A WILDer Kind of Love (23 page)

Without a word, he unbuttoned his vest then tossed it to a nearby chair. Christ, how he wanted to take off his pants, too. Nothing made him happier than getting to be as free as his submissive while playing with her—but in this case, he’d be tempted to put the cart before the horse, fuck her before he took her senses to the realms he wanted to. For now, he’d settle for having her fully bare—

And fully ready.

God
damn
, how beautiful she was. The light in her fiery hair. The strawberry tips of her erect breasts. The bumps of anticipation, pebbling all over the rest of her skin…

Dan slid a hand up, spreading four fingers along her nape and his thumb against her jaw. With a tug, he brought her face up, pulling her gaze into his. For a moment, he let himself get lost in her eyes. Damn. All the exotic lagoons of the world couldn’t compare to the magic of those depths, which could’ve entranced him for hours—if his cock didn’t have other plans. As the only part of him
not
sailing in sensory bliss yet, the aching fucker told him exactly what he could do with these “lingering” moments of artistic mush.

Fine. She’s the most breathtaking thing on earth. In her smile, you find your home. In her kisses, you feel your soul. That’s not getting you—or me—anywhere right now, asshole.

No sense in fighting the point—since it made complete sense.

It was time to get this part started. They’d both waited too damn long already.

“Safe word?” he prompted.

Her lips quirked, but only for a second. “Taffy, Sir.”

“Thank you, dear one.” He stopped, curious, when his response visibly impacted her. “What?”

She released a laugh, clearly self-conscious. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—I’m being silly.”

His own lips twisted. “Sometimes I like silly.”

“Sure. And I like Brussel sprouts.”

“You hate Brussel sprouts.”

“My point exac—” She cocked her head. “How do
you
know that?”

God
damn
.

You lose control of this charade now, while the woman is standing before you like Eve before the snake struck, and
you’ll
be the serpent with its head cut off—in more ways than one.

“Everyone hates Brussel sprouts.” Wasn’t hard to interject a menacing growl. “And if you want to keep dancing around the subject, red, we can just get back to it at the pin cage.”

She gasped. Glowered. Then sighed. “Fine.” She hitched a shoulder before murmuring, “‘Dear one’. It’s—well, I like it.”

He’d harbored no expectations of what she’d say. Even so, the confession stunned him—in a lot of wonderful ways. Warmth bathed him, enough to push a hard kiss on her forehead. “Go kneel on the mat in front of the whipping bench,
dear one
.”

A hum bubbled from her in response. Such a little sound, once more bringing a massive flood of heat. He should be burning up from it, but it didn’t feel like enough. Why? Had his world been such a cold place before now, that even these tidbits of fun affected him so?

He refused to dissect that answer right now. Here, in this room, the only thing that mattered was the figure of nude perfection who lowered herself to the floor in the spot he’d designated. While she did that, Dan approached the armoire of toys, bondage aids, and discipline items Max kept stocked in all the private playrooms. The closet had resembled a standing crypt in their room last Friday; tonight, he stepped over to a large wicker-looking case with ornately-carved wooden shelves inside. Items called to him from the inventory, matching exactly the thoughts in his head about what might please his little red tonight…but also what it would please him to watch her endure.

Keep the beast leashed. At least for a little while longer
.

She remained still as he paced toward her with calm, sure steps. The new outbreak of little bumps on her skin told him another story about her state of mind, however—especially as he paused to lay out the toys on a nearby utility table. The pebbles grew more pronounced as he deliberately clattered the items, arranging them as he’d need them. He couldn’t help another half-smile when he caught her peeking over at the array. He had to adjust his cock when she licked her lips and fought to regulate her breaths.

And then there was the other observation he couldn’t ignore. Like he’d want to.

“Dammit, little girl. If your tits get any harder, I’m going to hang a couple of carabiner hooks from them.”

Her eyes popped wide before a glare took over. “Don’t joke.”

