Love My Pain (Cape Falls Book 6)(10)

“Are you working tonight?” Gabriel asked.

“No. I’m not on as the Dom on tonight.”

“That’s Peter. Edward is on tomorrow night. Why?” Ryan asked.

Gabriel shrugged. “I was just curious.”

When Edward couldn’t stand it anymore, he made his excuses, and went to get Isabel. They were going to be spending a lot of time together at the club, and he didn’t want to bombard her with too much information straight away. Witnessing the submissives in the club could be bad for her. She hurt herself, and he really didn’t know how she’d react to that kind of lifestyle straight away. He didn’t want to rush her.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m ready.” She smiled, and he saw she was grateful.

She said her goodbyes, and he offered a smile to all of the women there. When they were free and clear, he opened her door, and waited for her to slide inside. “I’m thinking we could go out to dinner,” he said, sliding inside the car.

“Cool. I’m happy with that.”

“How was it with the women?” he asked.

“They’re all good fun. They wanted to know if you were treating me well. I told them the truth.” She smiled at him.

Again, he couldn’t believe that everything was completely normal. Isabel didn’t react or change, even though they both knew what she’d done last night.

Don’t do it.

Don’t bring it up.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s nothing, babe. So, you didn’t ask them about submissives?” He wanted to think about something else right now.

“No, I didn’t. It seemed a little personal, and I don’t know any of them all that well.”

He hadn’t invited them around much over the last year. Seeing them all regularly at Control, he’d not seen the point in inviting them home.

“Do you have any friends? I don’t think I can recall you inviting anyone over?”

“No. I don’t have friends. I wouldn’t invite anyone over without your permission.”

“My home is your home, babe. You can invite anyone over.”

“That’s okay but I don’t have any friends, so everything is more than fine.”

He didn’t like that. “Have you had any friends?”

She shook her head. “Nah. I’m good. I’ve not gotten close to anyone. There has never been any need. There’s Sophie, and I’ve always been close to her.”

Things were starting to come together, and Edward was beginning to see why Isabel was the way she was. From taking care of her sister and a town like Cape Falls, there was no one for her to turn to. From a young age, she’d had so much to deal with. Parents that didn’t care, a town that looked the other way. Trying to do everything on her young shoulders.

****

Isabel looked over the menu of the fancy Italian restaurant. She had never been anywhere so grand. Edward had taken them out of Cape Falls, and toward a city restaurant.

“You can order whatever you want,” he said.

“There’s no prices on here.” She pointed at the menu and leaned in close.

“I know. You don’t have to worry about anything. Just order for yourself, and enjoy.”

Nodding, she looked up and down the list of different courses. There were so many different options, and her stomach started to growl.

“What did you think of Control?”

“It’s really good. I noticed you didn’t take me to any of the playrooms they have there.”

“How do you know they are called playrooms?” he asked.

She smiled. “Daisy told me.” Closing the menu, she handed it to him. “You order for me. Surprise me.”

“Okay then.” He signaled the waiter, and she found herself watching him, and bit her lip. The way he spoke to the waiter was so confident, so sure of himself. She loved the way he commanded a room, and didn’t give a shit what anyone thought about him. “Was that okay?” he asked.

“Yes, perfect.”

He smiled. “You weren’t even listening.”

“You’re right. I wasn’t.”

She rested her chin on her hands, and smiled at him. His lips called to her, and she wanted them back on her lips more than anything.

“You’re thinking about my kiss, aren’t you?” he asked, placing his arms on the table, leaning forward.

Everything faded away as he got closer.

“Yes, I am.”

“You want my lips on yours?” he asked.

“Do you have to ask?”

Oh my God, I’m flirting. I’m really flirting.

He tilted his head to the side. “When I first saw you in the diner in that cute little waitressing uniform, I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss you.”