The world thought he was so hard but he was always so gentle with her.
“No. No, never.” Cessie turned a little to face him, reaching out to grip his hands in hers. “See this is why I didn’t want to say anything because I’d mess it up and?—”
Leon cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a hard kiss to shut her up.
Cessie opened her mouth, sucking gently on his tongue when it slipped into her mouth.
He broke the kiss, keeping their foreheads pressed together.
“I didn’t kiss you to stop you from talking. I want… need you to talk to me. I kissed you to stop you from spiraling.” He sat back. “And because I enjoy that pretty mouth.”
She smiled, but her stomach was still tight.
He studied her. “Last night in the Dungeon we both knew exactly what was going to happen, because we’d played that same scene out before.”
“Yes.”
“And we’ve been D/s partners so long we know one another’s preferences and limits. Nothing is really a surprise, and that’s honestly how it should be, to make sure the scene doesn’t bump against someone’s hard limits. But the fact that we know each other so well means we’re not testing the strength of our relationship.”
“That sounds ominous.” She took a sip of water just for something to do.
“It’s not. Because you trusted me with the truth when you told me that not knowing what I was feeding you was hard for you. Thank you, Cessie, for telling me. And I hope you see that when you tell me things like that, I’m not going to decide we’re broken or whatever other catastrophic thinking you’re imagining.”
Cessie stared at him for a long moment, then threw herself into his arms. Leon grunted but wrapped his arms around her. She ended up half on his lap with her feet braced on the floor until he reached down and cupped her knees, pulling them across his lap.
“It doesn’t make any sense that I’m more worried about being blindfolded than I was about having my pussy spanked.”
He patted her ass, which hung off the side of his thigh. “I bet if we went back to the main building you’d find ten other subs who would say it makes total sense to them.”
He let her sit in his lap for several minutes before easing her into her chair and standing. Leon held out his hand.
After all their talk about falcons and hands, the moment felt heavy and pivotal. She slowly raised her arm and put her hand in his.
CHAPTER 10
Cessie stood naked before him.
Once they’d stood up from dinner, he’d led her to the bathroom. Erika, Derek’s assistant, had arranged for several of the Ranch’s service submissives to unpack for them while they ate breakfast, so he knew Cessie’s supplies were in there. He wasn’t surprised when he heard the shower start, given that she hadn’t showered this morning.
He covered the charcuterie platter and slid it into the fridge—they’d be back for it in a moment but no one liked sweaty cheese—and then retrieved the box of supplies he’d had custom-made for this trip.
The cage too had been custom and cost a pretty penny. Leon had worked with Colton Reed, an extremely talented carpenter who designed and made furniture for the Ranch, including many pieces in the Dungeon. Colton had known a kink-friendly blacksmith in one of the nearby towns who had been happy to build the cage and had not asked questions. Leon had wanted it to have a domed top like an old-fashioned birdcage, but that had been too complicated, but the upper cross pieces were needed to stabilize the structure which was heavy enough to be sturdy but not bolted to the walls or floor.
Colt and his crew had set it up for him before they arrived, though Leon warned Derek that they might end up staying in the main resort if Leon didn’t think she could handle this.
Cessie had emerged from the bathroom entirely naked. He’d been surprised to see she’d shaved her pussy, her labia looking naked and vulnerable in a way that called to him. Her hair was still damp and brushed straight back away from her face to hang in a heavy curtain behind her back.
Between the slicked back hair and her big, dark eyes, full of wary intelligence, she almost looked like an artist’s rendering of a kestrel in their human guise.
Now she was standing before him, obediently waiting, her lashes lowered, but he knew she was still watching him.
Leon flicked open the top of the box, turning it so she could see what was inside. There wasn’t much to see as it just looked like a mix of leather straps and metal rings and hardware.
He fished around for a moment before taking out the first strap. He tapped his knee. “Foot here.”
Cessie put her foot on his knee, balancing elegantly. He leaned in to kiss the inside of her thigh. Her skin smelled like night jasmine and had a slightly slick feeling that told him she’d applied oil or lotion.
He indulged himself by taking a moment to stare at her pretty sex, the slit so tempting.
