by Laura Kaye
Cassia chuckled. “That wouldn’t be so bad.”
“No, it would not,” Quinton said in a low rumble.
It was after eleven when they awakened again, and their growling stomachs made food a dire necessity. The night before, she hadn’t known what to expect when she’d invited Quinton to stay, but the day turned out to be perfect. They followed up the mind-blowing declarations and sex with an amazing lunch at Quinton’s favorite diner, over which they discussed more about their relationship. Namely, they agreed that neither was interested in a twenty-four/seven arrangement. They would follow D/s protocol when at Blasphemy, other clubs, or play parties, and during all scenes. And, finally, that Quinton could initiate a scene outside of Blasphemy with her consent. With each agreement, Cassia felt nearly giddy with the realization that this was really happening between them.
That there was really, truly a them.
And even though she hadn’t expected that, or even thought she’d wanted it, back at the start of all this, it felt good. Right. Like she was finally all the way out of that cave and living again.
After lunch, they played tourists, browsing the Inner Harbor and the funky boutiques in Fells Point. As darkness fell, they enjoyed a fantastic dinner in Little Italy, only to come full circle when they fell into her bed again that night and explored one another’s bodies until neither of them could stay awake for one more minute.
It was the second night she’d slept in the dark.
On Monday morning, it was hard to say good-bye. They stood kissing for long minutes by her door, and she didn’t want to let him go. But at least he didn’t seem eager to leave, either.
“I’m tending bar every night but Tuesday and Thursday this week,” Quinton said, his arms around her waist, “but I’ll save you a seat at the bar in case you ever find yourself wanting to drop in and keep me company.” He waggled his brows, and it made her laugh.
“Ooh, will my reserved seat have, like, a little black velvet rope across it?” she asked.
“Is that more likely to make you want to come visit me?”
Chuckling, she shrugged. “Well, it couldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll see what I can do about some rope for you then, little one.” He arched a brow that told her he had more in mind for that rope than just reserving a chair.
Annnd now she really didn’t want him to go. “I’ll keep the invitation in mind, then.”
Shaking his head, he kissed her. “So, scenes on Tuesday and Thursday nights sound good to you?”
With him? Always. And even better was the knowledge that they weren’t just about those scenes, or about her phobia, or about the sex. Not anymore. “Sounds amazing. I’ll see you tomorrow night at the club then?”
He tilted his head. “Feels like forever, doesn’t it?”
Man, she adored him for being the one to say it. “Kinda.”
“I know, but I close tonight. Depending on how busy it is, the earliest I’d probably get out of there is two A.M. With how early you have to get up for work, it doesn’t make any sense for me to come over.”
Begrudgingly, she nodded. “Okay, well, text me when you have a minute and let me know how your day is going.”
“You, too.” Quinton gave her another long, deep kiss. The kind that was a promise of so much more. “Have a good day, baby.”
She was still smiling as he jogged down the steps and out the front door.
What she wanted to do was curl into sheets that still smelled of him and them and sleep the day away but, alas, duty called. She grabbed a quick shower and threw on work clothes, and then she was out the door herself.
Still, it was the best Monday morning she’d had in years. Cassia felt happy and hopeful, like being with Quinton had plugged her back into the rest of the world after a long, lonely time away.
And those feelings meant so much to her. They meant everything. And they were all because of Quinton.
~~~
When morning came, Cassia wanted to pretend like she was still asleep. But of course, her infuriatingly too-observant no-strings-attached, just-friends Dom saw right through her.
“You ain’t fooling me, Sleeping Beauty,” he said, sounding way too freaking awake.
“Call me in an hour,” she said, shifting onto her other side.
Quinton’s big, warm body followed. “Nuh uh. I’ve been awake for thirty minutes. I require the attention of one incredibly beautiful, adventurous submissive. I’m needy like that.”
She chuckled at the self-deprecation in his tone, and nearly glowed from the compliment, too. “Is that right?”
“Yup. How ya like me now?” He kissed her ear.
And even though she very easily could’ve followed this banter where it was leading them, like into round two of the best sex any two human beings had ever had, Cassia decided to woman up before she let that too-perfect segue get away.
Turning in his arms, she met his gaze. “Actually…I like you a lot.”
His smile changed, as if he’d caught on to the shift in her own demeanor. “We need to talk, don’t we?” Quinton asked.
“I was hoping we might,” she said, a tendril of nervous anticipation stirring up butterflies in her belly. Had he wanted to talk, too?
“I know we said—” she began, just as he said, “I’ve been thinking—”
They chuckled, laying so close together that she had no way to hide from him. And she didn’t want to, either. Cassia was done hiding—from herself, from the dark, from the world. So she took a leap and let the words fly. “I know I said I didn’t want a relationship, and that we agreed to keep things no-strings attached, but I…” She shook her head. “I didn’t know everything our time together was going to make me feel.” She forced herself to look him in the eyes. “For you.”
He cupped her face in his big hand. “Fuck, baby. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Her chest filled with a funny pressure that threatened to consume her. “That I’m kinda feeling some strings? And I’m hoping you might be open to exploring where they lead? If that’s what you’re thinking, then yeah.” She nearly held her breath.
