Page 82 of Possess

She flopped down on the sofa and deflected. She was good at deflecting. “Do they often surprise you like that?” It had been a little unsettling to her that Zeke hadn’t tried to call her to say his parents were there, but then again, it looked like they’d arrived right before she did. Cut the man some slack, he couldn’t control his parents.

“No. I suspect my sister had a hand in it.”

Allyson crossed her arms over her chest. Josie. She should have figured that out after their little confrontation the other day. “I hope I passed muster.” Her insides were churning.

“You did fine.” Zeke sat down next to her. “What has you so spooked?” He ran his fingers over her arm.

Zeke was too darn observant. “I told you my parents were pretty self-absorbed. That’s enough to spook anyone.”

“You are not your parents,” Zeke said.

“God, I hope not.”

“Then there’s no reason to worry. My parents, if you hadn’t noticed, are pretty laid back.”

Allyson laughed. “Your mother is a force to be reckoned with.”

“That’s a half-Italian mother for you. And we were talking about you, not my mother. Why is the idea of Sunday brunch bothering you?”

“Because I don’t know how to act. So what are we doing today?” Allyson asked, steering the conversation away from her parents.

“Just be yourself.”

She could see he wanted to push the issue, and she held his gaze, resolute. He tapped the side of his leg several times, then stopped and reached for her hand. Allyson knew the discussion wasn’t over by a long shot, but he’d apparently decided to let it go. For now. “I thought today we could do some intricate Shibari, if you’re up for it.”

“Really?” Zeke had done some ties on her. Basic Shibari ties, but he hadn’t tried any heavy rope bondage on her yet.

“Yes. It will be minor. I’m curious how you’ll react since you took to the basics like a duck to water.”

“Cool. Where are we going to do this?” Thank goodness she’d only had a sip or two of beer.

“Bedroom. I set everything up this morning.”

Allyson stood. “I’m ready, Sir.”

“Go undress, and I’ll be right there.”

She all but ran down the hallway to his bedroom, thoughts of family and brunches gone as excitement flowed through her. She was finally going to experience rope bondage.

* * * *

Zeke strode into his bedroom with a heavy heart. Not because of wanting to do Shibari on Allyson, but how she avoided his questions. Her worries about not knowing how to act with his parents puzzled him. He shook off his worries. To do what he wanted, he needed focus and concentration.

Allyson had already removed her clothes. His woman’s body was perfect. “Stand in the middle of the room please.” He was glad his master bedroom was big; it gave him plenty of room to work. He glanced at Allyson as he crossed over to where he’d laid his supplies.

Zeke closed his eyes as he picked up the first bunch of nylon rope. He let the rope slide over his fingers, getting the feel for it. After taking several deep breaths, he centered himself, before going over to Allyson.

“I won’t be as talkative as I am usually, so ask any questions.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Same as before, if anything starts to tingle or go numb, tell me right away. If anything doesn’t feel right, tell me. You have your safe word.”

“Yes, Sir. I’m ready.”

He nodded and pulled the rope through his hands. The smoothness and strength of the rope flowed through his fingers and helped him center himself more. He worked the rope until he had a large loop, and he laid it over her neck with another loop hanging down over her chest.

He saw the trust and wonder in Allyson’s eyes, and his confidence soared. The loop hanging down her chest was perfect. Taking the long ends of the rope he’d left hanging from the loop, he walked behind her. With each step, his breathing deepened, his heart settled into a steady beat, and his senses came alive.

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