The Club Sin Series 4-Book Bundle (23 page)

Cora watched him, noticing the ease to his gait. She hadn't been the only one exuding tension earlier, and she liked that she had that effect on him. She gave her head a little shake, shedding the ping-ponging sensations within.

“Wow, that man has some serious gifts,” Presley said, slow and steady, drawing Cora's attention. “That wax dragon was incredible.”

“I know, it shocked me,” Cora said and laughed, tucking her hands under the blanket and welcoming the warmth. “Right into orgasm.”

“Yeah…” Presley's cheeks flushed. “I saw that.”

Feeling better with each passing minute, Cora studied her friend. Even if Presley blushed, those cheeks weren't nearly as bright as they'd been a month ago. Presley had walked into the dungeon a newbie, totally out of her element. Now she didn't seem at all uncomfortable sitting in her lingerie and talking about Cora's scene.

Things had settled for her friend, and that made Cora smile. Presley had snagged Dmitri as an exclusive Dom and she wore his collar. In the dungeon, her collar bore the same significance as—or even held more standing than—a wedding ring. The choker of diamonds and sapphires declared Presley belonged to Master Dmitri.

To be collared so early in the lifestyle was unusual. Cora touched her neck, wondering what a collar would feel like. It had never happened to her, even though she'd been in a committed D/s relationship before with her ex-boyfriend Porter.

She looked to Master Aidan across the dungeon as he stood near the Club Sin Doms' lockers that contained all their toys. Everything seemed so different for Presley. Her friend had found the love of her life the second she walked into Club Sin. It'd been two years since Cora joined the dungeon and all she'd done was fall in love with a man shadowed in misery and in love with another woman.

The desire to be held engulfed her, and her mind raced.
Relax. Calm down. This will pass
.

“Cora,” Presley whispered.

She snapped her hand off her neck, discovering Presley staring at her. “Sorry, did I drift off there? I guess I'm still a bit out of it.”

Presley gave Cora a long look. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“Of course, always.”

Presley's eyebrows furrowed as she scooted closer. “Do you notice the connection you have with Aidan?”

Cora cleared her throat and licked her lips, glancing down to the blanket. “Of course I see it.” Hell, she felt it in every molecule of her body. Though feeling something didn't always mean things worked out how one wanted. “It's expected. He trained me.”

When Presley shifted closer, Cora lifted her head to find her friend focused on her. “See, I thought that, too. Then I noticed how he looks at you.” She looked to Aidan, who was chatting with another Dom. Addressing Cora again, this time with a frown, she said, “Sometimes I see him looking at you like he does in a scene, but he's not in a scene.” She paused, and finally gave a halfhearted shrug. “I don't get why you guys aren't a couple.”

You don't know his pain
. His demons were not for Cora to share. She never knew if it was her job that gave her insight into him or if it was their close D/s relationship, but some things needed to remain private. No matter how close she was to Presley. “First, our relationship isn't like that. You're reading into things that aren't there. Master Aidan doesn't look at me like that.”

If he did, things would be very different
.

If he did, I could tell you that I love him
.

Presley hesitated, tapping a finger against her thigh. “Well, I'm not sure I agree.” She tucked her legs underneath her, sitting sideways. “Since I joined Club Sin, you've only played with him. If your relationship isn't like that, why don't you play with other Doms, too…I don't know…find a boyfriend?”

Cora's heart palpitated and her palms grew sweaty. While she wanted to be honest with Presley, it would open a doorway she couldn't go down. If Master Aidan knew how she felt, he'd stop playing with her. It was the right thing for a Dom to do. He wouldn't lead her on, and not playing with him was unthinkable.

She'd become okay with her decision to accept things for what they were. She didn't need more than what Aidan gave to her. And she explained that in the only way she could. “I don't want a boyfriend.”

“Why?”

With a grunt, Cora rolled her eyes. “You're never going to let this drop, are you?” At Presley's shake of her head and smirk, Cora figured she had to give a better answer or risk being asked the same question over and over again. Apparently, the I-don't-want-one explanation wouldn't cut it anymore. “I haven't met anyone I've wanted to settle down with. I want it to be natural.”

Presley's nose scrunched. “That makes no sense. You're such a fantastic woman, and you're only twenty-five. You're too young to take the if-it-is-meant-to-be route.”

