Commanded

by Stacey Kennedy

  “Only you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, angling her hips and beginning to ride him from underneath. “Promise.”

  Content with her answer, he did what he’d wanted to do from the moment he met her: he fucked her passionately, possessively, permanently marking her as his. Sweat coated his body as he pumped his hips to bring her to orgasm. He craved that from her. He needed to own her pleasure. She had to come on his cock, simply because he asked that of her now. Only he could make her scream this way. Only he could make her arch her back that far off the table. Only he would hear her calling out his name during her climax.

  When her cunt clamped against him and he felt her throb, Sawyer gave in to his pleasure. Heat rushed up his spine and burned into his balls before his cum shot into the condom as he roared out his release.

  Many minutes passed before her soft laughter dragged him back from what felt like near unconsciousness. He pushed himself off her slightly. When their eyes met, she asked, “Can someone die from orgasms?”

  “Let’s hope so.” He peered down at her, loving that she looked perfectly well fucked. “Not a bad way to go.”

  She chuckled. “Definitely not.”

  While he loved how Chloe made light of any situation, he still felt tension coursing through him. He brushed her damp hair off her face. “Do you understand now? I’m not telling you not to go there just to be an asshole.”

  She pressed her finger against his mouth. “I know why you didn’t want me there.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “I think you made it all very clear.” She paused a moment before adding in a shy voice, “I’m sorry that I didn’t ask you to take me. I didn’t think it would upset you so much.”

  “But now you know it does?”

  “Now I know it does.”

  Keeping his body on top of hers, not ready to move away just yet, he added, “You also know that I don’t want you to be anyone else but yourself?”

  “Yes, I know.” She gave a sweet smile.

  He kissed the tip of her nose and gathered her in his arms. “Good. Now let’s go to bed so I can fuck you properly to apologize for being angry.”

  Her eyes went huge. “What would you call what we just did?”

  “Getting warmed up.”

  Chapter 12

  The dark night led Sawyer through the streets of Las Vegas as he sat behind the wheel of his truck. It was minutes past midnight now, and exhaustion weighed on him. The city remained alive and busy. While he loved that about Vegas, he craved to drop into sleepy slumber. He pressed his foot against the accelerator, knowing that rest wouldn’t come without putting something else to bed first.

  Once he crossed through the intersection, he pulled up in front of the charming bookstore on the corner. A sign hanging over the door read THE BOOK NOOK. At one time the bookstore had appeared run down, but now with the fresh paint and new store windows it had been rejuvenated. He cut the engine of his truck and exited, locking the doors behind him. To his left he noted that the contractor had finished the work on the tattoo shop next to the bookstore. All of which would lead into a new casino a year from now.

  Determined to see the people in the apartment above the bookstore, Sawyer moved forward. The warm breeze of a beautiful Las Vegas night touched him as he approached the building’s side door. It came as no surprise that he needed to ring the bell three times before he heard someone trotting down the stairs.

  When the door opened, a sleepy Porter, wearing only black shorts, frowned at Sawyer. “What do you want?”

  “Mind if I come in?”

  Porter stepped away from the door, allowing Sawyer to enter. The wooden stairs creaked under his footsteps as he followed Porter into the apartment. Once he entered through the narrow doorway, he discovered a small apartment with simple furnishings, but the space had homey touches. Knickknacks layered just about every blank space available. Then Sawyer saw Kenzie standing in the tiny kitchen, wearing her bathrobe.

  Hair in disarray, she glanced from Porter to Sawyer. “Is everything all right?”

  “It will be.” Sawyer sighed and shut the door behind him. “Can I have a few minutes alone with Porter?”

  Her sleepy eyes flicked at Porter, who nodded agreement. Then she smiled at Sawyer. “Of course. Good night.”

  Porter waited until the bedroom door closed before moving into the living room and taking a seat on the couch. “Do tell. What needs to be said that couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

  “I’ve come to apologize.” Sawyer dropped down into the recliner near the window, noticing the plants on the antique table next to him. “Tonight might not have been my finest of moments.”

