Authors: Nichole Matthews
He watched
he
r writhe as his touch made
her whimper. His
thumb inch
ed up until he
reach
ed
her hot opening
, but then he stop
ped
short of touching her. “What do you want, Persephone?”
“You,” she whispered
hoarsely
, arching her back, lifting her hips to seek out his fingers. Panting
,
desperate
,
eager for more
of what he was willing to give
.
Parker oblige
d
her
body’s
desperate plea by sliding
his
fingers deep inside her
, his control slipping as her inner muscles gripped his fingers.
He watched her every move, neve
r taking his eyes from her face. W
hen he
moved his thumb up and circled her nub, rubbing, and sliding
as overwhelming
pleasure warmed her blood sending tingles racing down her
spine to gather in her center. Her back arched
off the bed as she cried out and shuddered
, a
stonished as the powerful climax
washed over her body
so swiftly
,
cleansing her soul
.
Her eyes closed, he
r breath caught as her head fell
b
ack against the pillows piled high on his bed, panting and purring with desire
.
Parker
felt an immense sense of satisfaction that he was able to give her such pleasure
, that
her body responded so enthusiastically to
his touch. “My God, Persephone.
” He raised his eyebrows. “You’re magnificent. So responsive. Perfect.” For the first time in his life he felt an overwhelming
urge to weep. His emotions ri
s
ing
to the top
filled with want
, needing
to overflow.
Persephone
ran her
fingers down his
chest,
tracing
her nails
over his sleek flesh
,
explor
ing
th
e crisp triangle of hair
that tickled her fingertips
.
Parker
groaned
,
distracted by her
continue
d path down his taut abdomen until finally she placed her hand on his
long
,
hard
erection
that waited demandingly
for her touch
.
Her delicate fingers moved lightl
y along the length of his engorged shaft. Her breath came out in a husky gasp
as she traced the vein on the underside with the tip of her finger, smoothing
,
letting her fingertips learn him
. She stroke
d
from base to crown, tightening
as he pushed his flesh harder into her palm, relishing the power her touch had over his waning
control.
“You’re torturing me,” he
whisper
ed
,
slid
ing
one of
his
large hands
under her
backside;
he
lifted her, bracing her. With his other
,
he took
hold of
his
erection
. He stroked his rigid length in her wetness,
slid
ing it against her, gli
ding
the sensitive tip
down her cleft, and then up again.
He leaned down and dug
his fingers in
to
her
hair, holding her head close.
“Hold on to me, Persephone,” Parker
said, and she did, putting her arms around his neck as he
positioned his cock a
t the passageway
to her sex.
“Parker
.
”
She shifted, impatient, but he eased only the knob of his
engorged shaft inside her opening
. Not enough.
“Please.”
She moaned as if i
n frustration and slid
her hand down his
belly to help gu
ide him
into her drenched sheath and she let out a sweet sigh when he finally breached her body.
He grinned and withdrew
,
rubbing the entire length of his straining cock between her slick folds
, then he stayed
t
here, drawing out the anticipation, getting himself under control.
“Please
,” she said
again
, arching her bac
k
, digging her heels into the mattress.
He
thrust inside her, a
thick, wet slide, and she cried out in throaty pleasure.
She let out a strangle
d
whimper
, dropping her
head back against the mattress
,
her hands cl
inging
tightly. Her body ti
ghten
ed
and her nipples gre
w harder as they brush
ed
against
his
chest
.
“Parker.
”
He captured one of her nipples between his lips, sucking it deep, rasping his rough tongue over the distended peak and Persephone cried out with the intensity of the pleasure that shot to her center.
Parker
broke, taking
her without mercy until she thrashe
d, sobbed, pleaded
.
“Oh, please,” she whispered, panting with arousal.
“Parker
.”
She clung to him
as
he slammed his
rock-hard length deeper into her setting a rapid, powerful pace.
“Parker.
”
Her nails scored his
shoulders, holding h
im tight
ly as
he
continued to plunge
into her over and
over again fast and feverishly. She clutched at the linens that covered the bed as a
n
exhilarating
sensation
started to coil
within her body
once again
.
“
Oh, yes,
”
She arched up and cried out
his name
,
“Parker
.
