Bound to Me Page 13

  “Jack, do you think what we do is unnatural?”

  Chapter 12

  Walking out of the large closet in a pair of loose-fitting pajama pants, Jack crossed to Kat. He’d never had to wrestle this particular question. To him, domination and submission were normal. His parents had been in a very loving D/s marriage for going on thirty-five years. Being dominant was as much a part of him as his bones and blood. “Who told you it was unnatural?” Lifting her up, he walked again toward to the big soaker tub filled with warm water and bubbles.

  “My ex-husband. He told me I needed help, that letting someone spank me and liking it was wrong. That a woman shouldn’t need anything but a man to be complete.” Kat reluctantly relinquished her hold on Jack’s neck as he slowly lowered her into the tub.

  Jack tilted her head back to wet her hair. Poor, baby. He couldn’t imagine his little sub in a vanilla relationship. She had probably been miserable and trying her hardest to save her marriage. Introduced some toys, asked for a spanking to liven things up and discovered she liked it way more than her ex did. “Tell me what you know about submission.”

  Kat was practically purring as Jack massaged her scalp clean. “In the books I read they can be kick-ass, or wimpy, some seem to be needy, some weaker, maybe a little too co-dependent at times. The ones I like best are the smart-ass ones. You think I’m submissive, don’t you?”

  “No, I know that you are submissive. Your reaction to everything we’ve done speaks volumes about your submissive tendencies.”

  “’Does that make me weak? To like the things I do? Women are supposed to be strong and independent. We’re not supposed to need a man to fulfill us.”

  “Tilt your head back. I don’t want to get soap in your eyes.” Kat complied, arching out of the water, giving him a tantalizing view of her pert breasts. “Giving your trust, testing your boundaries and limits, to me that is the definition of strength. Why should there be shame in wanting and needing?”

  Kat allowed Jack to continue washing her, quietly enjoying the sensation of being pampered and cared for, mulling over his words. Connie had told her the older Kincaid’s had been in a happy D/s relationship for over thirty years. Jack's mom didn’t seem to be a weak woman bending and bowing to her husband. Hell, she kept all the men in her life running in circles without them even being aware of what she was doing. Maybe she was overthinking the entire thing. Maybe it was as simple as she’d read in her books. Some people liked vanilla ice cream and some people liked Rocky Road. It wasn’t weird that they didn’t agree, just different strokes for different folks.

  “Come on, little Kat. If I don’t get you downstairs for Connie to coo over he’ll be up here trying to kick my ass for making you sad. He’s already accused me of trying to starve you.”

  Kat smiled as she walked into the fluffy towel Jack held out for her. “Alec is a lovely man, why doesn’t he have a girlfriend?”

  “Connie is a dominant. Contrary to what your lovely books tell you Doms outnumber the subs two to one and it’s easier to play with an unattached sub at the club.”

  And just like that Kat was focused on him like a laser. “The club in Lexington? Is it big? Oooh, do you guys have to go shirtless and wear leather pants? Are there naked women everywhere? What about sex? Holy shit, Jack, have you had sex in front of a bunch of people? I hope they disinfect everything. You know I’d never thought of that before. You should take antibacterial wipes. So should Connie. I’ll talk to him about it of course. You know they do have those travel sizes you could stick in a bag. Unless you need a lot of them, then Costco has the bulk buys. If we looked online I imagine we could even find like little leather cases for them to keep with the whole BDSM theme. I’ll have to put that on his list for shopping. He’s such a sweet man he needs a woman in his life.”

  Jack was leading Kat back to the large closet where Connie had thoughtfully unpacked her things and put them away. He wondered how Connie, the retired Navy Seal, would like being called sweet. Connie could disarm and kill a man in the blink of an eye. “Connie can get his own women. Yes, the club is in Lexington and no I don’t wear leather pants and go shirtless… all the time.”

  Kat whirled in the act of slipping on jeans and landed in a heap on the floor. “Dammit, Kat, be careful. You’re going to bruise yourself.”

