Romance Book Club

by Michelle Hughes

  He wanted to slide his hand beneath the waistband of the form-fitting shorts and caress the silken smoothness of her sex, but he knew that would be too much for her. Instead, he allowed his finger to run slowly over her, massaging gently until soft gasps of pleasure fell from her lips. The dampness through the material was evidence she was enjoying his touch. He continued until he felt her begin to tense. Pulling his hands away, he backed up to retrieve a thick, butter-soft leather flogger.

  The loss of his hands on her flesh made her ache when she'd been so close to finding release from his touch. All thoughts of not being able to enjoy something like this with a stranger were erased from her mind. Her body craved this, and wrong or right, she wanted more. Twisting her wrists in the restrictive cuffs, she whimpered.

  The image of her beautiful body writhing against the cross would remain in his memories for as long as he lived. Walking back to her, he arranged her silken hair over her shoulder before lightly allowing the flogger to swoosh against her back. He wanted her to find pleasure in the ministrations, and slowly built up his tempo as the dance began. It was amazing how her body moved for him as he increased the pressure with each stroke.

  She had no idea that this could be so enjoyable. The increasing intensity of the flogger had her gasping, but not in pain. There was just an incredible sensation of being slightly pushed forward and then her body recovering. She gave herself over completely to the experience.

  The soft sounds escaping her beautiful lips encouraged him to continue. A soft sheen of sweat covered his brow as he masterfully conquered her body. Only when Jessie began to slump against the cuffs that held her up did he finally stop the dance.

  In that brief, still moment, a feeling of pleasure overwhelmed her. She cried out. Then nothingness overcame her, followed by peaceful lethargy. It was singularly the most beautiful experience she'd ever had.

  Unclasping the cuffs that bound her, he lifted her easily into his arms and placed her face up on the large, leather covered table. He caressed the strands of hair away from her face and rubbed her arms softly until she was focused once more. She had found sub-space so easily and again, he was amazed by the beauty of the woman surrendering to him.

  Capturing her wrists carefully, he attached them to the large clamps on the table. His large hand encircled her ankle, and he expertly clasped it to the table, then spread her beautiful thighs wide and bound the other ankle with the same ease.

  Allowing his eyes to roam over her, he wished she could see how sensual she looked, even partially clothed, splayed out this way. It was another vision he knew he'd remember always. The subspace had probably altered her perception of what she could handle, so he decided to not attempt anything overwhelming. Instead, he once again focused on bringing her body pleasure.

  His mouth closed over her breast through the fabric and she arched off the table to push against him. Biting down gently on the stiff coral peak, he was awarded with a soft cry of pleasure. His hand moved down between her parted thighs and stroked her heated flesh, finding great pleasure in how wet she was already. The flogger was obviously a toy she enjoyed and it pleased him to know that his world was now becoming hers.

  Her mind and body were flooded with sensations. His touch was only enflaming her more. She wished she could continue to experience the bliss. Jessie couldn't believe it was possible to feel this way. It shocked her that it no longer mattered who the stranger was giving her the feelings, only that they continued. It felt like she was on a drug-induced high that she never wanted to come down from.

  Sliding his fingers under the band of her shorts, he slowly worked them across her bare flesh. He had so many more things to share with her tonight, but at the moment he just wanted to watch her come undone. He allowed a lone digit to push into her tight sheath, and almost groaned at the tightness of the velvety chamber as it resisted his entry.

  Tensing at the feel of his finger inside her, she slowly came back to her senses. The pleasure was incredible, and she wanted it to continue, but this wasn't right. Tightening her pelvic muscles she pushed against the invasion. "Stop," she whispered, caught between the incredible sensations and knowing she didn't know this man well enough to allow it to continue.

  He felt her flesh grip his finger as he slowly withdrew, and knew he had to give in to her command. Without doubt, he could have continued to stroke her and possibly encouraged her to give in, but that went against everything he believed about his lifestyle. "Are you sure that's what you want?" He spoke the words softly, giving her one last chance to change her mind.

