‘That,’ he said. ‘And until we’ve consummated the marriage it can still be annulled. We don’t want Mauri trying to pull that one on us, do we?’
Now that the deed was done he was much more relaxed and it was nice to see him back to his comfortable self. In front of Bruno, and the other mobsters, he was cold and aloof because it suited the image. But with her it was a different story.
This was like being back in his bedroom in the beach house, where they could tease and argue, and know that they were safe with each other. The masks came off, the games ended, and they could just be. Dax gave her safety. All of her life she’d existed in an unsecure state, never sure when or where the next pay check was coming from; or if she’d have enough money to eat and pay bills the next day. Now that she had this love, none of that mattered, because every challenge would be faced together, she finally had somewhere to belong.
‘I guess I have no choice then,’ she said.
Sitting up, she pushed down her dress and then elevated her hips to shimmy out of it. Ironically, she was still wearing the underwear that she had chosen for her wedding day, which this turned out to be. When she lay back down on the bed, Dax remained standing. As much as she enjoyed basking in his flattering gaze, she worried about how all of today’s events had affected him.
‘If you’re having second thoughts…’ she said, wanting him to know that he could still back out and she wouldn’t hold him against his will.
‘No,’ he said, loosening his jeans. ‘I’m just wondering why we didn’t do this a month ago.’
‘Because someone was sure it would all work out in the end,’ she said, holding up her arms to invite him down onto the mattress with her. But he didn’t come. ‘It turns out that you were right, just maybe not in the way that you thought.’
‘We’ve still got a long way to go.’
‘I know,’ she said, sitting up and pulling down his jeans to hurry things along. ‘But let’s not worry about that tonight.’
Taking hold of the thick appendage hanging before her, Ivy kissed his head and ran her palm along the length of his shaft. Taking him in both hands, she licked and sucked at his penis until the beads of his pre-cum were dripping out onto her tongue.
‘You keep doing that and I’ll end up consummating with your face,’ he murmured.
Ducking down, he picked her up under her arms and raised her higher on the bed, until her head landed on the pillows. He came down on top of her, already massaging her breasts, and when they were horizontal his fingers joined his lips. He sampled her nipples from every angle and with every part of his mouth.
The heat of climax teased at her and she gripped at his waist, bringing her legs up and around him, as high as she could, hoping that he would take advantage of the invitation to penetrate her. But he shifted his position higher and kissing her mouth she was further teased by his silken rod poking and stroking her abdomen.
‘Just fuck me, Dax,’ she exhaled, dragging her nails up and down his back.
He kissed her mouth and she was so frustrated that it took his tongue a few attempts at entry before she unclenched her teeth. ‘You’re tense,’ he said, pressing moist lips to her cheekbone, then her ear. ‘You’re not nervous are you, babygirl?’
But he knew exactly what was wrong with her because he was the one doing it. ‘You said I could handle tonight’s action,’ she said, remembering what he’d said in the car.
Trying to push him onto his back was futile, Ivy needed him to comply or she’d never be able to overpower him, so she needed him to choose to submit.
‘Maybe later,’ he said. ‘This here is a husband’s job.’
If she’d been asked on the night they met if she thought Dax was the commitment type, she’d have bet her life that he wasn’t. But now that she knew about his dedicated work with Mauri for all of these years, two decades, and about how long he’d been frequenting fights on the underground circuit, she knew different. This was a guy that when he was determined to be loyal, or he enjoyed something, then he was happy to throw himself into it full force.
‘We’re actually married,’ she said, gazing at the ceiling beyond his shoulder. ‘We’re married.’ Having not imagined herself in this position, Ivy needed time to let the development sink in, and then something occurred to her. She smacked the heel of her hand into the pressure point of his shoulder to get his attention. ‘You’re not gonna screw around on me.’
‘Was that a statement or a question?’ he asked, teasing her nipple between his teeth.
