Drawn to You

Drawn to You

About the Author

––––––––

by

Erin Lark

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PUBLISHED BY:

Erin Lark

Drawn to You

Copyright © 2013 by Erin Lark

Cover art © 2013 Erin Lark

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“T
rust me.”

It was the last thing Terry said before we filed into the pickup and made our way to God-knows-where. Of course I trusted her, but whenever she got that whimsical look in her eye, I knew she was up to no good. The woman had a radar for things I loved and could usually pick up on them before I did. Still, waking up before the crack of dawn and being asked to pack a few essentials, I had to wonder what we were getting ourselves into.

I knew better than to ask questions. If I refused to go along with her game, I'd probably regret it later. So, after throwing our bags in the back, I sat in the driver’s seat and followed the less-than-enthusiastic voice on the GPS.

Terry stared out her window and picked at a fingernail, all the while completely oblivious to my noticing it. Out of all the trips she’d planned, I’d never known her to be nervous. I was usually the one wiggling in my chair with knots in my stomach.

I reached across the console and took her hand in mine. I gave it a squeeze, and when she met my gaze, I offered her a reassuring smile. “It can’t be that bad.”

She returned my smile, but it was forced. “It isn’t. Just—it’s off-road.”

I lifted my brows. “Oh! Camping?”

Now her smile was genuine. “Not telling.” She went back to fidgeting.

I smirked, then turned my attention to the road ahead.

Turn right in two hundred feet,
the GPS said.

I swallowed.

One hundred and fifty.

I slowed the car and searched for any signs that may clue me in on where we were heading.

One hundred.

“A dirt road?” I looked in Terry’s direction and studied her reflection in the passenger side window. Her brow was furrowed. “Babe?”

She jumped when I set a hand on her leg. “Hmm?”

“You’re worrying me.”

Turn here.

I turned the car onto a dirt road that must’ve only been wide enough for one vehicle, but with grass on either side, it was easy to see passing a car coming from the other direction wouldn’t be a problem.

I gripped the steering wheel and eyed a sign overhead as we drove under it.
Second Chance Ranch. Great, just what I need—horses.
I'd ridden in the past, but it had been eons since then and if I remembered correctly, Terry hadn't ridden one at all.

I was just starting to consider the idea of riding along some dirt trails with her when the road opened up to an even larger parking lot. Numerous cars were parked every which way and appeared to be waiting on our arrival.

I searched the surrounding area. There were no animals in sight, but my heart skipped at what I did see.

Not horses.
People. Many of them women. Chains, leather, cuffs...my cheeks burned, and not because of the local wildlife either.  She couldn't honestly think I'd be into this kind of thing, could she?

“Terry...” I looked at her. Studied her wavering smile. Her reddening cheeks.

“Surprise,” she said in a very small voice. She seemed to have shrunk in her chair.

I cleared my throat and averted my gaze when a woman in nothing more than a collar and chain passed my side of the car. “Sure this is the right place?” I wasn’t sure if stepping outside was such a good idea.

We'd never experimented with power play of any kind. Terry herself was as vanilla as one could get. And I liked her that way.

She wet her lips, looked right at me and held my hands. “How many women have you kissed?”

My throat tightened. “What does that—”

“Humor me.”

I exhaled and rubbed a thumb over the back of her hand. “Two.”

“And how many have you taken to bed with you?”

I shivered as a chill ran down my spine. “Just you. But you already kne—”

“I know.” Her voice was lighter now. Not free of nerves, but not nearly as wound up as before. “Just humor me, okay? You said you trust me.”

“Of course I do.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door. “It's everyone else I'm worried about.”

Terry was out of the car before I managed to set a foot outside. Steeling myself for whatever she hadn't told me yet, I headed for the trunk to get our bags, then followed her to what I assumed was the main building of this
resort.

A man stood at the front desk wearing a crisp white shirt and tie.
Oh, thank God. Someone who actually has their clothes on.
“Welcome to Second Chance Ranch. How might we serve you today?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but Terry beat me to it. “I made a reservation. Owens.”

The man poked at his computer screen, grabbed a key off the back wall, then handed it to her. “Will you be needing any assistance in pairing up?”

I frowned. “Pairing up?”

“Oh, excuse me. You aren't here for the event?”

“Come on.” Terry pulled at my hand.

“What event?” I asked as we stepped into a long corridor. “What aren't you telling me?”

She either didn't hear me or left my question unanswered because there wasn't much she could say. Feeling more cautious since we left the security of our car, I read the numbers on every door along the hall as we strode past. Terry stopped at one toward the very end, unlocked the door, then ushered me inside.

“We aren't staying here,” she said.

I released a sign of relief. “Good, because I—”

“Not in this room, I mean.” She threw her bag onto the queen bed then started rifling through its contents.

I watched as she pulled garments I didn't even know she had from within smaller luggage compartments. Black lace. A leather collar. A leash. Handcuffs.
A ball-gag?

I gently closed her suitcase and took the miscellaneous items out of her hands before setting them on the bed. “Terry, this isn't us. How did you even find out about this place?”

“Bridget told me. She and Mark came here and—”

“But they're swingers.”
Holy fuck.
I lowered onto the bed and held my head in my hands. “You and I, we're plain, and I'm perfectly happy being private at home. It's comfortable.”

She perched on the foot of the bed. “I know. It's also familiar, but don't you remember how it felt when we first started dating? That excitement of not knowing?”

I exhaled. “Of course I do, though I think that was mostly nerves if we're truly being honest with ourselves.”

