Tamsyn
Her new friends were doing everything in their power to distract her from whatever carnage was happening upstairs, Tamsyn thought as she dragged her glass of juice around the tabletop just to keep her hands busy.
The bar was quiet, although she’d seen a lot of people disappearing into the restaurant across the hallway through the double glass doors.
Sierra’s husbands were doing chores behind the long, shiny wooden bar, and a third man was going around the room, making sure everything was exactly where it should be. Every so often, he tugged a cloth from under his belt and polished a table, or a light fixing, then returned it to his belt.
“Bet you can’t wait to get that clumsy thing off your wrist,” Anarchy said, tipping her own glass of juice toward Tamsyn’s cast. “I’ve never broken anything, but I’ve heard they itch like crazy once the bones start to heal. Our friend, Bodie, had a really bad accident and ended up with her legs in cast—her husband made a scratching stick from knitting needles and a comb so she could stay sane.”
“It’s frustrating,” Tamsyn admitted, keeping one eye on the door for Merrick. “I don’t really think about it as long as my brain’s occupied. When the thoughts stop, that’s when the itching starts.”
“Mmm-hmm. That silver fox keeps you really busy though, right?” Anarchy winked, her brown eyes gleaming with mischief. “I mean, I adore my husband. Love is a pretty tame word when it comes to what I feel for him, but if he gave me free rein for one night to have my wicked way with a fantasy guy, Merrick would be on my short list.”
Fingers skillfully sewing two pieces of fabric together, Sierra snorted. “Not advisable. Merrick is a nice man, but he’s… formidable. Both Liam and Mack are hung. Merrick’s on a whole other level.”
“Oh really?”
Tamsyn’s eyes narrowed, and suddenly all her attention was solely on the woman across from her. How did she know what level Merrick was on? Surely that information was reserved for women he’d been intimate with… oh. “You slept with him?”
“Slept with isn’t quite accurate. My Daddies staged an intervention after an incident with some nasty members. Masters Levi, Merrick, and Fordham helped.” Color filled Sierra’s face as she rubbed her bearded cheek against her shoulder. “Master Fordham tied me up with Shibari, and then they all—”
Anarchy cleared her throat abruptly. “Sierra, sweetie, read the room.”
They all what? Bewildered, several scenarios flitting through her head, Tamsyn stopped fidgeting with her juice and stared at the redhead. “Did they hurt you?”
“In a way, I guess, but not how you mean. I have—had—huge self-esteem issues, mainly because of my beard. My first lover wasn’t the kindest man; he used me for a long time before Liam came into the picture and changed my world, but what he did left an impression.” Clever fingers pausing mid-stitch, Sierra met her eyes. “I couldn’t love myself even though Liam did. I couldn’t see myself the way he or Mack saw me. As a last resort, they asked the Masters to help redefine how I viewed myself, teach me how to love myself as much as they do.”
Still confused, Tamsyn frowned. “So… they hurt you to make you love yourself?”
A slow, beautiful smile curved the other woman’s lips. “No. Shibari—being tied up with ropes—made me feel safe. It’s like being wrapped up in strong arms, firm and secure like a weird hug. What hurt, in the beginning, was what they said as they fucked me. Lovely things, complimentary stuff I couldn’t believe because of what Wyatt spent years telling me. The sex was amazing, but what they did with their words really made a difference. They didn’t give me any choice but to open my eyes and see that one man’s selfishness doesn’t extend to men as a whole.”
Sympathy washed over Anarchy’s face. “What Sierra isn’t telling you, Tamsyn, is that this was last year, long before you stumbled into Merrick’s life and stole his heart.”
She rubbed her hand over her own, where an ache formed. There was no reason for her to be jealous; Merrick hadn’t been a virgin when they met, she knew that. He was a gorgeous man in the prime of his life—sexually, physically—and it stood to reason he’d had lovers in the past. Maybe she just hadn’t expected to discover he’d used his skills in bed as a healing tool for broken women.
Dejection filled her when she realized she was a broken woman, too.
“A Dom doesn’t get the title of Master without good reason, Tamsyn.” Anarchy laid her hand on the cast. “At our club, it’s awarded to Doms who elevate themselves above the rest through their deeds. Some men are teachers, some are exceptional at one skill or another, but they all have good hearts and a strict moral code. Evander wanted the same leadership and guidance here at Serenity—the same sense of family and community that brings the membership home when they visit. Masters step up when they’re needed, will help anybody when asked.”