‘It was as statement. If your dick thinks about sniffing around any other pussy then I’ll chop it right off and carry it around in my pocket. I mean it, Dax. I don’t care how big and hard all your friends think you are, you are not allowed to—‘
‘Jeez,’ he said, abandoning his work on her body to elevate his head. ‘We’ve been married ten minutes and the nagging has started already. Keeping you happy is gonna be a full time job, Minx. I’m not interested in going out there to chase tail.’
‘Good,’ she said, broadening a smile then tracing the stems of ivy on his bicep. ‘Not many guys would do what you’ve done for me tonight, Dax.’
‘I haven’t done anything yet,’ he said, prodding his engorged head into her folds. ‘You keep waffling shit, which puts a guy off his game. In fact…’
He didn’t finish that thought, instead he rolled off the bed with his usual catlike finesse and pulled something from one of the closets. Raising herself onto her elbows, Ivy tried to see what he was doing. On his return to the bed Dax held something behind his back. Except Ivy was so distracted by the view of his intimidating erection nodding at her as he walked that she forgot all about her curiosity as to what it was he concealed.
Straddling her hips when he crawled over her, Ivy expected him to take immediate, intense action. ‘What have you got for me, big boy?’ she asked.
‘It’s not for you, it’s for me,’ he said.
Intrigued, her eyebrows slid upward, but her curiosity was quickly quenched when he brought his hand around to reveal a strip of cotton elastic. He unwound it with a single flick, then doubled it to tie around her head, gagging her to prevent further vocal disruptions.
‘That’s much better,’ he said, gripping his cock and stroking it while his other hand petted and pinched her breast.
Grumbling behind the gag, Ivy tried to ask him if he would need her mouth, but he couldn’t decipher her words. When his lips curled with satisfaction she relaxed and let her weight sink into the bed.
‘There’s a lot of shit coming and we don’t know how it’s going to go down,’ he said, dipping to bite her nipple so hard that she squealed at the jolt of torturous pleasure.
Her whole body seemed to be connected by strings. Every fibre of her was connected to another seemingly unconnected point through invisible rods of rubbery steel that conducted the current of his touch like zipping electricity. Each caress made her want to scream out and purr, both at the same time.
‘There’s one thing I’m sure of, one thing that you should worry your little head about while I deal with the rest of the crap going on in our lives.’ She couldn’t ask him what because of the gag, so she waited for him to answer. ‘Every night your bed, and your pussy, are going to be filled by me. I’m going to fuck you every night and every chance I get because you don’t need that spirit of yours to defend yourself anymore, Minx. It’s mine. Every part of you is mine. And that spirit which loves to spar with me and spit out at the world, that belongs to me now too, and I want you to use it. You’re going to use it to think about sex, use it to pleasure yourself on my dick every time I give you the opportunity.’
Again, she tried to grumble, because she wanted to fight and tell him that she didn’t need to be looked after. Ivy wanted to yell that she could be at his side to deal with any shit that might come their way because she didn’t want him to feel like he was out in the world alone; she knew how debilitating that could be. Except with the gag in place,
nothing but grunts and mumbles came out. Ivy tried so hard, but all she succeeded in doing was dribbling on herself.
Dax might have taken this in the wrong way because he laughed and bowed again, to lick the saliva trail that ran from the corner of her mouth, then he dipped his mouth to her ear. ‘Does that turn you on, babygirl? Does the idea of dedicating your life to my cock make you drool? Knowing that’s how you feel about it makes your husband very happy, I’m gonna make sure you get constant access.’
Tumbling off her body, he stole a pillow from under her head to prop up his own then bucked up to make himself more comfortable. After that, he scooped up her body and kicked her legs apart with his. She didn’t have a chance to straddle him comfortably, or find her own place, because he rammed her body down onto his while thrusting upward and he plunged into her so deep that her squashed cervix was bruised in the intrusion.
But he kept on going, holding her at a height that gave him maximum offensive impact for his onslaught. He fucked his way up into her, driving faster with each insertion until her legs became so weak that she struggled to match his fervour.
