Endangered Hearts [Après-Ski 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Zara Chase

  “Shush, don’t worry about me. I could walk away from all this.” She caressed him with her eyes. “I’m here because I want to be.”

  He sighed, looking like he wanted to argue, but in the end he pulled her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go and get some breakfast.”

  They had the lounge to themselves. Sabine was surprised to find a full, hotel-like breakfast buffet set up. Everything was fresh and delicious.

  “Hmm,” she said, tucking into sinfully delicious scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and a stack of pancakes. Sex always made her ravenous. She closed her eyes and savored the food. “I think I might forget about you and transfer my affections to Tyrell.”

  Rick growled across the table at her. “Just try it, lady!”

  Sabine sent him a playful smile. “Is that a challenge…Sir?”

  “No, darlin’, it’s a threat.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Rick leaned forward and fixed her with a wallowing gaze. “And just so you know, I don’t make idle threats.” He pushed back his chair, stood up, and held out his hand. “Still, seems you need to be reminded what you’ll be passing up if you dump me for my buddy. Come on.”

  They made it back to his rooms in double-quick time. Sabine’s heart was thumping against her ribcage when he kicked the door closed behind them and sent her a look of unbridled reproach.

  “You shouldn’t have done that, sugar,” he said in the same deep, commanding tone he’d used the night before. The one that sent devastating shivers of anticipation reverberating through her. “In our world, if a sub expresses interest in another man, it implies disrespect of, or dissatisfaction with, her Dom. Are you dissatisfied with me, Sabine?”

  “Hell no!”

  “Then you were being disrespectful, and disrespect can’t go unpunished.”

  Sabine instinctively dropped her gaze to the floor. “I apologize.”

  “Not good enough.”

  “Then what must I do to make it up to you, Sir?”

  “Take all your clothes off and go and stand in the corner with your back to me.”

  Sabine was astonished by how turned on she got when he spoke to her that way. She quickly disrobed, conscious of his hot gaze burning into her, watching her intently. She had come a long way in one short day and was already starting to love her own body simply because Rick did. Not that he had used the word love, but his dark expression when she’d joked about Tyrell implied possessive jealousy that boosted her self-confidence.

  She was unaware how long she stood, facing the wall, ignored by Rick. She heard him moving around his rooms, opening and closing drawers, possibly removing his own clothing. A girl could hope. When he eventually spoke again in the same deep, commanding tone, it took her by surprise.

  “Come here,” he said curtly.

  She turned around, and gasped. He was sitting butt naked on the edge of his bed, sporting a massive erection that was covered by one of those cock ring thingies that Leo had worn in the dungeon the night before.

  “No!”

  His voice stopped her in her tracks and she sent him an enquiring glance.

  “Get down on your hands and knees and crawl over.”

  Wow, this was exciting! With moisture tricking down the insides of her thighs, and her nipples painfully solidified, she hastened to do as he asked. She saw his bare feet in the periphery of her vision and halted her crawl. Without any warning, a flogger of some sort came down hard over her backside. Sabine gasped, but somehow managed to hold her position. The blow had been hard, but the thongs were soft. She figured that by his standards he had to be treating her gently. She recalled what she had been told about breathing slow and deep, and put that advice into practice. It helped, and the sharp tingling became pleasurable when it reached her nerve endings, arousing every cell in her body. She expected Rick to compensate by touching her throbbing clit, much as he had the previous day. He didn’t, and her disappointment was intense.

  “Oh no, sugar,” he said, as though sensing her thoughts. “You’ve misbehaved, so this is for me, not you.”

  “Aw.”

  He brought the flogger down again. “Are you still thinking of defecting to Tyrell?”

  “No, Master, I’m very sorry I said that.” And loving every second of this punishment.

  “Very well. I’m pleased with the way you accepted your punishment, but that’s enough for now. You’re not accustomed to it.”

