Tucker's Fall Part 6

Tucker cringed. He already regretted telling his sister the truth about his past. His recovery might have required it but if she was going to bring it up all the time they'd have to have another talk.

"You don't really expect me to answer that do you?"

"Nope." Nina grunted and Tucker heard the sound of her feet hitting the floor. He imagined her sitting on her desk in her office behind the cafe, twirling the phone cord on the antique phone line she loved twice as much as her cell phone. "Later, Tuck. I'll call ya."

The phone disconnected and he stared at the screen. He brought the text back up from Maggie and started typing.

I want to help you. You don't have to be alone. But I'll honor your wishes, for now. Call me when you're ready.

Nina was right about one thing. He was dying to get back to the studio. Maggie had inspired him to start painting. His first love and primary source of stress relief would always be gla.s.s blowing, but with the frigid temperatures outside, it would be a while before he'd be working in front of the furnace again.

He'd puttered with some of his drawings for the last week, but it wasn't until he'd seen Maggie attached to the bondage wheel he'd finally been bit with the bug, again. Tucker returned to the studio and the first thing he noticed was the scent of Maggie and s.e.x permeating the room. His groin tightened. The vivid memories of the beautiful sub restrained to his wheel slammed into him. He'd never seen a more beautiful wet and ready woman.

He took a seat in front of the canvas and began filling in some of the rough sketch. He focused on her eyes first. If he could capture all the emotions she shared with her expressions, the rest would come. He hunched closer and shaded first one and then the other. Right in front of him, Maggie came to life. His sweet, submissive pet. He'd captured the look in her eyes the moment she climaxed. Never in his life had he seen such perfect beauty as in that moment. From here on out he wanted to devote his life to making her come simply so he could watch and listen. Whatever it took, he'd do it just to witness the innocent, all-consuming pleasure of beautiful Maggie in the throes of her heart's desire.

Maggie gripped her cell phone and willed her hand to quit shaking. Relieved that Tucker wouldn't be coming through the door any minute, she tucked the phone into her pocket and stared into the coffee. She wasn't much of a java drinker but she loved the smell and the heat felt divine. Too bad her insides couldn't appreciate it.

As soon as she had cleared the sight line to Tucker's house she'd pulled over and hastily put on her clothing. It wouldn't do much for her already tattered reputation to get pulled over by some county cop for driving in the nude. Maggie laid her head down, pressing her forehead to the cool tabletop. She really was losing her mind.

Her thoughts had fractured in every direction the minute Tucker had told her to come and she'd never recovered. For someone who claimed to be an expert in the field of alternative lifestyles, she suddenly felt woefully inadequate to handle her own situation.

Minutes after she'd cleared the gates of the Lewis estate, she'd had to swallow her pride and admit she was in no condition to drive all the way home. Her legs were shaking and her heart pounded erratically. Her system was in overdrive and her thoughts were off the rails.

Tears burned at the back of her eyes. She sucked in a deep breath and willed them away. Things were bad enough without embarra.s.sing herself in a public place. Especially one owned by Tucker's sister. Jesus h.e.l.l. How had she escaped that information all these weeks? And of all the d.a.m.n places to end up today of all days.

"Can I offer you a refill?

Speak of the devil.

"I'm good. Thanks." Maggie didn't lift her head. She couldn't face Nina at the moment.

"You don't look so good to me." Nina set the coffee pot down on the table and slid into the seat across from her.

She groaned inwardly. No. No. No. Small talk was not her forte to begin with. In her current state of mind it was totally out of the question.

Reluctantly, she lifted her head. "Look Nina, I don't mean to be rude, but now is not the time for catch up. It's been kind of a rough day." Her breath hitched as she smothered a sob in her throat.

"Fair enough. Does it help to know that Tucker is worried about you?"

"Oh my G.o.d, seriously. He talked to you?" She had to get out of here. This was turning into the most embarra.s.sing day of her life and that was saying something, considering the year she'd had.

