Love's Tender Bond [Bonding Camp 6] (Siren Publishing Menage and More) (2 page)

“Thank you, Sam.” Missy smiled at him.

His gaze flicked from the splinter to her eyes. “You’re welcome.” He looked at her for a moment, seeming to search her face, then rose from his chair and deposited the splinter in the trash. “Now we have to disinfect it,” he said, returning to his seat.

Missy watched him dig through the kit for cotton balls, peroxide, and some bandages. When he had them all lined up on the table, he held out his hand. “Finger please?”

She presented her still-throbbing finger to him, and he began to tenderly dab it with a peroxide-soaked cotton ball. Thankfully, it didn’t sting.

“You know, you’re the only person around her that calls me Sam.” He gave her finger a final wipe then prepared a bandage.

There was something about the way his voice sounded just then, all soft and wistful, that made Missy yearn to give him a hug. “Calling you Rodgers, like everyone else, has never felt right to me.”

She watched a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. He wrapped the bandages around and over her finger, fitting one over the top and the other around it to secure the ends.

“There you go,” he said, finally looking up to meet her gaze. Their eyes locked and held for the span of three heartbeats. Sam was the first to look away. “Guess I’d better put this where I got it and get back to work.” He rose from his chair and started gathering up all the things from the first-aid kit and put them back in the box.

Missy wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. “Why does everyone call you Rodgers?” She asked the question in a soft voice, not really sure if it was a sore spot with him or how far she could go with her inquiry. She had never seen him take offense at being called only by his last name, but the look on his face a few minutes ago had piqued her curiosity.

Sam shrugged and snapped the kit shut then placed both hands on the tabletop. “I don’t really know. It could be a guy thing. A lot of guys call each other by their last names.”

Missy took a chance and slid her hand across the table, touching her fingertips to his. He didn’t pull back. “That would explain why Justice and Morgan do it, maybe, but even the women here call you Rodgers.” She shook her head. “Now that I think about it, the ‘guy thing’ explanation doesn’t fit either. All the men here are on a first-name basis.” It was true. Everyone who worked for the law firm Cane, White and Moss were very close. The firm owned the compound here in upstate New York and used it to conduct what they liked to call bonding camps, an exercise to connect with partners and employees. But the ties they made with each other were deep, exposing the attendees’ every desire. Most times, bonding camp included a lot of bondage also. The firm, including all of the associates and staff, were very, very close indeed.

Sam cocked his head. “Why does this interest you so much?”

Missy swallowed. “Because I care about you.”

Sam blinked, then chuckled. “We’ve worked together for quite a while. We’ve become close because of it.” He walked across the kitchen and put away the first-aid kit.

Missy tapped a fingernail on the tabletop, making a “click-click” sound. It was obvious to her that her statement about caring for him had surprised him and possibly even struck a chord inside him. Too bad he hadn’t opened up to her right then and there. Instead, he had slammed a wall up between them and tried to shrug it off with a chuckle. But she had glimpsed a side of him she hadn’t seen before, a vulnerability he kept hidden from view. If Missy could crack the shell Sam kept himself in, she might be able to touch his heart.

“Well, if you’re okay, I’m heading back outside to work,” Sam said, turning toward her and breaking into her thoughts.

She met his gaze. His eyes held a calm, knowing look. Did he realize just how much she cared for him? He had a small smile playing over his lips. Missy could almost swear he could read her mind and knew how much she wanted to get to know him better. And not only that, she wanted to love him in ways he’d never known. What they did during bonding camps, the sexual sharing between them, wasn’t love. It was intimacy and bonding. She wanted so much more from him. Missy had been watching Sam for a long time and had learned about his honesty and integrity along with his sensuality. What was it going to take to get him to notice her in the same way?

After a moment, she smiled. “I’m fine. It was just a sliver.” She held her now-bandaged finger up. “It’s not even thumping anymore.”

Sam placed his hands on his hips and nodded. “Good. Well, I’m off.” He turned and reached for the doorknob.

“Be careful, Sam. I’d hate to see you strain your back or something.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Well, if I do, I know someone who can give me an awesome back rub, don’t I?”

Chapter Two

Sam looked into Missy’s warm, brown eyes. Accented by the freckles that were sprinkled across her nose, her eyes were large and held an inviting gaze. What he really wanted to do right now was snatch her up and place both hands on her cheeks so he could look deeply into that warmth and bathe in it. He shook the feeling off, even though the vibe he got from Missy gave him the idea she’d be very open to his advances. They worked together, and having a relationship with someone you worked with could become not only dangerous but complicated. Sam could handle that, but he wasn’t sure Missy could. She was so much younger than him. He was forty-one and Missy was only twenty-seven. He had blown through his wild days of youth and she was just getting started. There was no way she could be satisfied with him.

Her face lit up with a smile. “If you do strain your back, you give me a shout. I’ll fix you right up.” She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers. “A good massage will take care of your sore muscles.” She tilted her head prettily, her blonde ponytail swinging slightly. “In fact, why don’t you come over to Solitude after you’re finished and I’ll give you a rubdown. You know, just so you don’t cramp up during the night from all that strenuous activity.”

The thought of her hands roaming over his body caused a tingle in his groin. Missy had given him massages before, and every time he’d had to fight off the urge to take her into his arms and have his way with her. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, Missy, but thank you. If I get too achy, I might take you up on that though.”

Her smile grew wider. “Well, you know where to find me.” She rose from the table. “I guess I should grab a shower and get to work myself. Thanks for the first aid.” She waved her bandaged finger at him.

“You’re welcome. Be more careful with your hands. It could have been worse.” Actually he had enjoyed removing the splinter from her finger. Just holding her hand in his had been a joy. “I’ll see you later,” he said, opening the door.

