by Reece Butler
Nikki winced. She placed her hand on Lila’s. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I hoped you might have found someone worthy of you.”
“It’s just as well, since I don’t want a husband.”
“What about Jet?”
She couldn’t tell her mother about Jet’s demands. “I don’t want to talk about it. Tell me what happened after we left the party. Did you have fun?”
Her mother frowned, but let herself be persuaded to change the subject.
“Oh, Lord, Eric had me swing dancing with my feet up in the air. Not as high as Lance had Marci, but it proved my man can still haul me over his shoulder if he wants to.”
It had been far too long since she’d seen her mother with a smile that broad. That didn’t mean her mom wasn’t happy, just that Lila hadn’t seen the evidence.
“That’s nice, Mom. I hope this trip is everything you want it to be.”
“Thanks, sweetie. That means a lot to me.” Nikki exhaled and, as if flicking a switch, went from starry-eyed wife to professional medical practitioner. “By the time we come back you’ll know if there’s anything to be concerned about. If you’re like Marci and I, you’ll know in a few weeks.”
“Yeah, I might be puking my guts out every morning.” Her hand went to her lower belly. She couldn’t have a child now. From now on she’d have to be very, very careful when she had fun.
“Not every woman has morning sickness.”
“No, some have it all day,” replied Lila, “like Amy Elliott did with both James and Emily.”
“From a medical perspective, morning sickness means the hormone levels are healthy. It’s a good sign. Amy had a rough pregnancy, but her labor and delivery were a breeze. All she wanted was a healthy child.” Nikki smiled. “I’d love you to have children. But only if you want them, with a man or two you want in your life. You and Houston forgot to use a condom. Don’t dwell on it. Move forward, confident you’ll be able to handle whatever happens, baby or not.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I’m going to pack. Since you’ve got help, we’re going to Missoula today so we can relax before flying out Monday.”
The bottom dropped out of her stomach. “You’re leaving now?”
“Do you want your fathers glowering at Jet and Houston all weekend?”
Lila squirmed, then caved in. “It will be weird without you here.”
“You’ll have a couple of hot men to keep you and Rascal company, and more than enough work. You won’t have time to miss us.”
Suddenly the desperate need to be alone and prove herself wasn’t so desperate. This time she was the one to pull her mom into a hug.
“Thanks, Mom. For everything.”
“Aw, sweetie, you’re welcome. I’d better go pack before I start blubbering and refuse to leave.” Nikki stepped back. “Ring the bell when breakfast is ready. Matt’s helping Jet in the barn, and Eric should be back from town soon.”
“I’m going to miss you.”
Nikki laughed as she walked up the stairs. “If you aren’t locked in a kiss with at least one man fifteen minutes after you see our tail lights, you’re not my daughter!”
Chapter 19
“Good-bye! Have fun!”
Jet stood near Lila as she waved at her parents until the truck was out of sight. She bit her lip, looking so much like a child who’d been abandoned that he couldn’t stand it. He pulled her around and held her, face pressed to his chest.
“They’ll be back. They love you far too much to stay away,” he murmured. “And since you’re going to do such a good job, they’ll rent one of those RVs and go touring for the rest of the summer.”
She sniffed. He looked down. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks. The chores were done and supper waited in the fridge. He swooped Lila into his arms and carried her inside. Houston was halfway through the tractor repair and wouldn’t be coming in until he was done. He had Lila all to himself.
“What?” She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands like a child. “What are you doing?”
“You need a cuddle, little one. Someone strong to hold you and tell you it will be all right, and mean it.”
She held on while he opened the door and went through. He leaned against the wall as he toed off his boots, then carried her up the stairs to her room. She was silent, which showed him how upset she really was. He’d met her less than two days ago, yet he knew her better than any female. He walked toward the bed, planning to lay her down.
“I’m too dirty to lie on the bed,” she croaked. “I’ve been working…”
He stopped. She worried at her bottom lip with those big, white teeth. He wanted to be the one nibbling. He changed direction, toward the en suite bath.
