One Gold Knot Read online

  One Gold Knot

  Dominant Cord, Book 2

  Sadie Haller

  QTP

  Contents

  About This Book

  Books by Sadie Haller

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  One Gold Triquetra

  Chapter One

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  About This Book

  She didn't do relationships. She didn't even do all night.

  * * *

  After years of avoiding her teenage crush, Hildy Klein is shocked to come face to face with Wilson Kennedy.

  * * *

  Her uncle's wake isn't the place to unravel all the ways that Wilson could leave her emotionally vulnerable and exposed, yet his gentle persistence is impossible to ignore.

  * * *

  But Wilson is no longer that boy in her fantasies, and now Hildy must decide if she will give up control and commit to the protective, kinky Dom he's become.

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  ~ Books by Sadie Haller ~

  Dominant Cord

  One Gold Heart

  One Gold Knot

  One Gold Triquetra

  * * *

  Tainted Pearl

  Tainted Shadow

  * * *

  Power Brokers

  Chief of Perversion

  Agent of Denial Coming Fall 2019

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  Frisky Beavers

  Prime Minister

  Dr. Bad Boy

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  For my sweet, wonderful sister, J.

  You are everything I aspire to be.

  One

  Wilson did a double take at the sign on the back of the Smart Car parked in front of The Squeaky Wheel, not sure he'd read it right. He turned to Sully and raised a brow. "Newly Dead?"

  Sully chuckled. "Erich's instructions for his wake were frustratingly detailed."

  They stomped the snow from their feet and entered the pub. Wilson immediately spotted the other members of their wind quintet, Dominant Cord, at the bar. He snagged Sully's sleeve and gently pulled him along as he went to join the group.

  "Hey guys, we finally made it."

  "Hi Wil, I was getting a little concerned," Finn said.

  "Blame Sully. I had to drive like my grandmother because our delicate flower bitched and complained about his sore ribs."

  Mac snorted and rolled her eyes. "Good grief, Sully. I don't know how you're supposed to be ready to play the upcoming concerts if you can't even handle a car-ride without whining."

  "Geez, what does it take for a guy to get a little sympathy?"

  "You could stop letting your cock make your dating decisions."

  "Well, I'd never been ice-skating before, and it sounded like fun—"

  Shaking her head in obvious disbelief, Mac interrupted. "Bullshit, Sully. You just wanted to touch her feet. Too bad you broke your ribs before you had the chance to be the perfect gentleman and help remove her skates."

  Wilson lost interest in the conversation. While banter between Mac and Sully was generally entertaining, he was fed up with hearing about Sully's injury. He let his eyes wander, and the lone woman in the back corner of the room caught his attention. Hildy. He'd only met her that one time, years ago, but she snuck into his dreams with disturbing regularity. Her demeanour screamed stay away, but her haunted look made him want to scoop her into his arms and comfort her. "I'll be back later."

  Griff followed his gaze and said, "Yeah, good luck with that."

  Wilson crossed the floor, never once taking his eyes off his quarry.

  The moment Wilson turned from the bar and caught her eye, Hildy was positive the universe was a sadistic asshole.

  When he'd walked in with Sully earlier, her stomach hit the floor and her heart raced so fast she thought she might black out. She couldn't believe her good fortune when he'd headed straight to the bar without so much as a side-ways glance.

  Deep down, she knew he'd come, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise. It was bad enough she had to be here and say goodbye to the one person in her family who loved her — she didn't need her teenage crush bearing witness to her all-consuming grief, too.

  Her only option now was to gain the upper-hand and get rid of him. She looked him in the eye. "Hello Wilson. Is there something I can help you with?"

  "Hey, Hildy," he smiled and offered his hand, "it's been a long time, I didn't think you'd remember me."

  Remember? How could she forget? That day was branded on her soul. Every night since then, she imagined she was swaddled in his arms instead of her blanket. And she always fucked with her eyes closed so she could pretend Wil was the one she was with.

  Her mind drifted back to her fifteen year old self. Back then, she practised on her uncle's piano because her parents had sold hers when she stopped being their performing monkey. They'd been livid when she'd stood before that capacity crowd and made her apologies as she announced her immediate retirement.

  She stamped down her outrage and forced her thoughts back to the day she met Wilson. Normally, she was long gone before students arrived for their lessons, but she'd been learning a new piece and was oblivious to her surroundings until her uncle placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  Hildy nodded. "Yeah, I remember. My uncle cajoled me into accompanying you, and afterwards, you walked me to the library." That wasn't all he'd done that afternoon. He'd touched her, held her, oh, and he'd kissed her. She'd been emotionally ill-equipped to handle the unfamiliar feelings, and she'd successfully avoided further contact with him. Until now.

  "That's right." Wilson's smile morphed into that irresistible lop-sided grin. He paused, his eyes swept across the empty table top and then back to her face. "How about I grab us a drink and we can catch up?"

  Hildy silently cursed temptation and lied. "If you don't mind, I'd prefer to be on my own."

