Brand (The Donovan Dynasty)

by Sierra Cartwright

“Ask permission before you suck me, unless I instruct you to do so.” He was looking down at her, his expression focused on her.

  It was as if no one else existed for him.

  “It’s better if you beg.”

  Even though it seemed somewhat bizarre to her, she asked, “Please?”

  He moved his cockhead over her cheek. When she turned to take him, he caught her chin and held her still.

  Her breaths were ragged, her thoughts confused. “Please may I suck your cock?” she asked. The longer he denied her, the more consuming her need.

  He touched her cheek with the silky-steel shaft. She opened her mouth, hoping for a drop of pre-cum, and she reached for him.

  “Hands behind your back.”

  She moaned in irritation.

  “Now.”

  After she sighed, she did as he’d said.

  He continued to torment her with his cock.

  She stuck out her tongue and he rewarded her by putting the underside of his shaft there for a second. Sofia pressed against it, but before she could do anything else, he moved away. Frustration warred with desire. She closed her eyes and told herself to enjoy what he was doing.

  He curled his hand into her still-damp hair and she opened her mouth even wider. It was unimaginable torture. She lowered her body a little so she could get a better angle only to have him confound her again. Then she knew what it would take. “I… Please let me suck your cock, Sir.”

  “Fucking perfect.” He dug his hand into her hair. “Open your mouth.”

  With her head tipped back, she did so, and he put his cockhead in. She sucked, licked, never ceasing.

  Her eyes began to water as he grew harder and took longer strokes.

  Measure by measure, she knew he was molding her into the submissive he wanted her to be. The one she suddenly wanted to be.

  He spoke to her in reassuring, wonderful tones. There was no place she would rather be in this moment.

  “Want,” she said, knowing he probably couldn’t make out the word.

  He stroked his dick and forced more of himself down her throat, making her gag, but she didn’t try to pull away.

  She felt him go still then his cock thickened even more before he came in her mouth, overwhelming her.

  Feeling greedy, she drank as much as she could, and when he pulled out, he left a trail on her cheek and chin.

  Savoring the sensuality of the entire experience, she stayed where she was until he offered her a hand up.

  He held her against him and she felt the thunder of his heart beneath her ear.

  Cade stroked her back, still muttering words she couldn’t make out, except she knew they were soothing and conveyed his pleasure.

  Eventually she moved away a bit so she could look at him. “That was another soul-shattering experience.”

  “Soul-shattering?” he repeated, with that trademark quirk of his lips.

  “Okay, maybe not. Maybe that’s a bit melodramatic. Soul-searing.”

  Stunning her, he kissed her. “You’re God damn hot, Sofia.”

  He left her to grab a towel from the linen closet. He dampened the material and blotted her face. “Tell me how in the hell I’m going to let you go home in the morning?”

  * * * *

  How in the hell am I going to let her go home in the morning? Damnation. Better question was, how was he ever going to let her leave?

  Cade shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.

  Even though he had known her only a short time, Sofia McBride was beginning to matter to him. He enjoyed her easy companionship, the constant influx of ideas about things he could do for the ranch, her confidence and her sexy slide into submission.

  For his entire adult life, he’d kept himself closed off from relationships. Then his father had died and Cade had isolated himself even more. Maybe Erin’s worry was justified.

  He rubbed the towel vigorously over his head, as if that could give him some clarity. Yeah. If only it were that easy.

  He pulled on a pair of lightweight sleep pants and a soft T-shirt then went into the bedroom. Though the quilt had been turned back, she wasn’t in the room.

  He noticed that the light was on in the turret, so he climbed the steps.

  Sofia was on the couch, her tablet in hand. Loopy, still a little damp, and considerably fluffier than normal, was wedged between Sofia and the trunk. The dog thumped her tail but didn’t get up to greet him.

  Cade was somewhat surprised by how much he enjoyed having the two of them wait for him. It was beyond normal. It soothed some of the missing pieces of his heart.

  As he’d suggested, Sofia had dressed in one of his shirts. “I like it when you do as I request.”

  “This?” She put down the tablet and touched the fabric near her shoulder.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s comfortable.”

  He took his seat across from her. “You reading anything specific?” he asked, indicating the tablet.

  “I was looking at a couple of websites.”

  “On?”

  “Bratting,” she said, glancing away.

  An appealing shade of red crept up her neck. Damn, he hoped she never lost that compelling air of innocence.

  “You told me to remind you.”

  “Well done.” At every turn, she amazed him. He’d also talked to her about a sub pleasing her Dom, and damn, she had that figured out. Of all the dozens of things she could be doing right now, from working, to chatting with a friend, to reading a book or playing solitaire, she’d concentrated on looking up something that mattered to him. “What did you learn?”

  She took a breath. “That it’s a type of behavior by a sub to get a Dom’s attention. Probably intentional, but it’s often playful, and not a serious type of disobedience.”

  “Go on.” He curled his fingers around the arms of the chair.

  “Some Doms seem to like that.” She met his gaze. “Others, not so much.”

  “Where do you think I fall on that spectrum?”