“You’re right,” he said. “You need a good soak and a massage to work out those worry cramps.” He set her feet down on the tile and pushed her fanny on the toilet seat. She sat, quiet for once, as he got the tub filling. “Where do you keep your bubble bath?” She didn’t answer, so he turned. Her face was pink, and it wasn’t from heat. “Lila, I’m the man you took to your bed last night. And then we had rough sex in your shower before Houston finished you off. I think you can trust me with the secret of where you stash your girlie things.”
She pointed to the cupboard. He found a treasure trove of magazines, perfume, and a bunch of things with a cartoon cat on them. Lila was into Hello Kitty? He coughed to cover a snicker. She was a girly girl inside, no matter what she tried to pretend. At the back was a red bottle of bubble bath. He opened it and sniffed. Candy cane? It was better than stinking like a flower.
He poured a couple of glugs under the water streaming out of the tap. White bubbles erupted. He read the label. Maximum of one capful. He shrugged. They’d have lots to play with.
“I guess it just hit that your parents are gone,” he said, looking over his shoulder. Her chin wobbled. Big emerald eyes glistened. She nodded.
“I’m fine. Just a short bit of tears. All gone now.”
She abruptly stood. He did the same, placing both hands on her shoulders to let her feel the weight of his arms. It was also the weight of his authority.
“Let it go,” he said quietly. “I’ve got you, Lila. Let go of your fears and your worries. Let me take them all away. You don’t need them anymore. I’m here now. Let them go.”
“But—”
“I’m here for you. Nothing else matters but my voice. You don’t need to worry. Trust me in this.”
“I’ve never—”
“There’s lots of things you’ve never done,” he said quietly. “Letting someone else take care of you is one of them.”
“I know what you’re trying to do.” She said it as an accusation.
“And that is?”
“To make me lean on you.”
“You’re wrong there.”
“Then what?” she demanded.
He rubbed the frown line between her brows. Would she accept him? It didn’t matter, as he would move forward anyway.
“I want you to stand tall and strong as you submit to me. But not yet.”
Her shoulders hunched up again. “I’m not bowing down—”
“I said to let me take care of you. That’s all, tonight.”
She pushed out her lips, looking up at him past her eyebrows. “But you want me to call you Sir and follow your orders, don’t you?”
“Eventually, if it’s what you want, yes. Know that I do it to help you. That’s for the future. Tonight is for you to relax. That’s all I ask.” He pressed his nose close to hers so he could look directly in her eyes. “Note that word. Ask. Do you think you can relax with my help?”
She mumbled something, twitching her shoulders.
“Let’s start with this, then. Do you trust that I’ll take care of you, that I’ll give you what you need? And do you want me to do that for you tonight?”
He held himself still, hiding his concern that she might say no. She needed to believe in him, believe he was in control of hi
mself and their surroundings, and could therefore take care of her.
She sighed, her shoulders drooping. “Yes, I trust you, and want you to help me.”
He hid his elation. She would challenge him every step of the way, which would make her final acceptance all the sweeter.
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath. When you exhale, push out everything you don’t need any more. Dump all that worry about what people think. You, Lila Frost, matter. That’s the only thing you need to think on.”
He made her repeat the deep breaths three times before he judged her body was relaxed enough. His job was to care for her, to give her what she needed, no matter what she thought she wanted. Lila had been hiding her true self, refusing to admit she needed to be treated as an attractive, feminine woman. A woman who was strong enough to survive, and also strong enough to submit. Choosing to submit was far more difficult than surviving. It required her to admit she needed someone to guide, care for, and protect her.
Lila wasn’t aware of it, but she had already submitted to him. She’d done it when she allowed them to spank her in the truck. They would have stopped if she’d used any of the common safewords. She’d admitted knowing the stoplight words from the novels she’d read. She’d also submitted a few minutes ago, when she’d sagged against him as he carried her in.
