“No?” He kissed her naked back. “You will beg for it, that’s a promise.”
“Then make me beg.”
He groaned at her words, and as if that was his affirmation, pressed deeper. Her legs were trapped by her underwear, so she couldn’t open them for him. The resistance made his penetration more intense as he entered her slowly and gently.
“I want to fuck you out of your mind,” he said, his breath warm in her neck, “but it’s been a week.” He moved, but not enough.
“Please, Lann.”
“Did you miss me?” he asked in a deep voice that vibrated in her chest.
“Ah.” She lifted her hips, but he pulled back.
“Did you miss me, krasavitsa?”
She gritted her teeth. If this was his idea of punishment, it was working. This was torture. She couldn’t wait. “I did.”
“Do you mean that?”
“Yes,” she said, biting off the word with a breathless gasp when he inched forward again.
And then he stopped. “How much?”
“A lot,” she said, panting.
He gave her a little bit more and paused again. “Tell me.”
She tried to lift her hips to take more of him, but he pinned her down with his weight.
“Tell me,” he said, trailing his tongue over the lobe of her ear.
“I missed you, Lann. Please.”
He moved leisurely, driving her crazy. She couldn’t care that her moans were loud. He released her suddenly, his body lifted, and then he was gone. She turned in confusion to see him standing next to the bed, dressed only in his shirt. He took a pair of handcuffs from the nightstand drawer.
“Give me your wrists, Katherine.”
She gasped. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you your fantasy. This is what you want, isn’t it?”
When she silently offered her arms, he took her hands, lifted them above her head and handcuffed her to the bed. Then he left the room.
She’d never been so turned on in her life. Waiting for Lann to return was eating at her nerves though. Before her emotions ran completely out of control, Lann reentered with a travel bag. He sat down on the side of the bed, and removed two vibrators. She stared at him with huge eyes, her heart racing. Swiftly, he pulled her thong down and over her feet. He held it up, admiring the diamante detail, and threw it aside.
“Open your legs,” he said.
Instinctively, her knees locked together. He chuckled. He got up again, disappeared into his walk-in closet, and returned with two scarves. He grabbed hold of her ankles and tied each one to the foot-end of the bed. When he was done, she was spread-eagled, open and vulnerable.
He stood back to look at her. “Prekrasnaya.”
She’d heard that word before, but then it was said with tenderness. Now it sounded like a growl.
He removed a tube from the bag and lubricated the thickest and longest of the two vibrators. He pushed it into her very slowly, inch by inch. It stretched her, but not as much as Lann’s cock, and she took it easily. When it was fully lodged inside, he switched it onto a low setting. The toy hummed inside of her, creating a pleasant heat that had more of her slickness flowing and her muscles clenching in need.
He kneeled between her legs to watch her, his eyes shining more golden. The pressure was building too slowly inside, not enough. The pleasure stretched and tightened, but the slow vibration only kept her hanging on the edge of a promise.
“Oh God, please, Lann.”
He picked up the second vibrator, a smaller model, and held it to her lips. “Lick it.”
She wanted to please him, anything just to stop the unhurried torture. She flicked out her tongue. As she licked around the crest, his expression changed. His muscles flexed.
“Good girl.”
He switched it on. It started vibrating gently. He regarded her as he pressed it lightly to her clit.
She moaned. She tried to get closer, to push her body up, but he removed it, leaving her shaking with need.
A few times, he increased the speed on the toy inside her body, bringing her close, only to cut it back down again, always keeping her hanging, alternating the torture with the feather-light pressure on her clit, until she thought she was going to lose her sanity.
She couldn’t tell how long his game carried on, but it felt like forever. Perspiration made her skin slick. Tears of frustration pricked at the back of her eyes. She couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Please,” she said, “just let me come.”
“Tell me how much you missed me,” he said, bringing the toy close, but not close enough for her to press against it.
“I missed you, Lann,” she said. Her breath caught on a hitch as he upped the speed of the vibrator inside her.
“Enough to let other men touch you while I was gone?”
“I just needed a break,” she said, feeling her control slipping. “Please. I was just going dancing and coming home.”
“I’m not convinced.” He pulled away.
“I fucking missed you like crazy, you bastard! How dare you go away for a whole week when we only have another two left?”
Her shoulders shook. She was sobbing, crying, she didn’t know which, but she had never felt so helpless, out of control, and frustrated in all her life.
He was on top of her in a flash. He pressed the toy hard against her aching nub, put it on maximum speed, and gave her what she wanted. She convulsed, coming hard, the pleasure slamming into her like a sledgehammer.
“Stop,” she begged, but he continued to press the torturous instrument against her exploding clit.
Her back arched off the bed, and when the peak of her release ebbed out, she collapsed, unable to stand the intensity of the prolonged orgasm. It carried on and on, rippling out from the center of her pelvis until her toes curled and she thought she would explode. Her moans continued to echo in his room until he released her and cast the object of torture aside. She was still riding the waves of her orgasm when he removed the vibrator from inside and replaced it with his hard, pulsing cock.
