His Contract: Legally Bound, Book 1

by Rebecca Grace Allen

  “No, jackass, I didn’t forget. But it’s a delicate situation.” No way was he betraying Lilly’s trust by telling Patrick anything about her past. “Just leave it that I was worried about hurting her.”

  “Hurting her? Seriously, Jack, I saw your junk during the locker room towel debacle of two thousand and two, and honestly you’re not exactly big enough to—”

  “That’s not what I meant!” Jack shuddered at the memory. Stupid tiny gym towels. “Look, I’ve got it all under control, okay? I didn’t come here for your advice.”

  “All right.” Patrick cracked open a beer and offered one to Jack. He shook his head. “Then why are you here? Other than to turn down my good booze.”

  “To make sure you can keep your mouth shut. I asked Lilly not to tell anyone. She doesn’t know you know, and I need it to stay that way.”

  “I always say secrets are the cornerstone of every relationship. Glad to see you’re learning from my example.”

  “This isn’t a joke,” Jack snapped. “This is important. She’s important.”

  Patrick held up his beer in a toast. “My lips are sealed.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Man, I’ve never been so glad it’s Friday in my life.” Brady yanked open the door to Barrel ’n’ Flask and ripped off his coat. “Longest. Week. Ever.”

  It had been a long week for Jack too. He’d thought about Lilly far too much, picturing all the ways to make her come harder than she could possibly imagine. He was thinking about it again as he looked for her now, finding her by a pool table with Nick. She was laughing loudly, her smile wide, head thrown back.

  In a year of seeing nothing at all, now he only saw her.

  “Problems at work?” he asked Brady distractedly as they walked through the pub.

  “Yeah, we’re migrating servers. I had to be on call every night in case they went down. Error messages on websites equals angry emails from our clients.” They stopped at the pool table. Brady clapped Nick on the back. “The fun has arrived. Where’s Gabe?”

  “At the office with Cassie, thank God.” Nick snatched a garlic knot off a plate balanced on the end of the pool table. “That way he won’t see me eating these. I swear, if he drags me out to another gourmet hotspot, I’m gonna scream.”

  Lilly grinned. “He’s just trying to give you a little culture.”

  “I don’t need culture. I need carbs,” Nick said. “Come over next week and cook for us?”

  “You cook?” Jack asked. Lawyer-in-training, submissive, track star and chef? What other little gems did he have yet to learn about this girl?

  “She makes a mean lasagna,” Nick answered for her. “Best I’ve ever had.”

  Lilly blushed. It was funny, what compliments seemed to do to her. He wanted to praise her until that blush went from her cheeks to her toes.

  “Okay,” she told her brother. “Soon. I promise.”

  Brady snagged a garlic knot, ignoring Nick’s sarcastic comment for him to please help himself. “So why’d they let you out of the cage?” he asked Lilly. “Shouldn’t you be there too, reading books full of legal crap?”

  “They’re prepping for depositions and didn’t need me.”

  “I have no fucking clue what that means, but if it gets you off the hook for a night, then slap my ass and call me happy.”

  She nearly choked on her laughter, her gaze catching Jack’s. “You’ve got quite the way with language, my friend.”

  Brady popped another knot in his mouth and smiled around it. “Yeah, my wife loves it.”

  Nick turned to Jack. “Will Patrick be joining us?”

  “He’s got a work thing.”

  “That makes it an even number.” Nick threw Brady a cue stick and held one out for Jack as well. “Siblings throw down?”

  “No way. If Lilly’s half as good as you are, I’m not playing against both of you.” Brady wedged himself between her and Nick. “Jack, you play with Lilly. At least that way I’ve got a shot at winning.”

  “No, you don’t.” Lilly took a bite of a garlic knot and licked her thumb before smiling at Jack. “Are you up for playing with me?”

  A quick, silent exchange passed between them, mirth in her gaze. He grinned at the mischief in her voice. It was a dangerous, delicious thing to share this secret with her.

  “I’d be happy to play with you.”

