by Cathryn Cade
“And then?” he rumbled.
She blinked. Remembered and huffed a laugh that turned into a sob. “Then h-his friends snickered. And I-I picked up a drink and threw it in his face, and I ran.”
Jake nodded, once. “All right. You did good.”
“Good?” she demanded incredulously. “It was like high school all over again. That—that jerk. And his jerky little minions. Bunch of little jerky computer geeks. I have to work with them.”
“Jerk?” Jake repeated dryly. “That’s the best you can do? Baby, we gotta teach you to swear.”
“I don’t curse,” she said and then added truthfully on a sniff, “Well, not very much.”
He nodded, his mind clearly not on her words. “What’d you say this asshole’s name is? Ger—something? Gerald, Gerhart, Gerry. Gerry, huh?”
Carlie swiped her sodden tissues over her damp face. “Yeah. But, well…thanks for listening.”
Even if this just completed her cycle of humiliation with him. Geez, now he knew even the players didn’t really want her. Time to snap out of this cycle of self-pity, or he’d think she had an “L” tattooed on her forehead. She turned to him and tried a smile.
“Behind that scowl, you’re a nice guy, Jake Stone. But you can’t do anything about this. I’m going to have to handle it.”
Jake reached absently for a long curl that had fallen over her shoulder, looping it around his finger.
“Don’t kid yourself, Carlie. I’m exactly what I appear—a mean, bad-tempered sonuvabitch. And yeah, I can do something. You don’t have to handle this alone. I got it.”
“You ‘got it’?” she repeated. “Um…why?”
He cocked his head. “Because you’re a woman, you’re Daisy’s friend, you’re a member of my gym and now my club, you don’t have a man to do it for you, so I will. Nobody talks to you like that.”
He let the curl go and watched it spring back. Then he carefully brushed it back over her shoulder. His thumb strayed to her cheek, and he rubbed it very gently along the line of her jaw. Carlie couldn’t control the shiver of sensation that raced through her any more than she could the pleasure at his calm assertion that he wanted to come to her aid.
His jaw tightened, and he looked up into her eyes. Carlie held her breath at the raw power of that gaze. Something else had entered the space between them. Something heated and powerful and absolutely nothing to do with crying over a bad date.
“You afraid of me?” he rasped.
She shook her head instantly. Then she reached out her own hand and daringly touched his face, the way he had touched hers. He hadn’t shaved. His skin was hot under her questing fingertips, the short whiskers surprisingly soft over the hard frame of his jaw. She wanted to touch his mouth too.
“No,” she whispered. “Well, a little…sometimes. When you put on your dom face. But while I appreciate your offer, I don’t want you getting in trouble on my account.”
His wide mouth twitched. “My dom face?”
Her tummy flipped. Should she not have said that?
He reached up and engulfed her hand in his, then totally rocked her world by turning his head to brush his nose and mouth over the inside of her wrist. Arousal shivered through her at the heat of his lips, the warmth of his breath on her sensitive skin, the brush of barely there masculine whiskers. Heat furled deep inside her, and it was a good thing she was sitting, because her knees felt funny…all loose. Not her pussy, though—it was clenching with need. She squirmed in her seat, pressing her thighs together, then froze as his gaze tracked every subtle movement.
Watching her over their hands, he brushed his lips farther up her wrist, pushing back her loose sleeve as he went. Satisfaction edged his gaze. Oh yes, he knew exactly how much she liked what he was doing.
She had never experienced such an erotic moment, and all this man was doing was kissing her arm, for goodness’ sake. He held her in his thrall, and she welcomed it.
“See, the thing about me being a dom,” he said, his deep voice soft, “is you don’t get to decide whether I confront the little prick—I do.”
She blinked, struggling to focus on his words as well as what he was doing. “But, Jake… Gerry’s exactly the kind of guy that will call the cops if you try to intimidate him.”
