MyAlphaBillionaire New Adult Erotic RomanceARe

by Tawny Taylor

  “Sure. I’ll look at them. But it’s still your house, your money.”

  “Yes, mine.” His voice was soft, somewhat dreamy, as if he were thinking about something else, or somewhere else. Somewhere far away and wonderful. He cupped my chin and searched my eyes. “Do you still feel the way you did before, Bristol? Do you still want me to crave you?”

  “Yes, Shane. I do feel that way. Because I crave you, too.”

  He groaned and kissed me. Hard. Like his life would end at any moment and he couldn’t kiss me enough. His hands cupped my face, holding me in place so his mouth could claim mine. The kiss started as a ravishment, a rough claiming that made my toes curl and my heart thump. I slid my hands down his chest, feeling it swiftly rise and fall as he inhaled and exhaled. Within seconds we were writhing, our limbs entangled, our bodies heating.

  A moan of pure ecstasy bubbled up my throat and slipped between my lips. “Shane,” I whispered. “I love you.”

  Abruptly, he broke the kiss. His gaze drilled into mine. “What did you say?”

  In one instant my body turned to ice. I’d said those words too soon. Much too soon. Why had I done that? Why? “I…was just wrapped up in the moment.”

  His expression softened slightly. “Then you didn’t mean it? You didn’t mean what you said?”

  “I…” I had meant it. But what did he want to hear? I could lie and tell him I didn’t, but that idea didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t do it. “I meant it.”

  “Say it again.”

  “Shane,” I said as my heart hammered against my breastbone. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  He stood, swept me into his arms and carried me toward the dungeon. “I didn’t want to hear those words. Not from you. Not from anyone. But now, I can’t hear you say those words enough. Bristol, I love you. I. Love. You. And that scares the shit out of me.”

  Chapter 3

  My head was spinning. And it had nothing to do with how he was carrying me or how fast he was walking.

  He told me he loves me. Shane loves me!

  I was so happy I could barely hold back the tears. My arm was looped around his neck, and while he walked, I sprinkled kisses everywhere I could reach. His neck. His shoulder. His cheek.

  He pushed open the door to the dungeon and eased me onto my feet. Once I was steady, he stepped back and studied me thoughtfully.

  What would he do next?

  “You decide,” he said.

  “Me? Decide what?”

  “Tell me what you want.” He swept his arm in a wide arc.

  My gaze meandered around the room. There as the swing. That swing was intense. In a good way.

  Then there was the table. I liked the table a lot. I felt so utterly out of control on that table.

  Oh, and there was the kneeler. I’d had quite a bit of fun on that piece of equipment before.

  And then there was that…

  The big cross thing. Like a giant X, standing against the wall, with cuffs bolted to all four ends of the crossed boards. Two for ankles. Two for wrists.

  Up until this point, Shane had avoided using that one with me. I wasn’t sure why. But at the same time I’d been grateful. When I was really worked up, which happened pretty quickly with Shane, my knees got wobbly. I would have to stand up if he strapped my wrists in those cuffs.

  Shane followed the line of my focus. Putting on his serious dom face, he leveled a dark gaze at me. One side of his mouth curled. A buzz of electricity zinged through my body. “I like the way you think.” Without waiting for me to respond, he placed his hands on my waist and walked me toward the cross, one, two, three steps. When I was standing directly in front of it, he whispered in my ear, “Undress, minx.”

  He stepped back to watch.

  This was one of the most thrilling parts of the game. I didn’t want to rush it. I took my time removing my shirt. As one more inch of my flesh was exposed, the heat in his eyes intensified. So did the fire burning in my body. By the time I had the garment completely off, he looked so feral and dangerous, I could barely stand staring into his eyes. He watched with such intensity. I felt as if he were studying every minute movement I made.

  As I let my top slip from my fingertips and fall on the floor, he approached me. His fingertip traced a line up the center of my stomach, starting from my bellybutton. It climbed to my bra.

  “Say it again,” he murmured.

  “I love you.”

