This didn’t come as much of a surprise to Keith. He’d heard rumblings before he’d left the office, but he’d been too intent on getting to Kat to stay to hear the details.
“So did I, but an informant in another case gave up some juicy intel. Jordan had a hush-hush meeting with Elizabeth Alder today.” Malcolm lifted his gaze and regarded Kat with a somber expression.
Keith understood the implication of Mal’s look. A meeting with her boss meant that warrants had been requested or a battle strategy had been hatched, or both. With her safety in question, the risk factor had officially increased, especially since a large break like this could pull dozens of people from other, less important cases. Like hers.
Malcolm continued. “Keith and I are both active in this case. We have to be there this weekend, which means you can either stay with Darcy or stay with Mom and Dad.”
Kat sidled a troubled glance in his direction that he interpreted to indicate she didn’t want to be away from him at all, but she understood what it was like to be with an agent. Then she grinned at Darcy. “Sounds like a girls’ night out to me.”
“In,” Keith corrected. “Girls’ night in. You guys can paint your toenails and watch chick flicks.”
Both Kat and Darcy cast affronted looks in his direction. He didn’t understand what he’d said wrong.
Kat licked her lips. He followed the tantalizing move and vowed to kick Malcolm out as soon as possible. He wanted to see her pink tongue wrapped around his dick, her naked pussy perched over his face. “You have no idea what women do when men aren’t around, do you?”
The visions that leaped into his head probably weren’t the visions she’d intended.
Across the table, Malcolm frowned. “I’m not sure we want to know.”
But Darcy had already moved on. “We can invite Layla and my sister Amy. It’ll be fun.”
The two women exchanged smiles. Malcolm looked exceptionally pleased that his fiancée and his sister were bonding. He’d only begun bringing Darcy around a few months ago, and it was important to him that she become friends with those closest to him.
For the first time, Keith’s apprehension fled, and he regarded Darcy as a full member of his family.
But he noticed that Kat never fully relaxed.
__________
Keith closed the door behind Malcolm and Darcy. The sharp click of the dead bolt echoed up the stairwell. Kat jumped at the sound. Her nerves had been on edge throughout dinner, growing markedly shakier as time passed. She knew Darcy didn’t plan to say anything to Malcolm until her deadline elapsed, so he didn’t understand why she seemed to be unraveling before his eyes. Did the possible fallout from revealing their relationship to her brother really cause her so much emotional pain? It distressed him to see her upset like this. He had to do something about it.
“I want to see you kneeling naked on your bedroom floor in five minutes.”
Her chocolate gaze rose when he began speaking, but then it dropped off and fastened on the steps to her left. “Keith, I’m really not in the mood for—”
Pressing his finger to her lips, he cut the flow of her weak protest. “Your wishes are inconsequential right now. Time’s ticking. Four and a half minutes left.”
He kept his tone gentle. The countdown wasn’t fair or accurate, but that mattered little. She needed this. Her emotions were rioting out of control, and it fell to him to help her deal with them. It was less a matter of her wishes being inconsequential than it was that he understood what she needed.
She didn’t say anything more as she turned away and climbed the stairs to the main floor. His order hadn’t calmed her one bit. It would take time and experience for her to realize he had her best interests at heart. This was new territory for him. In the past when he’d given an order like that, he really hadn’t cared what his submissive wanted. Guilt washed over him at the thought of the callous way he’d treated the women who’d given themselves to him. To a certain extent, he’d drowned in them the same way he’d once escaped into the bottom of a bottle. No more of that. He bid a final farewell to that hollow existence. Kat had opened his heart, and he was discovering the depths of caring and generosity he’d long ago locked away.
Slowly he followed the melancholy shadows of her recent path. The kitchen and dining areas were clean. Darcy and Malcolm had helped with that before they left. He liked that Darcy didn’t hesitate to pitch in and help with dishes. Malcolm and Kat had been raised that way. Keith’s parents hadn’t cared about cleaning one way or the other. His nearly obsessive fastidiousness was a reaction to the chaos and filth of his youth.