She hadn’t asked, Tamsyn thought sadly. She hadn’t spoken a single word, but Merrick went out of his way to help her. Was that all she was, an obligation his moral code told him to stick a ring on in order to keep on helping her?
“I also know from personal experience that when a Master falls, he falls hard. They guard their hearts like Fort Knox because they spend so much time around single submissives who aren’t suitable for them in a romantic capacity.” Wiggling her eyebrows, Anarchy lifted her left hand to show her wedding ring. “I fell in love with Jasper when I met him. My heart took one look at him and plopped at his feet; it was game over for me. For over a year, I followed him through the club, watching him scene with other subs and never choosing me. Not once. It was killing me slowly, night after night, until he made a decision that broke us both.”
“But… you’re so happy.”
“We are. Back in the beginning, it was messy. He knew I had feelings for him, and he was determined he wasn’t the right guy for me. No way, no how. The big, scary sadist didn’t think I could handle his brand of pain and wasn’t prepared to give me the opportunity to prove him wrong. Jasper’s the kind of sadist who needs to cause pain to get hard,” she added in an undertone. “Instead of dealing with the situation, he handed me over to Atticus—another Master and a very good friend—while he disappeared. When he came back… well, his heart had already chosen before he ran away. Life wasn’t sunshine and roses for a while, but everything worked out the way it was supposed to. What I’m trying to say is, when they give their heart, they give it all.”
Tamsyn licked her lips. “I’m marrying Merrick.”
A delighted smile spread over Anarchy’s face, lighting up her eyes. “Congratulations, sweetie! That’s wonderful news! Ha, Jasper owes me twenty bucks, the sucker. I told him Merrick was gone over you.”
“Y-You did?”
“Well, duh. The man can’t keep his eyes off you, and if you’re not in his line of sight, his mind’s wherever you are.” Excitedly, she reached over and poked Sierra’s arm. “Our girl hooked the silver fox, Sierra. Another wedding!”
Childlike glee made the redhead bounce in her seat. “Yay! I always thought I’d pity the woman who fell for him, just because of his… you know… but that’s obviously not an issue for you. He needs someone like you, Tamsyn, and you deserve to be loved by a man like him.”
Did she really deserve him? Before the thought planted bad roots in her brain, she was distracted by Anarchy’s whoop of enthusiasm.
“Do you have a date set? We need to go shopping. There’s a spa here, right? We should have a spa day, and we need to find you a dress, and—”
A shocked laugh bubbled free. “I don’t think we’ll have time for that.”
“There’s always time for that.”
“Apparently, there’s some paperwork we need to do. After that… I want to belong to him. Now, today. We were meant to talk to Evander after the cast came off, but now that Linnie’s…” What was a polite word for gone insane ? “Otherwise engaged, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”
“That’s not a problem. Give me a second.” Reaching into her hoodie, Anarchy pulled out her phone and pressed a couple buttons. The speakers buzzed three, four times, before the call was answered.
“Can’t you stay out of trouble for more than ten minutes, kitten?”
That voice. Oh no, that voice sent chills down her spine.
“I could if I tried, Sir,” Anarchy purred. She grinned at Tamsyn. “Your medical skills are required in the clubhouse, Master Jasper, if you have time to help.”
“Please tell me that’s a euphemism.”
Shaking her head frantically, Tamsyn waved her hands in a no, no, no gesture. It was more of a please, God, anyone but him motion, but Anarchy’s grin just turned wicked as she ignored it.
“The club doctor is unfortunately having some personal issues, and poor Tamsyn is here with this cast stuck on her arm.” Coyly fluttering her eyelashes as though her sadistic husband could see her through the phone, Anarchy added a heap of sugar to her tone. “I’ll make it worth your while to come save her from her plight, Sir. If you’d be so kind.”
Scooting back her chair at the sound of laughter from the Master, Tamsyn prepared to bolt. She’d rather spend all day gnawing at the damn cast with her teeth than sit in an exam room with him . She’d been anxious enough about letting Linnie remove it, but the white-blond demon Master was a different kettle of anxiety altogether.