So far, it was unconscious. That would change with time. They would build on experience, small steps as she began to trust him. It was one thing to trust a near stranger with your body, sharing sex. Trusting someone with your fantasies, your hopes and dreams, was far more difficult, and dangerous.
Now that Lila had relaxed, it was time for her reward.
“Sit,” he said.
“But I’m—”
“Lila.”
He gave her the look he’d used hundreds of times while working as a Top. A woman well experienced in the lifestyle once told him “that look” was a mixture of desire, dominance, and total belief she would do as ordered. Sometimes, as now, it was also a reprimand.
Lila succumbed. She shut her mouth, dropped her eyes, and sat. She did not slump, limbs sprawling, as she often did. She sat demurely, knees together and hands clasped in her lap, head bowed. Her respiration and heartbeat increased. A fresh blush rose from her belly, even darker than the last.
Was this calm woman the real Lila? She might demand to be treated as one of the boys, and she could work beside them for hours, yet she was definitely female, and a natural sub. Had all the luck he’d missed during his life finally come together in one place?
How he treated her at this stage was extremely important. She needed to learn the strong yet comforting feel of his touch. She needed to know she could trust him. But right now, she needed to be treated like a child wanting comfort. Though sex was at the top of his to-do list, he couldn’t let her know. Not until she was ready for it as well.
She had everything he wanted. A loving home, and a large family who protected and laughed with each other. A family business to pass on to future generations. A reason to get out of bed in the morning with a smile, and to return to that bed late at night with a bigger one.
For countless years of long nights he’d lain awake praying for a family to take him in. He wasn’t particular. He’d share a room with messy brothers, never have a pet, do hard chores, follow all sorts of rules, and even go to church. Anything to belong.
He’d stopped believing in prayer before he was ten. He hadn’t been badly abused. Some places were very nice. They were the worst, as they made him want more. At most places he was insulted or ignored, often used as a free servant, and punished. He could have put up with all of that if they’d wanted him to stay. None had.
Lila wanted him, but only for a time. He could accept that. He’d enjoy her, the ranch, and her family, as best he could.
Though it near killed him, Jet undressed Lila as if she was one of the boys he was responsible for back in his teens. Off with her boots, her long-sleeved shirt, jeans, T-shirt, socks…He gulped. She wore a pale pink bra and panties today. So pale he could almost see through them.
He turned away, gritting his teeth in need and pain, expecting her to remove the rest. Instead, she waited like a child as he stripped down. No, not like a child. Her eyes were all over him. When he dropped his jeans and eased his cock out, she made a kittenish sound. He looked up. Hard nipples pressed against her thin bra.
Since she hadn’t got herself naked, he’d have to do it.
He turned off the tub and went for her bra. He leaned her forward and moved her braid out of the way. The tight hooks at her back were a nuisance to get undone. He managed, and slowly pulled her straps down her arms. The bra clung, stuck under her breasts. She inhaled, arching her back, and the bra fell to her lap.
God, her breasts were magnificent.
He hadn’t taken the time to appreciate them before. They were full and pink, with large nipples. He set her bra on the back of the toilet and put his hands on her waist to encourage her to stand. Her breasts brushed against his belly and cock. He hissed, each nipple leaving a line of fire.
He hooked his thumbs in the hips of her lace and satin panties and slid them down. The middle part stuck between her thighs. She didn’t help to get it loose. Her eyes were still bright, but it wasn’t sad tears that made them glisten. The woman was turned on and enjoying every second of his attention. When she looked at his erect cock she unconsciously licked her lips. He held back a groan, imagining those thick pink lips sucking on him.
She was behaving like a sub being comforted by her Dom. If that’s the way she wanted to play things, to have him bathe and seduce her, it was fine with him. It was up to him to guide her, to help her learn his ways. One of them was that, no matter what the task, even if others considered it demeaning, he remained in charge.
