Authors: Marie Force
“Are you okay with this?”
Even though she wasn’t quite sure, she nodded.
“Do you trust me?”
She wet her lips. “Yes.”
“I’ll never hurt you. Not in here or out there.” He nodded to the world outside their bedroom hideaway. “Believe me?”
“I want to.”
He bent his head to press a sweet, undemanding kiss to her lips. “You can believe me, Tiff.”
Her heart ached with longing. She had no illusions that this was anything more than a fling between two consenting adults. But his softly spoken words made her wish for more. So much more.
“Have you decided on a safe word?”
“Will I really need one?” The idea of it made her legs tremble.
He nodded.
She took a deep breath, knowing it was decision time. Either she put a stop to this now or jumped off the cliff into the unknown. Looking up at him, she found him focused on her, waiting patiently for her even as his erection pulsated against her belly. As she studied him, she realized that even though she didn’t know him very well, she trusted him. Every time they’d been together, he’d put her needs ahead of his own. He’d cared for her in ways she hadn’t often experienced.
“Naughty,” she said after a long pause.
He smiled. “I like it.” Resting his forehead on hers, he said, “I want you to use it. If you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, say it, okay?”
She nodded. “What’s your safe word?”
His brows furrowed. “Will I need one?”
“You never know.”
“All right, then,” he said. “In that case… Nice.”
Tiffany laughed. “Somehow I think your idea of safe and mine are two very different things.”
His smile faded a bit. “I doubt that.”
“You’re safe with me, too, Blaine. I’d never hurt you, either.”
“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.” His lips left a trail of heat and dampness from her neck to her breasts. “Have you ever been cuffed before?”
“Only that one time with Jim, which, as you know, was a complete disaster.”
“Mmm.” His lips vibrated against her nipple. “How about we create a new memory? A good one this time.”
“I’m all for forgetting that incident entirely.”
“Let’s see what we can do.”
As he feasted on her breasts, he unhooked the bustier and tossed it aside, leaving her in just the skimpy thong. He kissed her everywhere, dipping his tongue into her belly button and nibbling on her hipbones. Tiffany was shocked by the sensations zinging through her as he discovered new erogenous zones. Every time she tugged at the cuffs, yearning to touch him, the bindings reminded her she was totally at his mercy.
The pang of fear that accompanied the discovery ratcheted up the desire to levels she’d never before experienced. She’d never truly understood the lure of the cuffs—until now.
Blaine removed her thong and urged her legs farther apart.
Tiffany felt like a total wanton, shackled to the bed and spread open for him.
He reached for the vibrator. Turning it on, he took it on the same sensuous journey his mouth had taken, over her breasts to her belly and below. Tiffany lifted her hips, begging him to focus on the place that needed his attention most.
After teasing her with fleeting passes, he pressed the vibrator to her clitoris at the same instant he pushed two fingers into her. The combination overwhelmed her as the climax hovered just out of her reach. And then he brushed the smaller arm over her back entrance, and she came so suddenly that it caught her by surprise, taking her right out of the room to somewhere she’d never been before. When she returned to herself, her hands had been released and he was hovering over her, dropping soft kisses on her face and lips.
“Okay?” he asked.
When she nodded, he turned her over and ran his tongue along the ridges of her spine. He raised her to her knees, rolled on a condom and pressed his erection into her wetness.
Tiffany gasped from the burn of his large member stretching her.
He gripped her hips and worked his way in a little at a time until he was fully sheathed in her. After giving her a moment to adjust, he began to move.
“Touch yourself,” he growled in her ear as he kept up a relentless rhythm.
With all her muscles quivering, Tiffany reached down to where they were joined.
Blaine drove into her just as she touched herself, sending them both into an explosive climax that went on for what seemed like forever. Just when Tiffany thought it was over, he pressed into her again and started another wave.
By the time they collapsed into a pile on the bed, Tiffany was sweating and tingling from head to toe. Behind her, Blaine released a long deep breath. The air around them was heavy with the scent of apples, his sandalwood cologne and sex. He settled in close to her, slipping his arm around her to draw her tighter against him.
Tiffany sighed with contentment as Blaine’s lips moved softly from her shoulder to her neck.
“That was amazing,” he whispered, sending goose bumps dancing down her left side.
“Mmm.”
“What’d you think of the toy?”
“The screaming orgasm didn’t say it all?”
Blaine laughed and cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers.
“And the cuffs?”
“I liked them, too. In fact, I’m looking forward to returning the favor as soon as I can move again.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
They were quiet for a long time before he said, “I need to tell you something.”
Tiffany, who’d been on her way to a nice doze, was suddenly wide awake and on full alert. Did anything good ever come of those words? “What?”
“Turn over.”
Filled with apprehension, she turned to face him. “You’re not married, are you?” Tiffany couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to ask that before now.
Startled, he stared at her. “Of course not.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’ve gotten used to thinking the worst of people lately.”
“With good reason.” Blaine ran his fingers through her hair and then down her back. “I had a meeting with the mayor today.”
“On a Sunday?”
“With Race Week starting tomorrow, everyone was working today, even the mayor.”
