I heard the door close but I felt it before it did.
I felt it get stronger as he returned to me.
I heard Bossy bark.
I looked to the door to see my man standing there with his new German Shepherd puppy cradled to his chest, licking his throat.
Deacon’s eyes were on me but his features were scored raw with the love he had for me.
I felt my eyes sting but had it in me to say, “I did Boss Lady, your turn to train him.”
“I love you,” he whispered
“I know,” I whispered back.
Bossy barked.
I went back to making sandwiches mostly so Deacon could eat his while I got to play with the new puppy.
We named him Priest.
* * * * *
I turned my head and looked over my shoulder.
I was up on my knees, facing the headboard I was tied to. Just my wrists. My legs were free.
This allowed me to spread them wide and rock my sex against Deacon’s mouth as he fed from me.
When I looked over my shoulder, though, I saw him on his back, knees cocked, feet in the bed, the hand he didn’t have clamped to my hip jacking his big cock.
“Baby,” I breathed, ground into his face, arched my back, and came hard.
I lost his mouth but didn’t mind since I was still coming.
“Tip,” he growled into my ear.
I tipped my hips.
He rammed his cock deep.
I cried out with sheer ecstasy.
He pounded deep, one hand going to my breast, fingers tugging my nipple, other hand going to my sex, finger to my clit, face in my neck.
“Again,” he demanded.
“Yes,” I panted.
He fucked me.
I took it. I loved it. I came for him again.
With it still burning deep, I felt my wrists released as he pulled out without joining me in a climax.
“My turn,” he growled into my ear.
Oh yes.
Yes.
Definitely.
I moved. Deacon moved. He grasped on to the headboard.
We’d learned he didn’t need restraints. He’d stay still for me. Sometimes it was a battle, but each time Deacon succeeded.
That said, on occasion, I used them. Because I wanted to. Because he let me. Because he wanted to. Because we both got off on it.
Mostly, though, I let him bind me.
We did vanilla all the time. It was magnificent.
But we also played.
Frequently.
I moved behind but slightly beside him, pressing into him, one hand reaching forward to wrap around his swollen cock, the other hand going to the plug I’d given him, blowing him as I did it, before we started.
I jacked him and fucked him but I didn’t need to do either. Deacon kept control by fucking my hand and thus mostly fucking himself.
“Yeah, baby,” he kept growling.
He loved me working him.
I loved that.
When he’d given me my orgasm, my excitement never left knowing what was to come. But at hearing his growl, my clit started pulsing.
The headboard started slamming into the wall.
And more pulsing.
“Hold on, honey,” I whispered into his ear then licked his neck.
“Twist and fuck, Cassie,” he ordered.
I knew what that meant. The next level, which was the level before I gave it all to him at the same time he gave it all to me.
Right then, though, I gave him what he needed.
“Fuck yeah,” he groaned, his head dropping forward, maybe because he couldn’t hold it up, probably because he liked to watch me jack his cock.
I would know it was the latter when he kept groaning as he said, “Love what you do to me.”
“Love it too, baby.”
“More. Harder. Jack me harder, Cassie.”
I tightened my fist on his cock and jacked him harder.
“Drive that fucker deep,” he demanded.
My pussy throbbing at his demand, twisting, I took his ass deep.
That was when I got his grunts.
I loved those most of all.
“That’s it, baby,” he groaned through the grunts. “Fuck me and jack me.”
“Long as you want, honey,” I whispered. Breathing hard against his neck, I latched on, suckled his flesh, and gave him more.
And I gave it to him as long as he wanted, Deacon fucking my fist and taking his plug deep.
Finally, he rumbled low, “Fill me.”
I knew what that meant, wanted what that meant, and shoved in the plug.
“Here,” he growled.
I moved but not quickly enough. He moved me. Lifting me, hands at my ass, back to the headboard, he slammed deep, his mouth on mine.
I wrapped my legs around his hips and sucked hard at his tongue.
I came almost instantly.
It took Deacon a couple of minutes to follow me.
When we were coming down, he kept one hand at my ass, the other arm he lifted to the middle of my back as he kissed me slow and started fucking me sweet.
He kept taking me gently when he broke the kiss, glided his lips to my neck, and asked there, “You good?”
“Oh yeah,” I breathed. “You?”
He slid in, stayed in, and answered, “Fuck yeah.”
I tipped my head, smiled into his shoulder, and trailed my hands along the warm skin of his back.
“Love you, my Cassie.”
Another smile.
“Love you too, my Deacon.”
His hand squeezed the cheek of my ass as his arm did the same at my back.
He lifted his head and I righted mine to catch his eyes.
There was a glint in them and I knew he was about to commence teasing.
“You done with my ass?” he asked.
“For now,” I answered.
The grooves deepened around his mouth.
“My dick?”
My eyes rolled up and went side to side, searching the ceiling.
He pressed his hips into mine.
I looked back at him. “Maybe.”
