Zurlo, Michele - Two Masters for Samantha [Awakenings 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (31 page)

* * * *

Stefano woke later than usual. The previous day had been exhausting. Meetings had begun at eight in the morning, and he hadn’t been able to fall asleep until well past
midnight
.

Dawn streamed into his room. As a devout morning person, Stef never closed his curtains. He liked to be greeted by the first fingers of a new day. He threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before washing his face and wetting down his cowlick in a vain attempt to tame it.

He didn’t hesitate outside of Sam’s door. It was open and he hadn’t left it that way. A quick peek confirmed that she was awake and about. Stefano smiled. Alexei wouldn’t be up for several more hours. He was going to have Sammy to himself for most of the morning.

It wasn’t that he minded sharing with Lex, it was just that he wanted some time alone with her. He would allow Alexei the same consideration later in the day.

As he made his way to the kitchen, he listened for sounds that would indicate she was there, replenishing the energy she had burned the night before and gearing up for another physically strenuous day.

He heard nothing. “Sammy?”

Glancing around, he didn’t see her. He checked the patio, but she wasn’t there. Panic clutched his gut. She hadn’t left, had she? Had they been too harsh with her? Had she decided she didn’t want to be with them like this and left?

Then a lone figure in the distance caught his eye. Sammy stood on the beach, inches from the water. Wind pressed her dress tight against her body, exposing her curves to the sun and surf. The more aggressive waves reached out to caress her bare feet. As he came closer, he realized she was wearing the same dress she had been wearing at the airport when they picked her up.

Her arms were crossed over her stomach and her face was tipped back, drinking in the morning sunlight. She had the same blissful expression on her face that she had when they tied her up both times. One more stimulus and she would achieve subspace.

She hadn’t seen him yet. Stefano stopped short, conflicted. On one hand, he was shocked to see that she could achieve this state without his involvement. On the other hand, he was pleased to see her happy, indomitable spirit intact.

Throwing caution to the wind, he shifted his trajectory so that he would come up behind her. He slipped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her shoulder near the strap holding up her dress. She smelled like soap and the salty air.

Sammy lifted her arms to accommodate him, and then she replaced them, leaning her head back against his shoulder and hugging him closer. “Good morning, Stef.”

His heart jumped at the fact she knew it was him without looking. All of his doubts fled. “Good morning, sunshine.”

She laughed, a quiet sound almost swallowed by the swish of waves under their feet. “You have one incredible view here. I’ve been all around the country photographing sunrises and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so lovely before.”

“No,” he said. “There isn’t anything this lovely anywhere.” He wasn’t looking at the rising sun per se. He was watching the way the light played over her features, highlighting the subtle shades of gold in her hair and the darker flecks in her pale blue eyes.

Without altering her gaze, she reached up a hand and caressed his cheek. He hadn’t shaved, but the rough stubble didn’t seem to put her off. “You’re such a man,” she said. “Using lines when there’s no need for flattery.”

“It’s not flattery, Sammy. I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Now she tore her eyes from the horizon to look back at him. “Are you angry with me for last night?”

Surprise had him turning her around in his arms. “No. Why would you think that?”

A blush stained her cheeks. “I wasn’t exactly well-behaved. I couldn’t seem to help it.”

Stefano laughed. “I like your spirit, Sammy, and your sense of humor. In the playroom, those things are going to get you punished more times than not. Outside of the playroom, hell, even inside, I don’t want you hiding those parts of yourself.”

She slid her hands up, caressing his stomach and chest. “I have no intention of changing who I am for you or anyone else, Stef. Last night, you showed me a side of myself I’ve denied for far too long. I meant to thank you, but I don’t remember leaving the playroom or how exactly I made it to bed.”

He was falling under the spell of her touch, not that it was difficult to do since he was already enthralled with her. “Lex carried you upstairs. We showered you and put you to bed.”

The playful smile on her lips faded. “I woke up alone.”

They hadn’t explained that to her beforehand. He hoped she would forgive the oversight. “It’s your room, Sammy. Neither of us will come inside there without your invitation or consent.”

She frowned. He wanted to banish it with a kiss or a declaration, but he knew that now was not the right time for either.

“You need a safe space where you have all the control,” Stefano explained. “Your room is your sanctuary. It’s a space neither Lex nor I will violate. Anything that happens in there only happens with your consent.”

Sammy tilted her head to the side. “You haven’t done anything without my consent, Stef. Every time you did something to me last night, you asked me for the green light first. That’s consent.”

He was pleased she understood that. A strand of hair blew across her face. He used that as an excuse to touch her. He wasn’t explaining this correctly. The other women they’d had in their playroom hadn’t been invited to stay for more than one night. Nobody put a premium on personal space when it was so short-term.

“You’re the boss in your room. If you were to come into my room, I would be the boss. Same thing with Lex’s room. In the playroom, we’re your Doms. In the rest of the house, we’re your Doms, only it’s toned down a lot.”

“Out here?”