  “No shit.” Fire blazed in Porter’s eyes.

  Sawyer gave his friend a moment to settle down before continuing. “I’m protective of her.”

  “I get that.” A vein showed along Porter’s forehead. “You do know you’re not the only one who cares for Chloe?”

  “Yes, I know.” Sawyer gave a small nod.

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” Porter’s hands were fisted on his lap, and his voice was icy. “Because how you acted tonight implied that I don’t give two shits about her welfare.”

  Sawyer accepted the tongue-lashing. He deserved it. “I know that’s how it appeared and I’m sorry, but that isn’t what I intended.”

  The two men were silent for a moment, staring at each other. Finally Porter said, “Help me understand all this. From where I’m sitting, you should be happy she wants to go there and is curious about your lifestyle. Believe me when I tell you that I never expected Chloe to be so accepting of all this. She seems too…”

  “Innocent?” Sawyer offered.

  Porter nodded, putting his feet up on the coffee table. “That’s a good way to put it.”

  Sawyer clenched his hands, letting the raw feelings course through him instead of fighting them. “Part of me is, of course, pleased Chloe is open to understanding our lifestyle.”

  “But the other part of you?”

  “Wants to protect her from it.”

  Porter’s brows winged up. “Protect her from what?”

  Sawyer ran his hands over his face. “Protect her from me.”

  During the long pause that followed, Porter stared at him, hard. “I don’t understand. You’d be good for Chloe.”

  “Would I?” He stared at Porter in challenge. “Chloe is perfect just the way she is. What will happen if I change that? What will happen if I bring her into an erotic world she wasn’t a part of before? Will she be better because of it? Or will it just make her different? More of what I want, but not truly who she is?”

  Porter’s expression told Sawyer that he was giving those questions serious thought.

  Sawyer rubbed at the tight muscles in his shoulders. “You saw her tonight. Being there didn’t make her happy. It made her insecure.”

  “You’re right, I did see that.” Porter tapped his fingers against his leg. “But I also saw her react with curiosity when she watched a woman being flogged. She asked me questions about it. That’s not a woman who was afraid of what she saw.”

  Sawyer bobbed her head. “Yet she chose to leave. When I arrived she seemed…devastated.”

  Porter frowned. “Devastated?”

  “I saw it in her eyes.” Sawyer hung his head, knowing that he could express his concerns to his close friend. “She began to question the whole idea of her and me together, and started wondering how she could be the woman that I need.” He lifted his eyes to find his friend staring at him compassionately. “I don’t want to force Chloe into a world where she doesn’t belong.”

  “True.” Emotion, both sympathy and concern, rushed across Porter’s face. “But you can’t force yourself into a world where you don’t belong, either.”

  “And that, my friend, is precisely the problem.”

  —

  Chloe gasped awake, her heart hammering against the wall of her chest, swearing she’d heard the sound of a window being smashed. Sh
e scanned Sawyer’s dark bedroom before she realized that Sawyer wasn’t in bed with her. Achy and sore everywhere on her body, especially between her thighs, she ran her hand over the bed, finding his spot cold.

  Still trying to shake off the nightmare that had woken her, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling fan above her. She placed her hand against her chest, feeling the thumping of her heart and blowing out a long, slow breath.

  God, she hated when she woke up like that. Dreams like that could confuse anyone into believing danger surrounded her when it didn’t. She was safe. Hell, she lay in Sawyer’s bed. That comforting thought eased the panic coursing through her veins.

  Composed and breathing normally now, she brushed the hair off her face and sat up as the sound of a door closing came from the hallway. Sawyer must’ve gone into the bathroom. She sank back into bed, her mind again working to make sense of what had happened that night.

  The strong ache in her chest reminded her that while Sawyer said he wasn’t expecting anything from her, she couldn’t forget that for them to be together he had to give something up. With sudden sadness, she realized that such a situation would be a direct repeat of what had happened with Josh. His life had overtaken hers. His friends had become her friends. And she didn’t want that for Sawyer. If she was being honest, she didn’t want it for herself, either.

