The cool air kissed the moist tip of his throbbing head, the bead of precum making it more sensitive. The pearlescent fluid escaping his restraint proved just how fine an edge Katie had so swiftly and effortlessly brought him to. As he talked himself off the ledge, the coiling pressure knotting in his groin eased enough to allow him to take full breaths again.
Realizing Katie was no longer touching him, nor was she speaking, Cole lifted his head and looked at the woman knelt between his parted thighs—her gaze fixed solidly on his cock. He’d expected to see that mischievous light in her emerald eyes, perhaps a smile of wicked intent as she imagined the torture she’d put him through. What he didn’t expect to see, however, was the doubt and fear edging into her stare and the concerned frown wrinkling her delicately arched brows.
He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, to kiss her softly and ask her what in the hell had caused such a sudden shift in passion. But of course he couldn’t move his fucking arms. For not the first time, he cursed his rash idea and vowed never again to do something so stupid and desperate.
“Kat . . . ?”
She didn’t respond. Her eyes were locked on his straining erection, but that unfocused stare told him she wasn’t seeing him.
“Katie, look at me.” He spoke louder, his own haze of passion quickly fading in the wake of her renewed anxiety, his mind sharpening. When she still didn’t move, he knew a moment of alarm and briefly considered freeing himself, but he wasn’t ready to take the risk of frightening her further. Goddammit!
“Katrina! Look at me!”
She blinked a couple times, her gaze slowly coming back online as she hesitantly dragged her eyes up his body. By the time her eyes met his, hers were clear and focused. A bright blush was starting to stain her cheeks. “I’m . . . sorry,” she quickly apologized.
“Kat, let me go.” He purposefully used her pet name, hoping it would help anchor her to the present and clear away the remnants of the past that were clearly fighting to gain a foothold and drag her under.
Her eyes darted to the belt and she shook her head in refusal—because she feared him, or wasn’t ready for this to end, he couldn’t know. Of course she wouldn’t make this easy.
“You mind telling me what’s wrong, then?”
She blushed full-on crimson now, and he had no doubt that given the choice, she’d rather swallow her own tongue than admit the truth. Were he at all uncomfortable in his skin, Cole might have felt awkward as hell having this conversation with his dick hanging in the breeze. But at the moment, he was more worried about Katie’s discomfort than his own. He refused to release her stare, waiting with growing impatience for her to speak.
After what felt like an eternity, she released her bottom lip from between her teeth and said, “I just wasn’t expecting . . .”
“Expecting what?” he prompted, when she didn’t finish her thought.
Looking wholly embarrassed now, she exhaled sharply and said, “I wasn’t expecting you to be . . . so . . . big.”
Cole covered his surprised laugh with an awkward cough and tried like hell not to grin like the Cheshire cat. “Sweetheart, I gotta tell you, that’s usually a selling point.”
She scowled at him and snarked, “I think we’ve already established I’m not like other girls.”
Ouch. Okay, so that’d been a little insensitive. Cole instinctively reached for her, and was abruptly stopped by the tether of his belt. He frowned, glowering up at the bonds. He wanted to pull her into his arms and soothe her ruffled feelings. He wanted to tell her that it was part of her charm—that she wasn’t like other women—and he didn’t want her to be, either. But he couldn’t move his fucking arms, and Katie wasn’t making any move to rectify that.
“I’m sorry, Kat. I shouldn’t have said that. It was insensitive. Maybe you’re right. You’re just not ready yet. Let me go.”
“I don’t want to.”
Her refusal earned her the full glower of his wrath. “It wasn’t a request.”
“You were right, Cole. If I’m not ready now, I never will be. I’m more attracted to you than I ever have been to any other guy—ever. So if I can’t do this now, with you, what makes me think I could ever do it with someone else?”
Okay, well first of all, the idea of her doing this with anyone but him made Cole want to kill someone. Katie was his, and he was done trying to fight it. Second of all, she had a valid point about now or never. She would never be ready. This was one of those things where she was just going to have to jump in and go for it—all in or all out. That she refused to release him told Cole she hadn’t entirely decided.
