by Leah Brooke
He wanted so much to be a part of it—to share the same intimacy with her that Jake did—an intimacy even more profound and mature than what they’d shared before.
Standing at the sink, Natalie began to wash the dishes, her posture changing as soon as Jake stepped up behind her.
As his hands closed on her waist, she seemed to melt against him, her body automatically adjusting to the contours of his.
There was a rhythm to the way they moved together, a seductiveness that Hoyt saw in their lovemaking.
Sitting several feet away, he tuned out their low conversation, focusing his attention on their body language.
Natalie leaned back into Jake trustingly, as though confident that he would support her, and Jake did, taking her weight with an ease and affection of a man confident in his wife’s moves.
As if in a practiced dance, as soon as Jake began to lower his head, Natalie tilted hers to the side and let it fall back to Jake’s shoulder, exposing what Hoyt knew to be a particularly sensitive spot for Jake to nuzzle.
The Dominant in him admired the choreography of their dance—in the way the Master advanced and his submissive yielded to him.
Natalie gave herself over to the pleasure of his touch, reacting to the slightest shift of Jake’s body even as she laughed at something he whispered in her ear.
Jake played Natalie’s body like an instrument, the lightest stroke of his hand or increase in firmness eliciting a response from her—whether it was a shift in her position, an arch to her back, or a moan of delight.
The two of them flowed well together.
Jealousy reared its ugly head, along with a determination to cultivate the same kind of closeness with her.
Some of his frustration melted away as he thought about the journey in getting there.
* * * *
Nat glanced over her shoulder at Hoyt, who’d been unusually quiet since Jake left for the club. “You gonna be mad at me and sulk all night?”
Hoyt blinked as if coming out of a trance, his lips twitching. “I’ve never sulked in my life.” Getting to his feet, he strolled closer, snagging a dish towel from the hook next to the refrigerator as he approached.
Pausing behind her back, he ran a finger down her spine, sending a chill through her. “And I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself. What I want with you is something very special, and very precious. Part of what makes it so special is that it takes years to get there. I tend to forget that.” Smiling, he reached for one of the plates she’d washed. “I’m known for my patience, but ever since I got here, I’ve been rushing you, scared that you’d change your mind about us.”
Nat sighed, setting the last glass in the drainer. “We’re going to have to trust each other, Hoyt. You want me to trust that you’ll stay. I need you to trust that I won’t change my mind. We’re never going to be able to relax with each other enough to make this work if we don’t start trusting each other.” Drying her hands, she started to turn away, a gasp escaping when he yanked her back against him.
“You’re right.” His lips, warm and soft, touched her neck, sending a thrill of delight down her spine. “I never even get to talk to you the way I want to. I’m always in such a hurry to have you. I’ve missed you so much, baby. I can’t stop wanting you.”
Mesmerized by the desire in his deep baritone, Nat smiled and slumped against him. “What woman could resist a man who says something like that?”
Sliding the plate onto the stack in the cabinet, he tightened his arm around her. “Hopefully, you’re not one of them.”
To her surprise, he kissed the top of her head and released her. “So, you like working in your sister’s store?”
Smiling, Nat poured herself another cup of coffee, wondering what he was up to. “Yes, I do.” She took a sip of the hot brew, eyeing him over the rim.
His faded jeans lovingly hugged his muscular thighs, drawing her attention to the bulge between them.
Letting her gaze move higher to linger on the light gray T-shirt stretched over his chest, she swallowed heavily, her throat clogged with memories.
She’d always loved his chest, and had laid her head on it several times when they’d been younger. When he wrapped his arms around her, it seemed like the safest place on earth.
“Natalie?”
Jerked from her thoughts, she lifted her gaze to his, her cheeks burning at the amusement in his eyes.
His grin flashed more readily than it had in the past, his demeanor more relaxed than it had been earlier. “You givin’ me come hither looks, darlin’?”
