“Yes,” Allie breathed. “God, yes.”
“In my dungeon, you have to earn your pleasure.”
All at once, he gripped her throat, his forefinger and thumb digging into the soft flesh just below her jaw. His face was close, his brilliant green eyes locked on hers as he pressed hard, and harder still.
Allie was unable to draw a breath. Unable to move. Her heart thumped and squeezed in her chest, the blood roaring in her ears. Liam moved closer, their faces nearly touching. “I own you, sub Allie. Your very life is in my hands. You do understand that, don’t you?”
Allie was unable even to nod her head. The pressure was building behind her face, and she thought she might pass out. Her eyelids began to flutter shut.
“Open your eyes,” Sir Liam commanded, his voice hard. Allie forced her eyes to open. She saw the power and the lust in Sir Liam’s face and real fear shot through her blood. She jerked hard in her bonds, trying desperately to pull away from his iron grip.
All at once, he let her go. Allie drew in a deep, ragged breath, and then another. “Oh my God,” she gasped when she could finally speak. “You nearly choked me to death!”
Sir Liam only smiled. “Nowhere near to death, sub Allie. You panicked because you don’t yet trust me. This is an exercise in trust. We will try it again.” Without giving her a chance to reply, once again he reached for her throat, pinning her in place with his strong hand. “Keep your eyes locked on mine.”
Allie struggled to do as he said, blinking rapidly to keep from closing her eyes. The vibrating plug and glass phallus inside her, along with the heightened awareness that her life truly was in this man’s hands, had combined to create a fierce, persistent pulsing at her clit. Shit, was she going to come?
As if she’d spoken aloud, Sir Liam, tightening his grip on her throat, growled, “Don’t even think about it.”
A wave of dizziness assailed her, and Allie’s head would have fallen back if Sir Liam’s strong grip hadn’t held her in place. “Keep your eyes on me,” he reminded her. “I’m going to count to five. Then I will let you go.” He began to count.
Allie could barely hear him over the pounding of her heart. “Three, four, five.”
She sagged in her bonds as she sucked in a bushel full of air. She hung limply in her cuffs, as if the bones had dissolved in her body. Sweat was drying on her skin, though at the same time she was shivery, not with cold, but with desire. She wasn’t crying, yet tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Sir Liam brushed them away with his thumbs. “You’re doing really well, sub Allie. You’re almost there. You’ve got a lot of walls erected between you and the complete submission you crave. I will help you break down those walls. I want to continue with this exercise.”
He stepped back, regarding her. “If you can’t speak at any point, you will hold up your index finger like this.” He demonstrated the gesture. “Unless you use your safeword or make that signal, we will continue.”
Allie lifted her head and met Sir Liam’s gaze. She was both afraid and exhilarated, as if she were perched on the edge of the cliff, spreading wings for the first time, ready to soar. “Yes, Sir Liam. I understand,” she said, her voice hoarse.
“You please me.”
His words moved through her like warm, powerful liquor. She found the strength to stand upright, the bones of her skeleton reforming inside her, even as the resolve stiffened in her soul. She drew in a deep breath, and then his hand was on her throat once more, immediately cutting off her ability to breathe.
“Keep your eyes on mine,” Sir Liam reminded her once more as he held her captive in his viselike grip. “This time, I will count to twenty. You will focus on surrender. You will not think about the fact that you cannot breathe. You will give yourself completely to me, not considering the consequences but focusing only on trust in your Master.”
Once again, he began to count. Allie tried to do as he said, but by the count of ten she could feel the panic rising in her gut, a spurt of adrenaline heating her blood.
“Focus,” Sir Liam interrupted himself to say. “Trust me. Trust yourself.”
A strange thought floated into Allie’s mind, barely perceived amidst the roil of panic. The thought was persistent enough that it did eventually penetrate her understanding.
You belong to Sir Liam. Sir Liam will take you where you need to go. Sir Liam will keep you safe.
