By His Desire (8 page)

“I liked it,” she said simply, and then gasped when his hand covered her mound.

“Just staking out my territory,” he said softly.

“You can’t start anything now. My bones are already melted.”

“I’m not starting anything,” he said, and she heard a hint of laughter in his voice. “I just want to touch you.”

“Well, I am in handcuffs. You can pretty much do anything you want.”

“I like the sound of that.”

His hand moved lazily upwards, across her belly and up to her breasts. He cupped one in his warm palm and leaned over to kiss the other.

“You have the most perfect breasts I’ve ever seen.”

She couldn’t let that pass—not when she thought about the women he must have been with over the years. “Oh, please.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I most certainly do not.”

He shifted so his hands covered both breasts, and her nipples pebbled into diamonds.

He pinched them hard. “Who’s the master here?”

 “You are,” she gasped.

He pinched tighter. “Who has the most perfect breasts I’ve ever seen?”

“I do!”

“That’s my girl,” he said, and let her go.

My girl.

She bit her lip, telling herself not to hope.

But it wasn’t possible. Despite all her efforts, hope took up residence in her heart.

Was there a chance that they could have more than this week? Or were the boundaries he’d drawn for them too thick?

She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She couldn’t have this conversation with a blindfold on.

She wasn’t sure she could have this conversation at all.

But as though Keith had sensed her unspoken words, he reached up to release her cuffs.

The spell between them was broken.

“You can take off the blindfold after I’m gone.”

And a minute later, he was.

Chapter Five

He’d managed to make it into the office today, but he’d skipped all his meetings. Now he was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.

He was going to call off their deal. But he couldn’t tell her the real reason.  He’d say he had to go out of the country, but since she’d honored her side of the bargain, the painting would still be hers.

The memory of last night flashed into his mind again, and he groaned.

The real reason he had to end it was that it mattered too much.

She
mattered too much. And it was starting to mess with his head.                

He looked up, and his eyes fell on the reproduction of
Nighthawks
.

The painting had been done in 1942. It showed a diner late at night with three customers, a man sitting on his own and a couple sitting together. The guy behind the counter was talking to the couple.

Sarah had asked him why that painting was his favorite, and he’d hadn’t answered her.

He’d seen the painting for the first time when he was eleven or twelve, and even back then he’d identified with the man sitting on his own. He didn’t look unhappy or lonely, or anything like that. He looked cool and solitary and complete within himself.

He looked content.

Now his eyes moved to the couple. They looked relaxed and easy, like they’d been together a long time. Like they belonged together.

They looked happy.

For the first time, he wondered what it would be like to identify with the man in the couple instead of the man sitting alone.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Valerie knocked on the door. Without waiting for an invitation to enter, she came in with a big brown box in her arms.

“A messenger just dropped this off for you,” she said.

He frowned at her. She was grinning, which was never a good sign. “Yeah? What is it?”

In answer she set the box down on his floor, and jumping, cavorting, galumphing out of it came a Jack Russell terrier.

His jaw dropped.

He knew immediately who’d done this. There was only one person in the entire world who would have done this.

Sarah Harper had gotten him a puppy.

He couldn’t move. He just sat there, staring, as the puppy explored the office with over-the-top enthusiasm, discovering his existence after a few minutes with a frenzy of delight.

The puppy was too small to be able to jump up on his lap, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

After about thirty seconds of sitting there, frozen, while the small bundle of fur scrabbled at his pants and made eager, frantic puppy sounds, he gave in. He reached down and picked him up, holding him close enough that he was slathered in sloppy kisses.

“My God,” Valerie said in hushed tones. “Who are you, and what have you done with my boss?”

“I can’t believe she did this,” he murmured, setting the squirming puppy back down on the floor.

“Who?”

“Sarah Harper.”

Valerie stared at him. “The one in the portrait?”

“Yeah. I knew her in high school and we...uh...reconnected this week.”

Valerie raised her eyebrows. “I see.”

She was eloquently silent after that, and Keith frowned at her.

“Wipe that grin off your face.”

“I will not.”

He looked away from her to watch the Jack Russell tear around the room. After a minute he paused to water a potted plant in the corner before charging off to attack a wastebasket.

“Did you see that? He peed in my office. That little monster just peed in my office.”

He realized he was grinning, too, when he met Valerie’s eyes again.

“I’ll alert the cleaning company,” she said. “So why did Sarah Harper get you a puppy?”

A tide of warmth rose up in him. “She wanted to make me happy.”

“And did she?”

He couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “Yeah, she did.” He paused for a moment. “She does.”

* * *

Sarah was sitting at her favorite desk in the library. Her computer was open in front of her, but she wasn’t working. She was staring into space and thinking about Keith.

The messenger service had confirmed they had delivered the puppy an hour ago, but she hadn’t heard from him.

She’d obviously made a mistake.

If he didn’t want the dog, she would take him. Her landlord allowed pets.

If he didn’t want her, that would be harder. But she’d just have to accept it.

And she did have a few more days with him...unless she’d messed everything up by going too far. Getting too personal. Breaking the rules.

She heard the library door opening, and she turned to see if Nancy was coming in.

But it wasn’t Nancy. It was Keith. He stood in the doorway staring at her, and her body went hot all over, just like that day at the museum.

She hadn’t seen him since the night they had dinner. She’d been blindfolded during every encounter with him. She’d heard his voice, she’d felt his touch, but she hadn’t seen his face.

It felt shocking to see it now. To see him, and to see him looking at her. Somehow, she felt more naked than she had in his arms last night.

“You got me a puppy,” he said after a moment.

She nodded slowly. “I did.”

“If I’d wanted a puppy, I could have gotten one myself.”

Her heart was pounding. “Sometimes people need a push.”

