Cherise Sinclair - Dark Citadel

“Z must have thought so. He asked Dan to take her on.”

Nolan listened idly. Dan'd had a rough time there, losing his wife like that. It was time he came out of that dark shell. Turning, he checked out the class. The singles had dwindled until only a few remained. He identified the sub whom Raoul and Cullen had mentioned, watched a wannabe Dom brace her, try for her. She not only turned the guy down but left the group entirely, heading toward the bar. Very pretty, short, and curvy like he preferred.

“Heads up,” he warned Raoul. “Incoming.”

Kari walked away from the other newbies, feeling like a failure. She'd made it here, attended the class, but she'd basically blown the final by not practicing what she'd learned. But she just couldn't. Not with them. Face it, she'd been hoping Master Dan would be here, would have changed his mind. Dumb, Kari. He'd made himself quite clear.

She started toward the door and then stopped. She should be polite and tell Master Raoul she was leaving. For all she knew, he might do a head count at the end of the night.

Master Raoul was at the bar like he'd said, talking with Cullen. Next to Raoul, another DM, a big, darkly tanned man around forty, leaned on the bar, listening. With a white scar across one cheekbone and cold black eyes, the man just plain looked dangerous. She gave him a wide berth and stopped on Raoul's other side.

Cullen broke off in midsentence and smiled at her. “Little Kari, how are you?” The look he gave her warmed her right to her toes.

Ignoring the quiver in her stomach, she nodded back. “I'm fine. And how are you?” Oops. “Ah…Sir.”

Cullen and Raoul chuckled. The other man didn't even smile.

“Very nice,” Cullen said. “Can I get you something to drink, or is someone waiting for you?”

“No, thank you.” She turned to Master Raoul. “I'm going to call it an early night, but I enjoyed your class very much. Thank you.” She nodded and moved toward the door.

“Stop.” Master Raoul's command had a snap in it.

Kari's feet froze before her brain had processed the word. She turned.

“Are you having a problem with one of the other beginners?” Master Raoul's eyes narrowed as he inspected the class.

“No, not at all. I just am not—” She couldn't think of a way to say this politely. “I feel uncomfortable with—” With beginners. She shrugged rather than finish. “I see no need to practice, so I'll head out. I appreciate your concern.”

He'd been studying her face. “Going from Master Dan to a beginner… I see the problem. I'll find you an experienced Dom.”

“No, really, I'm—”

“You know, I've had a little experience,” Master Cullen said mildly.

Raoul snorted. “Like fifteen years or so?”

“About that.” Cullen lifted his head and shouted toward the front of the room, “Dan! Man the bar. I'm taking some playtime.” He ducked under the bar and towered over Kari. “I'll top you tonight.”

She managed to close her mouth. “Well…” Experienced, for sure. More easygoing than Sir—or at least more talkative. The set of his jaw, the way he watched her expressions made her think he might be as intimidating as Sir.

There wasn't the same sense of connection with him or the trust she'd felt with Master Dan. But so what. Her reasons for being here were still valid. “Thank you. I'd like that.”

Kari heard footsteps behind her, then Master Dan's voice with a hint of laughter. “You and your damned playtimes. I'll babysit the bar for a couple hours, but that's it, Cullen.”

Sir's deep, rough voice singed through every pathway in Kari's body, and her insides melted like a sun-warmed chocolate bar. She stiffened but didn't turn around. Cowardly, but she didn't want to see his face turn cold again.

Cullen looked down at her, and a smile flickered over his hard-hewn face. He put a heavy arm across her shoulders and mashed her against his side. And then, hand gripping her shoulder so she couldn't escape, he turned them both to face Master Dan.

“Well, Dan, I'm not sure I'm going to want to stop at two hours.” Cullen rubbed his knuckles gently across her cheek. “Little Kari looks like she's got more stamina than that.”

Master Dan saw her, and his face turned to stone. Even as his gaze dissected her like a bug, his mouth thinned. His anger hit her like a fist to the chest.

Kari pulled in a shaky breath and tried to back away, despite the restraining arm around her shoulders. What had she done to make him so mad at her?

“Dan, buddy, you got a problem?” Cullen asked, his voice as easy as if Sir didn't look murderous. Raoul's eyes narrowed.

Sir's gaze never left Kari as his jaw tightened. He inhaled slowly as his iron will imposed control. When his eyes released Kari, she almost staggered.

