He didn’t let up, either. True to his word, he fucked her hard, and she loved every second of it. The rawness. The forbidden pleasure. The restraints made everything that much more intense.
She wanted to grasp at him with her fingers, touch every inch of him, but she wanted this feeling even more. As her climax rose to a new crescendo, she screamed, dislodging his lips from hers and tensing every muscle.
Mack released a loud grunt and followed right behind her, moaning through the waves of his pleasure in tandem to hers.
She swore she could feel his release. It wasn’t rational, but in her mind, the experience was that powerful.
When they were both spent, breathing heavily, Mack kissed her cheeks, nibbling everywhere, angling down to her neck and around to her ear. “You’re mine.”
She shuddered, unable to respond. It didn’t matter really. He was right. There wasn’t a chance she could ever leave him after that experience.
Chapter 32
Two weeks later…
* * *
“So, you’re really going to do this, huh?” Bex asked as she measured out flour into a mixing bowl.
Christa turned around from the fridge with two eggs in her hand. She knew she was smiling from ear to ear. She had been for two weeks. “Do what?”
“Move in with Mack, of course. A man you’ve known for like six weeks.”
Christa giggled as she handed Bex the eggs and then headed for the sugar. “Why not? I still haven’t found a place. I can’t keep sleeping on your couch. And Mack has not stopped begging me to move in since we made up.”
“You’re in love,” Bex chimed, her voice all gooey. “And it suits you.” She sighed dramatically. “If I ever met a man like Mack, I guess I’d do the same thing.”
“You never know. Maybe you will. Mack has several hot friends. You might fall for one of the guys he works with like Libby and I did.”
Bex rolled her eyes. “Wouldn’t that be tidy? About as likely as the house getting struck by lightning, but it would be fun. Imagine the good times.” She sighed. “Pipe dream of course. There isn’t a chance of it happening.”
Christa shrugged. “Why not? You’ve at least met them both. Bracken and Jake.”
Bex shot her an eyeroll. “It’s not as if I remember anything specific about either of them from Destiny’s wedding, and I sure as shit don’t remember much about meeting them at the airport that morning.” She shuddered.
Christa worried about her. She knew Bex felt guilty for leaving Christa in the back of the plane alone. Neither of them had returned to work yet. Christa was planning to return soon, but Bex… Christa wasn’t sure if Bex was ever fully going to get over the incident. “You sleeping okay?” Christa asked, her voice softer.
“Yes,” Bex responded too quickly without glancing at her friend. “I mean, mostly. It’ll be fine. I just need some time.” She lifted her gaze, pasting on a fake smile.
There was no sense reminding Bex nothing that happened had been her fault. They’d hashed that out over and over. Both of them were seeing a counselor. Bex would work it out. If she needed to say anything else to Christa, she would.
Bex narrowed her gaze and changed her face, smiling. “Please tell me you don’t have some secret meeting planned for Shayla and me with more of Mack and Jason’s buff friends.”
“Mmm.” Christa didn’t want to tell her friend that Mack was bringing one of his friends to the house this afternoon. In fact, the two of them would be back any minute. Mack also hadn’t mentioned to Bracken that Bex would be at the house. A chance meeting. Nothing more. The rest was up to the two of them. She changed the subject. “Okay, what else do we need?”
“Baking powder. You sure know your way around this kitchen already,” she joked.
Christa returned with the baking powder. “I know it’s childish, but I’ve been cooking a lot when I’m here. I swear I’m going to make every kind of gourmet mac and cheese there is until Mack lets go of his weird fetish for the cheap box kind with the powdered orange cheese substitute. I feel like I’m in some kind of competition with Tina. It’s irrational, but I want Mack to know Tina isn’t the only one who can cook.”
“Except you needed me to come over and help you make scones?”
Christa shrugged. “Never made them. I knew you were the queen of desserts.”
With perfect timing, the garage door opened, and a few moments later, Mack walked in followed by Bracken. The two of them were laughing as they entered.
Mack glanced around. “Ladies. What are we making?”
“Bex is teaching me how to make scones,” Christa told him as he approached her. She wrapped her arms around his middle and he kissed her.
“Sounds delicious.”
“Scones?” Bracken rubbed his hands together.
“Oh Lord,” Mack teased. “Now we’ll never get to watch the game.”
“Why’s that?” Bex asked, her voice suddenly far more timid than it had been before the men arrived.
Mack groaned dramatically. “Rebekah, meet Bracken. Bracken, this is Rebekah. I don’t think you two have officially met before. Rebekah goes by Bex.” Mack pointed at Bracken. “His nickname is Sweets. He earned it honestly. To hear Tank talk about it, Sweets spent every free moment baking while they were in the Army.”
Bracken held out a hand to Bex while Christa eyed them closely. Yeah, this was a setup. Bex was a smart woman. She’d surely figured that out by now. But she was also quiet, especially around men. She had barely dated because she rarely put herself out there. When Christa learned that Bracken had a passion for baking, she knew she had to at least introduce the two of them.
“Nice to meet you,” Bracken said as he gripped Bex’s hand almost too gently.
