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  Publishedby The Hartwood Publishing Group, LLC,

  Hartwood Publishing, 400 Gilead Road, #1617, Huntersville, NC 28070

  www.hartwoodpublishing.com

  Hers

  Copyright © 2015 by Becca Jameson

  Release Date: February 2015

  ISBN: 978-1-62916-093-1

  Cover Artist: Georgia Woods

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Hers by Becca Jameson

  Kayla Temple is leery about returning to a BDSM lifestyle. Finally free from four horrific years with a man she wishes she could forget, she wants to experience the release of submission again, but can she trust any Dom enough to let herself go?

  Gage Holland has been watching Kayla for two years. They work together, and she belongs to the same club as him. But she wears a tough shield, and Gage has a full life that leaves him with very little free time.

  After engaging in a flogging scene together that goes horribly wrong, Gage is more intrigued than ever. What makes Kayla so skittish? The small taste he’s had of her is not enough. Hiding his own vulnerabilities, he pushes Kayla to open up about her past while submitting to him in ways that won’t trigger another bad response to her mysterious past.

  Dedication

  To my editor, Lisa Dugan, and my publisher, Georgia Woods, for all their patience brainstorming with me to make this series shine!

  Chapter One

  Thwack.

  Kayla flinched. She couldn’t help it. No matter how many times she watched someone get flogged, she jerked with every crack of the whip.

  Her skin tingled as she leaned against the corner of the wall and gripped it with both hands. She felt the flush that rose quickly up her cheeks as Gage expertly swatted the naked submissive two more times and then soothed the pink lines running along the woman’s butt with his fingers.

  Kayla squeezed her legs together, well aware of the reaction toward Gage that left her wet, needy, and panting. She ignored those results, as always, and concentrated on the intense feeling of relief she would be able to obtain if she let Gage flog her.

  She craved the submission. The release. It was imbedded deep inside her. She’d known it for several years, at least as long as she’d been aware of the fetish world. Hell, she craved the sex too, but that was an entirely different topic. And Kayla intended to keep the two desires separate, mutually exclusive. She had to for self-preservation.

  She’d done two spanking scenes with him recently, and she knew he was interested in doing more with her, but she was hesitant. He’d pursued her on several occasions. She feared his interest lay a bit deeper than what she was willing or able to give him.

  Right now, Kayla wanted to do a scene. It had been a few weeks since she’d done a scene with Gage. The first time, she approached him. He readily agreed to spank her and set her up on a bench to do so. It was the best domination of her life. She was shocked by the contrast with her former Dom.

  The second time, he came to her. The twinkle in his eye told her he was interested in more than just a scene. That scared her to death. Almost as much as the flogging she watched intently now.

  Gage swatted the sub several more times, reaching lower to cross her thighs with pink lines. The woman moaned. She held firmly to the rope loops at the top of the St. Andrew’s cross and leaned into the cross with each swish of the flogger.

  Kayla watched every reaction, her attention flitting from Gage to the sub and back, over and over. The submissive let her mouth fall open and her head dip back. Her shoulder-length, brown hair hung loose across her back. She dipped one knee forward with each swat. Her legs had started at shoulder width apart, but they’d inched closer.

  Gage lowered the flogger and leaned toward the submissive, whispering in her ear. The woman nodded, her mouth closing, a small smile tipping up the corners.

  Kayla’s pussy leaked. There was no denying she wished she could be at the receiving end of this flogging. Was it Gage? Or did she simply want to be flogged? It had been years since she’d allowed herself to do anything so intense. Not since Simon.

  Just thinking his name made her stiffen. Asshole.

  Gage proceeded, and the woman on the cross hummed as lines of submission multiplied across her pale skin. Every few strikes, he paused to stroke the woman’s skin. He had the perfect combination of caring and domination.

  As he finished and wrapped the submissive in a blanket, Kayla took a deep breath. She needed this. She needed the release a flogging would bring her, something more intense than a simple spanking. All her pent-up anxiety would ooze from her body if she could only bring herself to ask someone to flog her.

  Not that there were choices to be made. The only man she trusted right now was Gage, and that trust was dubious. Hell, he had no idea she paid such close attention to him. At least she didn’t think so.

  What she knew for certain was he was kind and gentle while yielding his flogger, something she needed and craved. The fact her pussy clenched every time she watched him was inconsequential. He didn’t need to know he had that effect on her. She had no intention of pursuing that side of things. She could fuck anyone. But this, this domination, was a different story. She would never permit a random Dom to flog her.

  Of course, the fucking part was ludicrous also. She hadn’t had sex since Simon either, and she had no intention of giving that piece of herself away to anyone. It was one thing to let someone ease her stress with a spanking. It was an entirely different thing to open herself up to someone emotionally through sex. No thank you.

