Page 8 (1/2)

They stopped at a general store in one of the picturesque fishing towns She bought cheese, blackberry preserves, a fresh too with the bottle of wine she had in the car already He got her a fountain vanilla coke and himself a Dr Pepper As they pulled back onto the rural route that would take them to Tyler&039;s reclusive home on the Gulf, he reached over and took her hand He just held it, a sis as she watched his long fingers coer stroked her knuckles idly as they talked and rode

She had him pull off at a roadside picnic area to eat their snack The location overlooked a breathtaking view of a small man-made lake that fed into the marsh areas

Maples had been planted in the protected area, and they were starting to experience some fall color, which added to the scenic view "Could you eat?" she asked

He grinned "I&039;ar I can eat"

"Braggart Mess withof M&M&039;s

"I hope you brought sixthe picnic table, she went further down the slope to the water He helped her spread out the blanket she&039;d brought and then took an edge while she laid out their lunch, handing hiuette and knife "Can you cut off a few pieces for a sandwich? How many do you want?"

As they ate in easy silence, she took the time to study him The way he ate, like a man, hole hearty bites she kneould have hi her sandwich in no ti a napkin liberally and cheith his s like that were important, as was the way he wore his clothes He wasn&039;t a fashion plate, but his shirt was ironed and the jeans were not faded or ripped It mattered to him how he presented himself, and she liked that She reached out, stroked a hand through his hair, enjoying the feel of the curls, the way they ringed her knuckles like a baby&039;s Touching his cheekbone, she traced it as he chewed, feeling the movement of the er over the trim moustache, stroked the beard line As he had when she looked at him in the car, he sat quietly beneath her touch, not interrupting her pleasure with an interactive response It stirred the deep primal part of her, the way he understood so instinctively how to be a submissive and please his Mistress She knew he sensed the rousing of the Do on the napkin on his knee, adding to the heat of the stillness increasing between theht of anticipation unfurl in her lower belly and seeing he are of it, wary

"What do you like, Mackenzie?" she asked softly

Those silver eyes rose "I like you"

His eyes were serious, his lips firm so that she wanted to take a bite out of them "I meant, what do you like to do? Hobbies, passions? Other than the things you do at The Zone"

And how long had he done that? How many women had he called Mistress before her? It ht to ask it, not yet

"You mean, other than you?" He caressed her knee, laid a kiss on it, nuzzled, worked his way up her deni so she felt the press of his teeth She accohtly for a h," she reproved, though she knew her voice was a bit breathy "Hobbies, Mac"

"Tall ships," he said "I like putting together models I read a lot of those old sea stories, the really old ones you only find in junk shops or at library sales, things written by the sailors the I like cooking"

"Did you ever go on one? A tall ship?"

"Sure There are trips you can take in the reproductions, where you sign on as crew and work a couple weeks It isn&039;t exactly like the good old days They make you wear harnesses when you&039;re worked out on a yard a hundred feet above deck"

"Well, it would be such a mess to clean up otherwise Do you have your own boat?"

"A little McKee craft I take out sometimes on the weekends I&039;ll take you out sometime In fact, I&039;d really like to take you" A shadow crossed his expression and she frowned "You okay?"

"Yeah I&039; lost in you too fast, I think" He looked startled that he&039;d spoken so bluntly to her "I meanI didn&039;t mean"

"No, that&039;s fine" She shook her head "I like when you tell ht out what&039;s in your heart" And I like the fact that you&039;re feeling out of control "Motorcycles, tall shipsyou are an adrenaline junkie, Mackenzie" Knohat she knew about hi less But there was at least one question to which she didn&039;t know the answer, and she&039;d ask it before she lost her nerve

"Are you involved with someone? I know you said you hadn&039;t been uy do you think I am?"

She lifted a shoulder "It&039;s not unusual for a irlfriend isn&039;t into it Double life sort of thing I know souys at The Zone whose spouses know about it, even give the under control Like a li a destructive addiction Or obsession" He didn&039;t smile "Hey" His hand covered hers on the blanket and she raised wary eyes to his steady ones "I&039;h her and became warmth when he kept hold of her hand and lay back on his elbows She twisted her fingers over his, spread theames with hirew charged between theether "Me, either," she relented "I&039;m not involved, or married"

"Good I don&039;t share"

It was a provocative statement, delivered with a tone and a direct stare that was far from submissive She was bemused at the reaction of her own body, a juhtened her nipples against the soft lining of her bra

"Me either" She gave it back to hi on the line "Not unless I order it, and I&039;m there to watch" He inclined his head His move "IThere&039;s no command of yours I&039;ll refuse, but

I&039;"

"Has a woman ever done it to you?"

He sat up, linked his hands over his knees, and her sharp eyes noted the defensive posture "Just sos, like you did"

"No Mistress ever - "

"Most found that they asting a perfectly good cock they could use for their own pleasure"

Defensive, definitely Almost surly She saw him bite it back, try for a smile to so of control, afraid to have your ated" She studied hiard "You tell a Mistress she can do anything to you, no safe words, no boundaries, but then you con her into doing only what keeps to the edges of your comfort zone"

"I prefer the word &039;charm&039;"

"I call it like I see it" She took a bite of bread "And you should know better than to argue with me about it at this point Tell me why you&039;re a sub, Mac Why not be a Do you to submit to a woman sexually? Open up"

He opened hisone fingertip, then caught it in his entle pressure, and she narrowed her eyes as his hand lifted, circled her wrist, held her captive to run his tongue along her sensitive knuckles, nibble on the pads of her fingers Instead of resisting, she relaxed, waited until she had his attention to lift a disinterested brow