by Layla Nash
Inside, Ruby turned on a few lights and tossed her house keys on a side table on her way into the galley kitchen, still carrying the boxes of dessert. Carter locked the door and set the deadbolt and chain, taking in the moderately priced furniture and generic artwork. Nothing cheap, but nothing too expensive. He was willing to bet she saved the quality furnishings for her pack, and lived with the leftovers as good enough. He wanted more for her. Much, much more.
Ruby returned from the kitchen to hand him a bottle of water, her hips swaying in the fancy dress. She leaned against the wall and fiddled with her shoes, her eyes gold as she watched him. "These damn…"
"Leave them on."
She went still and heat sparked in her gaze. Carter's voice came out deep and rough, and he set the water aside. His hands flexed. "Come here."
Her breasts rose and fell as her breath came faster, but she swayed forward the few steps until she stood in front of him. Waiting. Carter wanted to rip the dress off her, take her to bed with her heels on. But he picked up her wrist, studying her hand and fingers. "This is about trust, Ruby. You have to trust me. Do you?"
Her lips parted and her pupils dilated as he kissed the inside of her wrist, and her pulse jumped against his lips. She touched her throat with her free hand, expression dreamy but a touch uncertain. "Yes."
Carter smiled and caught her other hand to hold her wrists captive. He leaned in to brush his lips to hers, and trailed kisses down her throat to her shoulder. She swayed against him, sighing, and turned her face to breathe against his cheek. Carter nibbled behind her ear, reaching up with his free hand to tug her hair free of the ponytail, and the dark locks cascaded around him with a honeysuckle scent. He inhaled it, inhaled her. "Pick a word to use, if you want to stop for any reason."
Her voice went a little high as he caught her lower back and pressed her to him, until she felt the strength of his desire against her hip. The lion growled and grumbled, furious with the delay. Carter kissed the other side of her neck, dragging his teeth across a tribal tattoo on her shoulder, and she tried to link her arms around him. He kept her wrists caught between them, despite that she tugged on his grip, and nipped at the soft flesh where her shoulder met her neck. "Pick a word."
Ruby laughed breathlessly. "Glacier. Does that work?"
"Perfect." He wished he'd been more prepared but necessity was the mother of invention. He stepped back and released her, even though Ruby swayed toward him, and loosened his tie. "Get some candles. Matches. And the dessert. Go to the bedroom and wait for me."
She eyed him, about to speak, but he patted her hip and pointed her toward the bedroom. "Go."
He watched her saunter to a linen closet to retrieve some candles and matches, then she picked up the boxes from the kitchen, and made her back once more past him. Carter wanted to grab her but resisted, instead looking through the coat closet near the door for a scarf or two. When he found what he wanted, he followed Ruby into the bedroom.
She'd left the lights off but lit the candles, and she stood at the end of the bed, hands on her hips. So much attitude. He fought back a smile and tossed the scarves onto a nearby chair. He took off his jacket and tie, studying her in the flickering shadows, then pointed at a spot on the floor directly in front of him. "Come here."
Ruby obeyed and his heart jumped, his cock painfully hard. Watching her submit, or at least pretend to, was so fucking arousing he almost needed to excuse himself. She bit her lower lip as she looked at him, almost taunting. Carter brushed her hair back over her shoulders so he could examine her, walking a slow circle around her as he played with one of the scarves.
Carter leaned closer and breathed against the bare skin of her neck, making a hungry noise in his throat. Her breath caught. He trailed his fingers across her shoulder as he stood behind her, playing with the zipper at the back of her dress. Ruby tensed as he worked the zipper and the dress fell to the floor in a dark cascade. He caressed her lower back and ran his finger under the waist of her thong. She shivered.
He almost couldn't breathe. Perfection. She was absolute perfection — soft, smooth skin decorated with a multitude of tattoos over gentle curves. The lacy black bra and silky hose drove him wild, almost as wild as the high heels. He stepped back to appreciate her, and when the silence stretched and he said nothing, she shifted her feet. "Are you —"
"Don't speak." Carter knew it would drive her crazy, so he let the scarf brush her shoulder. She jumped at the touch, about to turn, but froze as he slapped her hip. Ruby made a needy noise instead but didn't move. Carter eased the scarf over her eyes and began to tighten it. She inhaled sharply so he paused, standing close behind her so she could feel his presence, and whispered in her ear. "All you have to do is say that word and we stop."