Never had her centre been so sensitive. Webbed with pain and equal all-encompassing pleasure, she almost forgot that the muzzle was over her mouth. She kept calling and squealing each time he stabbed into a new or perceptive spot.
Their eyes met and the chill of those ice blues brought her to a crashing climax. Sucking in a breath so deep that the gag became concave, Ivy managed to huff the syllable of his name. Dax lunged on, prodding further into her repeatedly, desperate to reach his own summit.
He tossed her backwards so that she landed on the bed between his thighs. The unexpected move left Ivy searching for her bearings, she was anchored again when he landed on her and penetrated her with a vigorous plunge. Every inch of him occupied her and when he was all the way inside, he stopped, locking his eyes to hers, he stayed static.
Mumbling, she tried to move, but he locked their pelvises and just stared. ‘I’m gonna fuck you all night.’
She wanted to tell him that he could and that didn’t mean he couldn’t come. The longer he remained where he was, the more she was convinced that he was trying to prevent himself from getting to orgasm. Whether it was a test of stamina or restraint didn’t matter to her, she just wanted him to have the same completion that she had.
‘I’m the last man who will ever be here, inside you, like this. Mine is the last dick that your pussy will ever swallow.’
That possessive reality made her wriggle and she wanted to kiss him, to reassure him while reminding him that her pussy would be the last space that his dick would occupy too. But his hand appeared between them and the undulating motion of his fingers around her clit joined the gentle rocking of his pelvis and her eyes slipped shut.
All coherent thought abandoned her and Dax was all that filled her head, her heart, and her intimate passage. This man had chosen her, married her because he loved her and to protect her from being taken by another.
Knowing that she had hit the jackpot, the pulse of his throbbing dick sent her over the apex of pleasure again and this time he couldn’t resist. Ivy clamped down around him so tight that he was unable to move, and neither of them were able to breathe. The volume of his slick seed pumped into her and she felt every quiver of him as he loaded her with his DNA. Each ounce of fluid was plugged in place by his cock which remained corked in her even after he was no longer stiff, and he had folded himself around her.
But she didn’t move because she didn’t want him to leave her body, or this space. Ivy was exactly where she was meant to be, exactly where she belonged.
Chapter Eighteen
They ordered room service, watched some bullshit TV, and had sex again. After that they went down to the casino for a while. Every time Ivy caught a sideways glance at Dax she had to remind herself that he belonged to her because it seemed so unreal.
Anyone on Dax’s trajectory cleared the path so that he could walk in a straight line without interruption. Yet, he was oblivious to the intimidation he exuded. He strode with the same manner he would adopt on an abandoned beach, it made no difference to him that he was actually on a crowded sidewalk or in a mobbed casino. His superiority was more than just a case of height and formidable form. His expression was clear, he didn’t scowl, yet he managed to maintain an intensity that made it impossible for anyone to know what he was thinking.
He existed in a bubble, no one could penetrate it; no one would dare enter the personal space that was restricted behind the invisible barrier. It was as if he had his own transparent security team ensuring no one could touch him. No one except her.
Ivy had been accepted into his bubble and as much as she wasn’t privy to all of the details of his past she knew that this was a rare occurrence. Not that history mattered now, they were married, and she wouldn’t let any other woman into her husband’s inner bubble because she’d make sure that he never needed anyone else.
After a few drinks and some flirting at the bar, they made their way back up to their hotel room. Tomorrow could prove to be a big day if they went back to California, but that was a big “if” because Ivy had already made the decision to take another swing at talking him out of that.
‘Your legs working this time?’ Dax asked while opening their door.
‘What?’ she asked, strutting past him, giving him no choice except to hold the door open for her.
She went all the way into the bedroom which was a grand large room with a massive bed and although it wasn’t exactly a suite, the bathroom was big enough to have a double shower cubicle and a Jacuzzi tub. Dax had offered to take her to the GoldSpring, in fact it was the first place he pulled the car up to when they got into town, but the last thing that she wanted to do was face her old colleagues.
