Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85125 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85125 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Chapter 6
Tuesday morning, Hayden pulled two mugs from the kitchen cabinet, turned the sizzling bacon in the pan and checked on the croissants warming in the oven. He added cream and sugar to his mug, poured the freshly brewed coffee and gave it a stir. Leaning back against the counter, he took a long, satisfying sip and then another.
It occurred to him he hadn’t had a woman stay overnight in a very long time. The pleasure subs he sometimes brought home from the club never stayed the night. On the rare occasions he did take one to bed, his having to be up at the crack of dawn for rounds or an early surgery had always afforded him a graceful way to send them home before things went too far.
Yet, last night when Dahlia had crashed before he could even come up with the usual excuses, he hadn’t been annoyed. If anything, he’d been glad she’d made the decision for him. She looked so peaceful in sleep, her head resting on her arms, a contented half smile curving her lips. It would have been cruel to wake her. Instead, he’d washed up and returned to the bed.
Even then, if she’d woken when he stretched out beside her, he would have probably found a gentle, polite way to suggest she might want to spend the night in her own bed, seeing as they both had to be at the hospital early the next morning. But even while he’d rehearsed the script in his head, he’d experienced a curious reluctance.
He couldn’t deny something was happening between them, something deeper than a simple BDSM playdate. Was it possible his worries about her suitability as his prospective sub were unfounded? Did she, in fact, have what it took to fit into his world? Did he have the patience to find out, without pushing her too far, too fast?
Had he found, at last, the one?
Slow down, buddy, he ordered himself. He hadn’t been infatuated like this in forever. He needed to be careful, and not let his own desires blind him to reality. Because the reality was that it was extremely unlikely he could be happy with a woman who had made it to thirty without properly exploring her submissive kink. In his personal experience, natural subs were aware of their sexual orientation from early on. But his personal experience was colored by his immersion in the lifestyle. Maybe Dahlia was the exception that proved the rule.
Whatever the case, she had been so fucking adorable in her trembling determination to master her nerves and rise to her submissive potential. She’d been sexy as hell as she’d writhed on his lap, her lush bottom turning a lovely, deep shade of crimson.
And the lovemaking… He couldn’t remember so intense and immediate a physical connection with any other woman. It had been both wonderful and a little unnerving. He was well aware how infatuation could masquerade as love, and equally as aware how easily it could slip away.
Still, he couldn’t deny that Dahlia Simon wasn’t like any woman he had ever been with. She was so supremely confident as a physician and surgeon—a woman who stood her ground with grace and poise, even in the face of the pervasive if subtle chauvinism that still permeated the medical profession. Yet she’d been willing, even eager, to submit to him in the bedroom and the dungeon. She was someone he respected in the workplace, admired as a woman and desired as a submissive.
He glanced at his watch. It was still early enough for them to get to the hospital before morning rounds. He turned off the flame under the bacon and headed to the bedroom.
Dahlia lay on her stomach, the sheets twisted around her lower half, her smooth back bare. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyelids fluttering. Was she having a good dream? Was he in it? He would have loved to slip back under the covers with her and gather her into his arms. But duty called, for both of them.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he placed a light hand on her back. “Dahlia. Hey. It’s time to wake up.”
All at once, she shot up, looking around wildly. “What?” she cried. As she focused on Hayden, whatever dream had held her in its grip slid away. She smiled sheepishly. “Oh. I’m still here.”
The sentence struck him as odd. “Where else would you be?”
She pushed her tousled hair out of her eyes. “Sorry. I’m not used to waking up somewhere other than my own bed.” She glanced around the room. “I don’t even remember falling asleep.”
She jerked her head toward the window. “Shit, what time is it? I’m going to be late for my meeting with Dr. Carson. He’s consulting on a difficult case of mine, and you know what he’s like. If I’m not there on the dot, he’ll just move on to the next thing.”