“Who says I’m joking?”

He made sure the light caught his face enough for her to see his wink. She squirmed, obviously still not sure whether to trust him. He chuckled.

“Ohhhh, little rose. This is going to be fun.”

“Says the guy standing at the torture toy table?” One side of her mouth lifted.

“Says the sadist who’s found a little glutton for his brand of fun.”

“I am
not
—” She stuttered when he raised a finger.

“Ssshhh.” He selected a patent leather flogger from the table. “You have nothing to prove here. There’s no ‘PC quota’ to fill, nobody to check off the ‘approved’ box—except me.” He let his head drop, admiring all of her body again. She had legs like a gazelle, and they looked even better curled into the submissive kneel. “And believe me, I approve,” he growled.

That gorgeous pink tint stole over her skin again. “I’m still not a glutton.”

“For these?” he countered, holding up the flogger. “For what they bring you…the pain
and
the pleasure?”

With a deft flick, he tapped the falls over the curve of her shoulder.

“Oh!” After her startled yeep, her body trembled then melted. She leaned toward him, an intuitive plea for more.

Dan snarled softly. “My sweet rose…you crave this so much, you don’t even know when you show it.” He ran the shiny leather strands across her chest then up her face. “Look at your nipples, hard as diamonds…and your eyes, so beautiful and alive…I’m certain if I ordered you to part your knees, your pussy would be wet and gleaming, too.” He paused, letting the leather caress the sensitive curves of her neck. “Tell me, rose.
Would
it be wet?”

She swallowed heavily before rasping, “Yes, Sir. It would be.”

“Good girl.”

His own voice was rough. He didn’t mind exposing it to her. Wanted her to know exactly what kind of power
she
had over
him
, in equal measure to his dominance. This night would only be as good as the surrender she was willing to turn over, and right now, her face told him everything. She yearned to give it all.

With a weighted swallow of his own—and new determination to push her into new realms of submission—Dan repositioned his stance in front of her. His cock, already engorged to the point of pain, bellowed at him for the move. As if he hadn’t subjected the thing to enough torment already… But he was a billionaire who’d
chosen
to serve with the CIA. Under it all, he was as much a masochist as Tess.

“Kneel up,” he instructed softly. She complied by rising off her heels, aligning her face with his crotch. “Now kiss me, rose.” He wrapped his hand around her head and directed her succulent strawberry lips toward that taut ridge of leather. “Honor the passion of the Dominant you serve tonight, girl.”

She gazed up at him. Released a shuddering breath. Then closed her long lashes over those dark green eyes, and pressed her lips over his leathers.

Christ.

He had to be out of his mind.

Or, God willing, soon would be.

Not. Yet
.

“So good,” he praised between the heated pumps of his lungs. “Thank you, rose. That’s so damn good.” He forced himself to cease her worship, setting her back a few inches before sliding the flogger in front of her instead. “Now honor the first instrument of your submission.”

With a sigh that almost made him forget the
not yet
part, she slid her mouth up and down the flogger’s handle, let the falls drift between her lips. Dan encouraged her with a feral sound that curled up from his balls, echoing through his whole being.

“Enough,” he finally growled. He twisted his hand tighter in her hair to guide her toward the whipping bench. The furniture’s red leather detailing proved itself the perfect match for what he wanted to do to her thighs, her ass, her sex. “Knees up on the pads,” he ordered. “But this, we’ll save for later.” He unbuckled the stockade at the front of the bench and swung it away, letting her settle in, stomach down, over the main support. “Let your head drop, and rest your forearms here and here.” He indicated two separate pads that were lower, near the floor, before drawling with deliberate wickedness, “Comfy?”

“Mmmmm.” She whimpered it as he buckled her into the built-in ankle cuffs, matched by similar restraints for her wrists. “Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

“Those are beautiful words to hear from your lips, little red. It’s my mission to hear them over and over tonight.”

“I’ve no doubt of it, S—
ohhhh
!”

