Switch Master: 6 (Ink and Kink)

Frances
Stockton

Book Six in the Ink and Kink
series.

Samantha has been dodging her
attraction to Taran since they met. But when she turns to him for help, the kinky
fantasies she’s had about him can no longer be denied.

Master Taran is floored when
Samantha comes to him of her own volition. Sensing his chance to end the
cat-and-mouse game they’ve been playing for months, he tests her, convincing
her to join him on a dark, sensual journey into bondage and sex. But to collar
his switch, he must be willing to submit, something he’s never done for a
lover.

As their relationship heats up,
Samantha’s heartbreaking past returns, threatening their chance at happiness.
To save her, Taran will need to be more than her Master. He’ll need to become
her soft place to fall while giving her wings to fly.

Inside Scoop:
Sam’s BDSM
awakening includes watching a scorching male/male encounter.

A Romantica®
BDSM erotic romance
from Ellora’s Cave

Dedication

For my cousin Carol, who has been waiting for Taran and
Samantha’s story for a long time. Your support has meant the world to me.

Acknowledgement

I couldn’t forget to say thank you to my friend Tara Holt.
The two of us write very different genres, yet her support and friendship have
been unwavering.

Also my sincere gratitude goes out to the police officers,
detectives, soldiers and firefighters who routinely put themselves in harm’s
way for the safety of others.

While the Missing Persons and Cold Case Homicide Division of
the Boston Police is entirely fictitious, research was required to understand
warrants, background checks and investigations. Any mistakes made are entirely
my own.

Maddox Ink and Body Art—South Boston—Late February

Hand trembling nervously, Detective Samantha Riley inserted
her borrowed key into the lock of Maddox Ink and Body Art, intending to venture
into the lair of the lion, so to speak.

Okay, that wasn’t fair. Taran Maddox, the attorney who
managed the South Boston tattoo shop on behalf of his older brothers, Phalen,
and Detective Ethan Maddox, her partner in the Missing Persons and Cold Case
Homicide Division of the Boston Police, had turned the second floor of the
building into his newly renovated law office. Nothing within this building
should intimidate her.

Nothing should make her hesitate to approach him and ask for
help. However, after meeting Taran shortly after she and Ethan had become
partners, she’d harbored a secret crush on him.

At first, it’d been easy to maintain her secret. For the
most part, Taran really hadn’t noticed her. He’d been tied up in too many
things, law school, working for a Boston law firm and preparing for the bar
exam. That was enough for any mortal human being to handle, not to mention the
string of women who always seemed to cling to him.

But that had all changed last April when she’d helped Phalen
rescue his girlfriend Cassie from the clutches of a psychopathic state senator.
Her actions irrevocably earning her partner Ethan’s unconditional respect and
gratitude, and Taran Maddox’s awareness of her as a woman.

Since then, she and Taran had been circling each other,
their attraction very real, very intense, but a little frightening. For one
thing, if her colleagues on the force were to learn of her crush on her partner
Ethan’s younger brother, she’d become the target of good-natured jests.

For another, no one needed to know she became all girly and
gooey and tongue-tied around Taran. No one needed to know how many times she’d
fantasized about him or how many times she’d wanted to call him to see if he’d
be interested in going to the movies or to dinner, but each time she’d chicken
out.

Now here she was, months later, ready to approach Taran
because she needed his legal advice, and she knew that regardless of how long
she’d danced just out of his reach, this could be the turning point in their
relationship.

Thinking she should pull out her phone to simply ask if he
could meet her later rather than use the spare set of keys she’d borrowed from
Ethan Maddox, Sam found the courage to turn the key in the lock, entering the
building.

Ahead of her were the hallowed grounds of the tattoo shop
that tended to serve members of the BPD, fire department and local athletes.
Turning away from the shop, she headed up a set of stairs, using another key to
open the office door and enter.

Lights were on inside, set to low but paving the way for her
to see that it was well appointed. A heavy oak desk resided close to a picture
window, the view of South Boston prominent with the aid of a street lamp
outside. Along the wall to the right and left of the window were Taran’s
degrees, all displayed prominently.

Bookshelves took up much of the side walls. On each, massive
law books resided. It was definitely the office of a lawyer who specialized in
civil and family cases. But it wasn’t the office or the books that kept her
from turning tail and fleeing, it was the lure of water falling and the scent
of manly soap that drew her attention toward the bathroom.

In her heart, she knew that no one else but Taran would be
taking a shower. Part of her wondered if perhaps he had someone in there with
him. It was possible. After all, they’d never gone on a date and it’d been a
few weeks since they’d last spoken to each other.

