Unexpected Secrets Read online

  I grabbed the OJ and downed it quickly. Then I padded to the bathroom, turned the shower heads on, and leaned on the glass.

  How was it possible to feel this exhausted after fourteen hours of sleep?

  I made it through my shower and felt marginally better. I pulled my wet hair back into a ponytail and dressed in comfy running pants and a t-shirt.

  Lightheadedness hit me like a rocket and I leaned against the door jamb between the bathroom and master suite. What was wrong with me?

  I climbed back in bed just as the door opened.

  “Hey sleepyhead, I bring you breakfast,” Gabriel announced as he pulled the towel off the tray and showcased the breakfast he’d made for me.

  I rubbed my hands together. “Mm. Looks delish!”

  “How are you?” He asked, his eyes cautious, discerning.

  “I’m hungry and this is perfect.”

  I could tell he didn’t quite believe me, but I was determined to prove him wrong.

  “I drank the juice. Thank you, that was very sweet,” I suddenly felt shy. What was that about?

  Gabriel set next to me while I ate. I felt better with food in my stomach.

  “Can I join you downstairs?”

  “I’d rather you spend the day in bed.”

  “I knew you’d say that.” I paused. “I have a lot of questions, Gabriel. I need answers.”

  “We don’t have them all yet, Thea. I’d rather that you rest until we do.”

  “I slept over fourteen hours.” I countered.

  “And you still look exhausted.” His concerned eyes covered every inch of my face.

  I knew he was right. Eating had exhausted me, and I was ready for a nap. I reached for his hand.

  “I want to talk about hard limits, and what that means.”

  He laughed out loud. “Thea, we’re not talking about that right now, and that’s not negotiable.”

  “But we don’t have a guarantee of tomorrow, Gabriel,” I countered.

  He took a deep breath. “You’re right, no one does, but we’re still not talking about that right now.”

  “Kiss me.”

  His eyes met mine, and a spark ignited between us.

  He indulged me, but he was restrained like he was afraid I’d break. “I won’t break.”

  He pulled back with a smile on his face.

  “You’re not the only mind reader.”

  “Fuck,” he says, claiming my lips, opening them with his tongue.

  I moaned, moving his hand to my breast boldly. There’s no time to waste, I decided, squirming when he thumbed my nipple. It hardened under his touch and he twisted it.

  This time I groaned, moving my hands under his shirt; my hands claimed every inch of his chest, abs, moving lower.

  “Thea,” he gasped.

  “Mm, hm?” But I kept moving.

  He grasped my hands and brought them back to my lap. “Don’t get me wrong, I want you,” he said, “but right now you need rest.”

  For the first time in a very long time, I felt a pout forming on my lips. My body craved him, and I desperately want him to ease the pressure between my legs. I reached for his hand and moved it there.

  He took my lower lip between his teeth and his hand covered my mound. I sighed. Yes, this is exactly what I want.

  I leaned back on the pillows, my nipples hard against the thin nightgown. He dragged his fingers over them, and I arched into his hands.

  But then he sighed. “Thea—you really do need to rest.”

  “Gabe, I’m wet for you. Please don’t leave me wanting.”

  In one swift move, his body covered mine, and I smiled.

  “You’re being very naughty and disobedient.” he scowled at me.

  “Mm, hm.”

  I pushed my hips into his cock. I didn’t want him to deny me—not today. Not right now.

  He didn’t disappoint.

  His cock pressed against my wet pussy and I reached up, pulled the nightgown over my head, then my panties down.

  “Take me.”

  I watched his reaction. His eyes darkened and my body responded to the journey his eyes made from my lips to my neck, to my breasts where they lingered, and then moved down to the tuft of hair at my mound.

  “Thea, I want to be gentle.”

  “Don’t be,” I assured him. “Just take me. What if we only have today?”

  He flipped me over and entered me with one swift move.

  I cried out, “God, yes!”

  He grabbed my breasts, rough, and I reveled in the pleasure-pain. He pinched my nipples and started to thrust slowly.