His blue eyes lasered into hers. “Maybe they do.” There was a short silence, and then he went on. “A puppy requires a lot of attention.”

“Yes.”

“What’ll happen when I’m out of the country on business?”

“Um...Nancy?”

“I don’t want to put more work on Nancy’s plate.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Rumor has it you’re fairly well off. I bet you could hire someone to look after your dog while you’re on business trips.”

“You can’t hire affection, which is what puppies need. I can’t pay someone to love him the way I do.”

Her heart turned over. “You love that puppy? But you just met him.”

“I know it’s soon. But that’s what’s in my heart.” He took a step towards her. “I was hoping maybe you would help me out. We could share custody.”

Her breath caught in her chest, and it was a minute before she could speak. “That would mean staying in each other’s lives. Even after the week is over.”

He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. “That’s what I want. If it’s something you want.”

She swallowed. “It is.”

He took another step towards her. “Maybe you should think about it first. You’d be taking on a lot, Sarah. The puppy isn’t house trained yet—and neither am I.”

She smiled at him. “It won’t be hard to train the puppy. Jack Russells are smart. As for you...” she paused. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I like you exactly the way you are.”

His eyes lit up, and she saw him take a deep breath. Then he crossed the room in a few long strides and took her in his arms, bending her back in a kiss that took her breath away.

When he finally broke away she was gasping.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, framing her face in his hands and gazing at her. “It was torture staring at that portrait every day at the museum, knowing I’d never have the real thing. A part of me still can’t believe this is real. That you’re here, with me. Wanting to be with me.”

“I want you to keep the portrait.”

That took him aback. “But it’s yours. I mean...it should be yours.”

She shook her head. “I don’t need it. I wanted it because it reminded me of my father, and because it gave me the illusion that we were connected.”

She took a breath. “I loved my father, but we weren’t connected. That takes work...and courage. My father and I had neither.”

“But that painting...”

“It was always easy for my father to see people through his art. I think he did see me when he painted that portrait, and I’m grateful we had that, at least. But I’m looking for a different kind of connection now. The kind that’s not at a safe distance.”

His eyes searched hers. “What kind of connection are you looking for?”

“Something messy and human and scary. Something real.”

He slid his arms around her waist. “I think I can offer you that.”

“Good.”

“I just want to be sure you understand...”

“What?”

“What I like in the bedroom—it’s a part of who I am. That’s not going to change.”

“God, I hope not.”

He took a step back and smiled at her. “You mean that?”

“Hell, yes.”

“Then take off your clothes.”

He was still smiling at her, but a wicked gleam had come into his eyes.

Goose bumps swept across her skin. “It’s, um, daytime.”

“Yes.”

“Nancy could walk in, or Paul—”

“I sent them home. We’re alone in the house.”

She took a deep breath and let it out. She’d thought from the beginning that her being blindfolded had made Keith feel safe, and it probably had. But it had made her feel safe, too.

She couldn’t move.

“Scared?” he asked softly.

She nodded.

“Too bad.” He took another step back and folded his arms. “Do it now.”

A shiver went through her, but she knew Keith wasn’t kidding. When it came to sex, he gave the orders. She could follow them or go home.

Her choice.

She reached for the hem of her tee shirt and pulled it up over her head. Then she reached behind her for the clasp on her bra and undid it, letting it fall to the ground.

“Nice,” Keith said, moving close enough that he could cover her breasts with his hands. Her hardening nipples poked into his palms.

“Lose the pants,” he instructed, and she kicked off her sandals before tugging her jeans and panties down.

In a few seconds she stood naked in front of Keith Logan.

“Even nicer,” he said, and she could see the desire in his eyes—the expression she’d only imagined before. “Now go to the desk and bend over.”

A flutter of excitement made her knees weak, but she made it to the desk without collapsing. Then she rested her forearms on the table as she bent at the waist.

“Spread your legs wider,” he said, and as she did she heard the sound of a zipper.

She bit her lip as moisture flooded her core. Then Keith put one hand on her hip and used the other to stroke her.

“You’re wet,” he murmured, and then he landed a sharp spank on her bottom.

Adrenaline spiked in her bloodstream, and now she was even wetter.

“Do you want me?” he asked roughly, and she started to say yes. But then she shook her head. “No.”

His hands tightened on her and she knew her answer had surprised and excited him.

“I think you’re lying, Sarah. You’ve been thinking about me all day, haven’t you? Thinking about my cock inside you.”

“No,” she said again, and he spanked her twice more.

“It doesn’t matter if you want me or not. I’m going to fuck you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Because she loved to feel his strength she used her hands to push against the desk, trying to straighten up. But he was too fast for her. He caught her wrists and twisted them behind her back, and then he tied them with—what was that?

His belt. She didn’t know why that was so sexy, but it was.

With her hands bound she was almost helpless. Still she kept struggling even when Keith held her down easily with one hand on her back, pressing her breasts against the cool wood of the desk.

Then she felt the tip of his cock against her sopping entrance.

“Do you want me?” he asked again, rougher than before.

“No!” she cried out, even as her body quivered with eagerness.

Then he pushed inside her, slow and deliberate, while he used the fingers of one hand to massage her clit.

She was trapped between his cock and his fingers, and she found herself pushing back and then forward, delicious sensation waiting for her everywhere. She moaned.

Keith bent over her and whispered in her ear. “You need this hard cock, don’t you?”

Her role fell away and the truth slipped out. “Yes...oh, God, yes...”

He fucked her harder, deeper, and his fingers on her clit moved faster.

“You’ll let me fuck you whenever I want to.”

“Yes...”

“Tell me who you belong to.”

“You!”

“That’s my girl,” he growled, and then he was pounding her so hard and fast she couldn’t form a thought, much less a word—except for his name.