Page 140 of Masters of Secrets

“Mm, that smells amazing.” She loved the smell of fresh baked bread. And meat. Her stomach rumbled, making Connor raise his eyebrows at her again. Blushing, she put her hand on her stomach. “I might have missed eating my afternoon snack today.”

“Well, then, let’s get you fed.” He winked at her, pulling the bread out of the oven.

It looked as good as it smelled, and Julie sighed happily.

Connor

Julie had been wound up tight when she’d first arrived at his house—Connor had been able to see it in the set of her shoulders, the tightness of her jaw, and the stiff way she’d moved.

Food had made a difference. While she hadn’t been able to talk about whatever was bothering her, he managed to make her smile as he told her about the conversation he’d had with Asad earlier that day. Asad had called him to ask for strap-on recommendations.

“I told him he should probably ask you.” Connor chuckled, shaking his head.

“Is he actually going to go through with it?”

“Maybe. He hates being left out of things. Or being told he can’t do something. I think the bigger question is whether or not Morgan would do it.”

Though, if Asad wanted it badly enough… Connor had to shake his head again.

“You have to admire a man who’s secure in himself.” The small smile danced on her lips.

As much as Connor wanted to be the one making her smile, he would take what he could get. Especially when her smile dipped a moment later, as if an unwelcome thought had suddenly occurred to her.

Whatever was bothering her, he’d be willing to bet it was something to do with a man.

Reaching across the table, he slid his hand around hers, grabbing her attention, and she looked up at him. The little smile returned to her lips as she focused on him, which was definitely gratifying.

“You’re still out of sorts.” He didn’t ask it as a question; it was a statement. He didn’t want her to try to deflect with her answer.

Julie sighed, turning her hand so she could hold his, her fingers moving over his wrist.

“I am. It’s not your fault, though. Dinner was wonderful. You’ve been wonderful.” The smile she bestowed upon him now was a little crooked. Her free hand toyed with the stem of her wineglass. Yes, she’d relaxed, but not enough as far as he was concerned.

“Take it out on me.”

“What?” She blinked owlishly at him, clearly taken aback by the sudden demand.

“I can see you’ve got something you’re holding back. You can’t tell me about it.” He shrugged. “But you can take it out on me. I can take it. I’ll probably even enjoy it.”

Staring at him for a long moment, Julie lifted the wine glass to her lips, taking a long sip. Not once did she look away from him, and he knew she was considering it.

“That doesn’t seem fair to you,” she finally said slowly as she put the wineglass back down. “You’re not the reason for my bad mood. In fact, you’ve improved my mood greatly.”

“And I’d like to do it some more.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “Besides, it’s not like it’s something you’re secretly doing—which wouldn’t be fair. I’m making a request. You’ve got some pent-up frustrations from your day. I’m both able and willing to let you vent on me a bit.”

What that would look like, he didn’t know, but he was pretty sure it would end in an orgasm, and that tended to be a pretty good mood enhancer.

Her finger tapped against the inside of his wrist while she considered his offer. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head, trying to figure out what she might do to him. Just knowing she was thinking about it made his heart start to race, his breath coming a little faster and a little more shallowly.

“Very well,” she said after a long moment, a wicked gleam growing in her eyes. “I accept your offer.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Julie

“I’ll admit, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Connor said as she moved around him with the rope. He was seated in the same chair he’d been sitting in when he made the offer, though he was completely naked now. “I thought you were going to flog me or something.”

“I thought about it,” she replied, keeping her focus on what she was doing. The interweaving of the ropes could easily become confusing if she didn’t keep track of where she was. She’d worked her way down from his shoulders to his midsection. His hands were already secured behind him with the Takatekote pattern, and she was now crisscrossing the ropes over his middle.