“There’s a word I haven’t used before now because, deep down, your body already knows. But it’s time to attach the label, so you can stop fighting for control you’re never gonna have.” He kisses my ear before leaning back to look me in the eye. “In the bedroom—and elsewhere—I’m dominant.”
I blink up at him blankly, and the corner of his mouth curves.
“So fucking innocent.” His tone is soft and amused. The hardness slowly creeps back into his voice when he speaks again. “It means that in bed, you’ll submit to my will.”
My eyes widen as his meaning begins to dawn. “Are you saying…I won’t have a choice?”
“You can set limits. But within those limits, the way I use your body is up to me.”
Shane seems deadly serious. Between his sheets, I’ll be his sex toy in every sense of the word, and not just because of our temporary arrangement. Exerting control is part of who he is.
Without giving me time to object, he reaches behind me and unzips my dress. His lips brush my neck as he lowers the straps. The bra falls with it, exposing me to the waist. His gaze burns as he looks at me. “Fuller than they were.” His left palm cups my breast, and the sensation sends lightning bolts of need through me. “Still so beautiful.”
Suddenly, all the things we need to sort out melt away.
Later.All of that can wait until later.
He picks me up, carrying me to the bed. I love the feel of his body when he moves. He sits on the edge and sets me on his lap facing him, so my knees are pressed against his sides.
“Are your nipples sensitive?” He bends his head and captures one in his mouth, sucking.
My head falls back with a gasp, and my hips circle so I’m pressing against his erection. It feels amazing.
He switches sides as I grind against his lap, suddenly frantic with lust.
“Tell me the truth.” His voice is low and husky. “Two years ago, did you strip out of your clothes and lie on that couch on purpose? To see if you could tempt me into action? So I’d make you mine?” His whispers are rough against my skin.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember what I did, let alone why I did it.”
With a small twist of his body, he repositions us so I’m lying on my back with him above me.
“That night wasn’t the first time you came downstairs looking for me. You did that all the time.” His big hands pin my wrists above my head as he licks my nipples. “You sought me out in a place where we’d be alone. Deep down, you knew you were looking for more than conversation.”
I pull at my arms, testing his hold. His grip tightens, and freedom becomes an impossibility. Which is a relief.
Looking into my eyes, he shakes his head. “It’s better that I didn’t find you until morning. Your body wasn’t ready to be used by a man the way I want to use it.” He kisses me, sucking slowly on my tongue until I writhe. “You’re not too young now though. Over eighteen is fair game for any game I want to play.”
My belly clenches, and my aching nipples bead.
He finishing unzipping the dress and jerks the billowing fabric down, practically ripping it as he does.
“Shane,” I gasp.
The chiffon cloud lands in a mound on the floor, and he flips me onto my stomach, driving the breath from my lungs. I start to rise up onto my palms but a hand between my shoulder blades pushes me back onto the mattress.
“Lie still. When it’s time to move, I’ll tell you.”
My body convulses, sinking into a twisted place of fear and excitement. He climbs from the bed and goes to his nightstand where he takes out a condom and a small black device. After he drops them on the bed, he unbuckles his belt and slides it free.
The belt falls onto the bed in a coil, like a sinister leather snake. It holds the promise of a different kind of punishment if I don’t submit.
17
AVERY
It’s difficult to catch my breath. Lying facedown on the bed, my thighs press together. I’m close to coming, just from listening to his rough, ruthless voice.
After Shane sheds his clothes, he rolls the condom over his cock, which looks huge. I lick my lips and then bite the tip of my finger, watching him. Pillows are stacked in the middle of the bed, a sexy and sinister pyramid.