  His eyelids lowered. His mouth curved into a dreamy smile. “Again.”

  “I love you, Shane. I love you so much it hurts.”

  He opened his eyes and took one of my hands in his. “I didn’t think I would ever hear those words from you.” His gaze focused on my face, he kissed the tip of my index finger. “I don’t deserve your love.” He kissed the tip of my ring finger.

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because I’m screwed up. You deserve someone better than me. A lot better.”

  “Maybe I’m happy with you, faults and all. I’m not perfect either.”

  “Oh, yes. You are perfect. Everything about you is perfect.” Still holding my hand, he flipped it over and kissed my wrist. “This part is perfect.” Being silly, but adorable, he kissed a path up my arm to the crook of my elbow. “And this.” Continuing north, he kissed my upper arm then over my shoulder. “And this.” He kept going, kissing and nipping along my collarbone. “And this part too.”

  I giggled as he nibbled the ticklish spot at the base of my neck. The entire right side of my body tingled. He’d given me goose bumps. Again. He was really, really good at doing that. “You’re so silly.”

  “Am I?” Taking my wrists in his hands, he lifted them up and separated them out, pinning them against the boards behind me.

  I quivered, before he’d even started to cuff them.

  There was nowhere that I felt more alive than in this room with this man. My heart was pounding, my skin tingling, my senses all heightened. I waited, each second absolute agony, to see what he would do next.

  He started working on my pants, unbuttoning the fly and revealing an inch of skin at a time. His fingers were nimble, though he seemed to intentionally delay his progress as he pushed them down over my hips. It took a while, but the slow pace and his total focus made me that much warmer.

  How he looked at me. How he touched me. It was almost impossible to remain still. I wasn’t breathing normally. Instead of slow, shallow and steady breaths, I was gasping.

  When he had my pants off, he stepped back, smiled. “Perfect.”

  “I’m so glad you like what you see.”

  “I love what I see.”

  Love. My heart skipped a beat or two. Maybe even three.

  I felt my face heating up, my cheeks turning pink.

  “Ah, there’s that pretty flush.” He caught the center of my bra with his index finger and tugged. “Hmmm. I should have taken this off before I cuffed your wrists, I suppose. Oh well.” Moving so close, I felt his body heat radiating over my chest, he focused his gaze on mine. His hands skimmed around my ribcage to my back, found the hooks and, in a snap, had them undone. My breath caught in my throat. “Look. That flush has spread.” His dark gaze wandered lower, to my chest. My nipples pulled into hard, aching points.

  I whimpered.

  “Sshhh,” he whispered, looking wicked and sexy. He pushed the cups of my bra up, exposing my flesh to his eyes, his mouth, his hands. He took full advantage, as I knew he would. He pinched one nipple between his left thumb and index finger until the pain was as sharp as a blade, piercing my insides. Then he laved the other with his warm, smooth tongue.

  Pain. Pleasure. They blended inside me, swirling round and round, stoking fires ignited deep inside.

  How I loved his world. Dark. Dangerous. Sensual. In this place I could explore the forbidden. Without shame. Without guilt or doubt.

  My fingers curled into tight fists. My knees softened. I was melting. Already. Losing myself in ecstasy.

 
“There are so many things I want to show you, to teach you. This is only the beginning.” He scraped his teeth across my nipple, and my spine arched. Oh God, it was delicious agony.

  “Yes teach me. I want to please you.”

  “You do. In every way.” He flicked his tongue down the center of my chest, between my breasts. “The way you breathe pleases me.” His hands brushed down my sides, fingers spanning my ribcage. “The way you smell pleases me.” His tongue dipped into the shallow hollow of my belly button. “The way you tense beneath my touch pleases me.” Lower, he was moving lower, squatting before me. The tissues between my legs started to pulse with heat. “The way you writhe in ecstasy pleases me.” His hands curved over my hips, holding them in place. “Open your legs for me.”

  I widened my stance.

  “Wider.”

  I shuffled my feet farther apart.

  “Wider, Bristol. I need you open, wide open.”