He checked all the windows, as he did every night, closed the living room curtains, and shut off the light. Then he freshened up in the guest bathroom. His bag of tricks was in the hall closet. He extracted a coiled length of rope, but he didn’t need anything else from there. Tonight Kat needed to know she belonged to him more than she needed the escape a bit of prolonged pain might offer.
Though he was early, he found her kneeling obediently as he’d ordered. A visual sweep of the room confirmed that she’d closed the curtains to ensure their privacy. He crossed over to her slider to check that the door leading to the balcony was locked behind those heavy drapes. Then he checked the single window.
After turning around, he paused to study her. She faced a little to his right, so he had a three-quarter view of her body. She sat with her bottom resting on her heels, knees spread, and her hands were clasped behind her back. Her steady gaze didn’t waver from a point on the floor just in front of her body. She trembled, and he figured it was equal parts nerves and the effort of holding that position.
When he felt her nerves had stretched nearly to the breaking point, which didn’t take long, he strolled across the room. He stopped and stood with one foot on either side of her leg. She quivered from the effect of his nearness, but she didn’t move. Wordlessly he reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. He shifted, putting his leg in closer proximity to her head, and urged her to rest her cheek against his thigh. She exhaled and relaxed, immediately surrendering to his will. The sweetness of her body heat radiated through the material of his pants. He’d never seen such beauty in submission, such grace and trust, as he saw right now. She stole his breath.
And so he sat there for a few minutes and let the simple essence of their combined existence wash through him, cleansing away the accumulated cynicism and filth that came from a lifetime of living in the dark. He ached to tell her that he loved her, but the words stuck like sand in his throat. Baby steps. He couldn’t let his insufficiencies affect her. Right now, she needed his strength.
“Submission isn’t just about power or possession. It’s the ultimate show of trust.” A confidence he’d falsely held until now. “It’s also about having the security of knowing you can and will rely on me to see to your needs. Do you know what you need, my Kitty Kat?”
She didn’t tense a muscle or otherwise shift, and when she spoke, her voice was laced with sadness. “No.”
He stroked his hand down her hair again and again, tucking stray strands behind her ear. “You need to stop pretending this isn’t upsetting you. Being watched by an anonymous person who wishes you harm, being tailed by federal agents, being forced to be with me all the time—all these things are wearing on you. It’s okay to be afraid, and it’s okay to expect me to support you through this. Through everything, Kat. I mean that.”
Her jaw flexed. He wasn’t sure if she had something to say or if she was grinding her teeth.
“You have permission to speak.”
“I only wanted to say that I don’t mind spending all this time with you, though I suppose it’s wearing on you. I know how much you need alone time to regroup.” She pressed her face harder against his thigh, her shoulders taut.
Yes, he was known for having little patience with most people. He continued caressing her hair until she relaxed again. “Being with you isn’t like being with anyone else. You’re an esse
ntial part of me. I want to take care of you. I need to take care of you.”
Abruptly he released his hold on her and stepped back. Her gaze didn’t waver, and he felt a sense of pride at how far she’d come in just one week. He knew she was curious, but this proved she trusted him to see to her needs.
Kneeling in front of her, he cupped her face in his hands. She lifted her gaze then, meeting his with unspoken meaning. All defenses were stripped away, and he could see the depth of her fear and vulnerability. Now that they’d acknowledged these feelings, he could work on helping her deal with them.
Her lush lips quivered and parted, inviting him closer. He took careful advantage of her plea, kissing her with gentle possessiveness. She moaned, and he felt her whole body sway closer. Her arms didn’t move. It was imperfect obedience, a lack of control as she surrendered even more.
Keith wasn’t intent on making her demonstrate control or master anything tonight. He wanted to show her that he was her rock, and he was made of sturdy stuff. He ended the kiss and dotted smaller smooches along her temples and cheekbones, ending with a barely-there trace of lips over her eyelids.
