Betting on Fate by Katee Robert

body shook . Will frowned. She should be out of her mind with pleasure. Had he misjudged her? He stepped closer. “Penelope?”
    “Dracula.” The word was so faint, he had half a second to think he’d misheard. Horror replaced desire, and he rushed to get her out of her bonds. I took it too far . “I’m sorry, pet. Fuck, I’m so sorry.” How had he missed the signs? She’d been fine. He could have sworn she was right there with him. Goddamn it . It was his job to keep the scene from dancing too close to the edge, and he’d botched it.
    He supported her as he unbuckled the strap around her waist and dropped the vibrator to the floor. Will swept her into his arms. She whimpered a little, and he felt like the worst kind of monster. He slipped into an empty private room and nudged the door shut with his foot.
    This one was set up nearly identical to the one they’d used the other day, so he moved to the couch and pulled a blanket from the chest in front of it. Penelope’s shivers stopped a few moments after he wrapped the blanket around her, but she kept her face pressed against his chest and clung to him. He set his chin on the top of her head and waited, letting the fact sink in that it was over and she was safe. It had been a long time since he’d made such a misstep, and the fact he did it with her made things that much worse.
    Because he knew exactly why it had happened.
    He’d been so caught up in pushing them both away from what he considered dangerous ground that he’d swung them too far in the other direction. She’d trusted him and he’d abused that trust, intentionally or not. “I’m sorry.”
    She took a breath and looked up, but he didn’t let her speak yet. Will placed a single finger against her lips. “Don’t say it’s okay, because it’s not yet. It will be, but you’re still in a place you shouldn’t be because I screwed up. So know I’m sorry, and that I’ll make it right.”
    “You always were a know-it-all.” Her smile wasn’t as bright or sharp as normal.
    “It’s a sickness.”
    She laid her head back against his shoulder. “Look at you, making jokes again.”
    “It’s one of my best kept secrets.” Though he could count on one hand how many people thought he had a sense of humor and still have fingers left over.
    “Obviously.” She sighed and sat up. “I’m okay. More or less. I don’t know what happened.”
    “I pushed too hard.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t read your distress until it was too late.”
    “I…”
    He needed to know exactly where things went wrong so he’d never make the same mistake again. He refused to make the same mistake again. “I knew you were mouthing off when you said you wanted all three, but from our previous conversations, I’d thought we were well within your boundaries.”
    She ducked so he couldn’t see her face. “I did, too. It was just… I was fine and then…”
    He held her close, as much for his comfort as for hers. “I won’t let it happen again.”
    She lifted her head and rolled her eyes, some of the spunk he liked so much reappearing. “You mean the godlike Will Reaver actually makes mistakes? The world must be ending!” He wasn’t sure what his face showed, but she laughed. The sound wasn’t as carefree as he’d have liked, but it was a move in the right direction. “Surely this isn’t the first time you’ve messed up, sugar?”
    “You’d be surprised.”
    …
    Penelope frowned, the last niggling fear slipping away. “You can’t be serious. Everyone makes mistakes.” Even she had botched a scene once or twice with a new sub.
    “I don’t.” He kept touching her, as if to reassure himself that he hadn’t done permanent damage. She could have told him he hadn’t. Yes, she’d been frightened to the point where the strength of her reaction surprised even her, but she wasn’t hurt. Not really. It was as much her fault as his that they were in this place. She should have