  Lilly broke, sinking one solid after the next, something Jack enjoyed watching almost as much as the shape of her ass as she bent over the table. It was a test in itself—to see how much temptation he could stand. He was conditioning his restraint, flexing the muscle of control that had become weak in its dormant state. His need was leashed, tethered, and as restrained as Lilly was going to be in his playroom tomorrow.

  She won the game with a triumphant smile. Brady bowed his head.

  “You are a worthy opponent.”

  Nick threw an arm around her. “I taught her all she knows.”

  “Bullshit. Dad taught us. I just happened to learn faster than you did.” Lilly checked her watch. “Okay, I’m gonna head out. I need a good night’s sleep.”

  “For what?” Nick asked. “Do you actually have something planned tomorrow?”

  She busied herself with putting on her hat, not looking up to meet Jack’s careful gaze. “Nope. Just tired from another long week.”

  Good girl.

  Nick reached for his coat. “I’ll walk you to the T.”

  Jack felt an odd flicker of jealousy, wanting to do the job himself, but that wasn’t part of the deal. And it certainly would’ve sent up some warning flares to their brothers if Jack had offered to do it. Lilly waved good-bye to him and Brady before Nick led her out of the pub.

  Brady started re-wracking the table. “It’s really cool that she’s finally spending time with us. Nick was worried. Said she had a bad breakup—some shit that went down when she was in law school.”

  Jack gripped his cue tightly. “Bad” didn’t begin to cover it.

  “He’s hoping she’ll meet someone,” Brady continued. “Maybe one of these nights we’ll be able to find a guy for her.”

  Jack bristled. She didn’t need some guy. She needed a man who could unlock her deepest desires, and tease out the violence and passion of her lust. Someone who would guard her as carefully as he used her, giving her the freedom to be what she wanted without shame. Jack was that man, and the knowledge burned through him.

  He didn’t answer Brady. He took his turn at the table, ending the conversation.

  When Lilly arrived on Saturday, she was coiled up like a powder keg, and Jack couldn’t wait to make her explode.

  “Strip.”

  She pulled her clothes off to reveal gloriously naked skin.

  “Kneel.”

  She complied and dropped to the pillow, her toned thighs open wide, a flush over the perfect curves of her breasts. She didn’t seem nervous, but Jack wanted to make sure a repeat of last week didn’t happen. He needed to know her body implicitly, and had plans to keep her silent so he could learn her cues—all her signals of arousal and fear.

  He ran his fingers through her hair as her breathing settled.

  “Beautiful,” he said, and she sighed softly. “What are your safewords?”

  “Green, yellow and red, Sir.”

  “And you will use them if you need to. Correct?”

  “I will, Sir.”

  “Good girl. Stand up for me.”

  She moved to her feet, her eyes on the floor.

  “Today we’ll work on your behavior. I’ll be tying you up, so we don’t have any more of those pesky roaming hands. You don’t get to touch until I say so. Understand?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “You won’t speak today, either. If you make any noise at all, except to safeword, you won’t be permitted to come. Please
me, and you’ll be rewarded. Nod if you understand.”

  She gave him a brisk nod, her eyes clear and bright. Feeding off her obedience and lust, Jack kissed her, and she responded eagerly, catching the pitch that radiated within him like a tuning fork. She was breathless when he stopped, her mouth open, head angled toward him for more. He mimicked her expression, keeping his kiss a few teasing inches away.

  “So hungry,” he whispered. “Are you hungry for me?”

  She nodded frantically.

  “You want to touch my cock? Feel how hard I am? Suck me?”

  Another nod, coupled with a slip of her tongue over her lips.

  “I don’t know if I should let you. You were a bad girl last week, touching me without permission. This time you need to earn it.”

  Jack stepped to the armoire and lifted the coil of rope off its hook. He unraveled it slowly as he walked back to her, studying the way she looked at the smooth twine. Her breathing sped up and her nipples pebbled, gooseflesh rising.

