Riding the Storm Read online

  She returned his smile. “Positive. You still haven’t answered whether you enjoyed it or not. You responded like you did.”

  “I kissed you back, the feel of your lips on mine was nice, but being dominated didn’t do anything for me.”

  Damn, he was telling the truth. She’d picked up the quickened pulse and thought it was lust, but it wasn’t, it was just the rush of it, the adrenaline. He’d enjoyed it for the sake of the kiss, but not because of some latent submissive tendency — she didn’t smell the kind of lust she’d smell if he was turned on by her dominance.

  However, there had been the adrenaline rush, so she tried that angle. “How big of an adrenaline rush do you think you’d have under my control? Isn’t that what you liked about what I just did? The unknown? You’ve never had a woman able to lay you down and take control, and when I put your arms down, you didn’t fight me. Not at first. As soon as you resisted I pulled back. I’m not into force — I’ll only take you if you submit.” She smiled. “But if you submit, I guarantee you an adrenaline rush.”

  “And I can guarantee you mind blowing orgasms if you submit. Are you suggesting we switch? You one night and me the next?”

  Kendra chuckled, and then grinned as she realized he’d made her nearly laugh. “No, actually, I was just suggesting you submit to me.” But for this man? She might consider switching a little. He’d chased away the darkness that’d been eating at her for decades, and her entire body tingled at the prospect of living life with joy again.

  He shook his head as he disconnected the webbing from one of the trees. “I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to happen. Once a relationship is established I might agree to submit for one scene just for the adrenaline rush, but I’m wired as a Dom and that’s the only way a relationship with me will work. I’ve tried vanilla with people who weren’t into power exchange, and it’s just a road to heartache because it isn’t enough for me. I don’t date like a normal guy, my only relationships now are with people I know are in the lifestyle before we even start.” He shrugged. “Something about you made me want to learn more about you. The kiss on the way back up was so I could see if you had submissive tendencies, and you do. Deny it if you want, but you responded to the kiss and you responded to my instructions once we were back on top.”

  Kendra liked this human, and he’d be a great companion if she could, well, tame him into it, but she didn’t see how that could happen if she submitted to him. But, damn, he was right — she’d been majorly turned on when he kissed her on the way back up the mountain.

  She deflected the conversation. “Can I help you pack the ropes, or are you picky about the way they get stored?”

  He smiled. “I’m picky. Just sit and we’ll talk while I do it, don’t feel like you need to help. If we do this a lot I’ll show you how I like it done, but tonight it’ll be easier for me to just do this part of it myself.”

  “I’m going to walk into the woods a second while you do that.”

  He shook his head as he worked. “It isn’t safe to walk around on the edge of a cliff at night. If you just need a minute to think then sit there and do it, and I’ll be quiet.”

  She wanted to argue about her night vision, but decided it wasn’t worth it. She walked a few steps, sat on a nice flat rock, and sent the feelers in her mind out to Abbott.

  Abbott?

  A minute, Kendra, let me finish what I’m doing. Are you okay?

  Yes, just need some advice.

  Okay, just a minute or two, please.

  True to his word, a few minutes later he came back with, Now, you have my undivided attention.

  I found a man tonight who’ll make an excellent human companion. He’s so full of life, and we really hit it off, but it turns out he’s a Dom. When he kissed me, I felt, well, I reacted. You know, like a submissive. It’s been over a thousand years since I submitted to one of us, and I’ve never submitted to a human. I know this is hopeless, but Abbott, he’s so full of life, and he smells like sunshine. I’ve only known him a few hours but I don’t want to walk away from him. What’s going on? And how in the hell could it work for me to submit to him anyway? I’m so much stronger than he is, there’s no way he’d ever be able to overpower me.

  Abbott’s mental voice came across supportive and caring. Human men submit to human women who are weaker than them all the time Kendra. For humans, it isn’t about who’s stronger, but about an arrangement to exchange power — an agreement that one is turned on by submitting and the other is turned on by being in control. You may have some challenges to your status if it gets out you’re submitting to a human, but once you make a few examples of those who challenge you, no one else will say anything. If you find yourself wanting to submit to him, go for it. I’ll back you with the other vampires if anything is said. I’d have a hard time doing so if you wished to submit to another supernatural, of course, but submitting to a human doesn’t affect the vampire hierarchy or our political position with the other groups.

  Kendra watched Eric coiling the rope, his forearm muscles shifting deliciously. But, if he’s in control, how can he be a human companion?

  I’ve never done it myself, but I know other vampires have made it work. I can’t give you any advice other than to say it’s possible.

  I think he needs to know I’m a vampire before we go much farther. He needs to understand I’m stronger than he is. Normally, there’s more of a relationship established, but in this case he needs to know before he and I start talking about limits, or he’ll never understand why my limits are going to be so far out there. Plus, I don’t want to start our relationship with lies.

  Okay, set a time with him. I can get away tomorrow evening around eight, either at his house if he lives alone, or bring him to the coterie house. I’ll help you tell him and make sure the binding takes.

