The Bad Boys of Eden (115 page)

Bonnie quickly washed and stepped from the tub, grabbing a towel before walking over to the mirror. At the sight of her reflection, her hand flew to her neck. Oh my God. How could she have forgotten? She still wore the slim leather collar Dex had placed on her the night before. She traced the smooth leather with her finger. It felt so different from the simple link chain she’d worn before. Where her previous collar had made her feel feminine and special, this one made her feel owned. That was all Dex.

No matter how temporary, he had wanted everyone in the club to know she was available only to him. She stood riveted, unable to take her eyes off of it. Now she needed to take it off and make it part of her past. Had she given Dex half a chance after their scene, he would have removed it before she left the club.

She reached for the clasp under her hair and unlocked it. Then she stopped. She owed something to him. While she wasn’t sure what that was she refastened the clasp and left it around her neck. He’d helped her more than she ever thought possible and he deserved something special for that. The least she could do was keep it on for the rest of the day as a show of respect. Next week when she returned to Purgatory she would offer her apology with the return of the collar and hope for leniency when it came to her punishment.

Naked except for the collar, Bonnie bypassed the suitcases and went straight for the bed. The events of the night before, the flights and another orgasm courtesy of her memories of Dex, had all taken their toll. She covered her mouth to stifle the yawn as she climbed under the soft white duvet. Her body sank into the pillow of a mattress and sleep crept over her. Soon enough she’d find a way past Dex and then she could begin to rebuild her life into something new.

Chapter Six

Dex looked out over the angry ocean from his spacious bungalow and waited for some serenity to wash away his irritation. He’d arrived at Eden that afternoon under blue skies and bright sunshine, but in the last few hours the weather had taken a turn as an early evening storm moved by the island. Despite being a thousand miles from home, thoughts of Bonnie plagued him.

For as long as he could remember, he’d wanted to keep his private life as simple as possible, but when it came to her, fate seemed to have other ideas. Bonnie was a sweet girl and he’d seen that long before she asked for his help. As much as he should have turned her away back then, part of him wanted to know just once what it would be like to taste something that sweet. Someone should have warned him how addictive that would be.

Addictive and completely out of his realm.

His life until a few years ago had been a series of fuck ups and trouble seemed to find him no matter which way he turned. From an abusive asshole of a father who liked to blame everyone in his path for his shitty life, to a mother who finally hit the road for good when she realized her son at the age of thirteen could neither protect her nor take the beatings in her place. Not that he hadn’t tried.

Dex’s only choice had been to leave the house every day before his old man woke up and not return until after he’d passed out late at night. That had given him a lot of time to wander and find more trouble. He’d turned to street fighting as an outlet for his rage and never looked back.

So why the hell was he brooding over the past now? Dex backed away from the window before he allowed more of the old feelings of anger to resurface. He’d given up long ago on blaming everyone for his life and thanks to some hard work and a lot of ass kickings he’d turned things around. Quite by accident he’d discovered his talent as an artist when he’d gotten his first tattoo and after a few years of working as an apprentice he scraped together enough fight money to open his first shop in one of the worst alleys in the city. Fortunately by then he’d earned quite a rep in illegal fighting so that criminals and thugs came to him for ink work or advice instead of trying to rob his shop. Thus his mini empire began.

From there, the business built until he met Sterling, his business partner.

Dex scrubbed his face and forced his thoughts to the present. This wasn’t some idiotic rags to riches story he was living and he had no business in a place like this. He did well financially, but no amount of money scrubbed away the white trash background. He had no idea what Gabe was trying to prove by sending him here, but he wanted out. Dex slammed out of his fancy schmancy accommodations and headed in the direction of this supposedly awesome dungeon. No matter how upscale they’d gone, he was bound to feel more comfortable with a whip in his hand and a sub at his feet. Then maybe he could put the ghost of Bonnie out of his head.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the time and halted. It was only six o’clock. He had at least two hours before the group gathered in the dungeon. Dex glanced at the stone steps leading into the castle and the path leading back to his cottage.