She sighed contentedly.
He allowed her to bask in the tenderness. Then he stood, lifting her so that she got to her feet with him. He took a moment to make sure she was steady before releasing her from his hold.
The coiled rope he’d tossed on her bed waited for the next part of his plan. He measured off several feet before he wrapped it around her lower arm. This extra would be used to finish the design.
Next he crossed her arm under her breasts, looping and tying the line to ensure she couldn’t move her arm. Then he did the same thing to her other arm. When he finished, her arms were bound to her torso in a forced hug. This pose exemplified her vulnerabilities, plumped her breasts in offering, and provided a bit of comfort at the same time.
He circled her body, checking the tightness and fit. “How does it feel?”
“Confining.” She sounded breathless. “I feel so helpless, but I know you’ll take care of me.”
Tying a sub with her body spread exposed them. Bindings like this sometimes triggered claustrophobic sensations. It forced her to touch herself, to acknowledge the truth of her position.
He feathered another few kisses over her eyelids, cheeks, and lips. “Always, Kitty Kat. I’ll always take care of you, no matter what.”
Taking three steps back, he put some distance between them. This wasn’t intended to make her feel lonely, though her shiver and the way she dropped her gaze indicated that she thought so.
“Look at me.”
He waited until she complied before he continued with his plan. First he went for his tie, loosening it slowly. He pulled it away and let it fall to the floor. She watched, the line of her gaze following it down briefly before snapping back to his face. He waited, and she didn’t disappoint. Realization dawned in her expression. While the outward evidence of her vulnerability didn’t disappear, it lessened, morphing to desire as she figured out that he was stripping for her.
Next he removed his belt and tossed it aside. Her lips parted as she inhaled a shaky breath. He loved how much he affected her, and he treasured the fact that she didn’t hide it.
By the time he’d opened his shirt, she was regarding him with a hungry expression, and the faint scent of her arousal tickled his senses. His muscles were hard and long, cording his arms and legs and defining his abs. He worked out regularly, punishing bouts of exercise that happened mostly in the training gym at work, and so he knew how good he looked.
When he was fully naked, he stood motionless before her and gave her a visual feast. He drew out the moments, savoring the desperate heat radiating from her very being. Then he turned away, smiling at her whimper of protest, and settled himself on the center of her bed.
“Come here, Kitty Kat.”
She scurried over, climbing onto the mattress with a graceful agility difficult to achieve without the use of arms to aid in balance. He was impressed.
“Straddle me.”
This order was followed to the letter. His cock was up for the job, but it wouldn’t be easy for her to do it alone. He dipped the tip into her juices and slid it around, teasing a pleading cry from the back of her throat.
At last he gave her what she wanted. She sank down on him eagerly, moving her hips to find the right rhythm and still keep her balance. Keith luxuriated in the silken heat of her tight sheath, but when she increased her pace, he slowed her with an authoritative hand on her hip.
“Slow, Kitty Kat. There’s no hurry. We’ve got all night.” Though if she kept clenching around him as she’d developed a habit of doing, he wasn’t going to last nearly as long as he wanted. She was gifted at delivering just the right amount of pain to ratchet up the intensity of his orgasm. “Relax. No squeezing.”
She opened her mouth to protest. He hadn’t made a secret of how much he loved when she exerted extra pressure.
Pressing one finger to her lips, he said, “I hope you aren’t thinking of arguing with me.”
That effectively squelched anything she might have said. With that concern out of the way, she could concentrate on her own pleasure. Soon tiny moans and squeaks poured from her, and he felt small flutters as her vaginal walls contracted around him.
He tightened his hands on her hips and forced her to stop.
“Master?”
Her question nearly undid him, not because she questioned his actions, but because she only called him by that name when she felt the comfort and safety of her submission.