  Kendra wasn’t terribly sure about this, but was willing to give it a try to see what happened. She wanted to taste of this man, not just his blood, but his life force. More than that, she wanted to spend time with him and get to know him. When you live for thousands of years, you tend to pay attention when someone special pops into your life. She wasn’t willing to submit to him around the other vampires until she was sure it would work, but once she was certain, she’d figure out how to deal with them.

  “Eric. Come give me another kiss.”

  He gave her a lazy smile as he looped the rope around itself. “You giving me an order? I think we’ve already covered the fact I’m used to being the one giving orders.”

  Yep, that settled it. The extra little twinge she felt between her legs meant she was indeed responding to his dominance. She knew what he wanted to hear, and she smiled as she asked, “Eric, will you please come give me another kiss?”

  He smiled and gently placed the rope he was working on at his feet before walking to within a few feet of her. He spoke softly, but she could sense the strength in his gentle tone. “Stand up, Kendra, and put your hands behind your back.”

  She looked up, met his gaze, and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t push it, Eric.”

  “You want me to kiss you so you can be sure it affects you the way you think it did when we were hanging off the cliff, right? Does the idea of having to hold your hands behind your back while I kiss you turn you on? I’m trying to help you answer your question. If we’re going to do this, you’ll have to learn to trust me.”

  Damn, he was right. She gracefully stood and put her hands behind her back, hyper-aware of her breasts sticking out, with no way to keep them from doing so without releasing her hands. She was under-endowed, and barely filled a B cup, so it wasn’t as if they were sticking way out, but she still felt self-conscious. After going so long without submitting, it was almost like she’d never done it before.

  This was going to be even more difficult than she’d envisioned.

  Eric took the last two steps to her, put one hand ever so gently on her cheek, the other on her hip, and slowly brought his lips to hers. Tender at first, but
then he held the back of her head just under her ponytail, aiming her face the way he wanted, and his kiss grew more insistent until she melted into him and the trees around them faded away, his lips, his hands, and the beat of his heart the only things she was aware of. He slowly eased up, then pulled back a few inches before placing both hands gently on her cheeks and then ever-so-softly kissing her forehead.

  “You can release your hands now, Kendra. Did that answer your question?”

  She closed her eyes a second to get her bearings and then opened them to his questioning, piercing gaze. She held eye contact and answered, “It’s going to be hard for me to submit. Can you be patient? Treat me like I’m new to the lifestyle? Actually, I think doing it this way may be harder than being new. Going from Domme to sub is... I’m not certain I can, but you’re correct about my response, and I think I owe it to both of us to explore it.”

  He ran his finger down her cheek and gave her another small kiss on the lips, just a touch. “Yes, I can be patient where I think it’s called for, but there’ll be some things I won’t go slow with. Your submission will be just that much more exquisite, knowing what you’re going through to offer it.”

  He stepped away with a mischievous glint in his eye as he said, “Not to mention knowing you could put me flat on my back if you wanted, and are choosing to submit anyway. You’ll have to show me that trick at some point. I’m almost done with the ropes and then we can head back. When you’re ready, we can sit down and talk about hard limits and soft limits, what you think might turn you on, and what’ll turn you off. But, if you want to wait a few weeks, just date for a while first, that’s okay.”

  “You’ve seen my house, I’d like to see your yacht. Do you have plans for tomorrow night? I could be there around eight? Maybe we can talk a little and then you could take me for a ride around the lake? Or am I being too forward, inviting myself?”

  “You’re being honest, and I like honesty. Come hungry and I’ll make you dinner.”

  “I’ll have already eaten by then, but drinks might be nice. What do you drink when you aren’t drinking beer? I don’t suppose you drink wine? I can pick something up on the way.”

  He smiled. He had a beautiful smile. “No need. I have a great desert wine I can open.”

  Chapter Three

  The next night, Abbott followed Kendra to the marina but wasn’t obvious about it. The two had talked, and Kendra had decided she’d go for a regular relationship with Eric instead of a traditional human companion arrangement. If he happened to be okay with her drinking his blood, it would just be the icing on the cake.

  Abbott would wait until she used their mind connection to let him know she was ready for him before he boarded the yacht to help her explain the whole vampire thing. Strict rules kept humans from knowing about them, and the humans who knew of their existence were metaphysically bound so they were unable to tell the secret. Once she told a human what she was, she’d be required to bind him to her before she could leave his presence. However, a proper binding involved biting him, which she wasn’t going to do without Eric’s permission.

  If Eric chose not to be bound, she’d have to erase his memory, so he wouldn’t remember her telling him.

  Bindings had to be witnessed, and while Kendra was one of the four people Abbott had empowered to certify a binding, she couldn’t authenticate one she created, which was the main reason for Abbott’s attendance.

  She was having second thoughts about telling Eric, but knew it had to be done sooner or later, and had a feeling that with Eric, sooner would be much better than later. As she exited her car, she saw him climbing some wooden steps towards her, his energy so bright and strong he practically glowed.

  “Hi Kendra, I believe you’re even more beautiful than I remembered. It’s good to see you.”

  She smiled at the warmth in his eyes. “It’s good to see you too, Eric. Which of these boats are we climbing onto?”

