White Collared Part Four: Passion by Shelly Bell Read Free Book Online Page A

had, I wouldn’t be here. Going to Joseph’s office wasn’t an act of bravery. I did it because . . .” She swallowed back thick tears. “. . . I had to prove to myself I wasn’t wrong about you. I knew when I walked out of your bedroom it was a mistake, but I was so angry you’d lied about your alibi, I questioned my instincts. That’s why I went to Joseph’s office.”
    Jaxon gently tipped up her chin with the soft pads of his fingers. “I shouldn’t have kept Bethany Gold a secret from you. You deserved the truth not only as part of my legal team but as my submissive.” He glanced at her collar. “I don’t want what happened between me and Bethany to diminish what you and I shared. Bethany was physical, a way for me to move on from my broken marriage, but when it came time to fuck, I couldn’t do it. All I felt was guilt and remorse for breaking my marriage vows. It hadn’t mattered that she had been unfaithful. That’s why I left the hotel room. Why I left Chicago. But as I got closer to Detroit, I didn’t want to go home either. I realized in that moment that I didn’t really have a home anymore. Only a house where I hung my clothes and rested my head at night. This house, my career, it was never mine. I loved Alyssa, but my marriage was over. I knew a vanilla relationship would never satisfy me, but neither would a relationship with a woman who pushed me past my boundaries. And then you came into my life, and for the first time, I thought I might have found what I’d dreamed about.”
    She hadn’t missed that he spoke about their relationship in the past tense. But if she was going to start being brave, she had ask for one more chance to make things right between them.
    Leaning closer to him, she grazed her lips on his, enough to pick up his flavor. “I don’t want to lose you. I know we both made mistakes. Trust is the foundation of a D/s relationship, and it blew up in our faces like dynamite. But at the other end is forgiveness. Before recently, I didn’t believe in it. If someone hurt me, I’d cut them from my life and never look back. You’re the one who told me to forgive Hannah. Don’t you think you and I deserve it as well?”
    He exhaled a shuddering breath and his tongue licked across the seam of his lips. “You deserve a lot of things.”
    “And so do you. I messed up. As my Dom, isn’t it your responsibility to correct my behavior? Otherwise, how will I learn?” She bit his lip playfully.
    He pushed her back with a hand to her sternum, his penetrating brown eyes glazed. “I told you before, you had every right to walk out on me after you learned about Bethany. You don’t need my forgiveness for that, but if it makes you feel better, I will. But when it comes to your safety, it would be my job as your Dom to correct behaviors that put your life at risk. You’re a masochist, and so I’m not sure a spanking would suffice. I’ll have to get creative. Are you sure you want me to punish you? Do you know what you’re asking?”
    She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
    He ran a finger along her gold collar. “What are your limits?”
    Excitement shot through her veins, making her body come alive for the first time in days. “Does that mean you’ll do it?”
    He wrenched her toward him with the ring of her collar. “What are your limits?”
    It was on the tip of her tongue to list the same items from two weeks ago, but she stopped, realizing she no longer suffered from the same fears. He was right. As a masochist, she not only welcomed physical pain, she craved it. She’d wear his bruises and marks on her flesh as badges of honor. “No blood.”
    “Bondage?”
    She smiled as she caught sight of the erection straining against his jeans. “That’s acceptable.”
    He helped her to her feet. “Katerina, go upstairs to my bedroom and take off all your clothes and then kneel in the center of the room and wait for me.”
    Her heart pounded viciously, making her dizzy with elation