“No.” She shook her head, absolutely refusing to march naked through his mansion as punishment. Or allow the even worse things he could make her do in the dim privacy of this room.
He moved so fast she didn’t see him move until his hands were on her arms. She fought him, accidentally ramming her solar plexus on his forearm. Mia struggled to breathe as her diaphragm seized, stealing her ability to draw in air. Panic filled her as he lifted her easily, and all she could do was clutch the hand around her throat and try to pry it away.
Shane slammed her against the only table in the small room, and it wobbled with the impact. The collision jarred something, making her drag in a deep breath again, but her head was still fuzzy. She was too busy trying to restore a normal breathing pattern to fight him when he stripped off her clothes.
Mia shivered as cool air caressed her naked body. She could breathe again, but her stomach hurt where she had collided with his arm in her struggle to escape. She wanted to scream insults at him, but held her tongue when she saw the jagged glass in his hand.
“You think this is about power?” Shane flipped the shard in his hand as he brought it close to her face. “Control?” He pressed the sharp edge against the corner of her eye. “Submission?” The glass trailed down her cheek without puncturing her skin.
Mia held still, paralyzed with fear.
The glass raked her lips, producing enough pain to make her wince, but not cause bleeding. She gritted her teeth to restrain the impulse to ask him to stop. Tonight, she wouldn’t beg him for anything. Instead, she would just endure.
“I don’t see it that way.” The glass caressed her chin and down her neck, hesitating at her carotid artery.
Mia held her breath as he pressed lightly against the vulnerable spot, unable to hold in a small hiss when he pushed even more, though the glass didn’t slice her skin.
“If you want to consider this a power game, Mia, then I think you need to reevaluate your perception.” Shane moved the glass away from her pulse point and down her chest.
Mia clenched her hands into fists when he circled the jagged piece around one of her nipples. With wide eyes, she watched his head descend to cover the nipple he had just teased with the glass. She moaned when he sucked lightly before pulling back. With one last flick of his tongue across the very tip of her bud, he stood up enough to meet her gaze. She couldn’t look away from him as he brought the glass back into play.
The sharpness penetrated her nipple, making her yelp with surprise and a bit of pain. She tried to squirm away, but he anchored her in place with a large hand on her stomach.
“You’re bleeding.” He wiped away the small spot of blood with the hand holding the glass and held up his thumb to show her. “Your movement caused that. You cut yourself while trying to escape.”
“You’re holding the glass,” she rasped.
His smile was a dark expression that flashed across his face, suggesting more malice than amusement. “I am.”
With an almost teasing motion, he trailed the glass to her other nipple, repeating the ritual of bending to suck her nipple before applying the glass again. This time, she didn’t move at all, and he pulled the shard down her stomach a second later.
Mia clenched her muscles as the broken piece moved over her abdomen. She wanted to shake her head, to refuse the knowledge of his intent, but couldn’t make herself move.
The glass grazed her puffed labia, and she bit her lip when a jolt shot through her. She couldn’t identify it as solely pleasure or pain. Rather, it was some twisted version of both, along with a healthy dose of fear.
“I hold the glass.” He parted her lips with one hand, spreading her with two of his fingers. “I control where it goes and what I do with it, but your movements are what makes it cut.”
She took a shallow breath as he pressed the glass against her clitoris. It almost hurt, but not quite. A gasp left her a second later when he started stroking her swollen nub with a large finger. The glass didn’t move from where he held it pressed against her sensitive flesh. If she moved at all, it would cut her.
Her folds grew slick with moisture as he touched her. Mia bit her tongue until she tasted blood to keep from moving her hips. If she moved the wrong way, the glass would penetrate her. The safest course was to stay still and let Shane do what he wanted to her body.
She got the lesson. It was all too clear.
“So wet. So responsive.” He circled her clit before pressing on the bundle of nerves. “I know what you need, Mia, and I’ll give it to you. All you have to do is stop making the wrong moves.”
