Page 47 of Axe Marks the Spot

He nods. “I do.”

“And you’ve never seen me?”

“I would have remembered if I’d seen you before last weekend.”

The back of my neck prickles, and my body tingles. Is he…attracted to me? This is bad. He’s my Dom and now my kid’s instructor.

“Lindsey.”

I look into his eyes, which should be drawn by every artist on the planet and captured in photos. They’re insanely beautiful and intense, the kind of intense that scares me but also sends all the moisture from my mouth to my vagina.

“Yes, Sir?” My response slips from me so easily that I slap my hand over my mouth. Dane shifts on his feet, his chin dipping slightly.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” I mutter. “I don’t know why I said that.”

“It’s okay,” he says calmly. “This is an unusual situation.”

I inhale a calming breath, refusing to look him in the eye again. “I should go.” I turn to leave, but his hand snags mine before I can fully turn around. I look down at our hands together. His skin is tanned from hours in the sun, and mine is pale from a lack of vitamin D. When he squeezes my hand gently, I look up at him.

Our eyes meet, and he drops his hand. I want to grab it back, but I keep the urge locked down. I was about to leave; I shouldn’t want to hold hands with a man I hardly know. Or want any of the things I’ve thought about with him beyond what our agreement stated.

“The kids are waiting, but I’d like to talk to you more about this,” he says.

“About what, exactly? That the man I agreed to do—you know what with—is now my kid’s instructor?”

Dane’s face is emotionless, but his eyes sparkle again as if he finds this entertaining.

I roll my shoulders and force myself to stare directly into his eyes. “I’ll make this easy,” I say. “Everything between us stops now.”

The sparkle in his eyes dim and his reply comes out even and quick. “That’s not necessary, Lindsey.”

“It is.”

He steps toward me, his voice quiet as he says, “Are you saying your safe word then?”

The air around us grows tense, and we’re standing close enough that if I were to lean in, our lips would touch. My heart flutters, the word red on the tip of my tongue. I should say it, withdraw consent and end it here and now. But I can’t make myself because I know that’s not what I want. I’m just reacting to the shock of everything.

Dane exhales, and my shoulders ease a bit. “Would you take time to think about it for me?” he asks.

We stare at each other for another long moment. Time slows, and the blues, greens, and golds of his eyes hypnotize me. Eventually, I release the breath I was holding, and I dip my chin.

“Yes, Sir,” I reply. It’s quiet, and I don’t know if I should have said it again here in public, but it already feels so natural. That realization rips a shiver up my spine.

He releases a low hum, and he shifts his body so his mouth is near my ear. “Good girl.”

Another shiver undulates through me, and he steps back, his features a mask of confidence. “After you.” He gestures back the way we came.

I wet my lips and force my Jell-O legs to walk. Dane looks at me one more time before we reach the point where we part ways—him to the children and me back to the other parents, who I plan to avoid like the plague.

“Message me later with your decision, yes?” he asks before we part.

“I will,” I answer, making sure to leave the Sir out this time.

He nods and walks away to where the kids are while I face the group of parents watching me as if I’m their new favorite movie.

“You were back there for quite a while,” Mandy comments as I approach.

“It’s nothing,” I respond, probably too quickly. “He’s a friend, and he had a question about Levi’s leg.” The lie is an easy one, but I know the women don’t buy it.