“Have you cleared it with Merrick?” Jasper asked.
“Merrick’s currently caught up in the doc’s drama.”
“Hmm. Let me check with him. It’s not our place to interfere, kitten,” he reminded her when she huffed. “Our job is to purge the community, not thrust ourselves into other people’s business.”
A lascivious look gleamed in Anarchy’s eyes when he said the word thrust . “You can thrust yourself into my business any day of the week, Sir.”
“Behave, Archie.”
“Never.”
Jasper laughed again. “No wonder I keep being told you’re a bad influence on other subs. Incorrigible kitten. I’ll check in with Merrick, see if he wants me to remove the cast. I need you back here soon, Archie; Atticus sent a load of new data through from Sonic.”
Brown eyes flicked toward Tamsyn. “Understood, Sir. Love you.”
“Love you too, troublemaker.” The line went dead.
“Do you call him Sir all the time?” Tamsyn wondered, speaking before she thought about it.
“Sir, Master, asshole. Always refer to your Dom with an honorific when you’re in a formal setting like the club—he’ll usually tell you what he prefers, or give you a choice. In private, in the comfort of your own home, most Doms let the formality slide, depending on what dynamic you have. Jasper and I…” Her sigh was happy, content. “ Sir became a habit. I like acknowledging him as my Dom even when we’re in a crowd of vanillas. After almost losing him once, I guess it’s my comfort zone.”
“Vanillas?”
Sierra piped up. “Normal people who don’t get trussed up and their genitals flogged.”
Partway through taking a sip of juice, Anarchy snorted down her nose. “Christ, Sierra. I don’t know if it’s being married to two hunky Doms or the Denver air, but something’s different about you here.”
She glanced up from her sewing with a beatific smile. “I’m loved. There’s freedom in that. Liam’s loved me for who I am for years; Mack encourages me to be more. Between the two of them and Serenity… Archie, I feel whole again. It’s wonderful.”
Movement in the doorway dragged Tamsyn’s focus away from the strangely intimate conversation she didn’t really understand to the man pausing on the other side of the glass, lifting his phone to his ear before he pushed inside.
Merrick .
Her heart tripped over itself at the sight of him… until it dawned on her who, in all probability, was calling him. It was too much of a coincidence to believe it wasn’t Jasper.
Lunging from her chair, knocking the table and almost toppling the glasses, she streaked across the room as fast as her klutzy legs could carry her. Meeting his eyes through the glassed upper half of the doors, she barreled into him as he stepped through them to gather her close.
“Say no, say no, say no!” she whispered frantically, tugging at his arm in an attempt to snatch his phone away.
Merrick just tapped a finger on her lips. “Sorry, I missed that. Yeah, she’s gonna be unavailable for some time. No, Eli hasn’t mentioned finding a replacement, temporary or otherwise.” He paused, head cocking as his eyes dropped to her cast. “That’s kind of you, Jasper. I’d hate to impose on you… well, yeah, if you’re sure?”
Tamsyn’s hand slapped over his mouth before he doomed her to a fate worse than death. Pleading with her eyes, she tried to beam her thoughts into his head when her tongue tangled into a knot.
He lifted an eyebrow, then reached out to tickle her ribs with his free hand. While she squeaked and squirmed to defend herself, he regained control of the conversation. “That’s fine, we’ll meet you there. Thanks.”
“What have you done?” she whispered as he ended the call and pocketed his phone.
“What needed to be done,” Merrick whispered back, evidently amused by her horror. He cupped her cheek, studying her eyes. “Relax, little owl. Jasper has EMT training—emergency medical technician,” he explained helpfully. “He’s not going to slice your arm off.”
Tamsyn felt her eyes bug out. “That’s a possibility?”
“Of course not. You’re panicking when you don’t need to, so just take a breath.” His thumb caressed her cheekbone. “Are you okay? Shit with Linnie went south quickly. You did well, bringing everyone to the rescue.”
They hadn’t really been given much choice, she mused. After the door slammed in her face, with his shout for her to run ringing in her ears, she’d almost thrown herself down the stairs to the ground level and flattened Fordham at the bottom.
Somehow, he’d understood her terrified rambling. A quick look in the restaurant netted him support from Mistresses Ericka and Violet, who’d been having breakfast, and a phone call to Elias to update him on the situation brought the club co-owner and the Master of Security out of their meeting from the upstairs office.
