. Every bit as nice as Landry’s.

And Cris’.

Won’t think about that.

She hooked him to the bench and started massaging him with her hands, something she’d never

done before with him. He relaxed under her touch and she immediately recognized when he’d started tipping into subspace.

Tilly allowed her heart into the scene. She took her time, stepping him up and back time and again, sensual sadism instead of her usually vicious way with him. Her anger at Cris, and Landry, broke through. Leaning in, she whispered in Bob’s ear.