by Riley Murphy
“I will if you tell me why you hate spurt so much?”
She stiffened. “I mean it, David, stop saying that word.”
“Give me a good reason and maybe I will.”
“Okay.” She dropped her head to the side and looked up at him. “If you insist, but don’t say I didn’t warn you because you’ll be stuck with the visual like me. Are you sure you want me to plant the seed?”
He gave her a lopsided grin that warmed her up so fast she nearly forgot what they were talking about. “I’m a big boy. Shoot.”
“All right. Think of a soda bottle that’s been shaken really well. Then imagine opening it only half way. You see how the soda sprays all over the place in every different direction and at different intervals? Sputtering like a sick car exhaust?”
That grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “Clearly you’ve done an in-depth study on this. Sure. I see it.”
“To me that’s what spurt is. That’s the visual I have in my head every time I come across that word.”
“What’s so bad about that?”
She scowled. “You’re really going to make me put it all out there, aren’t you?” He annoyingly stared so she huffed. “Fine. Now image you’re enjoying a steamy romance novel and you come across a line that reads, ‘Copious amounts of his come spurted inside her hot channel until she couldn’t think straight’. I know what I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of that soda bottle, or worse, a fire hose that’s mostly clogged” —she brought her hand up and flapped it around for emphasis— “snaking around inside her like Medusa’s snakey hair. Not good.”
He didn’t blink. “Yeah, pretty horrific. Consider the word stricken from my vocabulary.”
“Thank you.” She turned and settled back against him. Both of them quiet until he gave her a squeeze.
“How about squirt?”
She winced and shook her head.
“Spring? Spray?”
“Nope.”
“Jetted. Jetted is a good word.”
“Agreed.” She laughed. “So is persistent. Very persistent,” she added, as her eyes widened at his boldness. He was pressing his hand against her more intimately now.
“I love to hear you laugh. Are you more relaxed now?”
As to her laughing, she wasn’t doing that anymore. Now, for relaxed? Hell yes she was, now that he’d taken up making those circles on her thigh again with his thumb.
“Yes” She tilted her head to give him access to her neck. Sighing when he nipped and bit a straight line up from her collarbone to her ear. “I’m definitely more relaxed.”
“Good.” He bit her lobe and then whispered, “Tell me a secret.”
Maybe it was the warmth of the water. The heat of the moment. Or the possessive way he held her that made her answer before she could stop herself. “I respect you.”
She felt him hesitate and wanted to kick herself. There was nothing she could do about it now so she may as well finish what she had in mind to say, before things really got awkward.
“I like when you tell me no. I…I trust you to make the right decisions. I believe that you care enough to want to correct me.” She reached for his free hand and brought it to her lips. Kissing the back of each knuckle, before she said, “I want to matter to you.”
David’s heart pounded as he watched her press his hand against her cheek. He never expected this. Did she know what she was telling him? Was she even aware of the thousands of wants and needs she left hovering between the lines of her quiet admission? An admission he needed to capitalize on before the opportunity was lost. Even though instinct told him it was too soon, he waited until she let go of his hand and then he went after her.
“Hey.” Cupping her chin in his palm he forced her head up until she was looking him in the eyes. When he had her complete attention he purposely pressed his other hand, the one beneath the water, more intimately against her. Very intimately against her. “This is mine. You are mine. I want you to depend on me because I’m going to push you beyond the boundaries of your own limitations. You give me your trust and I’ll give you my strength and determination.”
She closed her eyes.
When she didn’t open them again he ordered, “Look at me. Good girl. Now listen very, very carefully.” He searched her face, giving her time to focus before his gaze pinned her, willing her not to close up on him again. “I see how special you are, but I know you don’t. Therefore you’ll see yourself through my eyes from now on. You’ll celebrate your sexuality because it’s mine. I own it and I want to explore it in depth. It’s not going to be easy, and most times you’ll think I’m not being fair, but always remember you’re my special girl and to be that, you’ll need a spine of steel and a will of iron. I expect nothing less. I know you couldn’t do it alone before, but I’m here now. Are you ready to walk through the fire with me and live your epic life?”
A single tear skidded down the side of her cheek and crashed into his hand. That’s when he realized she wasn’t the only one who needed a spine of steel, as he’d do anything—give anything—to wipe that moisture away and hug her up close. But he couldn’t. Not until she gave him an answer.
Another tear and then… “Yes.”
That was all he needed to hear. Now he wiped her tears away before he turned her in his arms and hugged the hell out of her. “No more plagiarizing.” He felt her shake her head and added, “And no more wandering. Just be honest with me. Share your thoughts and feelings, and above all, follow my rules so that fire I was talking about won’t burn you.”
She sniffled and leaned back. “What do you mean?”
One look at her tear-streaked face and he knew he was in trouble. There was a different kind of beauty in her shimmering eyes. The terrible kind that called to him and made him want to see more. “If you break my rules, you’ll be punished. If you lie to me, you’ll be disciplined. If you hold back what I consider mine from this point on, I will force you to relinquish it.” He didn’t add by breaking you down one sensual inch at a time.
