Her shaven pussy was slick with her juices. She moaned as he tormented and teased her with two fingers, sliding them up and down her clit, teasing the entrance between her legs and back up again.
“I think I’m going to give someone an extra special spanking after I put that butt plug in her,” he whispered in her ear. “Warm that sweet ass up before I fuck your pussy. Would you like that?”
She undulated against him. “Yes, Master.” Her eyes had fallen closed, her voice dropping the way it always did like this.
Yes, the sex was hotter as a result of what they did, but had someone told him he’d be in a relationship where his wife wanted and needed to be spanked every day to maintain some measure of functional sanity, he’d have hit them.
Except…this was better than the alternative. Of seeing new burns or cuts appear on her body on a regular basis.
When he’d suggested maybe going to talk to someone, a psychologist or counselor, she’d immediately withdrawn from him in a way he could physically feel, like a wall going up, as if he’d gouged a hole in her trust in him. He’d backpedaled at the speed of light but only after securing her promise that if he thought she needed it, he would order her to go and she would go.
That had been…well, three weeks ago.
Leah’s childhood had been horrible and marked with tragedy and abuse. She had no reason to trust “the establishment.” They had failed her at every turn.
She owned his heart and soul. He’d do anything for her. If he needed to man up and do this for her…well, he’d do it. Even her boss at the restaurant had mentioned it yesterday when Kaden had stopped by on his way home from classes just to say hi.
That whatever he was doing for her, to keep doing it, because she seemed to be a new woman.
Happier.
Smiling.
Kaden turned her on his lap, standing with her in his arms, her arms draped around his neck as he carried her down the hall to their bedroom. There, he laid her on the bed and pulled the T-shirt off her before rolling her onto her stomach.
“Stay,” he ordered, biting her hard on the right ass cheek.
She let out an adorable little squeal but remained where he’d put her, in the position he’d put her.
After he stripped, he climbed back onto the bed and started biting her ass, the backs of her thighs, along her shoulders, enjoying the way she moaned and squirmed and made all sorts of eager noises that told him she loved what he was doing to her.
But her hands remained where he’d put them.
She was his good girl, trying so very hard for him.
To obey him.
He ended up sitting next to her, on her left side, facing her ass and resting his weight on her back while he stroked her ass with his right hand. “Good girls get rewards,” he said.
Dipping his hand along the seam of her ass, between her cheeks, he slipped two fingers into her pussy, unable to hold back his chuckle when she wiggled against him, wanting him deeper.
“Someone wants another spanking.”
“Yes, Master,” she mumbled.
He gave her several hard, barehanded swats on the ass before getting up and retrieving a towel and her butt plug and the bottle of lube from the bathroom.
“On your knees, love.”
She assumed the position she knew he wanted her in, shoulders on the bed, ass in the air. Working slowly, he took his sweet time lubing her ass before gently inserting the butt plug into her, fucking her with it and teasing her clit with his other hand as he did.
By the time it was fully seated inside her, she was moaning, thrusting her hips in time with his fingers on her clit, and ready to do anything he wanted.
He rolled her onto her back and knelt between her legs. “Who’s ready for their orgasms?”
“Me, Master,” she moaned.
He lowered his mouth to her clit, slowly tracing it with his tongue and enjoying every whimper and cry she made. It hardened his cock in a nearly painful way, making it throb.
Knowing she couldn’t get off like that, he took his time, circling her swollen clit with his tongue, playing with her with his lips, sliding his tongue inside her pussy and tormenting her. He loved this time with her, knowing her mind was nowhere except right there, with him.
No horrors of her past to torture her in the bad way.
No bad memories.
No thoughts of harming herself.
Nothing but him and her and the love they were making.
Nothing but them and the breaths she was taking.
He worked to rebuild her, carefully milled her, until he couldn’t hold it back any longer and took her over the edge and he willed her to come.
To give it all to him.
The pain and the pleasure and the love and the hope.
If she’d just give him enough rope to hang himself in her love.
He grabbed her thighs and held on and kept her coming, kept her rolling and not stopping until she finally begged him and had to safeword.
Then he rose up, entered her, savoring it, cherishing the smile on her face as he bottomed out inside her, feeling the butt plug embedded in her ass.
Leaning in, he slanted his lips over hers, kissing her hard, loving the feel of her hips rolling and rocking against his as she tried to gain traction and rub another one out against his body.
Dropping his full weight onto her, he kept kissing her, finding her hands and holding them over her head, pinning her down to the bed even as she hooked her legs around his.
“No, love,” he mumbled without breaking their kiss. “My rules, my turn.” One hard, deep thrust that drew another moan from her.
Her fingers closed around his as he waited her out, for her to settle down so he could take another thrust and not worry about exploding in her yet. He wanted this to last.
