I licked my lips, my knees nearly buckling. “So… what happens now?”
“Now?” His fingers trailed down, a whisper of touch along my collarbone. “Now I unwrap my sassy little Christmas present until she’s naked and writhing underneath me.”
Bram wrapped his arm around my waist and before I could protest or overthink, he hoisted me over his shoulder like I was a sack of toys, just like I’d thought about earlier at the party, rather than a tall, plus-sized holiday snack. All I knew was that I was in serious trouble, because as I watched the rug in my hallway fly by my eyes, I realized something I should have thought about before. I didn’t do hookups because I had the bad habit of believing that any man who had sex with me before dating me only wanted my body and not my heart.
Bram didn’t fit the mold, not with his soft yet commanding way, especially not if he understood dynamics and such.Shit.He was going to make me fall in love, I knew it. Somehow I needed to hold onto my heart without giving it to him. But with every step closer to my bedroom, my resolve shattered more and more.
Three
Savannah
“Oh god, I can’t believe you just did that,” I panted breathlessly as he turned into my bedroom.
“Carried you? These muscles aren’t just for show, little elf,” Bram replied, tossing me onto the bed with care, but tossing me all the same.
His fingers slid under the hem of my sweater, slow and deliberate, peeling the fabric away like he was unveiling a secret treasure. The forest green of my bra caught his gaze. I felt it too, that deep, rich color highlighted my reddish orange hair and bright hazel eyes. I watched Bram trace the lace vines on my bra, his eyes lingering on every curve he was about to claim.
The weight of his stare settled over me, and suddenly I wasn’t self-conscious or hiding. He saw me, every single dip and curve. Wide straps hugged my shoulders, strong and steady, just like the way his hands pressed into my waist, grounding me. Tugging my jeans lower, Bram slowly revealed my matching panties. They sat high on my hips, the soft mesh teasing my skin, satin edges shimmering faintly under the warm light. Heat blossomedlow in my belly, a delicious fire sparked by the knowledge that this wasn’t just a fleeting glance. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” I managed.
“Me? Aren’t you sweet?”
Bram ran his hands all over my legs, upward to my thighs, gently caressing my soft belly as he moved higher to my breasts. He reached behind me, unhooking my bra. Taking each one in his hand, he licked my nipples, biting harder than I usually liked, enough to make me moan.
“Not so much pressure,” I protested, but I liked his mouth there.
“Red for stop. Yellow to slow down. Otherwise you told me your limits,” he chastised and reminded at the same time. “Since this is our first time together, if you remember something you can add to your list, but impatience is not a good enough reason.”
“Got it. Impatience isn’t a reason…” I muttered, trailing off when he returned his mouth to my nipples, sucking and teasing. I threaded my fingers into his dirty blonde hair, lightly tugging as he continued. “Oh, fuck.”
“Lay back.”
I leaned on my elbows. “Not yet. I want to see you.”
“You’ll have plenty of opportunities to see me, Savannah. Do as I said.”
Hm. Decisions, decisions. Though he knew the sort of things I was into, and I had explained it, it didn’t necessarily mean he was very kinky. Or that he wanted to engage in those things. “I’d rather watch you strip down, Bram.”
He rubbed a hand across his mouth. When I thought I had the upper hand, he took hold of my waist and flipped me like a pancake. I barely had enough breath to gasp.
“Naughty little elf,” he chided as he cracked his palm against my upper thigh.
“Ow.” I arched, trying to ease the sting from his hand. Bram undeterred grabbed the waistband of my panties and peeled them down to my ankles and off. One hand pressed down on my lower back while the other punished the lower curves of my butt.
“In here, you’ll do as I say and you’ll do it without pushback. Am I understood?”
“Whatever,” I said, groaning as he continued spanking me. Each hard slap was followed by a long caress against my ample bottom. I loved it. I’d always enjoyed the pain that blossomed into heat more than anything else.
“Am I understood or not, Savannah? Answer me quickly.”
“What’s it matter if this is only for one night, Bram?” I asked in a haughty tone, covering up the vulnerability suddenly flooding through me.
He pulled me along the length of the mattress, sitting down and turning me around so he could look into my eyes. “The point is to get your overthinking, eggnog-addled brain to stop panicking. I hope we have more than tonight, but if we don’t? I still want you to relax into this moment. The here and now. Fighting me is going to make it take longer, and while I have nowhere to be but here, it will delay your satisfaction.”
“Fine, no more pushback,” I agreed. Though I’d have agreed to almost anything with the way he studied me.
“Spread your legs.”
