Braelyn’s lips parted, a sigh escaping. It was then I realized she had both hands on my hips, as though she was using me to stabilize herself. I liked that she touched me without me having to give her permission, that she didn’t need me to give her orders. It spoke to the other side of me, the side that had longed for someone who would tempt me to go against my very nature, someone who could curb the needs of the man versus the needs of the Dominant.
I kissed her then. A gentle mating, my tongue sliding sensually against hers. She kissed me back, her fingers clutching more firmly at my hips, her neck straining as she sought more of what I was offering. She was so fucking sweet, but I had expected she would be.
I would’ve kissed her for eternity, but Braelyn was the one to pull back. She was breathing hard, her golden eyes glittering with lust but also uncertainty. I respected that. She knew so little about me, and what she did know, she didn’t understand.
But she would.
“So what now?” she asked.
“I figured you’d like to relax for a while. Maybe spend some time at the pools. Then, later tonight, I was hoping I could indulge you with dinner.”
“I’d like that,” she said, the words coming out on a soft whisper.
“I would, too.”
TWENTY
RANSOM
After my brief morning tour with Talon and a couple of hours spent going over details of the Owners coming to visit the island next week with Zion and Tiegan, I spent the majority of the afternoon getting familiar with the grounds. Now that I had, I felt far more comfortable knowing my way around and having a better understanding of which buildings functioned as what. That was the bodyguard in me, I figured. I didn’t like surprises, and being in a new place tended to cause unnecessary stress.
I was also lucky enough to talk to my sister, who’d evidently gotten a tour of her own. To my surprise, she’d been rather blasé about the whole thing. Why I thought she’d be rattled, I wasn’t sure. I should’ve known better. Braelyn was open-minded, something I’d tried to teach her growing up. That and she had a huge heart, always giving people the benefit of the doubt.
It hadn’t been until I’d asked her about Talon that she made an excuse to go back to her room. She probably didn’t realize it, but that had been an answer in itself. There was something going on between Braelyn and Talon. Part of me wanted to know what; the other wasn’t sure I could handle the truth. I trusted my sister, and I trusted Talon. Whatever was going on … it was for them to figure out.
At least, that was what I continued to tell myself.
After that, I’d returned to my villa. It hadn’t taken long before the silence began to grate, so I relocated to the main floor of the Owners’ Retreat, curious to watch the in-house possessions do their thing. They worked like a well-oiled machine, their chores clearly lined out for them. The place was spotless, almost obsessively so, which I took to mean they managed it well.
“You want to see what intake looks like?”
I glanced over, noticed Talon was approaching. I hadn’t heard him come in, which said I was getting too relaxed here.
“Intake?”
“We got a shipment delivered this morning.”
“Shipment?” I got to my feet. “Of … possessions?”
And if that didn’t sound weird.
“Three this time.”
Now, I’d heard and seen a lot of things in my life, but a shipment of people wasn’t something I was familiar with. Then again, this whole Owner/possession thing was new to me. But I wouldn’t deny I was interested in learning more about it.
“How often do they arrive?” I asked, falling into step with Talon.
“At minimum, once a month. I prefer they not send them one at a time, so they’re often held at one of the training facilities in the States until we’ve enough to warrant the cost associated with flying them here.”
“What happens to them once you’ve … taken possession?” I wasn’t sure whether that was the right way to phrase it or not.
“The training facility notifies me so I can do a check on their debts to ensure they’ve paid them off. Once they’ve gotten my final approval, they repeat all the blood tests and medical screening before they’re shipped here. Precaution, of course.”
Of course. I belonged to Dichotomy, so I understood the rigorous requirements when