” Even as he
push
ed
one more time inside her causing
her to erupt in
a frenz
ied explosion, her body trembled and quaked around his
hardness
as w
ave after wave of pleasure washed
over her.
He
thrust up into her, a hard, steady, rele
ntless rhythm un
til he found
his own release. H
is
body shudder
ed and drove
even deeper inside, her inner muscles
flutter
ing
, draining
him,
as he kept pumping
in a
nd out of her hot channel
until he emptied himself
completely,
pulsing deep inside her,
taking
pleasure in his own climax
.
Parker’s mind
coherent enough to remember to fall to her side instead of trapping her beneath his heavy body again.
It had never been
this
way
for Parker before, an almost spiritual act.
This was more th
an just a physical release, but a binding of
two hearts. Two
souls.
They lay together in a tangle on the bed
without words, just breaths mingling in the quiet room and heartbeats slowly easing with each rise and fall of their chests
.
Persephone
lay against
Parker
; perspiration fusing
them together as the tiny aftershocks slowly eased through both their bodies.
He wrapped his arms around her and she burrowed deeper
. She la
id
there enjoy
ing
the feel of
their bodies pressed together.
Just for a minute, she tho
ught
as Parker
held her safe and warm in h
is arms. She would give him
just a moment
and she sobbed
.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe.” He held her as silent tears spilled from her eye
s
in hot droplets against his chest and her shoulders shook
. H
e ran his hand down her back
until her sobs faded into slow and easy breaths
.
She drifted somewhere between sleep and waking, her body satisfied and utterly relaxed
and her mind cleared after her tears
.
He brushed the flames of her hair off her face and ran a finger down her smooth cheek. “I’
ve got you.” His fingers slowed
their caress as he drifted off to sleep
with her wrapped in his embrace
.
Persephone lay awake, rubbing
her cheek against Parker’s skin, wanting to take his scent with her when she left.
Knowing that she would.
***
He was pushing Gran
ville’s buttons. He Knew it. Granville
took great pride in his work. Took great pride in what he had built.
He had never been serious about taking anyone to the
dungeon
, in point of fact, it sickened him. The rumors about him were partly true and partly false. He liked sex as much as the next man, perhaps more, but he liked his partners willing, not bound and gagged.
And definitely not
caged
.
He had taken a tour of the dungeon as part of his initiation and had looked into the eyes of those chained. He could see straight to their souls and could point out the ones that were there of their own accord and those that longed for a quick death. He had felt a w
ave of pity so sharp, so enervating
; he had had to turn his head away from the others before giving himself away. He replaced that look with impersonal regard and a hint of lust.
It had taken him a while to cultivate the reputation required to gain access to this exclusive club. He had done things that he hadn’t enjoyed, but his partners had. He had fou
nd them specifically for that purpose
. They enjoyed the pain, the humiliation. He did not.
He was sickened that he had become aroused by some of the scenes and every day since he had fought. Fought to distance himself from the pain and the arousal.
Some enjoyed being hurt and he couldn’t fault them for their peccadillos, but he could find fault with himself. He knew that some were not there on their own accord and that was why he fought.
Bile rose in his throat and he had to choke it down quickly before he blew his cover and ruined the whole investigation. Taking the life of the daughter of a peer had ruffled too many of the wrong feathers and Granville would pay one way or another.
He still had nightmares of
one girl kept naked. She was crouched in her
cage
,
covered in
her own
excrement and urine. Her red hair tangled, loose hanks
hung dirty
around her head, covering her hollowed cheeks. And those eyes. Big, green, terrified
. But what had
haunted
him the most was the sight of her swollen belly. He would remember that sight until the day he died.
The shrill screams still echoed in his head. He hoped he could save her. He prayed he would save her.
He turned to see leather biting into an unknown man’s buttocks followed by a scream of pain.
Would he ever be able to hear the creak of leather again without breaking into a cold sweat? It made it damn
ed
difficult to ride when he nearly froze in panic each time he sat astride his prized mount.
He feared he was too weak to continue. How could some administer such pain without a flinch and he could barely stomach the tortu
re? Was he too weak of a man?
He tried to control his almost imperceptible flinch as the leather snapped against naked flesh once again.