“Maggie, what are you doing?”
She ignored him and kept going. She had to get out now. At the door, she turned back to him. “I’m sorry, Tucker. I have to go.”
“Wait.” He jumped from the bed and she didn’t look back to see what he did. She ran the length of the covered walkway, found her clothes and grabbed them and then sprinted for the front door. The bowl on the table held both her keys and his. She grabbed both sets.
“Maggie, I said wait. We need to talk about this.”
Her steps faltered but she managed to keep going. The authoritative tone of his voice nearly compelled her to obey. She fought the compulsion to do as he asked. The almost incapacitating sensation of vulnerability started to slow her down, but her sense of self-preservation kept her in motion. She half-expected Tucker to catch her from behind and haul her back to his bed. Her stomach trembled at the thought. Even now, in flight, her doubts and needs warred side by side for dominance.
In the end, her head won out and she slipped through the door and made a beeline for her car. The fact that she was outside and completely nude gave her no pause. Fortunately Tucker lived on a private wooded estate that afforded him a ridiculous amount of privacy from a neighbor. She scrambled into her car and started it up. Without a look back, she gunned the gas and sped away from a house, or a homeowner, that now held a piece of her soul.
Chapter Six
Tucker stood in his doorway and stared at the jagged tire tracks left behind in Maggie’s wake. She’d bolted like a jackrabbit and caught him off guard. One minute he had his arms wrapped around the woman of his dreams and the next he’d watched her naked ass as she’d fled from his home before he could stop her.
He sighed and leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. She’d even grabbed his keys so he couldn’t follow her. Shit. He hated the idea that she’d run out on him in the middle of an emotional overload. Anxiety and fear often came up at the end of an intense scene. He’d seen it in Maggie in spades. As if on cue, his painfully erect cock jerked against the front of his pants, reminding him of the condition Maggie’s surrender had left him in. Not that he had any immediate plans to do anything about it.
No, as much as he’d wanted to sink into her warm, welcoming body they both needed more time. So much of the last few years for him had been a dark and dirty place. All the work he’d done to escape the nightmare of his youth had been a joke. Fate was a cruel bitch and she’d made sure he had to come back home long before he was ready.
Tucker took a deep breath and shook off the old self-pity trying to worm its way back into his psyche. This past summer had been about healing, rebirth and second chances. At least he hoped so. Instead of mourning the loss of his future, or the sudden demands that came with inheriting an enormous tainted estate, he’d returned to the art he loved. Except for the weekly visits to see his mother at the mental hospital, he’d spent every hot day and waking minute in front of a burning furnace working everything out of his system with molten glass.
Hard physical labor and a love for the job became like a balm to the angry emotions that had driven him into the dark. Over time the rage and resentment had begun to fade and he’d had to work his way through the guilt and embarrassment for his behavior since his return.
Unfortunately this trip down memory lane wasn’t doing him a damn bit of good when it came to one Maggie Cisco. He needed to find his spare keys and go after her. He had a duty to ensure her safety, both physical and mental. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen a new submissive freak out after a scene but it was the first time someone had run out on him without even bothering to put on clothes.
A beep from his cell phone caught his attention. He scooped it up from the end table next to his couch and checked to see who was texting him.
I’m sorry I ran out like that but I need some time alone to think. Please don’t follow me. Don’t worry. I’m fine. Talk soon, Maggie.
Tucker drew his brows together and frowned at the phone. He didn’t like the sound of this one bit. He understood all too well the need for space but not seeing her for himself did not sit well with him. Several minutes passed while he paced the room. He was ready to get in the car and go after her when the phone ringing in his hand caught him off guard. Automatically, he answered it without looking at the screen.
“Maggie?” he questioned.
“No, you bonehead this is not Maggie.” He winced at his sister’s voice. She did not sound happy with him. “What did you do?”
He was in no mood to get in a pissing contest with his sister over who knew what. Her moods pretty much changed with the wind and if he wasn’t careful he’d get caught up in it.