Willing Redemption (Willing Surrender Book 3)

by Carrie Hogle

  “What happened here,” Amy asked.

  “Dragon,” Reina joked.

  “How is James?”

  “Stubborn…”

  “Two of a kind, as usual.”

  “Funny,” Reina replied sarcastically.

  “And...are you...seeing each other?”

  “Well...obviously I’ve seen him.”

  Amy glared at her, “Who’s being funny now…”

  “That’s the best answer I have...can we talk about something else?”

  “Has Paul brought any good coffee lately?”

  Reina laughed at the irony, rubbing her hands over her face and pointed toward the counter.

  “Maple Bacon…”

  “Oooh, I’m taking some with me!”

  “You’re not staying?”

  “No...I have a few errands to run and a lunch date with Seth.”

  “Thanks for the goodies,” Reina smiled.

  “Keep me posted on your dragon problem,” Amy teased on her way out the door.

  Feeling more focused than she had in weeks Reina worked all day, finished one of her projects, and made progress on a second. Getting some sleep seemed to help her get back into a routine and feel grounded again. It wasn’t until after she’d showered and lay in bed that the ache began, the longing for what was missing. Sleep had been paramount but it was James that had brought her the peace of mind and quietude. She tossed and turned until there was a knock at the door. She hurried to answer it and felt a sense of ease, happy that it was James.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” he said huskily.

  Reina looked down biting her lip before she glanced back up at him.

  “Me either,” she admitted quietly.

  He stepped close to her and for a moment all she could think about was how good he smelled.

  “Can I stay?”

  She wanted to articulate a response but her brain seemed to completely stop functioning.

  He watched her knowingly and waited patiently.

  “Yes,” she was finally able to respond breathlessly.

  He stood there for endless seconds, as if he might kiss her. Instead he closed the door and stood with his hands in his pockets until she led the way to the bedroom.

  Over the next couple of weeks it became their new normal, James edging his way back into her space a step at a time. He’d leave a little later, wake up before her and make coffee, and come by early with dinner. He only gave her the lightest of touches. A caress down her arm, a whisper over her neck, his thumb grazed across her lips until she found herself pressing closer for more. She’d randomly rub her hands down his back, brush her hand against his, and step into his brace. Before she’d even realized it had happened she was brushing her lips across his, placing her hands on his neck, coaxing him onto the bed, and pulling off his shirt. He held her tightly, a hand on her neck, the other around her back, as she looked into his eyes and brought them back together.

  Chapter 17

  James and Reina were coming to a turning point. On the surface they were happy and content. James had been patient and giving, but the inevitable storm was brewing. The tension between them was becoming tangible, the ever present desire for more. That morning she’d felt the difference in him, could sense the beast pacing its cage as he’d looked at her. Her own inner beast had purred in response and she knew they were nearing the end of their impasse. She was going to have to decide where they stood. Either she needed to commit or release them from their holding pattern.

  Reina spent the day alternating between working and staring out the window, a continuous tide of images and emotions flowing like water. No matter how many bad things they’d been through, her mind kept bringing her back to the ways he looked at her and his whispers against her neck. She thought of his hands on her skin, how he calmed her tumultuous thoughts, and touched her heart. Most importantly, she thought of the way he made her soul feel alive like nothing else ever had.

  Around 10pm she gave up work, sat on the couch, sipped coffee, and kept her eye on the door. When she hadn’t heard from him by 10:30 she started to worry. He was obviously an adult but because of everything they’d been through, her thoughts automatically drifted to the accident. Those memories filled her heart with anxiety. She knew it was probably irrational but once the idea took hold she couldn’t calm herself. When the clock ticked past 11pm she found herself calling him, without actually making the decision to do so.

  “Hello Reina,” he answered seductively.

  Reina paused. His voice not only filled her with instant relief but his tone caused her pulse to beat an entirely different rhythm.

  “I started to worry,” she replied sheepishly.

  “I was waiting.”

  That was not something she’d expected him to say.

  “What were you waiting for?”

  “You. I’m waiting for you Reina.”

  His answer made her heart pound. She didn’t know what he would say next but she knew where this conversation was headed.

  “Why…?”

  “Reina, come stay with me.”

  It should have been a question but it sounded like a demand.

  She hesitated, “What exactly are you asking me?”

  “I want you to come to me...now...willingly.”

  There was no question about it. No matter how he worded it, he was making a demand.

  “James…”

  “Reina...I need you to say yes. I need you to come to me.”

  Somehow his tone completely bypassed her brain and went straight to the core of her being, speaking to the secret darkness that was his alone. Pulling her...Calling to her...Vibrating like a tuning fork.

  “Yes…” she heard herself saying.

  “Let yourself in. I’ll be waiting upstairs.”

  He hung up and she was left staring at her phone and wondering how he slipped past her thought processes every single time. If he could bypass her brain then so could she. Already in her pjs she didn’t bother to put on a bra. She pulled on shoes, grabbed her keys, and drove herself up the mountain before she could overthink it.

