She felt heat filling her cheeks with color.
“But I won’t because you have work, and the minute you stripped, I’d have you bent over the table.”
Her entire lower half tingled, danced, and screamed, Yes, yes, yes. She pulled in a breath and kicked her brain into gear. He’d settled her fears on how far his control would extend and created a whole new set of worries. But she was more curious than afraid. “Okay. But what if I just absolutely can’t…?”
“Can’t do something I order?” His gaze softened, and he squeezed her hand. “You have your safe word, pet. It works as well in the home—or anywhere—as it does in the club.”
She hated when he understood her worries so well. Even if it did make her feel all squishy inside.
On the other hand, maybe she needed to test some of those boundaries.
When he set his cup down and reached for the platter in the middle, she snatched the last piece of Canadian bacon off the plate before he could…and was rewarded with a dark frown. “So sorry, lord and master, but you snooze, you lose.”
XAVIER TAPPED HIS fingers on the table. She would definitely pay for her theft. “That, my little fluff, is called bratty behavior.”
Her chewing stopped for all of one second before the smirk reappeared. Yes, she was starting to be able to read him, now that her fear of his anger had decreased. “Do I get a funishment, then?”
“This is a serious crime.” He stretched his legs out, enjoying the warmth of the sun. “I’ll think of something nasty. Perhaps painful as well. Tonight, I believe. Or maybe at the club tomorrow.”
Ah, her gaze held a tiny hint of anxiety. Perfect.
Then he frowned. “Didn’t you mention being gone this weekend?” Would she invite him?
She blinked. “Oh, right. Yes, I have a party to attend on Friday night. It’s at my parents’ house for their anniversary.” She went no further. Extended no invitation.
He didn’t like the uncomfortable feeling that invaded his chest. Apparently, even after she’d had time to think, she didn’t want him to meet the rest of her family. Or her friends. His hand tightened on the cup. Then he set it down slowly enough that it made no sound.
“How about you? Are you going to the club?” Abby asked.
He’d hoped to be with her, but come to think of it, he had an appointment to meet Janae Edgerton’s father. Mrs. Abernathy would definitely owe him a favor.
“I’ll—” He stopped. Abby had mentioned his gorgeous and glamorous women. Telling her that he was joining one at a party would make her more insecure. “I’ll probably stop by Dark Haven.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The day had turned gloomy in the way only San Francisco could. A rare summer storm had blown in from the ocean. Rain ran in long streams down the windshield, resembling the tears Abby refused to shed. Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. I didn’t want to let them go. Her heart ached, and each beat made the hurt worse. I wasn’t ready.
The phone call from the rescue organization had taken her by surprise.
Xavier took one hand from the steering wheel to stroke her arm. “The woman said they’d get good homes. They’re careful about who gets to adopt, and the pups will be safer than if they returned to the shelter.”
“I know. At least Grace took Blondie.” She blinked hard. “Thank you for coming with me.” It was good that he had, actually. Her mind wouldn’t have been on driving. “I didn’t realize turning them in would be this hard.” It never had hurt so much before.
He rubbed his knuckles over her cheek. “I daresay you probably smothered the pain before. You’re quite good at hiding your emotions from yourself.” The corner of his mouth tipped up slightly. “Or you were.”
“I think I’d rather they stay smothered,” she whispered as he drove into the garage.
She didn’t wait for him to open her door but hurried up the ramp into the house. All she wanted was a place to hide away so she could cry.
Unyielding hands closed on her shoulders and turned her around. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder. “Let go, Abby. Don’t be ashamed of crying.”
“B-but it hurts.” Blackie had watched her leave, confusion in his dark eyes. I want him back. She tried to push away and got nowhere, and as if the struggle had destroyed the last of her walls, the sobs tore through her, hurting her chest, shattering the peace of the quiet house. The icy ball around her heart started to melt.
He held her close, a mountain against the storm of her tears. Solid. Immovable. His warmth seeped into her; his breathing never faltered.
