Ye Olde Kinke Faire Read online

  He looked over his shoulder as he walked into the dining room. “Because you were naked in my bed and I wanted you safe.”

  “Oh.” She had no defense against that. Her heart melted and she knew unequivocally that she was indeed head over heels in love with Kendrick Finleigh, who was just her Dom through July. The thought of returning back to Seattle and never seeing him again was so painful that she had to blink back tears.

  “Hey,” he said in a soothing voice and was suddenly in front of her, cupping her cheek. “I know tonight’s been tumultuous. You soared beautifully and I have the feeling you’re going through some drop right now. So go upstairs, strip, and get into bed. I’m going to heat up some milk and put honey in it. That should help you get to sleep. Go on,” he encouraged gently when she couldn’t move.

  She nodded and ignored the traitor tears that leaked down her cheeks. Perhaps he was right. Maybe this was sub drop and her turbulent emotions would go away soon. Becca hoped that was the case, because if not, she was on the path to getting her heart broken. And she did not want to get off it.

  Kendrick grimaced as he stretched his shoulders. Becca was still asleep when he left just after dawn. Part of that was the brandy he added to her milk and honey. The other part was a mixture of pure exhaustion and sub drop. He would keep his eye on her over the next few days and make sure she took it easy.

  As he took a sip of coffee, he admitted to himself that having her come find him in the early hours had meant a lot. It had helped him to gain some sleep, though only a couple hours. He’d received the call at seven that he still hadn’t completely processed.

  Jillian was dead.

  Before the helicopter arrived, Dallas told him and Craig that her blood pressure was dangerously low because she’d lost too much blood. When Craig asked, “So what are we looking at? Months of recovery? Jilly’s going to be inconsolable after this,” Kendrick had to agree. That little slave would have a rough climb back to herself.

  “No,” Dallas had replied, sadness in his eyes. “Craig, right now, her chances of reaching the hospital alive are slim. If she does, they can give her a fighting chance. As it is now…” He shook his head.

  But Kendrick still hadn’t wanted to believe it. He’d hoped that Jilly would have enough fight to make it through or that Craig’s command to live would be enough… but it wasn’t. She’d lost too much blood and by the time she arrived at the hospital, she was in a coma. Jillian Mayfaire Penningham’s heart gave out at 4:45 a.m.

  Now he had to tell everyone.

  And the worst part was that he would need to ask everyone to keep working. They couldn’t take a week off to grieve with their friend. As much as he wished they could. Thankfully her parents were flying out to be with Craig and they would undoubtedly fly her body back to Alabama for burial. That he couldn’t be there for one of his best friends during what had to be the lowest point of his life hurt. It was a constant ache that sat in his muscles.

  “Hear anything?” Neil’s voice startled him and Kendrick turned in his direction. Whatever he saw on Kendrick’s face made his face fall. “Not good?”

  “She died.”

  Neil closed his eyes and whispered something Kendrick didn’t hear. When he opened his eyes, pain was in their depths. “Craig?”

  “He’s Craig. Dealing with what needs to be dealt with. Dallas is staying there until Jilly’s parents arrive. Then he’ll come back. I’m not sure what Craig’s going to do.”

  They were on the cusp of their dream and the thought that one of his best friends might not be able to see it through with him hurt. Which made him feel like an asshole for thinking of himself.

  Neil squatted down and leaned his elbows on his knees. “More of our crew are coming today. I’ll meet them at the docks and show them their cabins. But we’re going to have to make an announcement so that everyone knows why you, I, Alice, and Joseph will be a bit off over the next few days.” He ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky breath. “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

  “I know. I don’t want to believe it.” When he and Rhys lost their parents, it had been devastating but they’d moved on together, been a rock for each other. He needed to be Craig’s rock while he worked his way through losing his slave and wife. “And I hate that he’s there and I’m here.”

  Neil clasped his shoulder. “He wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  “I know. The stubborn goat.”