She was moaning and clutching the worn table to keep still under his passionate onslaught. “Please,” she whispered, forgetting her vow not to ask or beg him for anything.
“Please, what?” He stroked her again, paying special attention to the underside of her clit that was so sensitive. “Please stop, or please make you come?”
Mia’s spine stiffened as warmth radiated from her stomach downward. An orgasm was coming, and she could do nothing to stave it off or encourage it without moving. Moving would mean voluntarily hurting herself either to avoid the pleasure or receive it that much faster. “You’re such a bastard.”
He laughed, but his fingers remained steady as he coaxed her to climax. The shard never moved as he pulled her over the edge.
Mia gasped, and her muscles trembled involuntarily as she came with a gush of moisture on his hand. The glass didn’t waver from her hypersensitive flesh, and it increased the intensity of her orgasm. It wasn’t the slight sting, or even the promise of pain if she moved. Rather, it was knowing Shane maintained total control, and if she let him guide her, she wouldn’t get hurt.
That was completely rational in the heat of the moment, but she hated herself for the thought as her mind sharpened following the blissful release. She glared up at him. “Are you done?”
He smiled. “We aren’t even close to done, honey, but I’m finished with this lesson.” With a careless flick of his wrist, he dropped the glass shard on the floor and lifted her by the waist. “Now, we’ll go up to your room and fuck.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to.”
One of his fingers slid inside her hot folds with no resistance. “You keep telling yourself that, Mia. Meanwhile, your pussy is soaked from a quick finger-fuck.” His eyes gleamed with speculation. “Maybe it had more to do with the threat of hurting though?” Lifting a shoulder, he said, “If you want pain, I’ll give it to you, though it isn’t my preference.”
He set her on her feet and handed her the clothes he’d stripped from her before. “I’d much rather treasure you than hurt you, but I’ll do what you make me do.” Shane watched her dress, reaching out to stop her from putting on the panties and bra. “You won’t need those.” He tucked them into his own pocket.
“You’re the typical abuser, always blaming your victim instead of taking responsibility for your own actions.” She winced as the seam of her jeans pressed against her vagina, still swollen and sensitive from her recent orgasm. The irony of that wasn’t lost on her. “I’d be more inclined to accept that my responses dictate your actions if I were here with you by choice.”
“You might be my victim, but you hold the power.” He clutched her throat to pull her nearer. There was restrained violence in the motion, but his mouth was a startlingly gentle contrast when he kissed her. She couldn’t hold out against his tenderness and found herself returning the soft kiss before trying to deepen it.
A dart of pain hit her scalp when he tugged her ponytail to pull her away. “Think long and hard about what you’re doing, Mia. Keep fighting me and nurture the animal within, or give in to this connection between us, and I’ll give you more pleasure than you ever imagined was possible.”
“There is no connection,” she whispered, even as she remembered the first time she had served him. He had been at the restaurant with a stunning blonde, and she had grown clumsy under his green eyes. Mia had found it difficult to s
peak and mixed up their order. That had surprised Mr. Lovelle, because she had never done that, even as a newbie waitress.
After that night, Mia had forced herself to forget the instant when their gazes locked. She had recognized the unbridled lust in his expression, but hadn’t wanted to acknowledge she’d felt the same damn thing. Whenever he came into the restaurant after that, she tried to trade tables, and on the occasions she had to serve him, she had made herself ignore any kind of reaction to him.
Not wanting intimacy with any man, she’d convinced herself she didn’t feel a spark of attraction, and she’d forgotten about that first night—until now, staring into those same eyes, seeing that same expression of naked need and obsessive desire. Wondering if he saw the same thing in her gaze?
Stunned by her realization, Mia followed him from the cellar, shifting unconsciously as the seam of her jeans rubbed her in an irritatingly stimulating fashion. By the time they were at her room, her body was ready for more, even as her mind fought the idea. She couldn’t let him control her, and she couldn’t let her own desires allow her to surrender to the man who had kidnapped her and taken her so roughly that first night. All the orgasms in the world couldn’t make up for that.