  I moved them even farther apart. My inner thigh muscles burned. My arms—still fastened at the wrists in the cuffs—stretched.

  “Yes. Better.” His lips caressed my shaven mound. “Delicious.”

  I quivered. His voice was low and husky. It vibrated through me like an electrical current. My insides clenched as he fastened one ankle then the other.

  Bound. Both wrists. Both ankles. I was completely at his mercy now.

  What would he do? What delightful pleasures would he introduce to me now?

  One of his hands inched around to my wet center. The tip of one finger slipped between my nether lips to tease my clit. I would have crumpled to the ground if I hadn’t been shackled. My knees buckled, leaving all my weight to be supported by my cuffed arms. I straightened my legs right away.

  “Ah, you’re going to have to stay strong, minx.” He flicked that wicked finger over my clit again, and I locked my knees to avoid falling again. “That’s better. Now, let’s take it to the next step.”

  The next step. What might that be? The muscles in my thighs were twitching. My bones felt like mush already. And my insides…they were simmering. I was a mass of writhing desperation. I couldn’t be still, despite the chains.

  He stood, his big, hard body mere inches from me but beyond my reach. I could smell him. I could see him. I could practically taste him. But I could not touch him. It was so cruel. And thrilling.

  He stripped off his shirt. My gaze slithered down his flexing, muscular torso, bumped over his abs and stopped at the waist of his pants.

  “Are you ready to see more?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You’ll have to earn it.”

  I whimpered. “How?”

  “Answer one question. Answer it truthfully. What are you most afraid of?”

  I didn’t know how to answer that question. I’d never had to verbalize any fear. And talking about fear now--when I was so aroused--was an added challenge. My head was foggy from the need pulsing through my veins. “I…don’t understand.”

  “What are you most afraid of?” he repeated.

  “Death, I suppose.”

  “Death? Or dying?”

  “Both?” Why was he asking this now? Thinking about something so terrible was dragging me down, pulling me out of the moment.

  He unzipped his pants. “Why?”

  My gaze locked on the tiny vee of flesh his open fly exposed, and my heart started pounding again. “I don’t know. I guess I’m afraid it will be terrifying. Or painful. Everyone dies alone. Nobody can help me. Nobody can take the pain away or ease the process.”

  “If I could, I would. I would die for you.”

  My heart jerked at his words. The look on his face was sincere. He would die for me. He would take away my pain if it was possible.

  How many other people could say that to me? Would I believe them like I did him?

  No.

  “Shane, I know.”

  He pushed his pants down and stepped out of them, revealing his beautiful body to me, every inch of it. “I won’t let you die alone. I will be there.” He gripped my hair in his fist. “I’ll take every breath with you until you’ve taken your last. I’ll hold you until you’re not afraid anymore.”

  “Yes. I believe you.”

  “You’ll let me, won’t you?”

  “Yes, Shane. Yes.”

  He grasped my hips, stepped between my spread legs, and thrust his rod inside me.

  Oh, God. It was intense.

  Instinctively, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to focus on my other senses.

  “I promise,” he said as he slowly pulled out, “I won’t let you be afraid. Not ever. As long as I am alive, I will be at your side. Watching you. Protecting you. Providing for you.”

  If I could have, I would have wrapped my arms around him. The words he was saying were melting me. In a very different way than his deep strokes were. His smooth, sure thrusts were stirring the fires burning deep inside me, stoking them, making them burn brighter, hotter. But his words. Those beautiful, heartfelt words, were touching my soul.

  As I stood in place, unable to move, he kissed me, claimed my body and my spirit. He possessed me--body, mind and soul.

  There was no doubt in my mind. We belonged together. We belonged to each other.

  I surrendered.

  There was no reason to fight it. I wanted it all, the pain, the pleasure, the sadness and the joy. And for that I received a wonderful reward. I felt his climax deep inside. His rod widened. His thrusts became swift and rough. I tumbled over the crest with him. Our bodies worked as one, his pushing deep into mine, and mine pulling him deeper yet.

