by Lexi Blake
His dominance.
“Pick a safe word. Now.”
“Coffee. Because I need some.” She turned on her heels with the sexiest smirk on her face and walked to the bed that would likely mangle his spine and that he was sure his feet would hang off of.
“You don’t need any caffeine,” he promised. “I’ll wake you up properly and then we’ll both get some sleep.”
She did as he’d asked and placed her palms on the bed, leaning over and putting that stunning backside of hers on display. It would be so easy to shove his jeans down and fuck his way deep inside her, but that would have to wait.
“Your training Dom spanked you?” Though he didn’t like to think about another man putting his hands on her, he had to ask. He needed to know what her boundaries were. Had they been back in Dallas, he would have sat down with her and gone over hard and soft limits. Here, they would have to wing it. He put a palm on her ass cheek, feeling the silky skin there.
A tremor went up her spine. “Yes, he did. We had a session on spanking and then several follow-ups. And I also was late once and mouthed off twice. Good times.”
He could only imagine what an unholy brat she’d been. His cock was pressed against the fly of his jeans, but he was going to ignore the hungry fucker for now. He rubbed a hand up and over her curves, familiarizing himself with her. “And how did you like it?”
“It wasn’t a big deal, Case. I can handle a simple spanking.”
But this wouldn’t be simple and apparently Javier had gone easy on her. He could understand that. She hadn’t been Javi’s so he would do nothing but warm her up, play with her a little. He would leave the real discipline to her eventual man unless she was a pain junkie who needed it. Case didn’t think Mia was a pain slut, but she did need something from him.
He brought his hand back and let it crack against her pretty ass.
A loud gasp filled the air, but Mia managed to stay still.
“There’s a difference between a training warmup and a disciplinary spanking. This is what happens when you disobey me in the field and nearly get yourself murdered.” He slapped her ass again, careful where he placed the smack. He was rough. Despite his earlier words, he still intended to find out if she got hot, too.
He gave her five sharp slaps, moving his hand over and around, peppering her flesh but not paying too much attention to one spot. Her cheeks immediately flushed to a nice pink.
“I don’t think I like the disciplinary part so much, Case,” she admitted.
“I didn’t like standing outside the cabin while that asshole held a gun on you.” Two more. “I didn’t like the fact that I nearly panicked when I should have been cool and precise.”
“I’m sorry.” The words were said on a little sob.
Now they were getting somewhere. She’d been so collected since that moment when the plane had tossed them to the floor. She’d been a damn near perfect partner, with the singular exception of placing herself in the line of fire. He’d been so very certain she would lose it on him after he’d been forced to murder the man who’d come after her, but she’d merely yelled at him for getting blood on the carpet. She’d been patient when he’d locked her in that tiny safe box, and as far he could tell she’d calmly walked into the killing zone and tried to negotiate for Michael and Hutch’s lives. To top it all off, she’d taken over flying the plane and gotten them where they needed to go.
But there was a soft place inside that competent woman. She was trying to hide it, trying to not show him how much the day had worn her down. He needed to blast past her bravado and give her a place to let it all loose.
“I’m sorry.” Her hands clutched at the bedspread, nails trying to find purchase. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make things hard for you.”
He found a rhythm that still managed to keep her off balance. “Is that all you’re sorry for?”
Over and over he spanked her, heating her skin to a hot shade of pink.
“I’m sorry I kicked you in the balls.”
He’d almost forgotten about that in the horror of the day. It didn’t say much for his freaking life that getting his balls shoved into his body by his sub’s knee was the second worst thing to happen to him in a twenty-four-hour period. That deserved a nice smack and he laid it right between her cheeks.
Mia yelped and then a whimper came out of her mouth. “I’m really sorry, Case.”
He paused for a moment to let his hand slide down, brushing between her legs. There it was. He breathed a sigh of relief because her pussy was nice and wet, her labia puffy with arousal.
They would get where he needed them to go.
