“I’m not very creative with flowers, but I’ll do what I can.”
She laughed, a soft giggle, as she moved from the bed to the closet and returned with a small cardboard box. “I want you to use this stuff on me.”
“What’s in there?”
“Supplies from the store.” Jennica climbed on the mattress, tipping the container. The leather strap cuffs and the whip thing he believed to be a flogger fell in a small pile on the red comforter, along with a blindfold. And he only thought his dick had been hard.
“This is the favor?” His mouth went dry, and his head got a bit dizzy, both with excitement and concern. On one hand, he couldn’t wait to strap her down and tease her, taste her, drive her crazy until the solitary word she mustered was his name. On the other, what if he did something wrong? What if he hurt her? Wow, um, did she want to be hurt? Nope. No, he would draw the line at pain…or the wrong kind of pain. How far did she plan to go with this? How far did he?
Jennica brushed the empty box to the floor and prowled across the bed toward him on all fours. He watched with shallow breath and a pulse which had taken on a new, heightened level. The rapid pounding grew more painful with each beat, but tearing his stare from her was not an option. She moved slow and deliberate as if each hand, each knee pressed down in the mattress with purpose—to make him fucking mad for her. Sheer genius, this woman…he couldn’t think of anything else if he tried.
“Come here, baby,” she purred. Reaching out, she grabbed the waistband of his jeans and tugged until she had him close enough for her tongue to dip below the fabric.
If she had planned for the whole try-and-make-him-come-early, it was working. The throbbing against his zipper ached with need. His legs trembled, and his gut tightened, working overtime to keep his seed from blowing. He took her shoulders, lifting her so she sat high on her knees, and bent forward to taste her mouth. She moaned low at the contact. The sweet noise became desperate when he slipped a finger between her legs, breaching the sodden entrance.
“Scott…have me…however you want.”
* * * *
Jennica laid on her belly as instructed, legs spread, arms at her sides, forehead buried in the mattress. Scott hovered over her back, planting little kisses on every inch of skin while he made his way down her body. Stopping at her bottom, he grasped her cheeks and kneaded them, allowing his thumbs to dip low and graze over her throbbing center…sheer torture. Her walls ached to be touched, massaged.
She arched her back, pushing her entrance toward his fingers. “Please,” she whimpered, not sure she could take the agony much longer.
“Get up on your knees. Keep your head and chest down,” Scott ordered with ragged breath, sending shivers across her skin.
She wanted to lift her head, see the desire in his face she felt from his stare, but knew as part of the game, she had to obey. So instead, Jennica swallowed hard, staring at the shadowed darkness of the sheet, and did as instructed. Once all of her was exposed, Scott let out a soft moan and gently slid his hand down her right inner thigh and back up where he rubbed against her wet slit. Shudders rippled in the wake, making her lungs spasm.
He brought his lips to her ear, and whispered, “Jen…should we use a safe word?”
A safe word? What exactly is he planning? It dawned on her the only discussion they’d ever had about cuffs and whips or any type of bondage had been the night he’d seen her bouquets. She’d made a point to let him know she’d never even dabbled in the stuff, but as far as she knew, for the past few weeks he could’ve been hiding the fact he was some hard-core Dom eager to leave welts and bruises. She’d asked for this though, told him to do whatever he wanted. Her heart hammered as the panic rose.
“I won’t hurt you. I don’t want you uncomfortable.” Scott paused for a second and brushed away the blanket of hair hiding her face, kissing her ear, her neck, her shoulder. She trembled when he dipped a finger between her wet folds, slowly circling inside. “Do you trust me?”
The lingering reservations were hurled from her mind, replaced by anticipation. She nodded. Of course she trusted him.
“Look at me,” he said. Jennica did, and his eyes locked with hers. “Jen, say it out loud.” He removed the massaging digit, doubling her want. Her walls pulsed, ached to have him.
“I trust you,” she murmured, sounding frantic and pleading even to her own ears. She didn’t care as long as he would soon be filling her.