  I wasn’t afraid anymore.

  * * * * *

  “You did what?” Jill Staton, my best friend said, her mouth agape, her eyes bulging.

  “I told him I love him,” I repeated. We were in public, in our favorite coffee shop. It was a good thing there were a lot of people around.

  She had set down her hazelnut macchiato. She’d plunked it down hard. Her lips had thinned. “But you don’t love him. You don’t. You’re just having fun, enjoying his…” She glanced left, right. “…freaky games,” she whispered. “Sooner or later you’ll get tired of it all, and then what? Then you’ll be committed to something you can’t walk away from.”

  “I’m already committed,” I confessed over the rim of my cup. I was enjoying my skinny mocha, despite the hostility I was catching from my bestie. I knew she was thinking about my well-being.

  Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Committed? How? What do you mean by that? Are you…? Please tell me you aren’t marrying him.”

  “I’m not engaged to him yet. But I think he’s going to ask—“

  “Oh God.” Her face turned the shade of the foam on top of my mug. Now she didn’t look angry or worried. She looked…afraid. “I should’ve stepped in and told you everything sooner.”

  Everything? “Told me what?”

  “About his wife. The one who died.” She lifted her cup but set it back down without taking a drink. “I know this is none of my business, but I was worried. So I did a little checking. It was his fault, his wife’s death.”

  A chill burned up my spine. “How was it his fault? What are you suggesting? That he killed her?”

  “Not exactly. Well, sort of indirectly.”

  “What does that mean, indirectly?”

  “Dammit, I shouldn’t be telling you this. He should.” This time, when she lifted her cup she did take a sip. She stared into it. “Has he ever talked about her?”

  “Not really, and I haven’t asked.”

  “You should. That’s all I’m going to say.” She took another sip. “Tell him you want to hear the truth. All of it. The rest should come from him. I know you won’t believe it if it doesn’t. He should be telling you this stuff himself. I’ve been keeping quiet about it for a while now. I was willing to wait, to give him the chance. But it’s getting serious between you two now. If he doesn’t want to tell you what happened, then you should break it off. Trust me.�
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  Little hard lumps were gathering in my throat. I had to chug down half my mocha to clear them out. “You’ve got to be blowing this thing out of proportion.”

  “That’s what you say now. We’ll see what you think when you hear everything—if you hear everything. I suspect he’ll gloss over the uglier details.”

  What the hell was she trying to tell me? What the hell? I couldn’t help it. I was scared. And that made me feel guilty.

  After all, I’d just spent the night with Shane, telling him how much I trusted him. And showing him. In more ways than one. And here I was now, less than twenty-four hours later, questioning that trust already.

  But Jill believed I had a good reason to distrust him.

  Could I believe her?

  She was my best friend. She’d never lied to me about anything. She’d never stepped between me and a boyfriend before either.

  But, she also had major trust issues. She’d been abused as a kid. Sometimes I felt she didn’t even trust me.

  Then again, never before had she been as outspoken as she’d been with Shane. Lately I had wondered if there was a reason why she had been so opinionated about him, perhaps something she had known but hadn’t told me.

  Maybe it was this thing about his wife.

  “Promise me you’ll sit down and talk to him about her,” Jill repeated, giving me a please-listen-to-me look. “Don’t let him get away with a vague non-explanation, either. You need to know everything, before you make any drastic changes to your life. You deserve to know what kind of man Shane really is.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it,” I said before emptying the rest of my cup.

  “Promise?”

  “Yes, I promise.”

  “Good.” Jill took one last swallow of her coffee then set her empty cup on the table. She grabbed her purse and scraped back her chair. “Now, I’m going to take you out and have some fun.”

  Like I was in the frame of mind for fun? I followed her to the coffee shop’s door. “Out? You didn’t mention going out tonight.”

  She pushed through the door and clicked-clacked out to the parking lot. “Yes, well, I decided we need a ladies night out. We haven’t done anything together since you started dating Whips and Chains.” At her car, she pulled a big, exaggerated pout. “I’m feeling a little neglected.”