  Crunching drew their attention where Alec strolled toward them, his face set and his gate so purposeful that Kendrick wondered just what he had to impart.

  “Any news?” Alec asked quietly.

  Kendrick nodded. “She didn’t make it.”

  “Fuck.” Alec took a deep breath and nodded before standing up straight. “All right. The way I see it, we’re five men down for at least a week. You, Neil, Joseph, Alice, and Craig. Knowing you, you’re going to work your asses off as a way to work through your emotions. I get that. But let me step up. I can work on my consignment work in the evenings. During the day I can take over whatever Craig was doing and can pick up some of your slack.” He stared intently into Kendrick’s eyes. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “Yes. Though not much.” Kendrick wiped his palm over his face. “We’ll figure out a way to pay you for your time.”

  Alec shook his head. “Give me a discounted price into the co-op once it’s official. I like what you’re building and the thought of living here year round is a pleasant one. But I won’t be able to stand by and do nothing while this is going on. You wouldn’t either if it was any one of us. So suck it up and accept the help.”

  As much amusement as could enter his mind at that point made Kendrick almost smile. “Got it, ya bastard. Neil, can you show him where Craig’s files were? Ah fuck.” He leapt to his feet. “Has anyone told Slate?”

  “Who’s Slate?” Alec asked as Neil winced.

  “Shit. I totally forgot he was here.” Neil turned to Alec. “Slate’s Jilly’s cousin. He’s our pastry chef.”

  “Fuck,” Alec agreed. “All right. Kendrick, you need to be here and central as you’re going to be the one everyone turns to. As much as it’s hell right now, you’re the rock of this place and you know it. If you need a way to work out the stress, take a jog around the island. Go beat on a sub. Hell, if you’re really feeling bad, I could set you up with a little CBT.” He grinned evilly.

  “Fuck off,” Kendrick said with a quirk of his lips. “Like I’d ever let anyone do anything painful to my cock.”

  Neil’s lips quirked, though they didn’t stay up for long. “Here comes your sub,” he said and Kendrick turned to see Becca trotting in their direction with a basket in her hands. She slowed down as she approached and her eyes were completely on him. She sunk to her knees in front of him and offered up the basket. A wonderful aroma drifted up to him.

  “Good morning, Rebecca.”

  “Morning, Sir,” she said softly. “I thought you could use breakfast.”

  “I definitely can.” Kendrick picked up the basket and put it on the table near him and pulled Becca onto his lap. Having her next to him helped. His hands knew more than he did. “So what did you bring?”

  The basket was filled with chocolate and strawberry filled croissants.

  “I would say that Slate definitely doesn’t know,” Alec said, looking at them.

  “That’s my first job,” Kendrick said with a sigh as he picked up a croissant, tore a piece off, and pressed it to Becca’s lips.

  “Let me,” Neil suggested. “Alec’s right that you need to stay here to answer questions. Since Craig is one of the owners and it’s affecting us all, some of our people might be worried that the Faire’s going to fold before it even gets off the ground. You need to be the one to assure them that everything is still ago and that even with this tragedy, the Faire will still open July first.”

  “Point me in the direction of Craig’s files and I’ll start to figure out what I need to do today,” Alec sa
id and the two walked off.

  Becca looked up, her gaze searching his. “What happened?” she whispered.

  He ran his fingers through her hair and shook his head. “She died, Becca. Jilly lost too much blood before Craig found her and she died at the hospital.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “Thank you.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Neil and Alec are correct. I need to be around this morning to answer any and all questions. I would prefer that you stay near me unless there is something specific you need to do?”

  She shook her head. “No, Sir. I can stay with you.” He tore off another piece of croissant and pressed it to her lips. She ate it quickly and surprised him by picking a fresh croissant out of the basket and offering him a bite. After they made their way through two of them apiece, he offered her a drink of his coffee.

  It was going to be an extremely long day.