A lump formed in Cora's throat and she snuggled into the blanket. This was going deeper than she wanted to go. Of course, her best friend would want to see her happy, but how could Cora explain that she already was content with her decisions. That even if it wasn't a traditional relationship with Aidan, what she found with him was something so uniquely beautiful.

Something she couldn't turn away from.

How could she explain all this without baring Aidan's pain? Her insight into him wasn't hers to share with his close friends. Her love for him was hers to feel alone. “The casual D/s relationship with Aidan works for me—why change something that makes me happy?”

Presley paused as a couple of Doms strode by, heading toward the spanking scene in the left corner of the dungeon. The soft rock music cut through the silence as Presley continued. “But you could have more.”

“You're right—I could” was Cora's hard reply.

I don't expect more
.

He can't give it to me
.

Presley gave a sad smile and said in a soothing voice, “Listen, I'm not trying to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. It's just, I love you…and, well, I see things.” She patted Cora's leg. “I guess your uncommitted D/s relationship confuses me. You're so good together. You both seem happy. I don't know why you don't pursue more from it.”

Cora slowly shook her head, shutting her eyes. It all seemed so simple when put that way. Cora had thought in those terms for a few months, until she recognized Aidan's ghost. She loved him, and loving him meant being there for him when he needed it, too.

What would happen if her feelings were exposed? If she had to point out how sad he still was? At work, she'd seen people crumble when faced with hard truths. She didn't want that for
Aidan. Besides, a small part of her still had hope. Maybe one day, past the pain, he'd see her in front of him, waiting and supporting him.

He'd finally find closure with Lily and move on. And who was she to rush him, by demanding he commit to her? She glanced at Presley, who had shifted closer, her knees pressing against Cora's. “I know that's hard to understand. You've never had an uncommitted D/s relationship.” Heaviness filled her limbs, and she breathed even and slow. “But Aidan and I get what we need from each other.”

Presley scratched at her cheek with pinched lips. “Okay, I get that. But you like Aidan, right?”

Cora loved Presley's innocence. It was the beauty in Presley. In her sweet mind, everyone needed a happily-ever-after in the traditional form. “Of course I think he's nice, and yes, I like him.” Even if they were best friends, she wouldn't let Presley trap her in a conversation she didn't want to have. “But I think a lot of Doms are nice.”

“Yes, exactly.” Presley's gaze hardened, her voice equally so. “But you don't play with other Doms. You only play with him. You deserve more than all this casual play. I see how Aidan watches you. I think if you said something—”

Cora's heart raced, nearly exploding out of her chest. Before she could stop herself, she snapped, “Stop it, Presley.” At Presley's twisted expression, Cora's stomach knotted and she softened her voice. “Ugh. Shit, I'm sorry. I don't mean to snap at you. Thank you for loving me so much to ask.” She wrapped her fingers around Presley's clammy hand, squeezing it tight. “Please leave this alone. The way things are make me happy, and it's all good.” Her body weakened and she was damn glad she was sitting down. “Promise me you won't talk about this to anyone else.”

Everything would change, and that cannot happen
.

I need him
.

He needs me
.

Those demons…he can't face that yet
.

At whatever crossed Cora's expression, Presley's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. “Okay, okay, I promise. I didn't mean to upset you. And we don't have to talk about it and I won't say anything.”

Cora blew out a long breath, and considering how the world spun around her, she didn't
want to know what she looked like to cause Presley's surprise. Inside she was a jumbled mess. The thought of the future if this secret came out turned her blood to ice. Not only that her playing with Aidan would cease, but she didn't want Aidan to remember his pain, she wanted him happy.

It had taken her a year to see an honest smile cross his face. The thought of that going away made her nauseated. It'd taken another year to stop seeing the dark hurt in his eyes. Aidan was mourning a great loss, and Cora did not want to make it worse. She shut her eyes and focused inward.

This, too, will pass
.

“What's wrong?”

Her eyes flew open on a sharp gasp.

Oh, fuck!

Master's Aidan's chin dipped, and he looked Cora directly in the eye. “Even from across the dungeon, you looked upset.” At her silence, since her voice caught in her dry throat, he frowned. “Now I see I'm not imagining things. Answer me.”

Dammit!

Tightness formed in her chest and the world spun faster. He was the one person she wanted far away from this conversation. She placed a hand on the leather couch to support her and forced a quiet laugh. “Nothing's wrong.”

