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Always.”
    “It’s hard not to fall for the pretense. To not believe this with my heart.”
    Dane clenched his jaw; the word pretense bothered him more than he cared to admit. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before responding, “I don’t know what ‘believe this’ means.”
    “This!” She pulled back, static anger sparking around her. “This—this thing you’re doing. This show of caring. Pretending I mean something to you. Holding me as if you cherish me, putting cream on my sore ass, running a bath to soothe the sting. This damn façade of a blissful relationship! ”
    “I do care about you,” he stated.
    “But you don’t love me. You’re doing things you should only do to—with—someone you love. I know sex is sex, and sex is for mutual pleasure, but this tenderness, this is…more. It’s not fair to make me feel more than what you promised me outside. It…I don’t know…it hurts, I guess.”
    Dane wasn’t one to overanalyze and label emotions, but as he stared into Phoebe’s glistening eyes, he figured he was as close to love at first sight with this woman as the hard and practical person he was would ever get. Truthfully, he didn’t believe in the mush, but Phoebe had a special way of getting to him. He figured it was her vulnerable soul, lying bare and exposed and drowning in those tearful depths, that called to him as a man. It made him want to protect her, cherish her the way a man should cherish a woman. How she should have always been cherished in the first place.
    Phoebe’s demeanor didn’t hide the fact she wanted to trust him with more than her body, to believe in him and in the possibility of a lasting relationship despite the brevity of their time together. But he could also see her insecurities were as toxic to her budding hope as weed killer was to a bed of roses.
    Once burned, twice shy, as the saying went.
    “Listen, sweetheart. This is real. I’m not putting on a show for you.”
    “You’re not?”
    “No. You deserve to be cherished. Don’t you agree?”
    Not exactly declarations of love, but at least he was honest.
    “There is something about you, sweetheart, something that calls for you to be treasured. Don’t doubt this is real. It is. The lessons are to teach you how much you’re worth being cared for. Not to demean you or negate any positive feelings between us.”
    “I know, Master Dane.”
    “You like it when you’re cared for, don’t you?”
    “Yes, Sir.”
    “It excites you to relinquish control to me?”
    “Yes, Sir.”
    “And, you like it rough at times?”
    “Yes, Sir.”
    He had to smile. No way to hold it back. “Then, I will oblige your desires. I want nothing more than to please you and give you all you desire, Phoebe.”
    “Thank you, Master Dane.” She pressed her hand to her face, as if to contain the tears, and wiped her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m just—I don’t know. Tired. Crazy, I guess.”
    “Just tired.” He corrected. “Let’s get you into that bath. After that, more aloe, then to bed with you.”

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
    In Hot Water
     
    Master Hottie lowered her into the water then switched off the faucet. The bath was cool, but not uncomfortably so. And, it did pull some of the heat from her ass and thighs.
    Slowly releasing his neck, she relinquished the safety of his body, and finally opened her eyes. The harsh brightness had her squinting, but the opulence and comfort of the room was unmistakable. Sea foam green stone tiles stretched from floor to ceiling, showcased with a dark wood trim. A chocolate-colored slab of granite, with sleek faucets and built-in soap dispensers, served as modern double sinks along the length of the wall. A shower, large enough for a party of four, with multiple showerheads and a beveled glass door, sat in the far corner.
    “The tub is made of wood,” she breathed.
    “It’s a custom Japanese soaking tub called an ofuro . Helps