“I noticed. I got you all wet, too. Sorry.” Bending, she opened the plastic bag, pulled out a covered wicker basket, and handed it to him. “I came with a Happy May Day—or Beltane, if you will—offering.”
Drawing the red napkin back, he stared. Jesus, she’d made him cookies. All his favorites. Including shortbread. He picked up the note she’d tucked in the side. “Thank you for sending Linda.”
“You’re welcome.” He cupped her cheek. “If this is what I get when I send you reinforcements, next time, I’m sending the entire Shadowkitten clowder.”
“All of them? Gods, I’d probably be home with a hangover instead of here.” She looked past him at the pile of leather strewn over the table. “Is there a reason you have floggers out here?”
His floggers were all nice and conditioned. Be a shame to waste all that effort. He smiled slowly as his dick stirred.
“Valerie…”
“Uhhh.” Valerie had no idea how much time had passed. But she was still restrained outside on the lanai.
Naked.
The stubborn Dom had ignored her protests—not about being flogged, but about the naked outside part. At least, he’d been nice enough to lock the gate from the parking lot.
Nonetheless, the wrought-iron lanterns on the stone mansion wall gave off way too much light.
After securing her between the lanai posts, using those eyebolts he’d pointed out so long ago, he’d said he wanted to introduce her to his floggers. All of them.
She’d eyed the table covered with his toys and told him a handshake would be sufficient introduction, thank you very much.
Laughing, he’d started.
He had a lot of floggers.
The soft ones had been so sexy.
Some had thinner leather and others were long and heavy enough to drive the breath from her with a blow. Some made her whine with the evil stinging sensations, and gentler ones he first used on her back and ass, then her breasts.
Gods.
“Valerie. Are you with me, pet?”
“Hmm?”
His so-very-masculine laugh made her lift her eyelids.
He stood in front of her, dressed only in his jeans and boots. The muscles in his arms and chest were pumped to iron from flogging her. The light from the lanterns showed his faint smile. “It was a rough day—I’m glad you were able to escape it for a while.”
She blinked at him and realized he was right. When her skin started to burn, her worries had disappeared. When the pain turned into bottomless liquid heat, her thoughts had poofed away like magic. “Thank you?”
He chuckled. “I’m going to play with you a little more and then fuck you for the makeup sex part of the agenda.”
Oh, she was way ahead of him on that part since she’d come right after he’d used the nastiest flogger on her. He’d called it her reward.
But…getting off again would be fine. So fine. She licked her lips. “Okay.”
Leaning forward, he cupped the back of her head, leaning down to murmur, “Lass, I wasn’t asking permission. Merely giving you an idea of what will happen next. You’re naked and all tied up—the only way you’re getting out of this is to safeword.”
Shivers coursed over her skin at the easy authority in his deep voice.
Stepping back, he held up a shiny steel Wartenberg wheel, so the light glittered off the pinwheel-looking device. The multiple disks were covered in sharp spikes.
Her eyes widened. “I…um…Ghost?”
“Let’s see if you like this, pet.”
Her arms were raised in a V position, with her wrists tied to high anchor points on the posts. Her legs were secured apart. The rain hadn’t let up, and occasional gusts of wind blew droplets of rain through the screen and across her hot skin.
Bending, he ran the wheel lightly up her left thigh, creating a sensual tickling sensation. He did the same on the right leg, working his way up in swoops and swirls, bypassing her groin.
“It tickles,” she whispered.
“Does it?” His grin came and went so fast she almost didn’t see it. A warning tingle ran down her spine. That had been his sadist smile.
He ran the wheel over her stomach, making big circles and letters, and, really, it was prickly, tingly fun.
Things changed when he circled behind her to make the same circles, using the same pressure, on her back.
Only…her flogged skin was already hot and sensitive, and the device felt almost like tiny razors. She hissed and arched. “Oh, spit.”
“Breathe, lass.” His hand was cool and soothing as he stroked over where the wheel had gone.
A breath, another.
“Now, this is the letter I,” he murmured, tracing the