Staring down into her green eyes, he lost himself, willingly, knowing to the depths of his core that he’d spend the rest of his life with her.
Slowly, he alternated kissing her with fucking her, working her toward one last orgasm, one he could share with her. No rush, this was all he wanted, the only place he wanted to be, with her.
Anywhere was home with her.
Wherever she wanted that to be.
Eventually he picked up the pace, watching her face and gauging her, the grip she had on his hands tightening as she drew closer.
He held his lips just over hers as he thrust. “That’s it, baby. Give it to me. Give me what I want.”
Finally, she did. With the butt plug inside her taking up even more room, he felt every wave of pleasure sweeping through her pussy as her body milked his cock. Only then did he finally allow himself to climax, filling her, falling still as he kissed her.
When he released her hands she wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back as he gently kissed her, long, sweet explorations while his cock softened inside her.
She let out a pleased sigh. “Thank you, Master.”
Before sitting up he rubbed noses with her. “Better?”
“It’s always better with you.”
He helped her out of bed and into the bathroom, where they took a shower and cleaned up before returning to bed.
This time to sleep.
As he gathered her into his arms, he deeply inhaled the scent of her hair.
“Love you,” he whispered.
She snuggled even more tightly against him. “Love you, too.”
As she settled into a peaceful sleep in his arms, he felt his own peace slip over him.
Tonight, at least, she’d have no nightmares.
Neither would he.
Chapter Four
Then…
Seth looked up at the knock on the bedroom door. He was already awake but hadn’t started moving around yet.
“Seth?”
“I’m awake.”
The door opened, Leah’s smile lighting the way as she walked in, a cup of coffee in one hand. “How you feeling?”
“Hurting.”
&n
bsp; She set the coffee on the bedside table. “I’ll get you a glass of water so you can take your pain meds.”
Before he could protest that she didn’t have to do that, she was gone, like a flash.
By the time she returned, he’d managed to get himself sitting upright in bed. “Man, the damn surgeon made it sound like this’d be a breeze.”
He started to reach for the bottle of pills, but Leah pressed the glass into his hand and grabbed the bottle from the bedside table for him, shaking one into his palm.
“There you go. You’re not supposed to stretch and reach for stuff. Let me take care of you. That’s what I’m here for.”
He stared up at her. What did it say that his best friend’s wife took better care of him than his own first two wives had? “Thank you, Leah. I really appreciate it.”
Her smile warmed his heart. “That’s what friends are for. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t take care of you. You’re not just a friend—you’re my family.”
He swallowed the pill and chased it with water. Then she swapped the glass out for his mug of coffee.
“Once you’re out of bed, I’ll get you settled on the couch and make you breakfast.”
“I can eat cereal, honey. You don’t need to cook for me.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m cooking you breakfast. Don’t argue with me.”
He gave her a left-handed salute as he sipped his coffee. “Yes, ma’am.”
She giggled. “That’s right. You just listen to me and everything will be fine, sir.”
* * * *
When Kaden got home, he changed clothes before settling in a recliner in the living room to watch TV with Seth. “How’s your pain?”
“Hurts, but I’ll survive. You know, I can go home. I feel kind of weird about Leah taking care of me like this.”
“Why?”
Kaden’s grey gaze didn’t waver in the slightest.
“Why? I mean, she’s your wife.”
“Yeah? So? You’re our friend. If I don’t have a problem with it, and she doesn’t have a problem with it, why do you have a problem with it?”
Seth stared at him. “You’re not…jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous?”
“I don’t want to do anything to mess up our friendship.”
“Dude. You’re family. Enjoy the pampering.” Kaden smiled as he held up his bottle of beer in a salute. “Besides, you’ll hurt her feelings if you don’t let her take care of you. She loves to do that. Relax.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure, buddy. I’m sure.”
* * * *
Now…
The next morning, Seth rested for a moment as he rubbed at his hernia scar. Every once in a while if he overdid it, he felt it ache a little. Yesterday had been a lot of work getting everything over to the house from the storage unit.
At least this morning it was relatively cool, pleasantly but unseasonably so. To the point he’d told Leah to wear PJs because he didn’t want her to be cold.
As he opened another plastic storage tub so he could test the lights stored in it, he tried not to think about those last two Christmases.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t help it.
Every year got a little easier, but the loss still ached deep in his soul. The Christmas Kaden had been able to help some…
And then the last one, where he really couldn’t.
Still, getting the lights and displays up, once the work was done and he could sit back with a beer and admire it, would lighten his soul in some ways. Sometimes, he would turn it all on and sit on the front stoop and think about Kaden. Imagine him enjoying it from somewhere “out there,” if that was even possible.
He knew Kaden would want him to go on and enjoy it. Both himself and Leah. To enjoy life.
Sometimes, it was hard to put that into practice, although the theory was sound.