“She wants more,” he muttered.
“Are you tired, old man?” I asked.
“Fuck no,” he answered.
“So, your woman isn’t done with you playing with her.”
“That woman’s gonna be the death of me.”
“It’s you who makes it so hot I want more,” I accused.
“It’s you grindin’ your cunt in my face as you moan then tippin’ your ass and takin’ it hard while you whimper. And it’s you pressin’ your tits in my back while you pant in my neck and jack my ass and dick, Cassie. So it’s arguable who makes it hot. But I’m not gonna argue about it. If you wanna look at it that way, not gonna stop you.”
I grinned at him.
He moved us and fell forward, settling me on my back in the bed with him on me.
He nuzzled and stroked me for a while. I let him for that while and returned the favor.
Finally, his lips went to my ear.
“You want vanilla, you want me to go down on you again, or does my Cassie want her ass spanked?”
My limbs around him convulsed when he said the word “spanked.”
I felt his smile against my neck before he murmured, “Red ass,” while his hand shoved under me and cupped it. “You want that plugged?”
“Yes, baby,” I whispered.
“Okay, Cassie. His for hers. You take out mine, I’ll go get yours.”
I held fast. “I changed my mind.”
“No spanking?”
I lifted my head, shifted it, and said in his ear, “Will you work me full?”
“She’s not done with my ass,” he muttered.
I dropped my head to the pillow and caught his eyes. “You don’t have to—”
“Baby, you want it?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Then you get it.”
&nbs
p; “But—”
“Did I give you any indication I didn’t like what you just gave me?”
He absolutely didn’t.
“No.”
“We make a deal. I work you full, spank your plugged ass, after I give it to you, you suck me while you fuck me and I eat you, givin’ it to you again while you give it to me. That work for you?”
I writhed underneath him.
His lips twitched. “It works for you.”
“Yeah, honey.”
He rolled, kissed my hip, and exited the bed to get my toy.
Some time later, I got a red ass and two more orgasms.
Deacon didn’t get the former, but he got one of the latter.
Only then was I done.
And Deacon, who, if he had it in him, gave me what I wanted (and he so had it in him), only then left the bed to let Bossy in (Priest had to sleep in his kennel, poor baby) and rejoin me there.
We nestled together and went to sleep while Bossy snored, lying on the floor on Deacon’s side of the bed.
* * * * *
I sat in the Suburban watching Deacon saunter back from the building.
He got in and we both looked to the building.
We waited.
The receptionist came back. Through the windows, we saw her read the note. We heard her shout from where we were all the way across the street. Then we watched her run, arms in the air waving excitedly, back down the hallway.
That was when Deacon started the Suburban and sent her on her way.
“We should wait around and watch the celebration,” I noted.
“Don’t need to.”
“It’d be cool to see.”
“Sure it would, woman, still don’t need to see it.”
I turned my head to look back at the building getting smaller in the distance.
It was the fourth one we’d been to and the last one we were going to. Each one, if they had security, Deacon disabled it with his secret Deacon ways before we sat and watched it, waited until the front area was vacant, then he walked in with his bag and dropped it on the reception desk.
This building had a sign over it that said Sacred Heart Healing Center.
It was a non-profit drug rehabilitation center.
And moments ago, the receptionist hit her desk and found a bag filled with half a million dollars in cash and a note that said it was an anonymous gift given in the name of one who had surrendered.
He’d given away two million dollars to four charitable drug rehab clinics.
He was keeping the rest for a rainy day.
Did I say I loved my man?
I loved my man.
* * * * *
I heard it so I grinned, bent, grabbed the tray with my oven-gloved hand, pulled it out of the oven, and walked out of the kitchen, both Bossy and Priest at my heels.
I kept hold of the tray while I reached out and opened the door.
Bossy raced out in front of me. Priest followed, floppy ears bouncing, mostly galloping.
I strolled out, stopping at the top of the steps, looking down them to Deacon dismounting a shiny, black, totally kickass, vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
He gave Bossy a rubdown, snatched up Priest, then came up the steps to me.
He nabbed a cookie from the tray even if it was still hot. And apparently, badasses didn’t get their mouths burned on hot snickerdoodles since he popped it into his mouth and immediately started chewing.
“Looks nice,” I noted about the bike after he swallowed hot cookie.
“Gettin’ you an apron,” he replied strangely.
“Sorry?”
“You in an apron, makin’ me cookies.”
I rolled my eyes.
When I rolled them back, he was grinning.
“Take off your jeans, top, bra, panties, keep the apron on, fuck you against the kitchen counter.”
My legs started trembling.
That I could do.
“Though,” he said reflectively, “might keep on the panties but pulled down around your thighs.”
I glared. “Do you want me to drop these cookies I slaved over while I experience a spontaneous orgasm on the front porch?”
He grinned again. “Maybe.”
I rolled my eyes again.
When I rolled them back, Deacon was leaned in to me.
“Want a ride?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely.”