She sniffed again and her shoulders shook with the action. That made him scowl as he gauged her body wasn’t comfortable with tears. Maybe not now, but soon it would be.
“You’ll punish and discipline me like this afternoon with the belt, you mean?”
He didn’t want to tell her that was mere child’s play. Why spoil the moment? “Punishment is one thing and discipline another. But don’t worry. You’ll always know the difference before either is carried out.” He waited for her to digest that and then point-blank asked, “Is there another secret you want to share with me? Remember what I said about bath time. It’s a good time to cleanse the soul.”
“Hmm…” She brushed a hand over his shoulder and then looked at him. “We’re good with me picking the drawer lock and not cleaning some of those albums, correct?”
He narrowed his eyes. “No.”
“Aw, come on. You knew I wasn’t telling you the truth about that this afternoon.”
He wrapped his hands around her, grabbing her ass for a hard and meaningful squeeze. “Admit that you lied.”
“I just did. Hey!” David ignored her struggling as he turned her around. He paid no attention to the water either as it sloshed over the edge of the tub while he adjusted her. “What are you doing? I’m not going to—you can’t—oh!”
He had her back to their original position with one difference. He’d pushed her lower, so her head rested closer to his chest than shoulder. He also used his legs to force hers to spread. Then he lowered his voice and ordered, “Calm down. Take a deep breath. Another. Good. Now close your eyes, Lacy.” He waited. “Very good. No. Don’t move.”
“Where are those hands going?”
Her brow was so deeply wrinkled it reminded him of a Shar Pei. “Relax.”
“David!”
“Pay attention to my questions. I want definitive answers them this time. No maybes.” He reached down and gripped her ass cheeks, spreading them. “Do you like to dance
?”
“Wh-what? Yes.”
“Very good. Have you ever been to Greece?”
“Does Spain count?”
“I told you to close your eyes. Good. Now.” He walked his fingers a little closer to her spread crease.
“David.”
“Do you want to do the backside glide?”
“No!”
“Close your eyes.”
“But I’ve never. Uh uh. No.”
“Stop shaking your head. Relax.” Well, his initial play-plan was a bust, but the upside of this discovery? He’d be her first when she was prepared to explore, and there was a whole lot of satisfaction with knowing that. Now, to approach this a different way. “Relax,” he repeated while he brought his hands out from underneath her and slipped one of them down between her legs. He found her sweet spot and stroked it.
“I-I can’t relax. I don’t do that kind of thing.”
“Why?” He curled down and whispered in her ear, “Have you ever tried it?”
“No.”
She was going soft on him. He could tell. Her breathing was shallow and when he put his other hand on her breast and gently tugged on her stiffened nipple—no doubt still tingling and alive from the clamps—she shivered.
“David…”
“I promise. I won’t touch you that way unless you beg me to.”
She sank against him and he had to steel himself. Nothing fed his ego more than to have her completely trusting in his arms. The privilege and pleasure was all his.
He took his time even though the water was beginning to cool. Slow and steady was the key as he stroked her. Light, then hard, up and down, then around in a small series of circles that had her bucking and moaning.
“It feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Put your hands on your breasts and rub your palms over those nicely spiked nipples. Do it. That’s right. A little harder.”
She moaned.
“Keep your legs open. No matter what. I want—”
“David?”
“It’s okay. Not until you beg, remember?”
He gave her pussy one last stroke and slipped his hand deeper into the water, reaching her ass as he skated his index finger up and down the line of her bottom crease. He took his time, waiting until she was completely at ease, before he parted the globes and intimately swiped a firm touch against the sensitive flesh buried between.
There was nothing but silence then in the wake of calm expectation as he slowly stroked her. Increasing the force of his touch with every pass. Enjoying how her stuttered breath was raspy and shallow. He brought the tip of his finger down, touching her tiny entrance, pushing to increase pressure until he felt her muscles clench to keep him out.
“Oh, god. David…”
He rubbed his jaw across the top of her head and kept his voice soft and low. “You see? It’s not so bad.” He pushed a little to tease her. “Don’t fight it.”
Her head fell sideways against his shoulder and he didn’t deny her when she sought his mouth. He wasn’t gentle as he kissed her. Demanding without words that she give him everything and she did. Hot and tight. Silky and ready. He was pleased that she took what he gave her until she tried to steal more by impatiently moving against his hand. That’s when he tore his mouth from hers and whispered, “Beg me.”
She tried to kiss him again and he shook his head. “No, angel, if you want more of my kind of attention, you’re going to have to ask for it. Nicely. Beg me.” To ensure that she would, he used his other hand to stroke her pussy with consummate skill until she closed her eyes and shivered.
“I want your attention.”
“Open your eyes. Good. Now, you can do better than that.” He ruthlessly went after her using both hands and working his fingers to taunt her. “Make it pretty.”
“Oh…oh…” She let out a panted breath. “I’m going to—”
“Tsk, tsk.” He stopped touching her immediately, and when she cried out in frustration he reminded her, “I promised not to touch you that way until you begged. Up you get. Bath time is over.”
