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Cora laughed softly before she sighed away her mirth. “If I need you, and if I’m feeling that lost, I’ll come to you. I promise. But after tonight, I think it’s best if I take a couple weekends off from the dungeon.” She hesitated, wanting to drink in this moment and savor a little comfort in the current mess. “I don’t want you to fix me. I can fix myself.”
“Now, that’s the Cora I remember.” He placed his hands over top of hers. “You’ll be okay. You know that, right?”
“Yep, I always am.” She couldn’t change Aidan, no matter how much she wanted to. He’d made his choices. He’d showed up tonight and he had left. Tonight was her first step forward without him.
No matter how much that hurt. No matter that she wished things were different. She’d never allowed a man to break her, and she wouldn’t allow Aidan to do it, either. She could—and would—move on.
Just not yet …
As she dragged her hands out from under Porter’s and sat back on her legs, a piercing scream of pleasure cut through the air. She turned toward the sound. Presley writhed in climax and Dmitri roared out his release.
Cora sighed.
At least someone got something good out of tonight.
She fell into her submissive role and allowed her mind to go silent. Here, she was only expected to be quiet. Even if Master’s Aidan’s arms were what she craved, this was a good alternative.
Cora had no clue how much time had drifted by when two black boots came into her vision. Master Kyler. Before she could look up, he asked in a low voice, “Can I take her?”
Master Kyler had clearly received a nod from Porter, since no words were exchanged. A finger tucked under Cora’s jaw, and she looked to Master Kyler. He frowned. “You need to be hugged, woman. Come here.”
He gathered her into his arms and his spicy scent spun around her as he carried her across the dungeon into a dark corner. He took a seat on the couch and tucked her against his side, wrapping a blanket over her.
Cora tensed as Kyler’s arms weren’t the ones she wanted around her—her heart and her mind were with only one guy, had been with only one guy, and no one else could cure her—but she needed to be held.
God, she needed it so bad.
Cora exhaled long and deep, resting her head against his cotton T-shirt. She didn’t look at Master Kyler. She didn’t need to see the tenderness to know it was there in his gaze. Her pulse steadied as his warmth surrounded her.
His arm tightened around her back. “You don’t need to worry that my holding you means I expect play tonight. This is merely friendship. It’s me recognizing you need this.” He cupped her arm with a firm grip. “Do you understand, Cora?”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered.
They had always been close.
Cora met him at a club in San Francisco while she was traveling. During her aftercare after their mind-blowing scene, they talked about both living in Vegas and exchanged phone numbers. That later led to him arranging a meeting with Master Dmitri to discuss membership. The rest was history.
He pressed his chin against her head. “Cry, Cora” His chest heaved under her head before he added, “It’s all right to cry now that Aidan’s gone.”
His voice had softened, exuding a comfort that Cora hadn’t known she needed. As if his order told her to unleash the sadness that crippled her. She grasped his T-shirt, and a sob broke free from her chest.
Reality smacked into her like waves crashing and pulling her under. Her soul emptied that she had caused this to happen. If she’d said nothing to Aidan, it would’ve been fine. Why did his touch have to remind her of how she used to feel? Why did she recognize the distance in the scene? And why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut?
She’d known from day one he couldn’t love her and if she were ever honest about her feelings it would push him away. Aidan’s pain had destroyed him, but she’d slowly watched him come out of it.
Too see what Aidan looked like without restraint and distance brought hope. On their camping trip, he’d been carefree. There’d been no walls between, and maybe … just maybe … she thought he’d taken another step to leave his pain behind.
Perhaps she’d believed he realized how good they were together.
>
He’d made her laugh. He’d always made her feel like she was special. She adored that he always kept up with her sass. Deep down, Aidan was a good man who took care of the woman with him.
Why did she have to demand more than what he’d given her?
Now she had no part of him at all.
Hot tears rushed over her warm cheeks, and she couldn’t stop them. The worst thing of all, Aidan was drawn back into his pain. All she’d wanted—all she’d been trying to do—was help him see past it. She hated that she’d pushed him into such darkness. If she could go back and not say what she’d said to him in the cemetery, she would.
