“Yes I do. You’ve been looking for this balance for so long, you can’t just quit. Together we can fix this problem.”
“I’ll get it solved. I’m the one Edmund is after. There’s no reason for me to put everyone else in danger over it. It’s the whole reason I left. To keep everything I love safe.” I drain the wine in my glass and stare into its bottom.
“Why did you run, Atlas?”
“You, of all people, are asking me why I ran? Mr. Gabriel, when the scandal hit the front page, you were in my office screaming at me.”
“Not my finest hour to be sure.”
Under his intense gaze, my world shifts into a different space, but I will not give him the satisfaction to know it.
“Why was my other persona such a problem for you?” I counter to once again find the upper hand.
“You omitted it from our relationship. You didn't trust me,” he states.
“Now who’s omitting information? I didn’t take you for a man without confidence.”
Reece chuckles. “I was warned you’d always be a challenge.”
For a long minute he simply stares at me, his gaze pinning me in place. When I finally shift under the weight, he smiles.
“When I was younger, I wanted to explore all the forbidden areas of sexuality. I thought being under a Dominatrix would be just the thing. She was abusive and angry. When she discovered my family’s wealth, she blackmailed me with pictures I didn’t know she’d taken in our sessions. It is the only image of a professional Dominant I’d ever experienced.” He pauses, his face twisted in the painful memories. “I struggled to wrap my head around how you could be so submissive with me and yet…”
I shift in my seat until my hand touches his thigh. Electricity curls up my spine at the touch.
“I’ve always been in control. Everything in my world is under my control. When Dominick taught me how to use it professionally, it was a natural fit. But people aren’t one dimensional. Not all needs fit in a box and some just get put away for the greater good,” I say with far more conviction than I feel.
Off to our left, Timothy announces that coffee is served in the living room. I break the spell and stand to follow the butler through the house. Behind me, Reece follows close, the heat of his body radiating against my skin.
“I think I will skip coffee and head to bed, if you don’t mind. I’m rather tired from today’s travel,” I say abruptly and continue up the stairs toward the house.
Beside me, Reece catches up and matches my stride. “I will walk you to your room then.”
Chapter Thirteen
I stretch. My mind races through the things that need to be done here or there. Shoving the thoughts aside, I roll over, punching the pillow hard in a useless attempt to go back to sleep. My body heaves and sighs at my attempts. Sleep did not come easily during the night. Perfect images of Reece mixed with my ordeal and nightmare until they all blended into a mess I couldn’t untangle.
With an effort, I extract myself from the duvet and heave my body out of the bed, then make my way over to the large glass window. My gaze lands on the sea below. It calls to my soul like a balm across the rips and tears. I turn toward the en suite bathroom and lock myself in to get my body back into a presentable shape. For so long, a practiced hand worked over my face and hair to change my appearance and present the necessary mask to the world. Here, I fumble and struggle to understand what it needs to look like when I am done. I sigh at the image in the mirror and pull the bathrobe tight around my form.
When I enter the bedroom, I see Reece, his shoulder propped against the doorframe.
“Good morning, beautiful.” He smiles down at me.
I scoff. “I’m far from beautiful.”
“Today we’re going to the beach. A bit of sun and fun will do you good,” he declares. “Below us the cove is private and concealed from a direct approach. No one will know we are there. Above us, the security team will post watch to give us ample time on the off chance I’m wrong. You will enjoy the sea, and getting out a little will be beneficial to you.” There’s no question in his voice. It is a statement of fact.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t pack the necessities for a beach excursion.”
“Then it is a good thing the staff is efficient at their job.” He nods toward the bed. It is already made without a hint of my tumultuous night. Across it lies a white cover-up and a bikini with matching sandals. He smiles, nods, and turns from his post.
I stare open-mouthed at the garments on the bed. Even prisoners get yard time, I remind myself, and dress in the chosen outfit. A few minutes later, I work my way through the house and out to the terrace.