When she’d finished and only shuddering breaths remained, he kissed the top of her head. “You’re shivering. Come.” He took her hand and pulled her out to the right side of the patio, past the swimming pool. As he uncovered the stone-encircled hot tub, steam rose from the surface.
“I just want to—”
“Hide. I know.” He stripped her, ignoring her protests. As if she were blind, he guided her into the tub, keeping a hand on her until she sat down. The heat penetrated her skin, moving deep into her bones and melting the last of the coldness.
With a sigh she leaned back and watched him undress as thin tendrils of steam lifted around her. His darkly tanned body was beautiful, and her gaze lingered on the line of muscles that indented his thighs and his tight buttocks.
He caught her watching, and the concern in his face eased as he took a seat next to her.
“I’m okay now. Thank you.” She shouldn’t have let herself get so attached, except at first she’d considered keeping one of the puppies. Keeping Blackie. But when she’d moved in with Xavier, she’d known it couldn’t happen. His beautiful landscape would have to be fenced, his antiques would be chewed on and carpets peed on. And they weren’t really together, not permanently. He wouldn’t change his whole home for a summer lover.
The woman said she had prospective homes for all of the babies. They’d be fine. They would.
As the erratic rain started again, cold drops pattered on her face and made tiny ripples on the surface of the water. Silently Xavier picked up her hand and kissed her fingers. He wasn’t trying to seduce her, but merely comforting her.
“You’re a nice man.”
His laugh sounded surprised, but the deep, rich sound filled the hollows inside her.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Xavier told her about his day. Sharing without being asked, as if he knew she needed a diversion.
He wasn’t a man to talk of himself, which seemed funny, for she was the same way. But they were both extremely good at quizzing another person. She hadn’t realized how one-sided her conversations with Nathan had been, perhaps because they’d discussed other matters—politics, academics, society. But although he’d shared his day’s activities, he’d never asked about hers. She hadn’t noticed the lack before, not until Xavier.
“Marilee said to tell you thank you.”
Abby frowned. “She’s not leaving my class, is she? She’s progressing incredibly fast, but she’s not ready—”
“No, pet.” Xavier moved closer, putting his arm behind her back. “But she now reads well enough to get hired. One of my friends owns a pastry shop on Market Street.”
“Really?” Happiness for the woman welled up inside her. Then she frowned. “How? Surely she can’t sound everything out yet, and—”
“Her placement counselor took her in to practice everything she’d have to read.”
Abby gave him a suspicious look.
“Yes, I leaned on my friend a little, but Marilee is intelligent. I think she’ll be excellent at the job. It’ll serve until you teach her enough to train for something challenging.”
She snuggled into his side. All of this because he’d seen his mother’s suffering. “You always expect them to move on. Isn’t the turnover rather taxing for Leduc Industries?”
“Mmm.” He rubbed his cheek against hers, the slight abrasion of his day-old whiskers like a s
park igniting dry kindling. “The managers know I expect the women to make something more of their lives. Minimum-wage jobs have a high turnover no matter what, but our women are highly motivated. They show up on time, work hard, and learn quickly. My managers are happy.”
“That’s very cool.”
“I’m a nice man, remember.” A crease appeared in his cheek as heat grew in his eyes. “Nice men must be rewarded, or they’ll turn to evil.” His hand closed in her hair, trapping her as he fondled her breasts and tugged lightly on her nipples.
“We can’t have that.” Her voice came out breathy.
“No. We can’t.” He curled her hand around his cock, moving it up and down. When he pinched her nipple, heat flared inside her, and her fingers tightened involuntarily. He laughed.
“Kneel up, Abby, sideways on the seat.” She pulled her legs under her and faced him. The water was at her waist, the air cool against her heated skin. Her nipples bunched.
When he set her hands on his arms, she stroked his biceps, enjoying how his wet skin stretched tautly over rock-hard muscles.
He cupped her breasts, pressed them together, and sucked on one nipple. He grinned when she squeaked, ran his tongue around the peak before sucking on the other. Back and forth.
