“Hey.”
Jesus. She’d been so absorbed in the scene in front of her she hadn’t heard him coming. She turned to look over her shoulder, then looked back at the horses. “Hey.”
“I brought dinner. Come sit with me here and eat. Please.”
She glanced back at him again. He was seated, a basket on the bench beside him. He was still, calm, with no sign of his earlier frustration on his face. She pushed away from the fence and walked over to the bench, sitting down on the far side. “Still not hungry.”
“Not even for bangers and mash?”
Oh, unfair. Her mother was Irish, and she’d grown up eating the tasty sausage and mashed potatoes treat her whole life. “Fine.”
A small smile twisted Gabe’s lips. “Don’t let me twist your arm or anything.”
She snorted. “Isn’t that what got us here in the first place?”
This time his grin was real. “Yeah, I guess it was.” He opened the basket and pulled out two cups. One was full of potatoes, and the other held two sausages. “Not classy, but the best way I could figure out to serve this once I realized where you were heading. Easy to hold, and we won’t make a mess.” He handed her a fork and a napkin, then pulled out the same things for himself.
They ate in relative silence, only the soft nickering of the horses, the wind in the trees and an occasional distant car for background noise. She was hungrier than she’d thought, and she finished everything he’d served her. “Thanks. It was delicious.”
He simply nodded, tucking everything back into the hamper. He set it on the far side of the bench then pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She resisted for a moment, but he waited her out, and she sank against him, unwilling to admit to herself just how good it felt. He kissed her temple, then rested his cheek against her head. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk. You have to understand where I’m coming from, though. I’m a Dom, and I’m used to there being no secrets between me and the woman I’m with.”
She snorted. “I may not know a lot about the whole domination and submission thing, at least not yet, but do you really think you know all a woman’s secrets? Truly? Because I’m betting you don’t.”
He backpedaled. “Okay, maybe secrets isn’t the right word. But when it comes to erotic play, yes, I really expect to be told exactly what you’re feeling, especially if it’s bad.”
She sighed and sat back up. “You missed my earlier point, and you’re still missing it. You thought what I felt was pain, so I should’ve told you. But I thought it was simply annoying, and not worth mentioning. Shouldn’t I be the judge of what’s truly bad and what’s just a nuisance to me?” He let out a sound that was half snort, half sigh, but before he could speak, she continued. “And for the record, I agree with you that if I’m feeling something truly bad, if I’m in actual pain with something you do, I need to tell you. I get that, Gabe. I really do.”
This time, he blew out a sigh. “How about this? I’ll try to let you make that determination. But if I can see you’re hurting, that it’s more than just annoying and you’re ignoring it? I reserve the right to call bullshit.”
Probably the best concession she’d get out of a man who loved to be in charge. “Understood. But I don’t think I can go through having to defend myself to you every time you think I’m lying.”
He didn’t respond to that, just stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles, pulling her back down so she leaned against him again. She let it go and tucked into his side, her legs curled up on the bench beside her. “I made a call while I finished up dinner,” he said. “We’ll have guests tomorrow night, and they’ll be staying over.”
She ignored the small thrill she got when he said we. She doubted he even realized he’d said it. “You’re opening up to guests?” She tilted her head to look at him. “I thought you weren’t ready.”
“These aren’t paying guests. They’re friends of mine, Delia and Colin Butler. I thought you could use a night with other people and not just me.”
It was a lovely gesture, and it touched her that he’d think of it. She curled her hand into his shirt against his chest and leaned up to kiss him. “Thank you, Gabe.”
He tucked his hand under her arse, holding her close to his body as he kissed her back. “My pleasure, princess. We’ve got a lot to do to get things ready. I need groceries, and we need to make up the room they’ll use.”
They watched the horses some more. “That one there?” he said, pointing to the larger of the two horses who’d been flirting with each other. “He’s a stallion, and he’s got it bad for her.”
“They were chasing each other earlier,” she said. “He’s rather cheeky and aggressive.”
Gabe laughed deeply. “Yeah, he is. Stallions are the Doms of the horse world. I like his style.” His voice dropped to a lower timbre. “Put your head in my lap, princess. You can lay on your side or your back, whichever is more comfortable for you.”
Her heart started pounding. She lay flat on her back, but that put too much pressure on her scars. “On my side, I think.” She sat up to move, to lay facing him, but he halted her.
“Away from me. I can’t handle your mouth that close to my cock. Not right now. Besides, I want you to watch the trees and the horses and the stars.”
The thought of her with her face in his lap made her flash hot all over, and she admitted to herself she was disappointed. In all the games they’d played so far, mild games at that, she’d never been allowed to touch him. The need was growing inside her, eating at her. She hadn’t realized just how much, though. Still, he’d given her an order, and even though she’d been on an up-and-down roller coaster with him tonight, she wanted to comply. Desperately, from a part of her being she’d never before known existed.
“Yes, Sir.”