  Wilson lifted an eyebrow. "Are you positive?"

  From the corner of her eye Hildy saw the elderly couple walk in. Fuck. Georg and Martha. The universe was definitely not on her side today. They headed straight for her and she needed Wilson gone. Now. She'd survived a lot over the years, but she couldn't handle being humiliated by them in front of the only guy she'd ever met who could matter. "Absolutely. Now, if you don't mind...?"

  To her horror, he pulled out the chair next her and sat. Then it was too late. They stood before her, and she couldn't do anything but ride out the oncoming shit-storm.

  "Brunehilde." She could hear the sneer in his voice, and she tried not to cringe at the use of her full name. "I should have known you'd show up where you're not welcome. But then, you never were a smart girl, so I'll spell it out for you in short, simple words. Get the fuck out, you selfish cunt." Hildy stared blankly at the wall and mentally assumed the fetal position, prepared for the rest of Georg's tirade.

  "That's enough. Nobody speaks to Hildy like that. Go find somewhere else to spew your toxic feculence." It was Wilson's dangerously quiet voice that yanked Hildy from her safe place. She looked over to see her uninvited guest had risen to his feet, towering over the couple as he upbraided them.

  "How dare you," Martha sputtered, "is that how you were taught to speak to your elders?"

  "No, this is how I was taught to stick up for someone who is being bullied. Age, gender, and relationship are irrelevant."

  Hildy could barely keep her jaw off the floor
. The only person who ever effectively stood up to them in her defence was dead.

  "Well, I never. I don't need to stand here and be insulted like this. Come on Georg, let's go find somewhere to sit." Martha dragged Georg with her as she stalked off towards an empty table.

  Sully arrived moments later. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I got side-tracked. Are you okay? They weren't invited, but I should have known they'd show up anyway."

  "I'm fine." Hildy angled her head towards Wilson. "Besides, your buddy here delivered a most righteous smack-down."

  Sully grinned. "Damn, and I missed it."

  "Yes, you did. I might fill you in on the all the juicy details over dinner one night this week, if you're buying." Hildy batted her eyelashes and shot Sully a cheeky smile.

  "Deal. Now, I've got to get this show on the road." Sully leaned in to give Hildy a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I know you need some space, but let him stay, sweets. Trust me."

  "I'll consider it."

  "Good enough. You're up first. I figured you'd prefer to get it all done and out of the way."

  After all these years, she shouldn't be surprised at his ability to anticipate her needs. Her uncle taught him well. She choked back her tears. "Thank you."

  As he was leaving, Sully pointed to Wilson and said, "Trust. Me."

  Wilson's gentle touch on her shoulder felt nice in a way that still scared her. "Hildy, what can I do?"

  Dammit, she needed him to go away. "Look, I appreciate you sticking up for me, but I can take care of myself. Now, if you don't mind, I really do want to be left alone"

  "Hildy, whether you realise it or not, what you want is not necessarily what you need. I'll sit here quietly and you can pretend to be alone if you like, but you need a buffer."

  "Why do men always think they know what's best for me?"

  "Honey, I just watched you disappear inside yourself. I wouldn't leave anyone open to more of that kind of abuse. It's clear you're hurting, and I only want to give you a safe environment in which to cope. Can you let me do that?"

  She was torn, but her intense urge to run home and bundle up in her blanket was eclipsed by love and respect for her uncle. She had come emotionally prepared to deal with Georg and Martha, but this handsome, kind, annoying man had thrown her off, and now she felt vulnerable. Wilson's voice interrupted her inner turmoil.

  "Stop, you're going to give yourself an aneurysm. Just breathe. I'm going to get you some water, but before I leave, I'm going to give you a quick kiss on the lips because I think an implied relationship might help keep those ass-hats at bay."

  Hildy didn't have time to respond before his lips grazed her own. All those lonely nights she lay awake remembering the feel of his kisses did nothing to prepare her for the riot this one incited between her thighs. It was the first good feeling she'd had in days. She stole glance at Martha and Georg, and took some perverse pleasure at their indignant scowls. Maybe company wasn't a bad idea. Besides, he was still awfully pretty to look at, and maybe she'd score another kiss or two. She wished she could take him home for a good fuck, but he was her long-time crush and she didn't do relationships. Hell, she didn't even do all night, and she was willing to bet he did both.

  "Here you go."

  Hildy snapped out of her daydream and managed a small smile for Wilson as he set the water in front of her. "Thank you."

  He trailed a finger down her cheek. "You're welcome."

  His small gesture created a big wet spot in her panties and an even bigger lump in her belly. She didn't know how to process touching like this. Too scary. A kiss would have been better. She could handle kissing. Fuck, company was such a bad idea. "You haven't asked me who they are."

  "No, I haven't. Like everything else, you'll tell me when you're ready. Now, hush. I promised to just sit here and let you be."

  Ready? She was never ready, but she'd opened the door, and it was time to shove Wilson through it. "Not your typical meet the parents, was it?"