“You think I’m worried about the cops?” He brushed his lips over her skin again, and her fingers curled into her palm against the urge to—to do something rash. Like sink onto his chest and beg him for a kiss on her mouth instead of wasting them on her arm.
She tried to focus. “Well, you should be. I mean with the club and all.”
A deep huh-huh in his chest shocked her out of her arousal. He was laughing at her? It was a very nice laugh, but he should be taking this seriously.
“Baby, you’d be shocked as hell how many active duty cops and military folks belong to the club. No, I’m not worried about the cops. Not like I’m gonna maim him.”
Her face heated. “Oh,” she said primly. Really? Cops and soldiers liked to misbehave too? Although he was a Marine, so she guessed she shouldn’t be surprised there were others.
“But back to me being a dom,” he went on, his thumb stroking the area he’d just kissed. “I am one, through and through. I’m possessive as hell, and I don’t share my toys. Are you following me here, baby?”
That deep, velvety voice made her feel petite, feminine and completely retro—all things of which she should disapprove, not crave.
“Um, not entirely.” Had she missed something again? Was this where he scowled and stomped away again because she’d missed her cue?
Thankfully, he stayed right where he was, taking up two-thirds of her little car, filling it with male magnificence. “You did some research into the club, right?”
He opened his mouth and bit gently on her soft flesh, not hurting her but letting her feel the edge of his teeth.
Carlie sucked her bottom lip in, feeling the caress clear down inside her, tightening her nipples into taut points of need, and pulsing harder between her thighs. “Well. Yes.”
“And you’re interested, right? Or is that just because your best girl joined?”
He put out his tongue and carefully tasted her. She tried to swallow a whimper of sheer need at the silky, wet heat of that touch. She was so ready for more. Heck, she was ready to put her own hand between her legs and come right here.
“I’m interested.” Oh crap. That sounded way too fervent. And he hadn’t missed that, either. His mouth was curving up into a satisfied little smile. Not that smirk he gave her when he was trying to piss her off, but something infinitely more attractive and nerve-racking. It set little creases in his taut cheeks.
“Baby, I’m part owner of the club because I like to be in charge. Completely in charge.”
“All the time?” she asked, startled. Did he mean he did that master/slave thing she’d read about? That was just too weird.
He shrugged his heavy shoulders. “I’m talking about in bed, Carlie. Or wherever. At the club.”
“Oh!” Her cheeks burned. “Well, right. I mean I don’t—I haven’t…I mean, I have, of course, but not at a club…ack!” She covered her face with her free hand, wishing she could slide through the car door and hide. Although against his chest would be better.
He chuckled, that delicious, deep sound again.
“You’re not a virgin, but you’re not real experienced. And you’ve never scened with a dom. That what you’re trying to say?”
She nodded, still hiding behind her hand. She was such an idiot; no wonder he’d walked away from her. Probably would again.
“Carlie, look at me.” The note of steel in his voice had her dropping her hand and turning to him before she knew what she was doing. His touch remained gentle, his jaw implacable. But now his gaze held a new warmth, almost satisfaction.
“You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, baby. Hell, truth be told, I like it that you haven’t been with many guys.”
He cuffed her w
rist with his hand. “Can you give me a number?”
Her cheeks heated again. “Um, two…well, three…sort of. That one didn’t work out, for either of us.”
He nodded shortly. “Don’t want details. You still seeing any of them?”
“No. Not for…a while. Four months, or so. I’ve dated, but…” She shrugged, and looked at him under her lashes.
“What?”
She shook her head, her face on fire. She certainly was not going to admit that once she’d seen him, all other guys had begun to come up short—in more ways than one.
“Four months ago,” he repeated. “That’s about the time I first saw you. You just move to town then?”
“No, of course not.” She shook her head, distracted by the sensation of being surrounded by his heat and strength, even though he was really only holding her hand. She swayed closer, inhaling his scent. Faint, spicy aftershave, warm man and male pheromones—a heady combination. “I’m from here. I joined the gym then, with Sara and Daisy. You already know that.”
