by Mari Carr
“Sam? What is it? Is Silas okay? Shit, I should have called. It’s just…”
Leah looked up, concerned. Everyone at home knew about the injury Silas had received in an oil-rig explosion in Alaska. She’d seen Sawyer’s oldest brother a few times since his return to Compton Pass. Enough to know that while his injuries were serious, they weren’t life threatening. At least, she hadn’t thought so.
Sawyer chuckled at Sam’s response and set her mind at ease. He mouthed the words “butt dialed” to her, and she laughed.
“Twice? Talented ass you’ve got, bro.”
“Give the poor guy a break,” she teased him softly.
“I’ll call you in the morning.” Sawyer paused. “You’re sure everything’s good?”
Leah watched as Sawyer’s grin grew. Clearly time and distance hadn’t changed the close relationship between the brothers. She was glad.
Sawyer rolled his eyes. “Don’t you worry about my cock, okay?”
Leah glanced down and raised her eyebrows suggestively at the unmistakable outline of his erection through his jeans. She licked her lips.
“Damn. Gotta go.” He hung up the phone, silenced it and threw it on a chair in the corner. When he looked at her again, she forgot every reason, every concern she had about coming up to this room with Sawyer.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
He didn’t pause, didn’t waste a second considering her request. The moment the plea was issued, he was there—his lips claiming hers, conquering, possessing, overpowering her senses. His hands cupped her face, holding her in place as he plundered her mouth with his tongue. His teeth lightly nipped her lower lip and she moaned.
A shudder of need rumbled through her body as she grasped his waist, allowing the door at her back to support her weight as Sawyer gradually wiped every conscious thought from her mind. He was painting erotic, hungry pictures.
He broke off the kiss before she was ready. She moved her hands to his head, trying to draw him back to her. He didn’t budge, didn’t give in to her silent request.
Instead, he grasped her wrists. “Put your hands down.”
She tried to shake off his grip, demand that he kiss her again, but his voice stopped her.
“Put them down, Leah.”
Her eyes were starting to adjust to the dim light, and it allowed her to see his features more clearly. It was disconcerting—this near blindness—but it was also freeing. It made it easier to talk to him.
Sawyer slowly lowered her arms. “We’re going to have to work on your inability to follow simple commands.”
She scoffed, the sound escaping before she could think better. She’d never given any man power over her and, despite her desires, it was going to be hard to place herself in someone else’s hands, especially Sawyer’s. She’d come here looking for a stranger. Someone to indulge her fantasies and then disappear come morning.
“I see,” he replied. “That resistance could be a problem.”
“I told you that downstairs. You could have had your pick of any woman at this party. Why would you choose this power struggle? We know way too much about each other. There’s no way it will work.” Regret suffused her the moment she spoke. Despite what common sense was telling her, she wanted everything Sawyer could offer.
“You’re wrong, and it’s time you stopped evading my question. Why are you here?”
She couldn’t find a suitable reply, one that would mask the truth sufficiently. Instead of trying, she simply repeated his words back to him. “Why are you here?”
“Leah.” His tone was laced with warning.
“I’ll answer. I swear I will, but it’s not that easy for me. We’re friends, Saw. But just because I’ve known you my entire life doesn’t mean I’m comfortable revealing my most secret desires to you. Maybe if you went first…”
“I’ve missed you.”
She frowned. “What?”
“We used to be really close. I’ve missed talking to you.”
“I wrote and called. We did lunch whenever you were home.”
He frowned. “A dozen meetings, broken up by phone calls, emails and those damn letters from the kids don’t count. I missed hearing your voice, seeing your face every day.”
He’d missed her. It was a sweet admission, one she hadn’t expected to hear.
Back in school, she’d spent more time with Sam because of their class schedule. She and Sam were in the honors courses, while Sawyer tended to excel at the electives—gym, shop class. Their paths simply didn’t cross that often during the day.
Instead, she and Sawyer had found time to hang out after school. Sawyer had been a regular in the diner where she worked and on days when she was off, they’d stroll around Compton Pass or roam around his family’s ranch—just talking, dreaming about their futures.
In some ways, she’d found it easier to hang around Sam. He was less intimidating, less threatening to her well-being. Not that she’d ever been afraid of Sawyer. He was just too…too…
God. He was too everything.
“I missed you too.”
Sawyer ran his finger along her neck, dragging it over her cleavage. Her eyes drifted closed, enjoying the warmth and sensuality of his simple touch. “Wanna know a secret?”
“What?”
“I always thought you liked Sam more. You two had a lot more in common than you and me.”
She shook her head. “God no. I mean, Sam’s a nice guy, but…” She paused, trying not to insult his twin.
“You don’t want nice either, do you, Leah?”
“Of course I do.”
He pinched her nipple. The rough touch was completely unexpected, yet it set off an earthquake of desire in her body. She threw her head back, hitting it against the door hard enough that she saw stars.
“Ouch.”
Sawyer chuckled.
She narrowed her eyes. “That was mean.”
He gently rubbed her scalp. “I know. Want me to do it again?”
