Mastering Rayne (Club Zodiac Book 4)

by Becca Jameson

  She dipped her head toward the floor. In a way, her omission was a bit of a white lie. He might not like it. But she wouldn’t blatantly lie to him either. Ever. Half the reason she didn’t want to get into a more serious relationship with him or anyone else was because then she could avoid the inevitable questions about her family and the probable lies she would tell. She swallowed. “Yes, Sir.”

  “You knew you were a bit of a masochist?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Huh.” That one sound told her nothing. It seemed to be more of an observation than anything else. “Turn around.”

  She did as he asked, putting her butt toward him.

  He stroked a finger over her enflamed skin. “Your bottom looks so very sexy all red and splotchy.”

  She actually wanted to see it for herself, but she didn’t tell him that.

  “Spread your legs.”

  She did so, gladly at this point. He had her totally aroused again. She needed to come.

  “Wider.”

  She complied. Thank goodness he held her steady with one hand at her hip or she might have swayed too far and lost her balance.

  He continued to drag the tip of one finger over her globes, dipping under them and then back up, leaving no skin untouched. Finally, when she thought she might self-combust, he let his finger slide between her legs. He stroked it through her folds without enough pressure, spreading her open but giving her no relief.

  Then he dragged that finger away from the sweet spot to her inner thigh.

  She held her breath.

  He tortured her with his finger, dancing it all up and down her inner thighs and occasionally grazing either her clit or her pussy lips. The few times he dipped the tip inside her, he withdrew it just as quickly.

  She was shaking, but she kept her lips pursed and did her best to control her need to purr.

  Wetness. So much of it. It trailed down her leg.

  How much time had gone by? She couldn’t keep track of anything. Every ounce of her concentrated on that damn finger, willing him to give her something more.

  She’d never been left hanging like this. That edge she’d pondered earlier, wishing she could hover at the precipice longer? Yeah, now she had a good idea what that felt like, and she wasn’t impressed. Her belly was a tight ball of nerves. She thought she might scream.

  He continued to stroke her. Everywhere and nowhere.

  Finally, she couldn’t take another second. “Please, Sir…”

  He gave her hip a squeeze. “Not a word. Stand still. Take it.” His voice was harsher than she’d expected. She couldn’t read it.

  Her knees started to shake. Her thighs quivered. Her stomach began to actually hurt. He was edging her. She knew the term. She’d never experienced it. She didn’t like it.

  Just when she thought she might literally collapse or perhaps even cry, he stopped, turned her around, and held her steady with his hands at her hips again.

  She was shaking hard.

  “Now you’ve been punished.”

  “Sir?” My God. Is he planning to leave me hanging? It seemed like she might die.

  He pulled her closer between his legs. “Apparently spanking will not work to deter you from anything, but now I know what will.”

  “Sir…”

  He shook his head. “Not going to let you come, Rayne. Not this time. If I did, you wouldn’t learn anything.”

  She glanced at the door. Was he planning to leave soon? She would easily masturbate, making herself come multiple times as soon as he left.

  He smirked. “I hadn’t planned to spend the night, but then again, I hadn’t imagined a scenario where I might have to punish you with orgasm denial either.

  “Half an hour ago, I intended to spank you, dress, and let you get some sleep. I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll climb into bed with you and hold your greedy fingers in mine all night.”

  She gasped. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “You did think it was a good idea to lead me to believe I could spank you as a form of punishment, though, didn’t you?”

  “Sir, I…”

  He lifted a hand to stop her. “Be careful, Rayne. Trust is the single most important part of a D/s relationship. It was one thing to omit that little detail. It would be another thing entirely if I caught you in a lie.”

  Her entire body jerked. He really needed to leave. Now. So she could regroup with herself and find her brain cells. Lying was something she loathed. It was also the reason she didn’t date. So she didn’t have to lie about anything.

  She began to panic.

  He must have sensed her fright because he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her middle. “Take a deep breath.”

  She hesitated, but then did as he asked, inhaling long and slow before exhaling the same way. She’d used that same approach many times in her life. Breathing deeply had saved her from numerous arguments with her father over the years.

  “It’s late, Rayne. Is there any reason you don’t want me to sleep in your bed?”

  She sucked her next breath in through her nose. “No, Sir,” she admitted. The truth was, it would feel amazing having him in her bed. She’d spent the night with other men before, but not often, and none had made her hum so thoroughly beforehand.

  “Good.”

  She cringed as her memory returned. “I need to leave the house early tomorrow, though.”

  “Then we better get to sleep so you’ll be well-rested.”

  She nodded, meeting his gaze, praying he didn’t ask her where she needed to be.

  He did not.

  There was a God.

  CHAPTER 7

  Rayne had secrets. Lots of them.

  Colin stared down at her sleeping form, admiring how damn sexy she was even in sleep. How had he known this woman for several years and never once seen this side of her? This sleepy, innocent side. Wrecked from several orgasms and then denial. If she hadn’t happened to walk into Roses and Thorns last night, a club where neither of them knew anyone, he still wouldn’t have found himself in this position.

  Fate?