“You too,” Bex murmured, noticeably trembling as he released her. She shot Christa a glare.
Bracken clapped his hands together. “Do you use sour cream in your recipe?”
“Yes.”
He groaned. “Excellent. I can’t wait to taste them.”
“Come on, Sweets,” Mack said. “Let’s get out of here. There’s baseball to be watched. If I let you linger, you’ll end up with an apron on and your hands buried in dough.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Bracken asked as he followed Mack from the room.
“Watching baseball alone is boring.”
Bracken turned around in the archway leading to the kitchen. “Nice meeting you, Rebekah.”
She swallowed visibly and nodded. “You, too.”
The moment the two men were out of sight, Bex jerked around to glare at Christa. “You set this up.”
“Yep.”
Bex slowly smiled. “He’s cute.”
“Yep.”
“He seems a little old,” she whispered, glancing at the doorway to make sure the men weren’t in earshot.
“Who cares? You never liked dating guys your age anyway. Even at twenty-five, you still complain they’re too immature. You can’t ever say Bracken is immature. The man is…seasoned.”
Bex rolled her eyes. “Now I’m not going to be able to focus, and he’ll think I can’t cook when we leave out an ingredient and burn the scones.”
Christa laughed. “I won’t let that happen.”
Deep laughter coming from the living room made Christa glance at Bex again.
Bex sighed dreamily. “I could get used to that sound, especially if it rumbled against my neck.”
Oh yeah. Christa had a strong sense the two of them were going to get along splendidly.
Chapter 33
Two weeks later…
* * *
Christa smiled as she slowly came awake to the feel of Mack’s lips on her naked back. “Mmm.”
He continued nibbling a path to her neck and then bit her earlobe playfully. Meanwhile, he slid his hand down her arm until he threaded their fingers together. When he drew her arm over her head and pressed it into the pillow, she knew this was not going to be a simple good-morning kiss.
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She shouldn’t be surprised. Mack really enjoyed morning sex. He woke her up with it often. Granted, he also enjoyed day sex and evening sex. She couldn’t complain.
Over the course of the four weeks off work, she had gradually adjusted to sleeping at night with Mack and staying awake during the day like a normal human being. Physically, she hadn’t felt so good in years. Her body really enjoyed getting seven or eight solid hours in the dark. It was going to be difficult to switch back to working nights, but she shoved that thought out of her mind for now and concentrated on the way her body hummed from Mack’s touch.
Still kissing her neck, Mack stretched his arm above her body, and when he slid back against her, she felt the cool smoothness of the nylon cuff against her wrist. He loved restraining her.
She couldn’t argue with that, either. She enjoyed being tied to his bed at least as much as he liked to do it.
After one more sound kiss on her neck, Mack rose onto his knees, straddling her butt. He encircled her other wrist and pulled it above her head to join the first, and then he secured both of them tightly.
Christa squirmed. Her breasts were smashed against the mattress. Her pussy was wet already from the cuffs alone.
When he set his hands on her back and began massaging her muscles, she moaned. When his fingers stroked the sides of her breasts, she moaned louder. When he dipped his hands under the edges of her body and found her nipples, she lifted her head up and arched. “Mack…”
“That’s my girl. I love waking you up like this.” He gave her nipples a pinch and then released them and scooted down her body, his palms trailing along her waist and then her hips before landing on her ass. He squeezed and molded his fingers to her flesh.
Christa squirmed beneath his hands, but she couldn’t move more than an inch in any direction with her wrists pulled tight over her head and Mack sitting on her thighs.
She was so wet, and her clit was pulsing with need by now, causing her to grind her pelvis into the mattress.
Mack gave her butt a firm swat and then rose up, grabbed her by the waist, and lifted her so that she ended up on her elbows and knees. “Naughty girl. Trying to get off without permission.”
She whimpered, her left butt cheek stinging from the unexpected spank.
Mack palmed her butt. “Your skin is so translucent. I can see my handprint. It’s so pink and sexy.” He gave her another swat.
She swayed forward, shocked by her reaction. He hadn’t spanked her before. She was surprised to find that it heightened her arousal.
He nudged her knees apart with one of his and then forced them farther by bringing his other leg between hers also.
Her sex was open and exposed like this, and she felt more vulnerable than usual on her knees with her wrists restrained and her butt in the air.
Mack palmed both cheeks and squeezed them over and over. “Did you like that, baby?”
She moaned against the pillow. It was one thing to enjoy the feel of his palm on her butt cheek. It was another thing to admit it out loud.
Mack reached between her legs and drew a finger through her wet folds. “Oh, yeah, I think you did like it.”
Christa gasped when he tapped her clit. He was the king of teasing, and any time he got her strapped down, she could expect him to torment her until she could come on command.
“Would you like me to do it again?” he asked.
She pursed her lips. This was another thing she was growing used to—Mack asking her to verbalize the naughty things he did. She wasn’t sure what was more embarrassing—the fact that her traitorous body responded so thoroughly to his dominance or the fact that she grew even more aroused when he insisted she speak of their naughty acts out loud.
He parted her lower lips and then stroked the swollen, sensitive skin without touching her where she most craved contact. “Tell me, Christa. Do you want me to spank your pretty little bottom again?”