  Chloe wanted Sawyer to stay the same. She wanted to stay the same.

  Their relationship was new. Wasn’t this when things should be fun and uncomplicated? All the same, she didn’t want to walk away from Sawyer.

  So where did that leave them?

  Couldn’t she simply just give this BDSM lifestyle a try? She saw how it provided structure and stability to his life. She could act submissive in the bedroom, couldn’t she? What concerned her more than anything else was whether Sawyer would fall to pieces if he didn’t have the lifestyle. If that happened, she’d be at fault.

  The burden seemed almost too much to bear.

  Again came the sound of a door opening in the hallway. She couldn’t stay in the cold and empty bed any longer. Regardless of the worries going through her mind, she needed to be in Sawyer’s arms. Somehow that made everything better.

  As she pushed the blankets off, the full moon outside cast a cool glow over the bedroom. She grabbed Sawyer’s T-shirt off the floor and pulled it on, inhaling the woodsy scent lingering on the fabric. Finding her ripped underwear on the floor, she reached for it, knotted the sides back together, and put them on.

  Just then she heard another creak in the hallway. She tilted her head, listening to the sounds out in the hallway. Instinct set off alarm bells in her head. Why would Sawyer be walking around his own house that way?

  Heart banging against her chest, she spun on her heel and snatched her phone off the nightstand. Another creak sounded outside the doorway. Thinking quickly, she stuffed her cell phone into the front of her panties, settling it between her legs. Only when she knew it wouldn’t fall out did she turn toward the door.

  A dark figure entered the room, too short to be Sawyer. Then she heard a chilling voice. “You threaten people to get to me. I don’t fucking run. You wanted me. Now you’ve got me.”

  With shaky fingers, Chloe turned on the nightstand light, unsurprised to find Travis standing in the doorway. She stared into his bloodshot, crazed eyes, hoping that once he noticed it wasn’t Sawyer standing there, he’d take off.

  But he didn’t leave. As he strode toward her, she noticed the glassiness of his eyes with their widely dilated pupils.

  “Get out or I’ll call the police,” she spat.

  Travis gave her a cruel smile as he raised his hand. That’s when Chloe saw the black gun aimed at her chest. “If I can’t have him, I’ll definitely have you.”

  Chloe parted her lips to scream. Just then something heavy hit her skull and she tumbled into darkness.

  Chapter 13

  Pain laced Chloe’s head as she became aware of her surroundings. Her shoulder and hip were pressed against a hard surface beneath her. Every breath she drew smelled muskier than the last. She groaned as her head throbbed, forcing her back into consciousness. She touched the side of her skull and felt warm dampness spread onto her fingers. She flinched as pain shot through her.

  Her mind moved quickly, trying to piece together what had happened. She opened her eyes, blinking to focus. Only when her eyes adjusted to her dark surroundings did she realize that Travis had placed her in the trunk of a car. She was wide awake now, with fright blasting through her.

  Panic rose, and sweat coated her body. The car was moving. She searched for a handle on the inside of the trunk, but the car appeared to be an older make and didn’t have the safety release. As her heart threatened to get away from her, she exhaled a long breath. Think, Chloe. How can I let someone know I’m in here?

  Closing her eyes a moment, she listened for sounds outside, but aside from the sound of the car’s engine and wheels, she heard nothing. No sounds from busy Vegas came from outside, telling her even if she yelled no one would hear her. How can I get help?

  The answer came a second later. My phone! She reached down between her thighs and thanked God that her phone hadn’t fallen out of her panties—and that Travis hadn’t seen it.

  With shaky hands, she took out her phone and turned it on. Since she’d texted Sawyer earlier that night, his phone number remained right at the top. Comforted by the fact that the phone gave off some light, she hit the call button.

  The phone rang. And rang. And rang. Finally Sawyer’s soft, comforting voice came on the line. “I’m sorry I left you—”

  Her words came out in a super-speed rush. “Travis came to your house and I’m now in the trunk of his car.”

  The bewilderment was evident in his voice. “Come again?”

  “I am in Travis’s trunk. I need help.”

