Awakening Veronica(Divine Creek Ranch 17)(34)
“Do you think holding the position you do satisfies some of those needs?”
“The nonsexual needs, yes, probably. As far as the women I’ve dated are concerned, my habits are as vanilla as they come. I’ve never found a submissive whose wants and needs complemented my own enough to make it worth risking the negative exposure.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is that something you want very much?”
“Would you be happy if you couldn’t write?”
She understood exactly what he meant. “I’d feel like a part of me was missing…amputated. Is that how you feel?”
Hank nodded. “Like a part of me is missing. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack when the haystack is full of posers, wannabes, and psychos—on both sides of the issue. Doms and subs are understandably wary. A lot of men with a pushy personality seem to think they’re Doms and wind up with disastrous results. It’s not like how it is in books. The right Dom/sub combination can take years to find each other and sometimes it never happens.” Veronica heard the quiet longing in his words and tried to focus on her questions but there was a part of her that was reaching out to him, wanting to soothe the ache in his voice.
“From research, I know there are a lot of ways practitioners approach Dominance and submission, and BDSM. Where are you in the spectrum?”
Hank suddenly grinned and she felt the flush creep up her neck and a giggle fluttered inside her.
“Are you asking where I stand on the whips and chains?”
The levity finally burst forth and she didn’t mind when her cheeks warmed. “Yes, I am.”
Hank chewed his lower lip for a second then said, “I enjoy having the reins firmly in my hands—whether that means safeguarding a sub’s health, delivering a spanking, or the occasional whipping. I say reins figuratively, Nika. I don’t own any leather apparel, either. I hope that doesn’t disappoint you.”
Veronica shook her head vigorously. “It doesn’t.”
Travis smirked. “Now I’m picturing you in leather. Thanks for that.”
The three of them laughed and the tension in the room dropped to a more manageable level for her.
“Honestly, Hank, I had a hard time imagining you like that. I don’t think you need it, but I…”
Hank sat forward and looked into her eyes. “Tell me.”
“I’d love to see you in your Sheriff’s uniform and…your hat.” Even the mental image got her a little wet.
Hank smiled broadly and said, “I guarantee you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to see me in my uniform.”
“I am?”
“You are, Nika. More questions?”
“Yes, this one may seem odd, and if you’re uncomfortable answering it, I’ll understand.”
“Shoot.”
“What scares you most?”
He barely hesitated before speaking. “A couple of years ago, someone new moved to Divine. Actually, she wasn’t new to the area. She’d been born here and then her family moved away when she was a kid. Her name is Lily. She returned to the area as an adult. She didn’t know it at the time but she was in dire need of medical attention.”
“She was? What happened?”
“While driving into town, she was looking for a safe place to pull over and she passed out behind the wheel. Crashed into Clay Cook’s jewelry storefront. Shattered a plate glass window and did damage to her car. I was on the scene a couple minutes later along with one of the town doctors, and she was rushed to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with internal bleeding due to a medical condition and injuries she’d received from her abusive bastard husband. She’d caught him cheating on her and he hurt her. While she was recovering in the hospital, he came to Divine to collect her.”
Veronica was horrified. “He did?” Oh, please let this story have a happy ending!
“She’d already notified us, and the hospital, that she’d fled from him and their abusive marriage earlier that day. They called me as soon as he showed up.”
Veronica could imagine this big man championing that poor hurt woman and she wanted to hug him until his eyes bulged from their sockets. “What happened?”
“We tried reasoning with him. He told me that Lily was not only his wife but his sub. He said that he dominated her and she submitted to him. His demeanor and the way he said it told me what I needed to know. We had to physically restrain him from going after her and wound up arresting him for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. He left and swore he’d be back.”
“Oh. Did he come back?”