Caught Up in You (16 page)

He gave a curt nod. “Agreed.”

She glanced up the aisle of the empty cabin, then unhooked her seatbelt and came over
to him, bracing her hands on his armrest and leaning down, giving him an unimpeded
view down her blouse as she bent close to his ear. “So now you know that when I get
on my knees for you, it has nothing to do with training for a job.”

“Kelsey.” The word came out as a strangled whisper.

She surreptitiously glanced toward the front of the cabin, making sure the flight
attendant hadn’t stepped through the curtain, then lowered herself to a kneel next
to his seat. “Your dominance strips me, Wyatt, flays me open and leaves me bleeding.
But it’s a good bloodletting. If I’m really going to start a new life, I want it to
be without fearing that I’m going to tumble backward at the first hiccup. I need to
know I’m strong enough to face the fire and walk through it. I need to bury the girl
I used to be.”

She was looking up at him, determination in the tilt of her chin but anxiety still
lingering in her eyes. He stared down at her, almost afraid to touch her, knowing
the minute he did he’d lose the resolve to do the right thing. “But what if I take
you too far, Kelsey? What if those fires are too hot?”

“Then I don’t deserve that money or a fresh start because I wouldn’t be ready for
it.”

He took a deep breath and set his hands on her shoulders. “I promise you there’s nothing
I want more than to spend this week with you in my bed and under my command. But thinking
this can be some kind of therapeutic experience is a dangerous fucking path to travel.
Sure, maybe you’ll walk away from it feeling stronger. But it’s just as possible that
you’ll walk away ripped to shreds and decimated. I’ve seen what can happen.”

The corners of her mouth dipped. “Is that what happened the last time you did this?”

He grabbed his briefcase and shoved it beneath the seat, needing something to do with
his hands. “Yes. I ruined someone, Kelsey. Fucking
ruined
her.”

He caught her wince in his peripheral vision. “What happened to her?”

He gave her a hard look, trying to stave off the barrage of breath-stealing pain that
came along with the memory. “I loved her. But in the end, I loved my job more. I told
her I needed space. She took a fistful of pills and never woke up. She gave me all
the space I could ever need.”

“My God.” She sat back on her calves, as if the revelation had physically shoved her
backward. “I’m so sor—”

The speaker dinged overhead and a little red light came on. The flight attendant gave
her warnings.

“We’re beginning our descent,” he said gruffly. “You need to get in your seat and
fasten your seatbelt.”

“Wyatt—”

He turned away from her, unable to bear the naked sympathy in those blue eyes. Sympathy
he damn well didn’t deserve. Mia may have put those pills in her mouth, but he’d been
the one to break his promise to her. She’d given him all of herself, and he’d left
her with nothing.

“I won’t risk it, Kelsey.”

I won’t risk
you.

FIFTEEN

Kelsey didn’t know if her stomach was upside down
from the plane landing or from the conversation leading up to it. But either way,
she was happy to get her feet on solid ground again as she walked side by side with
Wyatt into the small airport.

He had his hand on the small of her back and had smiled politely as people had helped
them off the plane, took care of their customs paperwork, and welcomed them, but Wyatt
hadn’t said another word to Kelsey after he’d revealed why he didn’t do D/s anymore.
So while they rode in the limo that would take them to a chartered boat, she’d watched
silently as the man who’d seemed so warm and open over the last day and night disappeared
back into the armor of an unruffled business man. She thought she was the pro at slamming
the doors and shutting people out, but apparently she’d met her match.

And though her chest ached over the tragedy he’d been through, and she respected his
reasons for backing away, another part of her burned with the desire to not let this
go, to not take the easy way out. Submitting to Wyatt frightened her, made her feel
things. The way he looked at her, spoke to her—like she was something to be revered
and protected—was unlike everything she’d ever experienced. Her mind didn’t know how
to digest all of that without panicking a bit. Getting used to that kind of affection
could hurt her when she walked away from him. She knew that risk. And obviously that
terrified the hell out of him, too. But his doubt about her being able to handle this,
his worries about her fragility, only made her want to prove him wrong.

Was she really at the point in her life where some man could
crush
her? Even if she did something idiotic like develop feelings for Wyatt, would she
freaking fall apart when their time was up?

No.

Fuck. That.

She wasn’t that person anymore. She didn’t pin fairy tale expectations on reality.
Like she’d told him, she wasn’t looking for a prince to save her. She’d been living
on her own for a year—had been happy even, until Howie had showed up. If a knife to
her throat and knowing a gang wanted her dead hadn’t sent her to pick up a drink or
get high, then what would? She was tired of feeling weak, of worrying about slipping
up.

This trip was supposed to be fun. She liked Wyatt. The man, the sex,
and
his dominance. And there was no reason the two of them should spend the rest of the
week dancing around each other. But now she had to convince him of that.

“The boat ride isn’t supposed to be too long,” Wyatt said absently, his eyes focused
on his phone, his thumb scrolling through emails. “They don’t have an airstrip on
Devil Cay.”