His eyebrows raised, eyes blazing hot. “Is that so?”

She froze, feeling rooted to the spot.
Hell, no! Run!
She pushed up on shaky legs. “Yep, that's so.”

His dark gaze narrowed. “You know I don't like lies, Cora.”

Uncontrollable flushes of heat weakened her knees. Holy hell, how had
this
happened? “I…um…err…” Everything moved too quickly around her, and an empty feeling stormed into the pit of her stomach.

Run!

“Wow”—she glanced to the clock on the wall above the couch—“look at that, it's late. I better get home.”

Images of what could be began to flash through her mind if the conversation went any further. That was all it took. She freaking booked it. As far as she was concerned, whoever said avoidance wasn't the answer was a person who didn't have anything worth avoiding.

It certainly worked for her.

Aidan watched Cora drop her blanket and race toward her clothes by the bench near the dungeon's door, where she'd left her clothes. While typically such a view of her bare ass might've amused him, it didn't stir a smile now.

Her pain was palpable.

That dark misery in the depths of her eyes gutted him. It was all too familiar. The same raw agony had once lain inside him. Her gaze held a haunted soul. And she'd given him a look so shattered it'd pinned him to the spot.

When he watched her dress, he fought his desire to go to her and demand answers
now
. He appreciated Cora's strength and respected her for it. Her choices were solid and her decisions were made without regret. Never, not once in the years he'd known her, had she shown a moment of weakness, until now.

As Cora rushed out the dungeon doors his thoughts spun out of control and his breath became shallow. What had happened to make the strongest submissive he'd ever known turn into a woman consumed with a shadowed soul?

Aidan's Dom instincts flared to life, not only because Cora hid something, but because she'd never shared parts of herself with him. He had no idea there was a barrier between them. When had this happened?

His jaw tensed and he turned to Presley. “Care to explain that?”

She flinched. “Okay, you look mad.” She straightened in her seat and looked to her lap, fiddling her hands. “And that sucks for me.”

“Answer my question and this won't suck.” His fingers twitched to command her gaze, not that he'd act on it. Presley wasn't his to touch. “Lie to me like Cora did, then this
will
suck for you.”

What he'd seen in Cora's face, even from a distance, stirred sudden chilliness. He tightened his legs, forcing his knees to lock. One look had changed everything. One second took what he believed as true and destroyed it. As if the years he'd played with Cora meant nothing. The trust they'd built didn't exist. As her Dom, he had failed to read her correctly.

That was unacceptable.

Presley slid her hands down her legs, avoiding his gaze. “Well, you see…”

Aidan shoved his hands into his pockets, controlling the tremble in his arms. When she continued to stammer, he scanned the dungeon. The one Dom he sought he couldn't find. Turning to Presley, he asked with a clipped voice, “Where's Master Dmitri?”

Her warm emerald eyes widened. “Oh, God, no, please don't involve him. I'll tell you something…” She blinked rapidly, licking her lips. “I…err…well, I…”

Aidan watched her continued avoidance, and he sighed. “Did you say something that hurt Cora's feelings?”

Presley's posture stiffened with her glare. “Of course not! I'm her best friend. I would never do that!”

Her sharp snap raised Aidan's eyebrows. Right now, he didn't care if he'd insulted her. His thoughts weren't centered on logic.
Cora is hurting
. “Tell me, then, why was she so sad?”

“She wasn't sad,” Presley retorted in a soft voice. “She seemed annoyed at me.”

Lies!

No flames of anger raged through Cora's lovely eyes. Torment, longing, and despair were what he recognized. Emotions he knew all too well. His chest heaved at the thought that she suffered. Cora was a ball of sunshine in what could be a dark world. “What was she annoyed about, then?”

Presley eyed the exit. “Oh, so, she…”

His inhale through his nose did nothing to ease his tension. “Presley, if you want Master Dmitri to stay out of this, you have thirty seconds to answer me.”

She gulped, glancing to the ceiling. “Okay, thirty seconds.” Her fingers thumbed against her bare thigh. “Um…all right, Cora…”

Aidan yanked his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms, watching her ramble. If Presley were his submissive, she'd be over his lap so fast with her ass turning bright red. “Twenty seconds,” he told her.

Her face scrunched. “Err…”

He continued to count down as he fought through ideas for why he'd seen what he had tonight. He questioned if maybe Cora needed more aftercare. Did he leave her too soon and she dropped emotionally?