“Very nice.” He picks up the beach equipment under one arm and reaches for my hand with the other. We descend the stone stairs cut into the cliff-side on the other side of the terrace. Thrice I stumble on the way, more interested in the sea than my steps. Each time he reaches out and steadies me before we continue.
Beside a small rock outcropping, a table is laid with breakfast. The smell of coffee wafts through the air and my stomach grumbles in protest. Reece sets down his bundle and hands me a cup of the steaming brew.
I smile my thanks up to him and walk to the water’s edge. The quiet, cool surge of the sea swirls around my toes. There is no heavy surge here; it is more seductive and inviting, enticing each step until it swirls above my ankles, then my knees and thighs. The pulsating pull of the water flows around me, its seductive movements calling me to swim. It feels like forever since I gave my muscles a good workout. Without knowing the currents and riptides, I stand enjoying the constant ebb and flow across my lower body.
“Are you okay?”
I didn’t hear Reece’s approach, yet he stands right behind me.
My breath catches in my throat at his light touch and I control my body’s reaction.
“Fine.” I force a smile.
“The water is cleansing. Each tide wraps around us, draws us in, and washes away our deepest darkness,” he whispers in my ear. His hands wrap around my waist, and I lean into him.
“Indeed.”
The idyllic setting works its magic on my battered emotions. Our slow breakfast is filled with relaxed conversation. When we are done, I curl up on the beach blanket. It feels like I can sit and look out at the Caribbean ocean for hours, just breathing in the salty air. My mind is free and thinks about all the places the sea has seen on its journey to this shore. The quiet privacy of the cove is a rare and priceless commodity. My daily life rarely afforded me actual privacy; rather, it was the illusion of it. The tension seeps from my neck and shoulders. Thoughts in my brain unwind.
Reece doesn’t hover. Although I note he’s alert for anything which might disturb our idyllic setting, there’s an air of ease and calm. He’s vigilant while being perfectly in the pleasure of the moment. Between us a quiet comfort builds under the mounting tension, while he sits and enjoys the view.
“I’m going for a swim.” His voice startles me. “Care to join me?”
“No, thank you.” I smile up at him from my content corner of the beach.
He bends down and places a gentle kiss on my forehead.
His toned, sleek body moves as he stretches on the way toward the ocean. For a moment, he wades into the waves. When the water reaches his thigh, he reaches forward and dives as the waves engulf him. It is a good distance until he surfaces, and when he does, his strong shoulders power him through the waves with effortless ease. Reece looks at home in these waters as much as he does on land.
Each stroke pushes him toward the open sea. In mere moments he is at the breakwater. His head vanishes beneath the waves and my stomach drops. He doesn’t immediately reappear. Panic surges through my veins. I scramble to my feet and shade my eyes to focus on the distant waters. A hollow feeling settles in my chest when I don’t see his form on the horizon at the count of sixty. My body moves unbidden. Steps propel me forward, off the blanket and toward the edge of the water.
My foot comes down on a broken shell. I shift my weight before it slices through the skin but stagger at the force of the shallow wave, losing my balance. The movement causes me to lose my focus on Reece and change to my immediate predicament.
Strong hands steady my waist and I freeze in place. When I don’t move, they sweep me behind the knees and pull my body against his chest. He doesn’t break stride as he moves back toward the beach.
“I lost my balance,” I protest. “It's nothing. I just stepped on something.”
“And here I am bringing balance,” he quips and continues to move toward the blanket.
Something deep inside turns over in a mix of pain and pleasure. His strong arms wrap around me protectively, dissipating the earlier rise in panic. Above me I admire his handsome face, glistening in the sunlight. Black spikes of lashes accentuate his intense gaze while water runs down the straight of his nose and drips across my skin.
Back on the blanket, he pulls a bottle from the beach bag and offers it while downing the contents of his own. Reece sets the bottle aside and eases closer. His fingers graze the line of my jaw, sending tingles radiating through every nerve ending. My mouth moves to object, but his finger presses against my lips, and he shakes his head.