It took only a few seconds before he came, spurting his release into her with forceful thrusts. She basked in the feeling of him inside her, his hands on her body, and his mouth on her ear, whispering soothing words. He uncuffed her, and within a few minutes, she was asleep.
When she woke up, she was in Lann’s arms. They were still in his bed.
“Hey,” he said, touching her nose. He kissed her forehead, her eyes, and her cheeks.
“I didn’t enjoy that,” she said. “At least not the waiting part.”
“You weren’t meant to. Punishment, remember? You asked for it.” He stroked a hand down her back. “The orgasm was supposed to make up for it.”
She rested her head against his chest. “You do know how to give a girl an orgasm. Did it make you feel better?”
“To see you come that hard?” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Yes, krasavitsa, it made me feel better.” He pushed her hair back to caress her shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” he asked gently when she didn’t speak for some time.
“I’m still angry with you.”
“Why? I thought we straightened it out.”
She pushed away from him. “You gave me a ring that’s bugged.”
“It’s for your protection,” he said patiently. He took her hand and brushed his thumb over the ring. “The driver … I’m not having you followed. I’m protecting you. I want to know where you are, every minute of every day.”
“What do you do for a living, Lann?”
“Many things,” he said evasively.
“Is that why I’m in danger? Because you’re involved in many things?”
“No, but I have many enemies.”
Her heart went cold. “Did I put my life in danger by accepting this…” she searched for the right word, “…agreement?”
His expression was sad. “Probably.”
His honesty shocked her. “Why
didn’t you tell me?”
“I can protect you.” He pressed her hand to his chest. “But you need to let me. That’s why you can’t remove the ring.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked again.
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
She freed her hand from his grasp. “I had a right to know.”
“Now you know,” he said softly.
Tears blurred her vision. “What are you involved in Lann?”
“Nothing.” He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
“What?”
“Drive me insane. If you want to go dancing, tell me, and I’ll take you.”
She sighed. “I’m not going to waste energy debating the issue with you.”
What was the point of trying to sort out their different viewpoints on the matter? They were going to split up in a few days anyway.
It was his turn to sigh. “I’m exhausted. Stay with me. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
That statement, coming from Lann, surprised her. She studied him more closely. He was clean-shaven, as usual, but deeper lines and dark circles marred his eyes.
“Will you stay the night?” His voice was so hopeful, her heart melted.
Lann had never spent a whole night with her. After sex, he cuddled her for long stretches, but always left to sleep alone. They’d never had sex in his bed before. It had always been in hers. And never in his den.
“Yes,” she whispered, “I’ll stay.” She cuddled up to him. “Lann?”
His arms tightened around her. “Yes, krasavitsa?”
“Why haven’t we made love in the den?”
He strained his neck to look at her. “When I showed it to you, you gave me the impression you didn’t like the idea very much.”
“What’s different about the den?”
“It’s just for fucking. This, here,” he patted the bed, “is for so much more.”
She didn’t want to think about the women he was going to fuck in his den, or the ones he had made love to in his bed.
“It’s late. Let’s get some sleep, yes?” He kissed her hand, the one with the ring, and unbuttoned his shirt.
When he pulled it from his torso, Kat’s eyes widened. A cry escaped her lips. He had long scratch marks over his chest. Deep ones. The skin on his ribs on the left side of his body was blue, and there was a cut on his shoulder, stitched up.
She slammed a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. What happened to you?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” he said, lying down on his back. “Come here.” He opened his arms.
She didn’t hesitate. She put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him so tightly that he exhaled sharply.
“That hurts,” he said, his voice tainted with humor.
She eased her grip, but didn’t let go. “It’s all right. You’re home now.”
Kat woke at daybreak. Lann was already awake. His arms were still around her, and he was looking at her with a warm expression.
He kissed her softly. “Sleep well?”
In reply, she stretched in his arms. She suddenly remembered the scars, and pulled back the sheet to look at them. In daylight, they looked worse. The scratches over his chest reached from his shoulder all the way to his ribs. They were evenly spaced, as if cut by the tips of a claw, only a claw that big didn’t exist. What kind of weapon left such marks? She shuddered. The skin over his stomach was sliced too. The line was short, reaching over his navel. Tears built in her eyes. What was Lann involved in?
Her hand shook as she traced the wound on his stomach. His muscles quivered under her touch. When she lifted her eyes, she saw tenderness in his gaze.
He thumbed away a tear that had slipped free. “I know it’s ugly. You don’t have to look.”
Wriggling from his embrace, she moved down his body and kissed each cut. He groaned. It could’ve been from pain, so she kept her touch light, careful not to put pressure in her caresses. Lann kept perfectly still, lying on his back with his hands next to him on the bed, his palms down, while she soothed him by pressing her lips on his torso and injured shoulder.
Under her exploration, his chest started moving more rapidly. His heart thudded under her fingertips. Her hand slid down his body until she reached the hardness of his erection. He jerked at her touch and throbbed in her hand as she squeezed gently. She lifted herself over his body and kissed a path down his stomach, over the hard muscles of his pelvis, until she found her destination. Holding his eyes, she wrapped her hands around his cock and licked the crest. Lann hissed, and the muscles in his thighs bunched.