  The voice was hauntingly familiar, although through the haze of what she'd just experienced, she was having trouble placing it. Nodding her head slightly, she knew this had to end, even if her body ached for fulfillment.

  Moving to the head of the table, he lifted her head and removed the blindfold. He had no idea what her reaction would be when she discovered it had been him giving her pleasure. He kept her tethered to the table, wanting to at least have a chance to talk with her if she was angry.

  "Chase?" A small part of her was pleased a stranger hadn't unleashed such passion, but the other part was infuriated that he had deceived her this way. "Why?" She couldn't seem to form more than one word responses at the moment.

  "I couldn't stand the thought of another man pleasing you this way, Jessie." He couldn't be anything other than honest with her. Seeing the pain in her eyes made him feel like the ass he was at the moment.

  They had both played her. That was the first thought that crossed her mind at his answer. How could she trust Carolyn, but more importantly him, ever again? "Untie me," she demanded softly, not sure if she could control her anger much longer, or the tears that threatened to fall at being played so well.

  "I'll do that, Jessie, but first I want you to hear me out." He could see the fire that filled her eyes and decided if he wanted to offer an explanation, he’d better begin now. "I love you, Jessie." The words escaped his lips before any other thought could form in his mind.

  Her eyes widened as he spoke the words she had longed to hear. Everything in her wanted to say the words back to him, but something held her back. "No, Chase, you don't." It wasn't possible that this beautiful man loved her. It was probably just his way of making up for this deceitful trick. Her heart was aching, wishing that it was possible, and knowing without doubt he just couldn't feel that way about her. "Let me up, Chase." She was two seconds away from losing it, and being chained to this table wasn't how she wanted it to happen.

  He could see in her eyes she didn't believe him, but he had no idea how to prove he was telling her the truth. "Jessie, I'm going to untie you, but for the love of God, don't go storming off again before we have the chance to talk." He didn't wait for her agreement, since holding her against her will was not something he wanted. He quickly released the binds.

  Standing up, she walked over to where her clothes were neatly folded, and slid them over the outfit she was wearing. She needed a few minutes to collect her thoughts because at the moment she wanted to slap his face for lying to her about his feelings. Whatever game he was playing with her, she didn't appreciate it at all, and as soon as she collected herself, she planned on letting him know just that.

  He watched her dress, and felt his heart ache, knowing how deceived she felt. Tonight was not supposed to end this way. He'd hoped to show her how much pleasure he could offer her, confess his feelings and assure her they could live happily ever after. Obviously, she wasn't on board with anything he was thinking at the moment.

  When she felt she could speak without screaming at him, she turned to face him. "Okay, you want to talk, let's find some place other than here to do it. I honestly don't want to be in this room one moment longer."

  "Would my office here suffice?" Technically it was Carolyn's office at the moment, but he was sure she wouldn’t mind. He was just pleased Jessie wasn't running away from him.

  "No, it will not. I want to leave this building. I'd prefer not t
o be anywhere close to this place." Every second she stood here, she grew angrier. She had thought Carolyn was becoming her friend, but obviously that wasn't the case or she wouldn't have betrayed her trust in such a way. And him--well, she wouldn't even be able to put into words how pissed off she was without screaming.

  "Where would you like to go, Jessie?" Considering the way she was looking at him right now, he knew where she'd like to send him, and he wasn't sure he didn't deserve it.

  "The overlook," she decided on a whim. That was where this started; what better place for an ending? The thought hurt her heart more than she was willing to admit. "Follow me in your car." With those words, she stormed out of the room and the building. Carolyn, she would talk with later, and hopefully she’d be in a much better frame of mind than she was at the moment.