He could sense the tension in her, the desperate wanting to move or speak or take control. But instead she only gave a small shake of her head and exhaled. He finished tying the scarf around her eyes, made sure it was secure, then ran his hands over her shoulders to her breasts. "Good girl."
She chewed her lower lip as he moved around to the front, studying her once more. He leaned to lick her breasts through the lace bra, using the rough fabric to tease her nipples to hardness. Her chest rose and fell faster and her lips parted to allow panting breaths to escape. He watched a flush turn her skin rosy. Carter's hand grazed her stomach and she jumped. He eased the thong down her lush thighs until it caught around her ankles, and knelt to remove it entirely. He didn't want her to trip when things got exciting.
He breathed against her stomach and ran his hands up the insides of her legs, easing them apart, and she gasped. Carter stroked the length of her damp slit, chuckling as he straightened. "Ready so soon, Ruby?"
Her lips curved but he didn't give her a chance to reply. Instead he crushed her mouth to his in a deep, demanding kiss, one hand tight in her hair to maintain control as he walked her back to the mattress. He lay her out on the mattress and took off his shirt and pants before reaching for one of the candles. Things were about to get messy.
Chapter 9
The blindfold heightened every one of my senses until I trembled in anticipation. Not being able to see him but feeling the air move as he did and hearing the hush-hush of his breath... I almost couldn't stand it. Heat rushed to my center and radiated through me until my knees wobbled and I thought I might fall on my face. And then when he took off my thong and hose, when he kissed my stomach and pressed his hand against my pussy, I nearly came.
When he put me on the bed I wanted to resist, to tear off the blindfold and demand he fuck me, but the night promised so much more. The mattress depressed next to me and Carter's palms moved over my lace-covered breasts. He kissed my throat and murmured, "You have to stay very still for this part, my dear. Do I need to tie you up or will you behave yourself?"
I clenched my thighs together and bit back a moan. I'd never been so turned on in my life. I even sounded breathless as I answered him. "I don't know."
He chuckled again, a husky sound that sent shivers through me, and then soft fabric caught around my wrists as he dragged my arms over my head. "Very well."
Being restrained caused a moment of hesitation, reconsideration, and I started to struggle, but he kissed me softly and stroked my cheek. "Good girl. Very good."
My heart leapt as I kissed him back, desperate for more contact and more of his praise. Carter traced a snaking line down my chest and stomach until he teased my core, pressing his thumb against my clit even as his finger eased inside me. My back arched and I tried to reach for him but the restraints stopped me short.
He grumbled again, almost laughing, then retreated. The bed felt cold and empty without him. When he didn't return, a hint of panic welled up. What if he left? What if he was just fucking with me and this was all a joke? My breath came faster and I moved uneasily, heels digging into the mattress to see if I could unhook my hands from wherever he'd secured them.
But then a palm collided with my thigh in a sharp s
lap and I jumped. Carter sounded stern. "Don't. Move."
Just knowing he was close gave me the courage to remain still, though I held my breath. Something else was coming. He prepared something. And as he moved next to me, over me, I clenched my hands around the soft scarf.
Something burned against the tops of my breasts in a slow series of droplets. A sharp pain that faded, but with each drop, the pain spiked more intense. I gasped, trembling as the drops ceased — then started lower, across my stomach, and I cried out. The candles. It had to be the candles. Hot wax heightened every sensation, even more as he teased my nipples, until I nearly went mad with desire. I wanted him, needed him. I panted, out of breath from moaning and begging, and Carter's hands ghosted up my sides.
"Do you like that, Ruby?" he murmured, the rough stubbed on his jaw riding against my sensitive flesh until a strangled noise caught in my throat.
"Y-yes," I managed to breathe, staring into the blindfold as if I could see through it to find where he would touch me next.
"Good." He practically purred and something soft stroked over my thigh. My legs fell open in anticipation and he laughed. "Is there something you want, Ruby?"
"You," I whispered. "I want you, Carter, I need you so —"
"Not yet." Another line of fire erupted low on my stomach and I cried out.