Fordham had taken the time to situate her in the bar with Liam, who’d ushered her over to sit with her new friends and given her juice to calm her nerves, before he joined the others in rushing to Merrick’s aid.
“I didn’t like the shouting,” she confessed, leaning into his palm. “Did she hurt you?”
“No, darlin’. She didn’t.”
“Why was she so angry?”
Merrick pursed his lips. “Her past came back to haunt her. Something bad happened when she was younger and a few things triggered that reaction. She’ll be okay with time and support. She’s got both here; Elias and Evander will make sure she’s in the best hands to heal.”
Tamsyn frowned. He really did put a lot of faith in those two men, didn’t he? Come to think of it, everyone here seemed to idolize the hulking blond god and his dark, British husband. Their wife, Callie, was tiny in comparison to them.
Her frown deepened. “Did you have sex with Callie, too?”
His eyebrows almost rose to his hairline in surprise. “Uh… that’s one hell of a segue, little owl. Slightly confused as to how we’ve jumped from one subject to another, but to answer the question, no. Pretty sure Eli would dismember my body and leave me in the woods for the bears.”
She narrowed her eyes. “But you had sex with Sierra.”
To his credit, he didn’t hesitate, even if he shot the redhead a frustrated glare. “I did, yes. A few months ago, before I even knew you existed or that I needed you—and only you—in my life. It was a one-time favor, never to be repeated.”
“You traded sex for favors?”
“No, little owl. Sex was the favor. Liam and Mack asked for help. Levi, Fordham, and I agreed, because that’s what we do. We help if and when we can.” He bent and brushed his lips over her pouty mouth. “Just like if I asked for help, they’d step up for me. Not that I’m looking to share you, but should the day come when you want to experiment, they’re the men I’d trust.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Experiment how? What?”
Laughing quietly, he guided her to the side as someone opened the door behind him. Turning her back to the wall, he crowded against her, resting his forearm above her head. “The moment I laid eyes on you, you were mine, Tamsyn. But that doesn’t mean I’m unaware of how young you are, or the fact I’m your first and only lover. There may come a time in the future when you feel the urge to experience more than just me.”
The idea of it made her recoil. “No.”
Eyes glinting with possessiveness, he smiled. “I’m not gonna argue with that. I’ve always been a man who’s shared, Tamsyn. Maybe because the subs I’ve played with were never mine, were never meant to be, and my cock isn’t for the faint-hearted. But you…” He sighed, then breathed in with his nose against her hair. “Always mine, always meant to be. The only way I’d share you is if you ask for it. For now, we’ll leave it at that.”
She’d never ask for it willingly. When Merrick consumed her thoughts, possessed her body, and owned her heart, why would she need anyone else? Regardless of her age and current lack of sexual experience, she had a strong moral compass despite all of her father’s attempts at brainwashing.
Annoyed that he thought he wouldn’t be enough for her at some point in their marriage, Tamsyn stubbornly folded her arms over her chest, refusing to drop them even when he kissed her sweetly. But the movement reminded her of the cast, and brought her brain full circle back to panic.
“No Jasper.”
“That, I am gonna argue. Linnie said the cast could come off this week; we fucked up last night by getting it wet. Until someone comes to replace Linnie, Jasper’s the only one remotely qualified to remove it.” He chucked her under the chin. “Before you stomp your foot and huff at me, the decision is made. Deal with it, darlin’.”
The noise she made through sheer indignation made him grin as he kissed her.
“Just to really piss you off, I should probably tell you I’ve booked the medical play room for tonight.” He nipped her bottom lip sharply when her mouth dropped open in horror. When she fired daggers at him with her eyes, he didn’t seem affected. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous when you’re mad. Angry sex with you is gonna blow both our minds.”
Tamsyn snorted derisively, turning her face away. “Like we’re going to have sex if I’m angry with you.”
“We haven’t even discussed how many types of sex there are, little owl. Trust me, I’m gonna show you all of them. Gonna show you there’s no reason to be afraid. Not of me, not of a room. If I need to rile your temper to prove it, that’s what I’ll do.”
“It’s okay to be scared,” she said, repeating what Fordham had once told her. When a flashback of Merrick saying something similar struck, she threw his words back at him as well. “It’s okay to be nervous.”
