AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As he sat there in silence, the afternoon light waning and the quiet of the house so deep it was almost sepulchral, he came right back to the subject at hand.
Kelsey.
Why had she left? What could possibly have gone through her mind to drive her to do it? He wasn’t even angry anymore with her about telling Mitchell. She was right. Getting it out in the open sooner rather than later was the better plan.
He’d just wanted to do it at the right time. And she’d decided on that time unilaterally.
But none of that mattered now. Not even close. All he wanted was his Kelsey back.
You could pick up a fucking phone, you asshole.
He could, yes, but what message was that sending to her if he did? Would it end well if she felt she could just disobey him so flagrantly and not have any consequences ensue? No, of course not—no matter how badly he ached to hear her voice. To simply say hello to her.
How she’d managed to assume such an outsized place in his life—and increasingly, in his heart—was something he still had yet to untangle. But what he did know was that finding her gone… it had been one of the biggest shocks of his life.
And the most painful, too.
The specific reasons why she’d done it… they didn’t really matter anymore either.
She’d done it. It was finished. It was over.
Even if every single atom of his fucking being wanted her right there at his side—at his feet—once more.
But in life, sometimes we didn’t get to decide which dreams could come true. And sometimes the dreams that did? Didn’t stay that way for long.
He grunted, swallowing down the lump forming in his throat, angry at himself for getting emotional, for allowing her to get so deep under his skin.
He knew better. He’d guarded against it, knowing the pitfalls it presented. He was supposed to be the wise one, the partner to help guide the other.
The one who was supposed to be the sensible one, and ultimately, the one in control. He felt decidedly out of control now.
What was so odd about it though, was that with Kelsey… that was okay too. He could indulge that part of him, with her, allow himself that sort of vulnerability. Because his trust in her… it was total.
Which seemed the height of foolishness now.
You walked into this mess. You knew better, asshole. So, embrace the suck.
“Fuck this,” he snarled, snatching up his phone and stomping into the kitchen to swipe his keys from the counter.
Heading out to his truck, he held his hand up over his eyes, the setting sun angle from the west now bad enough that even the sun visors in his truck weren’t going to get it done. At least not until dusk finally fell.
He slammed his door as he hopped up into his truck. Firing it up, he cursed again, letting the engine warm up for a few seconds. Part of his irritation was what he was headed down to Dennis Lawton’s shop to pick up. The idea had come to him when he’d had Kelsey standing in the corner after one of her spankings, her reddened buttocks on fine display as she blushed and sniffled. It was… an enhancement of corner time. Something he found was actually very important in the management and discipline of females.
He’d found plans online, modified them slightly, and sent them in to Dennis to craft it. Simple in design, but customized in just the way Max liked, it would be perfect for his needs.
And Kelsey’s training.
To his credit, and a reflection of his cool professionalism, Dennis hadn’t mentioned a single thing, not one comment, or joke, or innuendo, though it was obvious what the order was intended for.
Now, that was all for shit. The intended ‘beneficiary’ gone. And it seemed she was never coming back.
He pulled the truck out onto the driveway, easing up the hill to the entrance to the highway. He looked west, the sun absolutely blinding as expected.
Even if he never got to use what he’d ordered for her, he didn’t care. All he cared about was assuaging the ache in his heart, and finding some way—any way—to stop needing her so badly.
Her absence was a raw, agonizing wound in his entire life, a hole that was pain, loss, and regret.
Most of all, it was something he felt could be so easily fixed. Healed. He had the ability to do so, literally at the touch of his fingers.