“Good.” A slow smile formed on his lips. He reached between her legs, pinching lightly at the sensitive bud beneath her folds. “Have you decided on a safe word?”
She shook her head, dizzying at his touch and realizing how hard coming up with one word could be. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’ll stop you…if I feel the need.”
He grinned and grabbed the cuffs. “Sit on your knees and put your hands behind your back.”
She complied, and he fastened the buckle on the leather strap to her wrists. Jennica’s breath quickened with each movement. Scott moved back, his eyes taking her in. He bit his bottom lip, and Jen shivered, wanting her mouth there.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, and picked up the blindfold. He leaned in, gently brushing his lips to hers then slipped the black cloth over her eyes.
Jen’s heart hammered as he gathered her hair, draping it over her left shoulder. His warm mouth planted soft kisses from the back of her ear down her neck and trailed along her chest to her breasts where he took turns with each, flicking his tongue against her sensitive nipples. She gave a quick jerk to the cuffs, wanting her hands on his chest, his arms, wrapped around his cock. Oh, how she wanted to feel him. Her thighs buckled and she sat back on her heels. Scott pushed her knees apart, and she gasped. He put a finger to her mouth then pushed the digit through her lips and slowly pulled it out, replacing it with his tongue.
His hands went down her sides, caressing. Charges rippled through her and straight to her center. A finger breached her wet opening, and he deepened their kiss then pulled his mouth away. She wanted to see him, needed to touch him. She started to protest, beg to taste more of him, but she heard the sound of a wrapper tear and the walls of her core began to thump. The desire to have him increased when his head dove between her legs, and he sucked and nibbled on her swollen clit. Jennica opened herself further, moaning with pleasure, thrusting her pussy against his face.
Scott took her by the waist and picked her up, slamming her down on his hardened cock. She screamed his name, grinding, rocking, and loving the way he filled her. He ripped the blindfold from her eyes. “Look at me,” he growled. “I want to see your eyes when you come.”
She fastened her gaze on his. The intensity in his stare made her lose her breath and shudders jolted from deep within, spreading across her nerves in violent blasts of electricity. In one swift move, he rolled her to her back and grabbed behind her knees, spreading her wide. Her bound hands pressed into the mattress at the small of her back as he pounded her through the orgasm and he pulsed inside, groaning loud.
“That was…unbelievable,” she said, quivering with an aftershock while he freed her wrists. He flopped back on the bed and she snuggled up next to him in the crook of his arm.
“I hope it helps with your flower arrangement business.” He laughed, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
“Oh, yes, sir. You have no idea.” She tangled a leg in between his, not able to remember a moment in her life she’d been more elated. “I’ll definitely be recruiting you for further business ideas.”
Scott pulled her on top of him. He appeared as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how. He raked his top teeth across his bottom lip. “You make me happy.”
Chapter 6
“Are you kidding me?” Scott barked into the phone, rushing to his truck in a panicked rage. He’d worked late and was already exhausted and on edge. The night before, making love to Jen until the wee hours of the morning, had left him with little sleep.
“No,
I’m not, Scott. I…I didn’t know if she’d called you,” Sharon said, sounding worried.
“No, she didn’t call! How did you find out about this?” He jumped in the vehicle and turned the key, peeling out into the driveway. The only thing racing through his mind was getting to Jen as fast as possible.
“I hate we’re not in town to help. We’ll be back tomorrow though.”
“Sharon! How did you find out?”
“Fine, I didn’t want to say because I know you’ll get all weird—which you shouldn’t, because she and Vic got back together last week—but Missy noticed when she drove by the place. She called me.”
“Why would she call you?”
“I suppose because you’re dating the owner of the flower shop.”
“How would she know?”
“Don’t forget where you live, Scott. People talk. Now, you need to calm down. I know you’re driving like a maniac. It’s dark out. Don’t get yourself killed over this.” Sharon’s voice had taken on the same motherly tone she’d used on him often when they were growing up. He knew she was concerned, but he had to get to Jennica.