He really wasn’t in the mood to talk to strangers, but he also didn’t want to sit around doing nothing. If he was home, he’d be sketching out tattoos and getting ready to do some ink. Well, maybe he didn’t have any tattoo duties here, but he could get a jump on some drawings.

With a new plan, he headed back into his temporary digs, dug through his bag for the sketch pad and pens he always carried and pulled a desk from a nearby wall, placing it in front of the floor to ceiling glass wall so that he faced the volatile ocean.

It still wasn’t raining, but the gusting winds and white-capped waves slamming against the island rocks gave him plenty of inspiration. With the sun long gone it wasn’t easy to keep track of the time, but Dex didn’t care. He scribbled furiously on the paper, sketching an Asian inspired concept that included large cresting waves with soft curves and the darker angular shoots of water that looked almost dragon like. After the outline was complete he began filling in the different shaded areas, knowing this would make a stellar black and white tattoo. When the initial design was out of his head and onto the paper, he decided it still needed something.

He stared out the window and watched the still brewing storm. Wind whipped through the perfectly landscaped trees and petals from the nearby cherry blossoms swirled through the air, attaching to the glass in front of him before being blown away. In an attack of new inspiration he began working the wind torn flowers into his tattoo. As he worked, thoughts of Bonnie resurfaced and he imagined working his design into her gorgeous unspoiled skin. She was literally an artist’s dream with flawless ivory skin untouched by the sun.

He’d have her naked on his table while he worked. He wanted to show her how something like a tattoo could also be turned into a sensual experience. Like any other pain, under the right circumstances and the right frame of mind, there was nothing to fear from a needle when arousal became a part of it.

With the outlines completed, he tossed the black pencil to the side in favor of a pink one. The rest of the tattoo looked perfect in various shades of black, grey and white, but these flowers needed that extra punch.

The more he drew, the more he thought of Bonnie as his muse. The design had turned out large enough to complete a half sleeve and he imagined it perfect on her upper arm. That way every time he tied her to the cross, he’d see it and remember how thoughts of her had calmed his mind.

Almost complete, he rubbed his face and glanced out the window. As the evening progressed the light had disappeared and it took his eyes several seconds to adjust enough to see into the darkness. The winds still blew strong and the water churned but this time there was something different out there.

Dex rose from the desk and moved next to the glass for a better look. There was a woman walking along the boardwalk he’d noticed earlier that connected all the structures on this side of the island. Her dark hair whipped around her head, hiding her face and the loose white robe she wore covered her body from neck to toe.

She stopped almost directly in front of his window, turned toward the ocean and slid the terry cloth robe from her shoulders and dropped it to the ground.

His eyes widened.

Underneath she was completely naked and gloriously beautiful. Acres of pale skin even the lack of moonlight couldn’t hide. The woman had curves upon curves that gave a man like him the confidence she wouldn’t break when he fucked her so hard neither of them would walk the next day.

Fascinated and unable to turn away, Dex watched her gracefully lower herself to the ground with her legs folded under her. Glimpses of breasts as she moved indicated they were as generous as the rest of her, making it easy for him to imagine nipples as sensitive as her clit. He loved soft women that filled his hands. Her smooth and graceful moves indicated she might be trained in submission. Maybe she was one of the attendees for this weekend’s retreat he would participate in.

He admired the slope of her shoulders and the curve of her neck. She looked so much like Bonnie from this angle. He decided then and there she would be the one he chose to use for his demonstrations. His body tightened with need. Maybe Gabe had been right and the island would be the perfect place for him to exercise his demons.

Just then the wind kicked up and the brunette grabbed her hair and piled it on top of her head. Disappointment lanced through Dex when he spied the leather collar around her neck. There weren’t a lot of Doms who wanted to share their collared submissives with strangers. And he’d already been imagining a long hard night with the woman who obviously needed to be on her knees.

What a pity. He’d have to hold out hope that another woman like this one would be available to share a scene with him. He started to turn away when another gust of wind sent a smattering of cherry blossom leaves across the woman’s skin, leaving many of them stuck to her arm and shoulders.