His hand began to stroke slowly up and down her arm, warm and slow. “And since then? Too busy working out to date?”
His breath was a puff of warmth on her cheek. Glory, he’d shifted closer. His jaw brushed her hair, and a few strands clung to his whiskers. She shivered with pleasure as he raised his hand and ran his fingers down through the heavy waves.
“Why haven’t you been dating, Carlie? Other than this Gerry prick?”
She could feel his breath puff softly on her chin. She gazed at his lips, mesmerized, and her own parted. His moved again.
“Carlie…”
She licked her bottom lip, wanting to taste him. Why didn’t he just shut up and kiss her?
“What? Well, because I just…wasn’t interested. In most of the guys I met.” She wasn’t going to mention Rafe—on top of everything else, that would be too humiliating.
“Because you wanted something different?”
“Um. Yeah.”
His lips quirked, and his arm slid down over her shoulders from behind, heavy and powerful, enclosing her in his strength.
“Interested in submitting to a guy? In letting him make the decisions? Take the lead and tell you what to do, while he takes care of pleasing you?”
His words echoed those she and Daisy and Sara had spoken just weeks ago. Just like that, her pussy clenched, so hard she nearly gasped aloud. How did he know? Well, because he was a dom. That was what he did.
She bit her lip, staring at the vee of his shirt, where she could see the strong tanned hollow of his throat. Then she nodded, quickly, before she could change her mind.
His arm tightened and the atmosphere in the small space changed again. She dared a glance up into his face and froze, full of delicious trepidation. Oh God. He was looking at her as if he were going to eat her up, just had to decide where to start. And she couldn’t wait to be his next snack.
Except that maybe he was just looking at her the way he did all the other women who walked into the club. She shoved her doubt firmly away. She didn’t care what his motivation was—if this was her chance with him, she was grasping it, with both hands.
“So since we’re exchanging numbers, are you going to give me one?” she asked, her heart pounding. The thought of him kissing other women’s wrists made her want to rip someone’s long hair out by the roots.
“No.”
He smiled slightly. “You look like a little girl when you pout that bottom lip out like that. You know what happens to little girls when they pout.”
“What?”
“They get spanked.”
Carlie gasped, shock and something else bursting inside her. Jake cocked his head, gauging her expression. “You ever been spanked?”
“Not since I was eight years old.” Her face burned, and unaccountably, the throb between her thighs strengthened.
He tipped her chin up on his knuckle, stroking her chin with his thumb. His eyes probed hers. “That long, huh?” She nodded, frowning, and he tapped her chin. “I think you need to have that pretty round ass of yours spanked once in a while. Just to remind you who’s in charge.”
She drew in a sharp breath to reply and he pressed his thumb gently but firmly over her lips. “I wouldn’t hurt you, baby. Just heat up those soft, silky cheeks of yours with my palm.”
Carlie was still, her heart pounding, feeling as if he held her captive with his eyes and the large digit spanning her lips. She wanted to scream at him, she wanted that hand on her, between her legs.
He rubbed his thumb back and forth, and then dipped it into the moist crevice of her lips, finding the edge of her tongue.
“If you come to me, I’ll be in charge, Carlie. I’ll expect you to submit to me sexually.”
Her pussy clenched and then melted. Good thing she was sitting down or she’d melt at his feet. And she might just come without even a touch there.
She curled her tongue around the end of his thumb, tasting him as his deep voice wrapped around her, enclosing her in a sensual haze.
His voice roughened, as if he liked what she was doing. “You know what I’d like to do with you? I want to take you upstairs at my club. I want you to undress for me, and lie, sit or stand—or even kneel, where and how I tell you. I want to put my hands and my mouth on you, on all those sweet naughty parts that you don’t show the rest of the world. I want to restrain you and have you every way a man can have a woman.”
Carlie moaned, a whisper of need sighing in her throat at the delicious images. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her entire body lax with desire. With her last vestige of common sense, she forced her eyes to stay open. She had to fight not to beg him to take her now, tell him that he could do anything he wanted to her.
