And in the silence of her internal contemplation, he remained patient. Eyes lowered. Breath deep and even, if not slightly quickened. Body tense in readiness.
It was the tension in him that finally urged her forward. He was waiting for something. Something only she could provide. It was her responsibility to satisfy his desires. And there was another need whispering inside her. He had bestowed his trust in her.
It was time she did the same.
She took a step back. “Stand, mon grand.”
“Oui, Madame.”
She watched his body unfold as he pushed himself to his feet without removing his hands from their position. The tightening then releasing of different muscle groups drew her gaze like a fluttering moth to the dangerous promise of death.
When he stilled again with his feet braced wide, his chest stretched and exposed, and his arousal pressed against the material of his breeches, Charlotte found herself suddenly desperate to have his hands on her. To give something of herself as he gave to her. To reveal some of the woman behind the mask. But she recalled how devastating his stolen caresses had been last time. She’d have to be careful.
“My next instruction must be heeded carefully,” she warned, her voice lowering intimately. “Remember…if you do not behave, we do not continue.”
“Oui, Madame.”
Was there a slight tremor in his reply?
Turning in place, Charlotte gave him her back as she lifted her chin, arching her neck just a bit. “Remove the pins from my hair.”
There was a subtle pause. A breath. A moment. “Oui, Madame,” he whispered, his voice roughened.
She felt him step closer—his warmth bathing her back. Then a delicate tug against her scalp. Then another and another. He was very careful not to pull her hair, his touch was light and purposeful and ever-so-gentle. And bit by bit, her tresses were released, falling down her back in small pieces at first and then altogether in a heavy wave.
The sound he made when her hair was fully freed—a low, growly grunt of pleasure—sent a shiver down her spine.
“Bien joue,” she murmured in soft praise. “Now, use your fingers to comb through the length, removing any remaining pins and tangles.”
He did not utter the words she required, but Charlotte’s anticipation of his touch was too great to concern herself with the infraction. He started near the ends and worked his way slowly and deliberately toward her scalp. The occasional snarl caused momentary discomfort, but Charlotte was far too lost in the pleasure of his attention and the way her nerves came alive with every stroke and tug.
The first time he dragged his blunt fingernails against her scalp, she gasped a breath and released it in a sigh before she could stop herself. But a moment later he encountered the ties of her mask, still twisted through her tresses. She felt him hesitate, as if he contemplated removing the irrelevant disguise. She went completely still, waiting for his decision.
When she felt his fingers pull through the length of her hair again—ignoring the ties—she felt undeniable relief.
They would maintain the façade. For a little longer, anyway.
Chapter Fifteen
Ralston sensed hersoftening. He felt it. He saw it. Just as he saw the moment when she forced herself to reclaim her role of dominance.
“Ca suffit.” Her tone was low, but the thread of authority was unmistakable.
“Oui, Madame,” he replied, lowering his hands to his sides.
He’d have given anything to keep touching her. To explore every texture and detail of her body and soul. Instead, he dropped his gaze and held his breath until the air seared his lungs. Despite the roaring need inside him, he would do nothing she didn’t order him to do.
“Hands behind your head.”
“Oui, Madam.”
There was a pause during which he felt her gaze moving over his body.
“Tres bien,” she murmured. The admiration in her tone sent tingles of pleasure through his body, making him yearn and hunger. His will strained against the bonds of his position.
As though seeing his growing distress, she addressed him in a voice that was both gently intimate and full of purpose. “In thisroom, I am in command,” she reminded him. “Your time belongs to me. Your will belongs to me. Your…pleasures belong to me.”
Sparks ignited beneath his skin and a swirl of anticipation filled his belly.
