by Joya Ryan
“So, where will you be during…?” She didn’t mean for that to sound as raspy as it did, but truth was, the easy air about Nolan, paired with the realization that he was, in fact, the closest thing she had to a friend, made her ribs tighten a little.
“I’ll be at my assigned station.”
She nodded. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”
He raised a brow. “You sure?”
She nodded and straightened her shoulders. “Yes.”
“Then there’s just one more thing I need to let him know. What’s your safe word, Ava?”
She swallowed hard and stared at the arctic blue eyes boring down on her. Only one word came to mind when looking into those hard glaciers.
“Ice.”
“Okay. Then follow me.”
Chapter Three
Nolan put in his tongue ring and looked himself over in the mirror. He only wore the tongue ring on certain occasions, and tonight was a special one. This particular barbell had a fun feature he was excited to try on Ava. It also would contribute to the illusion that the anonymous man in her scene couldn’t possibly be him.
Ava was across the hall, in the room he’d placed her in, waiting for him.
He’d put her blindfold on, told her that it was to stay on until he came back to get her, and reminded her to use her safe word if she needed it.
Part of him felt a ping of guilt for not being technically honest with her, but he dismissed it quickly. First of all, because this was what she’d asked for. And second of all, because he wouldn’t let another woman get hurt. One was already too many.
Ava wanted anything, and a lot of guys would give her just that. But he didn’t trust them to know her body and read her signals. No, she was his. He would take care of her.
She wanted this. Wanted so much, and he wanted to give it to her. Her only requirement was anonymity. No reason it couldn’t be him. In fact, he’d convinced himself he was perfect for this kind of request.
In a fresh pair of jeans and nothing else, he made the trek to the door she was behind, tapped once, and opened it.
The scene he walked into nearly stopped his heart. He’d just been there a moment ago, dropping her off, but entering the room as her anonymous lover gave him a whole different class of feelings.
The dark gray color of the walls was brighter than a moment ago. The wood furniture was all antique, but tonight it looked like all the pieces belonged in a mansion. An oversized mirror hung in the middle of the far wall, facing the bed. Nolan could look left or right and have a perfect view of the four poster. The tiffany lamps illuminated the entire space and made him feel like he was stepping into a wet dream. Random hooks hung on the wall, and he grinned. He’d use those later.
He’d never appreciated a room before, but today was different. Because there, amongst white and gray sheets, was Ava. Her pretty face had a strip of black silk over her eyes. She sat on the bed, palms resting on the sheets, and turned her head toward him.
“You’re here,” she said, as if trying to gain her bearings. Though he couldn’t talk, he wanted to put her at ease. They had the rest of the night, and he intended to take it. He didn’t know if she’d come back after this, so he’d enjoy what he was given, which was this honey-haired siren with her come-fuck-me dress and perfect mouth.
He closed the door behind him, made his way toward her, picked up one of her hands, then ran his thumb along her knuckles.
She took a deep breath, as if gathering her senses. A small smile appeared on her lips. He coaxed her to stand, and she did. Using his palm, he traced from her stomach to her thigh as he bent to help her out of her heels.
The moment she stood barefoot, he had to bite back a curse. He’d known she was petite, but her heels added easily four inches. Now barefoot, she looked sexy, small, and delicate. Christ, he could break her. Easily a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier, he’d have to be careful to reign in his roughness. Or at least take it slow and see how much she could take.
He tried remembering the strong woman in his office, the strong woman at the bar just moments ago. She’d said she wanted anything, but looking at her in this state, she looked so…vulnerable. Could he really slake his dirty lust with her?
He cupped her hips and turned her so that he could unzip her dress. He let it fall slowly and was gifted with the sight of a matching strapless black lace bra and panties. And when she turned back to face him, he hissed. She might be petite, but her breasts were large and high. His hiss turned into a groan. He wanted to fall on her like an animal and start tasting every inch.
Her breaths picked up a little, all that creamy cleavage threatening to spill over her demi cup.
Slow, he reminded himself. She was delicate. Soft. He traced a finger from her throat to her sternum, reveling at her beauty.
He was hard as stone. For twenty-four hours, he’d thought of all the wicked things he wanted to do to her. Finally having her before him like this, looking perfect and juicy and ripe for plucking, he wanted this second to last a little longer so he could sear her into his memory.
She blew out a breath. “So, I thought you were some kind of god among men around here?”
Nolan’s eyes snapped to hers. The blindfold was secure. She couldn’t see him. But what she’d said… Was she…? She was. The little vixen was goading him.