‘Tradition isn’t my thing,’ he said.
‘No white picket fence in our future?’ she asked.
Sitting on the end of the bed to slip off her shoes, Ivy made the decision that she would have to buy more heels if she was going to spend the rest of her life on Dax’s arm. She didn’t like that when they were walking together tonight she couldn’t kiss him or whisper in his ear without first having to tug on his arm like a child looking for the acknowledgement of a parent.
‘Get ready for bed,’ he said, striding past her toward the bathroom.
Leaping to her feet, Ivy knew that now was the time to try and appeal to his better sense. If she left it any later they’d be engaged in the physical and talking would be the last thing he would have interest in. ‘My aunt lives in Florida.’
The peculiar look that crossed his face when he stopped to peer at her told her that Dax wasn’t following her line of thought. ‘So?’
‘So,’ she said, creeping toward him. ‘Maybe we could go and visit her, we could go to the beach and laze in the sun all day.’
‘We’re in the fucking desert now,’ he said and she curled her fingers around his wrists. ‘And I’ve seen you in a bikini enough to last me the rest of my life.’
‘We could find ourselves a topless beach. I could leave the bikini at home,’ she said, but her teasing only made him frown.
‘Why would I want you parading around in front of other guys? If I want to see your tits I snap my fingers.’
‘Oh, it’s not as easy as that,’ she said. ‘You forget that I’m not your captive anymore, there’s no basement to relegate me to. I can be as mouthy as I want.’
Sidling closer, he lowered his face. ‘Didn’t I prove earlier that I control that mouth? I can prove it again right now.’
‘No way,’ she said, her smile slinking upward. ‘I’m wise to you now, big boy. There’s no way you’ll be keeping me quiet again any time soon. Next time you screw me I’m going to scream to high heavens.’
‘Screaming is acceptable, your back talk is not.’
‘You married a woman with opinions,’ she said, elevating herself onto her tiptoes. ‘Opinions that you just love to contradict.’<
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‘Because they’re wrong,’ he said. ‘You keep your opinions to yourself and spend more time listening to mine.’
‘Why would I do that?’
‘Because mine are the ones you should be spouting. My opinions should be your opinions. A wife should toe the line that the husband orders her to.’
Although he maintained his sincerity, Ivy laughed, because she couldn’t honestly believe that he would think a piece of paper would suddenly make her Miss. Compliant. Bruno hadn’t managed it with physical abuse and imprisonment, so Dax wouldn’t achieve it with marriage.
‘That so?’
‘You are going to be a good wife,’ he said, touching a fingertip to the underside of her chin.
‘So I should meet you at the door with a kiss after a hard day of enforcing? Have your favourite meal cooked and on the table every night?’
‘A blowjob at the door and a good spanking over the dinner table is what I expect you to submit to.’
‘Why would I need a spanking,’ she pouted, hooking two fingers into his jeans belt loops. ‘I might have been a good girl.’
‘Unlikely,’ he replied, walking himself forward and forcing her to walk backwards until he’d barged her all the way to the bed. ‘You’ve already been naughty and we’ve only been back in the room for five minutes.’
‘I have?’
‘I told you to get ready for bed, what does that mean?’
‘I don’t have any jammies,’ she said, squeezing out from the restricted space between him and the bed to cross to the closet which contained the sports bag that he’d retrieved his clean clothes from earlier in the night. ‘I don’t suppose you packed me anything to wear.’
‘Your birthday suit is all you’ll ever need in my bed, Minx, stop that fucking teasing and get over here.’
But she’d already tugged out the sports bag, so she opened it to see if he had indeed packed her any clothes. The item on top broke the spell of seduction and she explored no further. With a rubber band looped around them to keep them together, a large stack of a dozen or so zip ties stared up at her. She took them out of the bag and held them up; this time it was her turn to frown.
Fighting Fate Page 21