She watched through the veil of her eyelashes as he stripped off his clothes and indicated she should do the same with a wave of his hand. With deliberate intent, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him motionlessly.
He sighed with irritation as he stalked toward her. “Fuck, Mia, I’m starting to think you get off on resisting me.”
She whirled backward, not necessarily to evade him, but to escape his words. Much as she wanted to deny it, there was a ring of truth to his observation. Did she actually enjoy fighting him? Was there pleasure in resisting him before submitting? Not eager to examine her response to those questions, Mia forced her attention back to the moment.
She thrashed and hit out at him as he removed the clothes, tossing them aside with little regard where they landed. His focus was clearly on subduing her. Mia struck his nose, making him grunt with pain, before he spun her in his arms, holding her back pressed against his front.
They were both breathing hard by the time he had her restrained. Mia stood still, muscles quivering with exhaustion, as Shane held her tightly. She could barely breathe, but wasn’t sure if it was from the punishing way he grasped her, the exertions of resisting him, or the tension of being so close to him and at his mercy.
She shivered with delight and dread as he loosened one arm to cup her chin, turning her face back to meet his. Mia didn’t fight the kiss. Her lips molded to his, and he kissed her deeply. Vague awareness told her she was turning in his arms, but she couldn’t think straight as she snuggled against his chest, arms still pinned at her sides as his embrace encompassed her again.
When the kiss changed from soft to hard, she pressed closer, her tongue tangling with his as she fought for the upper hand. A jolt of pleasure shot through her when she bit him hard enough to make him grunt. He retaliated by grabbing her ponytail and yanking her head back. His teeth raked down her neck before he sucked forcefully at the bend of her shoulder.
Mia clawed his back as he pushed her forward, toward her bed. She wanted to hurt him and take him inside her at the same time. As much as he disgusted her, he also enthralled her. They were still struggling as he pushed her onto the bed, coming down atop her.
She cried out when he sank his cock inside her with one quick thrust. Her body easily adjusted to the intrusion, prepared for it by all the slickness she had generated. They didn’t exchange words as he pushed into her as hard as he could, pressing her body into the mattress. Mia pushed back, not entirely sure if she was trying to throw him off or get off faster.
Shane held her hands in his, pressed to either side of her head, while his lower body pounded into hers. He bent his head to kiss her, and she met him eagerly, hating herself for the weakness even as she gave in.
He moved his lips gently against hers, a sharp contrast to the fierce way their pelvises clashed, and Mia trembled. Tenderness could get past her defenses before she had a chance to reinforce them. Their mouths moved languorously against each other, tongues stroking sweetly, as they strained toward release.
He tightened his hold on her hands almost to the point of pain. Mia squeezed her thighs around him as he swelled inside her right before his erection spasmed. The sensation of him coming sent her rushing headlong into an orgasm, and she arched against him as he surged inside her as far as he could.
She turned her head into his neck, breathing harshly. Hating and enjoying the tender motion, Mia closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead before withdrawing from her. As he stood up, she curled onto her side and fumbled for a blanket to cover her nudity. In the aftermath, recriminations set in again, and she was sickened by her actions.
“Don’t stay up all night hating yourself.” He gave her a cocky grin as he slipped on his clothes. “I know you’ll have to do your tortured victim routine in your head before sleeping, but you should give it a rest.” Coming over to her, he sat down on the bed and took her hand, holding firmly when she tried to pull away. “If it makes you feel better, you can tell yourself you have no choice.”
“I don’t.” She glared at him.
Shane winked at her. “Nope. You’re my prisoner, and I’ll do every kinky damned thing I want to you.” Bending down, he grazed his mouth across her jaw line before he sat up again. “That’s not the worst of it though.”
Mia tugged her hand free as he stood up, refusing to respond.