  She heard his sharp intake of breath.

  When he spoke again she noted the change in his voice. His tone became calmer, slower—that of a man in control, a solider understanding the job in front of him. “Did Travis say where he was taking you?”

  “No.” She mirrored Sawyer’s composed nature, trying to remind herself that Travis was out of his fucking mind and she was sober. She could outsmart Travis. “He knocked me out.”

  A low growl filled the phone line. “All right. Did—”

  The engine slowed, the loud roar turning into a quiet hum. “Wait.” She held her breath, listening hard. “I think he’s slowing down.” How had this happened to her? What had she done to deserve this? She wanted to be in Sawyer’s arms. “I…I don’t hear anything. Wait…” She shut her eyes to help her focus on the sound. “I hear gravel. Yes.” Her eyes opened. “We’re driving on gravel, not on a paved road.” The car jerked, and fear slammed into her. “Oh, no. Oh, God. He’s stopping.”

  “You’re okay, Chloe.” Sawyer’s voice cracked. “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

  “Wait…” Her breath hitched as a new noise sent coldness right down into her soul. “He’s opening his door.”

  “Keep the phone on. Hide it somewhere so Travis can’t see it. I’m on my way to the station now. We’ll track it and find you.”

  “Hurry.” Tears filled her eyes as logic fled her mind and sheer fright overcame her. “I need you, Sawyer. I need you so much.”

  He gave a pained noise. “You have me. Hide the phone. Do it now.”

  She hid her phone under a rag in the corner of the trunk and then listened tensely: the slight purr of the engine; the wind rustling around the car; the crunching of shoes against gravel; a harsh thump.

  The trunk opened, and two big hands reached for her. She screamed, overwhelmed with terror. She was no longer the hunter seeking Travis.

  She’d become the prey.

  —

  Chloe’s scream tore across Sawyer’s senses as he drove as fast as he could toward the police station. On automatic pilot, he jumped out of his truck and raced in throug
h the back door, shouting, “I need a trace on a cell phone. Now.”

  A dark head of hair rose from a cubicle. Immediate relief flooded Sawyer as he saw Kyler approaching. “Travis has abducted Chloe,” Sawyer told him tersely. He glanced around the room, seeing his fellow cops turn their attention to him. “My girlfriend has been abducted by the man who beat up my sister,” he said, his voice raised. Some of the officers stood up, going instantly to full alert. “Who can trace a phone?”

  A tall, blond cop in the back corner cubicle raised his hand. “I can.”

  Sawyer rattled off Chloe’s cell phone number. “Do it now.” Then he turned to a female cop who was close by. “Call in the SWAT team. Tell them to gather and be ready in ten.” He paused, wishing he had a description of Travis’s car. Knowing he didn’t, he ordered, “Put out an APB for a missing person—Chloe Nash, twenty-five years old, five foot four, brown hair, one hundred and thirty pounds.” All around him, Sawyer saw cops springing into action.

  Eyes tight with concern, Kyler placed a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. “Please explain to me what’s happened.”

  Sawyer scraped his hands over his face, gutted. “I have no idea what happened. I went to Porter’s tonight to talk to him, leaving Chloe in my bed. As I was on my way home, she called me and told me that she was in the trunk of Travis’s car.” He dropped his hands and stared at his friend, knowing his expression wasn’t that of a controlled Dom but that of a desperate man. “I need to get to her. And I need to do it now.”

  “We’ll find her.” Kyler gave a firm nod before moving across the office to the desk in the corner. “Have you locked onto the signal, Craig?”

  “I’m doing my best.” Craig typed on his keyboard with fast fingers. “It’s pinging off a few towers and I’m having trouble triangulating the signal. It appears her GPS signal is weak. I can’t get an exact location.” He typed again, even more urgently now. “Give me a minute…”

  Sawyer began to pace in front of Craig’s desk. He folded his arms to keep from hitting something. Each second felt like the worst fucking second of his life. Not only hadn’t he been able to protect his sister from this motherfucker, but now Chloe was in danger because Sawyer had left her tonight.