“I’ll take my punishment.” He let his hand play around her pussy, delving lightly and skimming the surface. “I was an ass and I would tell any female I know to do the same thing to a man who treated her that way. My fault, princess. You walked back in and I suddenly lost the ability to think with my brain. So I’m not going to demand anything for that. This is all about what happened when you walked into that cabin. You got Michael shot.”
“I didn’t.”
He hated pointing this out to her, but she needed to truly understand what had happened. He gave her another five. By his count she was almost at thirty. Such a stubborn girl, but he could be patient. “You did. Before you walked in, the mere threat was enough. Once they had you, they didn’t need Michael or Hutch. They would have taken them out very quickly. There were only two of them and three of you, two of whom are battle trained. Why keep them around when they could control me through you?”
There was the first sob. “I didn’t think about it. I just did it.”
“You followed your instincts.” He got it, but he had to make her understand that his training trumped her instinct. “They were wrong. I will follow you when it comes to solving a puzzle, but you will follow me when things get dangerous. That’s the only way this works.”
Her knees wobbled and then she started to crumble.
He caught her before she hit the floor. Case hauled her up as she began to sob, shifting her easily so he could cradle her.
“I’m sorry.” Her arms went around his neck as she finally broke.
“I am, too,” he whispered, hugging her tight. He sat down on the bed, cuddling her close. This was what he’d wanted, what he’d worked toward. She needed to let it out or she would be restless, unable to sleep. She needed to let out all the horrors of the day. “I’m so fucking sorry about what happened today.”
She wrapped herself around him. There was not an ounce of self-consciousness he could find in the way she clung to him. Despite the ass he’d been before, she seemed to offer up all her warmth and trust in him now. She sobbed into his shoulder, her body shaking as she let it all out.
He held her close, comforting her in a way he’d never comforted a woman before. Only Mia. There was something deeply intimate about holding her that calmed him even as she wound down. He reveled in the way she curled on his lap, her whole body exposed. Her soul exposed.
He ran his hands over her, connecting them. “I’m sorry I wasted all that time.”
She looked up at him, her face blotchy and still so damn beautiful to him. “I’m sorry about that, too. You’re a very stubborn man.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Do you feel better?”
“And a manipulative Dom.” She cuddled back down. “Yes. I do feel better. Today kind of sucked, Case. It sucked and it was also pretty awesome. I’m sorry about Michael. I’ll apologize to him tonight.”
“He knows.” Michael wouldn’t accept an apology from her. In his mind, he wouldn’t see that she had a thing to feel sorry about, but Case knew the difference. If Michael had died, Mia would have to live with it forever. He didn’t want that light dimmed. “But if you do it again, we’re going to have a real problem.”
She brought her hands up to cup his face. “I can handle the spanking. Hell, I needed that. I…struggle sometimes to let go and cry the way I need to. I feel better, light
er than I did before. So you feel free to spank me when I need it or when you need it, but you can’t walk away from me again. I can’t handle that. I need to know you’ll work it out with me if you get mad.”
He couldn’t imagine that she could do anything to make him walk away. Now that he looked at it, he’d been afraid of her, afraid she couldn’t handle what he needed, afraid she would reject him, and he hadn’t been able to handle the thought at the time. He’d been overwhelmed with losing Theo. Their timing had been shitty. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. “I promise. Are we going to do this? I want you, Mia. Not just for a night. Not just for the op. I want you to try with me. I want you to come back to Dallas with me and we’ll get a contract in place and we’ll work everything out. If you don’t want that, then we need to stop here and now. I don’t want a taste of you. I want a full meal and I’ll want it all the time. I won’t be that sad-sack boy toy who follows you around. I’ll be demanding and I’ll need you more than you can know. I’m willing to give it some time, but eventually I’ll want you to move to Dallas and be with me. I’ll want you to sleep with me. You’ll go to sleep after I’ve fucked you senseless and you’ll wake to my cock in your pussy. That’s what it’s going to mean to be my woman. So you think about it because once we start this, I won’t hold back again.”
