As soon as Luke acknowledged his orders, Gunnar hung up. Sliding the phone into his pocket, he began repacking the bag he’d just unpacked. It was a half-hour before Luke called back, but when he did, he had good news. A jet was warming up at a small executive airport twenty minutes from Gunnar’s hotel.

  A call to the front desk garnered him a ride to the airport. He then called Monica, letting her know what was going on, and that she was taking over as CEO of McNeill Enterprises immediately. His last call was to the real estate broker he was to meet with the next morning. He let the man know he wanted to make an offer on the ranch they’d visited earlier in the day an hour northwest of Austin.

  Once his responsibilities were dealt with, Gunnar grabbed his suitcase and briefcase and headed for the front desk to meet his ride. He needed to get home to his grieving wife and straighten out her mistaken thinking.

  Chapter Five

  Though he had given orders for Jefferson to be at the house helping Jillian, his driver-slash-bodyguard was waiting at the curb when he exited the airport terminal.

  Waving for the man to stay in the driver’s seat, Gunnar set his bags on the back seat before climbing into the front passenger’s seat. He sighed as the muscles across the top of his shoulders began to slowly loosen. They would relax back into place fully once he saw his wife, and straightened out whatever crazy thinking she had going on about his frequent business trips and exactly who Monica was.

  Once his seatbelt clicked into place, Jefferson pulled away from the curb and headed across town toward home.

  “How is she?” Gunnar asked once they were away from the airport.

  “She’s been sleeping since before I got there. Blaze, Taurus and a couple of your club friends were keeping watch while they fielded visitors and wrote thank you notes for the food and flowers that’s already been delivered. Blaze said that would be one less thing you and Jillian needed to worry about.”

  Gunnar dropped his head back to rest against the headrest and sighed. His own exhaustion was catching up with him. Once they buried Lucas, and he got his business settled, he and Jillian were long overdue for a vacation.

  “Thank you for helping out,” he said.

  “No problem, boss. You know that. I’ll drop you at the house and head home. I’ll come back in the morning,” Jefferson said.

  Gunnar nodded, then turned his thoughts to his woman and what Blaze had said. Did she really think he would leave her?

  When Jefferson pulled to a stop in the street in front of the house, Gunnar gave another tired sigh. The driveway was full of cars and lights were on in nearly every room. He hoped whoever was inside wouldn’t mind when he kicked them all out. He only hoped he wouldn’t offend anyone in the process.

  He paused just outside the front door, taking several slow deep breaths. He needed to be social, polite even, but also Master G firm in clearing the house. Opening the front door, he stepped inside and sniffed. He wasn’t sure what it was that smelled so delicious, but he wanted some. The burger he’d picked up on the way to the Austin airport was long gone and he was hungry.

  Setting his bags down by the front door, Gunnar cautiously moved deeper into the house, half-afraid of what he would find. A murmur of voices emanating from the living room pulled him in that direction. Stopping in the doorway, he was not surprised to see Blaze talking with Taurus Green and his wife, Whitney. Taurus and Blaze had introduced him to Jillian, and, along with their spouses, were considered good friends, so naturally they would be there. There were others in the room, but Gunnar was too tired to be polite.

  “Where is she?” he asked, meeting Blaze’s gaze.

  The small spitfire of a woman stood. “She’s been asleep in your room since just after your phone call this afternoon. Do you want something to eat? A drink? There’s lots of food.”

  Gunnar started to shake his head, but his stomach gave a loud grumble at the same moment, causing everyone present to chuckle. “I guess I could eat something,” he said. “Just give me a minute to check on Jillian first.”

  Before anyone could stop him, Gunnar whirled and stalked to the master suite at the other end of the house. If Jillian really had been asleep for the last six hours, she needed to wake up and eat something, as well.

  Pausing outside their bedroom door, Gunnar took a moment to shift into the Master G mindset he used whenever they scened. His wife needed his Dominant strength to help her survive the days to come, and he would willingly be that person for her. This was what being a Master, as well as being a husband, was all about.

  He had grown to care about Lucas over the years since he and Jillian had gotten together and then married. He would miss the older man, but, because of Lucas’s illness, they had not been as close as they probably should have been. But that was true of most people in Gunnar’s life. Except for Jillian, he maintained an emotional distance from people. He’d grown up being hurt by the people in his life, and had quickly learned to not open himself up to people. Until Jillian snuck under his walls and straight into his heart.

  Opening the door, he stepped into the room, grateful to whoever had left a light on in the bathroom. There was enough light filtering in the room that he could see Jillian curled up in the middle of their king-size bed. He crossed to his side of the bed and sat down, trying not to disturb the still sleeping woman. She looked troubled, even in sleep, and his Dominant, I-will-fix-everything-or-else personality surged to the forefront. That was when he noticed she was curled around his bed pillow in a fashion similar to how she curled around him each night, when he was home. His heart squeezed when he realized he missed that physical intimacy. Yet another reason he needed to be home more.

  Instead of stroking his fingers over her temple as he wanted, he pushed a strand of hair back from her face before laying his palm on her cheek. “Jillian,” he said softly. “Wake up, baby.”