He went to one knee in front of her. This close, her scent was not overpowered by that of the bubble bath. He leaned forward, inhaling. Perfect.
He left her panties halfway down her hips. Another time he would pull them to her knees to hobble her. He eased his fingers, palm up, between her glistening thighs. The pads of his fingertips grazed her silky surface. She inhaled a hiss and grabbed for his head to stay upright.
He caught the soaking wet center of her panties with a finger and tugged. They came loose, releasing more of her essence. When he helped her step out of them he placed her feet shoulder width apart. This time, when he leaned close, her scent enveloped him. He pressed his tongue where he figured her clit was, hidden by its curtain of curls. She gasped and tilted her hips up.
His fingers slipped between her inner folds. She moaned, gripping his hair. He allowed it, enjoying the slight touch of pain. He lifted her by the waist and set her bottom on the counter, the mirror to her left. He placed a fingertip between her breasts and pushed. She lay down, wincing when her back touched the cold surface.
He lifted her knees over his shoulders and got to work. He wanted to fill her with his cock, but she needed this first. His tongue flicked between her labia, tasting. He chased her clit with the tip of his finger, around but never quite touching. She squirmed, gasping. He brought her to the edge of orgasm, then backed away.
“Noooo,” she moaned.
He stood up, proudly erect. Her eyes found his cock. She licked her lips, then looked at him, eyes begging.
“Please,” she whispered. “Take me. Hard.”
Every cell in his body froze. He had planned to be gentle with her instead of doing what he wanted. The Dom in him wanted her to fight so he could subdue her. To run so that he could claim her. Last night he’d taken her hard in the shower, but this would be something else.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice almost breaking. “Because I want to throw you to your knees, grab that hair of yours, and pull. I want to force your legs apart and ram my cock deep into your pussy.” He leaned closer, his face inches from hers. “I want to fill you, Lila. Hard and fast. Is that what you want?”
She shuddered. “O
h, God, yes!”
She stared at him, breasts heaving. How far was she into this scene? Would she run if he gave her space, hoping he’d catch her?
He turned toward the tub, as if to check the temperature. She rolled off the counter and dashed toward the bedroom. He roared and followed. He’d left the door to the hall open in case Houston finished the tractor and wanted to join them, so she got farther than he’d expected. He caught her at the top of the stairs, by her thick braid. She struggled as he reeled her in. He wrapped the blonde band around his hand, put his arm around her neck and pulled her back tight against his chest. She grabbed his arm with both of hers, trying to pull it loose. She was strong, but nowhere near enough.
“Did I give you permission to move?”
A good Dom had no need to raise his voice. He spoke quietly, in total control of himself and the situation.
Instead of answering she fought back, hard. She kicked out, hitting his shin with her heel.
“You will pay for that with your ass.”
She made animal sounds as she struggled to escape. Jet let her fight, knowing she needed the release that would come after her adrenaline rush. The higher the tension, the more massive the eventual orgasm. He hauled her, still struggling, in front of him down the wide hallway and through her bedroom doorway. He kept himself dispassionate, as when he worked as a Top. Back then it was easy, as he need only concern himself with a sub or bottom during the scene.
It was different now. Lila was his for at least a month. She was also big, strong, and powerful in her personality and sense of self. Her eyes flashed with temper, not fear. She did not scream her safeword to get him to stop. He’d seen enough of her family to know she was used to total power exchange dynamics. Having Lila choose to submit to him, even for the short time he was here, would be an honor.
Entering her bedroom set off a new bout of energy. She screamed as she fought his grip, kicking and trying to bite. For both their sakes, she needed to be restrained. She’d left her silky robe lying across the foot of the bed. A condom packet waited on the robe. The belt had fallen out of its loops and been dumped on top. Just beyond her robe was the thick wood footboard with round bars spaced fist-width apart. Two sturdy posts connected it to the ceiling, another two did the same with the matching headboard.