  “Fuck me,” I demanded, and he did. Hard. Fast.

  The earth-shattering orgasm took all the strength I had left, but it was worth every second.

  I collapsed. He covered my naked body with a blanket and whispered, “Sleep my love, sleep.”

  I did.

  33

  THIRTY-THREE

  When I woke, Gabriel was staring at me. I smiled. “Where’s Zee?”

  “She and Fran are playing with Cupid in the backyard.”

  I moved the sheets that were under my chin. “I have a nightgown on.”

  “You do,” he agreed. “Zee wanted to see you when she got home from school so I gave her a snack and snuck upstairs to dress you.”

  “Seriously? I didn’t wake up?”

  “Apparently not.”

  Silence stretched between us.

  “Gabriel, why am I so tired?”

  He stroked my hair. “I wish you’d agree to a full examination—“

  I started to argue but he stopped me.

  “No, Thea, hear me out. You’re exhausted, excessively so. Maybe it’s a reaction from the drug they used to subdue you, maybe it’s emotionally-based, but regardless, it would be good to know the cause.”

  “Don’t you think the end result would be the same? Rest. Sleep?”

  “Potentially,” he agreed, his eyes were relentless and I flinched.

  “Give me another day, “ I pleaded.

  ‘It’s another day wasted.”

  “I don’t agree. I feel like one more day is what I need—okay?”

  He stroked my face and I moved into his hand.

  “You’re so beautiful, and very hard to deny.”

  I smiled. “That’s good to know.”

  His eyebrow raised. “Remember those hard limits you asked about?”

  “I do.”

  “I’m not a vanilla sex kind of guy, Thea.”

  “Really?” I feigned surprise.

  “Really.”

  His eyes were intense, and I my stomach flipped. “What does that mean?”

  “You’ve head of BDSM?”

  “I have,” I confirmed.

  “I’m considered a dom.” He watched my reaction carefully.

  “I suspected as much. All the signs are there,” I confirmed. “So, hard limits?”

  Hard limits is a term within the BDSM community. It establishes clear boundaries around what a sub is—and is not—comfortable with. A hard limit is something completely off-limits. A good dom will respect a hard limit, and never overstep it, or them. It’s also the name of a club—no—more like a private organization I belong to. There are a few clubs across the country, and more planned.”

  “Why?”

  “Essentially we police the BDSM community and demand high standards for the lifestyle. Some clubs have loose guidelines, but ours are iron-clad. We require safe, consensual, and open rules that protect both the dom and the sub.”

  I nodded and he continued.

  “The clubs are exclusive, invitation-only, and very high-end. Subs and doms are carefully screened, and it creates an environment that is safe, consensual, and very sensual.” His eyes darkened, and I knew he was seeing me in that environment.

  “Sounds fascinating,” I admitted, eagerness slipping into my voice. “So the clubs have—dungeons—and equipment?” Wet heat pooled in my pussy, and I crossed my legs under the c
overs to ease the pressure.

  Gabriel nodded and smiled, his eyes focused on mine. “I’d love to expose you to it when you’re ready.”

  I pulled the blankets up to my chin and he chuckled.

  “Is there a club in Maine?”

  “There is,” he confirmed, kissing my forehead. “Now rest.”

  I bit my lower lip. Could I be a sub? I wasn’t sure, but it might be fun finding out.

  34

  THIRTY-FOUR

  I woke with a start. My heart was racing, and I gasped for air.

  My eyes darted around the room. I was in Yarmouth, in Gabriel’s bed. Everything was okay.

  Fortunately, I hadn’t woken him with this particular nightmare, but the night before, I had. I pulled my nightgown away from my chest. It was drenched with sweat.

  My body was slowly recovering, but my mind was another story. I needed answers, and soon.

  I glanced at my Fitbit; it was five o’clock. We were sending the SOS Security team home today, and I wanted to cook a big send-off breakfast.

  I eased toward the edge of the bed, moving in sync with Gabriel’s breathing so I wouldn’t wake him, then padded out of the room.