  As she walked through the front door she stopped for a moment, afraid of the overwhelming feeling of coming home. She loved her apartment but this house held all the memories of the life she’d wanted. The life she’d almost had. “Plastic Stress” by Terranova played softly through the speakers, giving a good idea of what was waiting for her. She tried to remember how to breathe as she ascended the steps, her heart thundering with each step. Although the steps led upwards, she felt she was descending into a type of passionate madness.

  When she entered the room James was sitting at the end of the bed. As he raised his predatory eyes to hers she knew he was asking for a lot more than one night. His gaze was clearly demanding that she give everything. On the bed beside him was a pile of leather, fur, and dainty chains that made her pulse beat in her throat. Her time was up. If she crossed the room she was making the choice to surrender. No going back. Looking at him she knew it didn’t matter because no matter how hard she fought it he’d become her only option. Her heart and soul were tethered to him, an unbreakable bond that would never let either of them go. They were bound by the sweetest torment of passion, love, and need. Drawn into his gravity; she crossed the room to him. He was her sun and she desired nothing more than to be consumed by his fire. When she stopped in front of him his gaze burned right through.

  “What are you asking me for James?”

  He clenched his jaw, “I’m not asking Reina. I plan to take every bit of what’s mine.”

  If she didn’t know him better his answer would have pissed her off, but instead her inner devil was urging her towards the next wicked game. She didn’t say anything but unconsciously bit and licked her lips. He looked at her knowingly, always pressing her buttons with expertise.

  “Strip,” he commanded.

  Reina stared at him defiantly; although she had every intention of taking off her clothes, she was sorely tempted
to push him. She flicked her tongue over her teeth with a small smile as she watched his eyes fill with dark sinful promises. She took off her shirt slowly, nipples puckering at the temperature change. Maintaining eye contact, she grazed her hands down her body and slid her shorts down her thighs.

  “Kneel,” he demanded with a small nod.

  Her breathing tempo increased as she remembered the last time James had dominated her. The night he’d returned from his father was forever burned in her mind. She could sense from the intensity emanating from him that this was the last choice she was getting. He’d reached the end of his patience.

  Desire flooded her as she braced her hands on his thighs and knelt between his legs. She licked her lips again as she looked up at him. His hand came to her hair as he leaned in, sucking her bottom lip between his teeth. She pressed forward for more but he pulled her head back by her hair.

  “Say it Reina.”

  “You’re mine,” she replied devilishly.

  His hand tightened in her hair, almost to the point of pain, and her eyes fluttered closed as pleasure rushed over her skin.

  “You are mine,” he murmured in her ear, sending tingles down her spine.

  “Yes…” she breathed.

  He released her and reached for a fur lined leather collar, with an o-ring on the front.

  “Lift your hair.”

  Reina lifted her hair, raising her chin to give access to her throat and watching him from beneath her lashes. Her body shivered in anticipation as his fingers fastened the collar around her neck. She held out her wrists as he fastened matching fur-lined cuffs around them and attached a chain from each to the ring on her collar. The chains were more decadent than restraining. She could still lower her arms to her waist but they jingled with every movement. He gave her such a heated, wildly satisfied look that she couldn’t help but run her hands up his thighs.

  “I want you,” she said as she strained towards him.

  James grabbed the ring on her collar and stood, giving her no choice but to brace her hands on his biceps as she was pulled up. His hand slid down her chest, her fingers digging into his skin as he flicked each nipple and circled it with a noose style nipple clamp connected by a thin chain. The chain had a small weight in the middle; when he released it the ardent effect was instant. He used the ring to pull her closer as he brushed a hand across a nipple. Intense pleasure, tinged with a hint of pain, coursed through her blood. The weight swayed causing her to breathe in pants. The chain moved with each breath, pulling her nipples and sending shocks through her until she was wet and throbbing just from breathing.

  As James kissed her fervidly, owning her mouth, he pressed his chest against her swollen nipples making her whimper. At her response he pressed harder, erasing her thoughts and filling her with urgency. She wanted to crawl up his body and have him inside her immediately. He pulled back, blazing eyes assessing her astutely. He wrapped his hand around the chain connecting collar to cuffs and led her to the bed, the nipple chain swinging with each step. He turned her around, pulled down until she sat on the bed; he then undressed and stalked over her until she had no choice but to inch backwards.

  James brushed his hands over her body, commanding her to put her hands over her head. The chains clinked, her nipples pulled and throbbed, and Reina was already feeling frenzied as he clipped the cuffs together around a baluster. Her nipples tingled and burned as he swiped his palms across them; whimpers and pleas escaped her as her body arched off the bed uncontrollably. Reina cried out and begged earnestly when he followed his onslaught with a tug on the chain. His hand glided down her body, thumb circling her swollen clit. James pushed his wet thumb into her mouth and Reina sucked eagerly as she wrapped her legs around him. His fingers curled around her jaw, fevered eyes meeting hers.

  “I will never let you go Reina.”

  Even in her sensual haze the words brought a flare of fear to her heart.

  “Promise me,” she whispered.

  He loosened his hold, caressing her face and neck.

  “As long as I breathe, I promise I will always come for you Reina.”

  She pulled against her cuffs.