Sir's gaze rested on the bartender and then a corner of his mouth curved upward. “You asshole. Your fucking sense of humor is going to get you killed one of these days. Maybe today.”

Kari wrapped her arms around herself. She'd seen quite a bit of fighting in the schools, but these two guys were huge. They'd destroy the whole bar.

“I haven't enjoyed anything so much in days.” Cullen's laugh boomed in the quiet room. “But you know, you're scaring my sub.” His hand squeezed her shoulder, pulled her a little closer.

Dan's hands fisted as possessiveness burned through him in a red-tinged wave. One more word and he'd knock his fucking friend across the room. “Don't push me.”

Cullen grinned.

Dan moved closer. When Kari's big blue eyes lifted to meet his, his breath was sucked away. He couldn't keep from touching her long, wavy hair, running his fingers down her soft cheek. She trembled. He'd scared her, dammit.

Cullen cleared his throat. “Dan, I think—”

Dan kept his eyes on Kari. “Go away, Cullen. Playtime's over. She's mine.” He sucked in a breath and corrected himself. “Mine for this evening.”

“I should make you work a little harder, but okay.” Cullen dropped his arm. “Kari, I'll be here if you need me.” He moved away.

Dan held out his hand. How badly had he damaged her trust? She couldn't possibly understand his behavior, considering he didn't understand it himself. “Let's talk.”

Her eyes wary, she chewed on her lip, and he hardened at the memory of how soft those lips had been. She shook her head, and his mouth tightened. He'd never forgive himself for—

“I must be crazy,” she muttered and set her hand in his.

The relief almost swamped him. He led her to a nearby couch and pulled her down beside him. She wore another long dress, but this one was silky and a true blue color that matched her eyes. The top dipped low enough to display the beginning curve of her breasts, and with her full figure, it was provocative as hell.

His plans had definitely changed for the night, from wanting to avoid her to wanting to strip her naked. If he could talk her into it.

Having regained her composure, she tapped a finger on his arm. “I got the impression that you were a one-night stand sort of guy.”

“I am.” He laid his hand over her delicate fingers, realized her hands were chilled, and clasped them in his. “To be honest, Kari, I don't get involved with anyone. I've found that if I keep encounters to one night, there're no hurt feelings.”

“Then why did you take me from—” She glanced toward the bar and Cullen.

A flare of jealousy bit into his stomach like acid for the second time in five minutes. Dammit. “I'm here; you're here,” he said, keeping his tone light.

He paused. Honesty was essential between a Dom and sub; if he wasn't willing to bare his thoughts, how could he demand the same from her?

“No, it's more than that,” he said. He pulled her closer, slid an arm behind her back. “I don't know what's going on between you and me, but it's not finished yet.” He looked away from her, and Marion's face rose in his mind, more shadowy than normal. “When I lost my wife, I lost everything. I don't have anything to give. Only sex for a night.” He didn't have more. He didn't deserve more. “So I can't offer you a commitment other than I want you tonight.”

“That's no commitment at all.” She stared across the room, her gaze on someone using the bondage table. After a minute, she shook her head like a dog shedding water. “But it's enough. That's all I want too. Just sex.”

“Well, that I can give.”

“I know,” she said under her breath, then looked at him with a smile. “I was looking forward to exploring more of this BDSM stuff, but the other beginners…” She frowned, obviously searching for the right words. “It seemed too much like the blind leading the blind.”

“Now that would be frightening.” He took her chin, looked into her eyes. “Are you afraid of me?”

She tilted her head. “Not…exactly. I trust you, but I'm a little scared of what you might do.”

“Well, little sub, that is the point. Do you remember your safe word?”

“Red.”

“Good.” He unclipped something from a metal ring on his left side. “I almost forgot your jewelry. Give me your wrists.”

She hesitated, then laid her wrists into his hand.

He buckled on fleece-lined leather cuffs. “What the well-dressed sub wears in the Shadowlands. Master Z would have been displeased if he'd seen your wrists naked.”

As she frowned at them, he pulled her onto his lap, his arms holding her against his big chest. She felt just right. “Now, let's run through what might happen here tonight.”

“Okay.” Dropping her cuffed wrists to her lap, Kari leaned her head against his shoulder. Cullen probably would have been nice, but he wasn't Master Dan. She really did trust Sir to keep her safe. His solid arms felt good—just right—around her.