He was still holding her just as tightly as before, his counting slow and steady. But something changed inside Allie. Her muscles, bunched and tensed a moment before, began to loosen. The panic that had balled into a fist in her gut dissolved. She became aware, once more, of the intense, vibrating pleasure in her ass and sex, but her primary focus was on Sir Liam’s deep, emerald green eyes, which gripped her as surely as his hand.
“Twenty.”
Allie was vaguely aware he had reached the magic number, but he didn’t release his hold on her throat. Instead, he breathed, “Yes. Yes, that’s it. Surrender to me.”
Allie didn’t panic as a blanket of warm, black velvet draped itself over her senses. She wrapped herself in its serenity and drifted peacefully away.
Chapter 7
The next morning when Allie woke up, her hand was between her legs, her fingers moving rapidly over her swollen clit. Erotic dreams involving whips, rope and Sir Liam still swirled through her mind, more real than the bed she lay in or the man beside her.
As she came more fully awake, she yanked her hand away, Sir Liam’s admonition about masturbation returning to her. She turned her head, holding her breath as she peered at her new lover, afraid he might have been aware of her indiscretion and was, even now, waiting to punish her.
Liam, however, appeared dead to the world, his eyes closed, a small comforting snore issuing from his slightly open mouth. As she had the morning before, Allie turned onto her side and lifted herself on her elbow to regard him more carefully. “Liam,” she whispered, testing how deeply he slept. He didn’t stir. She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. He closed his mouth and swallowed, but otherwise didn’t move.
Emboldened, she moved her hand slowly down his abdomen. His skin was warm and supple and he smelled faintly of fresh bread, sandalwood soap and sleep. Her fingers stopped at the thin fabric of his pajama pants. She understood without his saying that he was embarrassed about his lame leg. At the same time, it seemed a little ridiculous, especially after the intensely intimate sessions they’d shared, not only in the dungeon, but in this very bed, that he should keep himself covered in this way.
Without consciously making the decision, Allie slipped her fingers beneath the loose elastic of his pajama pants. She remained motionless for several seconds, but Liam did not react. Slowly, carefully, she eased the pants down until his morning erection was revealed in all its splendor. Her mouth instantly watering, Allie pondered if she dared to suck her Master’s cock without his express permission. Deciding to take the risk, she shimmied quietly down until she was in position to lower her head and close her lips over the head of his shaft.
Liam moaned. Allie paused, waiting for a cue to stop or continue. After a moment, Liam’s hand touched the back of her head, exerting a gentle pressure. Grinning around his cock, Allie went to work with enthusiasm to please her man. His breath quickened as she licked and sucked his hard, smooth shaft, using her free hand to stroke his balls. His skin grew hot, the vein along his cock throbbing against her tongue. It wasn’t long before his body stiffened suddenly, and with a soft cry, he spurted into her mouth. Allie eagerly swallowed every drop.
Liam’s hand fell away from the back of her head. She stayed as she was, his cock still in her mouth. She expected Liam to do or say something, but he lay still and quiet, his breath slowly deepening as his shaft softened. Had he fallen back asleep? Had he ever really been awake?
Allie let his cock slip from between her lips and slowly lifted her head to regard his face. His eyes were closed, a small smile on his lips. Allie looked from his fac
e to his body. The sheets had fallen away, and his pajama bottoms were pushed to mid thigh. On his left leg she saw the beginning of a dark red, ridged scar. She glanced at his face. He appeared once more deeply asleep.
Looking back down at his leg, she silently slipped her fingers beneath the elastic of his pajama pants. She tugged them gently down his legs, fully revealing his thighs to the knees.
Tears of compassion came to her eyes as she stared at the roadmap of angry, ridged scars that crisscrossed his left thigh. His left leg was markedly thinner than the right, as if the muscle had been torn from the bone. She could only imagine what he’d been through, both in being involved in such an obviously horrific accident, and in the year following as he struggled to recover and reclaim his life. Cautiously, she touched one of the scars, the red skin smooth and hot beneath her fingers.
In a sudden flurry of motion, Liam jerked away with a cry. He pushed her away with one hand while yanking at his pajamas with the other. “What the hell,” he shouted. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Startled, Allie jerked her head to look at his face. A dark flush was moving up his throat and cheeks, his eyes narrowed in genuine anger. “What?” she cried, disconcerted by his strong reaction. “Liam, what is it? Did I hurt you?”