  Her frown deepened as she hugged the pillow harder, though she did not wake up.

  “Come on, wife. Wake up and welcome your husband home,” he said, as he ran his fingers through her hair.

  “Mmmm,” she moaned softly, pushing her head into his hand. In the next instant, her frown deepened and her eyes blinked open. “Gunnar?”

  “Yes, baby. I’m home,” Gunnar said. “Come have something to eat with me and then we’ll kick your friends out and you can welcome me home properly.”

  Jillian frowned up at him, then stretched and sat up. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Texas.” Though she spoke softly, he heard the hurt and accusation in her tone.

  “I got here as soon as I could,” he said before standing. “Now come on, I’m hungry and I’ll bet you are, too.”

  Pulling the covers off her, he pulled her out of bed and guided her into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face while he used the toilet, then he washed his hands while she did the same. Once she’d washed her hands, he led her through the darkened bedroom out into the rest of the house toward the kitchen. He was surprised she remained silent instead of peppering him with questions as she usually did. She was probably still processing the shock over her father’s death.

  Having his woman by his side revitalized him enough that he remained social while they tried a variety of casseroles, salads, and desserts that had been dropped off by friends and by employees of Hall Industries over the past hours. Jillian remained by his side, but he felt a wall of isolation she had built around herself. A wall he could not tear down while their friends were in the house.

  Finally, Gunnar had had enough. Dinner was over. The food had been put away, the kitchen had been cleaned and the trash taken out. It was time for people to leave.

  Dropping his voice to his Master G range, he said, “Thank you all for coming and staying with Jillian when I couldn’t be here, but you need to leave. Now.”

  Taurus chuckled and nodded his approval at Gunnar’s handling of the situation. Whitney and Blaze blinked, and looked like they were going to argue, until Gunnar met their gazes and raised an eyebrow, daring them to speak. The others present immediately began drifting toward the front door without argument.

  Jillian remained seated with her head lowered. He wasn’t sure if she was studying the empty table before her or falling back to sleep. Either way, just as she had during the impromptu dinner, she did not say anything. She had eaten, but only when he encouraged her, and she now sat with her hands folded in her lap as if waiting, but he wasn’t sure what for.

  After escorting their guests to the door, and assuring Blaze and Whitney he would call if he needed them, Gunnar closed and locked the door and set the alarm. Then he returned to the dining room, and the woman he was growing more and more worried about. This action was not like her, and he wanted his wife back.

  Though his Jillian had never been an overly emotional, dramatical woman like her best friend, this almost catatonic, robot-like behavior was not like her, either. There was something wrong, but he would not be able to fix things until he understood exactly what was going through Jillian’s mind.

  She was still sitting where she had been when he’d left the room to see everyone out. Taking the chair beside her, he cupped a hand under her chin, lifting and turning her head so he could look into her eyes. Beautiful emerald green eyes that normally sparkled with life now looked dull, blank, unfocused.

  “Talk to me, baby. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”

  * * * *

  Jillian had to still be asleep, though she didn’t remember ever experiencing tastes or smells before in her dreams. Dinner had been delicious, and thankfully the crowd around the table did not demand she do more than eat from the plate of food Gunnar had set in front of her. It was piled high with Southern foods and comfort foods that all smelled so very good.

  She ate slowly, not hungry, but knowing that if she didn’t eat, the man sitting beside her would feed her like a child. He’d done it before when she was sick, and she had no doubt he would do it again.

  Her emotions still locked down tight, Jillian ate about two-thirds of what he’d put on her plate before laying down her plastic fork and pushing the plate away. She then folded her hands in her lap and sat, still and silent, and lost in a black fog that had engulfed her while she had been sleeping.

  When Gunnar used a gentle hand to force her to look at him, she did not fight him. Fighting a determined Master would take too much energy that she didn’t have. At this moment, all she wanted to do was go back to bed and allow the nothingness of sleep to consume her.

  “Talk to me, baby. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Gunnar’s tone cut through some of the black fogginess that surrounded her. He sounded concerned, worried, almost as if he cared. But why would he? He was leaving with Monica, wasn’t he?

  She blinked slowly and then frowned at him. “Why are you here? You’re supposed to be in Texas with Monica.”

  She watched as Gunnar’s head jerked back as shock replaced the expression of concern he had worn a moment before. He looked as if she had slapped him, but she would never do that. She loved him. Always had, always would. All she had to do was figure out how to win his love back from his new assistant.

  Gunnar studied her for a moment before he said, “I’m here to be with you, my wife, as we mourn the loss of your father. Where else did you think I’d be?”

  Jillian took a breath, wanting to give voice to the accusations that had been rolling around her brain since he had left on his latest business trip. Instead, she shrugged. “It’s late and there’ll be a lot to do tomorrow. Let’s just go to bed. We can talk about this later.”

  Pulling her head from Gunnar’s hold, she spun away from him, giving him her back as she stood up. Without giving him a chance to speak, she headed into the living room, and began turning off the lights. She felt Gunnar’s eyes following her as she circled the room, then continued back through the dining room, into the kitchen and foyer.