  “I’ve been wondering that,” she admitted. “You’ve brought it up several times, so obviously it matters to you. But, that kind of connection is part of my nature. After John married my mom, the house was filled with laughter for the first time. He’s a bit of a practical joker, and he’s always making puns. We groan and moan. But it created a lightness our lives had been missing and, well, with a wife and five girls, it probably saved his sanity.”

  “Five girls?”

  “Afraid so, me and my sister, Zoe. Then he and Mom had three more girls. When Zoe and I moved out, he might have thought he was getting a break, but one of my sisters just had twin girls, and they live at home, as well. There’s no testosterone in sight.”

  “I’m glad you told me,” he said. “It helps me to understand you more.” Unlike him, she didn’t seem concerned about sharing stories of her past. She saw them as part of the fabric of her life, embracing, rather than hiding them. He could learn from that…maybe.

  He hadn’t realized he’d lapsed into his head until she prompted him. “Cade?”

  “What you read is correct. Bratting is often a bit mouthy or flirtatious, but I will warn you that, at times, it will get you spanked or punished in other ways.”

  “Will I like it?” she asked.

  “You’re walking a tightrope, sweet Sofia.”

  “Am I?”

  His cock hardened and the need to dominate surged even though she’d given him a hell of a blow job a little while ago.

  She failed to heed his warning.

  Instead, she stood and stepped over the snoozing Loopy then sauntered across the room to him.

  “There are consequences,” he reiterated.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Bratting?” he asked.

  “That was sincere,” she assured him. “This is bratting.”

  She climbed into his lap, straddling him, facing him.

  “I’ve wanted to do this.” She pulled off the shirt and dropped it
on the floor.

  The tempting subbie wore no underwear or bra. His cock hardened.

  Sofia put her hands in his hair, leaned forward then kissed him.

  Since almost all of his relationships had strict D/s tones that he enforced, he wasn’t sure he’d ever had a woman do that. This woman, though, seemed determined to craft her own rules.

  He told himself to put a stop to it, or to at least take back control by issuing a few orders, but he was lost in her fresh scent and the feel of her moving her pussy over his crotch. “This is definitely bratting,” he assured her.

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered in his ear.

  “You hoping for a spanking?”

  Sofia pressed her breasts against him.

  “Or a fucking?”

  She moaned and started to grind her cunt on him, reminding him that he’d gotten off but she hadn’t. He could take care of that and punish her at the same time. “Offer me one of your breasts.”

  For a moment she ignored him, but when he pinched her thigh, she yelped and pulled back from him.

  The flecks in her hazel eyes were even more pronounced, and he wondered if that happened the more submissive she felt.

  She cupped her breast and lifted it.

  “Kneel up,” he said.

  She exhaled and he all but felt the heat of her frustration. Good. No reason for me to be miserable alone.

  He touched her nipple, toying with it until it hardened. Then he sucked on it. When she was moving her hips in a sex-simulating rhythm, he bit down slightly, making her cry out.

  But he smelled her instant arousal. God, she was something.

  After releasing her, he moved her and draped her over his lap. “Is this what you want, brat?”

  “Mmm.”

  He brought his hand down hard and she screamed. When he did it again, she tried to squirm away. “Stay still.” He massaged her skin to get the blood flowing, though he wouldn’t mind if she ended up with a couple of minor bruises, and he suspected she wouldn’t, either. He gave no quarter before spanking her again.

  “Damn!” She flailed.

  He trapped her legs between his then moved his knee to unbalance her again.

  She put her hands on the floor to steady herself. “Cade!”

  He was ruthless, raining blows all over her delicate skin.

  She cried out.

  “I asked if this is what you wanted.”

  “Yes,” she replied. “Yes.”

  What in the name of hell had he gotten himself into? This woman wasn’t just after his heart, she was entering his soul. He’d never known anyone this determined, this soft, this gentle. No one but her had been strong enough to persist with him, taking everything.

  He put his hand between her legs and fingered her cunt. “You’re soaked, naughty girl.”

  “Because of you,” she said, words tight and gritty, as if forced through her teeth.

  He lubed his finger with moisture from her pussy before forcing his pointer finger inside her ass. She tried to kick, but he held her fast. When she tried to push herself forward he snapped, “Move your ass back onto my finger unless you want my dick up there.”

  Her frantic cries didn’t dissuade him and he spanked her alluring buttocks hard to distract her. Then he raised a knee to force her backward, giving her no choice but to comply with his command. “Beg me to fuck your cunt and ass with my fingers.”

  As best she could, she turned to face him.

  Tears streaked her cheeks. Her hair was in tangles.

  “Beg or I let you up and send you to bed without an orgasm. I’ll tie you to the bed spreadeagle so you can’t draw your legs together and you can’t touch your desperate little pussy. Or maybe I’ll put the vibrator on you again.”

  “Cade!” she pleaded. “Sir! Please.”

  “Three seconds.”

  “Fuck my ass and my cunt with your fingers please, please. Now, do me now!”

  How could he resist?

  Her pussy got wetter and wetter as he plunged into her, impaling both holes with his fingers.

  “My God.”

  “Ask me to let you come.”

