“Okay,” Val said, her voice steadying. “I believe that right now, anything around my face and neck is a hard no. I think I would shut down, no matter how much I trust you, and then I’m not sure I’d be able to ever try again once I got there.”
I nodded. “That makes a lot of sense.”
“I would also like to start with hands only,” she continued, her eyes searching mine like she was hoping to catch me reacting a certain way.
“Hands only,” I repeated. “Those are smart boundaries and keep the connection direct. Anything else?” I inquired as I resumed rubbing her feet.
Suddenly, Val let out a short, high-pitched giggle and tried to yank her foot back. “Kaden, stop! That tickles!”
“Oh, does it?” I didn’t let go. I found that one spot right near her heel that I knew was Val’s weakness. She began to squirm, the heated blanket quickly sliding down to reveal her messy bun and flushed face.
Val kicked at me weakly. “You’re a bully.” She couldn’t stop laughing.
I raised my hands in surrender. “I was just testing your muscle responsiveness,” I teased and gave her foot one last squeeze before settling back into the massage.
Val relaxed again, looking back at her tablet and her energy shifted. “Speaking of muscle responsiveness, I was reading about nerve endings.”
Her tone came out more clinical than curious. “It says here that certain types of impact can almost reset the nervous system. It’s like a reboot for a computer that’s running too many programs at once.”
The excitement in her voice began to grow. “I want to reset, but I don’t want you to think of me as weak.”
I shifted, leaning closer so I could look her directly in the eye. “Val, I promise you aren’t showing me anything I’m not honored to hold. You’re one of the strongest women I know. Nothing about you is weak. No matter what, I’ll be there to hold you and remind you of how amazing you are.”
She stared at me, her bottom lip trembling for just a fraction of a second before she pulled herself together. “You’re way too sappy for a guy who chokes and punches people for a living,” she joked.
“Don’t tell Arlo. He’ll never let me live it down.”
We spent the rest of the evening laughing and carrying on. Occasionally she would go back to reading and pop in with a comment about sensory processing and aftercare. Each time I gave her my thoughts, followed by more examples to help her understand.
Each time Val spoke, I found myself more and more enamored in her. She was gorgeous, in more than just her physical beauty, and I couldn’t help but admire her for being able to stare down her demons with just a cup of tea and a heated blanket.
Finally, she leaned over and set her tablet and empty cup on the coffee table right before she crawled across the cushions toward me.
I opened my arms and she tucked herself into my side as the main card was being announced. I turned up the volume just a bit as she rested her head on my chest. “Thank you, Kaden,” she muttered into my shirt.
I looked down at her, slightly confused. “For what?”
She looked up at me and smiled. “For making me feel safe, and empowering me to do my research… And for the tea.”
I kissed the top of her head, the scent of mint shampoo tickled my nose. “Always. I dare anyone to try anything otherwise.”
Val smiled and snuggled in to watch the fight. We stayed like that, her breathing evening out as she started to drift toward sleep.
On the screen, two men fought for a title that didn’t mean half as much as the victory that’s happening between us.
Twenty Six
Kaden
Each moment Val and I spent with each other flashed before our eyes, and soon we were celebrating eight beautiful months together. Our relationship? Flawless. Our dynamic flowed smoother than the ripples of water on a calm day at the lake.
My eyes opened slowly as the sun began to creep its way into my bedroom. The scent of jasmine and clean linen was the first thing to register in my mind. I lay still, listening to her soft, even breathing beside me.
I couldn’t be more proud of her. Everything Val did, she treated like a discipline she had to master. She was a weapon both on and off the mat, forged in resilience. We spent hours each evening diving into the depths of books and watching documentaries. She even found case studies on trauma healing through kink dynamics. Each time a new piece clicked into place for her, her eyes would grow wide with understanding and she would rush to share her findings with me.
Val would continue to ask questions. Making sure she was clear on everything from sub drop to the ethical responsibility of a dominant. She even wanted to know how we could achievecertain elements while ensuring we weren’t recreating her abuse. In those moments, I loved watching her absorb all the information we could find.
Once she was ready, we began to dive into the exploration on all levels. It was nothing like I had ever experienced before. I was giving her parts of me that had remained untouched.