"Oh, Master, Sir."
"Fuck," he grunted.
He moved his hand from my hip to between our bodies, and before the first orgasm had fully ebbed, he pushed me headlong into another. My whole body arched as it ripped through me.
He held himself deep, stilled, and came with a low groan, our bodies locked together.
I’d come here tonight to understand myself, maybe even silence the noise in my head. He’d done that… and so much more.
He shifted, easing me onto my side as he slipped out of me. The bed dipped, and panic pricked hot behind my eyes. Was he leaving? Already?
I tried to move, but my limbs wouldn’t cooperate. My body still trembled from the aftershocks.
He cupped my cheek, grounding me, then sat back on the bed. When he gently spread my legs, I whimpered. Everything was too sensitive. I wasn't sure I'd survive anymore.
A warm cloth touched between my thighs, and my breath shuddered. He cleaned me with slow, careful strokes. The man who had wielded a belt with unflinching precision was now washing me like something precious. My legs fell open, unbidden, as he wiped down my inner thighs, my sore, spent core.
No one had ever done that for me.
Tears spilled again before I could stop them. He gathered me against his chest, cradling me easily. A cool water bottle pressed to my lips.
“Drink.”
There was no thought; I just complied.
"That's a good girl."
He removed my blindfold. My breath hitched. Was he really going to let me see him?
I wasn't sure whether I should open my eyes. He wiped my tears with his thumbs tenderly, and something soft touched my lips. Instinctively, I opened my mouth and my eyes since he hadn't said not to but was greeted with a pitch black room. As soon as the caramel chocolate candy hit my tongue, I closed my eyes again to savor the flavor, feeling more grounded.
Then his lips brushed mine.
Soft at first. Testing. His tongue traced the seam of my mouth until I parted for him, and he slid in—slow, confident, tasting faintly of bourbon… and me. Chocolate and heat and something dangerously intimate. I mirrored his movements, stroke for stroke, unable to stop myself.
My arms lifted on their own, sliding around his neck, pulling him closer. I didn’t know who he was. For all I knew, he could’ve been a bum off the street.
Well, no. Not a bum. Not at Sanctum, not with the membership costs and Vetting Committee breathing down everyone’s necks. But still a stranger.
A stranger who made me feel more than anyone ever had.
For the first time in my life, my mind was quiet. There were no spiraling thoughts, no running lists, no chaos.
Until one voice whispered through the stillness.
You’re not supposed to catch feelings.
I wasn’t sure I could keep that promise. But he didn’t have to know.
It would just be my little secret.
Chapter 16
Sebastian
Ipinched the bridge of my nose and drew in a long breath, resisting the urge to shove every stack of paperwork off my desk and let it all crash to the floor. That or set the whole damn pile on fire. One would make a mess. The other, I wouldn’t be able to clean up nearly as easily.
A knock cut through my spiraling thoughts.