He leaned back. “Go get rid of the tray, woman.”
I went and got rid of the tray.
Deacon went to put Priest in his kennel.
We left Bossy behind as I went back out with my man.
I swung up behind him on the back of his new bike, he revved it, and I felt quivers assault my nether regions.
We took off.
And life was sweet.
* * * * *
I sat on the steps of the gazebo facing the river, its riverbanks edged with a plethora of wildflowers.
So was the area round the gazebo.
The steps were also lined with pots of thriving flowering plants and trailing greenery, more boxes were hooked to all the railings containing the same.
It was gorgeous. I loved it. The plants made it awesome.
But the fact that Deacon built it for me made it magnificent.
I also had a laundry building and I’d been right, those machines cost a whack, we were making a mint.
I’d let Deacon pay for all of it.
His buy-in.
A statement needed to be made.
We were partners.
In everything.
Though, that didn’t mean I didn’t bust his chops. I did.
But he liked it (mostly because I gave in).
I thought that was good but beautiful war was waged over the fact that Deacon didn’t. In the end, he won that too by paying back my dad, with interest. He also paid the mortgage every other month.
I didn’t grouse. There was no need.
We were in this together.
He’d found work in construction, working for a man who had a business in Gnaw Bone named Holden “Max” Maxwell. Weirdly, this was the man who married the woman who got attacked at my cabins years ago.
Strange how life connected like that.
He was a good guy. His wife Nina was an awesome lady, a bit crazy and more outspoken than me, so I dug her. They had two kids. They’d been over for dinner. We’d been over to their place. And when Max lost one of his foremen, he’d promoted Deacon.
Deacon had been working for him for a month.
Seemed Holden Maxwell wasn’t only smart enough to get himself tied to a tough broad, he was smart enough to see he had talent on his team.
So far, Uncle Sam had not cottoned on to Deacon rejoining the citizenry.
That might happen but I wasn’t worried. Deacon and I could weather any storm.
We’d proved that.
Life with Deacon was a beautiful war no way we could lose.
I heard his boots on the steps that led up on the other side, but I didn’t move.
I also heard Bossy’s claws.
She hadn’t defected from me. She still loved her momma. But she preferred Deacon.
I didn’t mind.
I did too.
Then again, it was becoming clear Priest preferred me.
Payback.
My eyes searched for my puppy but he didn’t come out with his daddy. This boded good things, since if he did, we’d need to pay attention so he didn’t get in trouble.
And thus this said Deacon was intent to give his attention to me.
I knew this to be true when Deacon didn’t sit beside me. He sat behind me and surrounded me with his long legs, feet to the step where mine were, his arms wrapping around my middle.
I felt his chin rest on my shoulder and closed my eyes.
Happy.
Completely and utterly.
I opened my eyes.
“Thanks for my gazebo,” I said softly.
/>
I heard the grin in his voice when he replied, “Not a problem.”
He was happy too.
So I was happier.
“Thanks for my laundry building.”
There was a thread of humor in his voice when he said, “Not a problem.”
And even happier.
“Thanks for being you.”
His arms tightened and the humor was gone when he repeated, “Not a problem, Cassie.”
“Thanks for letting me be me.”
More tightening, then, “Definitely not a problem.”
“Thank you for loving me,” I whispered.
No reply. Just his arms got so tight I could barely breathe.
When he released the pressure, I went on.
“And thanks for letting me love you.”
“Makin’ this easy,” he said weirdly.
“Sorry?”
He let me go but didn’t move away. One of his hands caught my left one, the other one disappeared.
It came back.
And when it did, I stopped breathing.
This was because he was sliding a princess cut diamond set in a thick platinum band on my ring finger.
“Marry me,” he whispered into my ear.
Sheesh. Deacon was so totally rejoining the citizenry.
My eyes started stinging.
His hand curled around mine tight.
“Right here, in this gazebo, soon as you want, late as you want, big, small, grand, quiet, I don’t give a fuck. Whatever you want, just so when it’s over, you’re tied to me legally and got my name.”
My head fell back so it wouldn’t fall forward. I turned it and pressed my forehead into his neck.
“We get hitched,” he went on, “we find our time, then we make a baby. But you go off your pills, the first time it could be a go, we start that work in my bed in cabin eleven.”
Cabin eleven.
God, I so loved Deacon.
To share that, I replied, “I’ll take your name, Deacon. I’ll take anything you want to give me. And I’ll make a baby with you in cabin eleven, in our bed at the house, on the moon.”
“Then give me your mouth, woman, no argument, right now.”
Like I’d argue.
I tipped my head back but didn’t give it. He took it. He did this a long time. He did this until Bossy joined us and started licking our faces, wanting in on the act.
We broke it off but Deacon’s arms were back around me so it was me who drove my fingers into her ruff and asked, “You gonna wear a big pink bow when Momma marries Daddy in this gazebo?”
She panted and licked my face.
Deacon started laughing.