“Idiot.” Lifting her cup to her lips to hide her smile, she couldn’t help but admire the shift of corded muscle in his arms as he slid another plate into the cabinet on top of the others. “You’re a stud and you know it. You can’t expect me to live with a piece of eye candy like you and not take the time to admire it.”
His eyes narrowed, a small smile playing at his lips. “Eye candy? So, I’m nice to look at, good to hide behind when bullets are flying, and handy to have around when you’re aroused. Is that about it?”
Nat shrugged, hiding another smile at his disgruntled tone. “Well, you make breakfast and bring me coffee in the morning, and you help with the dishes. If you’re good at yard work, odds and ends around the house and killing spiders, I might just let you stay.”
Hoyt’s eyes danced with amusement. “Careful. If you keep throwing all that flattery around, I might think you’re flirting with me.”
Enjoying herself, Nat sat back and sipped her coffee. “I don’t flirt. Just stating facts. There’s something real sexy about a man drying dishes.”
Grinning, she set her cup aside, propping her chin on her hand as he finished the last dish and tossed the towel aside. “You really want to turn me on? Clean the bathroom and run the vacuum.”
Raising a brow, Hoyt leaned over the table until his nose almost touched hers. “Or, I can take you to the playroom and strap you to the table. Or, strip you out of your clothes and turn you over my knee.”
His hooded gaze held hers as he reached out to circle her nipple, the pleasure sharp even through the layers of her sweater and bra. His slow caress continued, his voice lowering to silky seduction. “Or, I can just caress you, can’t I?”
His eyes narrowed, flaring with heat at the shiver of delight she didn’t even attempt to suppress. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?” He closed his fingers over her nipple, the light pressure creating a tug to her clit. “Do you have any idea how it makes me feel when you respond to even my lightest touch? When you lean into me?”
Struck by the wonder and emotion in his eyes, Nat lifted her arms to wrap them around his neck. “Oh, Hoyt.” Lifting her face to his, she brushed her lips against his chin, breathing in the scent of him. “You don’t often say something mushy, but when you do, it gets me every time.”
Tears stung her eyes at the gentleness in his touch and in his voice, and she found herself falling even deeper in love with him.
He moved around the table, his eyes never leaving hers as he bent and lifted her high against his chest. “I’m not used to talking about feelings, Natalie.” Nuzzling her jaw, he strode into the living room. “Just because I don’t talk about how I feel about you all the time doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.”
Sitting on the sofa, he adjusted her on his lap, sliding a hand under the hem of her sweater to caress her stomach. “I’ve been called cold and unfeeling my entire life because of it.”
Nat lifted her arms over her head in what had become an automatic response to the upward slide of his hand, her breath catching when she felt the front clasp of her bra come undone. “You’ve always been a hard man, Hoyt, but I understood why.”
She wanted him to touch her breasts—to give her nipples the attention they needed, but Hoyt seemed content to slide his hand from her neck to her belly without touching her breasts at all.
He smiled faintly, his eyes searching hers. “I know you did, but I was never hard or
cold with you, was I?”
Smiling, she writhed on his lap, each slide of his hand arousing her more. “No, you never were.”
He touched her the way he used to, with tenderness and slow, seductive quality that ripped through her defenses. The firmness in his touch, and the confidence in the way he moved his hands over her hinted at the Master he hadn’t shown her then.
Smiling faintly, he lifted her higher and touched his lips to hers. “I need to be that cold, hard man in the playroom, Natalie, and I was always worried that I’d scare you away, but neither one of us was ready for that, were we?”
Leaning back, he smiled faintly. “You’re a more confident woman now, and we both know what we want.”
Touched and proud that he thought of her that way, she arched, offering herself to him. “So, are you going to take me, or what?”
His lips thinned. “I’m not done yet, Natalie. I’m trying to tell you something about myself because I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings.”
Nervous now, Nat lowered her arms and sat up. “What is it?” Burying her face in her hands, she groaned, her stomach clenching. “I’m not sure I can take any more surprises, Hoyt.”