  There was nothing random about Gage. He worked at the police department where she was a secretary. And the reality was, Kayla trusted cops. Her dad had been a cop. He’d been killed in the line of duty right after she graduated from high school, but she’d spent her life hanging around the station. The chief of police, John Edwards, was like a second father to her. She adored him, and she was blessed that he not only took her under his wing, but took her back into the fold without a question when she returned to Vegas two years ago.

  Even though Gage was a K-9 trainer, not a police officer, he had the aura of being an upstanding citizen by default. The fact that he worked for the department made her feel safer with him than any other Dom.

  At least a few times a day she interacted with him, exchanging pleasantries when he passed by the front desk. Even though she didn’t know him well, which was her fault for remaining distant, she knew he was a good guy. Everyone in the station adored him. He treated his dog as if the German shepherd were royalty. And on more than one occasion the chief of police had given her a look that said she should go after him.

  Ludicrous. She wasn’t interested in going after anyone. But if Chief Edwards gave him the stamp of approval, she knew she would be in good hands.

  “Kayla?”

  She jerked her head up when she heard the deep voice that reached inside her and made her body vibrate. Apparently she hadn’t b
een paying attention because the woman he’d flogged was gone, and Gage now stood inches from her, his brow raised in question. “Oh, hey. That was lovely. I enjoy your work.” She said the first thing that popped into her mind, wanting to kick herself afterward.

  He smiled. “Lovely?”

  She winced. “You know, nice.” Yes, because that’s so much better.

  “Did you want to do a scene with me?” he asked, stepping closer. He reached out with one hand and set it on hers, peeling her fingers from the corner of the wall, obviously more aware of her rigid stance than she was.

  She lowered her gaze. Do it. “That would be nice.” There’s that word again. She lifted her face and met his gaze. “I mean if you don’t have anyone else scheduled, I’d appreciate a slot of your time tonight.”

  He lifted one side of his mouth higher. “A slot of my time?” He chuckled. “Kayla, all you have to do is ask. I’m all yours.” He squeezed her hand and finished prying it from the wall. “What did you have in mind?”

  She glanced around him toward the vacated cross. Where did the woman go?

  “You want me to flog you? Like I just did for Kristen?” He still held her hand, and he lifted his other hand to nudge her chin up with one finger.

  She met his gaze and swallowed back her fear, hoping to replace it with courage. “Yes, Sir.”

  He set his thumb on her chin and held her. His gaze narrowed. “Have you been flogged before? I’ve never seen you do that.”

  “Yes, Sir. It’s been a while.” Years.

  “And you’re sure you’re up for it?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He glanced at the clipboard on the wall behind him. “Well, it looks like no one else has scheduled this area right now.”

  She nodded, stepping back a pace to dislodge his fingers. She needed to lower her gaze and regroup. It was happening fast. That was a good thing. The more she thought about it, the more likely she would be to chicken out. “Please, Sir.” Her voice was weak. It matched her resolve. But she pulled her shoulders back and stood taller to make up for her voice with her stance.

  •●•

  Gage stared at the woman before him. He’d pursued her for weeks. He was drawn to her at first by her smile. It lit up the room, though she didn’t smile often. Her long blonde curls bounced when she walked, and he would swear she was a true blonde. He hadn’t had the opportunity yet to be certain, but his heart pounded at the possibility he might get his wish tonight.

  Kayla didn’t talk much. They worked at the same police station, so he saw her nearly every day, but they usually only exchanged a few sentences. She came to the club often, but she was quiet there also, at least quieter than most women. She had friends he often saw her hanging out with, but none seemed to be super close to her.

  Kayla Temple was a mystery, one Gage had been dying to solve. She dropped into the scene from out of thin air two years ago and took up residence at both the police station and later the club, Extreme. He knew because he too had returned to Vegas two years ago. They’d started work in the police academy division within the same month.

  He reached for her other hand and walked backward into the cove where the St. Andrew’s cross had been vacated. The room had three sides, intentionally leaving the fourth open to viewers.

  When he reached the cross, he leaned against it and lifted Kayla’s chin again. This woman had a story. “You sure about this? You seem awfully reluctant.”

  “I’m sure, Sir. It’s just been a while.”

  “Okay. Safe word?”

  “Red, Sir.”

  “Good. Use it. Yellow if you need me to slow down.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He released her hands and trailed his fingers up her arms, noticing the goose bumps that rose in his wake. “Can I remove your dress, Kayla? I don’t like to flog through clothes. I need to see my results as I go along to ensure I’m not hitting too hard or too soft.”

  “Um, yes.” She flinched, a tiny jerk another Dom might not have noticed.

  So, nudity is an issue for her. Noted. Besides not having seen her pussy, he also hadn’t seen her nipples. She dressed to fit in at the club, but she never removed all her clothes. At least not that Gage had been present for.