“I don’t—I would never want to do—you know, really weird stuff,” she whispered. “Not…painful. Or humiliating.”
His eyes gleamed, and his arm slid down around her waist, pulling her closer into him.
“If you sub for me, Carlie, it will be a precious gift. You’ll choose your level of play. I’ll never hurt you or do anything you don’t want. I might try to talk you into stuff, but I would no more force you to do anything than I’d try to rape you.”
She gazed up at him uncertainly.
“Once we set your boundaries, though, I would expect…obedience,” he added. “And I think you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Hanging on a precipice of uncertainty, Carlie caught her breath. She’d freakin’ love that—with him.
“Carlie, if you come to me, it will be good. I swear it, baby. Semper Fi.” He raised her hand to his mouth, pressing a warm kiss to her skin. Okay, that was a clincher. She wanted kisses like that everywhere. She opened her mouth to tell him so.
But when she did so, instead of paying the close attention she expected, Jake stiffened. She glanced over her shoulder to see who was peering in the window. No one. She looked back at Jake. He’d closed his eyes. She felt him withdraw as surely as if he’d stepped out of her car.
“Jake?” she whispered, a chill of doubt penetrating her warm glow.
He shook his head once. “Shit,” he muttered. “I can’t believe this. This is not good.”
Chapter Eight
“What?” She jerked her hand from his and stared at him. Oh God. She knew it. He wasn’t really attracted to her; she was just another Club 3 project to be dealt with.
She struggled to suck in a breath past the icy tsunami of hurt swamping her. He’d done it to her again…and she’d let him. “Well, fine, then. G-get out of my car.”
He stared ahead, ignoring her agitated movements as she jerked back in her seat, turning to face the windshield. It was dark and quiet outside, only the globe lamps at the curb lighting the night.
“Go on,” she repeated, her voice thick. “Get out.” Why didn’t he go? She needed him out, before she started bawling again.
Beside her, Jake sighed. “I meant I owe you an apology.”
“For what?�
�� she snapped. She considered shoving him, but it wouldn’t do any good, so she settled for crossing her arms and refusing to look at him.
“For pressuring you. That’s not the way I do things, and it’s not right. Big decision, and one you need to make for yourself, not because some guy like me has the hots for you.”
“Oh.” He has the hots for me? Has he just admitted that out loud? She gave him a sidelong look, giddy with relief. “Not because you seduced me into it by kissing my wrist and promising me spankings?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “You make me sound like some smooth operator.”
She giggled, surprising herself.
He tipped his head back and rolled it against the back of his seat to look over at her.
“You remember this, baby,” he said. Actually it was more of an order, but he’d called her baby, so she was definitely going to forgive him. “Like I told you before, you’re a gorgeous, hot woman, and I guarantee there are plenty of guys who’d give their left nut to be with you. Regardless of what some pencil-dick sales hotshot thinks. You got that?”
Carlie bit her lip, but her smile spread too wide to control, so she let it loose, wide and glowing. Sweet, precious warmth spread inside her. “Uh-huh. Got it.” Boy howdy, she got it. And she wanted more, as soon as possible. “Um—if I come to Club 3 next Saturday night, will you be there?” she asked in a rush before she could lose her courage.
She watched his body still, and that fierce intent emanate from him again. Then he nodded once, firmly. “Yes, I will. You can bet on it, baby. Now, you good?”
She nodded. “I’m good.” Yes, she was.
He nodded once, already reaching for the door handle. “All right. You’re gonna drive home, and I’m gonna follow you in my truck. Then I’ll see you at the gym, or…maybe here. You change your mind, that’s okay. I’ll deal. Just let me know.”
“Okay.” She wouldn’t change her mind. Hell or high water, she was going to be back here next weekend. Anybody asked her what she was doing that evening, she’d just say she was all tied up. She bit back another giggle. Time to curb her emotions or he’d think she was a head case.