The rhythm sank into her bones, flowed down to her lower half, and woke her core to a molten arousal. Each pulse of his mouth increased her need until she ached for more. Her fingers locked on to his shoulders, her nails digging into his velvety skin.
How could she get him to touch her pussy? Her aching clit? Trying to direct Xavier was like attempting to steer a bulldozer from under the treads.
His amused gaze met hers. Oh, he knew full well what he was doing to her. “Turn around now.” He gripped her around the waist, facing her outward.
In the thick fog, the lights from the Golden Gate appeared and disappeared like hovering fireflies. “Hands forward.” She put her arms onto the coolness of the stone surface around the tub, feeling the cold rain spattering on her shoulders. He rose behind her, reaching for the concrete statue of a sea monster near the edge. From a concealed compartment in its scaly side, he removed lengths of hard, narrow plastic and a pair of heavy scissors.
“You’re going to use zip ties on me?” She stared at him in disbelief.
“Mmmhmm. They work nicely in damp areas like hot tubs and pools.” He tightened one plastic strip over her wrist and one of his fingers. Her anticipation—and anxiety—increased with the staccato sound the zip ties made. After slipping his finger out and checking that the tie was loose enough, he did her left wrist. The cool plastic heated quickly over her skin.
He hooked the bracelets together with a third, then pulled her arms forward so he could slip the band under one of the monster’s hook-like claws.
The restraint forced her to lean over the side of the hot tub, and the edge dug into her breasts. “Ow, that hurts.”
“Sorry, pet.” With an arm around her waist, he lifted her up and arranged her so her breasts rested on the cold stone.
“What are you—”
A quick pinch on her nipple silenced her. He pulled two wide canvas straps from the compartment. Reaching under the water, he put one strap around her right lower thigh and hooked the ends to something, securing her leg. He did the same on her left, tightening the strap until it pulled her legs apart.
“Now that’s a pretty sight. A kneeling submissive restrained to a monster, legs wide open so her cunt is available…for anything I want to do.” He ran his hands up and down her torso, then leaned forward to fondle her breasts until they were swollen and tight. Cold rain hammered her arms and head as he tugged lightly on her nipples. He rolled the peaks between his fingers until she was panting with the combination of pain and pleasure. His cock rubbed in the crack of her butt, teasing her.
When she yanked futilely on the restraints, he leaned his chest against her back and whispered in her ear, “It’s a shame you can’t fight, isn’t it?”
Her lower half felt as if it had reached the temperature of the water and kept rising. “I changed my mind,” she muttered. “You’re not nice at all.”
Laughing, he reached underwater to play with the hot-tub jets. Sheltering her pussy with one hand, he adjusted the output until…
When he lifted his hand, a driving stream of water hit her clit.
“Oh no.” The high, hard velocity shoved her straight toward a climax.
“You’re right. That’s far too quick,” he murmured and rotated the face of the jet. The pressure decreased to that of a firm finger and the flow oscillated in circles, like a showerhead massager. “Good.” He patted her shoulder. “Stay put, pet.”
She struggled for a moment, trying to shift toward or away from the stream of water, and got nowhere. The undersides of her breasts scraped on the stone edge, adding an erotic touch of pain. As the pulsing circled her clit, pressure built within her. More and more. She looked for Xavier and saw him sitting on the side, his hand fisted over his thick shaft that glistened with lube. He didn’t move, simply enjoyed the show.
“You…” He was going to leave her here?
The jets of water took no notice, tapping and rubbing her clit. Everything inside her gathered.
He smiled as her climax approached, impossibly inevitable. “Look at me, Abigail.”
His dark eyes held hers as the tide crested inside her and swept outward, shaking her body in waves of pleasure. Her eyes closed with the shudders of the aftermath.
She stiffened when Xavier’s body pressed against her from behind. Momentarily cool against her heated flesh, his hand covered her pussy and blocked the jets from her now sensitive clit. “I do like watching you come,” he murmured in her ear.