  As she slid behind the wheel of her car, she decided she really didn’t care if he followed her or not. It had taken all her bravery to explore the new feelings she had and she felt cheated by the hand she'd been dealt tonight. Maybe she was being unreasonable, she thought as she drove, but she wasn't a person who trusted easily, so having her trust betrayed wasn't an easily forgivable offense.

  When they reached their destination, Chase knew by the look in her eyes he was in for a dressing down. It had seemed like a great plan. Show her how much he could give and confess his feelings. Obviously, he hadn't taken into consideration how betrayed Jessie would feel when his cover had been blown. At least she was willing to talk to him. That left him a little hope.

  Meanwhile, the fifteen minute drive had given her enough time to consider the situation more rationally. She’d gone over every aspect of the evening, labeling each a pro or con. On the pro side, she hadn't just let some strange man bring her to bliss. On the con side, Chase had blatantly deceived her. She wasn't at all sure what to do with that information.

  He slid out of his car and walked over to her as she exited. "Before we start talking, Jessie, I want you to know I wasn't lying about how I feel about you." If nothing else came out of their conversation, he wanted that point made. She could be pissed off at him--hell, she could scream and rant if she wanted; it wasn't like he didn't deserve it--but he also wanted her to believe his feelings were real.

  The argument she had ready to escape her lips was all but deflated the minute he spoke those words. Still, she couldn’t believe a man like him could really love her, and had to admonish him. "Chase, you shouldn't tell a person that just to get away with being a complete ass." She had no idea what his real motive had been tonight. Then again, he was an alpha man who, no doubt, didn’t take well to letting other men touch something he thought was his.

  "So I'm an ass because I love you?" He wanted her to laugh. Hell, he would give his right arm if she'd crack a smile.

  That so wasn't what she meant and he had to know it. "No, you're an ass because you're telling me what I want to hear so I won't make you feel bad for deceiving me." He was a charmer, she'd give him that, and she wanted to believe him so badly. It hurt to think he'd even use the word love so casually.

  "I did deceive you tonight, Jessie, and in the most personal way, but I would never lie about love to avoid having my ass chewed out." Come to think of it, he couldn't remember anyone ever arguing with him before--besides his father or Carolyn. Most people were too busy kissing his ass instead.

  "At least one part of your statement is true--you did deceive me. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to be open enough with someone and think about what I wanted for me for a change?" She'd kept her emotions so guarded for the last few years; she barely even knew who she was anymore.

  "I don't like being called a liar, Jessie, so I'm only going to say this once. I'm sorry I deceived you, and I'll take the blame for that part." He was beginning to get angry himself and knew that if she didn't want to see what an alpha male he could really be, she'd be smart to not test him on his declaration of love again.

  She took a few steps back, overwhelmed at the fire that filled his gaze. He wasn't denying he'd been wrong about the dungeon charade, but he was telling her he meant what he said about being in love with her. Refusing to back down, she still took his words to heart. "Fine, for now we'll bypass the whole love confession." Which she still felt was a lie, but she wasn’t about to call him again on that yet. "Why would you step into the role when Carolyn had to have made it obvious I was trying to find someone new?"

  "Because the thought of you playing with someone else that way pissed me off, and I wanted it to be me instead." He wasn't going to deny he was a jealous man. If she wanted to be angry about that, then that at least was fair.

  She could only stare at him. "So you do this with all your submissive's?" Talk about control issues, she thought, shaking her head.

  He chuckled at her conclusion. "No. Just one raven-haired beauty who won't leave my dreams long enough to allow me to focus on anyone or anything else.”

  How could she argue with that? She thought as her mouth hung open. Was it even possible that this gorgeous hunk of man thought about her as much as she did him? She wanted again to believe, but it just couldn't be true. Then again, what did he have to gain from continuously lying to her?

  Still, she wasn't convinced he wasn't just toying with her. It just didn't make sense that he could want her as desperately as she wanted him. "Chase,” she said finally, “if you're just looking for someone to play around with, you don't need to keep coming up with all these lies. Obviously I want you. Even if I know it's going to break my heart when you walk away."