He glanced down at his tattoo drawing and imagined this woman sporting his design. As a half sleeve on her left or right arm it would look incredible. The woman shifted sideways and attempted to swipe away some of the flower petals stuck to her skin. He had to resist the urge to go out there and help her. She plucked each one free and tossed them into the wind. When the last was removed, she lifted her hand and pushed the hair out of her face.

What the fuck?

Not possible.

He didn’t believe in coincidence or fate. No matter what the guy who delivered him and his bags to the cottage earlier said. This island had nothing to do with giving him what he needed. He was damned sure that rested squarely on Gabe’s shoulders. Matchmaking little fucker had no idea what he’d done.

Half-pissed and half-excited, Dex slammed out his front door and followed the wooden path to the beach. He’d spent the entire day trying to get Bonnie off his mind only to get sucker punched in the worst and best possible way. Now, he had a submissive to teach a thing or two too.

Chapter Seven

Bonnie stared into the darkness and soaked in the wildness of nature churning around her. She’d woken from her nap, refreshed but restless. No matter what she did, it was impossible to get Dex and what they’d done off her mind. She finally had sex and loved it. So much in fact that the irresistible pull to do it again warred with the part of her head that reminded her how fucked up she was.

Sick of fighting with herself she did what she always did when the world became too much. She got on her knees. What had started out as part of her basic submissive training with Jim had turned into a necessary part of her day. It calmed her mind to kneel and focus on nothing but her breathing and immediate surroundings. Which today happened to be the most amazing storm she’d ever witnessed.

The island had greeted her with bright sunshine and vivid colors earlier in the day and it had been nice. But it didn’t match the turmoil inside her like this storm did. She loved the change. Bonnie placed her palms face up on her knees and closed her eyes in order to center her thoughts. There was something especially freeing about being naked on an island beach in the middle of nowhere. She was alone and yet she wasn’t. She had no idea how many people resided in that big castle that loomed over the small island. And yet, here inside this sunken square of deck with her legs cushioned by the pristine sand, she was completely one hundred percent alone.

She took a deep breath through her nose, filling her lungs until they almost burned. Then she blew it out on a slow exhale. She’d have to ask her concierge if the island offered Yoga or any meditation type classes. She had a feeling she’d be working extra hard on this vacation to remain calm.

How could she when she could still feel Dex’s cock stretching her to the brink of pain. He was a lot larger than any of the toys she used. And warmer. Her sex squeezed at the memory and she cried out at the awful sensation of emptiness that accompanied it. The no sex thing had been her stupid rule and yet for months she wanted him to break it. But after Jim, she didn’t know what to do. They’d never had sex either. He said she needed to heal in her own time and he would determine when that would be. Then he’d gotten sick and it had been too late.

He had no problem granting her orgasms when he thought she deserved them, but they were delivered by hand while he restrained her. The man taught her so much about the lifestyle she loved, but he drove her damned near insane. Then she turned around and followed his lead by insisting her and Dex had to refrain.

Then she’d broken her rule. No, she didn’t just break her rule, she begged and pleaded and Dex finally gave her what she didn’t want to admit she needed. The feel of the man she’d fallen in love with deep inside her, fucking her so thoroughly he’d scrambled her brain.

Bonnie sighed.
Love
. What a stupid and childish emotion.

Yep, she needed a lot of meditation.

There was always the dungeon she could seek out for a respite. She’d read through the file the concierge left on her table. There were classes she could take, parties she could attend and it all but implied that if she wanted something more, like sex, she could have it.

The island gives you what you need. That's the mantra she kept hearing.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? I need my Master back.

Which one?
Her mind taunted her.

She opened her eyes and focused on the nearby surf. Her fingertips rubbed the collar still resting around her neck. If only it were real and not just a token during a scene.

“Are you thinking of me, my Bonnie sub, as you rub my collar?”

Bonnie’s heart jerked and her body scrambled to turn at the voice. Instead she awkwardly lost her balance and pitched sideways into the sand. Hard hands grabbed her arms and hauled her upright.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Bonnie turned on Dex with her hand over her heart. “Startle me? You scared the hell out of me. I thought I was alone.” He couldn’t be here. It wasn’t possible. They were hundreds of miles away from Purgatory.

