Chapter 5

Finally, finally they were loading their dishes into the dishwasher.

“Wait for me on the cross,” Taren instructed.

Ian nodded and went to the bedroom. He knew Taren was checking that all their doors and windows were closed and locked and the security system armed. Their phones were placed in the night stand drawer and the lights were dimmed, but not off.

The entire time Taren moved around the house, and then their bedroom, Ian stood at the St. Andrew’s cross, with his wrists resting on each of the cross bars. His feet were planted at shoulder width on the narrow base. It was easy to follow Taren’s progress around the room. Even when Ian couldn’t see him, he could hear Taren well enough.

Ian loved the smell of leather and inhaled deeply when a pile of leather with steel rings attached was dropped at Ian’s feet. The soft chink of steel against steel was a nice musical compliment to the rich scent of oiled leather.