She shifted onto her left hip, her head resting against his muscled thigh. With one hand, he stroked her hair, uncoiling it from the knot until it was loose again. It was soothing, but it brought a shiver down her spine. His other hand was busy too, rubbing circles against her hip. It took a few moments to realize that, while he’d been doing that, he’d been pushing her dress up so it was now bunched up at her waist, and she was exposed to the night air.
Her mouth went dry. “Gabe?”
“No one will see, Olivia. Trust me to keep you safe. I’d like to play with my toy.”
She swallowed at the thrill those words gave her, calling her a toy. Making her an object for him to use. It should’ve been insulting, but it was so far from that, it made her dizzy. “Yes, Sir.”
He tucked a hand under her thigh and bent her knee, exposing her even further to the night. “Does the warm breeze feel good against your pussy?”
She opened her mouth to speak but didn’t answer. She couldn’t, because he was still playing. He teased the crease of her leg but never touched her core. She shifted, trying to move closer to his hand, but every time she did he moved away. “Oh, God. Please, Sir. Touch me.”
He chuckled evilly. “I am touching you. But I’m not ready to touch you there. Not yet.” He stopped touching her altogether, and she banged her head against his leg in frustration, her fist clenching against his trousers, making him groan and laugh at the same time. “Watch the head, princess.” She heard him rummaging around in the basket. “Give me your hands. Both of them.”
Her heart stuttered. “Yes, Sir.”
She held her hands up and he wrapped the linen napkins around them, tying them together. “There, much better. Keep them tucked near your chest. No touching me, or I’ll tie them to the bench.”
That thought sent a queasy, sour feeling to her stomach. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being tied up. It sounded too much like being paralyzed, and she honestly didn’t know if she could handle it. “No, Sir. I’ll...I won’t...I...”
She sounded incoherent to her own ears, and she must’ve tensed, because he rubbed a soothing hand over her shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Olivia. Just follow the rules now, and we’ll talk about that later.”
She nodded once, unable to speak past the fear clogging her throat. Her arousal dimmed, but he kept up the soothing touches, playing with her hair, stroking her arm and rubbing circles over her arse and thigh, and soon she was hot all over again, dying for a more intimate touch.
And he gave it to her, although it wasn’t what she’d expected. His caresses coasted along the curve of her arse, and then he dipped his hand into the crease, stroking between her cheeks with the rough pad of his finger. His hand pressed deeper between her thighs, and she felt him drag a finger through the wetness coating them. And then he was back between her cheeks, drawing it back and forth against her anus. Every few passes, he gathered more moisture from between her thighs, and every time he did that, he drew that finger back and forth more, pressing slightly deeper each time. Her mind was a riot of sensations she didn’t know how to process. She sucked in a deep breath. “Sir, I’ve never—”
“Shh, just playing, princess. If you don’t like the way this feels or it hurts, use your safe word at any point and I’ll stop immediately, no question. If it’s just scary because it’s new, I want you to give me the chance to show you how much you can enjoy it. Trust me to make it good for you.” His hand stilled. “What’s it going to be, Olivia? Do you want to call safe now?”
Oh, God. This was so wrong, but it felt so good, so hot, scary as it was. She shuddered even as she pushed backward, trying to get him to continue stroking that sensitive opening. Her voice came out a mere whisper of air. “No, Sir.”
“That’s my girl.” He continued his merciless torment, never taking it any further than deep pressure. It was maddening, intoxicating, and it made her body scream with need. “I love being with you out here, in the moonlight and fresh air, open and exposed to me under the stars. And I love this,” he said, pushing just the tip of his wet finger into her anus. “I’d love to slide my cock in there, fuck you until you beg me to let you come. I’d do it out here, with you bent over the back of this bench, the moon shining down on your skin. I’d fuck you so hard, when you came you’d scream, spooking the horses. The thundering of their hooves would be nothing compared to the way my pulse would thunder when I came on your back and in your ass, plunging deep until you came again, screaming once more.”
Words failed her. She had no experience with anal sex, but if it felt as good as his finger did, she wanted it. Here, now, as hard and fast as he wanted as long as he didn’t stop. Her skin went cold and then hot, and she bucked against him but he just laughed, that sadistic Master’s laugh of his that told her he knew he had her right where he wanted her, and he would be the one to decide when, and if, she came. She might be new to the game, but she’d learned this much about him already. It didn’t keep her from begging, though. “Please, Sir. Please. I need—”
Chapter Ten
God, the sound of Olivia’s pleading voice made Gabe’s cock rock hard. “You need what I say you need, unless you call a stop.” His fingers tightened in her hair, and he drew her head back carefully so he could watch her face. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her when she’d already said she was hurting. Uncomfortable, she’d said, but he wasn’t sure he was buying that.
She let out a whimper that went straight to his dick. God, she wanted him to fuck her and she’d go for it here, just like the story he’d painted. He wanted her too, and he wanted her now. Part of him wished he’d tossed a bottle of lube and a condom in the basket, but he hadn’t wanted to chance the temptation. Good thing, too, because she was temptation incarnate, a devil in a blue dress. A sheer blue dress, a thin sweater that didn’t hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra, and nothing else. He’d seen to that.
