Purgatory Masters(9)

“Oh I don’t know. Because we aren’t kids anymore?” The wistful tone of her voice struck another chord. Not to mention his instincts demanded he take over and push her to reveal everything she desired. Fortunately for her, he had an iota of preservation and no intention of fucking this up. Maggie deserved a proper introduction, or reintroduction if that was the case, into the seductive nature of a power exchange.

“No, we definitely aren’t kids.” He brushed a lock of hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. “We’re all grown up with real world responsibilities and big boy and big girl desires.”

Her mouth opened and closed. “What does that mean?” Her spine straightened and her eyes narrowed, suspicion clouding them.

Good. He liked fire. A lot.

“You asked earlier about us catching up. While I don’t know every detail, I already know the gist of what you’ve been up to.”

Her jaw went slack moments before he swore steam came out of her ears. “What did you say?”

“It’s a small town, Maggie. Even out here on the lake. I doubt your engine cooled in the driveway the day you arrived before the gossip began. Within days of your arrival I’d heard your story mapped out in three different ways. Not to mention the internet.”

Her facial expressions changed between horror and outrage. “I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t care what you’ve heard. This was such a dumb idea.”

“Why? Afraid I plan to condemn you for your choices? You don’t know me that well and I am definitely not the boy from high school anymore.”

She crunched her face in a frown. “Oh yeah, that’s right. You’ve put me on your bucket list. That’s what this is all about isn’t it? A notch on your bedpost. A desire to delve outside the norm for a little taste of the dark side from the girl who fucked up so you can put a check mark in your box?”

Tucker tamped the anger surging through his veins. He grabbed the drink from Maggie’s hand and placed it on the coffee table without a word. Before she responded, he pushed her back into the couch cushions and came over her. Thigh to thigh, chest to chest. His fingers threaded through her hair and he tugged to get her full attention. “I’m not going to lie and pretend I haven’t wanted you from the moment I heard you were back. Hell, you starred in all my teenage fantasies. And yes, you are on my bucket list because that’s how long I’ve waited for you. I may not be what you expected but I may surprise you.” To his shock her body softened despite the harsh expression she still wore on her face.

With her silence, he continued. “I am very familiar with your work and what you want and I’m going to take you there and beyond. All you have to do is let go of the fear and say yes.”

She winced. “But you don’t—”

“What? Understand?” He tightened his grip on her hair and bent to nuzzle the fragrant skin of her neck. He could definitely get lost in little Miss Maggie. “If you need me to take you to dinner first and spend more time on small talk, just say the word. I can let go of your hair, stop pressing my hard dick into your thigh, and go home. I enjoy a good meal and nice conversation as much as the next guy. Either way will get us to the same destination. You’re a submissive wishing for a Dominant and I’m a Dominant looking for one submissive.”





Chapter Three

Maggie swallowed, trying to get his words to sink in. No way in hell had she heard him correctly. Despite her shock, a wave of lust surged through her. Her head spun and her stomach quivered. This was Tucker. The nice boy who had branded her all those years ago with a searing kiss that shocked her to her core. Now he sat on her couch offering her the one thing she secretly ached for. A frown formed across her face. Apparently her desires weren’t so secret anymore. The scandal of her life had obviously followed her home.

She brought her hands to Tucker’s chest and pushed. He gave an inch and nothing more. “Don’t do this,” she whispered. It wasn’t easy to form words with the high level of need crashing down on her. What she’d fought for weeks to bottle back up inside her now threatened to break free all over again. She’d been so close to true discovery and then everything crashed and burned around her. An unbelievable case of bad timing had opened her eyes to her ridiculous behavior. Tears burned behind her eyes and she squeezed them shut to hold them at bay. Nothing would embarrass her more than to start crying in front of him.

“Don’t do that.” Tucker’s voice whispered through her. “Don’t start reinforcing walls and making plans to shut me down. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”