“That’s funny. His wife came into the shop.”
“She did?” He seemed shocked to hear that.
“Uh-huh.”
“What was she doing there?”
“I can’t talk about it. It’s very important that I maintain my customers’ privacy. What did the mayor want?”
“He’s concerned about the shop and the accident that occurred in front.”
A pang of fear settled in her belly. “The town council approved my application.”
“The mayor is putting the matter on the council’s agenda for Monday.”
“What matter?”
“I’m not sure, exactly.”
“Why did he tell you this?”
“He wanted me to cite you for indecency.”
Tiffany tugged herself free of his embrace and sat up, gripping the sheet under her arms.
Blaine rested his hand on her leg and looked up at her. “I refused to do it.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “I told him I won’t harass you.”
“Didn’t that make him mad? With you?”
Blaine shrugged. “A little.”
When she realized he’d gone to bat for her, her insides got all soft and squishy. “I don’t want you jeopardizing your job for me.”
He tugged at the sheet playfully. “So I should’ve cited you?”
Despite this new worry, Tiffany forced a smile. “Was I breaking the law?”
“Not technically.”
“What does that mean? Not technically?”
“Come on, Tiff. You know how the people in this town can be. They’re not going to put up with a sexy woman prancing around in her underwear.”
“They’re not or
you’re
not?”
“Don’t twist my words. It creates a traffic hazard on the town’s main road. I won’t be able to ignore that forever.”
“How is it my fault that people aren’t paying attention to their driving?”
“I believe we’ve already had this argument,” he said yawning.
“And you still haven’t answered my question.”
“It’s a distraction.
You’re
a distraction. Any man in his right mind is going to take his eyes off the road to get a better look at you.”
“I supposed you expect me to be complimented by that.”
“You’re beautiful, Tiffany. You have to know that.”
Her heart skipped a crazy beat. “You really think so?”
Blaine reached for her and brought her back into his embrace. “Yeah, I really think so. But you might want to cut out the ‘advertising’ until after the council meeting.”
“You’re probably right,” she said. “But if I don’t advertise, how will anyone know what I’m selling in the store?”
“Oh, they’ll know, honey,” he said, laughing. “Believe me. They’ll know.”
His ringing cell phone woke Evan out of a sound sleep the next morning. “What?” he growled.
“Hey, it’s Mac.” His older brother sounded chipper and wide awake.
“What the hell time is it?”
“Seven ten.”
“You’d better have a very good reason for calling so early.”
“I do. I need some help today. Dad and Luke are both off-island, so I’m alone at the marina. Can you give me a few hours?”
Evan bit back a moan. After the awkward dinner with Grace’s parents, he’d been awake for hours trying to decide if her not telling her parents about him was a bigger problem than he’d thought.
“Ev? Are you there?”
“I’m here. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Great, thanks,” Mac said.
Grace turned over in bed and curled up to Evan. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Mac needs some help at the marina today.” He kissed her forehead and got up to grab a shower and shave. When he emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, she had a travel mug with coffee waiting for him. He put on shorts and a T-shirt, all the while trying to think of what he should say to her. Everything between them had been so good, and even though he understood why she’d done it, he couldn’t help being hurt that she’d kept their relationship a secret from her parents. “Thank you,” he said when she handed him the mug.
“Are you okay?” she asked, perceptive as always.
“I’m fine, why?”
“You’ve been a little…distant since dinner.”
“Because we only had sex once last night, I’m distant now?” The words came out sharper than he’d intended, causing her smile to dim. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”
“If something is wrong, I wish you’d talk to me about it.”
“Nothing is wrong.” He took the mug and kissed her. “See you tonight.”
The unusually awkward exchange stayed with him as he walked the short distance to the marina at North Harbor. About halfway there, he realized he’d forgotten to tell her he loved her. Hell, she’d forgotten, too, and they never forgot that.
The morning at the marina passed with a flurry of activity as boats began to arrive for Gansett Island’s annual Race Week festivities. It was well after one before Evan and Mac had things under control and headed for the restaurant to grab lunch.
“Thanks for the help this morning,” Mac said over bowls of clam chowder and a basket of clam cakes.
“No problem.”
“You’re quiet today. Everything okay?”
Evan shrugged and focused on his chowder as he debated whether he wanted to air his troubles to his happily married brother.
“How are things at the studio?”
“Coming along. The space is almost ready, and the equipment will be here next week.”
“I still can’t believe we’re going to have a recording studio on the island.”
“Neither can I. It’s all thanks to Ned’s financial support, and I finally heard that my friend Josh is going to take me up on my offer. You can’t have a recording studio without a first-rate sound engineer, so all the pieces are falling into place.”
“That’s awesome. So why do you look so messed up? And don’t say it’s nothing. I know you better than that.”
Evan put down his spoon and wiped his mouth. “Is it weird that Grace and I have been together since last fall and she hadn’t said a word about me to her parents?”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I met them yesterday when they came over to surprise her. The surprise was on me—and them.”
“What did she say?”
“I guess their relationship is sort of dysfunctional, but I wonder…”
“About?”