She nodded, fiddling with the hem of her cotton skirt, trying to find the right words
to kill the awkwardness between them. “I’ve never heard of Devil Cay.”

He glanced up, a quick flick of a look, then he was back to his phone. “You wouldn’t
have. It’s a private island and resort owned by the guy throwing this shindig. Well,
this year, it’s his son’s deal actually. Edward Carmichael usually hosts this retreat
at his resort in Tahoe since it’s ski season, but he’s having health problems and
handed the duties over to his son. This place is his son Andrew’s newest acquisition.
My guess is the prick wants to show off.”

Kelsey’s eyebrows lifted. She’d never heard such a bitter tone from Mr. Stoic. “Not
a fan of Andrew’s?”

“I went to school with him. He’s an arrogant dipshit with too much money and just
enough brains to be dangerous. And we hated each other.” He smirked. “He’s also the
client my father most wants me to land this week.”

“Fun.”

“Getting his business alone would be worth all the other clients I could gather here
put together,” Wyatt said, sounding tired and finally putting his phone to the side.
“But I don’t think I’m physically capable of acting like I’m interested in what he
has to say.”

“I don’t remember seeing his name on an index card. What’s he into?”

Wyatt sniffed. “Up until a few years ago, he was just another playboy rich kid, spending
his time jet-setting, gambling, getting high, and getting laid. Supposedly, he’s taking
over the reins of his family’s empire these days with a focus on the luxury hotel
division. But my guess is he hasn’t changed that much. He was always more interested
in the flash than the work.”

Kelsey crossed her legs and smiled. “Then you’re in luck.”

Wyatt frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Those types are my specialty. They’re the easiest customers to manipulate. You bat
your eyelashes and feed their ego, and they’ll buy whatever you’re selling. Let me
help you with him.”

A cloud crossed over Wyatt’s face. “When exactly have you come across rich playboys
in that little diner?”

“Besides you?” she teased.

“I’m serious, Kelsey.”

She sighed. He knew all her other shit now, so she might as well tell him. “After
high school, I danced at a high-end strip club . . . and eventually a few not-so-high-end
ones. The only way I made any money was learning how to play my customers just right.
I was good at it. If I hadn’t dumped all that cash into my habit, I would’ve been
making a pretty nice living.”

“Christ, Kelsey.” Lines creased around his eyes, as if the revelation had physically
hurt him. “Did no one protect you?”

“My sister tried, but she didn’t have a shot. I thought I knew it all.” She glanced
down and shrugged. “Told you I wasn’t that sweet.”

“Don’t,” he warned. “Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Look ashamed,” he said, his tone firm. “I won’t sit here and allow you to do that.”

She pressed her lips together and looked at him from beneath her lashes, taking a
risk. “Or what? You’re going to spank me?”

He scowled, but she didn’t miss the need that crossed his features before the cool
mask slid back in place. “We’ve already discussed that.”

“And I’m not sure I agree.” She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, the seat bumping
beneath her as they went over an uneven road. “I don’t love you, Wyatt.”

His eyebrows drew together. “What?”

“And you don’t love me,” she continued, her voice matter-of-fact. “Correct?”

He held his hands out to his sides, clearly confused by her line of questioning. “What
does that have to do with anything?”

“It has
everything
to do with it. Don’t you see? You’re scared of harming me, of repeating the past,
right?”

His lips pressed into a line.

“I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am about what you’ve been through, but you
had a relationship with that woman. Love.
That
can tear you apart. Can devastate you. But what we’re doing isn’t that. This is a
week. It’s fun, sex, and kink. I’m not pledging my lifelong allegiance to you. You
don’t need to be responsible for me. I just want to have this experience with you
and enjoy it.”

A battle warred in his solemn stare. “But what you said earlier scares me. When feelings
get involved, things get messy and dangerous.”

She reached across to slide her hands over his knees, feeling stronger than she had
in a long time. “Maybe it’s okay if I feel some things. I’ve lived most of my adult
life completely numb. Of course something as intense as D/s is going to stir up those
unused emotions, but that doesn’t mean they need to be attached to anything significant.”

“But—”

She smiled. “You make heat-of-the-moment declarations. I have heat-of-the-moment feelings.
Doesn’t make them real. But when I’m in a scene with you, when you’re pushing me,
I feel more free than I have in as long as I can remember. I want to be able to let
go and have a good time with you. Being with you makes me feel like I don’t have a
past for a little while.”
Like all the dirt is washed away.

He watched her, his jaw twitching and his hands braced on the seat.

“And maybe you need that, too,” she said, her determination building and her voice
lowering as she slid her hands up his thighs. “You’re fucking gorgeous when you take
the reins, Wyatt. My skin goes hot just thinking about you standing over me. You shouldn’t
have to deny that part of yourself. And you shouldn’t deny me.”

His gaze darkened as it slowly tracked down the length of her throat and the vee of
her blouse, then back up to meet her eyes again. “You must be a goddamned force in
the dungeon, love. You’re sweet temptation wrapped in the armor of a seductress. Men
must go stupid at your feet.”