Chapter Fourteen
I lower my gaze to his mouth. His lips part. He leans toward me but hesitates. Our shallow breaths match in their rhythm. My fingers move up to caress the firm, wet muscles of his chest. They trail down until his racing heartbeat pulses against them.
My eyes never leave his as my fingers work across this chest. Each touch shoots a rush through my body. I lean toward him.
“You’re my undoing,” he whispers. His hand slides around my waist and pulls me into his chest, and his lips brush against mine.
The salt of the sea mixes with the heat of his body and the undercurrents of power. It is my undoing. Need and desire, long held by my well-built internal walls, floods through me. I open to him without hesitation.
Reece doesn’t hesitate. He claims my mouth. We mesh under his commanding kiss. My hands move to his shoulders and continue their upward ascent until they entangle in his hair. I cling to him like his breath gives me life.
His strong arms lower us to the blanket. The heat of the sand underneath the soft fabric cradles our bodies. He continues to plunder the depths of my mouth with soft flicks of his tongue. With the slightest shift, he supports himself on one elbow, as his free hand explores my body.
I work to free my hands to do the same to his.
“Don’t move them,” he growls against my lips before taking them again.
My hands freeze in place and I give in to the command, letting him control the moment. There is no rush in his movements. The demanding, hard kiss sits in opposition to the soft exploration.
His hand slides down along my hip as if he’s trying to memorize every curve and concave on my body. My nipples bead under my suit, begging for his touch, but he continues his skillful journey without haste. Each caress drives me closer to the edge, pushing me in a delirious longing. The world disappears. Only his touch matters.
I gasp and arch when his fingers enclose the apex between my legs. His chuckle vibrates across my skin. Everything in me seeks more of his touch. My breath comes in ragged pants.
“I need you, Atlas,” his own irregular breath whispers against my cheek. “I want you.”
Hot kisses trail down the side of my face and continue against the curve of my collarbone. My body arches and moves to give more access. His free hand cups my breast while his thumb and forefinger pinch and pull the taut nipple. A shiver races down my spine, and I intwine my legs with his, pushing against his thigh.
“Please.” The word drags across my lips.
Everything in me needs to feel him inside. I yearn to feel his body engulfing my own. Here I feel safe and whole. In these moments there are no masks. Under him I am open, vulnerable, and free.
Reece ignores my pleas and pushes my body to the edge. His focus is completely on me, his body taut with restrained power and raw need. I nudge my face against his firm jaw. His head turns, and once again he claims my mouth. The more he gives, the more I need. It isn’t enough.
I moan against his mouth. My body pushes against his hand to hasten the orgasm sitting right on the edge.
Cool water splashes against our legs. Above me, Reece shifts away and looks toward the sea. My body screams in protest at the broken connection. With reluctance, he sits up and gazes out to the sea. He rakes his hand through his hair.
I blink as if waking up from a trance.
He turns to me, his mouth tugging into a slow, sardonic grin as he gazes down at the disarray of my swimsuit and my exposed body. With a shake of his head, he reaches down and pulls the suit back into place until I am covered.
The sea continues its determined march toward the blanket. Reece glances back out to sea and releases a sigh.
“It looks like Mother Nature isn’t my friend today,” he mumbles. “We should get back to the house. High tide will cover this beach in a few minutes. Unless you want to continue. There’s always snorkel gear.”
My eyebrows shoot toward my hairline, and Reece laughs at my shock.
“What?” He waggles his eyebrows. “It could be fun.”
I return his smile, my body thrumming with unspent need.
Without another word, we gather up the remaining supplies and head for the long walk up the stairs back to the house.
On the way back to the house, I feel buoyant. For the first time in weeks, the weight lifts from my shoulders. Halfway up the cliff, Reece pulls me into a tight embrace.