“Yeah, me too. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the naked woman poised outside my window was none other than the devilish submissive who ran out on our scene.”

Bonnie winced. She’d expected his anger over her departure, but his voice held more. Disappointment maybe? Or worse, hurt?

No. She had to be wrong. Dex was an incredible Dom, but he was notorious for remaining detached no matter how deep a scene went. He’d happily give a sub what she needed as long as it had nothing to do with tangled emotions. And hers were all over the map running roughshod over her psyche. So why was he here?

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I would ask you the same thing but I’m pretty sure we were set up. Gabe sent me here on an assignment to check out their dungeon. Kept going on and on about how incredibly state of the art it is and that refusing the invitation to visit would reflect poorly on Purgatory. He also insisted there were personal matters going on in his life that prevented him from leaving town at the moment.”

Crushing disappointment pressed down on Bonnie’s chest. For a fleeting moment she thought he’d come for her. That he wanted her so badly he wouldn’t let her walk away and had literally come to what felt like the edge of the earth to find her.

“I’m supposed to be on vacation.” She blurted out the first thing that popped in her head besides how much she wanted him.

“Some vacation.” He pulled her into his arms and rubbed his hands from her shoulders to her ass. “You looked ready to sacrifice yourself to the angry gods out here.”

“I like it. Sunny beaches have never been my thing. They remind me of family vacations that sucked.” She also liked how his hands felt on her hot skin.

“What about this?” He rubbed his opposite hand across the collar at her neck. “Why are you still wearing it?”

Her brain froze for a second. She couldn’t tell him that she didn’t want to take it off. Instead, she shrugged. “Forgot about it in the whirlwind of leaving and hopping on a plane. The minute I left the club I was rushed to the airport and then here. I was so exhausted, I fell into bed and slept all day.” Obviously he didn’t want her wearing it.

“I’m sorry I forgot to take it off at the club.” She reached behind her neck for the buckle and started to undo the fastener.

“No.” He grabbed her hand and part of her hair, pulling both away. “When I’m ready to take it off, I’ll take it off.” The stern vibration in his voice washed over her, sending a jolt zipping through her body.

“But—”

“Bonnie, don’t. No more topping from the bottom. Is that clear? If there is something that you want, you can ask and I’ll take it under consideration. If I tell you to do or not do something, you say Yes, Sir. It’s that simple. At least until the collar comes off. Do you understand?”

With her heart racing faster than before she answered, “Yes, Sir.”

“Good. Now let’s go inside and you can tell me what got you out here on your knees.” He bent over and retrieved her robe. “I’m beyond curious.”

Her heart sank. There was something about this moment of the two of them in the wilds of nature with his hands on her naked body that she didn’t want to end. Talk would lead to him telling her what he didn’t want from her. She pulled back slightly. “I don’t want to go inside yet.”

“Why not?” he asked. He still held her robe but he’d stopped trying to wrap it around her shoulders.

“Inside is reality, however harsh it may be. I came outside to escape it.”

His brows pulled together. “Bonnie, look around you. Nothing about this place screams reality. Hell, I’m not even sure if you are really here or if my imagination has conjured you. And if one more person says the island is going to give me what I need, I’m liable to hit something.”

Bonnie raised her hand and tried to hide the smile threatening to burst free. She also worked to tamp down the joy she felt knowing that she’d been on his mind today too. “I know what you mean, Sir. But at least out here, I don’t know, there’s something wild about it. We’re free.”

He stared at her for several long agonizing heart beats. She really wasn’t trying to tell him what to do. Standing in front of her, he seemed as cagey as the storm. The short sleeve navy shirt he wore hugged his body in the wind and the ink on his arms drew her gaze. And now that she’d seen him fully naked, she ached to see all of him again. Too many tattoos to count covered his skin, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t run her fingers or maybe even her tongue over each and every one until she’d memorized them. Yeah, she liked that idea.

