The Bad Boys of Eden (123 page)

Power Play

Eliza Gayle

She wants the escape. He wants control. They both need love.

Jennifer Croft is at the peak of her career. As a bondage model at Altered Ego, she’s become the crème de la crème of the fetish world, ensuring herself a top spot in her profession. The world is her oyster. Her personal life on the other hand… It’s not pretty. Only her fascination with pain play keeps the ghosts of her past at bay.

After tragedy sends Daegan McKenna to the South for a much needed change of pace, the last thing he expects to find is a closet submissive hiding in plain sight. She’s hot-tempered and in denial — a heady combination that brings out the dominant looking for a challenge. He’s already loved and lost more than one man should, but the haunted look in her eyes prompts him to make her an offer. He’ll indulge her darkest fantasies, if she’ll agree to give up control. Then he’ll let her go.

Unfortunately, the past never stays in the past and old insecurities cause complications neither of them wanted. Now temporary is not enough.

Excerpt

“Mesmerizing, is it not?”

Jennifer Croft froze at the distinct lilt of the devil’s voice behind her. Her pussy squeezed. He might not have red horns and carry a pitchfork, but Daegan MacKenna was every inch the kind of man that normally sent her running in the opposite direction. At least that’s what she kept trying to tell herself. Someone like him knew how to lure a woman to the dark side with his sexy-as-hell dark looks and a voice that carried the sound of hot sex and dangerous need. He scared the shit out of her.

“Yeah.” Jennifer tightened the small silk robe that covered her nearly nude frame and did her best to ignore the ache between her thighs. She was going to have to go to the club tonight and get this situation taken care of. It wasn’t like her to stare at a photograph, even a masterpiece such as this one, and get so turned on she couldn’t think straight. She’d been so lost in thought Daegan had sneaked up on her without her knowledge.

“It’s incredibly erotic to imagine what must be going through Eve’s mind as Murphy pressed the knife to her throat. Chase is a genius to have captured such perfection on film.”

Despite her good intentions, Jennifer turned and glanced at Daegan. The man was a damned compulsion. Every time he came near her, she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to fall at his feet or slam a door in his face. The twisted ache in her stomach made no sense.

“Chase is definitely the best.” She tried to hide the tremor in her voice and failed miserably.

Daegan’s forehead crinkled, and his gaze narrowed. Jennifer couldn’t shake the feeling of being prey as the predator circled before going in for the kill.

“I can easily imagine the flutter of her pulse at the hollow of her neck, or the sound of her heart racing to catch up with her wild thoughts.” Daegan took a step closer. “The fear is palpable in a scene like this one.”

Jennifer swallowed. More heat flared to life in her pussy. She clenched her thighs together and found herself biting the inside of her lip to keep from crying out.

Smooth move, Jennifer.

She’d momentarily forgotten about the rope tied intricately around her torso, including the strand that pressed a well-placed knot directly on top of her clit. In preparation for tonight’s demonstration in the new Dark Room lounge, Murphy had called her in early for some prep work. Working for Chase and Murphy as one of their bondage models had morphed into an incredible career for her, and tonight’s grand opening of their new space positioned her prominently as the premier fetish model in the Southeast. With any luck, after tonight’s show, she’d be fielding offers from across the country, or even the world.

“What about you?”

Daegan’s question pulled Jennifer from her wayward thoughts. “What? Me?” She had no idea what he’d said. For some reason his presence unnerved her, leaving her tongue-tied and mute.

“Everything okay?” The look of concern stamped on his face almost fooled her. Then he winked at her. That simple move finally clueing her in.

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“Uh-huh.” A rough finger touched her bottom lip, tracing the path where her teeth had nibbled. “You looked like a lost little girl standing here waiting for the big bad Dom to eat you.”

The sensation of a thousand butterflies taking wing erupted in Jennifer’s stomach at his touch. She fought to maintain control and not jerk away from him. Men like him only saw that kind of weakness as a challenge, and that was the last thing she wanted to be to him. Something to conquer.

She managed to gently ease from his touch and take a step backward. “I’ve got to get to the Dark Room. Murphy will be waiting for me.”

“Always running away, ye are. One of these days you’ll find yourself trapped with nowhere to hide.”

Jennifer bit back the sudden impulse to tell the silver-tongued devil where he could shove his predictions. She’d entered the club scene out of curiosity, not need, and while she loved some aspects of it, she wasn’t about to become any man’s slave, no matter how sexy he sounded. Instead she plastered a smile across her face and spoke sweetly. “Unfortunately duty calls. But I’m sure there will be plenty of women here tonight who’d be more than happy to take you up on your generous offer.”

When she slid between two displays with her only thought of escape, she found her wrist captured, halting her progress.

“You’re a stubborn woman, Ms. Croft. Or maybe the word I’m looking for is feisty. Either way. I’m intrigued.”

“I’m flattered, I really am…”

“Don’t,” he warned. “Don’t tell me how you aren’t interested. I don’t believe you. Maybe if your skin didn’t flush every time I touched it, or the amazing scent of your arousal didn’t taunt me every time we speak, I’d believe you. So tell me the real reason. Maybe then we can figure out a way to move past this.”

Despite her good intentions, heat flooded Jennifer’s cheeks. The man was a danger to her sanity, or at least all of her good intentions. Getting involved with anyone beyond one or two play sessions was completely out of the question. Still… Her system rioted out of control at the mere thought of him taking charge. For weeks she’d avoided him as much as possible, until he’d finally cornered her one night at the fetish club when she’d been waiting for her turn at the flogging station.

He’d offered to scene with her, and for several brief minutes she’d considered it. Being at the club lowered what few inhibitions she had, and the thought of submitting to the man who’d begun to invade her dreams sounded like the perfect way to excise him from her thoughts.

