Page 49 of Waiting for Him (Trident Security #3)

For a few moments, he remained silent, letting her anticipation build while he took in her beauty.

His hands were shaking, itching to touch her.

He was about to speak when he noticed papers spread out on the bed behind her.

Skirting around her, he picked them up and was surprised to see her completed limit list and a note from one of the doctors on staff clearing her for play after an earlier examination.

There was also a note from Ian saying Brody had done Kat’s background check.

Holy shit. Obviously , several people had a hand in expediting her clearance for the club. He’d have to remember to thank everyone.

Scanning her limit list quickly, he grinned when he saw a checkmark in the green column of several activities he wanted to do with her tonight.

Stepping back in front of her, he spread his legs and crossed his arms while wiping the smile from his face.

She had some punishments coming to her before they talked and then had some fun.

He lowered his voice. “ Stand , Kitten , and strip for me. As pretty as your outfit is, I want to see you naked.”

He was pleased when she didn’t hesitate and impressed at her gracefulness as she rose up on her feet in one fluid movement. One by one, she removed the three garments and handed them to him, all the while keeping her gaze on his feet.

Damn , she was gorgeous. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and he couldn’t wait to wrap the silky strands around his wrist. Tiny goose bumps popped up on her soft skin, and he knew it was from desire and anticipation instead of cold.

The rooms were kept at a comfortable seventy degrees for that reason.

A blush spread across her chest, but it wasn’t as pink as her nipples, which were already puckered and distended, waiting for him to feast on them.

His gaze traveled south, and when it reached the junction of her hips and legs, his cock hardened painfully, and his knees almost buckled.

She was waxed bare, and since the skin wasn’t red, he knew she had to have done it before today.

Tossing the lingerie on the bed behind her, he asked, “ What’s your safeword? ”

Kat spoke for the first time since Boomer had entered the room. “ Red , Sir .” Her voice was husky and seductive, and he held back a reactive groan.

“ Good girl. Look at me, Kitten .” When her head tilted up, he was floored by the range of emotions he saw flash through her eyes—anticipation, fear, and hope.

He prayed the fear was only because she was worried he was mad at her.

Well , part of him still was, but it was fast being pushed aside by relief over her being here.

For now, a little fear in her was good. A jolt of awareness passed through him when he noticed his collar around her slender neck.

Holy fuck ! He was about to throw out his man card and break down crying in front of her from the sheer pleasure of seeing the leather band still in place. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “ When did you wax your pretty pussy, and why?”

When her eyes shifted away from his in evident embarrassment, he added, “ Uh -uh, Kitten . Eyes on mine. If you look away again before I permit it, you’ll just add to your punishments.”

Her gaze met his again, but this time her eyes were wide in surprise .

. . and there it was—unadulterated lust. God , he loved her.

“ Yes , baby. You have some punishments headed your way, but I’ll explain that in a minute.

Answer my question. When and why did you wax?

I’m not complaining . . . quite the opposite, really. ”

“ The other day, Master .” His pounding heartbeat sped up further, threatening to burst from his chest at her use of his title, but he stayed quiet, letting her finish.

“ I was reading everything I could about the lifestyle, and there were a lot of mentions of how both Doms and subs liked it because it made a woman more sensitive.”

Boomer hadn’t thought he could be more stunned or pleased than he already was. Her punishment would have to wait—they definitely needed to talk first. “ You’ve been researching BDSM ? Why ?”

Her cheeks turned tomato red, but to her credit, her eyes remained focused on his. “ Because it means so much to you, and I . . . I hoped . . .”

“ You hoped what?” This time, her gaze fell, and he used his fingers to tilt her head back up, waiting for her to meet his stare again.

His heart squeezed when her eyes filled with tears, but he didn’t let them sway him.

She couldn’t be allowed to top from the bottom, whether it was intended or not.

He needed to be firm with her if this would work between them.

“ That’s five more spanks on top of the ones you already deserve. Now , you hoped what, Kitten ?”