“It is until it controls you.”
Voices hummed in the hallway. Merrick peered around the corner, his expression softening. Whatever, whomever, he could see, he watched for what seemed like an interminably long time. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes when he finally captured her gaze again.
Within a heartbeat, it was gone, replaced with her strong, steady lover.
Merrick checked his watch, smiling congenially. “We’re right on time to meet Jasper. This should be fun.”
“For you, maybe. I’m not going.”
“I thank God every day you came along to make my dreams come true, little owl.” Bending his knees, he pressed his shoulder into her stomach and folded her over, then straightened. “I’ve always wanted to haul a woman over my shoulder like a Neanderthal and carry her away.”
She yelped in outrage, then squeaked as he turned and started walking. The momentum made her feel like she was about to tip fully over the broad shoulder wedged into her belly, despite the arm encircling her legs. She grabbed hold of his belt. “If God exists, I’m so pleased He put me here for your entertainment. Can you hear the sarcasm, Merrick? Can you?”
He chuckled, pushing through the doors. “Loud and clear, little owl.”
“Merrick, put me down. Merrick.” The pattern of the carpet under his feet changed to the hallway, then he was ascending the stairs. She gave him a poke in the butt as her voice grew higher, losing her ability to say his name properly. “Merk. Merk!”
“It’ll all be over in twenty minutes, tops.” Merrick gave her butt a pat that felt like a warning. “Just remember he’s a happily married sadist with a masochist for a wife, not a virgin-eating monster.”
She tightened her grip on his belt. “I’m not a virgin anymore.”
“No,” he agreed, sounding incredibly pleased with himself. “You’re not. So there’s nothing to worry about, is there?”
Tamsyn swore a guillotine came down on the back of her neck the moment he crossed the threshold into that godforsaken room, the sharp blade stopping just a fraction away from lopping her head off. Cold blossomed, spreading over her skin, under it, until her teeth began to chatter.
“A captive audience,” Jasper commented. “What fun.”
“She hates this room. She’s not keen on you either, so just mind yourself.” A hint of amusement flavored Merrick’s words as he slid her trembling body down his front and plopped her butt straight onto the exam table.
White-blond eyebrows rose above sharp, pale blue eyes. “She won’t be the first and definitely won’t be the last with that opinion. One of the downsides of being a sadist,” he murmured, holding out a big, long-fingered hand. “Give me your arm please, Tamsyn.”
The urge to obey was strong; something in that smooth voice was compelling. She preferred Merrick’s rough timbre, how his directives were in tune with her need to please.
Avoiding Jasper’s eyes, she tucked the cast close to her body, under her breasts. When she tried to bring her knees up to her chin, Merrick laid his hand on her thigh. “We’re not leaving until the cast is off, Tamsyn. Sit still and let Jasper take a look.”
“I—”
“Now, darlin’.”
“Merrick—”
“Tamsyn.”
“Sir—”
“Arm.”
“ Please .”
“ Now .”
It was the growl that tipped her hand to obedience. She’d never admit that the small, primal sound made her wet at a time when arousal wasn’t wanted or needed, but she felt herself clench as her traitorous arm snapped out to the side.
Lip quivering, she sat frozen while Jasper’s long fingers trailed over the cast, turning her wrist to and fro as he inspected Linnie’s work. Refusing to look at either of the Masters, she stared at the wrinkles in the length of paper on the table.
“This shouldn’t take long,” the sadist decided. “Did the doctor give you any instructions for aftercare, physical therapy?”
“Just to take it easy for a while. Exercises to build the muscles back up, nothing strenuous for a few weeks.”
“That about sums it up. Refrain from using cuffs or doing scenes with suspension. I’ll give you a sling, if I can find one in here. The bone will be vulnerable at the break site for a while, and once the protection of the cast is removed, it’s easy to forget how much damage a hard knock can do.”
Warily, Tamsyn slid her gaze toward Jasper when he released her arm, then felt her stomach heave when she watched him pick up a tool with a small toothed blade attached. Returning her arm to the safe space beneath her breasts, she tried inching her way off the table, only for Merrick to block her.
The juice she’d happily consumed earlier blazed an acidic trail up her throat when the saw kicked into life with a horrible, high-pitched whine.
