Page 28 of Right Next Door (Stone Family #3)

Ian

“ H onestly, I don’t know how you do it.” Nicole flicks her foot, spraying me with water. “No one should look good wearing a life jacket while sprawled out in an inner tube. But you…”

I lower my sunglasses and grip her delicate ankle to keep her from splashing.

With the sun high above and sounds of nature all around us, it’s the perfect day to laze away on a river.

After she freaked out the other day, she had to be reminded that even though she was scared, I would take care of her.

Knowing her history, I understood the root of her fear, but she needed me to take away the option of thinking about it.

And so far, my girl is enjoying herself.

I am thoroughly enjoying her.

“You’re one to talk,” I say, tugging her inner tube closer to mine.

She’s naturally tanned, but I still took the time to slather her up with SPF.

Her bikini is plain navy blue, quite modest compared to others I’ve spotted, but Nic’s beauty is the kind that blooms, a flower bending toward the light.

She’s soft and willowy—and so fucking pretty, I’m tempted to drag her out of this river and find the nearest campsite.

Show her that I can give her everything she needs and anything she wants.

“When we’re done here, I want to take your top off and suck on your nipples until you come.”

She snorts a laugh that quickly fades. “You’re serious.”

“I’m always serious when it comes to you.”

She nibbles on her lip as her already rosy cheeks darken even more. She adjusts her sunglasses and tugs at her life jacket, and I like how uncomfortable I can make her. Even more pleased at how she pushes herself to work through her shyness.

She will not kowtow or be intimidated by anyone. Not even me.

Because even though I can’t see them, I feel her eyes boring into me. “How did you get into all the, uh, lifestyle stuff? Did you take a test or something?”

“A test?” I scrape my fingers over my beard. “You been doing some more research?”

“Of course.”

I tip my head back to the sky for a minute as I gather my thoughts. No one’s ever actually asked me before.

“Well, it wasn’t a test,” I say. “Although I know they exist. You do one?”

“I might have.”

I grumble my approval as I move our inner tubes so we’re side by side. “What did you find?”

“I got a really high submissive score.”

I trail my fingertips over her thigh, and her skin dots with goose bumps. “You don’t say.”

“And I’m apparently 73% brat.”

I dip my hand under the water and snap the elastic of her suit at her hip. “Accurate.”

“You like when I’m a brat,” she retorts, and I nod, placing my hand on her knee, tickling the soft skin underneath.

“So I can make you pay for it later.”

She wiggles, permitting my fingers to lower to the apex of her thighs.

“But mostly, I like when you realize you don’t have to put up with anyone’s shit and stand up for yourself.”

She widens her legs enough for me to trace the shape of her over her soaked bathing suit bottoms. Up and down. Up and down.

“How did you learn?” she asks, returning to our conversation. The curious little thing will not be satisfied until she has answers, so I lay it all out for her.

“It took me a long time to be interested in a relationship again after Heather left. I’d go out with women and have some one-night stands here and there, but I started seeing this one woman, Cynthia. She was the one who introduced me to it.”

Nicole listens intently, even as I continue to pet her, making her squirm a bit.

“I always liked being in charge when it came to sex, but Cynthia had dabbled in the lifestyle for a while. She asked if I wanted to go to a party with her, and I’m up for whatever, so I went and… You know you hear about stuff like that, but seeing it in real life? My mind was blown.”

“You liked it,” she says, smiling as if I’m telling her some well-guarded secret. Though at this point, I think I would tell her anything she wanted to know.

“It was eye-opening, and then… I don’t know, I started picking things up.”

“Where? How?”

“You can occasionally find classes somewhere, at private clubs or parties. Sometimes, it’s trial and error. It’s a lot easier to find information now than it was when I started.”

“When was the last time you were with someone?”

“Dated or in a Dom/sub relationship?”

She shrugs. “Both.”

“Last time I had a real sub was two or three years ago. It lasted a few months. Last time I dated anyone was a woman Clara set me up with. We went out a few times, but that was it.”

“What happened with Cynthia?”

“She was into things I wasn’t. We went our separate ways a long time ago.”

“What was she into?” Nicole asks in a near whisper. “Paddles and whips?”

I move my hand from between her legs to palm the back of her head. “You keep bringing that up. Is that what you want?”

“No, but it’s easy to spend a few hours on Reddit threads.”