“I’ll calm down when I see her.” He hit the end call button and tossed his phone on the seat beside him. He was several miles from town—too damn far away from her. He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and fish-tailed the truck onto the highway.
A few minutes later he pulled up to the pale green brick building housing More Than Moss Flowers, fury coursed through him in waves as his headlights shown against the small shop. Someone had painted the words trashy whore in red paint several times across the front of the store. He bailed from the truck as Jennica walked through the front door pulling a water bucket, raggedy mop in hand.
Scott charged at her, blood boiling, arms flailing as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. He wanted to kill the person who’d done this. It wasn’t something he could control. Not now. Not when some mother fucker had tried to hurt her. He wanted to take away all her pain. The sadness. The mortification. And there she stood doing her damnedest to handle this on her own.
“What the hell happened?” he yelled. She flinched at the harshness of his tone, and immediate regret sunk in. God, he could be an ass sometimes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. Are you okay?”
She turned from him, her shoulders heaving with deep breaths. When she faced him again, her skin was flushed. Her mouth went hard. Her eyes burned with anger and hurt, and he wondered how much of that he’d caused by being a colossal dick two seconds ago.
Jen stepped around him and slapped the wet mop against the brick. “I need to get this cleaned up.”
“Babe. Let me do this.” He stepped toward her, reaching for her shoulder, but she dropped away from his grasp.
“Leave me alone, Scott. It’s my problem. Not yours. This has nothing to do with you.” Her disconnected voice sent a railroad spike straight through his chest. He hoped by now she understood that her problems were his too.
He choked back the anguish, knowing hers must be much worse. “Did you call the cops?”
She ignored him, scrubbing the wall, her strokes becoming more and more frantic, smearing the not quite dry words into illegible puddles.
He raked his hands through his hair in frustration. Another one of those situations where he didn’t know what to do. Never mind the torture of the sledgehammers nailing the damn railroad spike further into his heart, a knee weakening wash of fear almost laid him out on the ground. She could have been hurt, physically attacked.
“Were you here when this happened?” he asked.
She paused for a count, shooting a glance his way. The little look told him she had been but he wanted to hear her say so. Wanted to hear her voice.
“Jen…were you here?”
“I was, okay? It happened after I turned off the front lights. I was in the back, had my head phones on, and yes, I feel stupid as hell for not knowing what was going on.” Jennica splashed the head of the mop in the soapy water and slapped it back on the wall. “And it’s embarrassing…you seeing this.”
“Do you know who did this?” He had a feeling but wanted her thoughts before he said his out loud.
“I have an idea…don’t you?”
Hell yes he did, and he planned to do everything in his power to bring Troy Reins down from the pedestal he and the entire town of Hays had placed him on, put his arrogant ass on the chopping block, have him face an angry lynch mob as he confessed the truth about Jen.
“Shit!” she screamed. She dropped the head of the mop back in the bucket, and water sloshed out, splattering the sidewalk. “It isn’t coming off!”
Jennica sniffed and he took the wooden handle from her hands, propping it against the wall. Her head dropped, an obvious attempt to hide her tears, trying to be strong. Unaffected.
He walked up behind her and kissed the back of her head, wishing he could wrap her up and hide her from all the bullshit life throws. “Babe, we can fix this. There’s plenty of leftover paint at the ranch from painting the fences.”
“What’s going on?” Gannon Knight asked while jogging across the street from the parking lot of his bar.
“Hey, man,” Scott greeted, extending his hand for a shake. “Someone’s vandalized the store.”
“You call the police?”
“No, no police.” Jennica stepped up beside Scott, hooking a finger through his belt loop. “If they get involved, the entire town will know. Rumors aren’t good for business. I’d rather just get the mess cleaned up, and I need to do it before daylight.”
“I can help. The bar is closed on Mondays so I’m free tonight. Came over to restock…excuse me for one minute.” He fished his phone from his pocket, answering it. “Hello.” Gannon stepped away, continuing his conversation.