“Lift up and turn around. You’re going to ride reverse-cowboy-style.”
She’d been close to climaxing, but it wasn’t going to be enough to take her to the level she needed tonight. A huge helping of orgasm denial would do far more to help her deal with the complex coil of emotions knocking around inside her.
This time, she wasn’t so graceful. He helped her turn around and get into position, taking advantage of the opportunity to run his hands all over her body. She arched her breasts into his palms. He kneaded the small mounds and pinched her nipples until she threw her head back and murmured, “Yes.”
Then he positioned his cock at her entrance and grasped her hips as she sank down once again. With her arms bound, it would be even more difficult for her to balance this way. She would have to concentrate harder, another thing that would help deny her the chance to climax. “Slow, Kitty Kat. I want to savor the way you feel around me.”
At first her movements were sporadic and lacked rhythm. After about a minute, she found a pace that worked. The whole time, he kept his hands on her hips to help her stay upright, and he talked to her, speaking reverent words of praise and encouragement.
When something wet fell on his thigh, he immediately recognized it as a tear. Moving with the utmost care, he shifted under her until he sat up with his legs tucked underneath his ass. He pulled her back until she rested against his chest. This position forced his cock to press hard against her abdomen. The small bit of sharp pain nearly finished him. Through sheer strength of will, he refrained from ejaculating.
He wrapped his arms over hers, fortifying the self-hug he’d forced on her. Another tear landed on his arm, but he made no move to wipe them away or quiet her.
“Am I hurting you?” He didn’t think he was, but he had to make sure.
She shook her head.
“Talk to me, then. Tell me what’s wrong.”
She shook her head again. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything is right. It’s just that when I’m not with you, like this, after you’ve checked all the doors and windows, this feeling goes away. I hate looking over my shoulder all the time. I hate the way my heart races for a few seconds when I’m in court and I get the feeling somebody’s watching me. I never used to notice the other people in the courtroom, the ones waiting for their cases to be called. Now I can’t stop.”
He’d known she was trying to put a positive spin on her circumstances. Denial
was going to eat her alive if he let her go on much longer without letting it out. Another tear splattered on his wrist.
“I’ve always gone out of my way to be nice to people, even if that just meant asking about their day. But now I find myself looking at everyone and wondering if they’re the one who broke into my bedroom and stole my underwear. I feel bad about not being so friendly. I feel guilty for suspecting my friends. And I feel so completely helpless. I hate it.”
She really broke down now. He held her in his arms as she sobbed. Inside her, his cock softened a little. The sight of her tears only turned him on when they were shed from pleasurable pain or sexual frustration. This cut him to the quick. He’d driven her here because she needed to deal with these emotions, but that didn’t mean he liked it. He turned her in his arms and untied the rope. Then he scooted back until he could lie against the pillows and hold her as she cried.
Kat clung to him, and for the first time in his life, he felt peace instead of revulsion when a woman looked to him for emotional support, and he understood what it truly meant to be a Dom.
When her tears subsided, he wet a cloth and wiped her face. Then he kissed her, telling her without words all the tender things he felt for her but couldn’t give voice to just yet. There would be time enough for that later.
She kissed him back, and he slipped into her silky warmth and made love to the woman he’d dreamed about for so long.
Chapter Eleven
Catching sight of Aaron through the open door of the file room as she searched for the right drawers, Katrina cringed at his appearance. He looked as if he hadn’t slept at all the night before. From her vantage point, she could make out the dark circles under his eyes and the wrinkles in his clothes. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was wearing the same suit from yesterday. It didn’t look like cleaning out his mother’s basement had gone well.
Her night hadn’t started out much better, even though she usually loved when a family member dropped by to visit, but Keith’s dominance had made a difference. He’d forced her to break down and face her fears. Things hadn’t improved. It still sucked to have a stalker, but now she knew that he was there for her in all the ways she needed to be supported.
Re/Paired (Doms of the FBI Book 2) Page 23