He picked his head up. “Still the greedy girl, aren’t you?”
“Only for you, Sir.” And she meant it.
The grin he gave her was full of sin before he put his mouth on her again. He circled her clit with the tip of his tongue. Touching, but not touching. She knew this game. How many times had he reduced her to a begging, needy slut by doing exactly this? Too many to count. He’d always known just how to touch her and where.
With one last kiss on top of her mound, he abandoned her pussy to feather kisses across her belly. Her nipples tightened as he moved closer to her aching breasts. She gasped when he finally enveloped a peak in the moist heat of his mouth. He toyed with her ring, swirling his tongue around it and tugging it with his teeth. Little jolts of pain shot through her.
Her hands itched to feel his skin. She wanted to rake her nails across his back and pull him closer. Even with his weight on top of her, he wasn’t close enough. She wanted to feel him everywhere.
“Please,” she begged. “I need to touch you.”
“Keep your hands where they are or I’ll not only put you over my knee and spank that beautiful ass of yours, but I’ll make you wait hours before I let you come.”
She almost came right then. Disobeying had never sounded so good. She’d never defied him simply to be punished. Oh well. There was a first time for everything. Playing with fire and hoping to get burned, she reached down and threaded her fingers through his hair.
He chuckled as he sat up and yanked her across his lap. “You’re going to regret making me wait to fuck you, brat.”
She gave a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a yelp. She struggled, rubbing her belly across his hard cock. He growled low in his throat as his hand came down on her ass with a sharp crack. The impact startled her even though she’d been expecting it. Reacting, she tried to cover her stinging backside with her hands. Fuck, he hit hard.
“Hold still,” he demanded, grabbing her wrists in one of his large hands and pinning them to her lower back.
He spanked her again, on the other cheek. The pain made her eyes water. No, she wouldn’t cry. Not when she’d asked for this, but damn, he wasn’t taking it easy on her. She’d forgotten what his punishment felt like. It seemed that her tolerance had waned in their time apart, but it still felt amazing to have his hands on her again.
She squirmed and gasped, crying out as he continued to rain blows down on her. Just when she was sure she couldn’t take another one, he stopped. Gentle now, he caressed her injured flesh. His fingers found their way to her soaked pussy, drawing a moan from her lips.
Without warning, he flipped her over, climbed on top of her and pressed the length of his body against hers. Nudging her knees apart, he opened her wide and plunged his cock inside her. They groaned as one as he drove in deep. Trapping her wrists, he stretched her arms above her head and bruised her with a kiss that was pure need. His lips were insistent as he explored her mouth. He pounded into her with such force that it didn’t take long before she found herself climbing toward climax.
“Please,” she whispered against his lips.
He groaned. “Come for me.”
Two more thrusts and an orgasm exploded through her. She arched against him as waves of pleasure washed over her. His body tensed. The thick, hard length of him so deep she almost felt it in her womb. He moaned her name, his cock pulsing and throbbing as he was taken by his own release. Breathless, he collapsed on top of her.
For one terrible moment all the old doubts and fears came rushing back. She held her breath, waiting to see how he’d react now that the sex was over. She almost cried when he leaned down and tenderly pressed his lips to hers. Still seated inside her, he kissed her, taking his time, caressing her with his tongue.
With a sigh, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “I love you, Gen,” he whispered.
Her heart melted. She knew things weren’t going to be easy. They never were with this man, but just maybe they had a chance. As long as she had his love, she could handle anything.
God he loved this woman. He watched as she slipped out from under him and excused herself to the bathroom to clean up. Seeing his vivid handprints decorating her ass filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction. She was his again. He could hardly believe it. So much time had passed. So much time wasted. He intended to make it up to her, every single second.
When she returned and climbed back into bed, he pulled her close, resting her head in the crook of his arm. Sighing, she wrapped her body around his, a perfect fit.
“So,” she began, “what happens now? Are you staying over tonight?” The hesitancy in her voice was unmistakable.
He hated that she didn’t trust him anymore. Not that he could blame her after the way he’d treated her. It was time to change all that. “Am I invited?”
“Of course. That is, if you want to.”
“Look at me, Genevieve.”
She picked her head up and met his gaze.
“Now that I have you back, you aren’t getting rid of me. I fucked up. I can admit it. You see, when I asked you to agree to that ridiculous arrangement, I had no intention of falling in love with you, but I did, almost from the start. I denied it to you, to myself, to everyone.”
“Why?” she asked, hurt and love shining in her eyes.
“Because I was afraid. You were right to call me a coward. I shut myself off from everyone because I thought that was better than the possibility of losing someone I loved. You terrified me, still do sometimes. You’ve lost so much and had such heartache in your life. Yet you aren’t afraid to feel, to love like I was.”
“You think I’m not scared? Well, I am. Every day.”
“But it never stopped you from loving.” He took a deep breath.
Even though he’d made the decision to be more transparent, it was still difficult. He wasn’t used to this level of honesty. Words and feelings felt foreign on his tongue. But he refused to go back to his cold, numb existence. Not when he knew what it was finally like to love and be loved by someone else.
It was worth the risk.
“When I thought you were the one who’d been in the accident, the bottom fell out beneath me. I really thought I’d lost you and it destroyed me. More than Danielle’s death had and I was pretty fucked up after that. I thought I loved her, and I did in my own way. But what I felt for her is nothing compared to what I feel for you.”
Several emotions played across her face. Joy and love quickly bled to hurt and confusion and back again. “She was your first submissive. The one you told me about at the hospital.”