Jasper’s blue eyes burned into hers when she made the mistake of looking at him. Not with malice or any kind of thrill at turning her arm into a horror movie work of art, but with an understanding she would never have expected from him. “This is a cast saw, Tamsyn. It’s purposefully designed not to harm flesh. The blade oscillates, using vibrations to cut the cast.”
She swallowed back bile.
“You’re probably not inclined to believe a sadist, so I’ll show you.” Switching off the saw, he set it to one side and unbuttoned the sleeve on his left arm, rolling the material up to expose a huge tattoo taking up the entirety of his forearm. “Ignore the noise. I know it’s loud and obnoxious, but so are a lot of guys. Was that a smile?”
Crap, he’d seen her lips twitch. “I-Involuntary spasm.”
“Oh, she speaks. Good girl.”
Damn it, she wished she wasn’t so partial to that phrase. Dropping her gaze to his forearm, she flinched as the saw started again. God, that sound ripped straight through her head, tightening her spine.
Hand steady as a rock, Jasper touched the blade to his flesh and ran it up his arm.
The tattoo didn’t split apart; there was no blood. His face remained calm and relaxed with no trace of pain. “The blade vibrates, Tamsyn. It needs something hard like plaster to work against before it cuts. When it touches flesh, the skin simply moves back and forth. It doesn’t hurt and, more importantly, your arm is perfectly safe.”
She wasn’t entirely sure she trusted him, but there was no doubting the evidence in front of her, especially when Jasper turned the saw off again and offered his arm for her to study up close. There wasn’t so much as a scratch scoring the ink.
“I know you’ve got some trust issues, so I’m just going to sit here and wait until you’re ready.” Reaching out, he snagged the back of a chair and pulled it beside the table, sitting down as though he had all the time in the world. “Merrick, we might be here for a while. Mind grabbing me a bottle of water from downstairs?”
Her heart seized midbeat.
“I… sure. Darlin’, you want—”
Nope, no, nuh-uh, no way in hell was she staying here with him, all by herself. There wasn’t a threat, bribe, reward, or incentive of any kind that could keep her in this room without Merrick. Her Dom knew that and she suspected Jasper did as well.
From the look on his face, he was prepared to wait her out with the patience of a saint.
Hesitantly, she forced her arm to move away from her body, holding it out to Jasper. Her hand, unlike his, was not steady like a rock; more like a rock bouncing down a hillside during an earthquake.
She wanted to be anywhere but here, away from the whiteness and cleanliness and everything associated with it. She hated the exam table and every single implement around the room that had the power to hurt her.
Saliva filled her mouth as Jasper’s hand cradled the cast from underneath.
“Good girl. If you need to throw up, turn your head to the side. You’ve turned an interesting shade of green,” he whispered, giving her a wink. “Merrick, do your lovey-dovey supportive Dom thing.”
Merrick barked out a laugh. “Lovey-dovey supportive Dom thing? Dude, I’ve seen you with your wife. Didn’t she almost break every bone in your hand giving birth to your twins?”
That blue gaze sharpened. “My kitten is a chatty little brat, it seems.”
“And you love her for it. Apparently, the scary sadist is a soft teddy bear at heart.”
A grin flashed, wolfish and sinful. “Oh really? Thanks for the heads-up, Merrick. I’ll be sure to raise my standards this evening. I’d hate to think my lovely wife is living under the misconception that she’s married to a soft touch.”
“Can you beat on a pregnant woman?” Merrick slid his hand around Tamsyn’s free one, making her realize how cold hers was when warmth surrounded it.
The saw screeched to life; Jasper’s grin widened. “Ways and means, my friend. There are always ways and means. Now, Tamsyn, close your eyes and breathe. This will be over and done in a few minutes if you don’t fidget.”
Because it was the only place to hide without physically bolting from the room, she did as he suggested. She’d spent years hiding from her father this way when it was impossible to escape his presence. Finding a dark corner in the house, turning her back to the room, and closing her eyes couldn’t erase the overwhelming sense of him looming over her, but it was a safe place he couldn’t take away from her.
Breath huffing nervously, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to angle her ear against her shoulder to muffle the noise. A moment later, Merrick released her hand and his beard brushed her cheek. “Gonna cover your ears, little owl. Keep your eyes closed and think of a happy memory. I’m right here.”