  He wasn’t sure he believed in fate. He wasn’t even sure he believed in Rayne yet. He hadn’t questioned her about anything personal, sensing she needed time before she would come clean about whatever skeletons were hidden in this house. And there were undoubtedly a lot of them.

  All sorts of scenarios played out in his mind. None of them were pretty.

  He reminded himself that she surely hadn’t been abused or anything like that because if that were the case, she wouldn’t have kept the house after her parents were gone.

  He assumed at least one of her parents was dead, but he couldn’t even be sure about that. It was a mystery. And Colin was not in the mood for another mysterious woman with a locked closet. He’d been burned before. He knew after spending several hours with Rayne that he wanted to spend more time with her, see where things might go between them.

  On the flip side, he wasn’t sure how long he could go without knowing what was behind some of those privacy walls she kept up. Perhaps if he had never met Sarah, he wouldn’t be so skeptical now. But he had, and he was.

  He sighed, shaking thoughts of his ex-girlfriend from his head.

  As he closed his eyes, he recalled the way he’d followed Rayne into the bathroom and borrowed a toothbrush. He’d permitted her to use the toilet by herself, but he stood outside the door and told her to be quick. If she touched herself while she was in there, she did so very fast. It was unlikely.

  Besides, he didn’t think she was the sort of person who would blatantly disobey a direct order.

  She’d seemed nervous when he pulled back the covers on her bed and climbed in, reaching for her. She was still shaking as he covered them up and spooned her body.

  He’d asked her then if she was okay.

  She’d replied, “No. I need to come so badly it hurts.”

  He’d chuckled, smoothed the hair from her forehead, and kis
sed her temple. “Guess you won’t disobey me very often, will you?”

  “Colin…”

  He knew what she hadn’t said, that she didn’t see this relationship going any further. But she was wrong. They were totally going to repeat this evening. He just hadn’t told her in so many words yet.

  He needed to be careful and cautious. Not just because of his own hesitations, but hers. When a woman adamantly insisted she wasn’t available to date, there was always a legitimate reason, and often that reason wasn’t something he wanted to hear.

  But Rayne was under his skin. She was worth the effort. He would convince her to let him work her body in the gym for now. When she got more comfortable with him and found out he was a good guy, then he would swoop in and claim her.

  It was simple. Wasn’t it?

  It had taken her a while to stop squirming and fall asleep. Now, she was dead to the world. Colin, on the other hand, couldn’t stop his racing mind. He went over every detail of their hours together over and over again, dissecting the parts that warranted special attention.

  He kept coming back to the way her bottom had looked all pink from his palm while he teased her to the ends of the earth.

  His cock had been stiff the entire time. If she thought she was in pain from orgasm denial, she had no idea what it felt like to cockblock his own damn dick.

  Even after an hour watching her sleep, his cock was still stiff. He certainly wasn’t in a position to do anything about it, and he wasn’t the sort of man to be hypocritical. If he wasn’t going to let her come, he wasn’t a big enough asshole to masturbate in front of her.

  Besides, she’d probably like it. She had been a box of surprises all night. Starting with the moment she shocked him by entering the club and ending with her pleasure at being spanked for punishment.

  Fuck me.

  Taking several cleansing breaths, Colin looked around her dimly lit room to take his mind off his dick. He presumed this was her childhood room, though it had been redone at some point. It wasn’t a child’s room. The furniture—queen bed, dresser, nightstand, and armoire—were white. The bedspread was a light gray, and she’d tossed several colorful pillows off it to the ground when they entered.

  She had an attached bathroom that would make most people envious, though he didn’t believe this was the master bedroom. He’d love to explore the rest of the house so he could know her better, but that wasn’t going to happen. At least not tonight.

  Finally, he closed his eyes and forced his body to relax one muscle at a time. He would teach Rayne the same technique one of these days.

  He needed to stop thinking about a future with her in such certain terms. He could probably manage to talk her into spending time with him, especially under the pretense of learning self-defense, but he had no evidence she would ever permit a repeat performance of this perfect night.

  He would have to back off and give her space, not bring it up. Let her come to him after she learned to trust him.

  After you learn to trust her…

  Because in the end, trust was everything. Rayne didn’t trust people. He was sure of it. She had secrets she wasn’t willing to share with anyone, and he was someone. Someone who couldn’t live with that kind of silence for very long.

  He had no options here. Back off. Give her all the space. Make her see reason through his kindness and devotion. And wait for her to cave. It might work.

  It also might backfire and leave him devastated. Already he felt himself falling for her. If he fell any further, he was liable to get hurt.

  Rayne jerked awake. For a moment she was confused. About everything. The day. The time. Even the house.

  And then it all came back to her as she heard the shower running.

  Colin Wynne was in her house. In her bathroom. In her shower. She closed her eyes. This was bad. How was she going to get rid of him?

  She’d been crazy to bring him to her home. At the time, all she’d been able to think about was getting laid. He’d set her body on fire at the club, and she’d craved the relief he could provide. Another night alone with her vibrator had not sounded appealing.

