She shivered.
Mark kissed her forehead. “Are you cold?”
“No. I think it is the anticipation.”
He chuckled. “Good. Put your palms together.”
She did, and Judith felt the satin of the sash loop around her wrists, the bond tight but not uncomfortable.
“Lean back. Easy.” Mark braced an arm behind her shoulders, easing her back and slipping another pillow beneath her head and shoulders as they found the solid wood. He then lifted her hands above her head, apparently tying the sash to the acorn-shaped finial in the center of the headboard.
Judith shuddered again. The lack of sight, the confinement of her hands left her feeling exposed, uncertain. In all of her affairs, she had taken the lead and controlled how the evening had proceeded, how and what had happened in her bed. She swallowed hard, trying to stifle a tinge of fear—and an unexpected sense of arousal. In her moment of anxiety, her legs shifted and stretched.
Mark made a low tsking sound. “Ah. We must do something about those.”
Judith was not sure she understood. “What do you—”
“Shh.”
She felt his face close to hers, the heat of his breath on her cheek.
“Try, dear one, to feel with your heart, your skin, your nipples, your cunt. Not your mind.” He kissed her again, tugging her lower lip between his teeth as one hand stroked across her shoulders, then down over one breast, which tightened with arousal, the nipple peaking as he toyed with them through her chemise.
She sighed, another wave of arousal sending warmth spreading over her. His hands drifted down her body as he moved toward the foot of the bed, where he spread her legs, kneeling between them. Something silken and cool circled her right ankle, then grew tight. He pushed her leg closer to the edgeof the bed, holding it down a moment. But when he removed his hand, her foot stayed in place, tethered.
Judith fought a moment of panic as she realized he planned to immobilize her, and her left leg kicked involuntarily. “Mark!”
He caught her foot and lifted it to his face, kissing the ankle, the blowing a cool stream of air across the bottom of her foot, which both tickled and enticed. “I promise I will not hurt you. Do you believe me?”
Judith sorted through her racing, panicked thoughts, swallowing hard, finding a core of the truth she knew deep in her being. “I do.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
A logical, fearful part of her mind wanted to call a halt to this, to regain her sensibilities. A feral part felt the deep arousal his touches had brought to her, enjoyed the sensation of being at his mercy. Once again, his words sent a thrill through her senses.I wish to own a part of you.
Other words pushed out of the fog as well. Harridan. Wanton harlot.
Fifth choice.
“No.”
He kissed her ankle, nipping at the tender flesh above the bone, and Judith gasped.
He chuckled. “Ah. Teeth are such wonderful tools.” He pushed her leg even higher, his teeth scraping lightly against the inside of her knee, followed by a kiss. Then he secured her ankle with a similar silken bond as the other.
My stockings!
She felt the bed shift as he moved higher, his fingertip tracing gentle patterns up and down her calves and thighs, each stroke moving closer to her core. He paused only to push her chemise high on her chest, exposing her breasts as he tucked the fabric up under her shoulders.
“You have the most remarkable beauty.”
Judith chewed her lower lip.
“You do not believe me?”
“I find it hard—”
His hands closed around her breasts. “These,” he whispered. “Perfection.” He kissed one nipple, then the other, pulling each into his mouth, sucking lightly at first, then his tongue pressed the tender bud against the roof of his mouth, rubbing it back and forth. As he tugged on one with his teeth, he rolled the other between his fingers, the force growing tighter and harder, almost to the point of pain.