Scott wrapped an arm around Jennica’s shoulder, pulling her close. “We’ll get this taken care of, don’t worry.”
“I never thought in a million years Troy would stoop to this.”
“You have no idea how much I want to drive, right now, back to Hays and choke him senseless.”
“Then you’ll be giving him what he wants. He may be an ass, but he isn’t stupid. There’s no proof he did this and if you attack him, you’ll go to jail, or worse.”
“I don’t care. Being locked up would be worth seeing the life scared out of him.”
“Not for me.” She placed a hand on his chest, tilting her chin up, and his heart went heavy at her concerned gaze. “Scott, I—”
“Sorry about having to take the call,” Gannon interrupted. “Kayla, my girlfriend, is on her way back from class. She’ll be here in a few minutes and wants to help too.”
* * * *
“Guys, we’ll be fine. Go get the paint. When you get back, we’ll be more than ready to conquer the building.” Kayla planted a kiss on Gannon’s cheek and went behind the bar, grabbing a bottle of wine and two goblets. She winked at Jennica who stood in her safe place, tucked under Scott’s arm. “Besides, I think the two of us could use some girl time.”
Girl time did sound good. Since she’d moved to Pineville, aside from falling head over heels for Scott Sims, her relationships consisted of being friendly to customers while handing out receipts and taking down addresses for deliveries.
Scott tensed, and she knew he didn’t want to leave her but staying under his watchful eye was ridiculous. She wasn’t afraid of Troy, more pissed than anything. “I’ll be okay.” Jennica placed a hand on his chest. “Whoever did this won’t come back. They’ll have expected us to call the police.”
“Yeah,” Kayla added. “Plus, I’ll be locking the door behind you.” She half filled the glasses, picking one up to take a drink. “And we have a panic button, goes straight to the police station if we have a problem.”
“I don’t feel right about leaving.” Scott took Jennica’s hand from his chest and gave it a squeeze. “You two should come with us.”
“We can take your car so there will be room,” Gannon said to Ka
yla.
“And what happens if some of the paint spills in my trunk? Do you know how many books I have back there? It won’t take you more than thirty minutes, and we’ll be right here when you get back.” Kayla sauntered to a barstool, taking a seat. Jennica followed to make a point—Scott couldn’t protect her every minute of every day.
Kayla pushed the glass of wine toward her and she picked it up, taking a sip. Jennica turned to Scott, giving him a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine.”
He scrunched his brow and kissed her forehead, lingering there for a few seconds. “I won’t be long.”
Once the guys were gone, Kayla locked the door and settled in the seat next to Jennica. “I’ve been meaning to get to your shop and introduce myself. I feel bad that destruction of property is the way we had to meet.”
“No worries, girl. I understand and could’ve just as easily come over here. Life can keep you busy.”
“I’d heard you and Scott were seeing each other, though in this town, one can’t always believe what’s churning through the rumor mill. I’m glad to see it’s true. You two seem happy together.” Kayla pulled her dark hair up, securing it with a pen from the counter. “You haven’t been here long, have you? How’d you end up in Pineville? Do you have family here?”
Jennica picked up her glass, swirling the liquid, then took a drink. She answered the easiest question first. “No family. But my cousin Lynette is moving here soon. She’ll be staying with me until she finds a place.”
“I have the perfect spot. Luke, I mean, Gannon…I’m sorry. Everyone knows him as Gannon, but I call him Luke. Long story. I swear I don’t have another man on the side.” Kayla laughed and finished off her wine. “Anyway, he moved in with me a month ago and now has an empty apartment. C’mon, I’ll show it to you. The entrance is up the stairs outside.”
“The apartment is above the bar? Sounds right up Lynette’s alley.” Jennica hopped off the stool and followed Kayla to the door, wishing she would’ve met her the first day she came to town, certain they would be fast friends.
Give in to Me Page 6