“You can. And you will.” Now when the leather strands of the flogger whipped across her skin, there was more of a bite to them than before. Punishment for her defiance, that only made her want to weep with the painful need he was inflicting on her. “Because you’re my very good girl. My perfect princess. Again.”
And despite her sobbing protests, she obeyed. Or rather, her body did, succumbing to his demands without conscious thought from her. Again, and again, and again. So many times she lost count. Lost all connection with reality.
She was vaguely aware of the leather slipping from her wrists. Of being carried, of the soft mattress beneath her, the toy being pulled from her sore, dripping pussy.
Of his weight on top of her, his cock stretching and filling her as he pushed his way inside her.
“Daddy,” she sighed as the blindfold disappeared, the dim light of the room piercing her eyes.
“That’s right, princess.” His low, guttural groans reached her ears as he moved inside her, shockingly gentle, the coarse hairs on his legs brushing against the hundreds of little welts covering her bottom and thighs with every movement. “Daddy’s right here. Can you come for me one more time, sweet Aria?”
Tears slipped from her eyes as she shook her head. “Can’t. Too much.”
God, had she thought she was full before with the toy inside her? It was nothing compared to the way he filled her. Between him and the plug, she was impossibly, exceedingly full.
Too full to deny him what he wanted, when every movement of his cock inside her scraped her too-sensitive nerves. And so, even though her brain rebelled, her body obeyed, and she went flying one final time, dragging him over the edge with her, straight into oblivion.
“Fucking hell, Aria.” Collapsing on the bed beside her, he pulled her into his arms, and even though her nerves all felt scraped raw, she snuggled into him with a sigh. “That was perfect, princess. You were perfect.”
Closing her eyes, she let herself be lulled into sleep by the sound of his praise. Three months ago she’d lain in this exact spot, thinking that she might be falling in love with him.
But she hadn’t known him then. Hadn’t known how ruthless he could be one moment, only to turn around and treat her like she was made of glass the next. Hadn’t known how fiercely possessive he was, how wildly protective he could be.
Now, knowing him, she didn’t just think she might be falling in love.
She’d already fallen, hard, right at his feet.
And there was no place else she’d rather be.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Killian
After that night in the club, Aria seemed determined to not only accept but embrace her role as his woman. During the day, she sat with him, discussing everything from business plans for the store he was looking at opening downtown to strategies for taking down Richard Williams and everyone who had shown him even an ounce of support. His princess was shockingly bloodthirsty when she put her mind to it, and as often as not, those strategy sessions ended with him kicking everyone out of his office to show her how much he appreciated her insight.
And then there were the nights. She hadn’t quite moved into his space, but she came to his bed every evening. Some nights they explored each other's bodies until well after the sun peeked over the horizon. And some nights he simply held her until she fell asleep.
It surprised him that those were some of his favorite moments. Simply cradling the woman he loved in his arms, his hand cupping her belly and the child growing there as she slept.
According to Dr. Byrd, Baby O’Rourke was growing right on schedule. All in all, life was… better than it had been in a very long time.
Now, if he could just find a way to get his best friend back on his side and dispatch his enemies once and for all, everything would be perfect.
Unfortunately for all of them, Braden had dug his heels in even more after their trip to the club. He no longer tried to contact Aria, other than a single text every day asking if she was ready to come home yet. And when the answer was, inevitably, “No” he went radio silent again until the next morning.
It was wearing on his princess, more than she let on, and if he hadn’t been very sure it would only make things worse for Aria, he would have been at Braden’s already, demanding he get his head out of his ass for his daughter’s sake.
That option still wasn’t entirely off the table.
He was brooding about the situation yet again when the door to his office swung open and Brody strode inside, his expression grim. “We’ve got trouble.”
There was an urgency to his cousin’s tone that had Killian sitting up straighter in his chair, Braden and his stubbornness shoved firmly to the back of his mind. “The DeLucas or the Russians?”
“Neither. The cops.”
Fuck. “Local or feds?”
“Local.” Dropping into one of the visitor’s chairs, Brody scowled. “Just got a heads-up that they’re planning a raid tonight.”
