Falling For A Redneck (12 page)

Dirk could see from Marissa’s face that she expected him to reject her now that he knew her secret.
Doesn’t she know yet that I’m not that easy to scare?

He cornered her like a frightened rabbit with no place to run and wrapped his arms around her tight
, hugging her. Her body trembled in his arms, stiff at first, then, as he continued his embrace, softening and relaxing until she actually leaned her head on his shoulder.

Dirk’s hands traced circles on her back while his cheek rubbed back and forth across the silky top of her head. She might be tall, but he was still taller.

“I’m all right now,” came her muffled voice.

“Are you sure
, princess? ’Cause I can hug you all day if you’d like.” To his surprise, she actually let out a small laugh.

“You would, wouldn’t you?”
She peeked up at him, her face soft and vulnerable.

“Shh, just don’t tell anyone what a big softie I am
. It’ll ruin my reputation,” he said with a grin and a wink that she actually giggled at.
By God, she is cute when she does that
, he thought, determined to make her giggle more in the future. And oh yes, she’d be in his future if he had anything to say about it.

Marissa might present a cold
, bitchy façade to the world, but he’d come to the realization that was all it was—a façade. One that hid a sweet woman he was determined to draw out.

“Come on
, let’s sit down.” He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her down onto the sofa, right onto his lap. Marissa squirmed a bit, ill at ease, obviously not used to this kind of cuddling. He, on the other hand, quite enjoyed having her there, although his pants were getting kind of snug. He might have to take them off if she kept wiggling like that.

Screw it
. Once he’d talked with her, he was taking them off anyway. He didn’t question his sudden need to claim her again. Hearing she hadn’t been with any other man in a carnal sense in seven years made him feel like the man
. Oh yeah, I melted the ice princess, and she’s all mine!

“Start talking
, princess.”

“What do you want me to say
?” Marissa shrugged. Her face lost its sweet smile. Tense and retreating behind her icy wall, she stared at her lap where she kneaded her fingers together.

Dirk frowned. He didn’t like seeing her like this.
Uncertain and lost. Time to bring back her fire, and he had a feeling he knew exactly where to find it.

“
Let’s start with your marriage. Or should I say divorce? I get the feeling all this Domme stuff and your anger issues started around then.”

“Do we really have to talk about this?”

“Yes.” Firm, and yet he tempered it with a brush of his lips against her temple. “I’ve told you my secrets. Time to spill yours.”

“It’s not really a secret.
I was married. We got divorced. I had anger issues about the whole thing and needed money. I found the physical aspect of caning and whipping men made me feel better, and I got paid for it. End of story.”

Dirk restrained an urge to laugh at her simplified telling of what must have been a devastating time for her.
Somehow, he doubted the story was as simple as she made it sound. Why did they end up parting ways? Was it money issues? Irreconcilable differences? Another woman? Had she loved this jerk? Did he leave her in debt? Was that why she turned to the whole Domme thing? He knew about doing things for money. He’d gone to jail for some of the things he’d done.

“I know you must be totally disgusted with me right now,” she continued in a small voice, wringing her hands.

“Why?” he asked, puzzled.

“Because of what I do, or should say did. You
’re right. I am no better than a prostitute, I guess.”

“Princess, if you heard some of
the tales of things I’ve done in my life, you’d run screaming the other way. Hell, you heard some of them last night, and I didn’t see you running, or even judging me. That’s what friends do. They accept each other.”

Arching her brow
, she said, “Being fuck buddies doesn’t make us friends.”

Dirk grinned, the vulgar words coming from his usually prim princess making him hot. “You say fuck buddies
; I say lovers. Either way I’d say that makes us friends. You might present an icy veneer to the world, but I think, deep down inside, you’re looking for acceptance.”

“Am not,” she retorted.