Or maybe it was just that he stole it. Because Quinton’s mouth came down on hers in a searing, soul-scorching, life-giving kiss. He moaned low in his throat as he rolled her under him, and then finally, slowly, he pulled his mouth away. “I want that, too. Christ, I’ve been feeling it for a little while now. Yesterday, I knew I wanted to talk to you about it, and then after last night… Shit, Cassia, I feel like we’re pretty fucking perfect together. So, yeah, I’m open. And I’m feeling those strings, too.”
“Oh, my God. Really?” she said, unable to hold back a smile. She had to blink away the happy tears that surprised her when they flooded her eyes. “I was scared I was going to ruin everything.”
“Never,” he said, brushing away the stray wetness with his thumbs. “But there’s one thing I need if we’re going to give this a go.”
“Of course,” she said, peering up into his dark eyes. God, he was gorgeous, the morning light falling over his sleep-mussed hair, a little growth of scruff on his face.
“I want us to be exclusive, Cassia.” Grasping her hand, he brought it to her mouth. “In case this helps make my intentions clear…” He licked her palm and straight up her middle finger.
Cass laughed, utterly tickled about how this conversation was going after everything she’d feared. “Did you just lick me to claim me?”
“Damn straight.”
“So do I get to lick you back?” she asked.
“Baby, I really wish you would.” He made a big show of rolling onto his back and pushing off the covers, baring himself to her gaze.
And damn, her bed had never looked better than it did at that very moment, with his ink, cut muscles, and hard cock laid out on display. Just for her.
She crawled toward him, then settled on her knees between his spread thighs. But before she got lost in his body, she had to know for sure. “What about the de
monstration you have to do?”
Quinton folded his arm beneath his head and peered up at her. “That’s what upset you the other night, isn’t it? Why you left so fast?”
“I didn’t like the idea of you playing with someone else, but I know you have to do stuff like that for the club,” she said.
“I don’t do anything I don’t want to do, Cassia. The next demonstration I’ll do, if you’re open to it, will be with you.”
The sheer relief she felt would’ve taken her to her knees if she hadn’t already been there.
Releasing a shaky breath, Cass smiled. “Good. Then consider this my claiming.” Leaning down so that the dark hair on his thighs tickled her breasts, she tongued him from the base of his cock to the fat tip.
His body surged beneath her, his hips thrusting closer, his back arching. And it drove Cassia on to claim more of him. With a fist around his root, she sucked him deeply, taking his cock to the back of her throat again and again, just like she already knew he liked.
But as good as it was, it wasn’t enough. She wanted to claim more of him. All of him, if he’d let her. So Cass crawled up his body until her legs straddled his hips. Reaching into the nightstand, she retrieved a condom from a new box she’d bought when she started back at Blasphemy. Not that she’d ever imagined all this. Cassia held the little square package up.
He laced his hands behind his head, the picture of relaxation. Except for the hard cock jutting up between them, of course. “Whatever you want, Cassia, you are welcome to have,” he said in a low tight voice.
Holding his gaze, she rolled on the latex, and then, bracing a hand against his hard chest, she centered herself over his cock and lowered herself until she’d taken every thick inch. “This is claiming you, too.”
His hands flew to her hips, gripping and tugging as she rode him. The façade of relaxation quickly melted away, unmasking Quinton’s commanding dominance. “Fuck, Cass. Ride me. Use me. Take everything I’ve got.”
She gave herself over to the pursuit of pleasure, grinding, fucking, faster, harder. Long, pleasure-drenched minutes passed where they spoke only with their bodies, the sounds of their movements filling the room. Her skin slapping against his, the mattress shifting beneath them, their labored breaths and his throaty groans. “Quinton, oh God.”
“Want you to come on me, Cass. I want you to come on me now.” His fingers dug into her hips, a silent, stinging command.
It was exactly what she needed. Just three more aggressive strokes and she was coming, crying out, collapsing against his chest as the sensations wrung her out and left her raw.
And then she was on her back, all that dominance pinning her down. He drew her wrists above her head and pressed them into the mattress, and then Quinton was riding her, slow and deep and relentless.
“Feel like I’ve been looking for you, Cassia. For so damn long. And now that I’ve finally found you, I don’t want to let you go.”
That might’ve been the moment she fell in love with Quinton Ross. “Good. Don’t. Not ever.”
He dropped his head against hers, and his breaths rasped across her lips. Eyes open. Watching. Looking. Even with everything they’d already done, it was one of the most intimate moments of her life.
“Come in me, please,” she whispered. “I want to feel it.”
Immediately, his hips hammered harder, and then his eyes clenched shut as the orgasm rocked through him. “Aw, God, Cass,” he growled, his cock jerking inside her. If nothing else ever worked to help her tolerate the darkness, the memory of how his gorgeous face looked in that moment, shattered by the pleasure he’d found in her, just might’ve done the trick. Because, damn.
When his body eased, he released her hands, and she immediately brought them around his big shoulders. “Don’t go yet. I like the way you feel on top of me.”