Coming into his world could be the greatest risk she’d ever
taken. Walking away now might prove the biggest mistake. For as much as she
feared discovering him with another woman, a woman who’d submit to his every
whim and fancy, she simply could not leave without knowing what he looked like
without his clothes on.

Tossing the keys to the spotless oak desk, she tugged on her
black motorcycle jacket, prepared to use it as a shield if she needed it and
walked straight to the bathroom.

The closer she came, the stronger the scent of soap and
shampoo became. It was a sexy combination of sandalwood and Irish Spring. It
shouldn’t surprise her that Taran used that brand of soap, he was much like his
brothers when it came to appreciating all things Irish or Celtic in origin.

At last at the door, she nudged it open, peeking inside,
captured at once, irrevocably. For across the small bathroom, incased in a
see-thru shower stall was the man she’d come to see, Taran Maddox, naked,
soaking wet and the most beautifully sculpted man Sam had ever had the good
fortune to watch showering away the day’s grime.

Even as she knew she should leave
before
he caught
her watching him, Sam couldn’t make her feet beat a retreat. No, she was
fascinated by the sight of him all wet and sleek with suds.

Taking a chance, she inched closer, wanting to study the
intricate Celtic scrollwork inked into Taran’s back from shoulder blade to
shoulder blade. Similar designs covered his right shoulder down to his elbow.
From what she could see, he had room to complete the tattoo sleeve on his
forearm.

He had classically defined muscle, a trim waistline and flat
abs. Unfortunately he was facing the showerhead, permitting her to see only a
side view as he rinsed his shoulder-length sable hair. Fortunately the side
view was incredibly sexy.

Better than his hair was his impressive erection jutting out
from a soaked nest of dark hair. She absolutely wasn’t going to turn away when
she noticed he was getting bigger. Stunned to know he was aroused, she simply
couldn’t walk away, not again, maybe not ever.

Taran’s masculinity was second to none, his perfection something
to behold. Sam didn’t mind the prevalence of tattoos. She especially liked the
tribal band circling his right thigh. The band made his thigh look as thick and
strong as a tree trunk. And dare she admit that his ass was positively
bite-worthy?

She was well aware that he was physically fit due to years
of training in taekwondo. Recently, he’d taken up jujitsu with Phalen and kung
fu with their mutual friend Alex Grant, a businessman with more money than
Donald Trump. Ethan told her Phalen enjoyed running early in the morning. She
wasn’t much of a jogger, but enjoyed judo and working out to keep in shape.

By all rights, Sam should give him privacy to shower without
being ogled. Except he shifted, exposing his left leg so she could see the twin
tribal band wrapped around his muscled thigh and she couldn’t leave.

It wasn’t fair to behold Taran Maddox from afar and wonder
if she was woman enough to handle him. The truth was he scared the hell out of
her.

Taran had power, strength, youth and an unshakable sense of
dominance that warned her she’d never be able to intimidate or frighten him off
as she’d done to men in the past.

Few knew that Detective Samantha Riley was afraid of the
dark and that she always kept a nightlight on in her bedroom. Or that she’d
once been a nerd more comfortable playing with computers and collecting floppy
disks in high school.

She doubted anyone suspected she’d spent the last few months
crying in the solitude of her small apartment because she’d taken a woman’s
life in the line of duty. She’d done it because there was no other choice, her
partner’s and another officer’s lives had been in danger.

While she’d been cleared of any wrongdoing after a mandatory
investigation into the shooting, she wished she could have talked Alisa Bailey out
of choosing suicide-by-cop due to the loss of her beloved daughter.

Sam knew how much it hurt to lose a child. She knew the ache
and the nightmares never really went away. If she let Taran into her world
would he expose her weaknesses or help her confront the horrible past that she
was still running from?

Instead of concentrating on the past, Sam found herself
appreciating the way Taran rinsed his splendid body. He turned a little more
toward her, revealing his massive cock.

Sam was quite simply and irrevocably caught, riveted.
Licking her lips, she moaned, fighting the sharp, insistent need to open the
shower door and worship him.

“Samantha, you’re killing me!” Taran roared, forcing her
eyes to snap upward from his big cock to his gunmetal-gray eyes.

Realizing she had no clue how long she’d been standing right
there outside the shower, she tried for bravado. It would not do for him to
discover her knees were weak and her legs turned to Jell-O, that the light
flutter deep within her belly grew sharper, more intense the longer he stared
back at her.