  Perfect.

  He moved behind her and began the delicate process of binding her wrists and elbows. With every loop and knot, he paused to caress and kiss her skin, whispering how beautiful she was. When he’d finished, he gathered her hair in one hand and twisted it over to one side, baring her skin to his kiss. Testing her resolve, he grazed his lips along her throat and bit down at the junction of her shoulder.

  She didn’t make a sound.

  Jack drew her back against him so his jean-clad erection brushed against her bound hands. She shivered, but stayed silent.

  “Such a well-behaved little girl.” He squeezed her hips. “Now, we play.”

  He walked her to the open armoire, reached around and pressed his thumb and forefinger under her jaw, guiding her with his fingers, controlling what she saw.

  “Look at all the pretty toys I’m going to use on you.”

  With his free hand, Jack touched his paddle, then his crop. He stroked down the spreader bar as if it were his cock and read the subtle moves of her body, her hitched breaths of anticipation.

  “I will be using many, if not all of them on you. But some will have to wait until you’re ready.”

  He opened the drawer and felt her breathing pause as he fingered the blindfold, nipple clamps and the sharp spokes of the Wartenberg wheel. He was purposely showing her things she disliked while she was pressed against him. He needed to remind her it would be different with him. That he would protect her as well as push her.

  Still holding her face captive with one hand, he brought the other to the stiff tip of her nipple.

  “Because you will be ready, my needy little girl.”

  She jumped when he rolled the tight nub between his thumb and forefinger. He pinched and her legs shifted, caught somewhere between frustration and bliss. Jack moved to the other breast and repeated the motion.

  “When it’s time to dress these pretty nipples up in clamps, you’ll be ready.”

  She huffed out a strangled exhale. Jack slid his hand down her belly.

  “When I want to see the spikes of my wheel crossing your flesh, you’ll be ready. When it’s time to cover those eyes and plunge you into darkness—” His fingers brushed along her slick opening. Pressed. Slid inside. “—you’ll want it too. Badly.”

  She flexed against his touch, grinding down on his fingers.

  “And when I fuck you, you’ll be begging for it. I promise you that.”

  Jack tipped her head back and licked across her lips. Her mouth parted and she welcomed the teasing dips of his tongue. He nipped and tasted, all the while listening to the changes in her breathing. When he focused his attention on her clit, he pulled back to watch her react to the sudden onslaught of pleasure. She shut her eyes. Her body arched into his touch. She was on the edge already, and Jack held her down, his forearm wedged between her breasts, surging with the knowledge that only he could do this to her.

  “Does my poor girl need to come?”

  She answered by bucking her hips, trembling as Jack worked her faster, his finger swirling in tight circles. At the first hint of her body’s spasm into orgasm, Jack stopped. Her bound hands clenched into fists. She was shaking when he turned her around to face him, her pleading expression full of agony that he tauntingly mirrored, shaking his head.

  “I know. You need it so bad, don’t you?”

  She nodded and panted.

  “I’ll let you come, but not yet. First we have to see how good you can be.”

  Jack dragged down the fly of his jeans, freeing his hardened flesh. She watched the motion of his hand, her stare hungry.

  “Last time, you were practically begging for this,” he mocked, stroking himself.

  Lilly’s face was pained as she watched Jack’s hand twist over the tip. He walked backward to the armchair and tugged down his jeans. She stayed put, pouting mournfully from her spot a few feet away. He smiled calmly at her, sat down and resumed the slow path of his fingers.

  “You want to suck me, little girl?”

  Her brisk nod was her only answer. Chuckling, he crooked a finger at her. Lilly rushed over, and he pointed to the floor between his open legs. She dropped to her knees, her mouth so close he could feel her hot breath. God, he wanted it, but he had to make her want it more.

  “Stop.” Jack slipped his fingers into her mouth. “Suck.”

  She obeyed, enthusiastically drawing his finger into her mouth, enveloping them all the way to the knuckle.