  He offered his arm, and her hand settled around sculpted muscles and warm human. His heart rate sped at her touch, and she was comforted with the knowledge she affected him as much as he did her.

  They walked side-by-side past the area with slips for the boats, to a dock with huge shed-like structures on either side. Eric led her into one of the sheds and Kendra stopped in the doorway and stared at the huge yacht in the gigantic boathouse. The garage-type door to the bay was open on the other end of the boathouse, so they had a view around the side of the boat out into the water.

  As they stepped up onto the gigantic yacht, she realized it was bigger than the pirate ship that’d tried to rob the ship she’d sailed on from England to India so many years ago. Hell, it was bigger than the ship she’d sailed on, for that matter.

  When Eric took her inside she was even more amazed — it was a home, not just a boat. He walked her around and she saw three bedrooms, two and a half baths, an impressive office, a living room on one level and more of a party type room on another level, a kitchen area, and even a small dining room.

  “Creating video games must pay very well.”

  He shrugged. “I started my own company a while back, and managed to successfully market a few cutting edge games. One of the larger game houses bought my company for about ten times more than it was worth, and part of the deal was that I’d continue to work for them. I pretty much got to set my pay, so I told them I wanted a salary plus a cut of the profits on any game that was my brainchild, and I wanted to work from home. They’d rather have me on their team than as the competition, so they agreed without much negotiation. Some in the gaming world said I sold out, but in reality it just freed me up to do what I really wanted to do anyway — create video games. Running my own company was a huge pain in the ass, and I only did it because no one wanted to let me just create a game on my own, without letting a damned committee make all kinds of changes before it was even off the ground. I didn’t want to go to meetings about it between conception and creation, and argue to try to keep it as my creation. This arrangement allows me to conceive it and then create it, with an awesome team to help with coding and animation, which was the goal all along.”

  They walked into a more casual room, obviously designed with parties and entertaining in mind, and Kendra made a point of looking around before saying, “I don’t see a dungeon or a play room, is it downstairs by the boiler room?”

  He grinned. “Look at the wall behind you and tell me what you see.”

  “It looks like an interior designer got creative with those huge anchor chains. It’s an attractive way to decorate the spot of blank wall, and though I might not have taken it all the way to the floor, it works. Whoever did it had an eye for what would look good in here. Rough chains wouldn’t have worked, but the gunmetal black ties it in perfectly with the other hardware in the room.”

  “The wall’s been reinforced, and the chain is anchored well enough so every link can be used as a bondage point. I can tie you to it to give the feel of a Saint Andrew’s Cross, or a whipping post, or a number of other pieces of equipment. You noted the canopy over the bed in the master suite? The struts across the top have been reinforced enough to use for suspension. There’s decorative hardware in the headboard, foot-board, and all up and down the sides of the bed that double as bondage tie-off points. The bench at the foot of the bed? The legs are adjustable, so I can put your knees on it and bend your hips over the back of the foot-board, and it’s a perfect spanking bench, complete with tie-off points to secure your ankles, knees, thighs, lower back, and hands.”

  Kendra’s lower body went into overdrive. Never mind his reinforcements couldn’t hold her, she was so aroused by the mere idea of being restrained in the ways he was talking about, she was in danger of self-combustion. Thank goodness Eric couldn’t smell her arousal, though she was certain he was aware of it, even without vampire senses.

  She rolled a half dozen responses in her head, and decided her best course was to change the conversation. “Let’s open the wine and sit where we
can talk. I’d hoped you could take me for a ride after we talked, but now that I’ve seen how big this thing is, I imagine it’s quite a job to get it in and out of the boathouse.”

  “It’s no problem, but I have a smaller ski boat we can take out, and it’s more fun for a joyride. If you want to talk first, we can certainly do that.”

  He brought the wine in a bucket of ice along with two stemmed glasses. He opened and poured as if he’d done it a thousand times, and nodded her towards a more formal living area.

  Before starting, she probed into his mind enough to place a beginning marker. If she had to clear his memory later, she’d wipe it from this point forward. She also opened communication with Abbott, so he could hear her conversation with Eric.

  “Eric, there’s something you need to know about me, and when I first start talking you aren’t going to take me seriously, or will possibly think I’m crazy. Don’t interrupt, just let me talk for about three minutes, and then I’ll give you whatever proof you want me to supply.”

  She took a deep breath — not that she needed to breathe, other than what was needed for the mechanics of talking, but she wanted to get as much of this out as she could before he interrupted.

  “I’m not human. Not anymore. When I was twenty-three years old, I was turned into a vampire. I’m very old, even though I don’t look it. Hang gliding with you at night wouldn’t have been dangerous because I can fly, and I wasn’t nervous about going over the cliff to rappel for the same reason. I’m inhumanly strong and fast, which is how I put you on the ground so quickly when I kissed you. I have excellent night vision, and I can hear about a hundred times better than you. I can also hear frequency ranges outside of human hearing. Life is much easier as a vampire now that there are blood banks, so we can purchase bagged blood. I don’t eat food. The only things I drink are water, unsweetened tea, alcoholic beverages, and blood.”