Her eruption was prompted by his first swat of the flogger, down the middle of her ass, delivered with decided impact.

“Have your attention now?”

He infused it with enough urbane snark to get her a little riled. Did he use his unfair advantage for it, also being the friend who observed how she hated the attitude in uppity waiters and Agency newbs? Absolutely. Would he do it again? The irked wiggle of her butt helped that answer along.

Abso-
fucking
-lutely.

“Rose?” he prodded. “I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes,” she snapped. “Yes, all right? You have my—
ahhhh
!” She shrieked it after he brought the falls down with equal impact, just below the stripes of the first. “What the
hell
?”

Dan wiped a hand over the perfect spheres of her ass, keeping his touch and his tone authoritative. “Tell me something. Did you come here tonight to submit to me, girl?”

She answered after a huff. “Yes, Sir.”

“To entrust yourself to me, and believe in my ability to make you feel good with this dynamic?”

Tight teeth dug into her next response. “Yes. Sir.”

“Then do that.” He lowered the leather again but this time just brushed her skin, swooping back-and-forths he angled inward on purpose, letting the tips nip in at her pussy and clit. “Calm your tongue and open your senses. Breathe for me. Deeper, babe.” He took his own advice as her body relaxed, her skin bloomed, and her ass lifted, unconsciously seeking the flogger’s arousing touch. “Good. Better, isn’t it?”

“Ummm. Yes, Sir.” It slurred a little, telling him the stimulation had made its way to her mind. As the endorphins hit her, responsible Tess started shutting down. In her place was gorgeous, sensuous, submissive Odette.

The transformation was breathtaking.

Her skin wasn’t the only thing that came alive beneath his strokes. Her energy flowed out to him differently, welcoming the flogger’s kiss. Her body rolled and dipped as he continued channeling her power right back to her, starting their circle all over again. They were both buzzed on the elixir. Dan even smiled a little from it. Damn. Was his skin…tingling?

He didn’t give a fuck.

He only wanted more. A lot more.

And knew she did, too. In every sigh she released. Every breath she took. Every shiver of her skin…

So fucking incredible.

“Keep breathing, little one.” He paused to rub her again, testing her flesh with broad sweeps of his hand. Heated and blushing, just the way it should be. “And buckle up. We’re going to higher gears now.”

She gave a little nod. “Mmmm. Okay…Sir.”

He almost regretted bringing down the next swat, a blow twice as intense as the others. Almost.

“
Ahhhhh
,” she cried again. “Oh, that was—
ohhhh
! Damn!”

Dan leaned in, enforcing his intensity with a solid hand on her back. “Nothing changes about processing this, red. Give me your breaths. In, out. Give me your ass. Higher.
Higher
.”

He rumbled his praise when she complied without hesitation. Something
was
getting through besides the stings, and it moved him to watch her reaching for the connection of that…the new bridge that spanned her pain to her arousal.

He swept the flogger again. Higher. Harder.

She yelped again. Longer. Louder.

But as her ass reddened, her screams lessened. Dan established a steady rhythm, pumped on the power of her submission, coursing through every cell of his muscles. It was the best goddamn drug on the planet, and if he had a choice, he’d never yank the needle out.

“Fuck me, little one. You have no idea how gorgeous you are like this.” He jammed the flogger into his back pocket for the privilege of dipping low to caress both sides of her ass directly with his lips. “I want to lick so much of this. You’re so hot. So delicious. So perfect.” He nipped at her lightly before licking at her abraded skin, whispering into it, “Thank you.”

She blew out a long, contented sigh. “Thank
you
, Sir. It—it was amazing.”

His head snapped up and he frowned, confused—before making his way up her spine with teasing, wet kisses. “You sound like you think this is the end, babe.”

As he expected, she tensed a little. “It—it isn’t?”

Dan let a low, primal laugh vibrate into her nape. “Oh, my little rose…we’re just getting started.”

‡