  “Look at you, craving me. Craving this.” He was prying out her wild side, clawing past the walls she’d been hiding behind. “I don’t know if you’ve earned it, though. I could make you suck my fingers while I get myself off.”

  His threat was empty, but Lilly whined loudly in protest and then froze, her eyes going wide.

  Jack’s stare turned cold. He pulled his fingers free and held her by the throat. “That was a sound, wasn’t it? Didn’t I tell you to stay quiet?”

  She nodded, repentant. A tear danced at the corner of her eye. Jack grabbed her by the hair and jerked her forward until her mouth hovered above his length.

  “Show me how badly you want my forgiveness. Give me that mouth. Let’s see how fast you can make me come.”

  Lilly exhaled in relief. Keeping her eyes on his, she kissed the tip of his cock before licking over it, and then lapped greedily down the shaft. Jack’s head fell back with her first slick pass because goddamn, it was so fucking good. He glanced down a second later, compelled to watch as she licked her way up. She dipped her tongue into the slit before taking him in again, her eyes on his as she sucked all the way down.

  “Yes…fuck.”

  A hint of a smile appeared on her lips, but vanished quickly as she continued to work him. Determined, Lilly hollowed her cheeks, teasing rhythmically at the crown before plunging back to the base again.

  “That’s it,” he choked out as she repeated the move. “Just like that.”

  He was telling Lilly what he wanted, but even with her hands bound and her voice silenced, she was the one driving him out of his mind. Her mouth was so hot and sweet that he could barely bark out orders over his own labored breaths. Jack shuddered when he nudged the back of her throat. It felt so good, and it had been too long, and he wasn’t going to last.

  Feeling his orgasm crest, Jack buried both hands in Lilly’s hair, keeping her in place and forcing her into a faster rhythm she willingly accepted. He fucked her mouth, taking what he wanted and giving himself over to the rush of sensation and power. He cursed loudly as he came, fisting her hair and spilling down her throat.

  Jack dropped his head back, his grip on her hair loosening. When he reopened his eyes, it was to the hazy vision of Lilly sitting back on her heels, her cheeks rosy. There was a lazy grin on her swollen, used lips. The satisfaction she exuded at having given Jack his orgasm was almost as palpabl
e as his own.

  “I think you’ve earned my forgiveness,” he said, tracing grateful fingertips along her mouth. “Now, my little girl deserves her reward.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “What’s the verdict?”

  Cassie crossed her arms, impatient for Gabe’s answer as he dumped his coat over the wall of Lilly’s cubicle. They’d been anticipating his return from the Holbrook pretrial conference all afternoon.

  “Bench trial. Third Thursday in May.”

  “Shit.” Cassie slumped down over the partition. “Who’s the judge?”

  “McAllister.”

  “Crap.”

  “A very accurate legal response.”

  “I call shotgun on not telling Forrester.”

  Gabe glared at her. “I don’t want to tell him, either.”

  “Don’t want to tell me what?”

  They turned to see their boss sauntering toward them, holding a newspaper. Lilly grimaced. They needed to get better at seeing him coming. Or start working on applications to practice law in Guam.

  “The Giordanos didn’t take the settlement,” Gabe said. “We’re going to trial.”

  “Of course we are.” Forrester held his copy of The Boston Globe out to them, his face turned up in disgust. “They said as much to the press yesterday.”

  Cassie took the paper and started reading. Lilly stood to peek over her shoulder, and Gabe craned his head, hovering next to them. It was an article about the Giordanos, a human interest piece their PR department had obviously paid for, saying Simon had betrayed them, that he was painting himself as David and them as Goliath when they were simply trying to help people.

  “This is bullshit,” Gabe seethed.

  Forrester’s expression didn’t change. “The Giordanos won’t be accepting any settlement offers. They don’t want money.”

  “No,” Cassie said. “They want Simon’s head on a plate.”

  “Precisely. To them, it’s a matter of reputation. As it also is to us.”

  A muscle in Gabe’s jaw twitched. “We’re not going to lose.”