“Yes. For the longest time, I blamed myself for what happened to her. But in all honesty, I used that guilt to keep everyone at a distance, including you. I’m sorry for that. I know things won’t be easy. I have my faults, but I’m willing to work on them if you’ll have me.”
“You still want me after all this?”
“More than anything. I want you next to me when I sleep, I want to be inside you every chance I get and I want to love you as long and as hard as you’ll let me. Of course I’ll still want to order you around, beat your ass and tie you up.”
She laughed. “Does a collar come with that?”
“That’s a given.” He couldn’t wait to see his collar around her neck again and this time it would mean something. No, scratch that. It would mean everything.
Six Months Later
“I swear, Gen, if you make us late, I’m going to spank your ass scarlet,” Brian hollered from the front door.
She rushed down the stairs, trying not to trip. “Are you trying to encourage me to take my time? You know how much I love to be spanked. We could just skip all this and stay home. You could tie me up and have your perverted way with me.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he teased as he ushered her outside and locked the door behind them. “We’re going to the opening.”
She followed him to the car. Chris was already behind the wheel and she felt a little guilty for making him wait. “Are you sure jeans are appropriate for Noir?”
He eyed her from her platform wedges to her black off-the-shoulder top with obvious appreciation. “You are stunning. And I told you, Noir is a casual place. You’ll fit right in. Now move your ass.”
She slid into the backseat of the Mercedes. “I love it when you get bossy.”
He got in next to her and signaled Chris they were ready. Grinning salaciously, he reached up and grabbed her collar, pulling her to him for a hot, breathless kiss. She moaned against his lips, leaning in to him. “Behave yourself or I’ll have to fuck you right here in this car.”
She straightened, adjusting her shirt. The idea was tempting despite the fact that Chris would have a perfect view of their tryst in the rearview mirror. Chris was used to their unusual relationship. God knew he’d seen enough kinky behavior from them to last a lifetime since she’d been living with Brian for the last several months. However, she didn’t want to look like a disheveled mess when they arrived.
“Maybe you can show me your new office later. I can peek through your files.”
His eyes darkened with lust. “It’s a good thing I decided to wear a belt.”
That did it. Her pussy was officially soaked.
After a long, sexually charged drive, they finally made it to Ybor City. Chris pulled up to the entrance of Noir and let them out. The plain brick façade and simple black sign were a perfect fit for a place that would cater to artists and musicians. Brian planned on having open mic nights and also displaying and selling art from locals. She liked to think she had something to do with that, but he’d come up with the idea all on his own.
Brian held the door open and she entered, smiling as she took in the cozy atmosphere. Plush mismatched couches were scattered here and there accompanied by low wooden tables and comfortable chairs. The walls were crammed with artsy photographs, paintings…and holy shit, a framed copy of her poster—her first paid design job.
She gave him her best glare as she gestured toward it. “What’s the deal?”
“This really talented bratty girl I know designed it for an upcoming independent horror movie. You like it?” he asked with a quirk of his brow.
“Bratty?”
“Oh yes, very.”
“I’m not
that
bratty,” she said, trying not to smile. “Why did you put it up?”
“Always with the questions. I have half a mind to take you back and get you acquainted with my new desk. Unfortunately, we only have thirty minutes before we open and I have things I need to do. To be honest, I displayed it because it’s good,” his eyes softened, “and because I’m proud of you.”
His praise made her feel all gooey inside. “If it weren’t for you and Sophia, I’d never have had the guts to do it.”
“You’d have worked up to it eventually,” he said before kissing her softly. “I have to go make sure everything is running smoothly in the back of the house. Why don’t you get something to drink, make yourself comfortable?”
“You want anything?”
“Pour me a little
Connemara
and try not to break the bottle this time, please.”
She shook her head at that and watched as he headed to the kitchen. Behind the bar, she reached up and carefully grabbed the green bottle from the shelf. She nearly dropped it when she noticed a ring and a tag attached to the neck with a thin gold ribbon.
What the hell?
Looking up, she caught sight of Brian leaning in the doorway to the kitchen watching her with a big grin. Several faces peeked out behind him—Indie, Banner, Chris, Ivy, Jared, Sophia… She looked back down at the bottle and forced herself to read the handwritten tag.
Marry me.
The world skidded to a halt. She was suddenly Alice again, but tumbling down a very different rabbit hole this time.
Oh. My. God.
He was suddenly there, embracing her from behind. She reminded herself to breathe as he pulled the ring free of the ribbon and slid it onto her finger. The deep red of the large, square-cut ruby stood out sharply against black gold. She held her hand up and stared at it, dumbfounded. Brian wanted to marry her.
“If you don’t like it, we can get something else. I thought since you are an unusual girl, an unusual engagement ring would suit you best.”
“No, we’re not taking it back,” she said quickly. “It’s perfect. But wait, I haven’t said yes yet.”
“You’re here. Isn’t that agreement enough?”
“It seems like we’ve had this conversation before.”
“No, you’re mistaken. I’d have definitely remembered asking you to marry me. So is that a yes?”
She pretended to struggle with her answer. Yeah, right. “What exactly would this new arrangement entail?”
“It entails me spending every day from this day forward trying like hell to show you how much I love you, maybe a kid or two, growing old together and of course lots of kinky sex stuff.”
She laughed as she turned around in his arms so she could look into his eyes. “Well, when you put it that way… I guess I have to say yes. Hell yes.” She sealed her acceptance with a scorching kiss and the room erupted in applause.
One by one her friends—or her new family as she liked to think of them—came up to congratulate her and Brian. For the first time in a long while, she felt whole. Best. Day. Ever.
The End