Instead, what lingered in my head was that bar.
It hadn’t been what I’d expected and that confused the hell out of me.
“If you don’t stop thinking so loud, I may have to kill you,” Stefan murmured.
I stiffened, and a heartbeat later, his hand was on my belly, stroking gently, his lips pressed to my shoulder.
“I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” I said in a low voice.
Stefan nuzzled into my neck, and I shivered. Under the sheets, something stirred, and I sent it a swift silent message to go back to sleep.
The last thing I wanted was for Stefan to reach lower. Thenneitherof us would get any sleep.
“Want to tell me what’s keeping you awake?”
I huffed. “No, because this isn’t the right time to be having that kind of conversation. Or any conversation if it comes to that. Thebirdsaren’t even awake yet.”
He withdrew his arm, the mattress dipped, and a second later, warm light flooded the bedroom. I blinked.
Stefan propped himself up on one elbow, his hand on my arm. “If there’s something on your mind, then this is the perfect time to talk about it.” He kissed my shoulder again. “I wasn’t asleep either, and that’s entirely your fault.”
I twisted to stare at him. “Me? What did I do? I’ve just been lying here.”
That soft kiss was unexpected too.
“Mm-hm. Lying here—naked. And way too tempting.”
Then I felt it, the tap of something warm and hard against my arse cheek.
I caught my breath, and he chuckled. “And it is definitelynotthe right time for that. So why don’t I make us some hot chocolate, and then you can tell me what’s going on.”
I could go with that. “Yes, please.”
He threw back the sheets and I watched him walk naked into the kitchen. For a man in his fifties, Stefan was stunning. He was lean with good muscle tone, and as for that arse… Oh my God, it was a thing of beauty, firm and dusted with hair.
I’d seen twenty-something guys strutting around Canal Street who didn’t look half as good as he did.
When he returned a few minutes later, carrying two steaming mugs, I sat up against the pillows, and he joined me. I wrapped my hands around its warmth, inhaling the aroma.
Stefan took a sip, then got comfortable. “Okay. Where do we start?”
“The bar.” There was little point in hesitation.
He arched his eyebrows. “The dark room?”
I shook my head. “I’m talking about all the men in leather.”
Another sip, but he said nothing.
I took a deep breath. “I’ve seen stuff online, okay? Porn. Guys in leather, harnesses—looking an awful lot like most of the men in PK, if I’m honest—tying other men up, whipping them, guys cuffed to benches, with gags?—”
He stopped my words with a finger to my lips. “What you’re describing sounds like BDSM practices. What you saw tonight was part of the leather community. And while there may be some overlap, the two things are not the same.”
I thought about what I’d seen—men standing around in conversation, enjoying each other’s company. That wordcommunitystruck home.
I wanted to be clearer. Ineededto be clearer.
“So what is it about leather?”