“Good girl.”
His approval soothed some confounding need even as he rubbed the superficial sting he’d caused. The sensation on her bottom turned into a pleasant burn, one that spread over her skin and heightened her sensitive state. She loved his masterful touch upon her flesh and nearly protested when he drew it away.
“Let’s start with the first question.” A pause. “How many others have you had since me?”
Embarrassment twisted inside her, anger following swiftly on its heels. Her affairs were none of his business, and he knew it. He was the one who’d left her—made her believe she was a widow. He’d betrayedher, not the other way around.
“Tell me. Unless you are still counting the bastards?”
The words sounded gritted out, and she knew he was angry. But not at her. Sebastian, not being a stupid fellow except on specific occasions, understood that he was responsible for any lovers she’d taken. He wasn’t punishing her…but himself. She had the sudden insight that he had a habit of doing so. For some reason, he felt undeserving—of her, of happiness—and she wanted to get to the root of it.
“Why does it matter?” she asked softly.
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the one you are getting. Whatever happened, happened. There is no changing the past, only what lies ahead.”
As she said the words, she felt the truth of them. If she wanted to move forward, she needed to let go of what had gone on before. Of the pain and anger and fear clouding her judgement. Only then would she have a clear vision of the future. Only then could she decide if the passion that burned so brightly between her and Sebastian could lead to something real and lasting.
“Is that your final answer?”
She turned her head, trying to see his face, but he kept out of her view. Unable to gauge his response, she went with her instincts.
“Yes,” she said.
“Very well. An omission counts as a lie. Prepare for your punishment.”
His severity sent a lick of fire up her spine, as did the roughness of his touch as he brought her hips to the edge of the desk. He spread her wider and positioned her to receive his will. She braced, her palms sweaty against the blotter, her buttocks trembling in readiness for the castigation she’d earned. A heartbeat passed, then another and another, until she thought she could hear the rapid knocking of her heart against the rosewood. Anticipation expanded her lungs, her insides, until she feared coming out of her skin.
Every inch of her tingled with expectation. With need.
When nothing happened, her chest suddenly seized. He was so quiet, so still. Panic came out of nowhere, surrounding her like a crowd of strangers whose language she didn’t understand, who took no notice of her as tears leaked from her eyes.
Is he still there? Did he leave? Am I alone again as I’ve always been?
A warm, hot mouth closed over her pussy, and she choked out a sob.
Of relief, need, and bliss.
Her emotions were tangled skeins as Sebastian’s tongue split the heart of her, laying her open with his kiss. He clamped her bottom with his large hands, holding her cheeks apart as he pushed deeper and deeper, and she whimpered at the feel of his tongue sliding inside her. His oral penetration felt almost more intimate than that of his cock. He took his time tasting her, looking into her inner recesses, exposing her with his thumbs as he licked and licked.
Even that wasn’t enough for him. He journeyed higher, and she shuddered as he tongued her crack, finding a forbidden rim. Instinct made her shrink away from the unfamiliar sensation, but he wouldn’t let her. The tip of his tongue circled and circled that unexplored terrain, laying claim to it, making it his. Shame turned into surrender and surrender into pleasure. The tremors started, and she felt herself climbing, reaching for that peak…
He stopped. Stepped away.
Left her wet and quivering and panting, balanced on a razor’s edge.
As she tried to steady her breath, her lover came into view. Given the frustrated state the bastard had left her in, she oughtn’t to have found the satisfied gleam in his eyes arousing, but she did. Despite his smugness, his mouth was red and wet from pleasuring her, and there was a wet spot on his trousers. His erection looked ready to burst free.
It cost him to play with her. To be with her.
This game they were playing was more than a game.
It was about more than pleasure. It was about exposing themselves, letting the other in, and in doing so, opening themselves up to the possibility of a real future. Was that what she wanted?
The answer thumped in her heart.
Yes…yes.