  “Jack! You can’t tell me you wear leathers and expect me not to react. I mean, wow. What about the naked women? Oh my, I bet you and Connie did, well, uhmm that is… Have you slept with a lot of the women there?” Suddenly Kat realized where this line of questioning could take her. Right down green with jealousy lane. Did she really want to know the answer? No.

  “Kat, look at me. I will never lie to you. I have played with women at the club. In the common rooms and in private rooms. They were simply subs I’d paired up with for the night or the weekend. It was never serious to either of us. As for myself and Connie, yes, we’ve shared women in the past. He will never be a third for us. No man will ever be a third in our relationship. He knows those days are past, it would rip my heart out to see another man caressing this soft skin, or kissing these beautiful lips. I would never share you like that. You do enjoy being displayed though, and that has endless possibilities.” Kat dropped her eyes quickly to the floor, face reddening.

  “Little Kat, never be ashamed of your desires. There is nothing shameful in allowing others to see you take all that I can give you. When we get back to Lexington, you’ll be joining me at the club. I’ll enjoy pushing your boundaries. In front of an audience when the mood strikes.”

  “What do you mean when ‘we’ get back to Lexington?”

  Jack wanted to kick himself for bringing that up at this exact moment. He’d meant to wait until he had her deliriously sated and then just tell her he’d had her apartment packed up this morning and all the contents shipped north and she was going too. “Kat, you know…” Jack trailed off at the knock on the door. Connie wouldn’t have interrupted without cause. Giving Kat a quick kiss on the forehead, he left her floundering in the closet.

  “Jack Kincaid, you get back here. We are not leaving this conversation hanging.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, Jack, Kat.” Seeing Connie’s eyes dart over his shoulder, he knew Kat had followed him to the door. “Marty just called from the hospital. Ronan was shot while he was at the lodge. Whoa, slow down, Jack. It’s just a graze. He’s awake and hitting on the nurses and the doctor if your father can be believed.”

  Jack felt small hands wrap around him in a tight hug. “Come on, Jack, let’s finish getting ready and we’ll head down to the hospital. Your poor mother must be frantic with worry. We’ll stop and grab sandwiches from the café to feed everyone. Connie, I’m sure you’re going with us, you’re family after all. Let’s take your SUV, it’s roomier and there is no sense in taking two cars. Plus Ronan will need to come back here with us. He’s not staying at the lodge by himself. We’ll have to get rooms ready for Marty and JC. They’ll want to stay with him too.”

  Connie and Jack both stared at her for a split second, apparently a split second too long because she snapped her fingers and motioned for both of them to get going. Jack would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so serious. His little Kat was so natural in her submission he sometimes forgot how bossy she could be. “Shake a leg, Jack, Marty needs us. Men, Lord only knows how they managed to be the ones in control of the world. Useless as tits on a bull when you need them to move ass.” She continued muttering as she made her way back to find shoes.

  “Jack, did she just call us useless?” Connie stood looking after her.

  “She just called us useless tits, Connie,” Jack said with a smile.

  “Damn shame you found her first. I love a woman with spunk.”

  “I know you two aren’t still standing there nattering!” Jack smiled as Connie scooted out of the door when Kat poked her head out the closet door to see why they were still standing there, coward.

  * * * *

  Ronan
was trying his best to act normal, well, as normal as one can be after being shot, but he needed to talk to Jack and Connie alone. That gunshot was no accident, he’d seen the guy step out of the woods and look right at him then the world went black. Next thing he knew he was riding in the back of an ambulance being fondled by a large man with a deep southern accent. Why would someone want to shoot him? Hell, Jack lived here more than he did, and he only came down when they were using the lodge.

  “Ronan, eat your sandwich. You’ll need all the protein you can get to heal properly.”

  Jack’s little sub had whirled in like a dervish and proceeded to start ordering people around. A nurse had been sent to find a reclining chair for his father, whom she’d immediately made sit. His mother had been hugged thoroughly, then directed to “go sit or I’ll seat you” with a stern look and another hug. His mother had taken a seat on his dad's lap. Connie had lugged in a huge box of sandwiches, chips and mugs of coffee while the little general had barked at Jack to “clear a table for goodness sake.”

