Dare to Surrender

“Gladly.” He deposited me back on the chair while releasing the last tie keeping my bikini top in place.

Suddenly my br**sts were bare. Before I could cover myself, he grabbed both arms and tied them together with my bathing suit top, then raised them over my head. “Don’t. Move.”

His gaze came to my br**sts, thrust forward by virtue of their position, and his eyes darkened with lust.

I swallowed hard. “Why?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Because you weren’t getting the pleasure I intended for you to receive. You weren’t paying attention. Now you have no choice.”

“No, why do you tie me up?” I asked, really not understanding. Yes, it felt good. Yes, it forced me to think about nothing but every stroke of Gabe’s tongue and the erotic things he did to my body. But his answer didn’t make sense to me, and I wanted more. I wanted to know what went on inside his head. I’d only begun to get him to open up.

His greedy gaze roamed over me, and I knew my bikini bottoms would come off next. And he still hadn’t answered me.

Warily, watching him the entire time, I lowered my hands—against his instructions. He reached out and tweaked my nipple hard. It hurt for an instant before blossoming into arousal, as evidenced by the moisture dampening my bathing suit.

I drew a shuddering breath. “Answer me, and I’ll listen. And tack on an explanation for the need to cause a little pain with your pleasure while you’re at it.”

“Brat,” he muttered. A grin tipped the edges of his sensual lips despite his best effort to remain serious.

“I need it, Iz. I need the control.”

I got that much. “Why?” Everything inside me screamed it was more than an erotic kink, and I wanted to understand.

He exhaled hard. “I’m a caretaker.”

“You were forced into the role when your parents died.”

“It’s just who I am. With other women, it was kink. With you, it’s a driving, blinding need to give you pleasure at my hand. If you’re tied, you have no choice but to give over to the pleasure.” He paused.

And I rewarded his openness by lifting my arms back in place.

A blazing heat entered his eyes along with an appreciative smile on his lips. “It’s simple,” he went on. “If you argue or stop me like you did before, then I’m not doing my job, I’m not taking care of you. And make no mistake, kitten, I always intend to give you what you need. A little bondage, some light punishment, puts you back in the right headspace. That’s it.” He lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. “It’s all about you. It’ll always be about you.”

Liquid warmth oozed through my veins at his gruff admission. It wasn’t just about kink, it was about me. I mattered. I couldn’t remember when anyone had really cared about me before Gabe.

Tears threatened, and I struggled not to let them fall. Unfortunately, emotion got the best of me, and I choked back a sob. He was beside me in an instant, removing the ties to free my hands and pulling me into his arms, all thoughts of anything but comforting me forgotten.

Chapter Sixteen

Isabelle: Not All About Me

The rest of my time in Eden passed in a blissful blur. Work took up more time than I thought it would after realizing Gabe was on the island. To his credit, he really did let me have uninterrupted working hours with his sister. Today was our last day. Sadness engulfed me, but I’d always remember this island as the time I’d rediscovered Gabe and what it meant to really know someone and to care.

Lucy and I had agreed on one last meeting, and early morning, we sat in the basement at a table that had belonged to the original dance club, refining ideas. Lucy had brought sketches of her original vision, one based on the other Elite sites around the country. But considering this was an island that commanded an aura of mystery and respect, I suggested she veer off the expected course.

Elite was normally a glittery club that celebrities wanted to come to—people could see and be seen or request private space that normally consisted of a roped-off table or raised dais area where they could look out around the club—or have others see them and wonder just who they were. The island, on the other hand, was a place more for solitude and fantasy. I’d certainly gotten mine—Gabe luring me here, wanting me back, and giving me my dream job. I thought people who came to Eden would want something more for their private club.

I agreed that the main bar area should have the expected Elite feel, but I also suggested separate theme rooms that could be modified for different fantasies. Lucy loved the concept, and soon we were tossing around ideas that had us giggling and even squirming a bit when the Master stopped by and casually mentioned guests requesting BDSM-themed dungeons.

After taking notes, Lucy finally closed her portfolio and met my gaze. “Go find my brother, or he’ll kill me for not giving him his final time with you here.”

I smiled. “Thank you for everything. I know including me in this project was a favor, and I won’t let you down.” I rose to my feet.

“You aren’t. You haven’t. Your ideas are awesome.”

Excitement and a sense of purpose filled me. I picked up my bag, figuring I could run up to the room and see if Gabe and I could have some alone time before we had to leave the island. I turned to go.

“Iz—” Lucy had adopted Gabe’s nickname for me.

I liked it. It made me feel like I had made a real friend, and I hoped she felt the same way. I turned back around. “What’s up?” I asked.

“He’d kill me for talking about him again, but I need you to know, you changed him.”

I narrowed my gaze.

“It’s like he was walking around in this fog, dating women he couldn’t possibly fall for, running the business, worrying about me … but never taking anything for himself. I worried he’d always be alone.”

I swallowed hard, knowing what that was like and hating it for Gabe. Remembering the other room in his apartment, I knew Lucy was right. That was the exact path down which he’d been headed.

It was a path I knew too well. “I was the same way,” I admitted to the other woman.

“Maybe you two saw that in each other. I don’t know. But I do know you’ve changed him. He’s more open and … vulnerable, not that he’d admit such a thing. But it’s good. And it’s thanks to you.” Lucy stood and pulled me into a warm hug. “I like you, Iz.”

Tears threatened. Other than Lisa, this was the first woman I’d felt a kinship with in years. “I like you too.”