Page 21 of Caging Cessie (Submissives of Rawhide Ranch #20)

He was leaving her. He was leaving her.

Panic made Cessie’s stomach roil to the point she thought she might be physically sick. No. No. It wasn’t going to end like this. She was putting it all on the line, and she would fight for them.

Cessie reached for the cage door. She didn’t have a key. She rattled the door—though it didn’t move much. “Leon!” she called out. “Leon!”

He was back in an instant, standing in the doorway, seeming unsure.

“Give me the key.” She used her doctor voice.

Oddly, he seemed to relax at her demand.

“Key, Leon. You don’t get to walk away and then prevent me from chasing you down and”—she rattled the door—“sitting on you.”

He propped a shoulder against the doorframe. “Where exactly are you going to be sitting?”

He was… teasing her? A minute ago, he’d been walking away. “Are you leaving me or…” She rattled the bars again.

“I was giving you space to think, because it’s not fair to pressure you, especially since we’re still in the power exchange.” He gestured to the bars.

“You keep talking about trust, trust me to be able to have this conversation, even caged.”

“And naked. Caged and naked.” He wiggled his brows.

Relief slipped through her, making her knees weak. “You weren’t leaving me?”

“No, baby.” He came forward, eyes now soft. “I was giving you space.”

“I was going to run after you, except I’m locked in.” She reached out through the bars. “Key please.”

He grinned a slow, wicked smile. “What key? Have you seen me use a key?”

Cessie stared at him, then bent to look at the big, old-fashioned lock.

What she’d assumed was a large keyhole was actually a hole big enough for a finger to reach in and lift up on the latch embedded in the large metal housing. She fiddled for a moment, then swung the cage door open.

Leon waited, watching her. For a moment she felt almost unsure.

Then she threw herself into his arms, and he caught her. “I can’t lose you,” she whispered against his chest.

“You won’t. Just don’t make me watch the woman I love drown.”

She took a deep breath then eased back to look up, finally ready to tell him everything. “They wanted your money.”

Leon frowned. “What?”

“My brother and mom wanted to buy this fancy house with a guesthouse in the back. They were going to run it as an Air BnB or something and live in the guest house. They wanted me to get you to give them the money. Apparently, my brother saw an article about a company you invested in going public, and he realized you were probably rich.”

“You never told me this.”

“I was ashamed. Embarrassed.”

“You don’t have anything to be ashamed or embarrassed about.”

“Technically no, but my brother and mother told me to get hundreds of thousands of dollars from you and give it to them. They didn’t even ask.

They told me to do it and just expected I would.

” Remembered outrage and embarrassment heated her cheeks.

“And why wouldn’t they think I’d do it? I’ve been doing whatever they asked for years. ”

Leon was frowning, clearly thinking. “You told him no.”

She nodded. “I told him no. Planned every word out on an emergency call with my therapist. I know it’s going to sound like I’m making this up, but I did start pulling back from them about four months ago, after they demanded all that money.”

“Baby, I wish you’d told me. I would have cheered you on.”

“I wanted to come to you when it was done. Once I’d clearly set my boundaries with them.” She turned her head to look out the window. “And proven to myself I wouldn’t cave if my mom called crying.”

Leon kissed the top of her head, and it felt like a benediction.

Then Leon stiffened. “That fucker…” A muscle in his jaw clenched. “The identity theft was revenge.”

Cessie was painfully relieved he’d figured it out before she had to say it. “Yes. He said he was going to buy that house one way or another. His plan was to take all my money—cash advances, loans, buying things to resell—and bet it on the craps table until he’d made enough.”

“How are you so smart, and he’s an idiot?” Leon winced. “Shit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. My opinion of your?—”

She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Don’t apologize. You’re not wrong. It’s just… hard for me.”

“And that’s why I’ll stop,” he mumbled against her lips. “And next time they need something, I’ll be there to support you while you say no, or help you help them. Because it’s not about whether helping is a good decision or a bad decision. It’s about being there for you.”

Cessie rested her cheek on his chest. A weight she’d refused to acknowledge was sliding off her shoulders. “I was so scared this was going to be our breakup trip.”

Leon kissed her hair. “Honestly, so was I.”

“I feel like we were standing on the edge of a cliff and finally took a step back.”

“I don’t think I could ever have stopped loving you, but I knew I couldn’t watch you keep going like you have been this last year.”

Her stomach clenched. “I’m sorry I let it get this far.”

