Love Unbound (6 page)

“Grab the blanket. There’s no reason for you
to be cold.” She could practically hear him smiling, the jerk.

She reached out, snagged the blanket off the
bed and cocooned herself from knees to neck. He unwound the towel
from her hair and ran his fingers through the damp curls. Her hair
hung almost to her shoulders, but it turned into a mass of unruly
curls when she let it air dry. Using the pads of his fingers he
massaged her scalp and she sank back against his legs, reveling in
his touch.

Too soon he picked up the brush and started
to work through her hair. He was being so careful and she struggled
not to wince when the brush snagged. When he managed to get it
smooth, he parted her hair and started to braid. He was good at it,
she knew he was. He’d been helping with the girls’ hair for years.
It seemed like such a sexy idea when she read about it or saw it in
a movie, but she’d never thought to ask him to do hers.

He banded the short tail and rolled it up
under the braid. “There.”

She tipped her head back to tell him how nice
it felt to have him do her hair and was met with that damn black
mask. Zorro turned hairdresser.

“What’s with the mask?” His mouth thinned to
a line and she regretted the question. He obviously thought the
mask was an important part of this whole thing. Maybe it made it
easier for him.

“Why don’t we get one for you, too.” That was
not the response she’d expected. He shifted her to the side and
stood. “Go sit on the bed. There’s more coffee in the basket and a
muffin.”

Keeping the blanket wrapped around her, she
poured herself a cup of coffee from the thermos she found in the
basket beside the bed. She took it and what looked like a blueberry
muffin and settled herself on the bed to watch him.

He had to do something quick. He was losing
her. She was much too independent to give up control easily. If he
didn’t find a way to have her writhing with desire pretty quick,
she’d never let him do what he had planned next. It would probably
help if she was tied up, too. Less chance of her turning the tables
on him.

His nerves weren’t helping either. He liked
being in charge. Who wouldn’t want to be able to boss their spouse
around a bit? But trying to keep her off balance was exhausting and
really difficult in the clear light of day.

He grabbed the small bag he’d stashed at the
back of the warehouse and turned to see her watching him from her
nest on the bed. The tilt of her head, the angle of her jaw all
said she was assessing him, puzzling out what he was doing.
Normally, he loved her quick mind. It was one of the things that
drew him to her, but in bed it just got in the way. He wanted her
feeling, not analyzing.

Tied up would definitely help.

Still clutching the bag holding the pretty
green mask he’d chosen because he knew it would look great against
her chestnut hair, he held out his hand to her.

She looked at him, assessing the situation.
When he didn’t say anything, just kept offering her his hand, she
popped the last bite of muffin into her mouth and let him help her
stand.

“Wrists out in front of you. “

He could see her swallow, but she held her
arms out for him. He pulled wide leather cuffs out of the bag and
fastened them on her wrist. As he buckled them and checked the
rings, he felt her tremble and mentally breathed a sigh of
relief.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course.” She said it without hesitation
and his heart swelled along with his cock.

“I’m going to push you because I think it’s
what you want – what you need. But I will not do anything that
damages us or what we have together.” He put all the love and
tenderness he felt into his voice. The next part was going to
challenge him as well as her and he needed to know that they were
solid. “What is your safe word?”

“Yellow. It’s yellow.” Her normally assured
voice sounded a little shaky and he relaxed a bit. He wanted her a
little unsteady – not to hurt or scare her, but so she could
experience something new.

“Good.” Taking her cuffed wrists in his hand,
he led her over to the straps hanging from the beam. “Arms up.”

He could see her trembling this time, but a
quick glance at her face showed as much anticipation as
apprehension. Owen looped the straps through the rings on her cuffs
and fastened them. When he pulled the straps tight it forced her to
stretch but he was careful to make sure her feet stayed flat on the
ground. He wanted to use the spreader bar and if he was lucky she’d
be up there for a little while.