“I still think it's worth trying.” She met my gaze. “We've been hang gliding, skydiving and even bungee jumping. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little role-play.”

“Role-playing?” I stared at her luggage. “Is that what this is all about?” I faced her and took her hands in mine. “What about the event? You still haven't told me about it.”

She shrugged, then freed one of her hands to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I thought that, once we got here, you might want to try being with someone else.” Her eyes glazed over as she stared at her lap.

I caressed her cheek with the backs of my fingers. I lifted her chin but didn't miss her averted gaze. “Terry, look at me.” When she did, I brushed a tear from under her eye. “I'm happy with bedding just one woman in my life. I truly am. I don't want another woman or to lay with another man. I don't want fancy clothes, tights or leather. I just want you. Okay?” I lifted my eyebrows.

She released a shaky breath. Nodded, then smiled as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Is that what's been making you so nervous?” I studied her bright blue eyes. “Babe, I don't ever want you to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable.”

“If I did that,” she laughed, “we'd never go on any adventures at all. They're worth doing at least once.”

I nodded. “Life-threatening adventures maybe, but not ones that will mess with the way we feel for one another.” I coughed and searched our room which was pretty boring compared to the landscape and
wildlife
I'd seen outside. “So, how long did you say we're here for?”

She perked up. In fact, she stood from the bed and headed to a nearby dresser. She handed me a brochure once I joined her. “Today and most of tomorrow.”

I looked over the pamphlet. “Hiking trails, stables, but no horses? Seems a bit off. What are the stables for if there aren't any animals?”

She flashed me a wicked grin then headed into the bathroom with the black lace I'd set on the bed. “Role-play.”

I shuddered and had to wonder exactly what I'd gotten myself into.

* * * * *

“O
kay, we're outside. Now what?”

It had taken a bit of convincing on Terry's part, but by one o' clock, we were outside with the other guests. Many of them had taken to their own private quarters. Those who were still walking around seemed to be wrapping up whatever it was they'd started before our arrival.

“Stables?” Terry asked hopefully.

“But I thought there weren't any horses.” The rings out front were still as empty as they'd been an hour ago. “And you don't ride.”

“Not horses.” She took my hand and guided me past one of the rings into an old barn. Her palm was clammy, and like the drive here, she couldn't bring herself to look at me.

The nerves in my stomach coiled around the base of my spine. The day we went hang gliding, I could barely breathe. When we were about to jump off a plane, I was pretty sure I'd throw up on the way down.

This time? I was a bottle of nerves just waiting to burst, and with every step we took closer to that barn, the more wound up my insides became. Anxiety and even excitement were always to be expected on one of Terry's adventures, but never like this.

It was as though we were in high school again, and doing more than holding hands was forbidden. She gave my hand a squeeze as we stepped under the rafters.

Inside, lights hung from old beams, and it amazed me to see the building was still standing after what must've been decades of hard use. Everything inside was antique. Brass hooks on the crossties outside the stalls. Hard granite under our feet. Even bird nests in the corners under the roof.

Then again, it was a barn. If it was still upright, they probably renovated it at some point but left the aged decorations in place to make it more unique.

But the one thing I didn't expect when we headed this way was for it to smell so clean. Stable doors lined either side of the hallway. I stared at each door as we went by. Some led to empty stalls while others—

Oh, God.
I stared back down at the ground. At my feet. Anything to forget what I'd just seen on the other side of that wall. I succeeded for a moment, but then the woman who's gaze I met while she was in the throes of passion released a moan that caused my slacks to tighten and my blood pressure to jump through the roof.

I shivered at the sound of what may have been a whip cracking behind us.

Terry's grip on my hand tightened. I squeezed back and wasn't sure if I'd ever let go. Her posture stiffened, but she kept walking. I could still hear the other woman's moans when Terry stopped to open one of the stalls.

I peered inside and considered going back to our room, but the way Terry looked at me just then told me we weren't going anywhere.

Her auburn hair had a shine to it while the rest of her face was hidden under a thin shadow.

“So they—we just...here? Now?” Another moan down the hall forced me to grab for one of the nearby walls.

Terry lifted her shoulder in a partial shrug, then leaned in to kiss me on the neck. Behind my ear. My lips.

I took her in my arms and licked her lips with my tongue until they allowed access to the rest of her mouth. I grabbed her hair with one of my hands, and without thinking, I tugged on it.

She moaned against my lips and melted in my tight embrace. Pressed herself against my body and my hard erection. The woman down the hall may have screamed, but all I felt and all I heard was my amazing, adventurous wife.

She pressed a hand against my tight slacks. Stroked my cock. Even with layers of fabric between us, I could feel her warmth as though my clothes weren't there at all.

“Stall,” I murmured against her lips. “Now.”

Terry took a step back and gradually guided me into the small enclosure with me stumbling beside her. The crunch of hay under my shoes reminded me where we were.
In public. Without a bed. Without sheets.
But for once, I didn't care. There was no planning. No lighting candles. No soft music. And I didn't need them. Not when she was so close to me, that warm and tasted that good.

The click of a latch rang in my ears, announcing we were locked off from the rest of the world. I cupped her face with my hands and broke our kiss so I could see her eyes. So I could study her expression.

And those eyes were the very same ones I looked at every time we made love. Every single time I'd taken her to bed with me.
And here's as good a place as any to do it again.
I had no idea what had gotten into me between our drive here and now, but whatever it was, I was beginning to like it.