Unbind My Heart (5 page)

“This is nice,” he said as he rubbed the sheet of fabric between his fingers.  “Is it a shawl?”

“It’s a pashmina, which is more like a scarf.  I know it’s August and still warm, but I tend to freeze in the air conditioning and this seems to do the trick.  Too dowdy, do you think?”

“On the contrary, it’s quite lovely and the black lace makes it quite sexy.”

She grinned up at him, “See, a very rare breed.  Very few men would consider a scarf sexy, if they’d notice it at all.”

He waited for her to lock up, and then with a hand at the small of her back guided her down the dimly lit walk.  She stopped short as they approached his car. 

“Is that your Mercedes?”

“Yeah, do you want the top up or down?”

“Down please, I’ve never ridden in a convertible before, or a Mercedes for that matter.  What a sweet ride.”  She pointed to her seven-year-old Toyota Camry a few spaces over.  “That’s about as sporty as I get these days.”

“You’re in for a treat then.”  Opening the door, he helped her into the low slung, charcoal gray cabriolet.  “Buckle up now,” he reminded her. 

As she settled in, his eyes swept over her long, shapely legs, appreciating how her skirt rode up to mid-thigh to expose even more of her mile-long legs and smooth tanned skin.  Jonas felt a tightening in his groin as his cock stirred.  As soon as her feet were safely inside and the lock clicked on her seatbelt, he shut the door, hoping she hadn’t noticed his bulging fly.  After his earlier declaration that he was not a horny teenager, he had to prove he wasn’t all bullshit.  Walking behind the vehicle, he paused briefly to adjust himself before climbing in beside her.

After putting down the top so she could experience the full effect, Jonas headed out, taking the I-410 loop north of the city.  The car purred as he maneuvered through the light evening traffic.  With a sidelong glance, he watched her snuggle into the soft leather seat.  After relaxing into the plush interior for a while, she looked at him with a contented look on her face. 

“I love having the top down, but I’m surprised.  I thought there’d be more wind.”

“As long as we keep the front windows up, you won’t get blown around too much.  Me, on the other hand, I won’t be able to do a thing with my hair.”

He saw her head tilt as she considered his dark blond hair.  Out of habit, Jonas wore it near to a military buzz cut, closely cropped on the sides and just long enough to lie softly on top.   Lexie laughed at his little joke, a full-throated seductive laugh that rippled across his skin, making his hair stand on end as well as rousing his cock into full awareness. 

Glancing over at her, his gaze fell to the hand that was splayed across her chest, holding the lightly fluttering lace in place.  He noticed her short nails were painted a pale, frosty pink...nice, another mark in her favor.  The trend for long acrylic red nails just didn’t do it for him, having fallen victim to their sharpness a time or two in the past.  To have those razor sharp tips close to his precious manly parts, well… he’d just as soon not think of the damage they could cause.  Lexie’s, however, matched the rest of her: soft, feminine and alluring.  Everything about her was appealing, and if the D/s and kink fell into place, she’d be the full package. 

Glancing at her hands one more time, he imagined those long slender fingers massaging his scalp, scratching lightly or gliding through the longer hair on top.  Jonas’ shifted his attention back to the road as he stirred slightly in his seat.  Speaking of the full package, he decided it was best to turn his thoughts to less sexual topics.       

Lexie helped him out with that.  “May I ask where we’re going?”

“The Brazilian Steakhouse on Sonterra, ever been?”

“No, but I’ve heard good things about it.” 

“I suppose I should have asked if you were a vegetarian.”

“Bite your tongue.  Don’t you know the ‘v’ word is a dirty word in Texas?”

He chuckled. 

“Do you live nearby?” 

“I have a condo not far from yours.  It’s central to the office and my new studio.  However, I’ve been thinking of buying a house.  I’d like a little more privacy and space.” 

Jonas didn’t mention his thin condo walls and nosy neighbors; neither was advantageous for a BDSM practitioner.  With a vocal woman, it made it difficult to really cut loose at home.  He hadn’t been in a serious relationship in a long time, when he was, he like to be able to play at home, not just at The Club.