The teasing and torment continued, alternating soft kisses and gentle touching with hot wax and the occasional teeth on my nipples, until I writhed and begged. Madness. He drove me to the edge, until I thought I would explode from needing to come, and then Carter would back off, leaving me trembling and helpless.
Just when I couldn't take it, when I ached to say the word to stop it all, his palm chafed my hip and he lifted my knee up and out. I almost cried in relief as his weight settled over me, though he held himself off my chest and nuzzled his nose to mine. Carter kissed me and took my lower lip in his teeth. "And now I have you, exactly how I wanted."
"Please," I said, pulling weakly at the scarf. "Carter, please."
The tip of his cock stroked against my core, up to my clit, and I came. Hard. Arched against him and convulsed, crying out and shaking and falling apart in a thousand pieces. The world grew darker behind the blindfold and I couldn't have lifted my arms for anything in the world. His massive cock nudged inside me and I moaned, pushing my hips at him, and Carter pushed forward with slow inevitability. He split me open, the heavy heat of his body invading mine until he filled every inch of me, pressed against my walls until pleasure rippled through me and I tumbled into ecstasy again.
It blended into almost unbearable pleasure, unbelievable fullness until it sparked a hint of pain. And that brought the pleasure-pain of the hot wax back until I could hardly remain in my own skin. Carter moved slowly but lowered himself on top of me until his full weight lay on my chest and I was pinned, dominated. Utterly controlled, even had my hands been free. I couldn't have moved him if I wanted. It drove me wild, to the point of madness as I pushed my hips at him in desperation, needing fuller contact. More thrusting. I begged him and tried to hook my legs around his lower back to drag him to me, but Carter spanked my hip with his full strength and I cried out even as it made my pussy clench around him once more.
Carter breathed in my ear, "I'll have to punish you for that," and I groaned and came again.
By the time he moved with more urgency, I could barely move. Exhausted and covered in sweat and wax, I surrendered and opened myself to him. To everything. Let him move my legs and hips and body to where he liked until he grunted and pounded into me with a wet slapping of flesh that had my head rolling on the pillows. He froze, hips jerking and grinding down against me, and the hot rush of his climax filled me, spilled out, covered my thighs. I panted, helpless and trapped underneath him, but loving the security of having him over me. I closed my eyes but couldn't stop shaking.
Carter withdrew and I flinched at the sensation of his body slipping from mine, and I missed him immediately. Wanted desperately to have him over me, inside me, again. Forever. But he remained next to me on the bed, fiddling with the scarf, and then he eased my arms down to my sides, chafing at my wrists and hands. I took a breath to say something, to beg him for more, but he touched my lips to cut me off. "You don't want to add to your punishment, my dear."
I shivered, almost tempted to push, but that could wait for another night. I could hardly support myself as Carter moved me to my hands and knees, though my thighs clenched in anticipation and my elbows shook with the effort of holding my chest off the bed. He left the blindfold on me, so I could feel him next to my hips but had no idea what he planned until his palm cracked against my ass. I jumped away from the painful spanking but he grabbed a handful of my hair with his free hand to hold me in place and leaned down to say, "Hold still or I will start over."
My head hung down and I struggled to remain unmoving as he landed another blow on my ass, and a cry escaped even as my pussy clenched. God help me, I loved it. Wanted to lean into it as he continued raining blows down, until my skin radiated heat and I thought I might never be able to sit down again. He chuckled and ran his fingers through my pussy once more, pinching and teasing, then knelt behind me to grasp my waist. His cock filled me in a single thrust and I wailed, convulsing around him as the pleasure of his entry competed with the aching throb of his spanking. Carter fucked me from behind, leaning over my back to hold me roughly in place, and he growled against my shoulder as I struggled to hold up our combined weight.
He teased my clit but I didn't need it to come; it felt like I hadn't stopped coming from the moment he'd touched me. Like it had built from the first bars of the tango and all exploded through me as he yanked off the blindfold and I looked up to see both of us in the mirror over my dresser.
His wild expression, teeth bared, as he thrust, the dark outline where our bodies connected, and the helpless passion on my face sent me over the edge again. Carter snarled and put his arm under my chest, holding me tight to him as he fucked down at me. I could only watch helplessly in the mirror as I came and he came and we both collapsed on the bed in a sweaty tangle.