  I’d placed my clothing for the day in the guest bath at the end of the hall. I wanted to surprise everyone with breakfast, but Gabriel was a light sleeper and inevitably woke with the slightest noise.

  I felt good about the fact that I’d escaped our bedroom without waking him. He needed the sleep.

  I heard a noise downstairs and jumped, but then heard Cox’s voice. He and Fran were early risers, and if I wanted to surprise them with breakfast, I needed to hurry.

  I quickly closed the bathroom door and locked it, pausing at the mirror after tossing my nightgown into the hamper. My face was pale, and I’d lost weight. My eyes moved to my breasts; they were small but pert, and my nipples were a deep pink. Had they always been that way, or was it a result of Gabriel’s attention?

  They pebbled and hardened, just from the memory. I brushed my fingertips over them, closing my eyes. Damn, they were sensitive.

  Gabriel loved my breasts, and I bit my lower lip remembering the orgasm he’d brought me to just two nights ago—simply from focusing on my breasts. He didn’t even have to touch my clit. The man was a master, and I was the lucky recipient.

  I turned the shower on, waiting for the water to warm, and rested a leg on the rim of the tub, fingering myself. I was soaking wet—all it took was thinking about Gabriel’s touch and my pussy creamed. I dipped a finger inside and my pussy clenched around it. Mackenzie had school today and the SOS crew was leaving… maybe I could convince Gabriel to spend the day in bed.

  I walked down the stairs greeted by the smell of coffee and bacon.

  I paused at my office but it was empty and moved toward the kitchen.

  “Hey sleepyhead,” Thea greeted me. I moved to her and kissed her head.

  “You have a seat at the head of the table. Sit, and I’ll bring your plate over.”

  I turned, then froze. The entire SOS crew was sitting at the table with Mackenzie in the middle between Fran and Cox—the table where Allessandra and I used to sit with Mackenzie when she was little. The vision took me by surprise.

  “You okay?” Thea asked, her head tilted toward me curiously.

  “Yea, I’m okay.” I moved to the table and joined the small team that had become like family to us.

  Thea put a plate heaped with bacon and pancakes in front of me. The top pancake had her signature chocolate chip smile embedded in it.

  Mackenzie squealed, “I got one of those, too, daddy!”

  “We all did,” Cox laughed.

  I grabbed Thea’s arm when she turned to walk away. “What about you? Aren’t you eating?”

  “I’ve been nibbling all morning, and that’s the reason you only have two pieces of bacon instead of four.” She giggled, kissed my cheek and moved away.

  “There are mupins, too, Daddy. Those have chocolate chips, too.” Mackenzie’s eyes sparkled with joy. It was good to see her happy.

  “Muffins? Really? Why don’t I have one of those?”

  “You had to be up early to get one of those,” Thea explained as she grabbed a glass of OJ, sitting at the opposite end of the table with a smirk that quickly turned serious.

  She cleared her throat. “It’s hard to find the words to adequately thank all of you—“ Thea glanced around at each SOS team member sitting at the table.

  “Thank you isn’t necessary,” Cox assured her.

  “It is necessary,” Thea countered. “You’ve become like family to us, and we’re grateful that you’re exceptionally good—at what you do.” Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she smiled through them.

  “I don’t want them to go,” Mackenzie announced with a pout.

  “Zee, you know how your Dad’s job takes him away sometimes?”

  “Yes, I don’t like that, either.”

  Thea tilted her head and smiled. “I’m with you on that one, sweet girl, but sometimes jobs take us away from the ones we love for a little while. Fran and Cox have to travel with their job, and today they leave to go help someone else.”

  “We don’t need them anymore?” Mackenzie’s eyes were wide and worried.

  “We don’t,” Thea assured her. “We will always need them as friends, but we don’t need them for their job anymore.”

  “Okay. Can I stay home from school today?”

  “What?” Fran interjected. “This is my last day to take you to school, little Zee, and there’s no way I’m missing out on that!”