“Can we, umm . . . just keep going a little bit?”
His dick must have thought she was asking him because he was saying Hell yeah! before Cole could answer her either way. In truth, he wanted out of these damn bonds and wasn’t sure he had the patience for any more discovery time. But Katie’s gaze dropped to the rising flesh between his legs and her smile roundhouse kicked him right in the chest. She still looked nervous, but at least the panic was gone.
Katie must have taken his body’s swift response as all the answer she needed, because she crawled back over him and lowered her face to the side of his neck. As she licked and nipped a path to his collarbone, the brief thought crossed his mind that she’d yet to kiss him. He was about to ponder that thought some more, when she reached between them and palmed his rock-hard length. The tight grip of Katie’s little hand circling his throbbing flesh obliterated any remaining thoughts in Cole’s mind.
He exhaled a throaty moan as she nipped his pec, dangerously close to his nipple. She was getting brave—perhaps a little too brave. By the time Katie re-explored her way down his body, she’d gotten herself sufficiently worked up. The way she touched him, moved and rubbed her lush body against his . . . He’d lost count of how many times she’d nearly made him come just by grinding against him. He wondered how many marks he’d find on his neck, chest, and stomach by the time she was finished with him. And it was killing him not to be able to touch her back. He wasn’t exactly sure what had flipped Katie’s switch, but the longer she touched him, exploring his body, the deeper she seemed to bury her insecurities. A healthy dose of lust was a good balm for just about any ailment. It numbed the mind. Heightened the senses . . .
“I could climb on top of you right now, take you inside me, and there’s nothing you could do to stop me,” she taunted, seeming to enjoy his state of immobility far more than he was.
Holy. Fuck. It was probably a good thing he was bound right now, because this woman had worked him into such a lather, he was near out of his mind with the need to roll her beneath him and bury himself balls deep inside her hot, wet cunny.
“You won’t do that,” Cole warned through gritted teeth, praying she wouldn’t do it.
“How do you know?”
Katie’s breathy challenge tickled his ear, her teeth pressing into his lobe, riding that fine line of pain and pleasure like a pro. She’d spent the last torturous hour learning his body—discovering his erotic hot spots. She was still a little shy around his cock, but that was probably for the best. Any more attention down there and he’d be coming with the force of a fucking geyser, and this was not about him or his pleasure. It was about Katie and her needs—both physical and emotional.
“Because you gave me your word,” he growled through clenched teeth.
“You want this,” she pressed. “I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it in the way your cock pulses between my thighs, begging to be inside me.”
Fucking A . . . what kind of a monster had he unleashed? She was getting too brave. Feeling too confident in the power she held over him. This would be hot as hell if he wasn’t hog-tied to the goddamn bed while she tempted him mercilessly. He knew what she was doing. She wanted him to give in and let her find her release within the safety of his bonds—not a fucking chance.
“You’re right, I do want this, but I want your trust more. And as good as it w
ould be, feeling your tight little glove around me, it’ll never be good enough for either of us if you can’t completely trust me, Kat.”
Katie froze. She lifted her head and scowled down at him. Fuck . . . it looked like he’d just gambled and lost. It surprised him when that disappointment took hold of his heart and squeezed painfully. He’d expected to feel that gripping pain deeper south.
But then Katie leaned forward, reaching above his head, and tugged the slipknot free. Exhaling a shaky sigh, she said with a soft voice that bore the painful edge of defeat, “All right, Cole, you win. We’ll do this your way.”
Thank God. It’s about fucking time . . .
The moment his wrists were free, Cole took her face in his hands and kissed her. “You have no idea how bad I’ve wanted to do this,” he growled against her lips before claiming her mouth in a soul-searing kiss. Katie could feel the veritable passion thrumming through his veins. The power, the need, coiled inside him—desire she’d courted. It was a heady feeling to know she could affect this man so strongly, and she’d taken great pleasure in toying with him. But now was a completely different story. He was no longer bound and unable to do anything about it. The silver-tongued devil had convinced her to let him loose.