She laughed at Sawyer’s brash sense of fun. Her life had been too serious for too long. This time with him was a welcome reprieve, even if her expectations for the party had taken a dramatic turn from what she’d planned.
“You like the pain?” he asked.
She let her silence answer the question. Hopefully it would be enough and again she was grateful for the darkness. A natural redhead, she had the tendency to blush often. Heat crept to her face as she considered all the things she wanted.
She took a deep breath. “I have a tendency to attract rather weak-willed men.”
Sawyer didn’t laugh, though she could tell he wanted to by his sardonic response. “I wonder why that is.”
“If you’re insinuating that I’m a control freak—”
“Sam calls you a force to be reckoned with.”
She sighed. “I’m sure he does. I’m tired, Sawyer. So freaking exhausted.”
“Of what?”
“I’ve been working since I was twelve. Do you know what I used my babysitting money for?”
Sawyer shook his head.
“It went toward paying the electric bill. As soon as I was old enough to wait tables with my mom, I started working at the diner. My mother insisted I was going to have a better life than her so whenever I wasn’t waitressing, I was studying so I could get a scholarship to go to college. I had two jobs while I was at the university. After graduation, I went to Compton Pass and started teaching. I’ve spent my whole life working, trying to take charge of my destiny, so I didn’t end up stuck in the damn diner forever.”
Sawyer’s hands engulfed her waist. She wasn’t sure how that simple touch could convey so much, but it comforted her.
“I’m sick of being reliable, boring, a good girl.”
“So what’s the answer? You don’t want to work anymore?” he asked.
She held up her hands. “Oh no, that’s not what I’m saying. I love my teaching job. My kids are my life, and I couldn’t leave them. I’m not tired of wor
k, just my sex life. Everyone at home knows me. Knows I’m…”
“Sweet?” Sawyer supplied the word too quickly and she tried not to groan at his assessment. If one more person called her sweet tonight, she’d scream.
“Apparently, that trait tends to attract men who are looking for a mommy figure. I take care of kids all day. I can’t come home at night and do more of the same.”
She closed her eyes and tried to erase the image of her last three short-term boyfriends. Men content to let her decide where they would go for dinner, to lead the conversations, even to be the aggressor in bed. It was like they were afraid to touch her lest they offend her delicate disposition. Ugh.
“I’m still waiting for the BDSM explanation,” Sawyer prompted.
She swallowed, and then decided a half truth was as good as a whole. “My college roommate, Stacey, called a few months ago to tell me about her new boyfriend. She was the girl you met downstairs.”
Sawyer nodded, but didn’t interrupt.
“She told me about Bill, about how he’s a Dom. She talked about their sex life a little bit, and I realized she was describing my fantasies.”
Sawyer grasped her hand. “You want someone else to take the reins in the bedroom.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Only in bed?”
Leah wondered if this would be a sticking point with Sawyer, then she decided that ultimately her answer didn’t matter. Even though they were both from the same hometown, it wasn’t like they saw each other often. Hell, Sawyer was away with the Coast Guard at least ninety-nine percent of the year.
This wasn’t a date. It was a one-night stand. “My personality is pretty much set in cement. There’s no way I can allow someone to manage my life outside of the bedroom.”
He grinned, and she sensed her answer pleased him somehow. “So I guess there’s only one question that remains.”
“What’s that?”
He grasped her hands and raised them. Holding them against the door by her head, he moved closer, trapping her lower body with his. She was completely at his mercy, and she loved it. She pressed her legs together in search of some sort of relief. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been this horny in her life. With one quick aggressive motion, Sawyer sent her body spinning into orbit.
He moved nearer—something she would have thought impossible given their proximity. He rested his forehead against hers. “Why haven’t you tried BDSM before?”
She shook her head. “I live in Compton Pass. Before tonight and with the exception of the exploits of you and your brothers, I would have called it the Vanilla Capital of the World.”
Sawyer chuckled. “Guess you’ve never caught any rumors about the hands on the ranch. You are a pleasant surprise, Leah.”
She snorted, the familiar teasing they used to indulge in returning. “Guess you should have been paying better attention in high school. Just think. I was right under your nose all those years, and you didn’t even realize I was a girl.”
He bent down, his hot breath teasing the sensitive skin of her cheek. “You’re wrong. I noticed you.”
She licked her suddenly dry lips as his tongue darted out to touch her throat lightly.
“Your heart’s racing,” he whispered.
She nodded once.
“Scared?”
She frowned. “No.”
“Nervous?”
Hell yeah. Unfortunately her pride was as strong as her curiosity. “No.”
He kissed her softly. “Liars get punished.”
She swallowed deeply, wondering if punishment would be such a bad thing if Sawyer was administering it. Then she decided not to test him…yet. “Maybe a little nervous.”
“Are you excited?”
Christ, that seemed to be an understatement in regard to her current state. She was keyed up, enthralled, and far too eager for what came next. When she’d climbed the stairs with Sawyer, she’d been equal parts annoyed and terrified. Given the stories Stacey had shared about her experiences with Bill and the few things she’d seen downstairs, Sawyer’s treatment of her had been far kinder than she’d expected. He’d talked to her, given her a chance to put her thoughts in order, while slowly accustoming her to his touches, his soft kisses, even the pinch. He was gentling her like she’d watched him do with the horses on his family’s ranch.