He continued to rock his finger in and out of her tight hole, drawing moisture from her dripping-wet core to ease the way. This wasn’t how he’d expected this evening to go. He’d thought they’d have a nice, relaxing, low-key dinner like they’d had the past few nights. Playing, yes, but nothing like this. Other than teasing the hell out of her breasts, this was the first time he’d touched her intimately.
He should’ve waited, because now that he’d touched her, knew how scorching hot she felt around him, seen the tormented pleasure on her face, he was going to have a damned hard time taking things slowly.
“Oh, please, Sir,” she begged, squirming, practically trying to crawl into his lap. A half sob came from her throat. “Please!”
He was torn, tempted almost past good judgment by the desperate plea she kept repeating, and he knew it. Before he did something he’d regret later, something that could destroy any chance at a real relationship between them, he did something he always counseled the new Doms he trained to keep in mind. “Red, princess. I’m calling a halt.” He withdrew his finger carefully and pulled down her dress, his hand shaking with need, then helped her sit up.
Her eyes were wild, her face flushed. “What? Why? I told you I’d tell you if I was hurting. I don’t need you to stop.”
He hooked her loose hair back over her ears. “But I need me to stop. I’m not ready yet to go where this is leading.” When the confusion in her eyes only grew, he sighed. “Safe words aren’t just for the submissive, Olivia. The purpose of them is to stop if something is wrong, right? Well, something is wrong for me. I’m at a place where I’m not sure I have your best interests at heart, and that’s my responsibility as a Dom. So I’m pulling back for now.”
Her eyes cleared, and her body grew still. “I, uh, I’m not sure what to say.”
He laughed harshly. “Neither am I. You’re hell on my control, and I’m not proud of that. I’ve been a Dom a long fucking time.” He kissed her forehead, then stood, helping her to her feet. “Let’s head back.”
The walk back to the house was quiet. He glanced over at Olivia once or twice, but she had her head down so he couldn’t see her face. At the base of the back stairs he turned, blocking her path into the house. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
She blinked up at him, then looked away. “I, uh...nothing, really. I think I’ll head up to my room to do some reading.”
He frowned. “You understand why I stopped?”
She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “You don’t want to go any further.”
The implied with me set his teeth on edge. “Christ. No, that’s not why I stopped. I stopped because I did want to go further with you. I was ready to fuck you right there, pussy and ass, out in the open with no lube and no condom. That’s both careless and thoughtless, and that’s not the way a Dom acts. But make no mistake, princess. I do want you.”
She did that one-shouldered shrug again, and he wanted to throttle her. With just a tenuous hold on both his libido and his temper, he knew the best thing to do was let her walk away for now. He grabbed her chin and gently forced her to meet his eyes. “We’re not done, Olivia. For tonight, yes. But tomorrow, we talk.” He pressed a chaste kiss against her lips, then let her go. “Got it?”
“Yes, Sir,” she answered, but he wasn’t sure if he believed her.
* * *
Gabe rolled over in bed, squinted at the sun pouring in through his open blinds, and groaned. Eight, already? He hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly two. He’d heard Olivia wandering the house last night, so he’d confined himself to his room.
He’d never met another woman who turned him this inside out, ever. She brought him to the very edge of his control, to a place where he felt uncomfortable in his own skin—and in his own head. He’d known he was dominant since shortly after he started having sex. His lovers had always been strong women who were independent and self-assured, who knew they liked giving up control in the bedroom. No shrinking violets for him. He wanted a woman who gave as good as she got.
And although she was new to this and was still exploring her desires, Olivia was like that. But her stubborn, independent streak was pissing him the hell off.
He also couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he hated, absolutely despised the idea of anyone else teaching Olivia about D/s. He’d met many women over the years, women with partners and without them looking to find out whether or not they were submissive. He’d loved teaching them to open themselves up to the possibilities. But he’d always kept part of himself distant from it and had always been in control a hundred percent.
With Olivia, he fought for every ounce of restraint.
There was something about her, some nuance that had been missing in every other relationship he’d been in, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Shit. Enough thinking. Time to get up and get moving.
He looked out his window and saw Olivia already outside, exercising. He pulled on a pair of loose cotton pants but didn’t bother with a shirt or shoes. As he reached the kitchen, he smelled coffee. She’d already put a pot on, so he filled a mug for both of them and carried them outside.
Olivia hadn’t dressed, either. She was in T-shirt that had seen better days and a pair of bike shorts. Her hair was loose, not pulled back as it usually was. He frowned. She never dressed like that, not even to work out. He made his voice purposely mild. “G’morning, Olivia. How’s it going?”
She stood straight from where she’d been touching her toes, wincing. “Okay,” she said, but he wasn’t buying it. There were white lines of pain around her mouth, and her eyes were shadowed.
His temper spiked. This? This was what he’d been thinking about earlier, how she could bring him to this point in nothing flat. She bent down to touch her toes again, then stood, wincing again. Damn it, she needed to learn her own fucking limits. It was hard, far harder than it should’ve been, but he kept the same even tone. “Hey, you?”
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