On an appreciative moan, he settled his face against the side of her neck and let her have his weight. “Keep saying things like that and we’ll never get out of this bed.”
Cassia chuckled. “That wouldn’t be so bad.”
“No, it would not,” Quinton said in a low rumble.
It was after eleven when they awakened again, and their growling stomachs made food a dire necessity. The night before, she hadn’t known what to expect when she’d invited Quinton to stay, but the day turned out to be perfect. They followed up the mind-blowing declarations and sex with an amazing lunch at Quinton’s favorite diner, over which they discussed more about their relationship. Namely, they agreed that neither was interested in a twenty-four/seven arrangement. They would follow D/s protocol when at Blasphemy, other clubs, or play parties, and during all scenes. And, finally, that Quinton could initiate a scene outside of Blasphemy with her consent. With each agreement, Cassia felt nearly giddy with the realization that this was really happening between them.
That there was really, truly a them.
And even though she hadn’t expected that, or even thought she’d wanted it, back at the start of all this, it felt good. Right. Like she was finally all the way out of that cave and living again.
After lunch, they played tourists, browsing the Inner Harbor and the funky boutiques in Fells Point. As darkness fell, they enjoyed a fantastic dinner in Little Italy, only to come full circle when they fell into her bed again that night and explored one another’s bodies until neither of them could stay awake for one more minute.
It was the second night she’d slept in the dark.
On Monday morning, it was hard to say good-bye. They stood kissing for long minutes by her door, and she didn’t want to let him go. But at least he didn’t seem eager to leave, either.
“I’m tending bar every night but Tuesday and Thursday this week,” Quinton said, his arms around her waist, “but I’ll save you a seat at the bar in case you ever find yourself wanting to drop in and keep me company.” He waggled his brows, and it made her laugh.
“Ooh, will my reserved seat have, like, a little black velvet rope across it?” she asked.
“Is that more likely to make you want to come visit me?”
Chuckling, she shrugged. “Well, it couldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll see what I can do about some rope for you then, little one.” He arched a brow that told her he had more in mind for that rope than just reserving a chair.
Annnd now she really didn’t want him to go. “I’ll keep the invitation in mind, then.”
Shaking his head, he kissed her. “So, scenes on Tuesday and Thursday nights sound good to you?”
With him? Always. And even better was the knowledge that they weren’t just about those scenes, or about her phobia, or about the sex. Not anymore. “Sounds amazing. I’ll see you tomorrow night at the club then?”
He tilted his head. “Feels like forever, doesn’t it?”
Man, she adored him for being the one to say it. “Kinda.”
“I know, but I close tonight. Depending on how busy it is, the earliest I’d probably get out of there is two A.M. With how early you have to get up for work, it doesn’t make any sense for me to come over.”
Begrudgingly, she nodded. “Okay, well, text me when you have a minute and let me know how your day is going.”
“You, too.” Quinton gave her another long, deep kiss. The kind that was a promise of so much more. “Have a good day, baby.”
She was still smiling as he jogged down the steps and out the front door.
What she wanted to do was curl into sheets that still smelled of him and them and sleep the day away but, alas, duty called. She grabbed a quick shower and threw on work clothes, and then she was out the door herself.
Still, it was the best Monday morning she’d had in years. Cassia felt happy and hopeful, like being with Quinton had plugged her back into the rest of the world after a long, lonely time away.
And those feelings meant so much to her. They meant everything. And they were all because of Quinton.
Chapter Eleven
Cassia had no idea what M
aster Quinton had planned, but whatever it was, she wanted it.
She wanted his dominance and his commands and his wonderfully dirty mind.
She wanted it all, with him. And that had never been more clear than when she’d knelt at his knees among all his friends and passersby in the club. She’d always received pleasure from being in service to another, but the pride and heat and approval in Master Quinton’s gaze as she’d knelt there had spoken to something within her soul. The stress from the day, her nervousness about being at Blasphemy for the first time as his submissive, the fear that her confession about sleeping with the light on would disappoint him—all of it melted away kneeling at his feet.
After a few moments, he came to stand in front of her. “Rise, Cassia. And present yourself for my inspection.”
In the quiet and stillness of the room, a thrill whipped through her belly. She got into position with her feet spread, breasts thrust outward, and hands laced behind her head.
Wearing only those worn jeans again, this time with the top button hanging dangerously open, he hummed appreciatively. “I want to see what’s mine,” he said, slowly circling and touching her. Coming in front of her again, he met her gaze. “I want to use what’s mine. Every part.”
Oh, God. Her nipples were immediately erect. She shivered.
He chuckled. “You like that idea, too.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said, for there was no point denying it.
“Good, because I want to push you tonight, Cass. Are you open to that?” His dark gaze flashed with arousal and need, but she saw the concern there, too. He wouldn’t push her further than she could handle. And if he did, all she had to do was use her safewords and he’d back off. She had complete confidence in that because he’d done it before. And after all they’d shared, and the progress she’d made, she wanted to try. For him. For herself.
“Yes, Master. I am.”
“Brave girl.” He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I’m going to play with your senses. I’m going to play with the darkness. And I’m going to play with your ass.” He arched a brow.