Page 107 of Compelled Obedience

When I growled, she burst into nervous laughter and I could tell the joy had returned, her eyes full of hope. God, I wanted nothing more than to wrap myself up in her. I’d end up tying her up instead.

“You’re serious about this?” she asked.

“I’m serious. She’s sending over the information. This is your time to shine, baby.”

She cupped both sides of her face. Then she flew to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I love you, Grant Wilde.” When she realized what she’d said, she pulled away, searching my eyes.

Exhaling, I rubbed my knuckles down the side of her face. “Baby. I think I fell in love with you the day I saw you in the cage. Or maybe when you slapped me at the awards event. But if you ever do it again, I will keep that behind of yours blistered.”

“Oh, that.” She tangled her fingers in my hair. “We’ll see. What if I’m not good enough? I want you to be proud of me.”

“You’re more than good enough. It’s time that you believed in yourself. You fought a monster all those years ago and you won. You refused to allow your stepfather to take away your spirit, your love of music, or the little boy you adore more than anything in the world. Look at me, Kerri.” When she didn’t, I gripped her chin, forcing her head to face me.

There were tears in her eyes. She was the strongest woman I’d ever met, battling so many demons, but she was terrified of getting what she wanted. I made a silent promise that I would do everything in my power to make her happy. “Baby. I’m proud of you for everything. You are an incredible person. My friend. My lover.” And maybe one day she’d agree to become my wife.

When she rose onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips across mine, I realized I was the luckiest man in the world.

“My friend,” she whispered. “My lover. My master.”

* * *

Two weeks later…

Kerri

Love.

I felt it in my bones, in every breath I took and in the way that Grant looked at me. I’d seen it in his eyes when I’d gone on and on about how the kids were exceling, excited for the concert. And I’d felt it every night while lying in bed next to him, or when he’d tied me to the headboard, keeping a blindfold on just to heighten the pleasure.

Somebody once said love is blind. Once upon a time, I’d wanted it to be true. Then reality had set in, ugly and crude in reminding me that with blindness came pain. My mother had purposely ignored the signs, remaining blind to everything about the man she’d fallen head over heels in love with. She’d told me once that for a little while, she was able to smile because he’d given her the greatest gift.

Little Casey.

My brother was thriving, his new school such an incredible environment for him. And his music. He loved his music, insisting on playing the piano with me. He was also a consummate artist with his pencils, now begging to use paint. Grant hadn’t been able to resist almost anything he’d requested, purchasing a regular size keyboard, several canvases, and arranging for every kind of paint the kid could want.

I could feel the little man growing up before my eyes. Even the doctors Grant had insisted that he see were hopeful that Casey would be extremely high performing, capable of living life on his own.

It would take time, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

And somehow, I didn’t think Grant was either.

“The place is packed,” I said quietly as I glanced into the auditorium. My heart was thudding in my chest, my mind a huge blur.

“Yes, it is,” Grant said from beside me. He had Casey’s hand in his, helping the little man with his first suit. They both looked adorable.

A new house. Grant had purchased a new home, one that all three of us could live in. There was talk of getting a puppy when the real estate deal closed in a couple of weeks. Almost everything was utterly… perfect.

“You had something to do with this, didn’t you?” I asked coyly.

He shrugged and I shook my head. “I’ll get you later for this. You know I will.”

“I’ll take my chances. It’s time, Ms. Bettington. You need to inspire them.”

“Yes, I guess I do.”

I’d yet to hear from the audition, but tonight that simply didn’t matter. I was proud of being a teacher and if that was what I was meant to do, I couldn’t be more grateful for such an amazing opportunity. With new instruments and music, better opportunities, the sky was the limit as far as I could tell. These kids would flourish and I’d be lucky enough to be a part of that.

He squeezed my hand before I walked into the music room. I’d spent the two weeks in a huge blur, trying to encourage the kids while the angst remained dragging me down. There was a huge reason.

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