“I seem to have a hard time saying no to you.” He pulled her back into his arms and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “But you need to learn a lesson in not getting your way all the time. On your knees.” He dropped her robe at her feet, making a temporary cushion.

She blinked once, then twice, before slowly sliding to the ground, feeling happier than she’d felt since leaving Purgatory.

Dex tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back until their gazes met. “Now tell me what brings my sub out into the unpredictable wildness of a passing storm?”

She thought about skirting the truth and avoiding any embarrassment when he discovered the real mistake she’d made. But she’d done enough damage keeping things inside. If nothing else, she’d tell him the truth, he’d reject her and then she’d know. “It kind of fits what’s inside me.”

“Elaborate,” he said while rubbing his fingers into her scalp. The firm, insistent pressure began melting some of her anxiety.

“I haven’t felt right since I walked out at the end of our scene.” She closed her eyes at the memory and fought back the rising tears.

His grip tightened. “Nope, don’t close your eyes, little girl. I want to see you as you apologize for your actions.”

Her stomach jolted at his use of ‘little girl.’ It never sounded quite right coming from him. Maybe because that’s what Jim always called her, or maybe she just didn’t want to be a little girl anymore.

“I am sorry. I acted like a child unable to handle the slightest change in our relationship.”

“We had sex, Bonnie. Considering that was one of your previous limits, it deserved some consideration. We needed to talk. We still do.”

Dex took a step closer and Bonnie held her breath. He was so close to her, she thought she felt the heat coming off his body. Not to mention his crotch was practically in her face and close enough to touch.

“What else?”

“I didn’t expect to feel so emotional. I mean after—you know.”

“After we fucked?”

She winced. Her brain had told her all along it wasn’t love. Just sex. Or more like just fucking. But she hadn’t listened as usual.

He must have sensed the drop in her emotions because he pulled her against his thigh and turned her head so that her cheek rested against his pants. “There’s never anything wrong with fucking, Bonnie sub. Especially with you. Every sweet moment was damned amazing. Then on the couch…”

His voice changed to a hoarse whisper before trailing off. She lifted her head and stared at him. His eyes were screwed shut and his jaw clamped tight. He was lost in a memory.
Of them?
But the tension made him look stressed not happy.

God she was so confused. What did it mean?

Whatever it was, she couldn’t pass up another moment to make a memory neither of them would forget. But this time she wanted to focus on his pleasure.

“Sir?”

His eyes flew open and he looked down, his gaze locking to hers.

“Can I touch you? I mean.” She paused. “Really touch you?”

She saw the little muscle work repeatedly at the side of his jaw as he considered her request. There wasn’t much chance in hell he’d say yes, but the tension lines in his forehead and neck told her he needed something. Maybe not exactly her, but maybe who didn’t matter as much as what right now. At least to him. To her, it meant everything in the world for him to allow her to give him pleasure.

Finally, after a minute or two passed he nodded his head and spoke. “I’ll allow it.”

She kept her smile small and polite, as protocol demanded, before she reached for the waistband of his pants. With shaking fingers she unbuckled his belt and pulled it slowly from the loops.

“Kiss my belt, Bonnie girl. Show it some respect because I plan to use it to warm your ass later.”

Her stomach flipped at the thought. He’d never used something other than a flogger or a whip. This felt far more personal. He wore it on his body and now wanted to use it on her. She pressed it to her lips while keeping her gaze locked on his. Damn, just the idea of him using this on her got her impossibly wet. Then she handed it back to him for safekeeping.

She lifted her hands and went for the button keeping his waistband fastened.

“No.” He blocked her hands. “Hands at your side and no touching until I say so.”

Her lip trembled with the need to protest. So much for getting her way.

He leaned forward and rolled one of her nipples between his fingers until giving it a pinch that nearly made her squeal. Her reaction changed something in him as he tore at his jeans, released the button and zipper, then shoved the pants out of his way until his cock bounced free from confinement. The thick gloriousness of him in her face made her mouth water. She couldn’t have stopped from licking her lips if she tried. But when he grabbed it and wrapped his long fingers around it in a tight fist, she moaned.