  She moaned as she turned onto her stomach and smashed her face into the pillow. The sex had been amazing. It was impossible to deny. She had hoped to simply scratch an itch. Instead, she’d opened a Pandora’s Box.

  The thought of all his muscles dripping with water just a few yards away made her body come alive all over again. Her nipples were stiff points that she pressed into the bed. Her butt was deliciously sore from his palm. She was naked. She never slept naked.

  It had felt so good having him wrapped around her, with the exception of the fact that she’d needed to come so badly her legs were shaking. Even after multiple orgasms he’d managed to push her to the literal edge and leave her there.

  Damn, he was good. When spanking her didn’t work, he’d gotten creative in a way she would never forget. She shuddered again even now.

  When the water shut off, she flipped onto her back again and stared at the doorway. After a few minutes, he emerged. He had a towel around his hips. Low and sexy. His hair was damp and drips of water still trickled down his chest.

  She could stare at him for ages. If she could freeze this image, she would do so and be content for the rest of her life.

  He smiled as he approached her and then leaned over, planted his hands on either side of her, and kissed her lips.

  She melted, losing a few brain cells before he pulled back. “Sorry if I woke you. I need to get to a nine o’clock client. Sylvia likes promptness.”

  She returned his smile. “It’s okay. I have to get moving myself.” What was the proper protocol here? She felt awkward. Should she invite him to have coffee or something? He would be disappointed if he expected her to cook. It wasn’t her strongest character trait. Besides, eating breakfast wasn’t really her thing either. Nor was coffee.

  Yep. Entering the kitchen with him would be a disaster.

  He grinned and kissed her nose. “Don’t panic. I’m leaving. I’ll let myself out.” He shoved off the bed and grabbed his clothes from the floor. Without any care about his nudity—which she also admired—he dressed in front of her and then leaned close to touch his lips to hers again. “Call me. I’m serious about helping you set up a workout program and making sure you know self-defense.”

  She nodded. No way in hell was she going to work out with him scrutinizing her. He was out of his mind to think so.

  As if he’d read her mind, he shook his head and blew out a breath as he left. At the last second, he grabbed the doorframe and leaned back into the room. “Amazing night, Rayne. I mean it. I’m going to convince you to do it again soon.” And then, he was gone, which was good because she had no response.

  For a long time, she lay there, forcing herself to breathe. The best sex of her life. The best Dom she’d ever been with. And yet, she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t relationship material. God knew she’d tried to make things work with Rowen, but it never happened. She had baggage. She wasn’t ready to divulge her secrets. She doubted she’d ever be ready.

  Two hours later, Rayne walked into St. Joseph’s and headed for the front desk.

  The nurse who worked this shift every Saturday was friendly and kind. Her name was Suzette, and Rayne adored her. Suzette lifted her face as Rayne approached, her blond curls bobbing. “Hey, Rayne. How are you?”

  “Doing well. I’m running a little late today.”

  “No worries. No one will notice.”

  “Who am I seeing today?”

  Suzette stood and rounded the desk. “Edward, I think. I’ll head there with you.”

  Edward. “He’s the construction worker, right?”

  “Yes. Friendly guy. Should be an easy day for you.”

  When they reached the room, Suzette entered first. “Hey, Edward. Rayne is here to visit.”

  Edward turned around quickly from the window. He was frowning. “When are they going to have that barn finished out ther
e? It’s taking forever. If you need someone to talk to the foreman, I might be able to offer some suggestions to speed things up.”

  Suzette headed for the door, leaving Rayne to answer the question. “I’m sure they’re working as fast as they can. They’re probably just delayed because of the rain we’ve been having lately.”

  Rayne took a seat in the armchair and glanced out the window. Edward was correct. The barn was under construction. It was also behind schedule. She’d heard Suzette talking to someone about it a few weeks ago.

  Edward was still frowning. He harrumphed. “Should be done by now,” he muttered in a deep voice.

  Rayne nodded. “I agree. It’s frustrating. Do you ride horses? Are you looking forward to the stables?” Rayne didn’t know Edward very well. They’d only met a few times. But he seemed distressed this morning, which made her feel sad. She hoped she might be able to talk him into playing checkers or something to pass the time.

  Edward picked up a squishy ball and tossed it back and forth between his hands. He was wearing faded jeans, work boots, and a khaki shirt as if he were about to head to work when really he was in the inpatient wing at St. Joseph’s.

  The place was amazing. Rayne loved it. It was located on the outskirts of Denver and had enough land for the patients to roam around outside without getting lost. There was a small pond they could use for canoeing, and soon there would be horses and other animals in the barn.

  Rayne was as anxious for the barn to be finished as Edward. “Have you had lunch yet?” she asked. Rayne had come here with her father for several years before she moved to Miami, and after she returned to Denver, she continued in her father’s footsteps. Most of the patients probably didn’t remember her from one week to the next, but if she made anyone feel good for a few hours, it was worth it.

  “Yep. Burger. Fries. The food here sucks, though. I’d rather get a hotdog from a vendor on a street corner.”

  “Where are you from again, Edward?”

  He stood taller, losing the frown and grinning. “New York City, of course. Can’t you tell by my accent?”