All at once the anger drained from his face. He fell back against the pillows, covering his face with his forearm. “I’m sorry, Allie,” he said. “You startled me, is all.” He sounded miserable and Allie wished she could rewind the last ten minutes.
Not sure what to do, she waited for him to say more, to look at her, to do something. When he didn’t, she said quietly, more as a statement than a question. “That’s not all, is it?”
Liam didn’t move, but after several beats, he said, “No, that’s not all. The truth is I didn’t want you to see my leg. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”
Allie could sense the shame and the pain in his words and her heart squeezed with pity and love. She lay down beside him and rested her cheek on his chest. “Liam,” she said softly, “I’m so sorry for what happened to you. Surely you know you couldn’t keep that from me forever, but I’m sorry I looked before you were ready to show me. That was wrong of me.”
Liam said nothing to this, but some of his tension seemed to ease. She wrapped her arm around him.
“I think your scars are beautiful,” she whispered.
Liam snorted at this, as Allie had expected he might.
“I’m serious,” she persisted. “They’re beautiful because they represent how you fought your way back from a traumatic situation that must have been horrible, both physically and emotionally. I see the damage that’s been done to your muscles, and I’m guessing to your bones as well.” She lifted her head. “Was the leg broken?”
Finally, Liam lowered his arm and Allie shifted so she could see his face. “Yeah. In eight places,” he replied. “The doctors told me I’d never be able to walk on the leg again, but I refused to listen. I’ve got enough metal in there now that I’ll set off the machines at the airport if I ever travel again.” He managed a small laugh. “Three surgeries, multiple skin grafts, months of physical therapy at the rehab clinic. I’m still doing PT, though I mostly do that myself now.”
“You see that?” Allie persisted, determined to help him see his own strength. “A lesser man might have given up. A lesser man might have succumbed to self-pity instead of fighting his way back to a full life. I have to tell you, Liam, I am in awe.”
Liam smiled, though his eyes remained troubled. “Thanks, Allie. That means a lot.” Turning toward her, he ran two fingers gently along her cheek. “I’m sorry. I should have trusted you. I ask you to trust me as your Dom, but I wasn’t willing to do the same with you. I guess”—he paused, as if gathering his thoughts—”I guess I was afraid to risk ruining what we had.” He smiled ruefully. “It’s easy to be a strong Dom online and on the phone. It’s real life that can be so goddamned messy. I knew eventually you would have to see my leg, but I kept thinking we had time.”
Allie lifted herself to her knees on the mattress beside Liam. She brought her arms behind her head and laced her fingers against her neck. “Sir Liam, we do have time. All the time we need. I am so honored to be your sub girl. I am ready to continue in our exploration of intensity and passion. Please allow me to serve you, Sir, in whatever way pleases you.”
At her words, something returned to his face—that sense of confident power that had so drawn her to him in the first place. “Sub Allie,” he replied, his natural dominance reasserting itself, “thank you for the gift of your submission. I look forward to continuing our exploration as well. I’d say today is a good day to push a few boundaries.”
A rush of excited anticipation shot through Allie’s frame, her nipples leaping to instant attention at the thought of another intense session in the dungeon. Sir Liam’s tone lightened. “But first, shower and breakfast.”
He slung his legs over the side of the bed, gripped his cane and stood. He kicked his pajama bottoms away, and Allie had a lovely view of his small, muscular ass. He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Coming?”
“Yes, Sir.” Allie scampered off the bed and followed Liam to the bathroom. He gestured for her to use the toilet first, while he turned on the hot water for the shower. Once they had brushed their teeth, they moved into the stall together.
They stood beneath the water, their arms locked around each other. Allie lifted her face so her mouth nearly reached Liam’s ear. “Does it hurt?” she asked, reaching down to run her fingers lightly over the ridged scars on his left thigh. “Does it hurt all the time?”