"Maggie, don't look so horrified. I called him when you arrived. Honestly, the minute I saw you I knew something was wrong. Your eyes were gla.s.sy, your hair's a mess and your hands haven't stopped shaking since you came through my door."

"I'm-I don't-" Maggie took a deep breath and tried to think through what she wanted to say instead of the jumbled mess of nonsense that kept coming out of her mouth. "It's a pretty big leap from my being upset to a.s.suming your brother is somehow involved."

Nina smiled. "Under normal circ.u.mstances sure. But I happened to be out back when you pulled in and saw what direction you came from." She covered Maggie's hand with her own. "There's only one thing in that direction for thirty miles."

The sound of rus.h.i.+ng blood filled Maggie's ears. "I still don't want to talk about it." She might be acting like a two year old on the verge of a tantrum but there was a lot to be said for solitude around here. It's way too easy to forget how much everyone knew about everyone else in their small town. "Like I said to Tucker after I left, I need some s.p.a.ce. In fact..." Maggie stood and grabbed her purse from the back of the chair. "I think it's time for me to head home. Thank you for the coffee."

"You're welcome." Nina stood as well. "I know I sound like a busy body trying to but into your business and all, but it's not how it's meant. I was truly concerned for you and am fully prepared to kick Tucker's a.s.s for you if it comes to that. Brother or not, you say the word and I'll take him down a peg or two. G.o.d knows he needs it sometimes."

Shocked by Nina's words, Maggie stared dumbfounded. What was she supposed to say to that?

"I don't know the details about what happened, but I've always indulged in a hot bath and a gla.s.s of wine or three after a rough day. Tomorrow's bound to be better than today. Lord, I hope so."

Maggie barely smothered a giggle at Nina's strange southern charm. "How do you do that?"

Nina turned. "Do what?"

"Make it sound so easy."

The other woman scoffed. "Because it is that easy. Everyone has bad days and good days. And we all have our coping mechanisms, don't we?"

This time she couldn't stop the smile. Some of the rough edges of her psyche began to smooth. She'd forgotten how straight forward and in-your-face Nina tended to be. She dropped her purse at the base of her chair and plopped back into the seat. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course I am. Be sure to remind Tucker of that the next time you see him, I'd really appreciate it. He doesn't care much for my b.u.t.ting in to his business."

"I can't imagine why not."

They laughed together and Maggie felt more of her unease slip away. Maybe her decision to return home wasn't such a bad idea after all.

In the back of her mind, Maggie heard the front door chime and she stiffened. The woman in front of her transformed instantly. Her smile disappeared and her eyes widened. Nina's expression worried her and did nothing to ease Maggie's paranoia. In slow motion she turned to see who'd arrived while holding her breath. If Tucker had followed her, they were about to have words.

When she saw it was in fact not Tucker she almost sighed a breath of relief. But the big man looming in the doorway did not look happy. His intense stare in her direction forced Maggie to smother a gasp. She hastily turned in her seat and returned her attention to Nina. Although Nina paid no attention to Maggie. Instead, she sat transfixed on the gorgeous, if not a little scary, stranger, who had for all intents and purposes taken over the entire cafe with his presence.

"How about I make you some food? You can relax here as long as you want and I'll feel better knowing you've been taken care of. Deal?" Nina held out her hand in offering, and although she was speaking to Maggie, her eyes never left the man in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Maggie whispered to her friend. "Who is that man?"

For a second she didn't think the other woman had heard her.

"His name is Mason," Nina finally answered. "And he shouldn't be here."

Maggie tried not to laugh. Anyone not blind could see he mesmerized Nina. "Whatever you say. But when you come back down to earth, I'd like to hear all about it."

With obvious reluctance, Nina tore her gaze from the dark and scary, Mason. "Whatever you're thinking, it's not true. So, what do you say about that food?"

Maggie didn't hesitate. She didn't understand Nina's response, but wasn't about to miss this show. "Sure, why not?" Maggie replied.

