Switch Master: 6 (Ink and Kink) (21 page)

“Um-hmm,” he murmured. “You’ve had multiple orgasms today.
Your body was flooded with endorphins.”

“Sex with you is amazing, Master Taran,” she said, wishing
she could return to that indescribable world of peace and all-consuming
pleasure.

“Thank you for gifting me with your first flight.” He kissed
her forehead then reclined, still holding her close.

Suddenly feeling very tired and aware of rarely used
muscles, she fought the need to take a nap. “Do you think I can take a shower
or a bath in a little while, Master?”

“Yes, baby doll, you can. Rest a little, you deserve it.”
His mouth touched her lips, his kiss gentle, compassionate.

Sam closed her eyes and dreamed.

Taran enjoyed holding Samantha while she slept. He loved the
way she relaxed, the way she smelled and the way she trusted him to keep her
safe. Aware of her in a way he’d never known with another woman, he kept watch
over her on the chance she’d crash after flying off into subspace.

He didn’t doze, he kept vigilant. Once he was confident she
wasn’t going to wake anytime soon, he carefully scooted out from behind her and
stood. Even then, he didn’t walk away, he watched her, finding himself smiling.

Never again would she have to be alone. She could cry on his
shoulder, rail at the injustice of what had happened to her as a teenager.
Whatever she needed, he would be there for her. If he could put a smile on her
face, give her a family and make her happy, he’d be proud of that.

Reaching down to stroke a lock of Samantha’s hair that’d
fallen across her face, his breath caught in his throat. She was the most
beautiful woman he’d ever known.

Smiling, he let her hair fall back into place and went over
to the pool table to clean up the mess they’d made. Diligently, he scooped up
the scraps and tossed them into a trashcan.

When that was done, he checked the pool table to make sure
they’d not left any stains or damaged the felt. Fortunately, everything was
fine. After that, he picked up the strap-on harness and set it on the coffee
table near the sofa. He’d take the harness upstairs with them when they left
the basement.

Lastly, he found the eight ball. There was a utility closet
beneath the stairs that housed cleaning supplies and a vacuum. He cleaned up
the eight ball with a Clorox wipe and returned the ball to the pool table.

With the table put to rights and the cue sticks back in the
cue rack hanging on the wall, he was able to return to his lady. She was still
snoring but had become restless.

Sweeping her hair out of her face again, he discovered she
had tensed up in his temporary absence. Worried, he tried to wake her.

“Open your eyes, doll,” he coaxed quietly. “If you do, we
can take a bath and lounge around the bedroom naked afterward.”

She grumbled a little. “Does that mean I can’t wear a tee
shirt of yours this time?”

“Nope, nothing until tomorrow morning,” he said.

Her grin returned. Her eyes remained closed. “You drive a
hard bargain, pretty boy. Guess I’ll take you up on it. Watching you walk
around in the buff is almost as nice as having my own personal Playgirl model.”

“You’re better than any Playboy bunny I’ve seen.”

“How many have you seen?”

“When I was growing up, I read too many
Playboys
to
count.”

That caused her to open her eyes and look at him. “Jacked
off to the centerfolds, I bet.”

“Guilty. Men are visual creatures by nature. As a teenager,
all it took to get a boner was to see a pretty girl in a tight sweater or short
skirt. Having sexy teachers made masturbating in the boys’ room a regular
occurrence.”

“Um, that’s kind of gross.”

“Masturbating is a normal part of human nature.”

“Maybe so, but at school, really?” she tested, wrinkling her
nose. It was so cute and feminine, he dropped down and kissed the tip.

“Better that than walking the halls with an erection,” he
said, laughing and standing back up. “Imagine what the girls would’ve thought.”

“They’d think you were the ultimate bad boy, Taran Maddox. I
love that you still are.”

“Face it. You love me for many reasons.”

“Yes I do.”

“Let’s go take a bath. Shoveling snow and hot sex calls for
it, don’t you think?”

“Not sure I can move without my legs giving out.”

“I’ve got you.”

Helping her sit up, he guided her to her feet and waited to
be sure she could walk. She was a little woozy, a product of post-orgasmic
satisfaction and her first trip into subspace.

