Page 98 of Dare to Love Again

She squeezed it twice.

“Good, lass,” he hummed in approval. “Now, we’re ready.”

After a light, affectionate pat on her ass, he stood and crossed the room. A mechanical whir resonated in the room, and her rope-bound body rose slowly from the floor. She whimpered when she left the ground completely. They’d been working up to this for weeks. Finn had started her out with both feet on the ground then progressed to one leg slightly raised, and next to a bent leg suspension with only the ball of her foot touching the floor.

This was the first time she had floated entirely free.

“Easy, lass, you’re safe with me.”

Of course she was. She trusted her master with her life. That didn’t mean her heart didn’t race as she dangled several feet above the floor. Focusing on her breathing, she drew in deeply then blew it out slowly. By the time she’d repeated the cycle three times, the whirring had stopped, and her master had crouched in front of her.

“Let’s take this off.”

The bit gag loosened and came free, and Finn wiped her face again with a soft cloth—drooling a side effect of every gag they’d tried so far. With a light tug on the ropes, he swung her forward so his face was next to hers. “How are you doing, baby? Anything pinching or too tight?”

“No, sir. It was scary at first, but with you next to me, I’m perfect.”

“You are that,a stór. Ready for more?”

She bit her lip; the more was even more intense than suspension.

Cupping her chin in his big palm, Finn reminded her, “You have a safeword, Esme. I expect you to use it if needed.”

“I know, and I will, but I want to do this. It’s part of my living life to the fullest philosophy you’re always speaking of, and my therapist thinks if I can conquer my fear of the whip, with you, who I love and trust, you-know-who will become powerless in my dreams and the nightmares will stop.”

His green eyes searched hers. “Facing your fears head-on is an effective technique, darlin’, but it can also trigger a flashback. At the first sign of trouble, I want you to shout red. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” She was determined to do this, to take the lash for herself as much as for Finn, and if it was like everything else he’d done to her, she’d love it and soar.

With the uncanny ability to know her thoughts, as he had from the beginning, his serious expression gave way to an approving smile.

“There’s my brave, lass. From me, you’ll get the bite of my lash, a stinging butt from a spanking, tears when you need it, and a long, hard fucking until you can’t see straight. But I’ll never cause you harm or put you in jeopardy. You can count on it.”

“I love everything you do to me—except for those spankings to tears. They hurt a lot. But it’s like Val said, like it or not, you give me what I need. And I love you for that, Finn, and trust you to always keep me safe.”

“I love you, too, lass,” he murmured tenderly.

Leaning forward, he moved his mouth over hers, his tongue dipping inside and hungrily tangling with her own. When he pulled away, his green eyes were burning hot with desire.

He reached forward and caressed a dangling swollen breast. “That little slip earned you a few lashes across these pretty pink tips. Or did you forget where we are?”

How could she with the smell of straw tickling her nose? And while she wasn’t touching it any longer, it left her itchy and with her unable to scratch. Still, she replied with a little white lie and in keeping with the theme, a teasing western drawl. “I reckon I did, Master Finn. Whatever can I do to make it up to you?”

She followed it up by aiming a saucy grin up at him, to which he laughed low and rumbly.

“You can make it up to me by taking what I give you, darlin’. Which means my cock while suspended in my ropes after I make your skin tingle with the fire of my short tail. But I’m not sure it’s wise to tease before you’ve tasted my leather.”

Oh fuck! She hadn’t expected quite so much of a payback.

“Um, can I have a do over?”

“Nope,” he said while coming to his feet. “Not unless you want to use your safeword. Because as they say in the West, the horse is done outta the barn, pardner.”

She groaned. “First Bogey, now John Wayne. Best not give up your day job and pursue celebrity impersonations. Frankly, sir, they suck.”

He smacked her ass sharply while he crossed to the table where he’d left his master’s bag. “No one likes a smart-ass critic, lass. Do you need that bit gag back?”

“Oh no, sir. Sorry, sir. I’ll be good, sir.”

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