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"Your Do of tears lashed Callie She blinked to hold theed assassins and bounty hunters before and always et away This one is a different breed He’s deterain That’s why I need your help The man who’s supposed to protect and care for me, who’s pleaded withto kill me"

Chapter One

Three days earlier

CALLIE trembled as she lay back on the padded table and Sean Kirkpatrick’s strong fingers wrapped around her cuffed wrist, guiding it back to the bindings above her head

"I don’t know if I can do this," she murmured

He paused, then drew in a breath as if he sought patience "Breathe, lovely"

That gentle, deep brogue of his native Scotland brought her peace His voice both aroused and soothed her, and she tried to let those feelings wash through her

"Can you do that for ers uncurled frorazed the inside of her outstretched arm with his knuckles As always, his touch was full of quiet strength He ain, this time for an entirely different reason

"I’ll try"

Sean shook his head, his deep blue eyes see she tried to hide inside That penetrating stare scared the hell out of her What did he see when he looked at her? How ether?

The thought made her panic No one could know her secret No one She’d kept it fro her four years at Dominion She’d finally found a place where she felt safe, coive it up someday, probably soon She always did But please, not yet

Deep breath Don’t panic Sean wants your submission, not your secrets

"You’ll need to do better than try You’ve been ‘trying’ for over six ently "Do you think I’d truly hurt you?"

No Sean didn’t seem to have a violent bone in his body He wasn’t a sadist He never gripped her harshly He never even raised his voice She’d jokingly thought of him as the sub whisperer because he pushed her boundaries with a gentleness she found both irresistible and insidious Certainly, he’d dragged far more out of her than any other man had Tirelessly, he’d worked to earn her trust Callie felt terrible that she could never give it, not when doing so could be fatal

Guilt battered her She should stop wasting his ti up at hi him to understand

"Of course not" He pressed his chest over hers, leaning closer to delve into her eyes

Callie couldn’t resist lowering her lids, shutting out the rest of the world Even knowing she shouldn’t, she sank into the soft reassurance of his kiss Each brush of his lips over hers soothed and aroused Every tiht Her nipples hardened Her pussy moistened and swelled Her heart ached Sean Kirkpatrick would be so easy to love

As his fingers filtered into her hair, cradling her scalp, she exhaled and melted into his kiss--just for a sweet moment It was the only one she could afford

A fierce yearning filled her She longed for him to peel off his clothes, kiss her with that determination she often saw stale-minded fervor she kneas capable of But in theasht she’d earned them She hadn’t let him fully restrain her And he hadn’t yet taken her to bed

Not knowing the feel of hi until her body throbbed relentlessly, washer buckets full of crazy

After another skillful brush of his lips, Sean ended the kiss and lifted his head, breathing hard She clung, not ready to let hiotten under her skin so quickly? His tenderness filled her veins like a drug The way he had addicted Callie terrified her

"I want you Sean, please" She damn near wept

With a broad hand, he swept the stray hair froret softened his blue eyes before he ever said a word "If you’re not ready to trust me as your Dom, do you think you’re ready for me as a lover? I want you completely open to me before we take that step All you have to do is trust me, lovely"

Callie sla pointless She wanted to trust Sean, yearned to give hi--devotion, honesty, faith Her past ensured that she’d never give any of those to anyone But he had feelings for her About that, she had no doubt They’d grown just as hers had, unexpectedly, over ti into a sturdy vine that eventually created a bud just waiting to blossomor die

She knehich They could never haveDom/sub relationship, destined to perish in a premature winter

She should never have accepted his collar, not when she should be trying to keep her distance from everyone The responsible choice noould be to call her safe word, walk out, quit him Release them both from this hell Never look back

For the first tiht not have the strength to say good-bye

What rong with her tonight? She was too eirl panties and snap on her bratty attitude, pretend that nothing mattered It was how she’d coped for years But she couldn’t seee that with Sean

"You’re up in your head, instead of here with uilt blistered her "Sorry, Sir"

Sean sighed heavily, stood straight, then held out his hand to her "Come with me"

Callie winced If he intended to stop the scene, that could onlythrough her psyche becahts she spent in unfulfilled longing under his sensual torture