Brand (The Donovan Dynasty)

by Sierra Cartwright

  “Stir fry. I wasn’t sure how long the power will last, so I figured I’d make us something to eat.”

  “Thank you.” He tucked back a wayward strand of her hair. As he did, he imagined it bound with rope and secured in a hog-tie. The thought of her bent in that exquisite arch was enough to make his cock hard.

  After toweling dry his hair, he followed her into the kitchen. “Wine with that?”

  “A red would be wonderful,” she said.

  While she tested a vegetable for crispness, he pulled out a bottle of merlot from the under-counter cooler then uncorked it.

  It hadn’t taken her long to find her way around the kitchen. And she’d put two place settings on the counter, complete with napkins. Just in case, there was a candle and a lighter nearby.

  She transferred the food to a platter and moved it to the island. He watched her all the while.

  He put food in Loopy’s dog dish, but when the thunder rumbled again, she dashed off to hide under the table.

  “Poor thing,” she said.

  “As soon as the storm passes, she’ll be hungry.” He washed his hands then carried the wine glasses to the island.

  She slid onto one of the bar stools and he took the other.

  Her tablet was in front of her and he saw that she’d been looking at a BDSM site.

  “Learn anything interesting?”

  She blushed and quickly turned off the screen.

  “Don’t.” He put his hand over her wrist. “I want to know what you’re looking at.”

  “An article on being a submissive.” She pulled back, shoved the tablet a few inches away then busied herself with filling their plates. “As well as some pictures of bondage.”

  “And?”

  “I’ll admit I’m intrigued by it.”

  “You’ve never tried it, correct?”

  She paused, holding the spoon above the serving dish. Her eyes were wide and her mouth open a fraction of an inch. Suddenly he couldn’t banish the idea of seeing her beautiful body secured with gorgeous hemp.

  “No, I haven’t. Some of the stuff is a little extreme for my tastes. The inverted positions, for example.”

  “After dinner, show me what you were drawn to?”

  She sucked in a breath. “You definitely unnerve me. I can’t say that I’ve ever looked at porn with a man before.”

  “I’ll happily be your first. Tell me about the article.”

  “Well, honestly, I saw bits and pieces from a few different sites. It seems odd that I got so much pleasure from the pain. And I wanted to learn more about the power exchange.”

  He said nothing.

  “You were right about endorphins. One person said it was like a runner’s high.” She grimaced. “Which is something I’d never know anything about.”

  “You can get it from a lot of things. Anything risky, edgy.”

  “Thank God.” She sighed. “Otherwise I’d never experience it.”

  He laughed.

  “It helped to realize that I’m not all that strange in liking it.”

  “I’d say you’re quite normal.”

  “You would. It’s in your best interest.”

  He shrugged in concession.

  She filled a plate and offered it to him. “But what I’m still struggling with is understanding other aspects, like service, genuinely wanting to please your Dom.”

  “Again, not all that different from a vanilla relationship.”

  “Meaning one that doesn’t have BDSM?”

  He nodded. “All good relationships have the element of genuinely wanting to please the other, wouldn’t you say?”

  “If not, they should,” she replied.

  “Take this for example.”

  She looked at him.

  “The meal.”

  “We both need to eat,” she said, as if dismissing her efforts.

  “But coming in from the weather, hungry, and not having to cook, is spectacular.”

  “Really, Cade. I love to do it. It’s something creative, but also mindless, if you know what I mean. It helps me unwind after work.”

  “And that does nothing to diminish my appreciation.”

  She looked away. “In that case, you’re welcome.” After spooning food onto her plate, she stuck her fork into a piece of meat then took a bite.

  She sighed in a way that reminded him of her orgasm.

  “Is this beef from the ranch?”

  “It is.”

  “I haven’t had anything this good in months. Succulent. Melts in your mouth.”

  “Glad you approve. You’re welcome to take some back with you.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded then took a bite of his own. “It’s not just the beef,” he said. “It’s your cooking.”

  They finished dinner and he insisted on cleaning the kitchen, not that there was a lot to do. “You’re not a messy cook.”

  “I learned early. I hate to clean up afterward.” She topped off their wine glasses.

  “Would you like to join me in the turret? It’s the best place to watch the storm.” And it was cozier, more intimate than the parlor or living room.

  “Is that where you spend most of your evenings?”

  “My study, generally. No matter how much I get done, there’s more needed.”

  “I’m happy to do some work of my own, or read a book.”

  He shook his head. “I’d enjoy the company.”

  The specks in her eyes brightened and he wondered if she were imagining herself naked in the window, as he’d suggested earlier. Sofia’s eyes were more revealing than she probably realized. “In that case, yes. Thanks.”

  “Grab your wine and bring your tablet as well. I’ll grab your duffel bag.”

  She glanced at the tablet then back at him before she picked it up. Once he had her bag in hand, she followed him out of the kitchen. Loopy jumped up and padded behind them, all but knocking them aside in her haste to pass them on the stairs.