I lightly grip the hair at her scalp. “So then you know it’s not always about pain.”

“And you don’t do pain,” she says, calling to mind a myriad of images and things I do want to do with her.

“It doesn’t particularly turn me on, but if that’s what you wanted…”

She thinks on it for a while as I stroke my fingers over the nape of her neck. “I liked when you gave me my tattoo, but not because of the pain. I don’t think I’d like to be flogged or anything like that.”

Even as she’s telling me she doesn’t like it, simply having the conversation is turning me on. That she’s adventurous and willing to be open to new ideas.

“Is there anything you would like to try?”

She turns her head side to side, making sure no one can hear us. “When you make me find videos to watch, sometimes I have to look through a lot.”

“You have my attention,” I murmur, and when she rolls her lips over her teeth, hiding her smile, I squeeze her chin. “Tell me.”

“I think I would like to be handcuffed. Can you do that?”

I don’t hide my smile. “Yeah, baby, I can do that. What else?”

“There was another one when he trained her to come on command.”

My gut burns with excitement. “That’s my favorite thing.”

She grins. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You’ll let me train you?” I conveniently ignore the fact that it takes months to train someone to control orgasms with verbal commands. I don’t know if she’ll still want to do this with me in a few months, but for now, a guy can dream.

“Do I get special treats for a handshake or begging?”

I don’t get it at first, but when I gather she’s talking about a dog, I slide my hand under the back strap of her bikini top, holding on to it. “What have I said before?”

“Not sure, sir,” she replies, all attitude, really living up to the results of whatever the fuck bullshit quiz she took. I like it anyway.

“Act like a brat, and I won’t give you what you want, even when you shake and beg,” I remind her. “But be my good girl, and you’ll get rewarded.”

She folds her hands together, all angelic. “I’ll be good. I promise.”

“I doubt that,” I tease, though my smile slips as I let the undercurrent of this conversation settle over me. I’ve had some romantic relationships with kink, and I’ve dated some of my subs, but more often than not, that part of my life has been relegated strictly to play.

I don’t want to pressure her when she’s in the middle of a traumatic period in her life, but what we’re doing is a lot like dating, and if she’s looking strictly for play without emotion, we’ve already crossed a line. At least, for me.

I’m not sure about what she’s feeling, except for that stricken look of fear in her eyes yesterday when we ran into Clara together.

She’s so afraid of being seen with me, it’s a blow to my ego.

Even as I fully comprehend it, my heart kicks and bucks at the thought of letting her go.

At not being able to claim her like I want to.

I’m older and more experienced than her, but I’m not driving the ship here.

She is.

And as much as I hate giving it up in the bedroom, she is in control of where we go.

She is the one who defines what we are. Which, for now, seems like she still only wants me to be her Dom. Not her man.

Unfortunately for me, this isn’t a casual fling or experiment. I don’t want to try her on like a shirt, only to return her later.

This isn’t some trial period for me like it is for her.

Once she figures herself and her future out, all I’ll be left with are memories of her sweet laugh and delicious taste. Like a refund receipt.

But if I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s to be grateful for what I have, and if this time is all she’ll give me, then I’ll enjoy every last minute of it.

“You okay?” she asks, and I startle, my mind having wandered away.

“Hm?”

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” I notice that I’ve floated away from her, lost physical contact, and she’s frowning. “Just thinking.”

“Good place to do it.” She splashes me again. “What’re you thinking about?”

“You never stop asking questions, do you?”

She shakes her head, teeth in her bottom lip keeping her grin from spreading wide. “Means I’m comfortable with you.”

I grunt, immensely glad, and wishing she weren’t so goddamn cute. It would be a lot easier to draw lines between us.

Keep this to only sex. Dominant and submissive.

Or make this a committed relationship like…boyfriend and girlfriend.

Although, I’m fifty-one years old. Far too fucking old for a girlfriend.

“Shit,” I grumble, needing to get out of my head. With a gruff sound, I snag Nicole’s inner tube. “Come on. We’re outta here.”

“You have plans?” she teases, and I wade us to shore. My plans involve a lot fewer clothes and a lot more orgasms.

“Let’s go, brat.” I all but push her out of her inner tube. We hand over our gear then make the short walk back to my car, where I tug on the strap of her bikini top, pulling her closer to me. “Did you do what I told you to this morning?”

“Yes, sir.”

She wants to find out what I’m really like? She’s gonna learn today.