The question cracks something open in her. I feel it in the way her resistance dissolves, in the way her body goes soft and pliant against the bench.
"Yes." It's barely a whisper. "I want to be good."
"Then hold on a little longer. Just a little more. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, sir."
I push her right to the edge, keeping her there until she's sobbing with need. Until her thighs are shaking and her hands are fists behind her back and she's begging in a stream of broken syllables that sound like my name.
"Now." I give her what she needs, fingers deep, pressure exactly where she wants it. "Come for me now, Nadia."
She shatters.
The orgasm rips through her with a force that makes her whole body convulse. I work her through it, gentling my touch as the waves crest and recede, murmuring praise against her sweat-dampened skin.
"Good girl. That's it. So beautiful when you let go."
She's crying. I don't think she realizes it. Tears streaming down her face as her body keeps shuddering with aftershocks.
I untie her wrists quickly, efficiently, and gather her into my arms. She clings to me like I'm the only solid thing in the world, her face pressed against my chest as she tries to catch her breath.
"I've got you." I carry her to the bed in the corner and settle us both against the pillows. "You're okay. I've got you."
"What the fuck was that?" Her voice is hoarse, wrecked.
"That was you surrendering." I stroke her hair, smoothing the braids that have come loose. "That was you trusting someone enough to let go."
"I've never..." She shakes her head against my chest. "No one's ever made me feel like that."
"Because no one ever held on tight enough to take you there." I press a kiss to her forehead. "You need someone who won't break when you push. Someone who can match your fire and contain it at the same time."
She's quiet, her breathing slowly returning to normal. When she finally looks up at me, her eyes are clear but wondering.
"You didn't..."
"This wasn't about me."
"But you're..." She glances down at the obvious bulge in my jeans.
"I'll survive." I catch her chin and tilt her face up. "Today was about showing you what's possible. Giving you a taste of what it feels like when someone can hold you. We have time for the rest."
"The rest?" A ghost of her usual sharpness returns. "That sounds like a promise."
"It's a statement of intent." I trace her lower lip with my thumb. "If you want there to be more, there will be more. But only if you ask for it."
Her smile is slow, satisfied, and just a little bit dangerous. "I'll think about it."
"You do that."
I hold her while the snow falls outside, while her heartbeat slows and her body relaxes into mine. And I try not to think about how natural this feels. How right.
This was supposed to be simple. A fake relationship to survive a wedding weekend. Nothing more.
But with Nadia warm and trusting in my arms, simple feels like a lie I can't afford to keep telling myself.
CHAPTER FIVE
NADIA