Luckily, before she’d been able to open her mouth and make a colossal mistake, her name had been called and she’d been ushered into the flogging area. The rest of the night, every time she’d turned her head, he’d been there—watching. And from the bulge in his pants, she’d surmised he liked what he saw. The exhibitionist in her had preened. At the end of her session, while in a state of pain-induced euphoria, Jennifer had decided that if he offered again, she’d go home with him. She deserved one night of pleasure with him and then in the morning she’d explain the deal to him. To her dismay, he’d disappeared.

That little wake-up call had served her well.

Until he’d asked her to be his—temporarily.

“Why me? I’m not exactly what anyone would call a submissive.”

“Because I saw the look on your face the first time I watched a whip kiss your skin. Like it or not, you crave it.” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “Besides, I’ve discovered I have a fondness for Southern girls, and you are the sweetest I’ve ever tasted.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Does that line really work?”

Daegan laughed. A rich, lilting sound she felt like an electric jolt to her already sensitive clit. “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, and God help her, she turned her face into his touch and inhaled. The scent of wood and soap tickled her senses. Thanks to his job, she always detected a hint of wood whenever he came near. Sometimes oak, sometimes pine or like today, cedar.

She had no earthly idea why the scent of wood made her weak in the knees, but on him she couldn’t get enough. Faint warning bells sounded somewhere in the back of her mind, which she promptly ignored. A few more seconds wouldn’t kill her. “What were you working on today?” She almost cringed at the new husky tone of her voice.

“I had some free time today, so I spent the day working on a personal project.”

“What kind of personal project?” The rough skin of his hand abraded her jaw when she moved her head back and forth. Lost in the pleasure sensations of his touch, it took her too long to realize she’d been rubbing against him like a cat in heat. In an instant her eyes cleared, and she attempted to step back.

“No.” His hand tightened on the back of her neck and drew her even closer. “Have dinner with me after the show, and I’ll tell you all about my new project.”

Jennifer wanted to melt in Daegan’s firm hold. He made her think about things that made no sense for a woman like her. “I can’t. I already have plans,” she lied.

“You need discipline,” he growled.

“Stop saying stuff like that. You have no idea what I need.” Tears formed in her eyes that she prayed wouldn’t fall.

“Stop lying.” He stared at her for several long seconds more before he dropped his hand and retreated. “Remember what I said earlier. One of these days you won’t be able to run, little rabbit. You’ll have to stand and face your fears. We all do.”

Jennifer watched her Irish devil walk away, his broad body crowding the small space. Her skin tingled where he’d held her in his grip. It took all the willpower she possessed not to rub the sensation away. The sexual frustration she’d been experiencing before she’d been so rudely interrupted had now reached epic proportions. She’d be lucky if she didn’t make a scene during the live demonstration. Not that anyone in this crowd would object if she spontaneously orgasmed while hanging in suspension.

She snorted at the image. Hell, Chase and Murphy would probably give her a raise.

“There you are. C’mon darlin’, we’re going to be late to our own party.”

Jennifer reluctantly turned toward Murphy, who’d crept up behind her. Despite the frustration drowning her, she couldn’t help but smile at the man in front of her. “It’s a good thing Eve will be here tonight. You look downright biteable.” Head to toe tight black did that to a man. Especially one as gorgeous as her boss.

“And if she catches you eyeballing me like that, it will be Eve doing the biting. Let’s finish getting you ready before Chase hunts us both down.” He grabbed her hand and led her down the short hallway. “Was that Daegan you were talking to?”

“As if you didn’t know.”

Murphy stopped and stared at her. “Feeling feisty tonight, are we? Or are you just looking to get your ass beat?” He twirled her around and began attaching more rope to the harness he’d already tied around her chest. “Either way. I’m pretty sure Daegan can handle it.”

“I don’t need to be handled and especially not by him.” The minute the harsh words left her mouth, Jennifer regretted them. It annoyed her to no end how much she let that man get to her. But taking it out on Murphy certainly wasn’t going to help.

“I’m sor—”

Murphy jerked the rope tight, pulling her off her feet and temporarily robbing her of breath. “Don’t apologize to me. I’m not the one who needs to hear it. You and Daegan have been doing this little dance for weeks now. It’s been kind of amusing to watch, but enough is enough, Jennifer. It’s time to either fish or cut bait.”

Jennifer wanted to explode over his words. How many times had she turned Daegan down? That Murphy thought she’d meant that as some sort of foreplay with the infuriating man made her want to lash out. But she knew from experience how far she could push a man like Murphy. Considering they would soon be performing for a packed audience, she settled for grinding her teeth and thinking bad thoughts.

Take a deep breath and let it go. The words of her former therapist filtered through her brain. He’d tried to tell her she had anger management issues, and after six weeks of listening to him go on and on about her faults, she’d fired his ass and never looked back.

Hell, yeah she was angry. When it was warranted.

Fortunately, Murphy had quit talking and seemed involved in getting her tied perfectly. With each pull and tug on the rope, she lost a little bit more of her freedom. Immediately a familiar calm stole over her. She closed her eyes and focused on everything around her. The cool air brushing across her exposed body, the pretty rope pressing down on her while never breaking the skin, the scent of fresh paint mingled with the crisp aroma of the brand-new leather that covered the walls. She imagined the reality of this room when the lights were removed and there were only other senses to rely on.

Her pussy grew hot and swollen, which was only agitated by the rope covering her clit. By the end of the demonstration she’d be needy beyond belief. That idea conjured an image of her dark-haired devil. It was always the quiet ones you needed to be afraid of. Or so she kept hearing. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see below Daegan’s easygoing surface to the churning waters underneath. Every time she got near him, she heard the storm brewing in her head. The energy emanating from him never ceased to arouse her.