Page 36 of Snow Bound (Odyssey #1)

G rant sat on a padded leather barstool, nursed the whiskey he’d helped himself to, and watched the door. The club was empty and quiet, the only sounds the tick of the clock on the wall and the impatient tapping of his fingers on the polished wood of the bar.

“You might want to calm down,” Simon said from his seat beside him. “ She walks in and sees that look on your face, she’s going to turn right around and walk back out again.”

“Fuck off,” Grant muttered and knocked back the rest of his drink.

Michael sauntered up to the bar. His dark brown hair was in need of a trim, his jaw was in need of a shave, and his green eyes were sharp and faintly annoyed. He cocked an eyebrow at Grant’s empty glass, and Simon’s full one. “ I see you boys found the booze.”

“He needed something to settle his nerves,” Simon explained, sipping his red wine. “ He’s nervous as a newbie getting their first spanking.”

Michael’s lips twitched and he nudged the empty glass with one long finger. “ Want another, Romeo ?”

Grant scowled. “ No . You two don’t have to hang around, you know.”

“Oh, we absolutely do,” Simon countered. “ I need to meet this woman.”

“She’s a beauty,” Michael put in, stepping behind the bar. He selected a bottle and a glass, and poured. “ I’m regretting not making a move there when I had the chance.”

Grant scowled harder. “ Don’t get any ideas.”

Michael set the bottle aside and held his hands up in a placating gesture. “ I wouldn’t think of it. But maybe she’s got a sister, or a friend.”

“Oh, she’s got a friend.”

Michael lifted an eyebrow at Simon’s muttered statement. “ Called dibs, have you?”

“Hell, no,” Simon said, looking so appalled Grant almost laughed.

Michael swirled his drink. “ Hmm . Well , I don’t know about the friend?—”

“And you don’t want to,” Simon assured him.

“But you’ll be fine,” he assured Grant . “ Anna loves you.”

“How do you know?” Simon demanded.

“Because I watched that scene.”

“What scene?” Simon asked.

“The interrogation scene.”

“There was an interrogation scene?”

Ignoring Simon , Michael turned back to Grant . “ I saw her face every time you looked at her, every time you spoke to her. You didn’t see it, did you?”

Grant grimaced, feeling like a fool. “ Not then, no.”

“Well, you were preoccupied,” Michael said generously and sipped his drink.

“Is somebody going to fill me in on this interrogation scene?” Simon wanted to know.

“No,” Grant said.

“I miss all the good stuff,” Simon complained.

“You saw me get kicked in the balls,” Grant reminded him.

“Oh, yeah.” Cheered , Simon picked up his wine. “ That was pretty entertaining.”

“Anna kicked you in the balls?” Michael asked, surprised.

“No, that was the friend,” Grant supplied while Simon chuckled into his wine.

“Interesting. Speaking of your balls, the cleaning crew isn’t scheduled till Friday morning,” Michael said. “ So if you’re going to fuck her, make sure you clean up after yourselves.”

“And do it where we can watch,” Simon put in. “ I deserve to get something out of this.”

Michael lifted his glass. “ I second that.”

“Neither of you can watch,” Grant said, exasperated.

“At least let me watch if you punish her,” Simon complained. “ You are going to punish her, right?”

“I haven’t decided,” Grant mumbled. “ Though stealing my truck ought to be worth at least a spanking.”

“I’m sorry, she did what now?” Michael inquired pleasantly.

Cursing himself for the slip up, Grant scowled. “ She stole my truck.”

Simon grinned. “ Shit , I forgot about that.”

“She couldn’t get a ride share to the airport, so she drove my truck and left it in short term parking. Which she informed me of,” Grant continued, annoyed, “in the same text in which she told me she loved me.”

Simon was grinning. Michael was goggling. Then they were both laughing.

And Anna walked in.

She stopped short, nerves leaping. “ What are they laughing at?”

Lola shrugged. “ Who knows? How’re you doing?”

“I’m nervous,” Anna admitted. Grant was staring at her from across the room, but his face was in shadow and she couldn’t see his eyes. She’d feel better if she could see his eyes. “ You sure I look okay?”

“Baby, you’re a bombshell,” Lola assured her. “ But if you don’t stop fiddling with your hem I’ll chop your fingers off.”

Anna dropped her hands. “ It’s too short.”

“It’s not too short.”

“And too red.”

“It’s definitely not too red.”

“You should’ve worn it,” Anna said for the third time.

“You’re in red because you’re the focus,” Lola said, also for the third time. “ I’m in black because I’m the badass bitch.”

Anna almost laughed, but her breath hitched in her throat when Grant stood and began walking towards her. “ Oh God , he’s coming over.”