Katie instinctively tensed against the initial flare of fear struggling to break the surface. If Cole noticed the flicker of trepidation, he gave no indication. Slipping one hand up to cradle the back of her head and the other around her side, pressing flat against the center of her back, he pulled her closer, deepening their kiss. A satisfied growl of pure masculine pleasure rumbled in his chest. The vibration teased her nipples, sending currents of pleasure right into her core. Lord, he felt good . . .
After a few minutes of oral courtship, Katie began to relax, melting in his arms. Tension eased from her muscles as her lips yielded to the pressure of Cole’s demanding mouth, his tongue stroking hers with breathtaking skill. She let out a startled gasp when her world suddenly tilted. A split second later, she was on her back, pinned to the mattress by Cole’s solid weight. He moved so fast, so fluidly, the rapid change in position left her grappling for her bearings for a moment.
Cole is not Carter, she reminded herself again when those old memories tried to resurface. No, nothing about these men was the same. Not the build of Cole’s definably cut body, molding against every inch of hers, or the ardent touch of his hands that nearly trembled with the power of his flagging restraint. Hands that earned a living giving pain offered her only pleasure if she could just let down her guard and accept it. She wanted it. She wanted Cole—wanted to know what it was like to be loved by a man like this.
“Stay with me, Kat.”
Had he sensed her slipping? Cole’s low, husky voice whispered next to her ear. Hearing the name only he called her ripped Katie back into the present. And it was that moment, she was sure Cole had stolen her heart. He was more in tuned to her needs than she’d given him credit for, allowing her time to battle her demons. But when he’d sensed she might be losing the fight, he swept in to save her—his voice a beacon of light to guide the way back, his touch an anchor, pulling her out of the quagmire of suffering and pain, pulling her back to him—back to the promise of pleasure.
“I’m here,” she whispered, sliding her hands up his back to grip his shoulders, needing him closer.
Cole lifted his head from the trail of kisses he’d laid down her throat, his vibrant azure gaze locking on hers. In that breathless moment, something indescribable passed between them. It was spiritual and kinetic—lustful, yet loving—passionate, but gentle. Without exchanging words, she knew what he was asking of her, knew where this was headed, and to the depths he wanted to take her.
Did she trust him enough to let go and surrender to him? Because the fire in his eyes promised it was going to be one hell of a ride.
Yes. She did. She wanted this—more than anything. With her heart clamoring inside her chest and the stir of butterflies rioting in her stomach, she nodded, answering Cole’s unspoken question.
Passion flared in his eyes. He tensed, his hard body turning to stone above her. For a breathless moment, he appeared to be warring for control and the strain in his voice confirmed it when he said, “Say it, Kat. It’s not for me. You need to hear yourself say the words. Say that you want me—that you want this. That you trust me.”
He didn’t know what he was asking—then again, maybe he did. Perhaps she wasn’t giving him enough credit. Cole was a man who demanded total control—in every aspect of his life—so why would she think he’d be any different in the bedroom?
“Say it now or this stops,” he warned. “I won’t be with you until I know for sure you will have no regrets.”
She had no doubt that as much as it would kill him to do so, if she didn’t meet his demands, Cole would indeed get up and leave her there. And the knowledge that even when he seemed out of control, drunk with lust and mindless with passion, he was still ultimately in control, gave her the last bit of courage she needed to push past her fears and hand Cole 100 percent of her trust.
Meeting his stare, she laid her palm against his stubble-roughened cheek and said, “I want this, Cole. I do trust you.”
Something flashed in his eyes, but she was too afraid to name the emotion for fear she was wrong. He wasn’t offering her love, he was promising her passion, a chance to heal, and she’d do well to remember that.