  Chapter Fourteen

  He was wrong. The day was interminable. And it was only eleven a.m. Their workers didn’t all show up at once, so he had to announce what happened so many times, he had a headache. Becca switched him to tea after a few coffees, but he wasn’t sure the lack of caffeine helped douse his desire to strangle a few people.

  Those that knew him or Craig or Jilly were sad and treated him with kid gloves. That was bad enough. Worse, though, were the people who didn’t know them and acted the way one Dom did as he walked away. “What the fuck is it to me some slave died?”

  If Becca hadn’t been sitting on his lip, he might have punched the guy so hard he would have had to be air lifted to the hospital.

  Becca glared daggers at the Dom’s back. “What an ass,” she hissed under her breath, spitting like a kitten.

  Kendrick smiled and kissed her forehead. “Agreed, little one. Now why don’t you go get us something for lunch? Coffee and tea is all good, but I could go with something a little more filling.”

  She placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. Her soft hazel eyes searched his. “You’ll be okay until I get back?”

  “I promise not to deck the next jerk who comes by,” he promised.

  “But what about the one after that?” she said and stood up. He smacked her buttocks.

  “No sass. And lots of food.”

  She flounced her rear end, reaching back to flip the micro skirt she wore. “Yes, Sir.” He found himself chuckling for a moment as she walked away. Until he remembered what made that day a fuck-all day and he sighed and rubbed his eyes.

  “Hey.” Alice squatted down next to him and he looked over at her. Her eyes were all red, her nose puffy.

  “You look like shit,” he said.

  “Ditto. Now, I just had a talk with your girl.”

  He cocked a brow. That couldn’t be good. When Alice had a talk with a sub, they usually ended up doing something incredibly non-sub like.

  “She told me she’s off to get you lunch. I told her to come collect you once she’s got it, walk into the woods somewhere, eat, and do anything she can think of to get your mind off today.”

  “There’s too much to do—”

  “Honey,” she said softly as she shook her head. “People are working their asses off picking up the slack. And if you don’t take some time for yourself, you’re going to get surly, grouchy, and most likely get into a brawl. And since I know Joseph’s the one who usually goads you into it because he knows exactly what buttons to push, I want you to go with Becca. It will be a better way to get the stress out. And my man won’t end up with a broken nose.”

  “That was only the once,” he reminded her with a wry smile. “He forgot to duck.”

  A small smile quirked at the edge of her lips. “You need to let off steam, Kendrick. You’re hurting but staying strong for everyone. Go fuck Becca until she passes out. You’ll feel better for it.”

  He snorted. “Sex instead of a fight? It’s going to have to be one hell of a fuck fest to get rid of what’s in here.” He patted his chest where the ache just seemed to grow and grow. It was now in his shoulders, neck, and head.

  “Then do it.” She reached into her pocket and handed over a pill. “Warning. If you find you have a hard-on after four hours, seek Dallas’s assistance. But if you fuck Becca hard enough to get rid of all the pain, I don’t think the four hours will be a problem.”

  Amused and chagrined, he pulled her onto his lap. “I love you,” he said with a laugh that was filled with pain instead of happiness.

  She hugged him, her arms wonderfully tight around his neck. “We’ve got this, Kendrick. You aren’t alone. Lean on Becca for a while. I promise the world won’t collapse while you do.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The line for lunch was long and Becca waited, thinking about what Alice said. She’d said Becca would need to be stern with Kendrick as he was “A stubborn fool at times.” The love in Alice’s voice had made her smile, but she wasn’t exactly the dominant type. How was she supposed to be stern with Kendrick? One look in his soft blue eyes and she melted. Especially with how much pain he was in. His normally blue eyes were gray and the red around the edges made her heart ache for him.

  So maybe she would use that as her reminder. She needed to change that gray back to blue. It would still take him some time to get past his friend’s death, but he carried too much weight on his shoulders.

  Becca stood up straight. It was time to help him offload some of it.

  Chef Michaelo looked up as she reached the window that opened onto his kitchen. “Becca, come to get your master his lunch?”