  "Your parents? Are you fucking shitting me?"

  Hildy cringed slightly before straightening and lifting her chin. "I wish I were, but there it is. I didn't even rate a booby prize in the parent lottery."

  "I guess not, and I'm sorry for that." Wilson cupped her cheek and leaned in for another kiss. "It looks like things are going to get started soon. Is there anything you need before it gets crazy?"

  What the fuck? People couldn't dump her fast enough after meeting her parents. This was one man Hildy did not know how to handle. He said and did all the right things. How could he possibly know what she needed when she didn't even know herself?

  "No, thank you. My uncle asked me to come out of retirement and perform tonight, just for him. It's been a long time since I've had an audience, so, I'm going to need a few minutes to myself to get my head screwed on straight."

  "Whatever you need."

  Hildy took some deep breaths in an effort to calm down. Damn Uncle Erich anyway for making her promise to do this. Why did he have to get sick and die? Life was so fucking unfair. She didn't realise she was crying until she felt the tears being wiped from her face. She looked at Wilson and tried to smile.

  "It's okay, sweetie, you go ahead and let it out."

  "Later. I'll let it out later. I really do need to get my shit together. The worst thing I can do is fuck this up with my parents right there."

  Wilson stroked her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. "What's your favourite colour?"

  "What?"

  He winked and shot her that sexy lopsided grin of his. "Work with me here."

  Against her better judgement, Hildy gave in and played along. "Dark purple, what's yours?"

  "That pretty shade of hazel I see when I look into your eyes."

  "Feeding me lines of bullshit is not helpful."

  "Sweetheart, I don't bullshit. Ever. Favourite thing to have for supper?"

  "Hmmm," Hildy tapped her chin as she considered, "chicken sandwiches with mayonnaise and cranberry sauce."

  Wilson laughed. "That's lunch."

  "It's whatever I want it to be. So there." Hildy grinned and stuck her tongue out.

  "You're awfully cheeky. If you were mine, there might be consequences for display like that."

  "Well, I'm not yours." Hildy paused, then curiosity got the better of her. "But if I were, what kind of consequences?"

  "Oh honey, this is not the kind of conversation I had in mind. Not yet, anyway."

  Hildy had known Sully her whole life; she knew precisely what sorts of shenanigans his quintet got up to in Finn's basement, and she had a pretty good idea what Wilson meant by consequences. Surprisingly, she found the prospect arousing, but Wil was right about this not being where her head should be right now. She squeezed her legs together and tried not to squirm, but that wet spot in her panties kept growing.

  Her focus shifted as Sully's voice drifted through the sound system. "May I have your attention, everyone." Once the room was silent, he continued, "We're here to celebrate the life of Erich Klein. I know most of you were unaware of his illness, and his death came as a shock. That's how he wanted it. Shortly before he died, Erich sat me down and gave me a long list of orders to be executed upon his death and threatened to haunt me silly if I didn't. Needless to say, the miserable bugger has kept me hopping from the moment he kicked the bucket.

  "As you can see," Sully pointed at the glass box on the bar, "I've burnt the body, but only because I couldn't convince the undertaker to embalm him with good single malt scotch. Make sure you have a drink with him and tell him a funny story.

  "Erich had three absolute loves in his life. Ted, music, and Hildy. He lost Ted in their third year of university, back when gay-bashing wasn't a hate-crime. With Ted gone, he buried himself in the deepest part of the closet, music his only joy. Then Hildy came along and filled the hole in his heart.

  "At Erich's request, Hildy has agreed to perform Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette. For the non-music geeks here today, you may recognise it as the theme
music from the TV show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

  Hildy had known this moment was coming for days, but she still felt woefully unprepared. As she stood, Wilson took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You'll be fine sweetheart. I'll be right here when you're done."

  Hildy forced herself towards the piano. Her heart was broken, but her uncle didn't want her to be sad. She thought back to all his other seemingly impossible edicts, and almost smiled. As she reached the performance area, Sully gave her a gentle hug and whispered, "It'll be fine. He loved you. Now give him everything you've got."

  Before settling at the piano, Hildy looked up into Sully's watery eyes. "Thanks."

  As soon as she played the first notes, the people and the room no longer existed for her. There was only the piano, and the music. The tightness in her chest eased, and she felt just a little less sad. Her uncle had an uncanny ability to give her what she needed. Even in death.

  Wilson watched as Hildy poured herself into the music. He thought back to the unforgivable way her parents treated her. He stole a glance at the couple in question and wasn't surprised to see them sporting identical scowls. Fuck 'em.

  He was glad he'd made that split-second decision to shield Hildy from that noxious pair of wank-stains, and he didn't consider it a hardship to continue. That glint in her eye when she asked him about consequences was promising. He wasn't opposed to a little funishment. Damn. Her long legs and luscious lips had him more than interested, but the way she caressed that piano made him wish his cock were the ivory beneath her fingers. No doubt every other man in the room had similar thoughts.