Declan shifted his weight from one hip to the other. He was already growing tired of talking with her.

“Listen, go back to your practice. I’ll call you tomorrow. Okay?”

Declan nodded. He managed to get through the rest of the evening without another Katherine encounter. In truth, he spent most of his time pondering what Owen had said about pushing Charlotte. It was starting to make perfect sense to him. She had some confidence issues and he wasn’t helping them by babying her. In fact, he was probably making them worse.

He walked to the edge of the clearing, out of earshot from the group and called Emerson Stone. He was opening the dungeon for a private event the next Thursday at nine p.m. He planned to get there to ready the place at seven. They could have the dungeon to themselves for two hours. Perfect.

It felt like a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. It was how he always felt when he had a plan in place.

Declan headed back toward the house to bid Becker farewell. Katherine had him cornered in the kitchen, so he kept walking. From the looks of it, she was pouring on her charm pretty thick.

All he could focus on was getting home to call Charlotte. Being away from her was starting to kill him, and he didn’t want to think about why that was.

***

Tuesday at the office dragged. A brief call from Katherine interrupted the monotony. She wanted to pop by Declan’s house after work to talk. He explained he had plans at seven and couldn’t make it. Katherine tried her usual manipulation tactics to change his mind but if he ever wasn’t in the mood for one of her mind fucks, it was right then. Declan considered telling her off right then and there but thought better of it.

The munch group they hung out in was small. Unless one of them moved out of town, they couldn’t avoid running into each other. He thought of Charlotte and how Katherine would relish inflicting hurt with her words. Declan knew he had to keep the peace, so he bit his tongue and told Katherine they’d have to make it another time. He thought she handled it well. He placated her enough to get her off the phone and out of his hair so he could go back to watching the clock. It had to be the slowest fucking day ever.

By four fifteen, he’d had enough. He couldn’t stand it another minute. He shut down his laptop and made a quick exit.

About halfway home, he realized that he was as hard as steel. Mental images of Charlotte’s creamy white bare bottom flogged and striped just about had him coming in his pants like a teenager.

Get a grip. You seriously can’t lose your head tonight. If you want to keep seeing her … God, how I want her … Fuck.

And there was the problem. Declan wanted Charlotte more than he’d ever wanted anyone or anything in his entire life. She was fucking perfection. Five and a half feet of the deadliest curves known to man with an angel’s face that could turn the holiest saint to a sinner. And the way she was all fucked up in the head was adorable. Especially because she knew it. She was humble and nice and caring, and he wanted to fuck her until all those dirty words she edits came tumbling out of that sweet mouth of hers. Declan wanted her to scream his name as he flogged her. And then watch her blush when he kissed her in front of her parents because she knew he might go further because she couldn’t help but imagine it.

I want her in my world every day for the rest of my life.

Declan mentally calculated the number of days he’d known Charlotte. It was too soon to be making such statements. He was with Katherine for a year and never came close. Somewhere in his bones, he knew about Charlotte. He couldn’t explain it.

He headed straight to the shower when he got into the house. He needed to jack off in the worst possible way. Declan barely waited until the water was warm enough before stepping inside. His hand went to work on his hardened length, rubbing out a quick one in a matter of minutes. Fuck, that felt good. Declan washed his hair and lathered up his body. Yet his dick was still bobbing around like a bottle in the ocean. Fuck!

He had a choice. He could walk around with a hard-on or take care of it. Fuck. Declan rested his head on his left arm while his right hand started stroking. He let his mind wander where it wanted to go. Charlotte. Charlotte’s tight ass and how heavenly it was going to feel when he fucked it for the first time. Her head rising and dipping on his lap with a collar around her neck and a chain hanging between her clamped nipples. Marking her sweet white ass until all her pain and all her tears belonged to him. Until she belonged to him. Fuck yes.

He gripped his cock as the last of his cum spewed over his hand. Damn, I love that woman. The water was getting cooler. He’d been in the shower a long time. It was worth it, though. His dick was starting to relax. God, I needed that.

He turned off the water and opened the door to reach for a towel. His heart skipped a beat when he heard a voice. Declan froze and held his breath.

Katherine? Declan couldn’t make out the words, but that was definitely her voice. He listened for a second voice. Who is she talking to? He couldn’t hear anyone. Is she on the phone? What the FUCK is she doing here?

After Declan got over the initial shock of hearing someone in his house, he was pissed off beyond belief. He sprinted over to his chest of drawers and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

When he made his way across the living room toward the kitchen, Katherine was chopping up vegetables.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m cooking you dinner. I wanted to talk to you before you left.”

“How the fuck did you get in here?”

“It was open.”

As Declan pulled his hand away, he noticed a key sitting on the counter top.

“Who were you talking to earlier?”

“Oh. Um, your friend. That girl from your work.”

It didn’t take him long to put it together. Charlotte had come over and found Katherine. Oh, fuck no! Panic started to rise in him the likes he’d never felt before.

Declan grabbed Katherine’s wrist and yanked her toward the door.

“Declan, you know how much I like it when you hurt me like this.”

“Shut up, Katherine. Where’s your purse?”

“I didn’t bring one.”

“Your car keys?”

“In my pocket.”

“Good.” Declan yanked her through the front door and onto the stoop. “I don’t want you to come back here. Ever. Do you understand?”

She had the nerve to look shocked. Her bottom lip began to quiver. “I know I fucked up, Declan, but I promise I won’t do it again.”

“I don’t care. It’s over. I’m with someone else. Now, leave.”

Katherine stood her ground as if preparing to argue with him.

“I mean it, Katherine. This isn’t a game. Go. Now.”

She turned and stomped toward her car. He didn’t wait for her to drive off. He turned back toward the house. Somehow he needed to right this wrong. But in order to do that, he’d have to catch Charlotte first.

Declan turned off the stove and checked to see if anything else was on, then he ran to the bedroom and pulled out his leather pants and a pair of shoes. He located the cuffs he used on Charlotte, plus a matching collar and ankle cuffs that he hadn’t shown her yet. In the back of his closet was his dungeon satchel. He opened it and threw the cuffs and collar inside.

He swiped Charlotte’s key off the counter and dashed out the door to his car.

Chapter Twelve

Charlie didn’t regret her decision to visit Emerson. He helped her clear her mind, and think more clearly. She knew she needed to confront the pain of the past before she could ever fully be Declan’s. She missed him like crazy, and she wasn’t sleeping well despite her brother’s hospitality. After a few nights of sleeping in Declan’s bed, she’d grown accustomed to sleeping next to him. A dull ache settled in her bones. Charlie’s body physically complained about his absence. I need to see him.