Pulling her close, he took one of her hands in his, playing with her fingers as he held it against his chest. “It’s not a surprise. I just want to put all my cards on the table.”
Nat nodded once. “Okay. I respect that. What is it?” She tried to pull her hand from his, but he merely tightened his hold.
“I like being in charge—no, it’s more than that. I need to be in control.” Lacing their fingers, he smiled faintly. “It was probably one of the things that made me good at my job.” His smile widened, but his body tensed against hers. “It just made me lousy at relationships, and I just never cared enough to try to change.”
Releasing her hand, he gripped her chin, lifting her face to his. “Just because I’m cold in the playroom, or seem distant doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
Amused, Nat smiled. “Hoyt, I’ve been submitting to Jake for years. I know that no matter what he does, he loves me.”
“Yeah, well I need you to remember that I do, too.”
“I will.” She snuggled against him, surprised that he remained tense. “So you gonna make love to me?”
Hoyt sighed. “I can be really demanding.”
“I know.” She pulled him closer, nibbling at his bottom lip.
“I’m controlling, Natalie, and not just in the playroom.” Smiling faintly, he slid his hand under her sweater again. “I’ve never had a woman who belonged to me the way you do. I’ve never wanted one, and most of them wouldn’t have put up with it anyway. When you get mad at me for being too bossy, I want you to remember how much I love you.” Leaning over her, he urged her to her back again, taking both of her wrists in one hand and raising them over her head.
Sucking in a breath at the heat glittering in his eyes, Nat pressed her heels into the sofa cushion, lifting herself into his touch. “I’ll remember.” Biting her lip at the feel of his warm hand closing over her breast, she struggled to focus on their conversation. “If you get too bossy, I’ll j–just put you in your place. I’m not one of your men.”
Pushing her sweater up, he parted the sides of her bra, smiling coldly as he exposed her breasts. “I can see that.”
Watching her face, he ran his palm back and forth over her nipple, his eyes narrowing even more at her soft cry. “That doesn’t mean that you’re not going to obey me.” Smiling, he met her look of alarm with one of amusement. “Don’t look so scared. You’re a mature, confident woman now.” He tapped her nipple, tightening his hold on her wrists when she jolted. “My needs have sharpened and become more intense over the years. Knowing that the woman I love is the most delectable submissive I could have ever hoped for has my imagination running wild. You’re perfect for me, Natalie, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving that I’m perfect for you.”
Nat couldn’t stay still, writhing on his lap as he slowly built the need inside her. She desperately wanted to explore the needs he spoke of, but a part of her still bristled at his arrogance. “Don’t expect me to obey you the way your men did.” She wouldn’t admit to him that she was very much looking forward to having Hoyt make her, and couldn’t resist daring him. “You can demand it in the playroom, but not anywhere else. Jake tries it all the time.”
She didn’t think it prudent to mention that Jake usually won. She didn’t need two men in her life trying to boss her around.
Hoyt’s grin didn’t bode well for her. “Baby, every move you make is my business, and if you don’t behave the way you’re told, you’re going to get a hell of a lot more than a lecture from me. I promise. I’m going to get a great deal of pleasure out of making you obey me.” Still holding her wrists, he slid his hand down to the fastening of her jeans. “A great deal of pleasure. I know you’re going to have to test your limits from time to time, and I want you to know just how much I’m looking forward to taming you.”
“Taming me?” Lifting her chin, Nat snorted. “You don’t scare me.”
He scared the shit out of her.
He unfastened her jeans and began to work them over her hips. “Baby, I scare the hell out of you. You’re not afraid that I’d hurt you, but you’re scared of the way I make you feel. I can make you beg, and you and I both know you’re going to submit to me in the end.”
Nervous that he’d expect a submissiveness from her that she wasn’t prepared to give, Nat frowned. “I won’t be a doormat, Hoyt.”