  “Yes. And we’re going to be eating away from everything so I’m hoping you have something we can eat with our hands.”

  He nodded. “I made sub sandwiches,” he said with a wry smile. “If it weren’t for the events of last night, that would be funny. As it is, hold on. I’ll grab you a couple.”

  She walked out with a huge bag filled with sandwiches, chips, and soda. All the way back through the woods, she encouraged herself. “Come on, Becca. This is for Kendrick. You can be a pain in the ass for him.”

  Something ahead of her had her look up and stop, startled. Kendrick was walking toward her. “I believe Alice has banished me for a minimum of four hours,” he said with a shake of his head. “She said something about you abducting me.”

  Relieved that Alice had stepped in on his side, she nodded. “I thought we could stop by your cabin for a blanket and go find a place to have a picnic.”

  “Sounds good. And while we’re there, I’m going to grab a few things.”

  She hoped he wasn’t going to get work stuff. That was what she was supposed to be keeping him from. Her thoughts derailed when he took her hand and started off for his place. It felt wonderful to walk hand-in-hand with him. He’s not your boyfriend, Becca. He’s your Dom. Don’t forget that.

  Becca blanked out that voice. She needed to focus on Kendrick and keep his mind off everything except her.

  He went upstairs and she grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa. When he came down with a shoulder bag, she knew she’d have her work cut out for her. There was no way he was working once they were away from everything. Michaelo had packed a small container of chocolate pudding. She’d planned on eating it just as it was, but desperate times being what they were, perhaps she could eat it off him.

  They strolled up one of the trails that was mostly grown over. “There’s nobody renting up here,” Kendrick said. “So we should be safe if I decide I want you naked.”

  She was definitely good with that suggestion.

  When they reached a little grassy area surrounded by trees, she dropped the blanket. “How about here?”

  “Looks perfect.” He dropped his shoulder bag and sat down. “Come on, Becca. What did Michaelo send us today?”

  They ate the sandwiches and chips and she worked at keeping his mind on other things. “So what did you do on the rodeo circuit?” she asked.

  He snorted. “Started out as a bare bronc ri
der. Moved onto bulls. I was a bull rider for five years before I almost met my end with a crazed bull. He gored my leg and would’ve continued until he killed me, but the clowns dumped me in a barrel and a really good surgeon saved my leg. That’s when I knew I needed to find something else I was passionate about.”

  “Like a kink town,” she teased.

  He nodded. “Yep. There aren’t a lot of out kinky people on the circuit. I don’t doubt they get down and dirty behind closed doors, but they’re pretty judgmental to those who are out about it. I love the thought of living in a town where everyone is kinky so if I smack my girl on the ass or reach underneath her skirt, nobody will think it odd. In fact, they’re likely to smile and watch.”

  His answer was so Kendrick that she laughed softly. “Young pervert working toward being an old pervert?”

  “Oh yeah. Though Alice and Joseph are decades ahead of me. And they’re still going strong and trying new things.” He popped the last chip into his mouth. “I hope to still be kinky as shit when I’m a hundred and one.”

  “By then, kinky will be so blasé that perversion will be the missionary position,” she said and he laughed.

  “You have a point.”

  Becca put the empty containers back into the bag and lifted the small container. “Chocolate pudding. Fresh.”

  Kendrick sat back and looked at her, an appraising expression on his face. “Strip,” he said firmly and a shudder of excitement went down her spine. Yes. This would definitely get his mind off everything.

  She put the container down beside him and stood up. As she wasn’t wearing much, she figured the stripping wouldn’t take too long, but she could still tease a little. She lifted the string of her camisole off her left shoulder and slowly pushed it down. His eyes followed her movements. Once she got it off her arm, she moved to the string on her right shoulder. Once that was off, she slowly rolled the camisole down until her tits popped out, pleased when his eyes gained focus and it was her, all her. After rolling it down and off, she figured there was only one decent way to do the microskirt. So she turned away from him, bent over and pulled the skirt down so he could see everything.