Before she could ask any more questions, they arrived at the restaurant.  Although a few minutes early, they were seated right away.  Jonas had requested a quiet corner table where they could have a bit of privacy.  Allowing
her the best view of the San Antonio skyline, he took the chair beside her, not across.  The waiter arrived and she ordered a glass of the house red and he a Corona. 

When they were alone again, Jonas looked at her intently.  “You’re the prettiest woman in the room, Sunshine.”

“Thank you.” Her response automatic, she looked at him, head tilted, her face taking on a soft glow in the flickering candle light.  “Why do you call me that… ‘Sunshine,’ I mean?”

“The first time we met at The Club, you wore that brilliant yellow dress and shimmered like a ray of sun.  Like tonight, your skin was radiant with a healthy amount of color and your hair shining with blonde highlights from the summer sun, thus Sunshine.”

He was rewarded with a gentle smile.

“You have the most unusual pale green eyes.  Are you of Nordic decent?”

Her jaw dropped open.  “My mother was born in
Reykjavík
.  How did you know?”

“I’ve seen that color only once before, an Army buddy, also Icelandic.”

“I’m impressed. No one ever guesses… I’m really sort of a mutt.  My father was Irish-American; fair skin, redheaded, dark green eyes.  I’m more like my mother.  You have something in common with my dad; he was in the Army, too.  He was a physician, and he met my Mom while stationed in Kuwait.  She was a nurse with the International Red Cross.  From what I’ve been told, it was love at first sight.  They married quickly and had me soon after.  Dad transferred to DC and was stationed at Walter Reed before the first Gulf War.”

“From what you were told?”

Lexie looked at Jonas appraisingly. “You’re very observant.  My parents died in a car accident when I was five.”

“Mm… that’s rough.”  He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.  She seemed a bit uncomfortable, so he pushed a bit; instead of releasing her, he took her fingers and intertwined them with his own.  “So, how did you wind up in Texas all the way from DC?  Do you have family here?”

“It’s a long story, Jonas.  Maybe we should order first.”

Evasive action, hm… there was a story here.  She’d have to do better than that to get him off track.  The waiter reappeared, bringing their drinks and taking their dinner order, offering Lexie a brief reprieve, but as soon as he was gone, Jonas was back at it. 

“You were telling me how you ended up here in San Antonio.”

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”  She paused and took a healthy swallow of her wine, liquid courage, he assumed.  “The only family I had in the states was my dad’s sister.  She took me in and raised me until I was fifteen.  I went to boarding school for a while after that, hated it, then went to live with other relatives until I left for college.” 

Turning her attention to her meal, she was obviously done.  Jonas chuckled. 

“Lexie, that was not a long story.  I think you left out some pieces.”  He began stroking the back of her hand with his long thumb, soothingly, gently encouraging her to open up.  “Regan mentioned that you were a gymnast and did some modeling.  Tell me about that.  She said you were very good and won some competitions.”

Lexie frowned. “Were you in an interrogation unit in the Army?  You’re very good at coaxing out information from reluctant enemy combatants.  I certainly was forthcoming the other night at The Club.”  She took another big swallow of wine.

“You’re hardly my enemy, sweet Lexie.”

She looked up at him in surprise before her eyebrows gathered in and her mouth turned down in a soft moue.  “I’m sorry, Jonas, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” 

“It seems I hit on a sensitive subject.  Was it the gymnastics or the modeling?”

There was a lengthy pause.  Jonas could see she was mentally arguing how much of herself to disclose.  Her reluctance had him intrigued, and he was now determined to learn all of her secrets. Maybe not tonight, but eventually he’d get there.

“I can see the debate team is hard at work, Lexie.” 

“Yeah,” she huffed a little laugh.  “The voices again, well actually, they’re just thoughts.  They're the angel and devil sitting on my shoulder, like in the cartoons.  My life wasn’t so great after my parents passed, and I don’t like to talk about it.  Besides, every dating article I’ve ever read says you should never talk about this kind of stuff on a first date, at least not if you want a second.  I was kind of hoping for a second.”  Her face suffused with color as she grimaced, muttering under her breath, “I can’t believe I just said that.”

