Four more. Her fists tightened when the next strike came. They were not as hard as the previous ones but would still leave marks. The last two hit under the previous ones. Except for the quiet sobs, she didn't make any other sounds. When I set the belt aside, she sagged forward into the restraints with a quiet, exhausted exhale.
I quickly released her ankles, checked her blindfold, and undid the cuffs around her wrists one at a time. The moment the last cuff loosened, her body gave out, but in a heartbeat I cradled her in my arms and walked across the room to the bed and laid her down gently.
Her body trembled as she quietly sobbed. She’d done so well. I traced circles on her wrists where the cuffs had been.
“You did beautifully,” I murmured.
I brushed slow circles along her wrists where the cuffs had been, letting the rhythm soothe her. Her breath hitched, then eased. I moved my hands up her arms, then down again, mapping calm into her trembling body.
“Shhh! Little one.”
She let out a shaky breath; the tension draining from her.
I ran my finger just under the hem of her bra, smiling when she squeezed her legs together.
“Color?” I whispered in her ear.
She turned her face toward my face. “Green,” she whispered back, her chest heaving with each breath.
Relief and something far more dangerous washed through me.
I cupped her cheek, letting her feel the warmth of my hand before lowering my mouth to hers. The kiss wasn’t about hunger—it was about grounding her, claiming the moment, showing her she’d done more than endure. She’d trusted me.
While our mouths moved in a slow, deliberate rhythm, I eased the tension from her shoulders, guiding her gently.
“Let me reward you,” I murmured against her skin, letting my lips trail from her mouth to the curve of her jaw, then lower, mapping calm and reassurance into every place I touched.
“Raise your hands above your head and keep them there.”
She hesitated only a breath, her muscles still trembling, before she obeyed. The obedience itself was a gift, one she offered with a mixture of exhaustion and want.
“Can I reward you, Pet?” I swirled my tongue around her hard nipple, smiling as she arched into me.
“Please, Sir,” she pleaded.
A smile curved my mouth before I could stop it. She was trying for composure, trying to follow the rules, but desire pulled at her anyway—visible in the shift of her body, the tremor in her breath, the restless tension in her limbs.
“So eager,” I murmured, brushing my fingers along her side in a slow, soothing stroke. “Just remember… my rules still apply.”
Her lips curved into a soft, helpless smile she didn’t mean to show me—one that hit me harder than anything else tonight.
So much for getting her out of my system.
Chapter 15
Mira
Iarched into him as he took my nipple into his warm mouth. The ache along my back and thighs burned hotter than any sunburn I'd ever had. The silk sheets cooled my skin, but my ass, God, I didn’t know if it would ever be the same.
It had hurt more than I’d expected, but I wasn’t sure what Ihadexpected when I walked into the room tonight. Everyone had said that he’d stop the moment I used my safe word. When the belt struck the sixth time, all I needed was to catch my breath. I didn’t want him to stop completely, so I’d used yellow and braced myself for the next blow, but it never came. He’d pushed pause and checked on me. His voice had been gentle, almost soothing. Never disappointed, never making me feel like I’d somehow failed him.
I gasped when he pinched my nipple between his thumb and forefinger but swallowed my yelp. But then he soothed the sting with his mouth, and the contradiction unraveled me. Pain and pleasure in the same breath—nothing in my life had ever felt like this, and all I wanted wasmore.
The bed dipped as he moved away. Instinct made me reach for him, but I caught myself, forcing my arms to remain above my head where he’d placed them.
He was close. I heard the heavy drag of his breath, matching mine. Something brushed my ankle briefly then disappeared. A moment later, it skimmed the inside of my thigh before the bed shifted again under his weight.
His hands slid into the sides of my panties.