  “Excuse her manners,” he said.

  At the end of the hallway, he opened the bedroom door. He’d rarely had a woman sleep in here with him, but he pictured her in his bed, hands secured over her head and attached to the iron headboard as she squirmed, silently wondering what he was going to do next.

  With abundant energy, Loopy raced ahead of them up to the turret, which was fine with him. After placing Sofia’s bag on the floor near the bed, Cade took his time following so that he could watch her hips sway. If she were his submissive, he would have instructed her to drop her clothes in his bedroom. Of course, if she did that, he may never give them back.

  This woman, with her curves, appealed to him on all levels. He appreciated her business savvy, her occasional sass, her ability to make herself comfortable in his family home. Especially, though, he liked that he was the first to touch her with a paddle.

  She curled up on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her while cradling the wine glass between her palms.

  He took a seat across from her, legs stretched in front of him. Thunder rumbled again, and Loopy wedged herself between the steamer trunk and the couch. Traitor. Generally, she stayed near him, but since Sofia’s arrival, the dog had been attached to Sofia. “Show me some of the pictures that you liked.”

  She put down her wine glass on the end table next to her.

  He noticed she was a little flushed, but she did what he told her.

  After touching a series of icons on the screen, she turned the tablet to face him.

  “It’d be easier if you came over here.”

  With obvious reluctance, she stood. He offered a hand for balance so she could safely step over the dog. Loopy cracked open an eye—or at least he thought she did—but she made no attempt to move out of the way.

  Sofia perched on the arm of his chair before enlarging a picture of a woman bound with rope and attached to a bed, spreadeagle.

  “Easy enough to do,” he told her.

  “It’s pretty elaborate, don’t you thin
k?”

  He looked up at her.

  “I mean, you could have the same effect with cuffs, couldn’t you?”

  “And a lot faster,” he agreed. “But bondage is as much art as it is restraint. Exposure. For some people, it can be cathartic.”

  “For the sub, you mean?”

  “For the Dom as well. It takes concentration. If I were doing it to you, I’d take my time to ensure it didn’t cut off your circulation. I’d want it to be strong, sturdy and beautiful. It requires patience from both partners.”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure if I’d have the patience. I think I mostly like it because it’s beautiful, as you say.”

  “I’ve been picturing you in a hog-tie.”

  “Really?” She met his gaze.

  “Red rope, with your coloring,” he replied. “Maybe purple, if you prefer it.”

  Her eyes were wide, fringed by impossibly lush lashes. The color he liked so well was darker than it had been earlier. “When you’re ready,” he said, “let me know. Show me more.”

  It took her a moment to refocus, as he’d hoped.

  She scrolled through a few pictures and he told her to stop on one. “That’s a hog-tie. See the arch of her back?”

  “It’s intimidating. I know it matters to you, but I’m not sure my body can do that. The models look as if they do yoga. Or something. Maybe they’re double-jointed.”

  “And they have plenty of experience,” he confirmed. “I have no expectation that I’ll be able to fold you like a pretzel on your first attempt. You’d look every bit as beautiful, I can promise you that.”

  She frowned. “It looks complicated.”

  “More so once I tie your hair into it.”

  Even more color seeped into her face. “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I’m not saying yes.”

  “But?” he prompted.

  “Maybe.”

  “Totally fair. There are other things we can do in the meantime.”

  She was so close he heard her breath catch. “Such as?”

  “I have a few toys in the steamer trunk.”

  Her eyes widened.

  He waited, watching her as she considered his unspoken invitation.

  It took her at least ten seconds to put down her tablet. Then she worked around the dog before leaning over to open the wooden lid.

  “In the plastic box.”

  She took it out, closed the trunk then put the box on top before taking off the lid.

  He watched her consider the contents. Finally she pressed her tongue to her upper lip.

  “Well, the handcuffs and blindfold are obvious. This…” She pointed to a slender silicone plug and broke eye contact.

  “Butt plug,” he said.

  “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”

  “Anal virgin?”

  She shifted in a way that told him she’d squeezed her buttocks. “Is nothing sacred?”

  “Do you really want it to be?”

  She glanced over at him. “No,” she whispered.

  “Then answer the question.”

  “Yes. I’m an anal virgin.”

  “Not even a finger?”

  “Cade…”

  “Sofia.”

  She inhaled. “Not even a finger,” she confirmed.

  “We’ll take care of that soon enough. If you were my sub, you’d have a plug up your ass most days. I’d want you thinking of me all the time, when you sat, when you walked. And I’d want you wondering when I was going to take it out, and if I were going to fuck you there because your ass would already be stretched open.”

  She didn’t blink. And he knew she was thinking of it, just as he was.

  “Being my submissive would mean you were always available to me, and I would make damn sure you wanted it as much as I did.”

  “I’ve never had a man seduce me in quite this way before,” she said wryly.