  Zee clapped her hands. “Do we get to… “

  Fran winked at her. “Yep, but only if we leave really soon.”

  Thea looked at me, and I looked at her. Clearly our daughter and Fran had their own little secret. I looked down at my hands. I’d just thought of Mackenzie as our daughter—Thea’s and mine.

  Somehow I knew Allessandra would approve and be happy that Mackenzie had someone in her life that would love her as though she were her own.

  35

  THIRTY FIVE

  “It’s hard to believe we still don’t have answers.” A frown creased my brow as I loaded the final dishes into the dishwasher.

  “Allon assured me they’ll continue working on it, but we have to accept that we may have hit a roadblock. At least we have full assurance from the FBI that they won’t try that again.” Gabriel studied my reaction.

  “Stop studying me. I’m fine.” I turned away from the dishwasher, narrowing my eyes at him for good measure.

  “We’ll still see them from time-to-time,” Gabriel answered, ignoring my scolding, moving around the island toward me.

  I backed up to the kitchen counter, placing my palms on the edge, easing myself up. I was sitting on the counter when Gabriel arrived in front of me.

  I licked my lips. His eyes followed.

  I opened my legs, pulling him closer.

  His eyebrow raised.

  “What do you have planned for the day?” I asked demurely.

  “What do you have in mind?” His eyes locked onto mine, his hands on either side of me.

  I put my hands on his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck. “Hm. I don’t know, maybe we could stay in for the day and test some of those limits you were talking about. You know, put some action behind all those words.” I grinned slyly as his eyes darkened.

  “Was that a growl, Doctor Mills?”

  His hands moved up my sides, and he pulled me against him. My eyes widened at the bulge I felt between his legs, now nestled in my crotch, and licked my lips in anticipation.

  His hands kept moving up and brushed my nipples. They were already hard, waiting, pushing against my bra almost painfully. I closed my eyes and moaned.

  “Eyes on mine,” he demanded. My eyes flew open; I grinned. I liked this side of him.

  “Or what?” I teased.

  “Do you really want to find out?” His eyes were dark blue but curious.
>
  “I do,” I admitted eagerly.

  He hesitated, so I wiggled my crotch against his cock, and his eyes narrowed.

  “You have a lot to learn,” he growled.

  “So teach me.”

  Before I knew what was happening, he lifted my t-shirt up over my head, releasing the front clip on my bra. My breasts spilled out. He quickly tossed it aside, then picked the t-shirt up, pulled my hands behind my back, and wrapped them up in the shirt.

  “Are you okay with this?” He asked, his hand still holding mine behind my back, his eyes examining mine.

  “Yep,” I confirmed, “but shouldn’t we do this someplace more private?” My worried eyes glanced at the windows.

  “This is the perfect place for what I have planned,” he assured me.

  I grinned and raised my eyebrows at him.

  He tugged my hands back and rested them on the counter behind my butt. “Keep them there.”

  “Yes, sir,”

  “Don’t sass me.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “You’re asking for punishment.”

  “I am,” I agreed, sucking my lower lip into my mouth. I wanted this, right?

  His hands reached around to the front of my waist and my nipples hardened. He blew on them and I arched my back, desperate for his touch, but he moved lower.

  I gasped, wiggling my butt.

  “Stay still.”

  My eyes widened as his fingers teased the top of my yoga pants.

  “Breathe,” he commanded.

  He was right, I needed to breathe. I took a deep breath and released it through pursed lips.

  In one move he pulled my yoga pants down, fingering my mound through soaking wet panties. I moaned when he dipped a finger inside.

  “Such a wet, eager little thing, aren’t you?”

  “Mm,” I agreed, wiggling my butt again.

  “I told you to stay still,” he swatted my bare behind and my eyes flew up to his.

  “Did you really just spank me?” I asked, incredulous.

  “I thought you said you knew about BDSM,” he questioned as he moved my panties slowly down my thighs, letting them drop to the floor. He stood back, arms crossed, waiting for my answer.