“I don’t have to think. I’ve been thinking about it for months. I want you and not for a night. I think I might want you forever.”
That was good enough for him. He picked her up, tossed her on the bed, and got ready to claim what belonged to him.
CHAPTER SIX
Mia winced as she tumbled to the bed. He hadn’t gone easy on her ass, but she didn’t mind. She’d felt. Felt hurt. Felt her fear. Felt the freedom that came with letting it all go so it didn’t burden her. So many years she’d hidden what she felt because the world seemed so out of whack. One moment she’d been beloved and safe, and the next the world had been filled with pain. Her childhood had turned out all right, but it was still defined by that moment when she realized the world she’d known was gone.
So she’d buried her needs and tried to fit in. Eventually she’d understood it was all right to show some emotions. Happiness, anger, sympathy. But hurt and fear were still hard for her.
Case had given her that gift. He’d known what she’d needed.
She looked up at him. How could he think for a second she wouldn’t want him? Because he had some scars? Maybe she was a pervert, but she liked them. He would be far too pretty without them.
“Spread your legs for me.” He used that super-dark, rich-as-velvet voice on her.
Sex had always been something hurried or casual. Even when her heart had been involved with the man, the sex had seemed rushed, like something they should do and enjoy but not get lost in. Not with Case. Case seemed willing to lavish her with intimacy, to make her feel like sex was a language between them they should learn and use. A language only the two of them knew.
Slowly she spread out on the bed, feeling the air on her skin. It was cool, but his eyes were hot as her legs opened for his gaze. Mia knew she would feel awkward and weird with another man. Case was it. He was the one for her.
He stood at the foot of the bed, his eyes between her legs. “Touch yourself. I want you to feel how wet you got from that spanking. How hot it made you.”
She knew. Even as she’d cried on his shoulders she’d still felt desire. She wondered if it would ever be simple with Case. There was no one emotion she felt for the man. She could feel so many things at once, it made her head spin. But now that he’d gotten rid of her anxiety and stress, lust seemed to rule her brain.
Never taking her eyes off him, she let one hand slide down her body to the apex of her thighs. She was well aware she was putting on a show for him, and hell that made her even hotter.
Mia let her fingers slide across her mound, pressing down briefly on her clitoris. Even the slight pressure she applied made her sigh in pleasure. The spanking and emotional outburst that came after conspired to make her languid and ready for an orgasm.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Case growled, though he made no move. He didn’t need to. He was perfectly, sexily intimidating from where he stood. “You make yourself come and I’ll have you tied up and taking an anal plug before you can take another breath. That’s one of the rules and an important one.”
She stared at him. He was so hot when he was threatening her with dirty sex. “You brought an anal plug?”
“And lube, princess. I learn from my elders. I’ve always got a bag packed in case a gorgeous blonde shows up in need of help. I have to be able to discipline her in any way I see fit. I’ve got some rope in there, too.”
She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, but she didn’t stop what she was doing. After all, if he did have a plug, she would bet he wouldn’t hesitate to use it. “I’ll have to remember to be good then.” She took a long breath because her pussy was soaking wet. “I bet I did a number on your jeans, Sir.”
A slow smile crossed his face. “You did and no, I don’t mind at all. And Mia, I know what that look on your face means now. That’s the frown you get when you get jealous. I packed the bag for you. I don’t actually keep a go-bag with full-on bondage toys sitting in my closet. You kicked me in the balls and I crawled over and managed to grab a bunch of lube and sex toys. I was optimistic. Get your finger wet. Fuck your little pussy with it.”
She moved her finger down again, circling it around her core before dipping inside. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly. She was certain her Case was so much larger than that tiny finger of hers, but she imagined it was his cock. He would dip inside her, filling her up and rubbing her all the right ways. She could feel herself getting wetter and wetter, her arousal coating her finger.
“Stop,” Case commanded. He moved to the side of the bed. “Let me see.”
She drew her saturated finger out of her pussy and offered it up to him. Hopefully he would see that she didn’t need more foreplay. She was ready for him.
