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Half an hour had passed before he pulled up outside the red brick, two-story house. He cut the ignition and waited. His damned fears had caused him to run away, and he felt ashamed for how he'd treated Marley. He needed to apologize to her, and he wouldn't call to issue an apology over the telephone; he had to rectify what he'd done face-to-face. More than anything, he needed to explain himself to her.
Reed got out of his truck, closed the door behind him, and approached the house. It was around ten in the morning, and typical traffic filled the area—families out for walks with their dogs, people off to enjoy a sunny winter Sunday morning with their children.
Family.
The idea had never appealed to Reed—he'd not once thought himself capable of being a family man who would settle down enough to have such dreams. Now everything had changed—Marley had changed it all for him, and for the first time in so long, he had hope.
At the front door, he inhaled deep to prepare himself and hoped his thoughts came out clear and concise. He knocked, and footsteps barreled to the door before it opened to a pretty woman. Typical bleach-blonde bombshell, not his type and certainly not Marley. For a moment, Reed wondered if he had the wrong house. “Does Marley live here?"
The woman's
eyes became suspicious as a protective note rose in their depths. “And you would be?"
"Reed.” Those suspicious eyes flashed with total shock, and her lips parted to speak, yet nothing came out but a squeak. He stood for a few seconds, unsure of her reaction, but soon realized she needed a little help to move on. “Is she available?"
"Well...er...” The woman opened the door wider, and it gave Reed a view of the living room where Marley sat on the couch with two other women, all staring blank-faced at him.
Understanding hit him—these were Marley's best friends, the ones she'd spoken of when they first met. Clearly she had told them of the events last night, and his arrival floored them. He chuckled, unable to hold his amusement back. “May I come in?"
"O-o-h.” The woman looked back to Marley. “Can he come in?"
In nearly the same move as her friend, Marley's mouth parted but nothing came out; her only response was a quick nod. Then she gave her head a shake and said in an even tone, “Yes, he can."
Reed kept his stare on hers and was pleased she had remembered his rules to use her voice. He stepped into the house, removed his shoes, then went over to the lone recliner resting next to Marley on the couch. He watched the women. No one blinked, yet no one said a word—amusement at its best. “Well, since you all seem to have lost the ability to speak, I'll go first. My name is Reed Matheson. I'm guessing you're Marley's best friends."
Each head nodded. Before Marley cleared her throat, the sweetest blush rose on her cheeks. “This is Bella, Kyra, and Sadie.” She pointed to each woman at introduction.
"It's my pleasure to meet you,” Reed replied. “If it wasn't for your pact of seduction, as you all called it, I'd never have met Marley."
Again silence filtered in around him, and their mouths dropped open. A good few minutes passed, and Reed had no clue what to say. In truth, he didn't want to share his feelings with a bunch of women; it'd be hard enough to tell Marley his deepest thoughts. So here he sat.
Blessedly after a few drawn-out moments, Kyra jumped to her feet. She yanked on Bella's arm and grabbed Sadie's hand. “Come on, girls, let's give Marley and Reed some alone time."
Bella struggled away, approached Reed, and glared. “You have some explaining to do.” She poked his chest. “You don't get to leave her like you did last night, regardless of how good it was, then just show up here like some hero. Marley might be okay with what happened, but I'm not."
Reed glanced at her finger jabbing his chest before he looked back to her. He could count the number of times a woman had treated him as Bella did now on one finger. It took guts, and her tenacity amused him. “As much as I appreciate that you're loyal to Marley—and respect that you are looking out for her—I believe that is a conversation I need to have with her, not you."
Bella's eyes narrowed as she continued to poke his chest. “If I hear that you have done anything to not make her blissfully happy, I will hunt you down and make you regret the day you contacted her. Do I make myself clear?"
Her lips parted to issue another round of demands, but Reed interjected before she could. “I hear your warning.” He removed her finger from his chest and then squeezed her wrist. “But I would recommend if you decide to follow Marley's actions and choose to fulfill a BDSM fantasy, lose the attitude before you go, or you'll have a mighty sore ass when you leave."
"I'm glad you heard me.” The stern set of Bella's face vanished, her eyes went wide, and a blush rose to her cheeks. “Wait. What?"
"You're going.” Marley gave her a shove toward the other women. “Right now."
Reed had never seen women move so fast; Sadie and Kyra practically ran from the room, and Bella stumbled as she followed. He focused on Marley, who had taken her seat again and still stared at him. Too many emotions ran across her face to pinpoint where her thoughts lay. He steadied himself to do something he'd never done before, dug down into his heart, and embraced his emotions. “I've come to apologize."
Marley blinked, the confusion clearing from her eyes, replaced by irritation. “Damn right you should."
Her curt tone stung, but he deserved her anger and would see to appease her. “I shouldn't have left you like I did, and I'm here to ask for your forgiveness."
"Ahh...” Her expression turned mystified. “Well...” She lifted her chin, clearly trying to hide the fact that his apology surprised her. “It's good you realize how much of a jerk you were."
"I do, and I'm more sorry than I can say. My duty as your dom is to handle your aftercare when a scene is over. It should've been me, not Raven, to make sure you were all right with what happened between us and to ensure you were settled. I left you at a vulnerable time and will forever regret my choice to fail you."
Marley laughed, showing her anger had lessened, which pleased him. “The word fail doesn't belong in what happened last night."
Either she wasn't as angry as she first put off, or she was too happy to see him to stay mad. Whatever it was, it pleased him, and the sound of her amusement sent a wave of warmth right to his heart. “You enjoyed the experience, then?"