“Yes.” The one word was breathy, and she knew he wouldn’t accept it, but it was all she could manage so far.
“Yes, what, baby?”
She swallowed, her mind scrambling from him stroking her labia. “Yes, I’d like you to spank me.” There. She’d admitted it. Out loud. Thank God her face was against the pillow because she was certain her cheeks were bright red.
Mack lifted one hand and swatted Christa’s bottom several times on each side. Not hard. Just enough to sting and drive her arousal higher. Suddenly, he stopped and thrust two fingers up inside her. “You liked that, didn’t you?”
She moaned in response, wishing he would fuck her already.
Luckily, she got her wish a few moments later when he rolled on a condom and then grabbed both her hips, steadying her before he thrust all the way to the hilt.
She lifted her face, arching her back. Sex with Mack was amazing every time, but in this position, it was even better. She wasn’t going to last long.
He gripped her hips while he eased out and then slammed back in.
She gasped, her breasts swaying against the sheets with every movement. It didn’t take long for her to come, and she cried out as her pussy gripped his cock, milking him hard enough to send him over the edge right behind her.
Both of them were breathing hard as Mack unfastened her wrists and eased her onto her side. He snuggled up to her back and held her tight. For a while, he simply stroked her, his fingers trailing up and down her body until she shivered.
He chuckled and then gave her butt another playful swat. “I need a shower.”
“Mmm. Can I join?”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
Thirty minutes later, Christa stood in the bathroom staring at her complexion in the mirror. She wore nothing but a towel wrapped around her body, tucked in above her breasts. Mack had wandered out into the bedroom to put on jeans, but he reappeared in the doorway and leaned against the jamb.
His expression was serious when she met his gaze in the mirror. “I want to talk to you about something.”
She swallowed, wondering what was on his mind. Everything between them was blissful. Why did he look so serious? “Okay.”
He shoved off the doorframe and came to her side. After cupping her face and meeting her gaze, he spoke. “Why don’t you get dressed? I’ll make the perfect iced coffee and meet you in the kitchen.”
She nodded. Concern raced through her. Whatever he wanted to discuss was serious. What if he was losing interest in her or didn’t think this idea of living together was working for him?
He kissed her lips and left her in the bathroom.
As she dressed in a tank top and shorts, she grew increasingly more nervous about this talk. It was out of the blue, and her mind headed in every terrible direction.
She hadn’t said the words out loud yet, but she was in love with him. Head over heels. If he broke things off, she would be devastated.
She was trembling when she entered the kitchen and accepted the iced coffee he’d perfected the first time he’d made it for her, the day she’d moved out of her apartment with Libby and ended up sleeping here in Mack’s house.
It seemed so long ago, and yet it had only been two months.
“Hey.” He grabbed her free hand and pulled her against his chest. “I didn’t mean to send you into a panic. It’s nothing bad.”
She blew out a breath. “You were so serious, I thought you were going to break up with me.”
He frowned. “After dominating you and fucking you so hard you nearly slammed into the headboard, you thought I was going to break up with you?”
She shrugged.
He pulled her closer, making it difficult for her to hold on to the coffee. He tucked her head under his chin and stroked her back. “I’m in love with you, Christa.”
She jerked back, tipping her head back to meet his gaze. And then she set her coffee on the counter and swatted his chest. “That’s what you wanted to talk about? You scare me half to death, and then you tell me you love me without looking
into my eyes?” Her heart was racing. The important part of this situation was that he loved her.
He smiled. “That’s not what I intended to tell you, no. It just slipped out, and I didn’t do it very well, did I?”
“Uh, no.” But she smiled at him and flattened her palms on his chest. “But I’ll take it.”
He grinned in return. “I meant it though.” He cupped her face with both hands. “I love you. That’s not what I want to talk about, but I want you to be certain of that before I say the rest.”
She swallowed, concern returning. “Okay. Well, I love you, too.”
He set her back a few inches and reached for her coffee. “Drink. You need the caffeine.”
She took a sip, but it was hard to swallow. “Just tell me. You’re killing me.”
He sighed and then took her free hand and led her to the living room and over to the sectional. After sitting her down and settling next to her, he turned sideways and took her hand again. “You haven’t mentioned your job for a long time.”
Oh. Is that what this is about? He’s worried about me not working? “I know. I’ve been dragging my feet. The counselor says six weeks isn’t unusual. I’m working up to it.” She bit her lip. “The airline is still paying me for the entire six weeks.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care about the airline or what they’re paying you, baby. I care about how you’re feeling and what you really want to do.”
She furrowed her brow. “What I want to do? I want to go back to work. Get back into the routine. I’ll be ready in two weeks. I’m sure.”
He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “What if you don’t go back?”
She flinched, eyes widening. “Why would I do that? It’s my job. I’m not going to just quit because some asshole held me hostage. If I did that, I’d be giving him my power.”
He smiled. “I didn’t mean for you to quit because you’re scared. I meant that maybe you’d like to consider going to school instead. You told me when we met that you didn’t go to law school because you ran out of money. I want you to be able to do that if it’s what you still want.”
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