Page 34 (1/2)

“Stop! Don’t, Master!”

He looked up, holding the chainsaw in both hands His shoulders sagged She hated seeing hiuilt “Jessie, why did you come here?”

“Because of you”

“I don’t deserve you I ignored your safe word Hell, I was the reason you invoked it in the first place I fucked up”

“Yes, you did If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have told me how you felt”

“It’s too late”

“You cowboys can sometimes be so dense It’s never too late”

He sighed “Let me finish what I came here to do, Jessie”

“Why would you cut down that tree?”

“Because it created the ht Malcolhtened little boy, but at least I had a heart then”

“You still do”

“Really? I frightened the wo sex, but because I put my collar around her neck Now, if you’ll excuse ood”

She knew that once Austin chopped the tree down, he would leave Wilde and her, for good “You can’t, Master”

He turned to her “Why not?”

“That’s my tree, not yours”