Ann Mayburn - Sodom and the Phoenix

Leaning against the side of a mint condition 1956 blue Corvette convertible, clad in a pair of worn jeans that fit his body like a second skin, was Bryan. For a moment, her time with him in VR and that same car superimposed until she could almost see him in his cop uniform with the handcuffs gleaming on his hip. He wore a dark T-shirt that clung to his powerful shoulders, and his blue eyes, as warm as the Caribbean waters, held her gaze until a tremble swept through her from head to toe.

Another beep sounded, but this time it was from a minivan trying to drive past where she was frozen in the walkway. She raised her hand in apology, and her body seemed to float toward Bryan’s like a magnet pulled across the floor. The closer she got, the harder her heart beat, until the thrum filled her ears.

“Bryan?”

“Hello, Tanwen.” He reached toward her, then crossed his arms over his chest.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” She leaned against the bumper and clutched her bag.

He pointed over to the section of the hospital under construction for the new pediatric wing. “I’m working over there for the next eighteen months.”

Her voice came out in a breathy whisper. “You are?”

“Yep.”

When he didn’t elaborate any further, only continued to stare at her as if he wanted to eat her alive, she cleared her throat and stroked her hand over the warm hood of the car. “Where did you get this?” What she wanted to ask was why he’d bought the car, but she was afraid of the answer. Her practical mind said she shouldn’t look too deeply into it. After all, it was an awesome car; he could have easily bought it just because it was art on wheels.

He lovingly stroked his hand along the hood. “Took me weeks to find just what I wanted and a lot of hard work to get it, but I think it was worth every bit of blood, sweat, and tears.” He pulled her unresisting body into his arms. “Anything worth having is worth working for.”

She wanted so badly just to press her head against his chest, to listen to his heart, to convince herself that he really was here, but she held back. “Why are you here, Bryan?”

“Because I’m a dumb-ass and a shitty dom.”

She blinked up at him. “You are not a shitty dom.”

“But I am a dumb-ass,” he said in a dry voice, but his grip on her tightened when she giggled. “Tanwen, I’m sorry. I had no right to hurt you like that. One of the most important things in a D/s relationship—hell, in any relationship—is communication. I feel like we both weren’t being honest with each other or ourselves. It’s no wonder things got so screwed up.”

She swallowed hard and tried to keep the tremble out of her voice as she said, “Who was that woman with you?”

He titled his head and seemed honestly puzzled. “What woman?”

“Bryan, I saw you with her.” He continued to stare at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about, and her temper surfaced. “The pretty brunette you hugged in the hallway. I came to return your shirt after I left Margo’s room, and I saw you with her.”

The lines around his eyes deepened for a moment, then relaxed as he laughed. “A very young woman with long dark hair and a tan?”

She nodded and stiffened as he ran his knuckles down her cheek, jerking away from his touch. “Yes, her.”

“That is Juanita, Greg’s sister. She drove up from their house to get some of Margo’s things to take to the hospital. Greg had asked me to go to their room to pack some of their stuff. She came to my room to give me a hand carrying down all those bags. You have no idea the amount of stuff Margo wanted with her at the hospital.” He grinned at the memory. “I tried stopping by your room on the way back, but there was no answer when I knocked. I went with her to see the new baby, and when I returned to the hotel, I found out you’d left.” He shook his head and closed his eyes, blowing out a deep breath. “Tanwen, if you had just knocked on the door, you could have seen for yourself.”

She covered her face with her hands, feeling like an idiot. “I didn’t want to have to see you…doing things with another woman.”

He pulled her hands down and made her look at him. Anger had chilled the blue in his eyes to ice. “Do you really think that’s the kind of man that I am? That I would make love to you and then turn around and sleep with someone else right away?”

Unable to answer him, she said in a soft voice, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, Tanwen. Sorry we both weren’t truthful with each other. Sorry I didn’t tell you how I felt about you.” He stepped closer and nudged her foot with the tip of his boot. “I think you’re an amazing woman and I’d be a fool to let you get away.”

She let her bag slide off her arm and cupped his face in her hands, still marveling that he was really here. “If we’re being honest, then there are some things I need to say. While our time together was one of the most amazing experiences in my life, I feel like we skipped a lot of important things.” Her stomach clenched, but she continued. “If we’re going to try this, I need to slow it way down.”

He nipped her palm. “Damn, and I had a spreader bar and some clamps packed in my trunk for you.”

Her body heated at that image, and she felt the answering hardness of his groin as she pressed her hips into his. “Would you like to go out to dinner? ”

He tugged her hand and brought her around to the back of the car, popping the trunk. Inside lay a blanket and a huge picnic basket. “I was kinda hoping you’d mention something like that.”

As he slammed the trunk shut, she cocked her hip and gave him a teasing grin. “Awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m just sure that what we have is too good to let it pass by.” He held up his hand to forestall anything she might say. “I know we rushed things, but Tanwen, I can’t keep you out of my mind. I want you to know from the start that I plan on doing everything I can to win your heart so in eighteen months, when my contract here is up, either I stay or you come home with me.”

She laid her cheek against his chest, joy radiating through her soul strong enough to drown out the practical voice in her head. “I like the sound of that. ”

He buried his hand in the hair on the back of her head, tilting her face up to his. She could spend the rest of her life looking at Bryan and never grow tired of seeing him. He lowered his mouth to hers and captured her lips in a kiss that was surprisingly fierce and oh so deliciously demanding. Her lips parted for him, and at the first taste of him, a little moan choked out of her throat. This, this was what she wanted, what she needed. Archaic or not, she had never felt so complete, so alive as when she found herself in this remarkable man’s arms.

When they finally broke their kiss, the sun had dipped lower toward the horizon and bathed the world in a soft golden light. He grabbed her bag off the ground and tossed it into the car. “Let’s get going. I found a nice, secluded park about thirty minutes from here. You can scream as loud as you want, and no one will call the police.”

She meant for her voice to come out sharp, but instead it came out in a husky purr. “What makes you think I’ll be screaming?”

His devilish smile was filled with such heat that her nipples immediately hardened to aching points. If he didn’t touch her soon, she was going to die. “You don’t think that big picnic basket holds only food, do you?”

With a laugh, he helped her into the car, then settled in the driver’s seat. Their eyes met, and he leaned toward him, giving her a soft and sweet kiss that utterly melted her heart. When he pulled back, he smiled at her and laid a possessive hand on her leg. The warmth of his hand on her thigh seared her flesh through her scrubs as she imagined all the wonderful and wicked things he had planned for them. The engine rumbled as he eased the Corvette out of the parking spot, and as the wind whipped through her hair, she laughed, long and loud, unable to contain her joy. Some things were so precious, so dear that they were worth risking everything for. Her practical mind knew without a doubt that Bryan was one of those gifts that only came by once or twice in a lifetime. She was going to treasure every moment of their time together for the rest of her life.