Crossing the Lines (40 page)

He kissed her forehead, lingering, his lips promising protection and comfort and approval.

“I believe you, Alice. You understand the difference, and I…I haven’t abused you. But what happened tonight will not happen again. If it means giving up my membership privileges, so be it. I will not punish you in public again, dearest. It doesn’t suit either of our needs.”

She squirmed closer, pressing her arm to his chest in a half hug. His voice turned thoughtful. “Perhaps I approached the night from the wrong angle. I intended for the red ribbons to protect you both, but the limitations hampered your ability to protect yourselves. Should you and Jay ever desire to return, perhaps it would be better if you had no ribbon at all.”

“No ribbon?”

“No ribbon,” he confirmed. “Had I brought you in as a dominant in training, you wouldn’t have been in trouble for speaking to Cal. He and any others you saw while apart from me would have assumed you were Jay’s mistress. He wouldn’t have dared speak to Jay, directly or otherwise. He likely would have attempted to persuade you to share, but he would have had no leverage with which to do so.”

“I wouldn’t have known how to act. They all would have seen right through me.”

“Ah, but that’s the beauty of being the dominant half of the relationship, my dear. However you chose to act, it would have been the correct thing to do because
you
chose to do it. You needn’t have explained yourself at all.”

That fit the club atmosphere, the mix of dominants and submissives finding each other for the night, with no need for anything deeper. But the description didn’t fit Henry. And it didn’t fit her.

“I don’t think I’d want to be that kind of dominant. I don’t think you do, either.”

“I have the luxury of being in love with my submissives, Alice, and knowing now that they both love me in return. My need for control grows out of my need to ensure the safety and happiness of those I love. Other people have different needs.”

“I just need you,” she said, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. “And Jay. I don’t need anything else. Except maybe to cut off Cal’s balls.”

He chuckled.

“Go to sleep, Alice. As I promised Jay, so I promise you. I will be here when you wake. I won’t leave you alone.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair, his voice nearly soundless. “No more nights across the hall, my love. We’ll set Jay to moving boxes in the morning. That, I think, will do more to raise his spirits than any amount of consoling.”

Contentment. She drifted toward sleep.

“In the morning,” she agreed. “Welcome home.”

“Welcome home,” Henry echoed. “Welcome home, Alice.”

M.Q. Barber

Putting characters through the wringer hurts, but bringing them out stronger and more committed to their relationship on the other side feels damn good.

In writing “Neighborly Affection: Crossing the Lines,” M.Q. Barber discovered her characters are made of sterner stuff than she is. They demanded upset, confusion, and distress. She begged for fluff and tried to sneak some in by distracting Henry, Alice, and Jay with pretty words and shiny baubles. (They may have taken pity on her on occasion.)

When the author isn’t tied down and held hostage by her demanding characters, she can be found on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter as M.Q. Barber. For updates, sneak peeks, and exclusive short fiction, sign up for her author newsletter at
www.mqbarber.com
.

If you enjoy the Neighborly Affection series, please take a minute to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you prefer to hang out online and talk books. Alice and Jay are always excited to hear they’ve made a new friend. (Henry will launch his intent stare and nod in acknowledgement.)

Playing the Game

Neighborly Affection, #1

She expects dinner with neighbors, but gets sex with a side of safewords.

Mechanical engineer Alice still drools over her sexy neighbors a year after she’s moved in. She can’t decide whether they’re roommates or partners, but either way, they spark a wanton desire in her that has her imagination–and vibrator–working overtime.

Henry, director of everything around him, studies human nature and applies philosophies to his paintings as well as his relationships. Quirky, polite to a fault, and formal, he follows his own code of honor even when it means denying himself.

Flirtatious and playful, Jay needs stability, guidance, and to please others. His antics counterbalance Henry’s stuffy ways while he brings a level of vulnerability and fun to everything the trio does.

BDSM play with the enigmatic artist and flirtatious joker across the hall allows Alice to put aside the linear thought processes which have kept her unsatisfied and distant with other lovers. She must dismiss her preconception of love, sacrificing her independence, if she’s to find a permanent place in their beds and hearts.

CONTENT WARNING: Explicit sex, graphic language, BDSM, bondage, spanking, M/M/F menage.

Lyrical Press books are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

Copyright © M.Q. Barber

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

First Electronic Edition: March 2014

ISBN-13: 9781616505257