He laughed, amused by her unintentional revelation.  “Don’t put too much credence into dating advice.  I like to go with my gut, which is telling me that we have a connection.  I feel it, and I think you do, too.” 

Sensing her continued reluctance, he added, “I promise you can trust me not to judge or condemn.  Most of us have a few skeletons in the closet, especially those of us in the lifestyle.”

“But I’m not in the lifestyle.”

“Not yet, but we can reserve that discussion for date number two.”

She smiled shyly, appearing pleased that he was looking beyond tonight.  After another moment of hesitation, she nodded, and deciding to take the plunge, she started her story.  “I went to live with my aunt after my parents died.  She was a gymnastics coach and owned her own gym.  She was really quite good and had several success stories, but she was driven and looking for a star, an Olympian.  Surprisingly, that turned out to be me, or so she thought.  She put me in tumbling classes immediately and I was soon competing locally.  By the time I was thirteen, I medaled four times in the Junior Nationals, earning a silver medal in the all-around and gold on the floor exercise.  She saw Olympic gold in her future and the dollar signs that come with having a medalist emerging from her gym.  Then, when I was fourteen, I had a growth spurt—a death knell for a gymnast.  In one summer, I grew four inches, gained weight and got these.” 

She waved her hands at her nicely rounded chest.  Of course, Jonas’ gaze followed.  Although not of mammoth proportions, she was well-endowed.  The clingy material and coolness of the room had her nipples tightening.  Or maybe, it was because he was looking his fill.  When his eyes returned to her face, she raised an eyebrow, giving him that patented female look that questioned his intelligence and his inability to focus his eyes above her shoulders. 

Seeing her irked expression, he chuckled.  “Sorry, it’s just that you talk with your hands, and I am definitely a breast man.  I can honestly say, sweetheart, in that category you earn high marks for artistry and execution.”

She made a choking sign, half between a gasp of outrage and a burst of laughter.  “You did not just say that!”

Winking, he arranged his face into one of mock contrition.  “I’m sorry, Lex.  I promise to be good if you continue your story.”

With an amused look, she leaned forward and crossed her forearms on the table, removing her personal assets from his line of sight.  “Okay, where was I?”

“You had just grown a pair.”  He winked again, the statement making her laugh outright.  

“Is that your idea of being good?”

“Sorry, must be the beer.”

“Hmph, why don’t I believe that?”  A twitch of her lips told him she was enjoying their banter as much as he was.  “Anyway…  After I grew so fast, it changed things.  I had to adjust my technique and get used to a different center of gravity.”

She threw Jonas a challenging glare.  He just laughed and raised his hands in surrender.  “Hey!  I didn’t say a word.”

She smiled again before moving on.  “I didn’t even qualify for Nationals that year.  After that, she was done with me.  I wasn’t any use to her if I couldn’t compete at the elite level.  I still made a good showing at local and regional events, but she wanted an Olympian.  She traveled a lot and didn’t want the added expense of bringing me along, so she shipped me off to boarding school.” 

Eyes suddenly bright with unshed tears, she blinked rapidly.  He was about to suggest a change in subject, when the waiter stopped by to check on them.  She asked for a second glass of wine.  Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath and continued.  “This is ancient history.  I’m being silly for getting so emotional after all these years.”

“Pain from childhood often haunts us into adulthood, no matter how many years go by.  Makes for a thriving market for shrinks and therapists.”

“Truer words…”

“I’m surprised about boarding school. That’s not cheap; funny that your aunt sprang for it.”

“She didn’t.  I did, or at least my trust fund did.   I was fortunate that my dad had the forethought to have it overseen by an attorney friend of his or Janice Berry would have run through every penny.”   She fiddled with her wine glass.  “Boarding school was awful, Jonas.  I hated it.  The girls there were rich, spoiled and downright mean.  They were worse than my cousins ever thought of being.  I was lucky enough to be rescued by Aunt Jo and Uncle Peter before high school.  They took me in and made sure I had a normal life.  In the end, they adopted me.”