He stood back and looked at her, her naked
body stretched into a long curvy line. God, she was beautiful. And
she was his. He knew every inch of her body – knew it almost as
well as his own. How was it possible to love someone for so long
and still want them so much?

He cupped her face with his hand and watched
her eyes go soft with a familiar tenderness. When he let his hand
trace down her neck and along the outside of her breast, stroking
her with the backs of his fingers, her eyes drifted closed. By the
time he skimmed her hip to the inside of her thigh below her sex,
her skin pebbled with goose bumps, and he could feel the fine
tremors running through her. He cupped her mound and slid a finger
into her delicate folds. Wet already. He fought a groan as his cock
set up its increasingly familiar throbbing.

“You are so lovely.” His stroked her with
just his finger, sliding from her opening to her clit. “And I am
such a lucky man.” He pushed his middle finger inside her and
grabbed her sex with his palm. Taking a step closer, he bit her
earlobe and growled. “Mine.” She shuddered at his word and her
trembling increased. He held her tight, one hand cupping her face
while the other grasped her damp mound. “Say it, kitten,” he
commanded with his lips against the delicate shell of her ear.

“Yours.” Her voice came out on a shaky
breath, and she arched herself towards him.

“Don’t forget it.” He released her and a
little unsteady himself, bent down to get the spreader bar.

Oh God, he’d done it again. She’d felt so
sure of herself, so in control when she’d climbed on his lap. Now
she was back to being a quivering mess. Even without his hands on
her, she still trembled. Mine. He’d said she was his and even
though she knew it was true – had been true for almost two decades
– it still thrilled her to hear him say it.

She watched him fasten wide leather cuffs on
her ankles and her mouth went dry. Fuck, she’d been dreaming about
something like this for months. Fantasizing. She never thought it
would happen – not in a million years. Her leg shook as he lifted
her foot and fastened the ring on the cuff to one end of the
spreader bar. He slid his hands from her ankle to her thigh,
stroking and teasing her already trembling flesh.

“Beautiful,” he murmured more to himself than
her, and she flushed with pleasure.

He repeated the process with the other leg,
fastening her ankle to the end of the three foot bar. Having her
legs spread stretched her back and arms but not uncomfortably so.
It felt good to lengthen her spine – like sexy yoga. The thought
made her giggle.

“Something funny, kitten?”

She looked at him wearing his Zorro mask and
giggled harder. She had to stop. She didn’t want him to think she
was making fun of him especially when she was tied up and helpless.
And, oh God, she couldn’t move. She couldn’t hold her stomach or do
any of the other things that happened when she laughed. Tugging on
her bonds, feeling exactly how caught she was stopped the laughter
in her throat.

He was watching her, still waiting for her
answer.

“Being stretched like this makes my back feel
good,” she said, a little breathless. “It made me think of naked
yoga.”

He smiled at her and ran his hands up her
sides to cup her breasts. It felt delicious, tender and exciting at
the same time. When his thumbs brushed her nipples, her eyes
drifted closed.

“Maybe we can try that next time.” His mouth
was against her ear, the heat from his breath dissolving her
ability to reason. “But I don’t want you thinking right now.”

He bent to suckle her and she sagged against
the restraints. Being bound should make her feel trapped. Instead,
it was incredibly freeing. She didn’t have to think about how to
move, what to do with her hands. Her focus narrowed to the feel of
his mouth on her breast. She gave herself over completely to the
exquisite sensation of his teeth and tongue molding her sensitive
flesh. His hand slid to cup her sex and she knew he’d find her wet.
He pressed his fingers into her, coating them with her own slick
arousal and started to stroke hard and fast across her clit.

He knew her body so well, knew exactly how to
touch her to bring her to a fast orgasm. Her legs shook with her
climax, but there wasn’t anything she could do except take what he
gave her. Standing, he released her breast and she felt the heat of
his body along her naked front. Without letting her catch her
breath, he continued to stroke, dancing back and forth across the
line between pleasure and pain.

“Too much,” she gasped. “It’s too much.”

He ignored her, his only answer a satisfied
chuckle. She was going to fly apart. Lose control.

