Not Until You: Part VI Read Free Page B

of knowing I could make him sound so truly awed. “Thank you, sir.”
    He gave me one last squeeze, then stepped away again, letting the breeze soothe my burning back. “That round was for opening your door without checking. You’ve got one more to go for lying.”
    I nodded, fear getting choked out by far more potent things—like lust and need and pleasure. “I understand.”
    He touched the back of my head, and the blindfold slipped away. It took me a second to realize what he’d done, my eyes still closed, but soon the light registered. I lifted my lids, afraid of what I was going to find. If other people were there, I knew the panic would come back. I’d prefer to have the safety of the blindfold. But when I blinked, focusing, I saw no other soul. Instead, a beautifully lush garden spread out before me, gilded in moonlight and the glow of twinkle lights that had been strung through some of the trees.
    My gaze moved downward, finding my feet nestled in the soft earth, my legs surrounded by lovely, white flowers. I lifted my head, taking in the rope holding me between two thick-trunked trees, the branches providing a canopy above me. It was like going to sleep in one place and waking up in Eden. It was . . . magical. And breathtaking.
    Foster stepped around from one of the tress, riding crop rolling between his fingers and his gaze hot on me. The embodiment of temptation in the garden. “Hi there.”
    I shook my head, still a bit stunned. “What is this place?”
    He walked forward, the low light tracing the angles of his face. “The restaurant’s vegetable and herb garden.”
    “It’s beautiful,” I breathed, my eyes on him.
    “Now it is.” He traced the tip of the riding crop along the curve of my breast. “You look like you sprung up right out of the earth like those flowers. So naturally gorgeous.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    I let my gaze move around the span of the garden, over the rows of bell peppers, tomatoes, and dark green bunches of rosemary and thyme. No wonder the place smelled so heavenly. “Is Kade still here?”
    Foster’s lips tilted. “He helped me tie you up and brought me my bag from the car. Then he left and locked the door behind him so we could be all alone.”
    “But I thought—”
    He pressed the flat leather tip of the riding crop against my lips. “I told you every man here was turned on. And that’s the truth. I am very, very turned on, angel. I needed to see that you would trust me. You did well.”
    Something inside me bloomed. I
had
trusted him, but doubts had lingered in my mind like mosquitos I couldn’t swat away. Now I knew that he was truly worthy of that trust. He had pushed me to an edge but hadn’t violated my faith in him by taking it somewhere I wasn’t ready for yet. Even only knowing me a short time, he knew how far to take it, how to push yet still protect the shaky confidence that was trying to build into something more solid inside me.
    I closed my eyes and kissed the crop.
    An audible breath whooshed out of him, and he lowered the crop. “You humble me, angel.”
    My mouth curved, and I met his gaze again. “Well, if you ever get the urge to kneel at my feet, I won’t stop you.”
    His smirk lit his eyes with humor. “Maybe I was wrong. You
are
a brat.”
    “Is that bad?” I asked, beginning to understand that the term must mean something significant in this world.
    “It can be for some. But I have to say, I’m kind of liking your smartass side. Gives me more opportunity to do this in repayment.” He snapped the crop against the tender underside of my breast.
    I shrieked in surprise, both at the pain and the pleasure that chased right up to my nipple afterward. The ropes creaked as I shifted my weight in response to all the sensation. “Ah, God.”
    “Yes, now may be the time for prayer. You have one more punishment to handle.” His grin was pure male promise. “Forty-nine to one, angel.”
    I wet my lips, eyeing the riding crop and