  Sofia’s body shook and perspiration drenched her. He’d never seen a woman get this aroused from a simple spanking and finger-fuck.

  She moved her head from side to side, dragging her hair on the floor. “I…”

  With his free hand, he gave her six stinging slaps.

  She responded by thrusting her hips back and crying out his name. “I’m going to—”

  “Oh, hell no, you’re not. Not without permission.”

  Her tremors became more pronounced, her words less intelligible.

  “Ask,” he snapped.

  “Please let me orgasm, Cade. I’ll die without one.”

  “Try again.” He pulled out his fingers slightly.

  She squeezed him with her pussy. “I beg you. Please.” Her body rose as she took a breath. “I’ve learned my lesson, please let me come.”

  “That’s a good girl.” He fisted her hair and pulled back her head a little, holding her in place as he inserted a third finger into her pussy and drove in and out. “Now come for me.” On his next ferocious thrust, he spread his fingers.

  She screamed and collapsed, her entire body shuddering.

  He released his grip on her hair and kept her pinned in place until the final tremor shook her.

  Once her body had relaxed, he moved his leg then gently helped her up into his arms, cradling her.

  “That’ll teach me.”

  He was afraid it wasn’t the lesson he wanted her to have. Though she generally disliked aftercare, this time, she stayed where she was, safe. Secure. “Stay,” he said to her. He hadn’t planned to extend that invitation, but in that moment, nothing seemed more natural. He wanted to spend tomorrow night with her. And the night after.

  With a hand on his chest, she moved back a little so she could look at him. “I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

  “Were you planning to go home tomorrow night?”

  “To Houston? No. But I was planning to spend the day working at the Corpus Christi branch then spending the night with my family before heading back to the main branch.”

  “Would they be disappointed if you didn’t sleep over?”

  “It might be a bit of a relief for them, actually. Right now, the house is a little cramped.”

  “So where do you sleep?”

  “On the couch. Which typically works fine until the twins wake up in the middle of the night.”

  “I know the ranch is a hell of a drive from Corpus Christi and the opposite direction from Houston, but I’d enjoy it if you’d spend the night here again.”

  Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly parted. She knew what he was asking—for something more than they had. And he’d guessed she was smart enough to hesitate. What he hadn’t known was how much her answer mattered to him.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Join me?” Cade offered, pulling the pillow off her head.

  “Could you be any more obnoxious?” she asked.

  Dawn had to be at least an hour away but that hadn’t stopped him from climbing out of bed and turning on a light. No matter how gorgeous he was, she wasn’t amused.

  “I’ll go without you,” he threatened.

  She snatched the pillow back. “Where are you going?”

  “Outdoor bathtub.”

  She heard the linen closet open. Curious, she removed the pillow. He walked back into the room carrying two towels, and she noticed he was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

  “Don’t you mean hot tub?”

  “No. Bathtub. You fill it up for every use. No chemicals. Cooler water, tepid if you want it. Feels nice this time of the year.”

  She propped herself on to her elbows. “Where is it?”

  “In the courtyard. Behind the grape arbor. Move your tush or miss out. I’d think you’d appreciate a soak before sitting in the car all day.”

  The reminde
r of his fingering, the plug being up her ass for half the day yesterday and the spanking made her drop back down onto the bed.

  Relentlessly, he yanked the sheet off her.

  “I’m never spending another night,” she threatened.

  “The night’s one thing,” he said, a smile twitching at his lips. “But you’re threatening to spend the morning, too.”

  “Christ, Cade, it’s not even dawn.” But damn it, she couldn’t resist him. Not his smile, not his demands, not his invitations. Even before the sun came up.

  He extended a hand. “Last chance.”

  His voice had dropped an octave and she understood that he was threatening action if she didn’t comply. Her butt was still sore from yesterday. “Fine.” She accepted his hand.

  He helped her from the bed and drew her to him.

  For a moment, she basked in his strength, warmth, masculinity. He was starting to matter to her. Too damn much.

  “Are you always so pleasant in the mornings?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll let you know when it’s actually morning.” Ignoring his laughter, she slipped away from him and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

  The sight of her reflection in the mirror made her open her eyes wide. Her hair was a fright, as if she’d had a raunchy night. Her skin had a few red spots. Light abrasions from his goatee? Slight shadows from lack of sleep bruised her eyes. Overall, she looked like a well-fucked woman—she made a face—or submissive?

  Which was she? A woman or a submissive? Both?

  “I said move it!” he called from the other side of the door.

  “Yes, Sir,” she returned, surprised by how easily that rolled off her lips and how much she enjoyed saying it.

  When she emerged from the bathroom, he was nowhere in sight. Barefoot, she headed down the stairs.

  He was brewing coffee and he’d put on the kettle for tea. “That was thoughtful,” she said.

  A few minutes later, a fluffy-looking Loopy padded in. Cade poured kibble into her bowl, but Sofia couldn’t take her gaze off the dog’s flyaway fur.

  “She looks as if she’s been shocked by electricity or something.”

  “Humidity. Maybe I should have used some conditioner on her.”

  “Seriously, she looks as if she’s twice the size she normally is. Which is saying something.”