  Now everyone was slowly relaxing and enjoying an impromptu meal together. Apparently he wasn’t eating enough because the little general was now giving him her serious face. “Ronan, really, you’ve eaten half a sandwich. I picked up a protein shake too, chocolate. You’ll love it plus it’s very good for you. Now finish that sandwich, your mother is worrying enough without you wasting away.”

  Glancing over at his brother, he saw Connie had suddenly found the plain gray wall extremely interesting and Jack was grinning broadly. “Is she always this bossy, Jack?”

  “She has her moments.”

  Ignoring his brother altogether, Kat grabbed a huge Styrofoam cup, put a straw in it, and all but shoved it in his mouth. “Drink. Emma makes these in her shop. It’s full of all kinds of gross nasty stuff, but it tastes like a slice of chocolate cake.” Seeing no way out of it Ronan took a tentative sip, blessed chocolate nirvana spread through him and he grabbed the cup away from Kat, slapping at her hand when she made to help him hold it. No way was this healthy.

  “You’ve found Ronan’s Kryptonite, Kat. The man loves chocolate. Mom still buys him chocolate bunnies at Easter.” Jack ignored the one-finger salute from a happily occupied Ronan.

  Kat rolled her eyes at the two brothers and their teasing. “See, it’s great and it’ll help build up your strength. Her brothers are both trainers and she’s always experimenting with recipes to sell in their store. This is a best seller.” Smiling happily, now that Ronan had been bent to her will, Kat fluffed the pillow behind his head, kissed his forehead then walked over to Jack and nestled into his chest. He felt like home to her already.

  Jack felt peace with Kat cuddled up in his arms. Looking over her head, he saw his brother in some state of orgasmic bliss sucking the bottom out of his cup, Connie was quietly chatting up a nurse in the hallway and his mom and dad were both smiling up at him and Kat. They already loved her. She was kind and sweet and so full of love, it was amazing. She’d taken care of his family in the last hour as if she’d known them her whole life. If he hadn’t already been in love with her he’d fallen the moment she’d started barking orders at his dad. The look on his face had been priceless. The big bad Dom had been gently admonished and, for all intents and purposes, had been put into adult timeout for not taking better care of himself by a tiny sub.

  “Ronan, when they release you we’ll go ahead and head back to my house. We have plenty of rooms. Mom and Dad, you too.”

  A soft knock on the door had everyone turning to see who was there. “Emma! I just missed you at the store.” Kat hurled herself at the taller woman standing in the doorway.

  “I came as soon as the boys told me what happened. Chase is on the way too.”

  Turning with a smile, Kat proceeded to introduce the Kincaid clan to her friend, Emma. Jack could tell the younger woman was a bit overwhelmed and if the red of her cheeks was an indication, shy.

  “Ronan, this is Emma. She made the protein shake you loved so much.”

  Jack watched his brother watching the shy woman standing in front of him. Ronan had snapped to attention the moment she’d started speaking and hadn’t taken his eyes off her as Kat introduced her around the room. Interesting. Not his usual loud, blonde, large-breasted type.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kincaid. I hope you make a speedy recovery.” Emma was trying her hardest to speak in normal tones. The moment she’d made eye contact with Ronan Kincaid, her heart had started beating double time. Kat hadn’t told her Jack’s brother was smoking hot too.

  Ronan was fighting the urge to reach out and pull her onto the bed with him. Her smoky voice had arrowed straight to his groin the moment she’d opened her mouth. “Call me Ronan.” He’d tried to make it sound like a suggestion, but was pretty sure it had sounded like the command he really wanted to issue.

  Beautiful amber eyes locked on him. The beginnings of a frown was starting to etch its way over her forehead. So the little darling wasn’t as shy as she appeared. “You said the boys. What boys? Your children? A boyfriend or two? Just a friend?”