  He circled behind her, keeping both hands on her skin at all times. He’d never seen her this nervous. He’d spanked her twice, and she hadn’t been so unsettled. He lifted the bottom hem of her loose skirt and pushed it up her body, intentionally keeping his palms on her skin to graze over the contours of her hips, the dip in her stomach, and then the swell of the sides of her breasts.

  She lifted her arms when he nudged her biceps.

  He whisked the thin, silky, black material over her head and gripped it with one hand. Smooth, pale, unblemished skin. With his free hand he stroked one finger down her spine. This was the most of her he’d ever seen. And she still wore a matching black lace thong and bra. He wouldn’t push his luck with those last items of clothing, assuming she would balk at removing them.

  Gage draped the dress over the back of a nearby chair and set his palms on Kayla’s hips to guide her to the padded area at the base of the cross. “Reach up and grab the ropes, baby.” He couldn’t seem to release her, and he smoothed his palms up her body again as she followed his instructions.

  She shivered, making him smile. Her hesitation was palpable.

  “You okay, Kayla?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Something about the way she fell into the role and called him Sir didn’t ring quite right. He’d dominated many women over the last two years since he’d joined Extreme. Most referred to him as Sir. But coming from Kayla, it sounded forced. Awkward. Untrue. Not that she wasn’t submissive. It was just the way she said the word Sir that didn’t suit her.

  He shook the idea away and caressed his hands up her arms, barely stroking the sides of her breasts on the way by. When he reached her hands, he wrapped his around them. “Hold on to the loops. Don’t let go.”

  “Okay, Sir.”

  Finally, he released her, reluctantly. He’d dreamed of doing this with her for months. How had he gotten so lucky? He stepped back and picked up the softest flogger he owned from his bag. Her skin was so pale, and he had no intention of doing anything to change that. He wanted his marks to last hours, not days. Whenever he flogged someone for the first time, he took extra care. But with Kayla he was more cautious, in part due to her obvious nervousness and in part due to his desire to make this the first of many experiences with her.

  She might think she was asking for a one-night scene, but Gage had other ideas. His cock had other ideas. The shaft was stiff and tight inside his jeans. If he didn’t think she would run, he would undo the button and give himself some breathing room. But Kayla hadn’t asked him for anything sexual. She’d asked for a flogging.

  If he wanted things to go further, he was going to have to give the performance of a lifetime.

  And Kayla seemed as though she might be receptive to the idea. After all, she’d come to him—again. And her nervousness was obvious, though it may have had more to do with the requested flogging than any actual desire to have something more with Gage.

  He stepped closer, trailing the ends of the flogger up her spine and across her shoulders, watching as she shivered again. He leaned close to her face. “Spread your legs farther, baby.”

  She complied, separating her thighs slightly. Not as much as he’d like, but it was something.

  He leaned over her shoulder to watch her chest rise and fall, his cheek next to hers, his gaze landing on her breasts. The nipples were hidden under the edge of the lace, but the creamy white skin swelling from the top made him lick his lips. For someone as petite as Kayla, she had full breasts. “Relax. How many times have you seen me flog someone?”

  “Several, Sir.”

  “Have I ever hurt the sub?”

  “No, Sir.”

  “And I won’t hurt you either. Never.” He turned to face her. Her lower lip was
between her teeth, and she nodded. “Kayla?”

  “Yes, Sir?”

  “You don’t have to do this. You look like you’d rather run from the room. If you aren’t ready…”

  “No. I’m ready. I want this.” Her words fell out from between her lips fast. She twisted her head to look at him. “I’m good.”

  “Okay.” He stepped back. “I’ll start at the top and work my way down. You’ll use your safe word if you need to.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He lifted the flogger and flicked his wrist, letting it land across her shoulder blades.

  Kayla jerked, dipping one shoulder forward and setting her forehead against the wood of the cross.

  Gage snapped his wrist again, crisscrossing the second line over the first. He immediately stepped into her space and smoothed two fingers down first one pink line and then the other. Perfect. Not as hard as he normally flogged a submissive, but hard enough for Kayla’s sensitive skin. Not only was she clearly out of practice, but her skin was thinner than some people’s. If he hit her too hard, the welts would last longer than he preferred.

  Kayla’s shoulders lowered as he took the time to trace his lines.

  He waited for her breathing to resume a normal pace, and then he took a step back and flicked the leather through the air again, this time beneath the first two marks.

  Kayla flinched, but only a small whimper escaped her lips.

  He watched her reaction closely, deciding she could take more. He lowered the flogger to her smooth butt and swatted her two times across the center of her cheeks.

  Kayla jerked forward. She released her hold on the rope with her right hand and whipped it behind her to cover her ass.

  Gage took one quick step to reach her. “Baby, you can’t do that. It’s not safe. I need to know you’ll leave your hands above your head so I don’t accidentally hit them.” He grabbed her wrist and lifted it back onto the cross. “If you let go of the rope again, I’ll secure your hands. Understand?”