Letting go of her long enough to grab the leather harness
from the table, he guided her to the stairs with a hand at her waist. She
glanced around before heading up the steps, likely to make sure everything was
put to rights.

“When did you clean up?” she asked.

“While you were sleeping,” he answered.

“Did you remember to clean the eight ball?”

“Yep, no one will be the wiser as to what we did on the
table. Although I should empty the trashcan before Ethan comes home, he’ll be
crushed if he comes home to find it ruined.”

“Do remember that he’s my partner. I don’t need him to
become difficult.”

“He’s a good detective.”

“He is. There’s no one except you, Ethan and Phalen I’d
trust more to have my back. I’m thinking I’ll take Phalen up on those jujitsu
lessons. It’ll add to my judo skills rather nicely.”

“Imagine that,” he said, giving her a gentle nudge to head
on up the steps. “My woman can kick a bad guy into the slammer and bust an
opposing roller derby dame’s ass at the same time.”

“Why thank you, Taran, I appreciate your vote of confidence.
I suspect, however, that you’re having sex fantasies about me and other derby
women.”

“Nope, just you,” he declared. “You’re the only woman I
need.”

“That’s nice to hear. Thank you.”

They made it to the second floor and went to the bedroom
suite.

“You never showed me the workshop,” she said as they entered
the room.

“Later we’ll go back down. You’re welcome to go in anytime,
doll. The door’s not locked. Just be careful, there are a lot of dangerous
tools in there.”

“I’ll be careful. Thank you for letting me into a part of
your world.”

“Making bondage gear is a Maddox tradition. My father
started it. Apparently the Dominant gene that runs through me and my brothers
came from him. That and tattooing,” Taran shared.

“You three are skilled with a tattoo machine. I’d love to
get my first ink from you, Taran.”

“Be glad to. What do you have in mind?”

“A small pair of roller skates.”

“Roller skates, got it, I’ll design something badass and see
if you like it.”

“Great, thanks.”

Taran led Samantha into the bathroom and helped her take a
seat on the toilet while the bathtub filled, adding in shampoo for bubbles. He
took the vibrator out of the harness, washed it in the sink with soap and hot
water and set it aside to dry.

When the bath was ready, Taran invited Samantha into the
tub, reclining with her in the sudsy water and turning on the whirlpool jets.
He asked about roller derby and why it was important to her.

Roller derby had given her a sense of empowerment, especially
after she’d felt so lost for having to take another person’s life in the line
of duty. He’d never been forced to make that call.

His brother Phalen had witnessed the darkest of men,
including terrorists. Phalen almost died because of it. So had Ethan, who’d had
to face murderers, human traffickers and pedophiles.

Thinking of his oldest brother, Taran shared with Sam about
the fears he and Ethan had undergone when they’d heard Phalen had nearly been
killed in Afghanistan. They’d not known what they would do if they’d lost their
older brother in addition to their parents.

Now that Phalen was home and had found a way to use his
special ops training to become a PI, they were grateful that he was still their
big brother. War darkened him, but it hadn’t changed his innate sense of right
versus wrong or dedication to family.

Taran admitted to Samantha that he hoped he could be as good
a lawyer as his brothers were at their chosen occupations. Tattooing was
important to all of them, but seeking justice for those who’d been victimized
was something they’d all wanted to achieve.

Samantha asked him about his parents and how he and his
brothers dealt with their loss. It hadn’t been easy, he’d admitted. They’d been
angry over a multiple DUI offender managing to drive his girlfriend’s car to a
bar, ultimately causing his mother’s and father’s deaths.

That night had changed everything, took two lives. Carl
Ramon fled the scene of the accident on foot, having to be taken to the
emergency room when the police finally caught up with him. His blood alcohol
had been three times the legal limit.

Carl later pled guilty, being sentenced to twenty-five years
for two counts of vehicular manslaughter. If he got sober and was a model
inmate, he’d be eligible for parole, something that the Maddox brothers dreaded
and had yet to face.

Samantha turned around in the bathtub to face him. “Taran,
that man should not get leniency for what he did to your parents, to your
family.”