Kat swallowed hard. “ I hoped you would change your mind and come after me. I wanted to please you by learning as much as I could about being your submissive. I know I haven’t learned everything yet, but I was hoping you’d teach me the rest.”

A bullet to the gut wouldn’t have hurt as much as her first statement did.

His brow furrowed in confusion. “ What do you mean you hoped I would change my mind, baby? I never wanted you to leave in the first place. I came back to the waiting room, and you were gone. I figured you had just gone to clear your head and get a cup of coffee or something. Next thing I know, Jake’s calling to say you showed up at the compound in a taxi.

You collected your things and drove away in your car.

Stonewall said you went to the office, gave your statement, and left. ”

Much to his embarrassment, his voice cracked with emotion. “ I needed you, and you were gone. But this time, you chose to leave. I was never more hurt in my life, Kat .”

Her tears were now streaking down her face, but neither one moved to wipe them away.

“ I — I know I hurt you . . . I mean. I know now. Carter t-told me when he showed up in Portland to bring me back. I never meant . . . meant to hurt you. But you were so angry at the hospital and didn’t want to talk to me, s-so I thought you were blaming me for your dad being shot.

And . . . and for your mom, Jake , and the others being hurt and almost killed.

I thought you hated me for putting everyone in danger.

I’ve lost everyone I ever loved, and d-didn’t want to wait for you to push me away. I’m so sorry.”

She finally stopped talking and took a deep, ragged breath.

Boomer couldn’t handle it anymore and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly while stroking her hair and bare back.

“ Shh . . . it’s okay, Kitten . I wasn’t mad at you.

I was just mad, in general, over things I couldn’t control.

I was mad at myself for not thinking my parents might be targeted, and then I was pissed we fell for the ruse, and you could’ve been killed because not enough people stayed behind.

At the hospital, my adrenaline crash, combined with the doctors telling me it would be hours before we knew if my dad would make it, sent me into a tailspin.

I walked away from you because I didn’t want to take it all out on you inadvertently.

You didn’t deserve it, and I was afraid I’d hurt you.

Not physically, of course, but I just needed a few minutes to get myself back under control. ”

He loosened his embrace so he could see her face. “ I love you, baby. I would never push you away. But I thought you didn’t want to be part of my life because of the potential for violence. My job can be dangerous at times. I thought you realized that and didn’t want to be a part of it.”

“ And I thought you were mad at me. Guess I should have asked you.”

A wry smile appeared on her red, wet face.

Cupping her chin with both hands, he used his thumbs and then his lips to wipe away her salty tears.

“ Yes , you should have, but I’m as much to blame as you.

I should have explained why I was walking away from you.

We’ll have to work on our communication, but we have the rest of our lives to do that.

Right now, I want to pick a few things off your limit list and have some fun.

Because of our mutual misunderstandings, I’m going to clear the slate for everything up until I walked into this room, which means you’ll only be getting those five spanks you’ve earned.

I can’t very well punish you for something that was also my fault.

After that, we’re going to start fresh. Okay ? ”

“ Okay , Sir .”

His thumb brushed over her plump, pink lips, and he imagined how they would look circled around his aching cock. But first things first. “ I liked it better before when you called me ‘ Master .’”

For the first time since he walked in the door, Kat truly smiled at him, and it was as if the sun had come out.

It brightened the room as much as his heart.

He hadn’t lost her, and as soon as he could get a permanent collar designed for her, they would have a ceremony so everyone would know who she belonged to. “ Yes , Master .”

Glancing around the room, he quickly categorized which one they were in.

Each of the private rooms was designed differently, and some of the play equipment varied.

Several rooms were like this, with a few pieces of equipment and assorted chains, hooks, and restraints hanging from the walls and ceiling.

Other rooms were theme rooms, such as an office, classroom, doctor’s examination room, police station lock-up/interrogation room, and a harem/stripper pole room.

Due to the popularity of the rooms, Devon , Ian , and Mitch were discussing putting an addition on this end of the warehouse for more rooms. This room, however, was perfect for the scene he had in his mind.