Stefano shrugged. “Out here, nature is the boss. Look, Sammy, you said you weren’t going to change for anyone, and I’m fine with that. I like you the way you are. But you have to understand that Lex and I are who we are. We’re not going to change, either.”

The palms of her hands had been resting against his chest. She used them now as leverage to put distance between them. “It’s just a weekend, Stef. Nobody has to change for a weekend fling. We’ll just enjoy one another until my flight leaves tomorrow.”

Stefano looked toward the sun rise and back down before his retinas burned. He wanted to argue that this wasn’t just a weekend. It was the beginning of something wonderful that he wasn’t willing to give up. He held out a hand to her. “Let’s go for a walk.”

* * * *

Samantha let Stefano take her hand. She wasn’t sure about the strange expression on his face, but he didn’t say anything as they walked down the beach in companionable silence. The swish of the waves sang a peaceful lullaby.

“You said you’ve photographed sunrises all around the country. I thought it was extremely difficult to take a picture of the sun.”

She glanced over at him. He wore cutoff jean shorts and a loose, white cotton T-shirt with a V-neck. Thigh muscles bunched and strained with every step he took. Like her, he was as barefoot. The beach bum look suited him.

“I use special lenses and filters. It works with sunsets, too.”

He changed the way he held her hand, twining his fingers with hers. “You didn’t bring equipment with you.”

It was something she regretted, but she hadn’t known how much time she would have without one or both of them demanding attention. “I wouldn’t make a difference. You guys took my things. All I have is this dress.”

Stef grinned. “Your things are in Lex’s closet. If you want to take pictures next time, you can bring whatever you want. Pack it separately and we’ll put it in your room.”

Samantha tried not to bristle at the casual way he treated her passion. Photography was a hobby for most people. She’d never explained that it meant so much more to her.

He mistook her unease. “Sammy, I didn’t mean to get ahead of you, but Alexei and I already know we want to see you again. It’s completely up to you, of course.”

It amazed her that she was supposed to be the submissive, yet they left everything up to her. Stefano’s soft assurance made a place deep inside Sam sing. This weekend had barely begun, yet she knew she wanted to be here again. “I’d like that.”

Stefano exhaled, and Sam realized he had been nervous about her response. Without missing a step, he scooped her into his arms and twirled her around. She hung onto his shoulders and laughed at his impulsive display of joy. Then he stopped and let her slide down his body. The heat and the feel of his hard body against hers made her forget why she laughed.

When she was still a few inches from the ground, he kissed her hard. Fire ignited, stoked higher by the friction generated as she continued to slide down his front. The grainy feel of sand under her feet did nothing to tame the feelings she couldn’t control.

He didn’t bother with finesse, instead opting to thrust his tongue into her mouth to possess her completely. Samantha expected him to drop them to the sand and pound into her with a fury that put the surf to shame.

But he ended the kiss. His fist, entwined in her hair, held her forehead to his even as he held his body away from hers. “Sammy, I want you, but I’m going to wait until we get back to the house. I don’t want you to think all I want from you is sex.”

Panting, Samantha nodded. She didn’t quite understand why he wouldn’t march her back to the house and have his way with her. After all, that was the reason she had come all the way to
Florida
. She wanted him to want her for sex, for the special kind of sex he was so good at.

His fist dropped away, and his other hand came up to hold hers as he led her down the beach, away from the house. “Tell me about this traveling thing you do for
Elizabeth
.”

Sammy peered at Stefano through narrowed eyes. The way he said her boss’s name implied familiarity. “Do you know Elizabeth Keyes?”

Stefano nodded. “She was one of the few people my mom was friends with.
Elizabeth
was over my house quite a bit when I was little. She was kind of like an aunt to Lex and me.”

Dots connected. Sabrina’s mother, who had arranged for this job, was friendly with
Elizabeth
. She had known the Morozovs as well. Sam had forgotten that the Morozovs were connected to her sister-in-law’s family.

“So,” Stefano prompted. “What do you do for
Elizabeth
?”

“I travel around to wherever she sends me looking for high-end vacation experiences. She used to do it herself, but she said she’s getting old and she hates sleeping in foreign beds.”

Stefano nodded. His eyes focused on the endless expanse of sand stretching down the shoreline in front of them. “And you like to travel.”

Sammy shrugged. “I do and I don’t.”

Stopping suddenly, Stefano tugged her hand until she faced him. “What do you mean by that?”

It was Sam’s turn to look at the places where the water met the land. “I like to photograph and paint sunrises and sunsets. I’ve seen some spectacular things while I’ve had this job, and it pays the bills.”

“But?”

She turned to continue down the beach, but he tugged at her again.

“This is the end of our property. If we go any further, we’ll be in a federally protected wildlife preserve. I’d rather not crush an endangered species under my feet. Not only is it wrong, but some of them have a nasty sting.”

Raising a hand to her cheek, he closed the distance between them. “Sammy, I want to know things about you. I want to know what’s important to you.”