  He did not appear happy, but also seemed perplexed by her actions, which made no sense. She didn’t know how to explain to him that she was just as confused by his attitude and actions as he was by hers. Why would he go on a trip with his mistress, only to cut it short because the father of the wife he was about to leave died? And why wouldn’t he admit that he was having an affair with Monica?

  Instead, he silently followed her through the rest of the house as she turned out the lights one at a time, until they were walking down the darkened hall to their bedroom. Once there she continued with the rituals that she followed each evening. Going into her walk-in closet, she stripped off her clothes, and tossed them into the laundry basket. After a trip to the bathroom for her evening ablutions, she headed to bed, keeping in mind the always naked in bed rule, even though she would have liked to have worn a suit of armor instead.

  Gunnar was already in bed, leaning against the headboard naked. He’d turned on the lamp on his nightstand, so his well-sculpted golden body glowed in the soft light. Jillian still felt like a fluffy marshmallow next to the man.

  From the energy radiating from him, and his serious expression, Jillian knew they wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon. Walking around the bed to her side, she climbed in, planning to lie down and go right to sleep. Gunnar pulled her to him before she could make good on the intention. He dragged her across the mattress and rearranged her so she straddled his upper thighs. When she tried to move away, his hands clamped onto her hips and held her where she was.

  “We are going to talk now, baby. Blaze told me something this afternoon,” he said, his deep brown eyes smoldering as he stared deep into hers.

  Jillian crossed her hands over her chest, giving herself a hug as she focused on his chin. “Oh? What did she say?”

  “That you told her I was leaving and you would be all alone now that your dad’s dead. Why would you tell her something like that?” Gunnar said, his tone even and patient, but with a big thread of dominant power demanding answers. “Look at me, baby. Talk to me. How can you think such a thing?”

  Jillian took a breath and released it slowly, but could not squelch the anger that suddenly erupted. “You’ve taken four trips with her in the last six weeks. This last trip you didn’t even tell me you were going until you were walking out the door. You’re always on the phone with her, and we haven’t been to the club in ages. What else am I supposed to think except that you’re getting ready to leave me to be with her?”

  Chapter Six

  Gunnar took a moment to not just listen to Jillian’s words, but to also hear the pain that overshadowed the anger in her tone. During those few seconds he hesitated, he realized he had failed her. Not only as her husband, but also as her Master. The past few months had not only caused physical separation between them, but an emotional one, as well. Guilt shafted through him when he realized Jillian was right.

  He’d screwed up big time.

  “You’re right, baby. I’ve messed up. I have been traveling a lot lately, and I didn’t tell you about this trip. It was a last-minute trip and I forgot. I’m very sorry. I should have sent Monica alone to deal with the business. Thing is, I was also there for personal reasons, as well.” When Jillian opened her mouth to speak, he laid two fingers over her lips to silence her. She took a deep breath and snapped her mouth closed again before he continued. “Reasons that have nothing to do with Monica and everything to do with you and me. But it’s a surprise and I can’t tell you about it. Yet.”

  Jillian pursed her lips and looked petulant for a long few seconds as she thought over his words. Then she nodded and took a breath.

  Gunnar felt her relax marginally until he said, “But my forgetfulness does not negate the spanking you have coming, first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “But Master, I shouldn’t be punished because you forgot,” Jillian pointed out, obviously trying to shift her misdeeds onto him.

  Too bad it wouldn’t work.

  “And you aren’t,” Gunnar said. “What is the number three rule in this house?”

  “Always answer my Master’s phone calls, no matter where I am or what I’m doing,” Jillian answered softly, the edges of her words softening as she shifted into the mindset of a submissive coming to understand she was in the wrong. “I didn’t mean to hang up on you, but my phone died.”

  “And when it recharged, did you call me back? Did you answer my other calls? Or my texts?”

  Jillian slowly moved her head side to side. “No, Master.”

  Gunnar yawned, his exhaustion catching up with him. “You won’t be punished for the calls you missed last night after you handed the phone to Blaze. By my count, you earned at least a dozen strokes. But we’ll deal with that in the morning, once we’ve both gotten a good night’s sleep. I’m too tired tonight to dole out punishment. Tonight, I just want to hold my wife and sleep.”

  “Thank you, Master,” Jillian said as they moved down the bed to lie flat.

  Gunnar pulled the covers up to cover them, and pulled her close to his side. Her head resting on his shoulder and her hand on his belly, Gunnar held her until her breathing grew deep and steady.

  There was still something wrong with his baby. He’d seen this before with her, and hoped the spanking in the morning would help break down the wall she’d thrown up around her emotions. Otherwise, she would implode and that would be more dangerous than pushing her to release them.

  Hoping she would like the surprise he was planning for her, Gunnar finally allowed his own eyes to drift shut as sleep pulled him under its spell.

  * * * *

  Jillian woke to a hard, warm hand rubbing circles on her ass cheeks. She knew what Gunnar was doing, warming up her flesh in preparation for beating on it. She had to admit, even if it was only silently and to herself, that she needed a spanking. Her emotions were pushing at the walls of the box she’d locked them in, but she wasn’t sure she knew how to unlock it without help.

  Without a spanking.

 

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