Leon gently eased her away, ducking his head a little to hold her gaze. “So it wasn’t him almost ruining your life that made you put your foot down.” His gaze moved over her face feature by feature. “It was when he asked you to do something you thought would hurt me.”

She nodded. “I was terrified that if I asked, you would have said yes. For a couple hours after they explained the grand plan, I thought about it, but only because I was betting on you saying no. That I could do what they wanted and ask you, you’d say no, then I wouldn’t have to tell them no myself, and instead blame it on you. ”

“For the record, I would have been fine with that.”

“But the way he was talking about you, like he had a right to everything you’ve worked so hard for…

” Cessie shook her head. “I told him no, and to never ask me for help if it meant taking something from you. They were going to live for free in the guest house and get rich renting out the main house for bachelorette parties. He was so in love with his plan, and my mom insisted it was going to be wonderful and so good for ‘us’ as a family.”

Cessie blew out a breath. “I was in shock, but after I went to bed, I emailed my therapist. She called me the next morning and I sat down with my family and told them I wouldn’t ask you for the money, and neither would they.

We had a huge fight. My mom sobbed. So, I left.

I ended up at the airport six hours early. ”

He studied her for a long moment. “You’ll protect me, but not yourself.”

She hadn’t thought about it quite like that, but it was true, so she nodded.

Leon rubbed her bare back with his hands.

“I don’t think my life will ever be totally calm,” Cessie rushed to add, wanting to temper this hopeful feeling with reality.

“I’m not cutting off my mother. I want to help her deal with my brother going to prison.

” She gathered her courage. “I’m going out next month to be with her for the initial hearing and I’ve already scheduled some meetings with therapists who specialize in helping families of incarcerated individuals. ”

Cessie held very still, waiting to feel Leon tense up in disapproval.

“That’s a good idea. I’d like to go with you, but only to support you. Unless you want something more.”

They were both hesitating, dancing around and hedging their statements. It was going to take more than a single conversation for them to let go of this fear.

“I might have to change jobs, do more training. There will be times work is crazy and I’ll be strung out and exhausted and?—”

“And I’ll be there. I’ll make sure you have homemade food that ticks all your dietary requirements. I’ll pick you up and drop you off so if you’re tired you don’t have to worry about driving. I’ll make out with you in the back seat of the car like we’re teenagers.”

She laughed and it sounded watery.

Leon’s hands slid to her hips, his fingertips pressing in with a firm, possessive grip. “And one weekend a month, you’re mine for thirty-six hours. Friday night to Sunday afternoon.”

Her blood heated, pooling low in her pelvis.

“You will submit. Yield all control. Nothing and no one is more important than that weekend.”

She opened her mouth to protest—what if the hospital needed her? What if her mom had a real emergency?

“Cessie.”

His voice cracked like a whip and she looked up.

“One weekend a month,” she agreed. “We go to a club?—”

“No. At home. We’ll upgrade to a bigger place and have a dedicated play room.”

“For one weekend a month?”

“That weekend is set in stone, but I want…” Now he hesitated. He started to release her, but Cessie grabbed his hands, pressing them against her.

“I need the contact,” she whispered.

The tension that had been creeping into his expression faded. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that.”

She could only nod, feeling oddly shy.

Then his gaze turned hot, possessive. “I want a playroom at home, because once we leave the Ranch, I want to be able to dominate you at home.”

That surprised her, because they’d been so deliberate in keeping the two relationships separate, even after she moved in with him.

“It was nice having a club to go to, but our rule of only sceneing at the club meant we went nearly a year without this.” He pulled her naked body against his half-clothed one for emphasis. Her nipples brushed his chest and Cessie moaned.

“I need you soft, needy, and on your knees, more than once a month.”

His low words rumbled through her, and she melted into him. That same soft, floating feeling from last night started to condense around her. She welcomed it, beckoned it to come closer and cocoon her in her submission.

“I need to use you,” he growled. “Not just play with you. Use you.”

“And I need to be used.” Cessie rubbed herself against him, needy and shameless.

“I’m going to step out onto the porch.” His hand fisted in her hair, yanking her head back. “You have five minutes to do whatever you need—think about it, go to the bathroom.” He nipped her throat. “When I come back, you either tell me you need time and we’ll go for a walk or something.”

“Or?” The word was strangled thanks to the angle of her neck.

“Or you’re on your knees, legs spread, ready to be my plaything.”

This time when Leon walked away, Cessie smiled.