Case grasped her wrist and drew it up toward his mouth. His tongue came out, licking off the cream of her arousal. He sucked her finger into his mouth and tasted her.
She felt it deep inside. “Case…”
He couldn’t make her wait. She’d waited forever to be here with him, to have him connect with her.
“You taste like heaven.” He stepped away, going straight for his duffel. “I think I need more. Grip the headboard.”
Was he trying to kill her? Why couldn’t he jump on top of her and take her? She was ready. More than ready. Her whole body was primed. She watched as he pulled his boots off and tugged his jeans and boxers down, leaving that magnificent warrior body on display. He reached down and when he turned, there was a length of rope in his hands.
She quickly gripped the headboard, unwilling to risk another long spanking. The man liked to draw things out.
“Excellent.” He put a knee on the bed and showed her the rope. “I’m going to tie you down because you’re a very slippery girl. I don’t want you running off in the middle of sex. I want you entirely focused on me and what I’m going to do to your body.”
“I’m focused, Case. This is entirely unnecessary.” The words came out in a breathless plea because he was naked. He was all kinds of beautifully naked, and she could see his cock. It was as magnificent as the rest of him. Long and thick, with big balls she wanted to lick and suck on. His dick was hard, the flesh a shade of red mixed with purple, and she could already see a pearly drop on the head.
How could he be so hard and ready and not jump her?
He chuckled as he went to work on her hands. He bound her right wrist in an elaborate tie before threading the rope through the round pegs of the headboard and going to work on her left wrist. “I doubt that. You’ve got issues. You see something shiny and you take off after it. I need you to understand that I might not be the shiniest thing you ever chased after, but I’m the thing that caught you and
I’m going to keep you. Even if it means tying you up.”
She liked how it felt to be at his mercy. It was a fantasy of hers, but she could only indulge in it because she trusted this man with her life. Case would move heaven and earth to make sure she didn’t get hurt.
When he was done securing her, he stepped back and laid a palm flat against her chest, above her breasts. Slowly, like the freaking sadist he seemed to be, he moved his hand over her body, cupping her breasts and trailing down.
“Tell me this is mine.”
That was easy. She’d been his for a very long time. He was simply too foolish to know that. “I’m yours. My body is definitely yours.”
He ran his hand down to her pussy. “You won’t regret it, Mia. I’ll work hard to make sure I earn your trust every single day. No more lies between us. Always honesty. I need it. I need it from you more than anyone else.”
“No more lies.” There wasn’t any reason. She didn’t want anything to come between them. Not ever again. “I’ll always be honest with you. I’m honestly going to die if you don’t fuck me soon, Sir.”
A wide grin split his handsome face. “My mission is to keep you from dying. But I think I promised you something first. I promised I would learn your body with my hands.”
He moved to the end of the bed, running his hands down her legs to her ankles. He spread her further and climbed on the bed. “I believe I also promised to learn you with my mouth.”
He moved like a tiger, ready to eat her up. There was nothing to do. He’d caught her and all she could do now was let him have his way. He moved slowly, head bent, but eyes careful on hers. He looked up her body as he ran his nose right above her pussy, so close she could feel the heat of his breath. She waited for him to drop down and cover her with his mouth, but he moved higher. His tongue dipped into her belly button briefly before dragging up her torso.
He captured a nipple in his mouth and Mia felt her whole body tense with anticipation. Pleasure raced through her veins as he sucked on her. His hand came up and he caught her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pinching her hard and making her squeal. Her body seemed to vibrate with pure pleasure. He sucked her, his teeth sizzling at the edge of her flesh. Her toes curled. He licked and laved his affection on one and then the other nipple while his body pressed hers into the bed. Hot. Her skin got so hot because the man was a furnace. She wanted to put her arms around him, but she was forced to curl her fingers around the rope. Frustration welled, mingling with the anticipation. His body lay on top of hers, his cock full against her sex, but he didn’t move to join them together. His pelvis pressed against her core, the sensation so tantalizing.