  "So you do still want me?" He hadn't forgotten she'd just called him a liar again, but he wanted to know how she felt before he reacted to that.

  "You'd have to be blind not to know how appealing I find you." She was going to regret being so honest with him, but she was tired of the game he was playing. The dungeon tonight proved she still wanted to experience more, and even if she knew her heart was going to be dragged through the mud, she couldn't deny it was him she wanted to play with.

  "I just want to be sure I understand what you are saying, Jessie. You want to continue playing with me, and you'll agree not to go out and try to find someone else to train you?"

  She knew if she agreed to be his, things were about to get intense. But she couldn’t deny that was what she wanted. "Yes, Chase, as much as I'm sure it strokes your ego, I haven't really thought about anyone else since I met you. If you want to train me, I won't look for anyone else." God, she was such an idiot. Giving him the power to break her heart was singlehandedly the most stupid idea she’d ever had.

  "Tell me you belong to me, Jessie." He moved close until they were standing only inches apart. "Tell me you want only me as your master." His eyes probed hers as he waited impatiently for her answer. It was the most important question he'd ever asked a woman in his life.

  She hated herself for being so weak, but she couldn't deny how much she wanted to be his. Even if he decided later on that this was all a game to him and walked away, she wanted this time. God, how she wanted him--to feel the sensations only he could give, and enjoy the tenderness she knew he was capable of. "Yes, damn you, I belong to you."

  He'd held his breath as he waited for her answer and when she gave it, he released it forcefully. "Get in your car and follow me home." It wasn't a request. There were several things they needed to discuss, and he wasn't about to do it in a public place. He saw the hesitancy in her eyes, and realized how abruptly he’d spoken. "Come home, Jessie. I don't want to finish this conversation here." She would never be hesitant with him again, he declared mentally as her feet finally moved to her car.

  Jessie drove back to his house with a million thoughts moving through her mind. She'd just agreed to belong to him--only him-- and there was no denying where that would lead. The thought of being in his bed, or even in his dungeon, didn't frighten her at all--she knew how capable he was of drawing out her sexuality. What scared the living hell out of her was giving him her heart. If he decided to walk aw
ay, that would hurt more than any physical act.

  Neither of them talked as they finally arrived at his place in separate cars. He led her straight up to his bedroom and she trembled as he finally turned to look into her eyes. The thought of belonging to him was overwhelming and she had no idea just what she meant to him. To her, it meant she'd give everything she had to please him.

  "Undress." He spoke calmly, attempting to not scare the shit out of her by revealing how much he wanted her.

  She didn't even hesitate to strip off her clothes, fueled by the look of desire in his eyes as each piece found the floor. There was something so sexy about being commanded to do his bidding.

  His eyes roamed over her incredible body, not missing one delicious inch of the perfection before him. "Get in bed and wait for me, Jessie girl." Keeping his voice from demanding her compliance was almost impossible, and he noted how she quickly walked over to the bed and rested back on the pillows. He was pleased at how easily she allowed him to guide her. He quickly undressed and joined her.

  Lying beside her, he lifted up on one arm and glanced deeply into her eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want, Jessie Girl? And before you answer, let me be perfectly clear. I won't take anything less than every ounce of passion you have to give, and I'll demand things of your body that you never even thought possible before. So tell me, Jessie, do you still want to be mine?" If she said no, he was going to have a seriously hard time letting her leave.

  She bit her lip and nodded, not even sure she could speak at the moment. The intensity in his dark blue eyes told her she would be surrendering everything to him, and oddly enough, she wanted nothing less than to be completely his.

  "Say the words, Jessie girl. I don't want there ever to be any doubt about what you're agreeing to."

  "I want to be yours completely, Chase," she managed to whisper, even though the words caught in her throat, making her sound less confident than she truly was about giving herself over to him. He was the most intimidating male she'd ever met, even though she knew he was also capable of incredible compassion.