Read Online SimplyIrresistible by Evanne Lorraine - Free Book Online Page B

again. He’d brought her to a small mama-san, papa-san restaurant
across the arterial from a neighborhood strip mall.
    Tiana felt him watching her and made herself meet his laser
gaze.
    “Tell me about your rough day,” he demanded in his
nonnegotiable Master voice.
    “I never said—”
    He lowered his glasses, peering at her over the top of the
heavy frames. “Don’t lie to me. I don’t like it and I will always know. I
explained last night your Master needs to understand what is happening in your
life. No one else can tell me what’s going on in your head.”
    She’d always wanted a Dom who truly understood her needs and
fears. Liam was exactly that kind of Master.
    What she’d failed to consider was how much she hated anyone,
especially the man who made her insides flutter, examining her squishy spots
and ugly scars. The last thing she wanted to admit was being a walking trouble
magnet. But she was a pathetic liar, so she muttered, “Some nutcase vandalized
my truck while I was gone today.”
    Liam continued to watch her with the same scary intensity.
He didn’t say a word.
    Anxious to downplay the bad news, she lightened her tone. “I
should have bought a rust bucket. There’s nothing like buying a shiny new ride
to attract sickos, right?”
    “Wrong. You’re working so hard at avoiding playing the
victim you’re minimizing a real threat. Beautiful women attract a variety of
men—some angry and dangerous. Their bad behavior is not your fault.”
    Liam didn’t pull his punches.
    She wanted to wince, because he was right. She was
overcompensating for having been Richard’s target for much too long. She’d
internalized her ex’s demoralizing commentary. After almost two years she still
caught herself listening to the steady stream of criticism in a dead man’s
snarky voice. The tailgater and the vandalism had triggered an old coping
method—pretending nothing was wrong. Her voice sank. “I do know, but sometimes
I forget.”
    “Everyone does.” He gave her arm a tender caress. “We all
do. Last night I took a little stroll around your unit and found a cigar butt
by your patio. I don’t think the tailgater or the vandalism were random acts.”
    Her lips parted, but nothing came out. The pretty corset
seemed to have shrunk to steel bands constricting her lungs. She couldn’t
breathe. Her vision started to gray around the edges.
    Liam turned to her, unzipped her dress and loosened her
laces faster than she could have managed even if she hadn’t been
hyperventilating. “Breathe with me. In…out…in… That’s my brave pet, nice and
slow.”
    He rubbed reassuring circles on her back while she caught
her breath.
    Liam’s mention of the cigar had sent her into the
helplessness of a panic attack. Lots of men smoked, including the angry brother
of Liam’s ex. Stupid for her to let old memories of a dead man’s abuse or a
still-breathing nutcase ruin her evening. She forced away the last of the
chest-clenching fear.
    “Thank you. I’m always thanking you, aren’t I?”
    “I’m not tired of hearing it.” He redid her corset and
zipped the sheath. “Time for green tea and sushi.”
    Her stomach rumbled in agreement. Liam helped her out of his
vehicle, steered her to the restaurant and held the door.
    She stopped just inside and they both left their shoes in
the entry. Her mood lightened at the immaculate charm of the small eatery.
    A smiling waiter ushered them into a private room and poured
them small bowls of hot cha. A low, lacquered table took up most of the space.
Liam gestured for her to sit on a large cushion. She folded her legs underneath
her and sat on her heels, grateful for her skinny legs and enough flexibility
to make the position comfortable, at least as comfortable as possible for a
woman cinched into fetish wear.
    He sat cross-legged. His position pulled the lightweight
slacks taut over thickly muscled thighs, emphasizing his impressive package. “I
recommend the California