  “What?” Emma dragged her mind out of the gutter it was currently wallowing in, to focus on his question.

  “Who are the boys?” Ronan was ready to grab and shake the answer out of her when his mother intervened.

  “Ronan dear, don’t scare her half to death. She’s not used to our rough and tumble bunch.”

  Seeing an out, Emma turned to Ronan’s mother. “No problem, Mrs. Kincaid. I’m sure a gunshot wound would make me act like a cranky toddler too.”

  Jack couldn’t help the bark of laughter that comment elicited. By the look his brother was giving the young lady, had Ronan not been confined to a hospital bed, shy little Emma would have been in trouble. Interesting.

  Jack looked down to find Kat practically rubbing her hands together in glee. “Little Kat, you look very satisfied with yourself right now.”

  “Oh, well. I’m just happy that Emma got to meet your family. After all, she’s my best friend and if we are really going to be together, she’ll be around a lot.”

  Leaning down, Jack whispered for her ears only, “Is it the family you wanted her to meet or my brother?”

  Kat didn’t even try to deny it. Just cocked her head and gave him a devilish grin. “We love the same kind of books, Jack. It never hurts to help fate out a little.”

  Jack shook his head but said nothing. Emma had moved to the door and was currently engaged in a laughing discussion with Connie. Ronan looked ready to leap out of the bed and smash Connie’s face with his fist. Little Kat might have been onto something with this bit of matchmaking. Unfortunately the reason someone was shooting at his brother needed to be dealt with before they worried about Ronan’s love life.

  “Ladies.” All eyes turned to JC Kincaid as he stood from his chair. “Since we’re going to Jack’s place for a few days how about you all head back to the Lodge and get some things together. The Lodge staff can pack and deliver it for you. We’ll hold the fort together here and call you the moment we’re leaving the hospital. We wouldn’t want poor Ronan to have to wait for his things to be delivered from the Lodge, now would we?”

  There was a moment of silence. “JC Kincaid, do you think we’re idiots? From the looks and whispering y’all have been doing since Jack and Connie showed up you suspect someone shot my boy on purpose. If you think for one minute y’all are going to start plotting and planning without our input, you are sorely mistaken!” Martha Kincaid emphasized her point with a huff of indignation.

  * * * *

  After the uproar Marty’s announcement caused at the hospital. The entire family and somehow Emma had been hustled into an SUV, then into Jack’s cabin. Emma looked around at the impressive “cabin.” She knew the Kincaids came from money, but Kat needed to explain to him what good old Southern folk thought a cabin actually was. This place reminded her of a small ski chalet, without the skis or the snow. Of course, Kat would have to not have a mou
th full of Kincaid tongue before she could tell him anything, and it didn’t look like that would happen anytime soon judging by the lip lock the pair were in presently.

  “Kat, geez, let the man breathe more than ten seconds.” The slightly embarrassed giggle from her normally so not giggly friend warmed her heart.

  “He’s not complaining, Emma.”

  “He surely is not,” Jack said with a smile and smack on her ass before exiting the kitchen.

  “I’m glad you’re so happy, Kat. Even if he’s filthy rich he seems like a nice guy and his parents are wonderful.”

  “What about his brother?” Kat asked as nonchalantly as possible.

  “What about him?” Emma suddenly found her cuticles extremely interesting and refused to look up at Kat.

  “Ha! I knew it. You think he’s hot.”

  “Seriously, Kat, a nun would think the man was hot. That doesn’t mean anything except I have good eyesight.”

  “Well then what about Connie? He’s nothing to sneeze at.”

  “Will you quit already? Just because you’re in love doesn’t mean you get to fix everyone else up. I’m content with where I’m at right now. The business is starting to take off for me and the boys and I’ve got enough on my plate without dealing with your matchmaking.”

  “We never did get around to discussing exactly who your boys were, Emma.” A deep growl had her turning to the door of the kitchen only to find the topic of their conversation lounging there as if he hadn’t been shot less than six hours ago.