  “You have no idea how much that appeals to me.” Until her, he’d never played with a novice. His women had already been in the scene when he’d met them. He’d had no clue how enticing it could be to introduce someone to all the aspects he enjoyed, or how fucking turned on he would be to watch it unfurl for her. He didn’t expect that she’d like everything he suggested, but her willingness to offer her trust gave him a rush he’d never experienced. “The other thing is a Wartenberg wheel.”

  “It looks devilish.”

  He nodded. “As well as delicious. And potentially devastating. It’s all about the pressure, from a light tease to actually piercing the skin. Sensation play at its finest.”

  “You’re scaring me again.”

  “Give me your hand.”

  The storm still raging outside, rattling the windows in their casings, she reached across and offered her hand. He cradled it to hold her steady. Before he could touch the metal to her skin, she flinched.

  He tipped his head to one side. “Really?”

  “In my defense, I never said I wasn’t a coward.”

  “Hold still.” He gently traced it across her palm.

  “That was like a feather.”

  “Now a little more.” He did it again. Then again, then again, criss-crossing, using more force to leave behind a little trail of dots.

  “I could imagine that I might like that.”

  “On your nipples, I’ll bet. Show me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Take off your shirt and bra and tease yourself with it.”

  She opened her mouth but closed it without a sound emerging.

  “I’ll help.” He unbuttoned her blouse and took the pinwheel from her.

  She pulled off the blouse. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  Her bra was white, more lace than substance. “Pretty and feminine,” he said. And a nice contrast with her suitable black work pants and cowboy boots—something he would remember as he masturbated.

  He exercised control while she took it off. “Trade you,” he said, offering the wheel in exchange for her lingerie.

  The more he thought of it, the more he was tempted to keep her naked all the time. He’d never tire of looking at her body.

  Her nipples were already starting to harden as she brushed the metal spikes across the first.

  She sucked in a breath.

  “Nice.” The metal-on-skin image made him hard. Her nipple became taut as she moved over it. “Go harder.”

  “That’s mean.”

  “Harder.”

  She blinked at him but complied without further argument.

  Her body twitched beneath the pressure.

  “Now, my turn.”

  “I’m not sure I’m that brave.”

  “Yellow or hand it over. I don’t like arguments.”

  “Sometimes you’re a real hard-ass.”

  “Sometimes?”

  “All the time?” she guessed.

  “Anything else is a waste of energy.” He stood and held out his hand. After only the slightest of hesitations, she put the implement in it.

  Cade angled his body so that it was easier for him to cup one of her breasts.

  She murmured and closed her eyes.

  “Watch,” he told her. He made an X on the tip. The nipple got harder. “Now this.” He circled the nipple then the areola with the biting spikes.

  She put a hand around his wrist.

  He moved on to her other breast and her knees weakened.

  “I love it,” she confessed.

  “Is your pussy getting wet?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes closed.

  He made Xs over each nipple with more and more pressure until she began to whimper.

  “Cade…Cade!”

  He eased off and she exhaled a shuddering breath. “Very nice,” he praised.

  “That was incredible,” she said a few moments later, opening her eyes. “Better than I might have imagined.”

  “There’s a smorgasbord of things for you to try,” he said. “Some you�
��ll love, some you’ll like, others you’ll endure just for me.”

  She cast a glance at the butt plug. “That, for example.”

  “You don’t know that you won’t like it.”

  “I can guess.”

  “We’ll see.” He put the pinwheel down and picked up her blouse.

  With a small nod of thanks, she accepted. She shrugged into it, forgoing the bra. Then she returned to the couch. Loopy had never budged.

  “I’m curious about something,” she said.

  After he sat, he took a drink of his wine. “Go on.”

  “When I was looking at those websites and earlier when we scened… I don’t understand what you get out of it.” She fell silent, as if she was trying to put her thoughts in order.

  He waited.

  “What we did in the barn,” she went on. “I mean, I came, but you didn’t. And you said that some people never have sex.”

  “What do I get out of playing with you, specifically? Your pleasure is my pleasure. Watching your eyes widen or close, smelling your arousal, hearing your gasp, is heady stuff. The act of dominating a submissive—you—is its own reward.”

  She picked up her wine glass.

  “In BDSM, we talk about a power exchange. You give me control, but as the sub—my sub—you have the ultimate decision about what happens. The scene only lasts as long as you say. Your words, yellow and red, trump everything.” He crossed his ankles and waited.

  “I honestly had no idea it was this complex.”

  “It is. Conversely, it’s elegant in its simplicity.”

  “I hadn’t realized it had such emotional implications. That makes it sexier, I think.”

  Watching her, feeling her internal muscles convulse around his fingers, had given him an erection. His cock had been hard for two hours, throbbing and insistent.

  “So what we’ve done so far, is that enough for you?”

  He smiled. “Obviously I’d like to have sex with you. Fuck you hard. Watch you ride me, suck my cock.”

  Eyes wide, she regarded him over the rim of the glass.

  “But, yes. I will play with you, whether you want to have sex or not.”

  “And if we do?”

  “We’ll use condoms.”

  “That wasn’t my question.”

  He waited.