“What?” She sat forward and twisted around to confront him. “That is so not fair. You didn’t even give me a chance.”
He stood and pulled her up in front of him. “I gave you several chances, and besides, you should be thanking me.”
“Thanking you?” She didn’t fight him when he lifted her out of the tub before he stepped out, only to be promptly smacked in the stomach with a wad of terry cloth. “You can thank me for the towel.”
He dried himself off some before he wrapped the terry around his hips and sat on the edge of the tub. “Come here.”
He recognized that little miffed face. She was trying very hard not to be more bratty than she’d already been.
He patted his thighs. “Come on.”
“Why?”
Although she asked, she didn’t wait for an answer when she stepped over and sat on his lap. Once she was settled he calmly spoke to her. “I’m going to tell you why you should be thanking me. I want you to think about what I tell you before you say another word, understood?”
It was more a jerk than a nod, but he’d take it.
“Good. I made a promise and in order for me to fulfill it, I needed you to do something for me. I couldn’t break my promise, but neither could I let you break yours.”
Her brow wrinkled as she searched his face, stopping to look him in the eyes. “I didn’t make a promise.”
“You did. You promised not to break the rules.”
Her eyes widened. “And me getting off constitutes breaking the rules?”
He nodded. “It does. I decide when you can get off.” He sank a hand in her hair and gently made a fist, using the hold to tilt her head back so she couldn’t look away. “If I were you, I’d listen closely. Pay attention and above all, do what I ask, because you never know when you’ll get the opportunity to please me that particular way again. You want to please me, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then stick to the rules. It’s a win-win for both of us.” This time when he kissed her, he was gentle. Thorough. Careful to be careful with her until her hands splayed on his chest and rode upward. Until her arms wound around his neck and she cleaved to him. Now there was no need to be gentle. He pulled her into him tight and kissed the fucking hell out of her because from this moment on he had every right to do it. She was his. Finally, no more holding back for either of them.
When he broke the embrace she was breathless. “I’ll follow the rules. I promise.”
“Good to know.” He took her hand and helped her to stand. “You can show me how well you intend to do that on Thursday night.” He’d picked Thursday as it wasn’t a full week away, a mere four days. Long enough for her to get her head around the idea.
“What are we doing on Thursday?”
“Our first scene. In my dungeon. Alone. You naked. Me probably dressed.” When he noticed her hands worrying the towel tucked at her chest he reached out and took hold of her chin. “With all my freaky stuff.”
She didn’t blink. “Are you going to tie me up?”
“Oh yeah.” He certainly had her attention now and he loved it. “But enough about that right now. It’s time for bed. I have to work tomorrow, so I thought maybe while I’m doing that—and before the girls get here—you could do some spa treatments or something. Book whatever you want.”
He led her into the bedroom and was in the process of turning down the sheets for her when she said, “I’d rather go for a walk around the lake or maybe take a stroll to that little general store we passed on the way here.”
His hands stilled. “Not by yourself. If I finish early I’ll go with you.”
“I’m not a child.”
He stepped aside and pointed to the bed. “In you get.”
She did as he directed, but not without complaining. “Why can’t I go by myself? You do realize I was this close.” She held up her forefinger and t
humb, until they were almost touching, and then peered through the sliver of space at him. “This close to going to the Dominican Republic where I’d be backpacking by myself and bumming rides off some of the locals to get anywhere I wanted to go.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me of that.” He adjusted the sheets around her.
“It’s true.”
“I know.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And that scares the hell out of me.” That wasn’t the only thing worrying him. The second she mentioned leaving the resort to go for a walk by herself, the old demons got a grip on him. Elaina used to go for walks…only it would be weeks, sometimes months before she returned. “Not by yourself, okay?”
“All right. I won’t go. I’ll waste my morning getting waxed or puttied or something.”
David said good night before he turned off the lights and went through the door that connected his room to hers. He’d decided to come up to The Carlin early to escape the ghosts that were haunting him at home, but clearly they weren’t confined to his house. Judging by how much his gut wrenched at the thought of Lacy heading off on her own, those skeletons were hitching a ride on his back.
Fuck.
Chapter Eighteen
Lacy waited for Colin Whiteleather to get comfortable on the couch. Pregnancy didn’t seem to be slowing her down much, except when it came to sitting. Her friend shifted this way and that. Plumped a couple of pillows and tossed a few away as if she were building a fort or something.
Lacy didn’t mind. It gave her a few minutes to put to rest the idea of spilling her guts. She wasn’t about to do that. Never.
You should have stayed the hell away from David’s closet.
This was the hundredth time she’d heard that mental reprimand. She knew reading that letter was the first step to the bad that always happened. David finding out about it had the potential to ruin things between them and she wasn’t going to let it. No way. She was taking the doing of that deed to her grave. Not even her closest friends would know it. With that determination made, she needed to tell them something today. As last night, in a moment of weakness while she was lying in the darkness alone and thinking about how much she wanted things to work out with David, she’d sent the dreaded Bat Signal text to her friends.