  His large hand spanned her buttocks, massaging the area he had just flogged. Then she felt lube being squirted between her buttocks and her breath caught in her throat. Did he plan to actually take her that way? She panicked, wondering if she could actually go through with it, wanting to please him any way she could…but that. Was she ready? Tanya and Darcy appeared to think it was no big deal. She wondered how long it had taken them to reach that point.

  “Time to tease you a little more,” he said, rimming her anus with a finger.

  She tried not to tense up against him, but this was still such an alien feeling it was impossible not to.

  “Easy, honey. Let me do my work.”

  His hypnotic cadence did the trick and this time his finger slid easily into her, quickly followed by a second. Then, joy of joys, she felt a plug replace them.

  “Yes, I can tell you like that. We’re really gonna have to do something about fucking that sweet ass of yours sooner or later. It’s a crying shame to neglect it.” Sabine was unsure whether she felt relief or disappointment because he didn’t plan to do anything about it now. She knew they didn’t have much time before they had to leave for the mountain. Perhaps that thought governed his thinking. “Okay, Sabine, get up on your knees.”

  She did so and found herself situated between Rick’s splayed knees, his throbbing erection jutting aggressively inches from her lips.

  “You know what I need,” he said, his voice raw and husky. He pulled her arms behind her back and attached restraints. “Use only your lips.”

  He still had the cock ring on. Sabine wondered if he realized. Well of course he did. He was the one in charge. Presumably he wanted it to stay right where it was, so she bent her head and slipped the tip of his penis between her lips, savoring the erotic taste of his arousal as she slowly sucked him deeper. She licked him from tip to balls, slowly, provocatively, and enjoyed his sharp intake of breath and the feel of his hands on top of her head, guiding her. One of those hands reached down lower and pinched one of her nipples hard enough to make her gasp.

  She didn’t allow her own growing need to distract her as she sipped at his arousal, swallowing down a drop of pre-cum that oozed from the head of his cock. She felt him expand inside her mouth. Encouraged, she worked him harder, sliding her mouth up and down the length of his throbbing thickness. She thought of all the pleasure he had given her, all that he had taught her about herself, and was determined to repay the favor in some small way.

  Before she could take matters to their inevitable conclusion, he abruptly pulled out of her mouth, taking her by surprise. She wanted to ask if she had done something wrong, but knew that wasn’t the case. His eyes were glazed with passion, causing Sabine to suspect he wasn’t nearly as in control as he would have her believe. Doms probably weren’t meant to lose control. The thought empowered Sabine, making her smile.

  “Straddle me,” he said, patting the bed on either side of his thighs.

  Arms still shackled behind her, his chest hair rubbing abrasively against her sensitized tits each time she leaned forward, he slid the tip of his cock into her. The throb between her legs bloomed into pure torture as he teasingly removed himself again. She knew better than to beg. This was supposed to be a punishment, a means, she suspected, of making her forget about the life-threatening situation they would soon have to face.

  As diversions went, it was pretty damned effective. All Sabine could think about right now was her growing need, and she didn’t give a shit about anything else. The plug in her backside had heated up, but not nearly as much as th
ey rest of her body, which felt as though it was on fire. She would self-combust if she didn’t find release soon, but she figured that was the whole point. In tune with her needs, as always, Rick reached beneath her and pushed the plug deeper. She groaned as she hit the brick wall of her limited endurance. She took matters into her own thighs, and sank down onto his cock. Hard. She had forgotten about the cock ring. It rubbed abrasively against the sensitized walls of her cunt, causing her to cry out. Rick tapped her butt hard, presumably because she had again been disobedient. Well, if it earned her another punishment, who was she to complain?

  “Okay, sugar, I hear you. We need to get this on.”

