Her heart pounded in her chest, and she spun to get out of the room only to collide with a hard, muscular chest. She stared up into Gabriel’s beautiful eyes.
“This was the only room I said you couldn’t go in.”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Was this the same man she’d allowed near her body the other night? He looked intense and frightening. He stared at her, and she felt his gaze down to her core. The startling blue of his eyes flashed dangerously at her. She took a step back, and he followed her. Mia and Billy were with Laura. She’d offered to take care of her children, so she could have some alone time with Gabriel. She wished she’d turned down the gracious offer. The more she stepped back, the more he followed her until she had her back against the wall with nowhere to go.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Amy stared past his shoulder at the exit.
“Look at me, Amy,” he said. She frowned as the depth of his voice affected her body. His hands came out and rested on either side of her head. She didn’t flinch, and in that moment she knew she wasn’t afraid. Why wasn’t she scared of Gabriel? He had torture equipment, but her heart raced; she felt her stomach was trying to escape, and … her pu**y was flooded with warmth.
She stared into his eyes, her gaze caught by him. He moved, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. His fingers moved her hair off her face, pushing the strands down her back.
“Why did you come in here?” he asked.
“I wanted to clean the room. I thought it would be a nice surprise for you,” she said.
“Do you know what this room is?”
She shook her head.
“This is my play room, Amy.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“I’m a dominant man, Amy. I like to be in control.”
The heat inside her spiralled out of control. Her ni**les budded, making the tips ache as the blood pulsed. His voice was doing something to her. She didn’t know what to do. What was happening to her? Staring at him, she saw Gabriel, the man she had trusted with her body. But looking around her, she saw a different side to him. A side she knew she couldn’t be part of.
“Have you heard of BDSM?” he asked.
Laura had let her read some of Dean’s books. Her favourite was Surrendering to Her Master. That book had a dominant man who’d do anything for his female submissive. The tender relationship under the punishments couldn’t be mistaken.
“I see you know what I mean,” he said.
“I’ve read a few books. Dean writes stories about it, and Laura gave me a couple to read.”
“What did you think of those stories?” he asked.
She hesitated. Liking them in the privacy of her own bedroom was different from admitting it to a man you loved.
“I liked them, but they’re stories. Not reality.” She refused to believe what she was seeing.
“I know they are. This was part of my life, Amy,” he said.
“You beat women for pleasure?”
“No, I don’t beat them. Punishment is so much more than that. This used to help me deal with my life when I was a cop in the city, Amy.”
“But you still have this room, Gabriel. This is part of who you are, and I can’t be part of that.” He cupped her cheek, the action so tender that she couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. Gabriel wiped them away one by one.
“I can’t live without you, Amy.”
He held her captive in his gaze. The man she knew stared back at her. His voice held the note of command she associated with him. The fear she’d felt disappeared as it always did in his company. Steven had ruined any chance for her to be what Gabriel wanted. She hated her ex-husband more now than ever before. Amy had read the books and not been offended. She also knew she couldn’t be part of it.
“Look at me.” He held her face in his hand. She stared into his eyes. “This was part of me. I’m a dominant man, Amy. I would never hurt you. BDSM is about trust. I’m not asking you to be part of this lifestyle, but I can see you’re scared of me. I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I want you to understand what this is about. I would never hurt you. Could you trust me with this and let me talk to you about it? I never want to hide the person I was from you.”
“Why? Gabriel, I can’t be this for you.”
“I’m not asking you to. Just let me explain.”
She glanced around the room before turning her gaze on his. Amy nodded her head. She wanted to understand the man she loved.
“You’ve read the books, and they are true to a point. I’m not deeply in the scene like William. He can’t do anything vanilla. It is all about the control with him. I’m different. I like to mix. I can do vanilla, but I crave this as well. At least I used to. I’ve changed with you, Amy. I’m not saying I’m a saint and that I can live completely without this, but I’m saying this is not all that I am.” Gabriel moved away, walking round the room. She watched him caress some of the whips before he let out a sigh then moved away.
“I know you went through hell. All I’m asking for you is for you to give me time to show you the true man I am. The pleasure we can have together.” She listened to everything he said. Seeing the way he touched the instruments made her think of the way he touched her body. She was getting aroused by the man in the room.
Amy knew he was trying. She loved him too damn much to leave him over something like this.
He explained everything, his gaze pleading with her. Biting her lip, she knew this was the true test. Did she love and trust him enough to give herself to him completely? She knew that she loved him enough to not leave him over this. However, she didn’t know if she could be part of this world.
****
Gabriel saw the fight in her eyes. His heart burst with the love he felt for her. She sank to the floor and crossed her legs. He waited for what she was going to say. He would do everything she wanted so long as he wouldn’t lose her. Seeing her inside this room did make his c**k thicken with need. He also knew the need to dominate her hadn’t risen to the surface. Amy truly was changing the man inside him.
“What are you doing, Amy?” he asked.
“I’m yours. I want to learn more.” She glanced up at him. “Promise me one thing.”
He went to his knees before her and cupped her face. “Anything.”
“Don’t leave me if I can’t be everything you need?”