“I’m going to take good care of you, baby. I promise,” he vowed before capturing her mouth in a plundering kiss as he slipped the thin straps of her tank top off her shoulders. Katie let go of Cole long enough to pull her arms free of the elastic straps and then dove her hands into his hair. He growled his approval when her nails scored his scalp. The cloth abraded her nipples as he dragged her top down, her breasts coming free of the confining cotton. Heavy and tingling, they ached for his touch—the heat of his mouth, the slick softness of his tongue, and the sensual bite of his teeth.
How many times had she fanaticized about this moment, imagining what it would feel like to be at the mercy of this man’s touch? Cole didn’t disappoint. Shifting his weight, moving down her body, he grasped her breast and squeezed with just the perfect amount of pressure as his thumb teased her nipple to a turgid peak. Katie moaned, her back arching into his touch. Her grip on his still-damp hair tightened, and he chuckled wickedly as his mouth descended on her breast. He sucked hard on the sensitive tip, sending a jolt of erotic electricity right into her core. She gasped as her muscles contracted against the emptiness, the ache in her womb tightening as her body wept to be filled.
Katie’s breaths quickened, and she squirmed beneath his solid weight, trying to find some relief from this growing restlessness. Cole took his time torturing her, trapping her nipple between his tongue and teeth, toying with her as he learned her body, just as she had his. Only now she was the helpless one, writhing beneath him as he kissed and nipped a trail down her stomach.
When he gripped her bunched-up tank top and the hem of her pajama pants, she eagerly raised her hips to help him slide them down. He chuckled at her haste, a satisfied masculine rumble that suddenly cut off, morphing into a furious growl.
Katie’s hands instantly shot to cover her inner thighs, a cold slap of reality making her heart clench, the fire burning inside her core rising to her cheeks. Ashamed and self-conscious, she made a grab for the covers, but Cole was faster and caught her wrist before she could reach them. How could she have forgotten? She never forgot . . .
Fighting back tears, Katie struggled to banish the emotion in her voice as she met Cole’s eyes, now blazing with something other than passion. “Let go,” she told him, struggling to close her legs, but he was kneeling between them. She could feel her control slipping, the panic edging in. She tugged harder to be free of his steel-tight grip. “Let me go!”
How could she have let this happen? She was always so careful . . . but Cole had swept her into such a mindless bliss, she’d forgotten to make him turn the light
s off. And now he knew—knew the shame she lived with every day of her life, the scars she could never fully heal from—marks that ruined her for any other man, because no one could ever touch her again without thinking of that monster.
You’re mine and now everyone will know it . . . If I can’t have you, Katrina, no one will . . .
It didn’t matter that Cole wouldn’t be to able read the scarred letters that were now just a bunch of crude disfiguring slashes on the insides of her thighs. She knew what they said. Katie flailed to get her leg around Cole, to get free before she broke down in front of him and humiliated herself even further. Her panic escalated, hysteria shrilling her voice. “Goddammit, Cole, let me go!”
But instead of loosening his grip, it tightened. And the look of determination that settled on his face told her he had zero intention of releasing her. Katie snapped; her only thought, freedom. Tears blurred her vision, distorting Cole’s face as she balled up her fist and punched him. Pain exploded in her hand as she connected with his jaw. Cole muttered a foul curse and before she could get in another swing, he was on her. It didn’t matter how much she fought, how much she flailed, she was battling against an MMA fighter. In a matter of seconds, he had her subdued—pinned to the mattress, and she was pretty sure it only took him that long because he was trying not to hurt her.
She couldn’t move. Cole’s legs were locked around hers, his chest pressed against hers, trapping her between a wall of muscle and the mattress. He held her arms stretched above her head, hands locked tight around her wrists. They were both breathing heavily—she from exertion and Cole no doubt from the effort to control his temper. Shit, she’d just decked the CFA light-heavyweight champion of the world. What in the hell was she thinking?
“You want me to tap?” she snapped, bucking beneath him in a futile attempt to dislodge him. Not her best idea. They were both naked, and grinding against him wasn’t going to help the situation. “Fine! I tap! Now let me go! I’m done!”
Win by Submission Page 17