She smiled. “I could always tie you up instead. You could see how you like it at the
bottom.”

He growled and then he was pitching forward, grabbing her wrists and pinning her back
against her seat. “Not a fucking chance, love. And
you
don’t want me that way. That won’t make your body go soft and wet like you did for
me this morning.”

Her heart was thumping in her ears, the sudden shift in Wyatt welcome but overwhelming
her senses. His scent, the soft scrape of his dress shirt against her inner arms,
the powerful hold—it all coalesced into instant, throbbing need. She pressed her forehead
into his shoulder. “I don’t want to spend the week not touching you. So we’re both
a little fucked up. Can’t we be fucked up together?”

“I won’t survive not touching you either,” he said, defeat in his breathless voice.
“I can barely share a damn car with you without wanting to pounce.”

“So stop fighting it,” she said softly.

He let out a long, weary breath against the back of her neck. “If we do this, you
have to swear not to run from me each time. Treat me as your dom. You have a problem
or issue, you come to me. Shut me out and this ends. You scare me when you go quiet.”

The prospect of being that open to any man was daunting. But she knew it was the only
way he’d feel safe with her. If she shut down after a scene, he was going to worry
she was spiraling to some dark place. “I promise. Sir.”

He lifted her face to him, his eyes flaring blue flame. “I’ll never tire of hearing
you call me that.”

“Touch me, sir. Please.” She needed him against her, swiping away all the memories
they’d kicked up, all the ugly ghosts.

One hand lowered, cupping her breast and teasing her nipple through the soft cotton
of her blouse. She arched into his gentle touch, hoping he was about to take her right
there in the backseat. But in her haze of having him over her, she hadn’t realized
the limo had stopped.

There was a quick rap on the door and then the sound of the handle being pulled. She
froze. Wyatt grinned and gave a sharp pinch to her nipple, making her groan. “Guess
I should’ve told him to take the long way.”

The driver cleared his throat, obviously noticing what he’d interrupted. “We’re here,
Mr. Austin.”

Wyatt looked over his shoulder as the warm, salty breeze filtered into the car, clearly
not at all concerned about being seen in a compromising position. “Thank you. We’ll
be right out.”

He pushed himself back onto his seat and straightened her blouse for her. She brushed
her hair off her face, trying to cool her flushed skin. “Some proper debutante I am.”

He reached out to take her hand and guide her toward the door, his smile rakish. “Whoever
said I wanted proper?”

The driver took her hand from Wyatt’s and guided her out of the car. “Watch your step,
Miss. The gravel isn’t even.”

“Thank you,” she said, trying to get her footing in the wedge sandals she’d chosen
for today. The breeze whipped through her hair, filling her nose with the scent of
ocean, and she had to grab for her skirt before it attempted a Marilyn Monroe moment.

The driver gave her an amused smile and tipped his hat at her before turning his attention
to Wyatt. Wyatt climbed out of the limo, his open collar flapping in the breeze, and
paid the driver. Even in the casual chinos and an untucked shirt, the man reeked of
power and money. How the hell was she going to pull off that same kind of image for
this trip?

The driver pulled their bags from the trunk and set them on the ground. “Would you
like me to get these to the boat for you, sir?”

“I’ve got this one.” Wyatt grabbed a small duffel bag from the pile. “But yes, please
take the rest.”

He tipped the driver and turned to her, pulling a pair of aviators from the outside
pocket of his bag and replacing his eyeglasses. The arch of his eyebrow was pure sexual
promise. He set his bag down, and his arm snaked around her waist, tugging her against
him. “It’s fucking cruel that we’re going to have to share this island with other
people this week. We should just get a hotel room here and not leave the bed until
next Saturday. Why waste time kissing their asses when I could be kissing much more
tasty things?”

He pressed his mouth to the curve of her shoulder, sending ripples of hot sensation
straight south. And she was tempted to say,
Yes! Let’s do that
. But before she could respond, another voice cut in from behind her.

“Wyatt?”

Wyatt’s forearms stiffened against her back, and he lifted his head, looking in the
direction of the woman’s voice. An
oh-fuck
glimmer went across his features, but he quickly covered it with the implacable mask
of politeness. He released Kelsey and stepped back. “Hello, Gwen.”

Kelsey turned around, the tension from Wyatt leaking into her system as she took in
the pretty brunette. Her brown eyes flicked over Kelsey’s way, annoyance in her gaze
despite the prim smile. The woman looked back to Wyatt. “I didn’t expect to see you
here.”

Wyatt cleared his throat and pressed a hand to the small of Kelsey’s back, a statement.
“My dad couldn’t make it, so I’m here in his place. You never mentioned you attend
this event.”

“I’m accompanying Mr. Weller since his wife had other obligations. He thought the
trip would be a nice reward for my performance this quarter.”

“Hmm,” Wyatt said in a bland tone, one that could’ve been read as complete and total
disinterest or complete and total judgment.