“I agree, but if he’s truly changed, we can’t interfere with
the parole board’s decision. You can bet we’ll be there to prevent it though.”

“I’ll be there too. That is, if you intend to keep me that
long.”

“Baby doll, I intend to keep you forever.”

“Forever sounds nice, really nice,” she said, sounding far
more confident than she had when she’d come to him yesterday for help with
Luke.

“Are you looking forward to lunch with Luke and his aunt
tomorrow?”

“Oh yes, very much,” she said. “I don’t want to get my hopes
up, but I do love him already.”

“Trust me on the legalities. I won’t let you or Luke down.”

“Do you still think he doesn’t like you?”

“I think he’s reserving judgment, depending on how I treat
you. In time, I’ll earn his trust.”

“You’re a Maddox. You don’t give up on anything. You didn’t
give up on me when I was avoiding you. You won’t give up on Luke.”

“Or any kid or family who needs my help,” he said.

“Your parents must be proud of you for that, Taran. They’re
surely angels watching over you and your brothers.”

“They watch over our women too.” He leaned close to
Samantha, breathing her in a second before kissing her. After they drew apart,
he switched off the tub’s jets. “We’re becoming prunes. We should get out and
dry off.”

Samantha shook her head slightly. “You go ahead. I’m going
to relax in here for a little while longer and take care of some girly stuff.”

Taran stood and climbed out of the tub. Wondering if she’d
be game to try something more daring later on tonight, he went to the closet
and picked out a small disposable douche.

“This is for you to use, if you’re willing. There’s no
pressure, doll.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said, accepting the box and
setting it on the floor beside the tub.

“Don’t stay in there too long.”

“I won’t. Thank you for being patient with me.”

Taran turned away, stopping at the sink long enough to brush
his teeth, noticing he could use a shave. He chose to wait until morning.
Samantha seemed to like the abrasiveness of his beard shadow.

Back out in the bedroom suite, he looked through the
kitchenette’s cupboards for something to make for dinner. He had a couple cans
of chili, corned beef hash, beef stew, bread, rolls and some lunchmeat and
cheese for sandwiches.

If Samantha preferred a more substantial dinner, they’d have
to raid the downstairs kitchen. He’d wait for her to decide.

She came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later. She was
dried off and naked.

“You look beautiful,” he complimented.

“You think that because I’m naked,” she said.

“I think that because you’re glowing,” he amended, noticing
the way her skin looked more radiant, her smile sincere, sweet.

“The glow must be from the great sex we’ve had,” she said,
coming up to him and cupping his face in her hands. “I know I’m supposed to
kneel to ask something of you first, but I really want to kiss you. May I,
please?”

“You may. From now on, you only need to kneel if we’re in a
scene or you’re in a submissive mood.”

“I will,” she promised, going up on her toes to kiss him
softly. She tasted nice, minty.

“Are you hungry?” he asked after she drew back.

“Not really, the soup and crackers were enough for now.”

“When you get hungry let me know, I’ll make you something.”

“When we’re hungry, I’ll make dinner. You took over
breakfast and made lunch.”

“Let’s compromise and make dinner together.”

Samantha grinned wide, nodding. “That’d be nice too. What
are we going to do until it gets dark?”

There was about an hour of daylight left. Taran thought
about it.

“We could watch a movie.”

“No sex?” She pouted prettily, almost causing him to give
in.

He’d love to have sex. He also loved waiting and building up
the sexual tension in between.

“Maybe, we’ll see,” he remarked, offering his hand. “First,
come with me.”

Samantha took his hand and let him guide her across the room
to the dresser he used to store sex toys and bondage gear. Inside the top
drawer were bondage ropes. Selecting a smooth, hopefully nonthreatening,
six-foot rope from the meticulously cared-for array, he showed it to her.

“I want to introduce you to rope bondage, starting with this
wrapped around your wrists,” he said.

Samantha eyed the rope, reaching out to touch it. “It’s
smooth, not rough as I’d have thought.”

“It’s hemp,” he said. “I find nylon can slip, utility ropes
can feel scratchy. Are you willing?”