"Soup sound good?"

"It sounds perfect, actually." Nina gave her a quick smile that didn't seem real and hustled in the direction of the kitchen. Relieved to have a brief distraction, Maggie relaxed, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. She stared at the fire burning in the far corner and got lost in the movement of the flames as the wood popped and crackled in the s.p.a.ce. Maybe stopping here had been fate. Nina had a.s.sured her that Tucker had agreed to give her the s.p.a.ce she needed and once they got past the initial uncomfortable reunion, Nina had been very helpful.

A quick glance from the corner of her eye showed Mason had taken a seat not far from her. Out of hearing range, but it didn't take full audio to see this man tied her friend up in knots. Time pa.s.sed and she eventually lost interest in the awkward discussion happening across the room. Nina's distraction gave Maggie the perfect opportunity to retreat into the solitude she'd been hoping for in the first place. Now if only she could get Tucker out of her head.

By the time Maggie got home, the sun had begun setting across the lake. With the barren winter trees surrounding the water, there were no barriers to the vivid colors from the sunset. Pinks, yellows and oranges striped the horizon as she drove the winding road to her parents cabin. She pulled to the edge of the road and got out. A slight breeze tugged at her bangs and sent a chill skittering down her spine. She zipped her jacket to just under her chin and crossed her arms to ward off the cold already settling in.

The frosty air didn't deter her from getting some fresh air. The beauty of the lake was hard to resist in any season but she especially loved the winter. It was the restful period of the year before the busy season of spring began. Once the water warmed and the plants began to grow the lake got overrun by enthusiastic boaters and an influx of tourists and college students. On an evening like this she wasn't likely to run into anyone, which is exactly the way she wanted it.

There was so much to ponder. Her knowledge for one. Over the years she'd been meticulous about her research, taking care to doc.u.ment all of her findings in painstaking detail. All for nothing. Intellectual knowledge of BDSM simply did not compare to intimate knowledge. Tucker had made that clear.

Maggie shoved her hands in her hair and sighed loudly. Her frustration over this ran deep and she didn't know how to reconcile who she'd been this morning with who she was now.

Not that she had any idea what the h.e.l.l that meant. "f.u.c.k!" She yelled the word at the top of her lungs.

She had half a mind to go straight to her office and start deleting half her life's work. It was all like one colossal fraud. As if she'd been pretending all along to understand something she knew little about. Kind of like how she felt when she was a young girl and she dressed in her mother's clothes and play-acted what it would be like to be a doctor. She listened to her parents discuss medicine and then she'd take that knowledge to play her role. Is that what she'd done all her life? A role? First her job, then her marriage and then her research.

Maggie lifted her head. What about the book she was writing? Her outlook perked up. Maybe she could use her experience to enrich her research instead of negating it. She'd have to start over with fresh eyes and come at it from a different perspective. Excited to have an idea, she hurried back to her car. She desperately wanted to get to her computer and her notes so she could start making changes. Idea after idea flew through her mind. Ducking into her car, she grinned. The breakthrough she'd been hoping for all along had hit her like a ton of bricks and she owed it all to Tucker.

Maybe when she finished her book, she'd reconsider his offer. Maggie closed the car door and shoved the key in the ignition. For now, she only wanted her computer and maybe a few gallons of caffeine. She had a new story to tell.

Chapter Seven.

Tucker blinked and stared at the canvas in front of him. How long had he been sitting here? The quick sketch he'd done of Maggie on the bondage wheel had been transformed into a painting almost as lush as the woman herself. The stark nature of the wood and steel contrasted sharply with the creamy expanse of her skin. Although the memory of the real thing far outweighed any picture.

He moved his neck from side to side and rolled his shoulders. There were no clocks in the studio but his body told him he'd worked way beyond normal as did the finished artwork. Normally a painting of half this caliber would take him weeks. Not days.