“Grab the rail. Do not let go,” he commands against my ear.
“But the security team can see us.”
“You are a professional Dominant. I’m sure your security team sees your performances often.”
“That’s different,” I challenge.
“I know. Draw from the confidence you find there. Do as you're told,” he presses.
He grabs my hands, pulling them behind me, and pushes the fingers around the edge of the railing. The warmth of the metal seeps through my skin. His lips touch the tender flesh of my neck and down to my breast. I jerk under his touch, but in an instant his lips move. His hands skim down my stomach and push between my legs.
“Don’t let go,” he reminds me.
My grip tightens on the rail. With one hand, he frees the strings on my bathing suit top. It falls away effortlessly. His other hand tugs at the strings on my bottoms and seconds later they flutter away.
Never have I felt so blatantly exposed. On the side of a cliff, I stand before Reece naked, with only his command holding me in place. The sea breeze blows across my skin and I shiver.
“Absolutely beautiful.” The low growl of his voice heightens my senses and my body races back to the edge.
“Close your eyes,” he says as his mouth engulfs my exposed breast.
His hands move up my legs as his mouth moves down to meet them.
“Open. Exposed. Waiting.” He breathes against my soaked pussy.
The flash of warmth makes my breath catch. When he moves back up my body, I twist in frustration. He weaves a path of kisses over my hip and up my stomach until he engulfs the other breast.
“Please,” I beg, everything in me crying out its need for him.
“Please what?” His hot breath hovers over my nipple and I arch into him.
“Kiss me. Lick me. Fuck me.” My pleas rush out without thought. My body burns with a need I’ve never let myself feel.
His hot mouth licks and sucks the hard bud. My hands grip the rail harder. His teeth graze the tender skin and clamp down. The sharp pain mixes with the mounting pleasure and I push into it. He soothes the ache with a gentle lap of his tongue. With a slight shift, he repeats the process on the other nipple.
The sound of his mouth moving over my nipples mixes with the distant sound of the sea and I am lost under his touch.
“More
,” I beg openly. Everything in me craves his touch and his command. Here there is freedom from the weight of the world. A wave of peace crashes over me.
In response, a finger trails through my soaked pussy, a slow caress from the bottom through the top. The intimate touch threatens to shatter me, but he stops right on the edge. His finger continues to move in a slow rhythm.
“Or maybe this is what you’d like instead.”
The tip of his tongue repeats the same path. My hips shoot forward.
“That. Please!” I moan.
My body shivers in response. His tongue flicks the edge of my clit before plummeting inside, only to repeat the process. Under me, my legs quiver with effort.
When I think I can take just one more touch before exploding, his mouth moves away. My body screams, and my eyes fly open.
A smirk plays at the edge of his lips.
My mind is a jumble of thoughts, and my body refuses to move from the spot.
Reece steps away and retrieves my cover-up from the beach bag. He turns and faces me, his fingers cupping my chin and tilting my head back.
"You are good at dealing with pain. It helps you build walls against the world and creates a physical way to let it all out. But what no one realizes"—he pauses and pulls back to watch my face—"is you’re completely defenseless when it comes to overwhelming pleasure. When what you really need is to dangle on the edge of pleasure, craving it to mesh with the pain until you find the explosion in the freedom under someone else's command. If only for a moment to rest."
A sudden chill runs across my skin from the loss of warmth from the nearness of his body. I shiver as goosebumps run frantically up my arms.
“Let’s go shower.”
He brushes a gentle kiss against my forehead and turns to move up the remaining stairs. I stare after him, my body screaming with need and my mind racing at his words.
I work my way up the steep stairs. Each step makes my legs burn. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen the inside of a gym, and I’m paying for it. The long climb helps me find center. My nerves still buzz from his touch, and I smile. It is the first real smile to touch my lips since I walked away from everyone and everything. I let the lightness melt over me as I round the last flight. At the top, Reece smiles down at me.
Reveal Me Page 7