Dark and Stormy Knight by Nina Mason Page A

first real adventure turn into a disaster she’d regret for the rest of her life.
    Assuming she lived long enough to harbor regrets.
    No, don’t think like that. If you don’t step outside your comfort zone, how will you ever know what you’re made of?
    Yes, she was afraid. She’d have to be crazy not to be. The dungeon was dark, dank, and beyond creepy. She swallowed hard as her mind conjured a picture of her hanging from the ceiling in a dog collar and handcuffs. The air grew danker. The limestone walls closed in. The only sounds were the thud of his boots, the rustle of her skirts, and the echoing clack of her heels.
    The ghost of past abuses rose from her memory. “My stepmother used to beat me,” she told him, not really sure why. “And I didn’t enjoy being beaten in the least.”
    “My father used to take the belt to my backside till I couldn’t sit down,” he returned. “Because he loved me enough to teach me right from wrong.”
    “My stepmother didn’t beat me out of love. She beat me out of jealousy and meanness.”
    “Why did you stay with her?”
    “Because I had no other choice.”
    Farther on, they came to an ornate wrought-iron standing candelabrum. When he stopped, she hoped he might touch her or kiss her or make some other kind of intimate overture to ease her trepidation, but he didn’t. He merely flamed the wicks with the candle he carried, giving her a momentary glimpse of his handsome face.
    Her pulse quickened and her stomach tightened. She stepped back, losing a slipper in the process.
    He must have sensed her unease, because he stepped toward her and, in a low, soothing voice, said, “Don’t be afraid, my wee mouse. The cat won’t hurt you. He only wants to play. If you truly cannot bear the experience, invoke your safe word—and I promise, I will cease whatever I am doing at once.”
    “What if I can’t speak, because there’s something in my mouth?”
    He got down on one knee, picked up her shoe, and wrapped a hand around the ankle of her naked foot. She set a hand on his head for balance as he guided her foot into the shoe. When finished, he ran his big, warm hand up the back of her leg and over her bare buttocks.
    “The only thing I plan to put in your mouth is my cock,” he said with a hint of humor. “Anything else would deny me the joy of hearing you beg me to end your agony and fuck you senseless.”
    Sparks sizzled between her thighs. She imagined herself handcuffed to a headboard while he fucked her mouth. She could do that. She liked sucking cock, liked the feeling of power it gave her. Well, maybe not so much when the guy was on top, but still. She would never know her limits until she tested them. Plus, she’d always been fascinated with the darker shades of desire.
    And carpe diem , right?
    “I wish it could be different,” he whispered, sweeping his fingers between her legs. “Believe me, I do.”
    His touch was as thrilling as his words were bewildering.
    “Why can’t it be? I don’t understand. Why can’t you kiss me? Why can’t you make love to me in a normal way?”
    He swept his hand back down her leg and got to his feet. Taking her face between his hands, he lifted her gaze to his. His eyes were glossy with desire. Her hope spiked. For one breathless moment, she felt sure he would kiss her.
    “Because if I do, you will die.”
    Her mouth fell open. Holy smokes.
    “How? Why?”
    “It doesn’t matter. Because it isn’t going to happen.”
    He let her go and moved on. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she followed, her mind turning like the reels on a movie projector. Try as she might, she couldn’t connect the dots, couldn’t see how a kiss could be fatal. He had to be making it up to scare her into doing what he wanted. Or, rather, into not doing what she wanted.
    * * * *
    The clack of heels on the stones told Leith his wee mouse was staying close as they wended their way through the dungeon maze. He didn’t blame her. The