Page 30 of Playing with Trouble

This didn’t have to be forever, I told myself.I wasn’t agreeing to love, or even to a relationship.I was agreeing to a short term affair with Ford while he was my bodyguard.Lessons in BDSM with a man I trusted.A contained world I could step into and out of without losing myself.

“I—I think I’d like that,” I told him, decision made, despite any potential emotional pitfalls.“I’d like to do this.With you.”

Relief softened his features, and he stroked a hand gently through my hair.“We don’t ever have to do anything you don’t want to do.That’s what your safeword is for and I’ll respect it any time you might use it.We’ll discuss your boundaries, and make sure you always feel comfortable.”

Needing to gain some kind of control over my messy feelings after everything I’d just revealed, I opted for humor.“Careful, Ford,” I said, flashing him a teasing grin.“You’re starting to sound like a doting boyfriend.”

His mouth curved, but his voice remained even.“Don’t worry, Trouble.I know exactly what this is.And I know exactly what it isn’t.”

Some of the tightness in my chest eased at that.He wasn’t pretending this was more than it was.That honestly made it easier to breathe.

Ford kept me close for another long moment, then said, “Why don’t I drive you back to your place?We’ll both shower, and then we’ll get something to eat.”

That sounded annoyingly like a date.My pulse initially spiked, but I forced myself to reason it through.This wasn’t about romance.This was what a dom was supposed to do for his sub.Taking care of someone after sex didn’t mean a lifetime commitment.

I nodded.“Sure.”Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I added quietly, “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said, eyes holding mine.“This is part of the deal.You give me your submission, I give you my care.That’s how it works.”

The words settled in my chest like something I could get addicted to if I wasn’t careful.I told myself again this wasn’t love, wasn’t forever, wasn’t even a relationship.Just a dom and his brat.Just a short-term arrangement that made me feel more alive, in ways nothing else ever had.

Still, when he offered me his hand after we’d dressed, I took it without hesitation.And when he led me out of the room, I let him.

But even as I followed, I started stacking bricks back around my heart and emotions.Because men didn’t stay, and certainly not with a woman like me.And I refused to let Ford become a weakness I regretted after this was over.

CHAPTER13

Ford

That session with Violet had wrecked me in the best possible way.When she’d finally submitted and gave me what I wanted, it had been like watching fire bend into my hands.Pure perfection.The sex had been incredible, because I’d tasted something more in her surrender, something that had nothing to do with orgasms and everything to do with trust.

And then she’d given me a little glimpse into her past.I knew there was so much more to Violet, things that had shaped her and hardened her edges.The kind of hurt that made her defensive, that taught her to hide the softest parts of herself behind a tough attitude.It gave me a bit of an explanation of why she clung so hard to control, and why she bratted like her life depended on it.

And yet, beneath all of that, she’d let me see the truth—how much she craved being cared for, how much she needed someone strong enough to take the fight out of her without stripping away her independence and identity.

For a moment, I considered asking Andrea what Violet’s story really was.But that would’ve been a betrayal.Violet had shared something raw and private with me when she talked about those parts of herself, and I wasn’t about to shatter that fragile truce we’d established by digging behind her back.If she wanted me to know more, she’d tell me herself.

Maybe that was for the best.Because the truth was, I found Violet more fascinating than I had any right to, and I’d lied when I’d shot down her “careful, Ford, you’re starting to sound like a doting boyfriend” comment.She wasn’t just a client.She wasn’t just a woman who knew exactly how to get under my skin and I enjoyed taming.I found her utterly captivating and she was pulling me in deeper than I’d planned.

Two days later, it was my seven-year-old nephew’s birthday party and I thought that maybe the break would be good for Violet.A little distance might ease whatever was building between us, and the last thing I wanted was to push her too hard, too fast.She’d have a replacement guard while I spent the day with my family, and she’d be safe.

Even so, I didn’t like leaving her.My instincts screamed to stay close, to protect.It wasn’t just the job anymore, though—it was beginning to feel personal.I caught myself thinking about the way she curled into me during aftercare, how her walls had slipped just enough for me to see the vulnerable woman beneath all that bravado.Those images stayed with me, and the idea of someone else watching over her, someone who wouldn’t see what I saw or handle her the way I could, grated more than I wanted to admit.

Then the call came from my boss, Sutton, that morning, just a few hours before I was supposed to leave for the party.

“Jones can’t make it,” Sutton said, gruff and abrupt, like always.

Jones, the guard who was slated to replace me for the afternoon and evening.“What do you mean, he can’t make it?”

“He’s down with the twenty-four hour bug.Only moving from the bed to the toilet.”

I huffed out a dry laugh.“You really have a way with words, Sutton.No wonder women line up for you.”

He sighed, long and heavy.“Look, everyone else is already tied up on assignments.I know you requested the day off, but you’re going to have to stay on the client.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, frustration rolling through me.Family was everything to me.My parents, my sisters, my nephews and nieces.I didn’t want to be like my dad, who I loved, but who definitely left my mom in the lurch quite a bit with his military career.She’d been alone a lot—holidays, birthdays, school plays, you name it.She carried the weight of raising us while he was halfway across the world fighting in wars.

I respected the hell out of my dad’s service, since I’d been in the military myself.But I also could vividly remember the way my mom’s smile would falter when he missed another milestone, the way she’d swallow her disappointment and pretend it was fine for our sake.