Page 19 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

ADRIAN

S he’s so on edge. She’s turned on, but she won’t let herself relax.

Yesterday, I mentioned Downing’s name, and she’d flinched. How is she going to react when she sees him in the club? Yes, Raymond Downing should be stopped, but I can’t throw Fiona to the wolves. She’s not ready. Even though it’s been two years since she left her dominant, she’s still terrified.

But she’s here. After everything that creep put her through, she’s still here. So beautifully responsive when she lets herself. Her courage awes me.

I don’t know what I’m doing. The smartest thing to do would be to call an end to this session and tell Xavier to find another way of getting to Downing.

Fiona’s vulnerability is terrifying because it calls to me.

I want to take her in my arms and comfort her.

I want her to trust again. What I’m feeling is deeper than a superficial fuck, and I’m not ready.

You suggested the trip that killed Sandy, my conscience reminds me. You were responsible for her death. Had you never gone to Vermont that February weekend, she’d still be alive.

I couldn’t protect Sandy, and I can’t heal Fiona’s wounds.

Yet when she walks toward me, her eyes bright and her face flushed, I can’t resist. Even though I know I’m making a mistake.