“Tell you what, if you won’t judge me for my past, then I won’t judge you for yours. I can’t say as I’m unhappy that you’re gonna give up dominating men for money. That is kind out of my comfort zone, that and I don’t like to share. You gotta promise me, though, that you’ll wear some leather for me some time. I bet you look hot in it.” Dirk enjoyed the pink that suffused her cheeks at his remark. He had a hard time reconciling his prim and proper princess with a whip-wielding, leather-clad mistress. He chuckled when she wouldn’t answer him and finally gave in to the temptation to kiss her.

“Now,” he said when she had that dreamy look on her face and her lips looked bee stung. “Who’s been threatening you?”

“No one,” she said, lying badly. An ex-con knew.

“Princess
.” He injected a warning tone in the one word.

“
Anyone ever tell you you’re stubborn?”

“Yup.
So you might as well spill it ’cause I’m not giving up.”

“
Fine. I got two notes telling me to stop or else.”

“Or else what?” he prodded, his body tensing with the urge to hunt down her enemy and beat him.

“I don’t know. It’s not like they said ‘or else I’ll sabotage your car and try to kill you.’”

“Have you talked to the cops?” Dirk couldn’t believe he said that
, considering his experience with them.

“Of course not
.” She snorted. “Oh yes, that would have been fun
. Hi, Officer, someone is threatening me because I like to punish men for extra money.
I’d have been laughed out the precinct.”

“You do have a point,” said Dirk grudgingly. “Any idea
who’s doing this?”

“Not a clue. I figure it has to be someone close to one of my clients, but
who?” She shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about. I’ll fire an e-mail off to my clients tonight and let them know I’m retiring. That should take care of it.”

“Stop acting so blas
é. You could have been killed. What if they don’t care if you’ve quit and decide to come after you again?” A thought that chilled Dirk to the bone.
How can I protect her?

“Oh please. They wanted to scare me away
, and it worked. They’re just lucky I was getting tired of doing this anyway, or I’d have told them screw their threats and kept on going.”

Dirk rubbed his shaven head in frustration, the short bristle attesting to a day without the razor taken to it. “I don’t think you’re taking this seriously enough. I want you to spend
tonight at my place.”

“No
.” She pushed off his lap and stood before him with arms crossed. “I am not some damsel in distress who needs rescuing. I’ll be sleeping here tonight,
alone.
”

“Well, if that’s how you feel
, then I guess I’ll be sleeping here.”

Her eyes widened at his reply.
“What about the boys?”

Shit, the boys. His babysitter would want to go home real soon
given she probably had school. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“This is what couples do. Help each other.”

“We are not a couple. We’re just fuck buddies, remember? This isn’t your fight.
I can handle this on my own.”

“Oh please
, princess. Drop the act and face it. We are together, so stop trying to pretend we’re just fuck friends. Truth is we are so beyond that. I care about you whether you like it or not.”

“How can you when I’ve been such a bitch?”

“Maybe I have masochist
ic tendencies,” he said, leering at her.

A ghost of a smile teased her lips.
“You? Oh please. You are way too dominant for that. Which is why I don’t understand why you want to be with me. I’m not the right woman for you. You should choose someone less bitchy. Less damaged.”

“
But I don’t want anyone else,” he murmured, staring into her eyes. His large hand cupped the back of her head, fingers entangled in her dark strands of hair, pulling her face down so he could whisper against her lips. “I want you.”

Then he kissed her.

All thoughts of relieving the babysitter, actually all coherent thought left him, and all that remained was Marissa. His melting princess, in his arms and opening her mouth wide against his. Holding her, he backed up until the back of his knees hit the couch. He tugged her loose pants down. They pooled around her feet, and she stepped out of them. Her hands fumbled at the buckle on his belt, and he helped her loosen it, unsnapping his jeans and pushing them down. His erection sprang forth, hungry and seeking. He sat down on the couch and pulled her toward him, legs astride to straddle him.

Marissa needed no further coaxing
. With a sigh, she impaled herself on him, a sweet sensation that had Dirk throwing his head back in ecstasy at the feel of her tight sheath.