Days. Holy s.h.i.+t. He'd worked, slept and ate without leaving this room for at least a few days. He glanced at the cell phone plugged into the wall on the bedside stand. And not a single call since he'd spoken to his sister the day Maggie fled.

Maggie's silence worried him. It had been a bone-headed move on his part to let things go this long. A mistake he would rectify no matter what it took. While he'd worked at a feverish pace on his masterpiece, he'd relived the scene they enjoyed together over and over again, trying to pinpoint at what moment it had gone wrong. Nothing stuck out to him. She'd reacted to every demand like a natural, her body singing to him the farther he took her. It wasn't until after, when the adrenaline began to crash that her brain had probably kicked in.

He hated to think what thoughts had prompted her to run, but he'd been a Dom long enough to know that a new sub could and likely would crash pretty hard. If he hadn't been so concerned for her well-being, the site of her streaking naked out his front door would have made him laugh. For her sake, he was grateful he'd given the housekeeper the day off.

Tucker stood and moved to the desk where he did all of his non-artistic work and booted up his computer. He punched in a pa.s.sword and pulled up the file he'd compiled on everything he could find about Maggie since she'd graduated high school and left town. She'd finished college at the top of her cla.s.s and immediately took a position teaching at her alma matter where she'd begun dating a fellow professor shortly after she started her new job. Soon after, she wrote her first paper on BDSM and was granted funding to continue her research into the effects of the alternative lifestyle on a long-term basis.

One year later, she married her professor boyfriend and after that the only information he could find was purely professional. Not a single detail about her personal life had been published that he could dig up. Until she'd been arrested... Then there'd been some rumors about her s.e.x life, more than a few jokes published at her expense, and even an article questioning her ability to teach young adults. Something still nagged at him, though. He'd dismissed most of what he'd read as normal tabloid trash, but the look in her eyes in one of the photographs gave him pause, he couldn't get her out of his mind.

"What other secrets do you have in your closet, Miss Maggie?" He flipped to the picture that had been featured on the front page of the college newspaper. Maggie, dressed in typically conservative clothes being hauled out of a very well known BDSM club in handcuffs. From there things went downhill fast. Thanks to a highly publicized interview between Maggie and the author of a new bestselling erotic thriller, the journalists had begun suggesting that Ms. Cisco had been attempting to turn a fictional novel into a real life scenario between her and two of the patrons of the club.

Tucker turned away from the screen when the pain in his temple began to throb. He understood bad timing all too well and Maggie had it in spades. He pushed away from the desk and scooped up his phone. He flipped the screen to Maggie's number and clicked new message.

It was time for them both to move forward. This time he'd try a different approach. He'd start a trail to lead her to him one step at a time. This time he'd make sure she got everything she needed without letting her go. He quickly typed a few words and pressed send. Time to get a shower and get some fresh air. He had a sub to go after.

Again.

The annoying ring tone of an incoming text message startled Maggie from her ma.n.u.script. Or more precisely her latest journal entry about her and Tucker. Why had she left the cursed thing on? She scooped the phone from her desk and stared at the screen.

We need to talk.

Maggie's heart skipped a beat and she glanced around the cafe she'd escaped to, to make sure he wasn't already watching her. She'd known this moment was coming for three days and had dreaded it as much as she'd questioned why she hadn't heard from him. Her thoughts had ranged from nonchalance to complete irrationality. She still had no idea what to say or do. She'd tried over and over to restart her new biography to only keep erasing everything she wrote. The whole project was crumbling before he eyes. Finally, she'd set it aside and started a personal journal instead. Getting some of what she'd endured these past few months onto paper had led to not much sleep and a whole lot of pouring her heart out.

Now she sat exhausted, staring at the phone in her hand. Unsure. Maybe even as confused as ever. She looked up and stared through the window to the trees outside. What time was it anyway? She'd lost track. Not that it made a difference. The beauty of coming here in the first place was that there would be no schedules to adhere to. No lies to live. And certainly no one to answer to.