  “I need to touch you…”

  He looked at her for a few seconds before he unclipped her wrists. She pulled him down into her kiss, claiming what was hers. He whispered words of love as they lost themselves in one another. Reina wrapped her chains around him, fingers digging into his shoulders and back. Even as her mind and body surrendered, in a small corner of her heart she prayed.

  Please God. Please let us be together.

  Between the intense pleasure and the shadow of fear, she almost couldn’t breathe. In her head she begged to keep him.

  Chapter 18

  Reina woke to tender breasts, James folded around her body, and the blissful feeling of being well satisfied. She shifted, considered a shower, but as James rasped his stubble across her shoulder she burrowed closer. Whether she was ready to admit it or not, her heart knew she was home. No matter what separated them, or how well she could stand on her own, James would always be home. For better or worse, they would always be drawn back together.

  “Let me take you on a date tomorrow…”

  His lips against her skin felt delectable.

  “A date…?”

  His kisses on the back of her neck were scattering her thoughts.

  “A date. A movie...food...champagne…”

  His hand down her thigh was heating her blood.

  “Movie…?”

  “A movie...premiere...our movie…”

  Those words brought her back to her momentarily back to her senses.

  “Movie premiere? No. Too many people. No.”

  Her fingers circled his wrist as his hand slid between her legs.

  “No…?”

  “James,” she sighed, losing brain power to pleasure.

  “I want you to come with me.”

  Whatever he was talking about seemed like a fine idea. Yes, she wanted to come with him. Wait a minute…

  “What...no. I don’t have a dress.”

  She was trying to concentrate on what she was saying no to, and why, as his fingers circled her clit.

  “Wear jeans,” he coaxed as he bit her shoulder. Then he held his hand over her wetness but stopped all movement.

  “Please,” she whimpered squirming.

  “Say yes. Say you’ll come with me.”

  “Yes…”

  Yes. I want to come, she thought.

  Her acquiescence brought her what she wanted. James entered her from behind and she lost herself to the pure passion of destined lovers repeatedly torn apart. They basked in the glow of intense rapture and love. It wasn’t until her passion was cooled, and James was headed to the shower, that Reina’s irritation was piqued.

  “James...that was a completely unfair tactic.”

  “We’ll have fun.”

  She narrowed her eyes as he winked at her and walked away. Oh yes. I plan on having a good time, she thought.

  Reina planned her revenge well. She texted Amy and pitched her idea then poked her head into the bathroom.

  “I’m going out with Amy. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

  He looked at her through the glass, “brewing trouble I’m sure.”

  She raised her eyebrows, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “If you say so,” he smirked.

  If you say so...she mocked under her breath.

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be there. Probably...” she goaded him.

  James stuck his head out of the shower, “I love you, Reina.”

  “I love you,” she smiled at him.

  He smiled so big that she turned and walked away before he could tempt her into the shower.

  Amy, always willing to help stir trouble, picked her up and they headed to Knoxville for a better selection of shops. They hung out all day looking at dresses, drank copious amounts of coffee, and stayed
the night in a hotel just to make the guys wonder. They also sang at the top of their lungs on both legs of the trip. Reina couldn’t wait to give James a taste of his own medicine. She’d chosen a floor length dress in black Georgette. The bottom had sheer layers that showed glimpses of leg. With double spaghetti straps, the bodice was squared and modest, which made the back all the more devastating. Not only was the back almost completely open, but starting mid-way down there were crisscross ties that ended past the waist. If James could use unfair tactics to get his way, Reina intended to kick it up a notch and use them against him the entire evening.

  Amy helped Reina get ready at the apartment, while James got ready at home. Feeling completely devilish, Reina took her plan all the way. She paired her dark, smoky eyes with a red lip stain and cherry gloss. Amy pinned the sides of Reina’s hair up with tendrils framing her face. Curls fell down her back just teasing the tops of the ties when she moved. Her shoes were black, short heeled, and strappy. Her toes were painted a fiery red. She turned in the front of the mirror to judge the effect, and smiled. Her lips and jewelry were perfectly set off by the black shoes and dress, her back tied up and teasing.

  When she answered James’ knock at the door she almost opted to stay home. In a perfectly tailored black suit he looked like a deliciously sexy gift, waiting to be opened and worshipped one layer at a time. Her hand reached out, of its own accord, and grazed down his chest. He caressed her face, his fingers lifted her chin, and when she met his eyes she found a heat to match her own.

  “You look stunning,” he said seductively.

  “Then we’re a matched pair,” she smiled.

  He smiled back at her with a slight shake of his head.

  “Your beauty is matched only by my luck.”

  “Yeah right,” she rolled her eyes.

  He gestured out the door, “Ready?”

  Oh yes, she thought with a gleam in her eyes, knowing he was about to see the best part. She walked a few steps out the door and down the hallway. James stepped in to close the door and she could feel the moment he noticed the back of her dress. He called out to her and even from a distance she could sense the sexual tension between them. He closed the space between them, her body already tingling with anticipation as his hand touched her. A shiver raced down her spine as he spoke close to her ear, his breath and lips teasing her skin.