Liam reached for her hand, taking it in his. “Pretty much, yeah. But you learn to deal with it. Sometimes it’s worse than other times. I try to harness the pain, to use it to remind me that I’m still here. I’m still alive.”
It seemed as if he was going to say something else, to add more, but instead, he lowered his face to hers and kissed her as the water cascaded over them. Allie forgot everything but his mouth on hers, his hands moving sensually over her body.
“I had this fantastic dream this morning,” Liam said as they stepped apart. “It had to be a dream, since no sub girl of mine would dare to worship her Master’s cock without permission, eh?”
Allie drew in a breath and studied Liam’s face. Was he going to punish her? But his eyes were dancing, and he smiled as he added, “Free pass this one time, sub girl. But from this point forward, you don’t take such liberties, are we clear?”
“Yes, Sir,” Allie whispered, aware she’d gotten off easier than she deserved. “Thank you, Sir.”
After they washed up, Liam stepped out of the stall first. “There’s a new razor there on the ledge for you. You may groom yourself while I get some breakfast going. You will remain naked today, as that pleases me.”
When Allie entered the kitchen, Liam was just taking something out of the oven. Dressed in jeans, he was shirtless, his feet bare. “Can I help with anything, Sir?” she asked, drinking in his sexy, hairy chest with her eyes.
“Sure, you can get the coffee carafe and the mugs and put them on the table. There’s cream in the refrigerator. If you could get that and the butter and jam, that would be perfect.”
While Allie brought things to the table, Liam dumped the steaming biscuits into a large wicker basket lined with a cloth napkin. “That smells fantastic,” Allie enthused, her stomach rumbling. “Another gift from Bonnie?”
Liam shook his head. “No, I actually made these myself. I find that baking relaxes me. I like to make bread. I make these in advance and freeze them. Then I just pull out what I need.”
“Impressive,” Allie said, for a moment slipping out of sub mode. “I make a mean Lean Cuisine in the microwave,” she joked, though in fact that was about the extent of her cooking repertoire. As Liam chuckled, she pulled out a chair at the table, intending to sit down.
“No,” he said, placing his hand on the chair to stop her. “This
morning, you will kneel on a cushion beside me. You will place your hands behind your back and I will feed you.”
Allie hesitated a moment, recalling a bad memory involving a prior boyfriend with a special fondness for squirting Hershey’s Syrup and whipped cream over various parts of her body as a prelude to very sticky, not very enjoyable sex. Reminding herself Sir Liam was nothing like that guy, she lowered herself to the cushion and clasped her arms behind her back.
She watched hungrily as Liam split a hot biscuit and placed a pat of butter on one half. He added some apricot jam and then put the second half of the biscuit on top of the first. He cut the biscuit into bite-size pieces. Selecting one of the pieces, he held it between forefinger and thumb. “Open your mouth and stick out your tongue,” he instructed her.
Allie, starving now, eagerly obeyed. Liam set the morsel on her tongue, and Allie chewed the delicious, flaky biscuit, savoring the melted butter and sweet tang of the jam against the perfectly cooked bread. Liam prepared another biscuit and lifted it to his mouth, taking a large bite. As he ate, he poured two mugs of coffee. Having apparently paid attention, he made Allie’s just the way she liked it, with plenty of cream and one teaspoon of sugar. Finally, he offered her a second bite of biscuit, which she eagerly accepted, followed by several sips of hot, strong coffee.
Allie, used to gobbling her food, was forced to wait patiently as Liam doled out her breakfast, one bite at a time, while also eating his own. It was a new experience for her, and if not precisely erotic, it was clearly a lesson in giving up control. To her surprise, she quite liked being fed in this way. She liked when he wiped the corner of her mouth with his napkin, and the way he carefully held the rim of the mug to her lips. She felt cared for in a way she hadn’t experienced since she was a child.
When they had both eaten their fill and finished their coffee, Sir Liam pushed back from the table and reached for his walking cane. “We can clean this up later. Come on. It’s time to go to the dungeon now.” He headed out of the kitchen, and Allie followed. This time he went down the stairs first, allowing Allie to see his uneven, swinging gait. This, she understood, was an act of trust on his part, and the realization moved her.
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