To be fair, with every month that passed, the keen, sharp edge of his pain dulled a fraction. A tiny smidge. Not so much lessening as him growing used to it, settling into it, wearing it.
Becoming more comfortable with it.
Because it would always hurt. There would always be a void. A chasm.
A Kaden-shaped desert in which nothing could grow but his memories of the man.
Somehow, Seth knew he’d keep plowing through that desert until he could do it with his eyes closed.
Leah walked out into the garage. “Are you overdoing it?”
“Trying not to. Why?”
“You’ve winced a couple of times.”
“Did I ever tell you you’re spookily observant?”
“Yes, Sir.” She walked over and sat next to him, leaning against him. “Ready for a break?”
“I still have a bunch more tubs of lights to test.”
“Can I help?”
“What about your banquet stuff?”
She smiled. “I can delegate when I try.”
“Not a total control freak, huh?”
“Not totally. Only about you.” She rested her head against his thigh and looked up at him. “Have to take care of my Master.”
He reached down to stroke her hair. “You do an amazing job of that, sweetheart. No complaints from me. But I want you to focus on that for now. This is good for me. I need to do this. It’s cathartic, in a way.”
“I have your tux hanging in our closet,” she said. “I picked it up from the cleaners yesterday.”
“Monkey suit, huh?”
“You look so handsome in it.”
He touched the tip of her nose. “It still gets you horny, huh? Seeing me in it?”
She smiled. “Yep.”
He wasn’t looking forward to going to the banquet in a few weeks.
Too many memories.
It reminded him of the empty house, how he’d screamed and cried out some of his grief while Leah and Kaden were gone, spending a weekend alone at his insistence, at a beachside resort on Longboat Key. He’d made the plans in secret, leaving a note in the car for Kaden and taking a taxi home from the banquet.
The second-to-last Christmas.
Kaden’s second-to-last Christmas.
“Go get back to work, sweetheart.”
“Yes, Sir.” She stood, kissed him, and returned to the house.
If he let her, she’d do nothing but take care of him. It wasn’t an unpleasant thing, but right now he needed the freedom to delve into his thoughts and memories without her hyper-observant nature studying his every expression.
He needed to think about Kaden.
He needed to remember.
He didn’t know when the grieving would end, but this time of year it was harder to mask it.
He got back to work on the lights, needing the distraction and the connection to his friend.
To the past.
And he tried not to think about that banquet, about watching Kaden and Leah together, about knowing it was likely the last time Kaden would attend one of them.
The same tux he’d worn to that one.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to buy another one.
In a way, it was funny to think back to how he’d worried about what others might think about him or Leah or Kaden, to see the three of them together.
Now, it wasn’t even a blip on his screen.
He got it.
He’d give anything to have Kaden back, the three of them together and happy.
Fuck what anyone else thought about it.
It was rare that anyone hadn’t heard about Kaden’s passing now, but he dreaded the banquet. There might likely be people in attendance who hadn’t heard, and who might wonder who he was, why Leah had remarried so quickly.
Okay, so he did give a fuck in that way. He didn’t want anyone thinking badly about Leah.
She worked too damn hard and did so much good for the charity. They were already close to raising a record-breaking amount that year.
No coincidence she was running it.
And her
e I am, stringing Christmas lights.
Chapter Five
Then…
“I hate that fucking cunt,” Leah grumbled as they drove away from Seth and Kelly’s house. “I fucking hate her!”
“Easy, love,” Kaden said. “She’s Seth’s wife. Show a little respect and restraint.”
She glared at Kaden. “Fine. I hate that fucking bitch. Better?”
Seth had reluctantly—after Kelly had obviously goaded him into revealing it at dinner—told Leah that he was selling his Harley.
“I can see someone’s getting a session when we get home,” Kaden drawled. “Including some time in a ball gag.”
“It’s not fair! Just because she hates the motorcycle doesn’t mean he should have to sell it! He loves it!”
“You love it.”
“Well, yeah!”
She heard him make that sigh and knew she wouldn’t have to wait long for him to say whatever was on his mind.
“Did it ever cross your mind that perhaps it’s not the motorcycle she’s afraid of?”
“Not my fault she doesn’t like riding it and I do. She’s married to him. She can ask him to take her out any time. And she sleeps with him every fucking night.”
“Love.”
“I’m sorry, Sir, but she’s just jealous!”
He glanced at her, right eyebrow arched.
He might as well have said the duh because it was more than implied.
Leah crossed her arms over her chest and knew she was sulking but didn’t even care. “I still hate her,” she mumbled.
“You’ve made that quite clear, love, but if you don’t want her completely cutting Seth off from us you’re going to have to hide that fact better than you are now.”
“He wouldn’t do that. You’ve known him forever. We’re his friends.”
“She is his wife, and we have to respect that, regardless of our feelings on the matter.”
“I wish he’d never met her.”