With one hard thrust he entered her, thick and long. Her insides spasmed around the penetration, sending shock waves of pleasure tingling along sensitized nerves. He reached forward to the jet and did something, but his hand still covered her pussy.
“I’d say hang on, but the restraints remove that option.” He nibbled on her earlobe as he pulled back and slammed into her again. “There are times I like taking you this way,” he whispered, “knowing you can’t do anything to stop me. Your body is mine to play with—mine to fuck.” Each word was emphasized by a thrust of his cock, and she felt arousal and need beginning again.
“I can watch you orgasm without me.” With his free hand, he fondled her breasts, pinching the tips to make her insides clench. “But there’s nothing like your cunt battering at my cock when you come.
“Come again.” His hand on her pussy shifted, so his fingers V’d around her clit, pulling the folds back to expose it. To hold it in place. The jet struck in heavy pulses right on the top.
“Aaaaah!” Goaded unbearably, her body went rigid. His hand didn’t move as he hammered into her from behind, timing his thrusts to match the pulses of the jet, so the sensations merged. Too much. Too overwhelming.
She tipped over the edge in an avalanche of pleasure, shuddering and shaking. Her cries echoed off the pavement, and he laughed, then made a wonderful guttural sound as he pushed deep and let himself go.
By the time her heart stopped hammering her ribs into kindling and she could take a slow breath, he’d turned off the jet, snipped her zip ties, and unstrapped her legs. When she sat on the bench, tiny bubbles rose from below and tickled her overly sensitive pussy, making her squirm.
He laughed and turned her to face him. “Straddle me, pet.”
Settling her knees on each side of his thighs, he slid forward and pulled her down on his still-hard cock.
“I thought you came?”
“And I certainly enjoyed it.” He cupped her jawline, holding her for his kiss, long and lingering. “I wanted to be inside you for a while yet,” he murmured and kissed her again.
She felt him softening within her core. With his arms around her, his thighs between her knees, his tongue in her mouth, she felt twined with him in so many ways she wasn’t sure where he star
ted and she finished.
He released her and leaned her against his shoulder.
Absently she unraveled his braid so she could enjoy the feeling of his loose hair over her fingers, her shoulders. “I should start supper. It’s my turn.”
His heart beat an even rhythm as he stroked her shoulders with firm hands. “Relax for a bit, Abby. You’ve had a hard day.”
He took such care with her. As emotions swept through her, irresistible as any she’d had, the words were out before she could recall them. “I love you. So much. I—” She froze and choked. What have I done?
His hand stopped in the middle of a stroke, then continued on. He didn’t speak.
She couldn’t stand the silence. “Have I ruined everything? What—”
“I didn’t quite expect this, Abby. I don’t know.”
Obviously not. Had she really expected to hear, I love you too? Her jaw tightened. “Well, what do you feel like? Is your stomach tight? Heart hammering? Throat closed?”
He snorted. “Sassy submissive.” He gripped her shoulders and pushed her back to look at her. His expression was unreadable, his eyes not cold but…distant. “Give me a day to think, and then we’ll talk. Can you do that?”
“Sure.” She wanted to tear herself away. To run and hide like a little girl. But he pulled her forward, and his arms closed around her.
“I care, Abby. Never doubt that.”
Uh-huh. He cared about everyone in the club. That wasn’t the same. But…life hadn’t gone out of its way to give her what she wanted—especially when it came to relationships. Look at Nathan, and at all the guys who preferred Janae to her. Maybe she just wasn’t enough.
She settled into Xavier’s embrace, and the feeling of his arms holding her close, so strong and firm, so everything she’d always wanted, gave her the most bittersweet feeling she’d ever known.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Xavier started the weekend early and drove out to his small ranch near Bodega Bay on Friday. The ranch hands were pleased to see him and filled with news of the horses. After admiring the two new mares, he saddled a horse and went for a ride. The sun was hot and the scent of ocean heavy in the air. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed being here.
My Liege of Dark Haven Page 26