Page 138 of Axe Marks the Spot

She blinks, her fingers digging into my shoulders. “What?”

“I told you, Lindsey. You’re mine, and I mean that. There’s no one else but you.”

“But how?” She looks at the painting then back to me. “You painted this before you saw me—” She flushes.

“Saw you naked?” I finish for her.

“Yes.” She smiles back sheepishly.

“From the moment we met and started talking, I’d close my eyes and see you. I painted you after we spoke one night, and it felt right to hang it.”

“It’s a beautiful painting. And maybe a little creepy.”

The playful smile on her lips tells me she’s back to being sassy, and my pulse quickens in my throat. I pinch her hip, and she yelps. “You love it,” I say.

Lindsey studies me, her gaze more intense than I’m used to. I don’t blink, just wait. Eventually, one of her hands leaves my shoulder, and she threads it into my hair. Her fingers glide through the short strands, the sensation sending a shiver up my spine.

“Are you sure you want to be mine?” Her tone attempts to sound playful, but I hear and see her fear, the fear that I don’t mean what I say. It makes sense given what I know about her past, and I feel like an idiot for not seeing how wrong I’ve gone about this with her.

“I don’t say things I don’t mean. Or have you forgotten?”

Her fingers slide from my hair to my jaw, playing with my beard now. “I haven’t. But I’m not like the others. I’m new to this, and half the time, I don’t know what I’m doing, and—”

“What others are you speaking of?” I stop her.

“Your other submissives.”

“There are no others.”

She tugs on my beard. “Will you please stand? I can’t take you there anymore.”

I give her a knowing smile, loving that she’s proving how right she is for me. I stand and lead her toward the kitchen table. When she’s seated, I sit at the head of the table near her. I don’t miss the way her eyes stare at the spot where I had her last time, her clamped nipples pressed into the wood and her ass in the air while I spanked her.

“Lindsey.” I draw her attention back to me. Her eyes are dilated again, and her breathing has changed. “I meant what I said.” I take her hand on the table in mine and squeeze. “There are no others. You’re the only one I want. The only one I need.”

“I know you don’t do what we’re doing with anyone else, but your clients—”

“You’re not hearing me,” I stop her again. “There are no others.”

“What?”

“I’ve spent the last two weeks since I left your cabin helping my clients find Doms to match their needs. I’m still in the process of helping some find new Doms, but we’ve ended our relationships. Like I said, there are no others.”

“What? Dane, no!”

Her panic confuses me. “I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. It’s your work, your job! What are you going to do now?” Before I can reply, she asks, “Is that why Morgan said you asked about working for them again?”

“She told you about that?”

She exhales a hard breath. “You can’t give up income for me, and I’m sure your submissives depend on you.”

My clients were disappointed and upset, rightfully so, but I didn’t leave them in the lurch. I needed to do what was right for not just me but them as well. It was unfair not to give them my full attention.

“I’m not, baby. I’m not giving up anything for you. I’m giving it up for me.”

She stares at me, confused, but before I speak, I take a few calming breaths, not only to calm myself but also to calm Lindsey. When the air around us has settled, I scoot my chair closer to her so that our knees are touching and I can take both of her hands in mine.