  He thrust upwards into her, almost brutally. Helpless against the raging force of her need, Sabine felt her orgasm already blooming. She rode him hard and fast, with no real rhythm, but Rick let her to do whatever she liked, lightly guiding her with his hands on her hips. She glanced at his face and what she saw there shook her to the core. Unguarded passion formed the bedrock of his expression, a nerve worked beneath one eye, and his corded neck muscles look fit to burst from the strain of holding back. Wicked laugher erupted from his throat.

  “Oh, baby, I’m gonna have some fun teaching you some discipline.”

  Another harsh thrust was all it took for her insides to dissolve as her orgasm hit like an exploding incendiary device. She threw her head back and cried out, all synapses firing in harmony with one another as exquisite shards of intense sensation hit her from all sides.

  “That’s it, darlin’, take what you need. You love my cock fucking you, don’t you? You just can’t get enough if it, you greedy little witch.”

  Rick thrust into her and groaned, pulsating deep as a white hot explosion of unleashed energy shot into her and he followed her over the edge. Sabine stayed with him, perspiring, panting, as her fading orgasm seemed to reignite in response to his pleasure and they drifted together on an endless tide of pleasure.

  As soon as he came back to earth, he fell onto his back, taking her with him. He closed his arms tightly around her and kissed her long and deep.

  “Sweet darlin’, you’re killing me,” he said, still buried deep inside of her, breathing hard.

  “I rather like your punishments,” she said when she found enough energy to speak.

  “Stick around, kid, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  He rolled to the side, withdrew from her and released her hands. She snuggled against his slick body, satiated and sleepy, her fingers lazily tangling with the hairs on his glorious chest. It felt as though every bone in her body had been liquefied and she doubted whether she would ever find the energy to move again.

  She must have fallen asleep, because she was woken by Rick leaning over her and kissing the side of her neck.

  “Come on, sleepyhead,” he said. “We’d best get showered and head up the mountain.”

  “Hmm, later.” She curled into a tight ball, unwilling to open her eyes. “I’m comfortable.”

  “We have to go, honey.” He tapped her butt. “Come on, time and eagles wait for no one.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Hey, Cassie.”

  Sabine gave Cassie a cheerful wave, feeling agreeably disposed to the entire world after what she and Rick had just done. Cassie was the third volunteer on duty that afternoon, and she joined Sabine, Rick and Ruben as they waited for the cable car to take them up.

  “Oh, hi,” she replied, clearly surprised at Sabine’s friendly overture.

  Cassie looked tired but very pleased with herself. Jack had obviously measured up. She chatted the whole time the car was taking them up, and resumed her flirting with Rick. Sabine didn’t mind. In fact she was grateful for Cassie’s inane chatter. It blocked out her problems almost as effectively as Rick’s lovemaking had done earlier. Even so, a deep sense of unease gripped Sabine. Rick assured her he knew what he was doing, but his attitude was far too cavalier for Sabine’s liking and he had cleverly avoided sharing his plans to avoid getting killed with her. Always assuming he had made plans. Guys had been sent to kill them both, for fuck’s sake, and he seemed to think it was no big deal. She rolled her eyes. Men!

  Rick winked at her over Cassie’s head, and Sabine’s resolve to keep him safe and stop him doing anything reckless, even at the expense of her own life, strengthened. Someone had to be the responsible adult in this relationship. Besides, some causes, and the people behind them, were worth fighting for. She was expendable, but the environment needed people like Rick.

  They reached the refuge and took over from the morning shift, who had been kept busy with passers-by but had nothing of interest to report. Rick and Ruben came and went during the afternoon, while Cassie and Sabine manned the refuge, keeping an eye on the eeries and fielding lots of questions from tourists hiking in the hills. A surprising number of them seemed genuinely interested in the eagles and were knowledgeable about them. A lot of donations to the cause were promised. Sabine hoped they materialized. She would suggest to Rick that they had a collecting box in the refuge itself so people could spontaneously give before they had a change of heart.