“I want you,” she whispered.
“Good.” He took a step back and pressed on her shoulders, applying downward pressure until she had no choice but to kneel. He ran a single finger along her face. Without a word, he managed to get her into a subservient position. Arousal dampened her panties. So far, so good. Her body temperature rose rapidly.
“Open my pants,” he said. “Take my cock out. Run your hand along it, but don’t touch it with your mouth.”
It was too dark in the room and suddenly she wished there was more light. She would like to see Sawyer’s handsome face and the hard flesh he’d pressed against her stomach.
She unfastened his zipper. Tugging on the denim, she dragged it to his knees.
He went commando.
So hot.
She grasped his erect cock, surprised by the heat emanating from him. He was long and thick and her mouth watered at the thought of taking him between her lips. She wished she could find relief, and she wondered if Sawyer would notice her touching herself. Of course he would. He saw everything where she was concerned.
She recalled her purpose, tried to suppress her immediate needs, and forged on. Wrapping her hand around him, she studied his girth as she stroked him. Leah marveled at Sawyer’s command of his own body as she touched him. While she felt like a kettle about to boil over, he stood in stoic silence as she explored his flesh. The devil in her prompted her to ratchet up the play, to try to provoke a response. She cupped his balls, squeezing slightly before gripping the base of his cock harder. With her other hand, she teased the mushroom-shaped head, rubbing her finger through the drops of pre-come she found there. She longed to taste him, to make him groan. She closed her hand tighter as she dragged it along his turgid flesh.
He didn’t make a sound as he lifted his hands from her shoulders, placing them on either side of her head. His fingers tangled into her hair, and she closed her eyes when the pressure built. As she increased the force on his cock, his hands tightened—her only hint that he was as captivated by this moment as she was.
“Pull my hair,” she whispered, her tone pleading.
He complied, increasing his grip until she shuddered at the delicious pain. She was slowly going out of her mind with desire. Her pussy fluttered and her nipples ached for the same rough touch. She leaned forward and opened her mouth, pulling his cock toward her lips.
She was a hairsbreadth away from taking him into her mouth when Sawyer forcefully pulled her head back, depriving her of her treat.
“I told you not to touch me with your mouth.”
“Please,” she whispered. She needed him to make her feel alive. She was tired of being alone, of being an empty shell.
His hands cupped her face and tilted it until she had no choice but to look at him. “Give yourself to me.”
She faltered. “What?”
“You haven’t given up control yet. You’re still fighting me. Trying to call the plays. Do you believe I’ll make this good for you?”
She nodded. She didn’t even need to think about his question. She trusted Sawyer implicitly.
“Then prove it.”
As she looked into his dark eyes, the tiny part of her Sawyer had claimed when they were kids grew. This wasn’t good. She was here to fulfill the needs of her body, not her heart.
She hadn’t come into this club tonight looking for love. She’d been searching for a sexual fantasy. That was all.
She put away her silly, soft emotions and forced herself to return to the original plan. Suddenly what had been so embarrassing to say earlier came easier. It was certainly less revealing than confessing that she was completely infatuated wi
th him. “Tie me up. Render me helpless. Spank me, use me, take me hard.”
Make me feel something.
God, make me feel anything.
He paused for a moment and she feared she’d gone too far. Then he grinned. “Yep. Better than eight seconds.”
Chapter Two
Sawyer’s head swam as he considered Leah’s racy invitation. He’d spent every minute in her presence struggling to keep a cool head…and body. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was about Leah Hollister that captured his attention and held it so tightly, but he’d watched the fiery redhead with far too much lust for years.
She’d always been a sweet girl and a good friend to him. Once when he’d had the flu during their junior year, she’d come to visit and snuck him a dessert from the diner. After she left, JD had claimed she was a rose in a field of dandelions. That image had stuck in Sawyer’s mind.
When his gaze landed on her beautiful face downstairs, he’d vowed the night wouldn’t end without her tied to his bed.
Sawyer looked down at Leah’s upturned face, as she waited patiently for his next command. His too-hard cock thickened even more. She was giving herself to him. He wouldn’t abuse her faith in him.
She licked her lips once more, her gaze dropping to his cock. He grinned. She really wanted this, wanted him. He moved closer, missing her touch, her warmth. “Take me in your mouth.”
Leah obeyed without hesitation. Her hunger was evident when she took him to the back of her throat in two deep passes.
He held her still as she moved quickly, her motions almost erratic in her haste to consume him. “Easy, rose. We have all night.”
He grasped her long auburn hair tighter, relishing the softness. With a firm grip, he directed her movements, slowing down each entry and retreat. While his cock was ready to blow, he wasn’t about to give in to that need. Tonight was about Leah and letting her explore her untried fantasies.
However, it seemed likely they’d both be granted a wish or two. He’d had more than his fair share of sexy dreams about the woman currently blowing him into oblivion.
When his cock brushed the back of her throat again, she swallowed the head. It was time to call a halt before he passed the point of no return. He took a step away, repressing a groan when Leah followed his motion, refusing to free him.