Scowling at her, Hoyt slid her jeans from her and tossed them aside. “What the fuck would I do with a doormat? I want you, Natalie. I want a woman who’s going to make me earn her submission, and you sure as hell won’t give it easily.”
Grumbling, she tried to kick at him. “I’ve been pretty easy so far.” She didn’t like to think about how easy.
Hoyt laughed at that. “You were outnumbered and overwhelmed, and it was physical. When it comes to sex, I can control you. It’s going to be getting you to submit in other things that’s going to be the challenge—a challenge I’m very much looking forward to.”
To her shock—and delight—he ripped her panties from her in a show of arrogance that sent her arousal soaring.
“You owe me a new pair.”
“I’ll buy you dozens, and rip every fucking one of them off of you.”
Lifting her right leg, he braced it on his shoulder, spreading her wide. “You have no idea how much you excite me. I love your sassiness. I love your attitude. I love every fucking thing about you.”
Rocking her hips, she burned everywhere as his gaze raked over her. “I don’t have a fucking attitude.” She struggled to adapt to his quicksilver changes in mood, from gentle lover to arrogant Master and back again.
Hoyt chuckled, his grin full of mischief, but his eyes were filled with the pride of ownership as his gaze raked over her. “Yeah, you do, and it’s a constant delight to me.”
Moaning at the feel of his hot hand closing on her mound, Nat fought to keep her voice steady. “Stop looking at me as if you own me, damn it!”
Without warning, Hoyt plunged his finger deep, stroking the walls of her pussy with a firm caress that drew moan after moan from her. “I own every part of you, baby. Make no mistake about that.”
He’d changed from warm playfulness to cold Master in a blink of an eye.
She opened her mouth to curse at him, pausing when she saw the look in his eyes.
A need for acceptance.
A dare.
Love.
His earlier words came rushing back, and she felt some of her indignation melt away.
Allowing a whimper to escape, she forced her muscles to relax, hoping to lull him into a false sense of security. “If I’m yours, then you’re mine, aren’t you?”
His expression softened, his hold loosening as he bent his head toward hers. “I’ve been yours since the first time I kissed you.” Withdrawing his
finger from her pussy, he circled her wet opening, smiling faintly when she groaned in frustration and rocked her hips. “Just as you’ve been mine.”
His softly spoken words nearly melted her resolve, but the arrogance in his eyes and his touch made her determined to teach him a lesson.
Knowing damned well that she’d never get away with it, and filled with anticipation at his reaction to her daring, Nat rolled away in a fast movement that should have earned her freedom. She yelped when his hand tightened on her wrist again, his other catching her right thigh and yanking it high against his shoulder. “Going somewhere, little sub?”
Gritting her teeth as he rolled her to her back again with insulting ease, she glared at him, secretly pleased at the flare of heat in his eyes. “You said that the element of surprise would work.”
Laughing softly, he touched his lips to hers. “It does.” Releasing her wrists, he cupped the back of her neck, and with an arm around her waist, pulled her closer, propping her head against his chest. “Just not with me. Your eyes are very expressive, baby. They give you away every time. Besides, I’m fast.”
He worked her sweater over her head, tossing it aside before ridding her of her bra. “You did good, though.”
Naked, except for her thick socks, she cuddled against him. “Not good enough.”
“Oh, I think you did well enough for your purposes. You wanted to challenge me, and you did. You wanted to excite me, and you did.”
Cupping her breast, he slid his thumb back and forth over her nipple. “You didn’t really want to get away from me, did you?”
Hiding a smile, Nat shrugged, sucking in a breath and gripping his wrist as his touch firmed. “I knew you wouldn’t let me.”
The slow steady friction against her nipple kept the need growing, but he seemed to be in no hurry.
Staring down at her, he toyed with her nipple, his smile tender. “I told you that I wouldn’t let you get away from me.”
Lifting her hand to his chest, she pressed her fingertips into the hard muscle there. “Did you mean what you said? Did you really consider me yours since the first time we kissed?”