With h
is hands on her buttocks, he moved her on him, establishing a rhythm as his lips devoured hers. She opened her mouth and met his tongue in an eager, wet duel. She mewled against his lips as she rubbed herself on him, grinding her bottom, taking him so deep. Dirk shuddered at the pleasure, his desire a raging fire, one he fought to control until he felt her climax with a gushing heat around his cock. The wet spasms pushed him over the edge, and he heard himself bellow as he found his release inside her.

Hearts pounding, they sat entwined, silent.

“I’ll come over after the boys go to bed,” she whispered.

Softly spoken words, yet to him, a major victory.
Dirk grinned in her hair where she couldn’t see.
She’s melting…

Marissa woke at the crack of dawn and eased out from under Dirk’s heavy arm. She didn’t get away scot-free. Dirk mumbled a husky, “Where you going?”

“I should take off before the boys see me and ask questions.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am.”

“I’ll see you later, princess.” Stated not asked.

But she replied as if she had a choice. “Yes
, you will.”

Quietly dressing, she left before anyone
saw her, the dirty secret sneaking off. But she didn’t truly mind. The night she’d spent with Dirk well worth it, as her pleasantly sore body could attest to.

What a lover! Her redneck sure knew how to please a woman
, and he’d done so numerous times the night before. Hot, sweaty, and sticky, Marissa found herself feeling content and, yes, a bit smug, like the cat who’d gotten into the cream. She’d definitely gotten creamed royally.

She fled across the dewy front lawn to her house,
gaze darting from side to side on the lookout. Too wired to sleep, she switched on her laptop and started sending out e-mails to her clients, keeping her decision to quit simple and true to form. In other words, she blamed them.

Worm! Your mistress has tired of you
r pathetic presence and has moved on to more satisfying conquests. Do not contact me again.

Clicking
Send, she grinned, wondering what their reaction would be. Dismay for the most part, she was sure. She’d excelled at what she did.    

Calling in sick to work again after looking in the mirror
—her bruise had turned into a god-awful multi-colored splotch she wanted no one to see—she puttered around her house, often distracted by thoughts of Dirk.

Do not get emotionally attached to him
, she admonished herself.
He’s got a great body, and he’s a fantastic lover. And that’s all he is. No matter what he says about being friends and caring, remember, it can never go any further. Just enjoy the sex while you can.

But warning
herself and actually feeling it were two different things, she realized when her heart started pumping faster as she heard a loud thump at her front door mid-afternoon.

Smoothing down her hair, she forced herself to walk slowly to the door, surprised he hadn’t started pounding
on it, as he usually liked to.

Opening it, she stuttered out a half a hello before she realized no one was there. How odd. About to slam the door shut,
she caught a glimpse of something at her feet. Looking down, Marissa felt a shiver run down her spine as she noted one of her prize azaleas, uprooted from her backyard, on her front step, a note stuck in its leaves. Scooping up the note, she glanced around to see if anybody might be watching, but her street seemed empty of life.

With trembling fingers
, she opened the missive and swayed when she read the contents.

Bitch. Did you really think I’d let you go that easily
? This still isn’t over. Hope your Will is up to date.

Shaking at the threat, a threat that made her break out in a cold sweat, she slammed the door shut then bolted it. Running through her house, momentarily caught in a panic, she checked every lock on every door and window,
even going so far as to pull down shades and close curtains, protecting herself from prying eyes that might even now be watching her.

In the grips of fear, a fear she’d scoffed at the day before when talking to Dirk, she sank into a corner of her bedroom, shaking. She’d honestly thought that by quitting her work as a
domina she would halt the threat. The note clearly said otherwise.

Someone wanted her dead. There could be no other interpretation. Marissa shoved a fist in her mouth, trying to hold back the scream that trembled there.

Oh God, what am I going to do? Where can I hide?