When our breathing slowed, Carter patted my hip. "And now there's the matter of your punishment."
I laughed in disbelief, trying to find the strength to lift my head, but the glint in his eyes made my stomach wobble. He couldn't be serious.
Except he was. And Carter took punishments very seriously.
* * *
I stretched in the warm bed, my hand sliding across the sheets, and I lifted my head enough to look around. No Carter. Memories of the night before and everything he'd done set my cheeks on fire, and I pulled the covers up over my face. Unbelievable.
Something rattled in the small apartment. I sat up, wincing at the ache in my abs, and eased to my feet. The speedy shifter healing got rid of most of the evidence of the bites, and restraints, and hot wax, but the thought of it stuck with me as I stretched. I pulled on a t-shirt before padding out of the bedroom and into the living room. Carter stood in the kitchen, juggling pans and plates and ingredients as he made pancakes and sausages, and I raised my eyebrows. "Don't tell me you're a morning person."
He glanced back with a devilish smile, and all my nerves lit up. I wanted to kiss him, drag him back to the bedroom, and let him tie me up again. His voice went deep and husky. "And if I am?"
I played with the hem of the t-shirt as I wandered into the kitchen and retrieved two glasses from the cupboard. "Well, I'll just have to…"
I cut off with a squeak as he grabbed me and pressed me up against the cabinets, biting my lip before kissing me until my knees weakened. I linked my arms around his neck just to stay upright, my bones melting as his hand slid inside my shirt to caress my breast. A moan escaped before I could control myself and he echoed it, hiking me up until my legs wrapped around his waist. Carter broke the kiss long enough to set his teeth against my shoulder, right near my neck as he squeezed my ass. "Normally I would stick around long enough to finish t
hings, but it's already eight and I have a meeting with Logan at nine. And you're supposed to meet Natalia."
I moved my hips, dropping my head forward so I could bite his shoulder.
He groaned, then fumbled with the pants he'd pulled on, and before I could draw breath, he plunged into me. I cried out as Carter thrust, his hands gripping my ass to hold me still as his cock split me open, and the cabinets creaked under the force of his lust. My wolf snarled and wanted to mark him, to claim him, and my nails dug in to his biceps as he fucked me. The wildness overtook us both, and snarling filled the kitchen. I strained under his weight and strength pinning me, desperate to move. Carter slapped my hip with the full strength of his arm and I yelped, almost crawling up him, and ecstasy rolled over me. I froze as my core clamped down on him, and every movement of his body inside me sent lightning straight to my brain. Carter made a savage noise and his teeth sank into my shoulder with a sudden sharp pain, and I moaned. His body jerked against me and he went still, breathing harshly in my ear.
My heart pounded against my ribs and I rested my head against the cabinet behind me as I struggled to breathe. Jesus.
Carter eased back, and I took a sharp breath at the shock of his body slipping from mine. He handed me a dishtowel and leaned forward to kiss me again, gently, and murmured, "Go take a shower and get dressed. I'll have breakfast ready."
I leaned against the cabinets for a long moment, watching as he cleaned himself up and pulled his pants back on, then washed his hands. Carter glanced back at me, eyebrow arched, with a question in his expression. I flushed, not wanting to admit that I wasn't entirely certain my legs would hold me if I tried to walk to the bathroom. And by the way a grin spread across his face, he wondered the same thing.
I cleared my throat as I wobbled upright and turned on my heel, though I kept a good hand on the wall just in case. "See that you do."
He laughed. I barely made it to the shower, leaning against the wall as steam filled the small room, and I closed my eyes against the hot water. The lion was like an addiction. Even after the savage pounding in the kitchen, I still wanted him. I wanted him to kick open the door and drag me out of the shower by my hair. My skin prickled as I brushed my nipples and down my stomach, and I chewed my lip ragged as I focused on washing my hair and getting my equilibrium back. Maybe him being a lion and generally an easy-going guy wasn't the problem. Maybe me wanting to spend every waking moment in his bed would be the problem. I scrubbed at my face and shut off the water. I needed to get my shit together. Natalia would know in a heartbeat that something was off, and while I valued her opinion and advice, part of me wanted to keep what Carter and I had a secret. As soon as it went public, something would change. I didn't want to lose him yet.