A happy memory. Right. Happy, happy, happy.
Blessedly, the whine of the saw became muffled when those familiar hands pressed firmly over her ears, long fingers sliding through her hair to cradle her head. She had a brief, alarming thought about how easy it would be for him to snap her neck before she banished it, and forced herself to think of something nice.
Their first kiss. The first time she woke with his arm around her waist, feeling his chest rise and fall against her back as he slept. The brush of his lips over her forehead when he didn’t think she was awake, the skim of his fingertips along her cheek. The way he held her, rocking her, murmuring to her when she erupted from the clutches of a nightmare with her heart beating fast enough to burst and her mind full of visions of being chased, hunted, by men with monstrous heads.
She exhaled softly as vibrations thrummed through her arm, the pitch of the saw changing beyond the protection of Merrick’s hands. The two men’s voices were muffled; she heard Jasper laugh and Merrick’s rumbling chuckle in response. Her shoulders tensed as she wondered whether they were laughing at her, but fingertips massaged her scalp and ushered the worry away.
Opening her eyes a crack, she watched the blade travel back and forth in a straight line along the top of the cast, guided by Jasper’s steady hand. The plaster was splitting apart bit by bit to reveal the padding beneath the hard outer shell. A quick peek at Jasper’s face showed her that even though his mouth was moving as he talked with Merrick, his concentration was completely on her arm… until he flicked his gaze to hers and winked.
Hurriedly, she slammed her eyes shut again, terrified she’d defied their orders and committed some heinous act of rebellion—one spanking in a woman’s lifetime was quite enough as far as her butt was concerned.
Of course, as soon as she had that particular thought, her brain helpfully summoned the memory of Merrick’s huge hand whomping on her butt with heavy, precise blows. A flush stained her cheeks, recalling how her skin sang with pain and then the pain sank deeper… lower… until her belly felt heavy and—
Her arm jerked; the saw stopped whining.
Merrick’s hands lifted away from her head. “You can open your eyes now, darlin’.”
No, thanks. Her arm was flat on the table, being pulled and tugged at by Jasper. The cast made weird noises as it spread open, and she tucked her cheek against her shoulder at the snip, snip, snip of scissors slicing through the damp padding.
She didn’t look until she felt the support of the cast disappear, leaving her open to the chill of the room. After six weeks of being swaddled, her arm almost seemed… estranged. It was thin, depleted, the muscles gone. The skin was pale and clammy, but when she tentatively scratched it… oh, sweet and blessed Lord above, the sensation was divine.
“No, little one. Once you start, you won’t stop until you damage yourself.” Jasper gently nudged her hand away, then used his own to palpate along the bone. “Any pain?”
She shook her head. Her arm felt too light without the weight of the cast, and incredibly weak, but there wasn’t any pain.
“Okay, that’s good. Circle your wrist for me, nice and slow.”
There was some creaking, a lot of stiffness. Remembering how it had cracked and snapped when she fell, she was reluctant to move it too much. It was an experience she didn’t want to relive again anytime soon.
“All right, everything seems in working order. I think a sling is going to work in your favor; wear it for a week, ten days, and do some daily exercises to start building the muscles back up.” Jasper patted her hand and pushed his chair away, rising to search through Linnie’s organized cupboards. “I’m not a doctor, but I’m confident you’re going to live, Tamsyn.”
She blinked for a few seconds before she caught the joke. An anxious giggle bubbled out—who knew the sadist had a sense of humor? “I-It’s not broken anymore?”
“All healed up. Just give it some time before you do any heavy lifting.” A cupboard door opened, closed. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Thinking of Merrick’s nefarious plan for later, Tamsyn slanted her gaze toward her Dom. “Does that mean no playing in horrible, scary rooms?”
Merrick’s snort was amused. “Oh, little owl. I can tie you up seven ways to Sunday without touching that wrist. This is not your get-out-of-desensitization card, but good effort.”
Chuckling, Jasper turned from an open cupboard, a black contraption in his hands. “Sorry, little one. I’m in full agreement with Merrick. Unless he’s planning on suspending you from the rafters with that wrist or strapping you up with Shibari, there’s no reason to avoid playtime.”
They both laughed when she thumped her head back against the table and groaned.
Maybe they were both sadists.