Page 93 of Dare to Love Again

He crossed his arms and glared at his man. “I’ll do that anyway, so I’d rather hear it from you now.”

“Doctor patient confidentiality, my man. You’ll have to get it from her.” With his black medical bag in hand, Thomas started for the door, but he stopped in front of Esme. Wagging a finger at her, he directed, “Counseling for that PTSD and negative thinking, missy. And don’t think I won’t be following up with your dom to see that you’ve followed doctor’s orders.”

“So much for confidentiality,” Val muttered under her breath, which drew a sharp look from Thomas.

“A doctor in a lifestyle community has priorities that trump convention sometimes, for the good of the subbie, little subbie.” He looked at Finn. “My prognosis for her is excellent. You’re a lucky man.”

Eric and Pax smiled after him, while Val looked ready to scratch her head. Finn’s reaction was to crook a finger at her and growl, “Esme. Here. Now.”

“He isn’t wrong,” she told him, as she moved slowly closer. “I have flashbacks, and horrible dreams, and most of the time I think in shades of doom and gloom. But recently a handsome, smooth-tongued dom with a sexy Irish accent, a seriously hard palm, and a penchant for ropes and a whip, but also for spontaneous lunches, hand-holding, and kisses, who even my fussy cat who bears his name approves of, has breathed life into me again. And now, the doom and gloom are mingled with laughter and hope and great orgasms. I mean toe-curling, seriously, fucking great.”

Behind her, Val giggled as Pax and Eric laughed outright, but she didn’t let that distract her.

“You’re right, Finn. It’s going to take more than a spanking and a few scenes to get me unstuck. I’ll have bad days, like today, when Master Thomas might need to chew me out to make me think straight, or you’ll have to take me over your knee for another catharsis. But you have to cut me some slack. A man got shot in cold blood in front of me, again.” Close enough to touch now, she tipped her head back and gazed up at him, handsome as ever, though looking tired after a busy, stress-filled day.

“Thomas chewed you out?” he asked, not looking pleased.

“Yeah, but don’t be ticked at him, or for being evasive. I needed his straight talk.” She leaned into him. “There are no guarantees; you and the doctor both told me that. I’ve known it all along but was too afraid to take a chance.” Esme laid her palms on his chest and slowly slid them upward until they encircled his neck. “I’m tired of living my life wrapped in a protective cocoon of my own making, doing just about anything to keep fate from swooping in and biting me on the butt again.”

He pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her as his hands found their way to her ass. Palming her cheeks, he hauled her up on her toes until they were nose to nose. “What are you saying, Esme?”

“I’m ready to live for the day, Finn, and I want to do it with you.”

His long arms wrapped around her, his embrace so tight, it squeezed the air from her lungs. It made her, “Ouch!” come out with a wheezing croak when something hard poked her breast.

Finn heard and relaxed his hold a bit. “Did I hurt you, lass?”

“Yes.” She rubbed at the tender spot while her other hand ran over his chest, which was usually hard and muscular, but not like this. “What is that?”

“Kevlar.” He raised his shirt, exposing a blue-and-black vest. “Living for the day doesn’t mean we thumb our nose at fate and risk our tomorrows. Every man at Rossi wants to enjoy a long life, so we take precautions so we can go to sleep healthy and in one piece and wake up in the morning and do it all over again.”

Esme grunted. “Do today all over again? I’ll pass. Thank you very much.”

Squeezing her again, though not as fiercely, with his lips against her temple he declared, “I’m not letting this happen to you again. You’re on our radar now, and we’re very good at what we do.”

“Master Thomas said that, too.”

“I’ll clue you in, Esme.” She looked over at Val, leaning into her man, arms wrapped around his waist as she spoke to her earnestly. “Annoying as it is to admit, the lot of them are rarely wrong. Whether a master dom or a head-shrinking doctor dom with a very unconventional bedside manner.”

“Annoying?” Eric repeated. He ran his hand along her back until he reached her bottom then gave it a squeeze, which prompted a little yelp from his subbie wife.

“Maddening is more like it,” she amended with a smile in her eyes, if not on her lips.

“Lucky for you, we closed the case, put the bad guys away, and I am in a very forgiving mood or I’d prove how maddening I can be.”

Her smile encompassed her entire face when she stood on tiptoe and asked, “Can you do it anyway, master? Since you’re in such a forgiving mood?”

With a low, throaty chuckle, he leaned in and kissed her with such smoldering intensity if the smoke alarms in the room went off, Esme wouldn’t have been at all surprised. It went on and on, and Eric, nearly a foot taller than his petite bride, cupped her ass with both hands. When he straightened, her feet dangled a foot off the ground. Uncaring that she wore a skirt, Val’s legs came up and encircled his hips, while her arms snaked around his neck. Without another word to anyone, speech impossible evidently when your tongue was down your spouse’s throat, Eric carried her out of the room.

“That’s my cue to leave as well, sweetheart.”

“I’m glad you’re home, Pax.”

“Finnegan, I assume this means I’m off duty?”

“Yes, your efforts these past five years are not unappreciated. Thank you.”

“Take care of my girl,” he replied, his eyes shifting from Finn to her. “She’s grown on me, rather like moss on a tree. You can try scraping it off, but it comes back more tenacious than before, and after a while, you don’t know what you’d do if it wasn’t there.”

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