“Krasavitsa.” He groaned when she swirled her tongue around the head.
He tasted of male lust and a wild promise, and she loved it. She took her time savoring him, trailing her tongue up and down his shaft. With her free hand, she cupped his testicles. She tested the weight gently before drawing her nails over the skin.
He lifted his shoulders off the mattress to look at her. “Ah, Katherine.”
Happy with the reaction she elicited, she lowered her lips over him and took him slowly with her mouth. He bunched the sheets in his hands, but he refrained from touching her, as if he understood that this was her turn.
He hissed again when she took him deeper, as far as she could, and when she kneeled between his legs, he pushed up on his elbows to watch her. She brushed her hair over her shoulder and met his gaze. His eyes were narrowed to slits of deep gold. A muscle twitched in his jaw. When she increased her pace and the pressure of her lips, he gritted his teeth. The specs of color in his eyes started to shift. His shaft thickened in her hand.
“Fuck.” He panted.
She moved faster. For once, she wanted him to lose control. The only place she dared lose hers was in his arms, but now she wanted to give what she got from him. She wanted to take care of him and make him feel safe.
His voice was guttural when he said, “I’m going to fuck your mouth, Katherine.”
The words came as a warning. A second later, he gripped her hair, keeping her in place while he worked himself in and out of her mouth. He pushed to the back of her throat until she panicked she would suffocate before he eased out marginally to let her breathe. He fucked her lips until she saw white sparks behind her eyes. Her jaw ached from the stretch. Just as she thought she couldn’t take more, his body convulsed. He kept her in place, spilling his release into her mouth. He tasted of allure and power, and she wanted all of him. She took every drop. She sucked him clean and kept him in her mouth until he let go of her hair and fell back onto the mattress. Only when he started to soften did she release him. She crawled up his side under the crook of his arm and searched his lips.
He kissed her eagerly, pressing her to him while cupping her face. He kissed her like he sometimes said her name, as if she was the only woman on earth, the only woman in his life.
She was breathless when he let her go. He pulled her head down to the hollow of his shoulder. She closed her eyes and inhaled his masculine scent. Right now, she felt safe. She wanted Lann always to be safe.
She could’ve easily drifted off again, but when his body tensed she knew he was going to get up.
“Stay,” he said, kissing her lips. “I have business to take care of, but I love the sight of you sleeping in my bed.”
She gave him a lazy smile. “However tempting that sounds, I’m desperate for a shower.”
He got up and offered his hand. “Then have it with me.”
When she placed her hand in his, he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed the ring. He didn’t say what was on his mind. He didn’t have to.
Later, while getting dressed in her own bedroom, Kat dialed Diana.
“Hey,” she said when her friend answered with a yawn. “I just wanted to apologize for last night.”
“What the fuck? Are you all right?” Diana asked.
“I’m fine. You?”
“We’ll never get tickets for tha
t club from Jack again.”
“I’m sorry.”
Diana chuckled. “Don’t fret. His friends weren’t that hot anyway.”
Diana was only trying to be nice. Kat said guiltily, “I saw the way you looked at Enrico. I hope this won’t spoil your chances with him.”
“If Enrico is put off so easily, then he doesn’t deserve to be with me. Anyway, Jack deserved it. He behaved like an ass.”
“Thanks for being so understanding. You’re a good friend.”
After a short silence, Diana said, “I didn’t take Lann for the jealous type.”
“Neither did I,” Kat said. “He acted very possessively.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Better than okay.”
“Wait a minute.” Diana laughed. “I hear make-up sex in that statement.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Yeah, yeah.” In her mind’s eye, Kat could see Diana roll her eyes. “Look, I’m happy for you. You deserve it. Just don’t let him mess with your head.”
Kat looked out of her window. Lann was walking down the hallway, probably on his way to his office.
“Did you hear what I said, Kat? Don’t fall in love with him.”
“I won’t,” she said, keeping her tone light.
“Good.”
They spoke for a few more minutes about Diana’s new shoots, and when Kat hung up, her stomach was tight for some reason. No, she was not falling for Lann. She couldn’t. It would crush her when it was over.
After she’d had coffee in the kitchen, Kat intercepted Alfonso when he entered to make Lann’s mid-morning tea. She prepared a tray with a pot and carried it to Lann’s office where she knocked and pushed the door open. He was reading a tablet, a frown on his brow. The icy look in his eyes when he glanced up had her pause, but then he smiled. She walked around his desk and left the tray in front of him. He took her hand, intertwining their fingers, and pulled her into his lap.
“Bad morning?” she asked.
He wiped a hand over his face. “Someone took a photo of us in the club last night. It’s all over social media.”
She leaned forward to get a look at the tablet. There was a photo of Lann steering her from the club. “Is it that bad that we’ve been seen together?”
Aeromancist, The Beginning (SECOND EDITION): Prequel (7 Forbidden Arts Book 2) Page 11