Why did you look so troubled?

That pain, why is that there?

By the time he reached ten, he pushed away the thought. Cora had been in the lifestyle for four years. She knew what she needed and when she needed it. He never questioned her before. All the warmth drained from his body, replaced by an ice-cold reality that pieces of her were hidden from him.

The noise in the club raised the hairs on his nape. He became all too sensitive to the activity around him. How had he failed to miss something so intense? Heat swept over his face, as did tingles.

What else had he missed?

Pain formed in his jaw from the clenching of his teeth. He shook his head, blinking into the present. Once Presley finished with another round of sputtered nonsense, he stated, “Time's up.”

She cringed. “Please don't ask me these questions, Master Aidan.”

“I've already asked the question,” he retorted. “Answer it.”

When she lifted her head, her eyes widened at something over Aidan's shoulder. “Oh, shit. I'm so,
so
dead.”

“Problem?”

Aidan glanced over his shoulder, discovering Dmitri. His blue eyes narrowed on his submissive. While Aidan noticed Dmitri's concern for Presley, she wasn't the source of Aidan's alarm. “It's Cora.”

Dmitri gave Presley a quick once-over before he turned to Aidan. “What about Cora?”

“I found her a moment ago, very upset,” he said.

“Upset?” Dmitri asked, his posture mirroring the tension Aidan suffered. “Is everything all right?”

“I haven't a clue.” Aidan gestured to Presley. “Which is exactly what I've been trying to find out. Presley has been”—he hesitated, choosing his words carefully so as not to get the sweet Presley into trouble—“reluctant to answer.”

“You don't say?” Dmitri looked to Presley, and he firmed his voice. “Tell me what's going on with Cora.”

“I…” Presley avoided his gaze, looking to the hardwood floor. “I can't tell you.”

Dmitri grimaced.

Aidan might've been amused that his friend appeared shell-shocked at his submissive's response. That was, if his frustration wasn't coiled tight inside, threatening to explode. His only focus remained on Cora and
her
well-being.

“Try again, Presley,” Dmitri said in a stern voice.

She hurried to his side and placed her hand on his forearm. “Please don't make me tell you. I promised Cora that I wouldn't say anything. Don't make me break a promise to my best friend—”

Dmitri pressed a finger against her mouth. “First, you are damn lucky, doll.” He tilted his head, his features softening. “Next time, lead with what you just said. Then I won't have thoughts of a punishment that would not be enjoyable for either of us.” His posture loosened with a long exhale. “Second, if something is a private matter between two friends, you don't have to tell us.”

Color returned to Presley's cheeks. “Thank you.” Her eyelids lowered, and she gave Aidan a quick look beneath her long lashes. “She made me promise.”

Dmitri brushed his knuckles over her cheek and murmured, “I can appreciate that. It means you're a loyal friend.”

Fuck that
. Aidan didn't appreciate it, as it confirmed his worries that Cora was in trouble. If there was nothing wrong, Presley would have nothing to hide. While they were play partners, Cora was also a good friend. He protected his friends. In the club, she was
his
submissive, and he wanted answers. His heartbeat pounded that she had such dark emotions in her soul. It raised every Dom instinct to hunt down the source and remove it.

Turning to Aidan, Dmitri raked a hand through his stylish blond hair. “I won't force Presley to share. You'll have to talk this out with Cora.”

Aidan jerked his chin in understanding. They were Doms, not assholes, and wouldn't make a submissive break a secret. But damn it all to hell, he'd rather be an asshole with answers than a clueless idiot.

A loud slap of skin, followed by a sharp scream, drew his focus to the flogging scene. While he watched a Dom turn his submissive's skin a deep shade of red, question after question raced through Aidan's mind.

What hurt her?

How could he fix it?

He didn't appreciate the sense of uselessness he was now feeling, and he'd not sit idly by knowing she suffered. As her friend, he owed her that much. If he could somehow make whatever troubled her better, he would.

No questions asked.

He glanced away from the flogging and noticed Dmitri caressing the side of Presley's cheek. She leaned in to his touch and stared at him with such devotion. A headache loomed right alongside the ache in Aidan's body. Though it pleased him that his friend had found happiness, he also didn't need the reminder of what being loved by a submissive looked like.