“Wait, please, please.” She pleaded uncertain
herself what she was asking for. Just as she thought she’d lose her
bearings and come completely unmoored, she felt the familiar
tightening low in her womb. The orgasm crashed over her, but this
time as she climaxed she felt him push the string of beads inside
her as she spasmed around them.

“Next time maybe we’ll try these in your
ass,” he said, his voice a growl against her ear. “And I’ll fuck
you while I pull them out.”

Her climax and his words had her shaking. He
never talked to her like that. She struggled to stay in control,
losing the battle and sagging against the restraints. Holding her
tenderly, he kissed her temples and put his hands on her hips to
steady her.

“Think you can stand, kitten?” She nodded,
still shaky and he smiled. “Good.” He pulled a green swatch of silk
out of his pocket. “Let’s get this on you before our company gets
here.”

~~~~~

“Damn it! You tell me right now, Owen! I’m
serious!”

She’d been swearing at him since he fastened
the green mask on her. It looked as good as he’d imagined it would.
The emerald green was beautiful against the chestnut highlights of
her hair and the green and gold beads emphasized the flecks in her
hazel eyes. Of course he hadn’t imagined her skin flushed scarlet
as it was now instead of her normal pale ivory. She was pissed.
She’d called him every name in the book and said some words he’d
never heard come out of her mouth before. That was the first time
she’d used his name.

He understood – really he did. He was on
edge, too. He had no idea how he was going to react to having
another man see his wife naked. Even with an artist like Sam who
should be objective and not voyeuristic. It was still his wife who
was naked. But everything he’d read in those books she’d liked had
some element of public display if not actual touching or sexual
contact.

He wasn’t willing to share her. It made him
tense and angry to even think about it, but exposing her, if it was
something she wanted to try, he thought he could handle that. He
turned to face her. He’d walked away before she exploded, grateful
he’d bound her before he told her they’d be having company. After
all the names she’d called him, he wouldn’t put it past her to try
to kick him if she could. Even from a distance, he could see her
body was strung tight, flushed and open to him. Fucking
gorgeous.

“Owen! Get back here and tell me what the
fuck is going on or I’m going to use my safe word.”

He didn’t want her to do that. As
apprehensive as he was about the next part, he wanted to see it
through. But Jesus, she was still trying to control things. He was
a smart man and she was naked and tied up. Surely he could figure
this out.

Asking Sam to take the pictures had seemed
like a stroke of genius. It was his studio, and Owen knew he used
nude models. It seemed like the perfect way to expose Cat without
compromising either of them. The intricate mask was delicate and
beautiful but it also covered enough of her face to make her
unrecognizable. It should provide some anonymity. Sam was going to
use Owen’s digital camera and he wasn’t keeping any of the images.
That had been important. They both had jobs to go back to after
this, and he absolutely didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize
that.

He stalked toward her, forcing himself to
look more confident than he felt. Reaching between her legs he
grabbed the string attached to the beads inside her and gave it a
tug, not enough to pull them out but from her gasp enough to get
her attention. She barred her teeth and flared her nostrils, but he
could see her fighting to keep from pressing her sex into his
hand.

“Now, Sam, the artist this studio belongs to
is coming to take some pictures of you. Don’t talk.” He stopped her
before she could protest. “He won’t touch you and he won’t see your
face. I’m not leaving you sitting on a barstool exposed to
strangers’ hands.” She sucked in air and he knew she recognized the
scene from the book she recommended to her book club. “You are
keeping the pictures. No one else will have copies – not even me. I
will keep you and us safe. You know that.” He watched her relax a
little and even through her mask he could see she was starting to
come around. A sharp rap sounded on the door and her eyes went wide
and frightened.

“Owen, I can’t.” She sounded so vulnerable.
He reached out and cupped her face in his hands.

“You don’t have to think. You don’t have to
talk. Just do what I tell you to, beautiful girl.” He kissed the
tip of her nose and felt her timid nod.