“Breathe,” Lola instructed, and Anna tried to obey. But she could see his eyes now, glittering, icy blue, and it didn’t actually make her feel better.

“Does he look mad?” she whispered. “ I can’t tell if he looks mad.”

“He looks horny,” Lola said drily.

Anna’s gaze darted to Grant’s crotch, and her eyes widened. “ Oh .”

Lola’s low laugh echoed in the empty space. “ I’m going to go sit at the bar. Holler if you need me.”

Anna watched Lola walk away, elegant in the high waisted, wide legged black pants and matching crop top, the soles of her shoes flashing red with each step.

Lola and Grant passed each other and exchanged nods, neither of them slowing, then Lola was sliding onto a stool at the bar next to Simon and Grant was coming closer. And he wasn’t stopping.

Her eyes widened and she took an automatic step back, her lizard brain screaming retreat! But before she could take another he was there, scooping her up and holding her tight, and the breath she’d been holding—in anticipation, in worry—came whooshing out.

“Oh,” she said into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m so mad at you,” he mumbled into her neck. He was turning her in a slow circle, almost a dance, except her toes were off the floor. “ So mad.”

“Okay,” she said faintly. He was here. He smelled so good, felt so good. And he was here.

“You’re supposed to say you’re sorry.”

“I am,” she mumbled. She wanted to pull back and look at his face, but she didn’t want to let him go. “ I am sorry. I should’ve talked to you.”

His arms tightened. “ Yes , you should have.”

“I got scared,” she confessed. “ I wasn’t supposed to love you. It was just supposed to be two weeks of sex and play and fun, but I fell in love with you and I … I didn’t know what to do.”

“You could’ve told me.”

“I thought you’d feel sorry for me.”

He pulled back now to stare at her with such baffled disbelief that she winced.

“I know.” She closed her eyes, then forced them back open. “ I know. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, you weren’t.” He dropped her on her feet, and for one heart stopping moment she was afraid he was letting her go. But he lifted one hand to brush at her cheek, her mouth. “ Anna . Can’t you tell I love you?”

“Not really,” she confessed and bit her lip. “ I mean, I can tell you like me, that you care about me. And I know you like fucking me. But … I need the words.”

His eyes, so sharp and blue, went soft as water. “ I love you, Anna .”

“Aw,” someone said from across the room.

She ignored it, smiling at him through tear filled eyes. “ I love you, too.”

He arched one eyebrow, a slow smile curving his mouth. Through the scruff on his cheeks, his dimples winked. “ I know.”

She laughed, a watery gurgle. “ So , what do we do now?”

“First, we’ll get your punishment out of the way.”

She grimaced. She should’ve known that was coming.

“I’m thinking ten swats for running out, and ten for stealing my truck.”

She gave him the big eyes. “ But I told you where to find it, and I left you money for parking.”

“You also left the gas tank on empty.”

She tried a contrite smile. “ Oops ?”

“Oops is right.” His scowl remained, but his eyes were twinkling. “ Tell you what. I’ll suspend the ten for the truck under one condition.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “ What’s that?”

“That you tell me you love me again.”

“I love you, Grant .”

His smile widened, then he forced his mouth into a mock scowl. “ Who ?”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling. “ I love you, Sir .”

“That’s better,” he growled and kissed her.

She sighed when he lifted his head. “ Are you sure we need to do punishment first?”

“Yes.” His eyes were serious. “ You have to talk to me, Anna . You can have time to yourself if you need it, but you can’t just cut and run. And you can’t keep secrets.”

She frowned. “ I didn’t.”

“You didn’t tell me you loved me,” he reminded her with a quirk of his lips, then sobered. “ But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

She shook her head, confused. “ Then what?”

“Your mom,” he said gently.

Her heart plunged to her knees. “ Oh .”

“That one’s not all on you,” he continued, lifting one hand to brush her cheek. “ I knew something was bothering you, but I didn’t ask. I was only your temporary Dom , and I told myself it wasn’t my business.”

He turned his hand to cup her jaw. “ But I’m not temporary anymore, am I ?”

Her heart leapt to her throat. “ No , Sir .”

“So we’ll talk about it. Later . And we’ll work through it together.”

“Okay.” Feeling almost painfully cherished, she laid her head on his chest. “ I really love you.”

He stroked a hand down her hair. “ I really love you, too.”

“After my punishment, can we have makeup sex?” she asked hopefully.

“That’s part two of my three part plan.”

Curious, she tipped her head back to look up at him. “ What’s part three?”

He gave her his slow, sexy smile. “ Living happily ever after.”