“We both know the worst part for you is that you enjoy what I’m doing to you, even though you hate feeling pleasure in my touch.” All teasing had fled his expression and tone. “You want me as much as I want you, and you’re going to have to admit that to yourself soon.”
She tossed her pillow at him, annoyed when he deflected it easily. “I’m not the one with the self-professed obsession, O’Mara.”
He shrugged. “Not yet, not that you’ll admit, but I’ll bet I rarely leave your thoughts for more than a few minutes.”
She barely resisted the urge to snarl like an animal. “It’s normal to be preoccupied with the criminal who kidnapped you.”
His rich laugh filled the room. “Okay, Mia. Enjoy your time in denial.” Without another word, he left the suite.
She sat up long enough to shoot a rude gesture toward the closed door. With determination to spite Shane—and because she was absolutely exhausted from the previous nights’ lack of sleep and physical exertion—she flicked off the lamp and put her head on the pillow. Mia refused to think about anything and drifted off to a deep, dreamless sleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.
Chapter Six
Shane paused in the middle of shuffling papers when an edge caught a cut on his finger. He looked down at his hand, tracing his thumb over the two long gashes across his index finger before touching the shorter one on his middle finger. The glass had cut him last night more than once, but he had persisted with the lesson. He had willingly endured the pain in order to get through to her.
Did she finally understand? He questioned the wisdom of betraying his own vulnerability to her, but she couldn’t persist with fighting him. Having longed for her for so long, having stooped to scheming and machinations, followed by kidnapping when she had failed to show up at her father’s house as Vadim had promised she would, he wanted something deeper than an adversarial relationship.
Not that he minded some of her resistance. Shane chuckled as he remembered the way her eyes burned with internal fire, and the stubborn tilt of her chin when she decided to fight him. It also made her a wildcat in bed.
He couldn’t deny part of him enjoyed taming her too, and Shane suspected a part of her thrived on being subdued. It wasn’t a classical domination/submission relationship, but they were definitely engaged in a power struggle.
His groin tightened when he remembered the way she had lain absolutely still under his
hand last night, fearing the glass enough to stop resisting. That was what he really wanted. Mia had him tied in knots, and he wanted her to be a willing bedmate, to explore each other with abandon, rather than her invariable resistance. He didn’t want her cowed with fear either.
He’d take her however he could get her though. He was pragmatic enough to admit that to himself, and that self-honesty had allowed him to put in motion the steps needed to make her his, whether she wanted to be or not.
Now he had her, and he still wasn’t satisfied. Shane wanted to see her submit to him willingly. Not in a bound-and-chained sort of way, but to have her smile with welcome, to open her arms to him and mold her soft body to his. He’d had her body, and he still wanted it desperately, but even more than that, he wanted Mia herself. Whatever made her tick, he wanted to know. He wanted to be inside her body and her mind. His obsession hadn’t eased. It had only grown stronger.
“Fuck.” He bent his head forward, propping it on his hands so he could rub his eyes with his thumbs. A headache was building, and he could find no relief. Instantly, an image of Mia spread underneath him, his fingers dipping into her heat to prepare her for his cock, flashed through his mind.
Deciding that was better than two ibuprofen tablets, he pushed away from his desk before pausing. So far, he had managed to resist the compulsion to go to her during the day, other than for meals or brief interactions. He knew the key to managing his addiction was to ration his time with her, so he had vowed to keep her compartmentalized. She would be in her own room, and he would only visit her at night.
His resolve was already crumbling. Fucking pathetic.
With a sigh, he got to his feet, deciding he didn’t give a damn about the boundaries he had previously set for himself. It didn’t matter how much time he spent with her. A feeling of dread crept through him as he contemplated the notion that he could never get enough of her.
With a half-shrug, he walked toward the door of his study, deciding not to fear that possibility. She was his for as long as he wanted to keep her, and if that was forever, that was acceptable. Eventually, she would have to yield and admit to their mutual attraction.
MAFIA: Dark Romance Collection Page 7