With a chest so heavy he had to force himself to breathe, Aidan jerked his gaze away and shut his eyes. His last committed relationship happened swiftly, knocking him on his ass. Lily had been everything he'd wanted in a woman. A submissive who was spunky with a side of sweet.

She began working for him as a law clerk when he completed college and worked in his father's law firm. After a late night at work, a drunk driver decided to get in his car and go down the same street as Lily, ending her life.

When she died, he died, too.

He had lived with that pain for five years. His gut twisted, thinking that Cora may have experienced such darkness. But that was the problem. He had no idea what caused her to plummet into misery.

Pulling him away from his thoughts, Dmitri said, “Go and find Cora. Please make sure she's all right.” Aidan looked to them as Dmitri pressed a kiss to Presley's forehead. “Tell her to wait in the living room for me. I want to make sure she's not suffering sub drop and her head is in a good place before she leaves.”

Aidan's muscles quivered in a demand to refuse that order. Cora was
his
to care for, although she'd just run from him. Christ, he did not want to make this any worse. Dmitri was the better choice for that discussion, and with a long breath he pushed away the tension.

Presley stood on her tiptoes to reach Dmitri's lips with a soft kiss. When she lowered, she said with her sweet smile, “Thanks for understanding.” She took two steps forward before she stopped. She glanced over her shoulder and said to Aidan, “Just so you know, I don't like that—not telling you things.”

“I know, Presley.” He smiled in hope of comforting her. She was a loyal friend to Cora, and he respected that. “Master Dmitri's right. It makes you a good friend, regardless that it might annoy me.”

She grinned at him before she hurried off through the dungeon, almost as fast as Cora had. Aidan dropped down onto the couch and rubbed his hands over his face. When he lifted his head, Dmitri sat on the glass coffee table, resting his elbows on his legs.

With a steady gaze on Aidan, Dmitri steepled his fingers under his chin. “I saw Cora not too long ago and she looked fine. She was red-cheeked, glossy-eyed, and satisfied.”

Aidan nodded in agreement. “That's how I left her.”

Dmitri's brows furrowed, then released. “If Cora was in danger, Presley would've told me. She respects her friend's wishes, but only to a point. She wouldn't let anything bad happen to anyone. I'm sure Cora's okay.”

“No, she's not.” Aidan shook his head, shutting his eyes and remembering how she looked in that moment. “It was her eyes…” If he couldn't get rid of that darkness he saw in her, it would haunt him. “It concerns me.”

He opened his eyes, looking directly at Dmitri, a friend he'd been close to since they met at a public BDSM club, Chains, more than eight years ago. Their friendship had been one of the reasons Aidan came with Dmitri when he opened Club Sin. With a dry mouth, he said softly, “I've never seen her that way.”

“What way?”

Aidan glimpsed down at his brown leather boots with the scuffs on the toes. The sensual sounds around him stirred nothing but the desire to flee. He wanted to think. He craved silence. Lifting his head to Dmitri, he replied, “She's always been so confident and so strong in her choices.”

He loved playing with Cora for that reason. He could push her and know she wouldn't crumble. “Tonight bore the markings of a woman with a broken heart.” His jaw clenched as he rubbed the ache in his temple. “I don't like it.”

“Ah, I see,” Dmitri said with a knowing twinkle in his gaze.

“Don't go there.” Aidan snorted, heaviness coursing through his body. “She's my friend and I'm concerned about her.”

Dmitri had told Aidan, more than once, that he thought something deeper lingered
between Aidan and Cora. Aidan wasn't in the mood to defend his actions. He was content in his D/s relationship with Cora.

That conversation was old.

“All right.” Dmitri cupped Aidan's shoulder. The dance in his eyes had vanished, and warmth exuded in his expression. “What do you need from me?”

The submissives giggling on the far side of the room drew Aidan's gaze. He pondered. Should he leave this alone? Was it any of his business? A submissive didn't need to tell him personal thoughts outside of the dungeon.

Cora's personal problems shouldn't interest him.

Yet they did.

What kind of friend would he be to simply ignore that and let her suffer through her despair alone? Not a friend he could live with. Her
look
churned inside him. A swell of hot possession sent him into a flurry of need for answers, and he needed them now.

“She's hiding something.” Hollowness struck Aidan in his chest. “Whatever it is, it isn't good.” His responsibility to Cora and his care of her helped make his decision an easy one. “Not that she'll ask to play with another Dom, but I'd like to keep her under my protection until I find out her pain.”