  None of the people who stopped by seemed the slightest bit suspicious to Sabine, but then if assassins looked like assassins they wouldn’t get too far in their chosen profession. She treated everyone as suspect, even when they gave her no cause, but came close to the end of her shift without having actually identified anyone who seemed out of place.

  Rick and Ruben returned from one of their many meanders a half-hour before the night shift was due to report. As they did so, two guys came down the mountain, dressed in professional hiking boots, with backpacks, stout walking sticks and binoculars dangling around their necks, just like any number of other walkers they had seen that afternoon. One of them had a slight limb, but other than that they blended in with the rest of the tourists. Ruben didn’t seem to agree. His head shot up, so did his hackles, and a low rumble echoed in his throat. Rick used a hand gesture and the dog lay at his feet, still with his hackles raised, but no longer growling. Rick shot Sabine a look.

  “It’s them,” he said under his breath so Cassie didn’t hear. “The one with the limp has to be the one that Ruben caught running from your room.”

  “Good boy, Ruben,” Sabine said, peering intently at the two guys from behind her sunglasses. “I’ve never seen either of them before.”

  “I need to find out who they are.”

  Rick watched the guys deliberately not looking at the refuge, which confirmed their suspicious. Everyone who had been up here so far had at least glanced at the little information center they had set up about the wildlife in Nevella, and handouts dedicated to each species of animal and plant. But these two headed straight for the cable car. Rick stepped outside and got on the radio. Sabine knew he would be talking to the guy who ran the lift, who in turn would communicate with someone else below, letting them know which car the guys were coming down in. At least she had managed to extract that much information from Rick through determined questioning. For that reason, she knew someone would follow the guys back to their hotel. Before Rick and Sabine got back to Medina Village, their identity would be known.

  “Once we know who they are, why can’t we turn the tables on them and get to them before they get to us?” Sabine asked while Cassie was busily chatting to the last of the day’s walkers.

  “Can’t instigate that sort of trouble in the village, darlin’. Anyone involved with Leo getting caught doing anything illegal in this country will give the other families the opportunity they’re looking for to get rid of Leo.”

  Sabine widened her eyes. “Why would anyone want Leo to leave Nevella? He’s real good for the country.”

  “A little too good. He’s given Medina Valley and the Padron family the edge over the others. They are all gunning for him because he’s too successful. Besides, we can’t risk innocents getting caught in the crossfire.” Rick grinned at her. “Trust me, it’s best if we take them on up here, on our own territory.”
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  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she said accusingly, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “I’m not enjoying putting you in danger, sweet thing, but since it, as you call it, is responsible for the two of us meeting then yeah, I’m pretty stoked about it.”

  “How can I get mad at you when you always know the right thing to say?”

  “That’s me, honey, the original smooth talker.”

  “Harrumph!”

  Rick laughed at her as he turned to Cassie and answered a question one of the tourists had just asked and which Cassie couldn’t handle.

  * * * *

  Back at Hadleigh’s, Rick and Sabine ate dinner in the guys’ private lounge with Darcy and Ross, Tanya and Ward. Rick now knew where their suspects were staying and the names they had registered with, although he doubted if they were their real names. He was restless, anxious to see this thing through, tormented by the thought of Sabine getting hurt. But short of tying her to his bed—a course of action he had not yet entirely ruled out—he didn’t have a hope in hell of keeping her out of it. Besides, if she didn’t go up the mountain with him tomorrow night, the bad guys would notice and smell a rat.

  He turned his attention back to the here and now, pleased to see Sabine bonding with the other ladies. He didn’t think she was much of a one for girly nights out, and was pretty sure she had never had any close female friends, or friends of any sort. What she had seen in the dungeon the night before and knowing very few visitors to Nevella were aware the club existed, much less got to view proceedings, gave her something in common with Tanya and Darcy. For their part, his buddies’ partners seemed keen to make Sabine welcome.

  “Ask us anything you like,” Tanya said. “We saw you watching and know you must have questions.”

  “We both did when we first got here,” Darcy added.