Unless she counted Tucker.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. Tucker had come to her out of the blue and shocked the h.e.l.l out of her. Initially she'd been shaken to the core of her beliefs, but as she'd spent more time a.n.a.lyzing what had happened, her reaction to him had softened. It was kind of humiliating that she'd run away, but at the time, it had been all the logic she'd been capable of. In one scene, he'd twisted her inside out and upside down.

Her research still plagued her, but regrets no longer did. Everything up to now had led her to Tucker and who was she to discount fate for dropping him in her path on a cold winter's night?

She slid her phone apart to reveal the keyboard and tapped out a return message.

I owe you an apology.

Her stomach tensed. There were a lot of creative ways for a Dominant to accept something as simple as an apology. She didn't know whether to be scared or excited. It could easily go either way. Maybe if they talked first, she could explain some of what had been going through her head these past few days. There was a lot he didn't know. h.e.l.l, there was a lot n.o.body knew. Some of which continued to eat her up inside. Somehow, someway, she needed to get it out if she ever hoped to put the past behind her.

For years she'd done what everyone else expected of her. Went to the right schools, took the right job and married respectably. The only thing in her life she'd taken a stand on had been her research. And the first time she stepped out of line, everything she'd built fell apart, leaving her with an unknown future. Her missteps had the tendency to leave her without the courage to face up to her mistakes. Maggie rolled her eyes. She needed to stop making so many d.a.m.ned excuses and just get on with it already. Maybe if she stopped worrying about every little detail she'd find if she and Tucker suited each other.

What a joke. The fallen prince and his scandalous woman. What a pair they'd make. The internet had become her friend these last few days as she researched for her book and the man who made her tremble. Much of what she'd read left her shocked about how clueless she'd been. Since her parents had moved from the area after she left for college, she'd never bothered to keep up with the local news, or any news that didn't relate to her research, for that matter. She hadn't exactly forgotten that Tucker's father led a fringe religious group. But a cult? That had taken quite a while to digest.

Her phone beeped again.

Have dinner with me tonight. We'll go out this time.

Such a benign request after the way they'd left things. A sliver of disappointment knifed through her before her brain kicked in. If she really wanted to have a discussion, dinner in a public restaurant sounded perfectly reasonable. Too bad her body couldn't get on the same page as her brain. It was crazy hard not to think about the clever way he'd manipulated her body over and over until her head d.a.m.n near exploded.

Before she could type out a response, her phone beeped.

My driver will pick you up at seven. Expect a package this afternoon. Follow all of the instructions. ALL of them.

This time her stomach flipped and tumbled. She read his words on her phone, but had heard the command in her head. Almost felt his breath at her ear.

"Whatcha doing?" Nina dropped into the seat across from Maggie and craned her head to get a look at Maggie's phone.

A hot flush rushed up Maggie's head and neck. Busted. "Nothing." She closed her phone and prayed she hadn't done something to embarra.s.s herself.

"If that's nothing, can I have some? I don't think I've seen anyone glow from nothing."

Good lord. She looked down at the table and hoped for some giant mysterious sinkhole to open and swallow her now before Nina grilled her to death. "You're crazy, you know that?"

Her friend snorted. "We may not have seen each other in a bazillion years but I can still tell when you're lying. I can tell when anyone is. It's a gift, you know."

Perhaps Maggie didn't know for certain how to handle what happened between her and Tucker or what her future might hold, but the minute she and Nina had reconnected they might as well have been teenagers again. It had happened so quickly and naturally she didn't understand how they'd managed to avoid each other through most of high school.

"And you're too nosy for your own good." She closed her laptop and packed it away in her carrying case. "I need to head home."

"Why's that? Got a hot date?"

Maggie gaped at Nina.

Nina stared at her for a beat before she broke out into hysterical laughter. "Oh my G.o.d. Why couldn't I have captured that face with my cell camera? So priceless." She laughed harder until she grabbed her stomach and tears came to her eyes.

"I'm not even going to pretend I know what you find so funny. You've gotten really weird in your old age."