Everything in her wanted to bow at his feet and apologize
for avoiding this one single moment for way too long. They’d been through a
lot, weird cases, multiple weddings, arguments and a brief truce and it seemed
as if it’d all come together in this moment and time.

“Hey, pretty boy, sorry for the intrusion. I was hoping to
speak to you concerning a legal matter, I’ll wait for you out in your office,”
she said, ready to turn and leave.

“Stay. Strip down, climb on in. I don’t bite, at least not
where someone would notice,” he stated, seeming to be undaunted by her
proximity.

“Bite me, I bite back,” she warned, incredulous to feel the
melting sensation within her center pool deep in the heart of her pussy. Aware
that she’d grown damp, she shifted, half fearing he’d know and half worried
she’d never feel this way again.

“You’d better leave marks if you do, doll.”

Stunned, she couldn’t help giggling. “You’re crazy, Taran
Maddox.”

“For you, I am. What can I do to convince you that you’ve
nothing to fear from me?”

How did she answer that? Ever since Taran woke up and made
it clear he wanted to claim Sam as his own, she’d been fending him off the best
she could. She’d tried many things, namely using their nine-year age difference
to head him off at the pass.

“There’s everything to fear,” she finally said. “You’re too
young and beautiful for me.”

“That’s a crock of bull. Where’s the detective who commands
respect from her coworkers, the woman who can knock my block-headed big brother
to his ass and lead the charge in rescuing missing and exploited children?”

“Right here, but she should be running for the hills before
it’s too late.”

“It’s safe to stop running, Samantha. The sooner you do, the
sooner you’ll discover I’m one of the good guys.”

“That’s exactly why you’re better off without me. You’ve no
idea what I’ve done…where I’ve been.”

“There’s nothing in your past that would stop me from
wanting you.”

“Really, what if I’d spent the last three weeks of my
vacation dating someone new? Would that change your view?” she tested.

Taran turned off the shower, moving a little to the right to
prop himself against the wall. Did he have to look so delectable and sexy right
then? She’d seen him in many forms, wearing a tux for his big brother’s
wedding, a suit for his middle brother’s, courtroom garb and jeans or leathers
when tattooing. She’d never seen him naked.

“Have you?” he asked calmly.

“Have I what?”

“Been dating someone else?”

“Would you be jealous if I had?”

“Until you came to me of your own volition, I had no right
to be jealous.”

“How do I know you’ve not been seeing someone? After I
turned you down at Morgan and Ethan’s wedding in November you’ve been avoiding
me, except for when you wanted to show off in front of our friends during that
football-viewing party.”

“I’m sorry about that stunt,” he apologized, taking credit
for his error.

Having taken place at Alex and his husband Dr. Ryan
Hathaway’s bed-and-breakfast located in Danvers, Massachusetts, the party had
been a means for Alex’s sister, Avery, to enjoy watching the new man in her
life, linebacker Hazard Osbourne of the world-champion Alexandria Griffins,
storm the field.

The party had been fun, relaxing, with beer and buffalo
wings and chili and typical football-watching snacks. All their friends had
been there and Sam had slowly begun reconnecting with them after what happened
with Alisa Bailey, the woman she’d shot to save Ethan Maddox’s life.

Taran had been likable, charming even, until he’d declared
that the two of them would someday have children. Instead of explaining how
much it had hurt to know she’d never be able to provide him with the family
he’d craved, Samantha panicked, inciting an argument and running away from
him…again.

As a general rule, Maddox men took pride in three
things—family, friends and their insatiable need to dominate in the bedroom,
emphasis on the D. As Sam had spent many months talking with Cassie and Morgan
Maddox, knowing they were submissives and their husbands, Phalen and Ethan,
were Dominants, she was certain beyond doubt Taran was possibly the
most
dominant
of the three brothers.

“Did you hear what I said, Samantha?” Taran asked, causing
her chin to snap upward when she’d gotten lost watching a trickle of water drip
down his perfect, ripped abs, heading toward his nest of sable hair at his
groin.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” she replied.

“I apologized for the stunt I pulled at the football party.”

“You’re forgiven, though you really don’t have to apologize.
I overreacted. At the time, I didn’t understand why you’ve kept your distance.
I’d thought…maybe something had changed between us when Ethan had been in the
hospital.”

“Something changed between us the day you dropped Phalen on
his ass and opened my eyes to what I should have seen long before that. Ever
since, you’re the first thing I think of in the morning and the last image I
see when I fall asleep.”