“Give me a call if you need me.”

“I will.” Sam stepped through the door into the sunshine.

It was a warm day, warmer than it had been all week. Sam was sweaty and his back really was starting to ache. He’d already shoveled five wheelbarrows full of mulch and he had about three more to go before he was done. He glanced at his watch. It was four in the afternoon. He hoped to have the gardening done by five and tools put away by five-thirty. Then he was going to take a swim in the pool before showering, just to cool off. He had been hot when Missy had approached him and he was hotter now that he had spent some time with her. And it wasn’t due to the sun beating down on his back, either.

With a sigh, he started for the wheel barrow and the shovel that awaited him.

Sam grabbed the spade and dug it into the woodsy-smelling mulch. The scent of cedar filled the air as he dropped the wood chips onto the flowerbed. He loved the outside work the most. The sun on his face and the music of birds filled him with a sort of peace. There was no place on earth like the forest. Sam would never be happy anywhere else but here.

Working for the law firm of Cane, Moss and White was a dream job for him. Not only did he get to live here at the compound they owned in the woods of upstate New York, he got paid to take care of the place. He’d been here almost five years now and being hired for this job had been a godsend. He’d been a lost soul most of his life, drifting in and out of little towns and villages as he wandered. His parents had kicked him out when he was seventeen, telling him it was time he got out and earned a living for himself. Sam was happy to leave. At least he hadn’t had to listen to them fighting all night anymore. But he’d never had a sense of “home,” so he didn’t stay in any one place for very long. Until Justice Cane had hired him to be the caretaker of the compound.

Justice had taken a chance on him. At thirty-six years old, when Sam applied for the job, he really didn’t have any references to speak of. Sam had been lucky to land it. Once he settled in at the compound and began working around the place, it felt like he was growing roots for the first time in his life. After the first year, he knew he would never leave. This was “home,” and now that he’d found it, he couldn’t give it up.

He straightened and swiped the back of his hand over his forehead, wiping away the sweat. Squinting up at the sun that blazed down through the tree tops in the small clearing, he wondered if he would ever find someone to share this place with him. Someone to share his life and be satisfied with what it was. Sam was forty-one and was rooted firmly in this ground he tended. Nothing was going to change that. And even though he participated in the bonding camps the firm held here, there were times when he wished he had someone to cuddle up to his side in his bed in the dark. A woman he could wrap his arm around and pull close while he talked about his day.

Sam shook his head and drove the shovel into the mulch again. At this point in his life, he wasn’t sure he’d ever find anyone like that. The members of the firm had found their lifemates just within the past year or so. They had all found someone who enjoyed this place and willingly joined in bonding camp activities. That was another thing he didn’t want to give up—bonding camp. There weren’t that many women who would indulge his desire to be part of a ménage which included bondage. It wasn’t like he could meet someone off the street, spend time getting to know her, then invite her to “bond” with him and his coworkers without knowing her thoughts on multiple sex partners. And he had no idea how he would even bring the subject up with someone who wasn’t involved with the firm.

He turned to toss the spadeful of mulch onto the flowerbed, and just as he flipped the spade, he felt a sharp pain flash across his lower back. “Argh!” It felt like a knife had just sliced across his kidneys. He lowered the spade and leaned on it, trying to catch his breath. “Guess I’m getting older,” he muttered as he slowly straightened up. There was still a pang of pain twitching in his back. Maybe he should take Missy up on that offer of a massage after he had a shower.

Sam slowly gathered up his tools, loading them into the now-empty wheelbarrow and pushing it toward the tool shed. Every time he moved, he felt something pull in his back. He was definitely going to have to do something about it. He’d have to take some meds or try to find his heating pad or something. It wouldn’t be good to get his back all tied up with the weekend coming up. Sam was never sure if there was going to be a bonding camp held at the compound or just some of the partners arriving unannounced, so he always had to be ready for guests. It wouldn’t do to be all stooped over if they arrived and asked him to join in a session in the play room for some “bonding.”

Once he had put all of his tools away, Sam headed for his room and a hot shower. Hopefully that would take care of the pain. If not, well, he could give Missy a call.

Stepping into the spray of hot water, Sam turned his back to it and lowered his head, letting it pound him. Leaning forward, he placed his hands on the opposite wall, and moved so that the hot spray hit the exact spot he felt the pain. It felt good, but he didn’t think it was going to take care of the twinges. After ten minutes of standing like that, he decided to finish up with his shower and give Missy a call. Her hands roaming over his body was bound to feel better than just a shower.

Wrapping a towel around his hips, he left the bathroom and entered his living room. Sam’s suite at the compound wasn’t luxurious, but it was roomy and comfortable. It was home and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. He picked up the handset of the phone and dialed the spa, Solitude.

It rang four times, and Sam was almost ready to hang up then he heard a voice on the other end.

“Solitude. Missy speaking.”

The sound of her voice struck a chord in him. It was breathy and sweet at the same time. Very sexy. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? “Missy, this is Sam.”

“Well hello, Sam. What can I do for you?”

“After you left, I seem to have pulled something in my lower back. I was wondering if that offer for a massage still stands.”

“How bad is it? Can you move?” The concern was evident in her voice.

Sam chuckled. “I can move. I’m not that old and decrepit.”

“Sam, for goodness’ sake, I didn’t mean anything of the sort. I just wanted to assess the extent of the damage.”

Extent of the damage? What is she saying?
“I don’t think there’s much ‘damage,’ but it’s definitely a pulled muscle or something.” Sam frowned, wondering if he had hurt himself worse than what he had first thought.

“Well, come on over. I don’t have much going on right now, and I can give you a good massage and then we’ll go from there.”