“I know I put on my questionnaire that I was game for anything, but I didn’t think that meant light touches and remaining clothed.”
Oh no she didn’t.
Nolan’s whole body revved up. This sassy woman was challenging him, and he was happy to meet that challenge.
She wanted rough and dirty and hard? He’d give it to her. Small or not, he had to remember that she had a mouth on her—time she started using it.
He cupped her throat in his whole palm and backed her swiftly against the nearest wall. She gasped, but a smile lit her face.
The signals were clear. She liked it. Liked his hands hard on her. And if that’s what she wanted, then so be it.
…
When Ava’s back hit the cool wall, a spark of adrenaline surged through her. She couldn’t see, all she could do was feel. He’d been soft with his touch…the opposite of what she was looking for.
Because it made certain emotions rise that she didn’t want. Emotions like tenderness.
She needed to be taken over. Fucked. Ravaged. This was just sex, after all. She needed to keep that line in place. Goading a stranger she couldn’t see probably wasn’t a good idea, but she was safe. She trusted Nolan was outside, nearby, and nothing would happen to her. He wouldn’t pick a man that he wasn’t confident in.
The gentle way the mystery man rubbed her hand, her feet, made her entire body relax. She couldn’t get clouded on what her purpose was. She wanted to feel alive. Not cherished.
Not that this stranger was “cherishing” her per se, but the route he was going down made her knees weak and her heart beat a little strangely. She couldn’t see his face, but she felt his eyes on her. Like he was staring. Marveling maybe? Hopefully not disappointed. She was aware that she wasn’t the thinnest or the tallest. Certainly not the model type.
Stop.
There was no room for insecurities now. She’d found her strength and come this far. Now, with a hard man against her front and his hand on her throat, she wanted to push whatever envelope he had and fall into the consuming moment.
No. More. Thinking.
Time to see what this guy could really do.
“Do you not like it when I talk?” she asked. Though his hand covered her entire throat, he traced the side of her chin, along her jaw, with his thumb. He wouldn’t speak, she knew that, so she’d have to go on physical cues. “Or maybe you like a challenge?” She leaned forward the best she could, and his minty breath hit her face.
She looked up and felt his mouth so close to hers. He was tall, strong. She placed her hands on his torso, and Holy Mary Mother of God, was he ripped. She could wash her clothes on the
abs she was groping. The feel of his hard muscles and hot skin made her lick her lips, desperate for a taste. And a taste was what she’d take.
“I hope you weren’t expecting a sweet girl.” She lifted to her toes and nipped his chin. He growled low. The finger at her chin tapped as if in warning. She was getting to him, could feel all his sexual predatory instincts build up, and for whatever reason, he wasn’t giving in quite yet.
She felt strong, powerful, calling him out and seeing if she could make him snap and give in to what they both wanted.
“Maybe you are just a myth after all,” she whispered.
That was all it took. A low rumble broke from his chest, and he crashed his lips down on hers.
She gasped in surprise but was cut off by his firm tongue plunging inside and drinking down every single ounce of desire she had. A cool bead of metal danced between their mouths. A tongue ring?
That made her body flush hotter, and when it scraped against her teeth, the light clicking sound was the most erotic thing she’d ever heard. Her pulse beat like a drum in her ears and threw her body into high gear. Every little sensation was magnified by a thousand.
He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and bit. She scraped her nails down his stomach, then gripped the waist of his jeans and yanked him closer. He was hard, and if she wasn’t mistaken…big.
He ground against her, and she had no choice but to spread her legs. But she was so pinned between him and the wall she could barely move.
He broke from the kiss that left her dizzy, and before she could register his movements, he gathered her wrists in his hand and wrapped a cold strip of fabric around them. In record time, her wrists were fastened, and he placed them overhead and hooked them on the wall.
Clever man. She remembered seeing those hooks around the room and had wondered what they were for.
She stood there, stretched out like an offering. His heat left her momentarily, as if he had stepped away from her body. She wiggled a little, partly to see how strong the hook was and partly because her skin was prickling with goose bumps. She was desperate to find the warmth of his body again.
She didn’t have to wait long because, in a whoosh, he tugged her strapless bra down and cinched it beneath her breasts, then ripped her panties away.
She smiled. He wasn’t being gentle. And she didn’t feel gentle. Didn’t feel pretty and feminine. She felt naughty, sexy, and on display. Everything she wanted.
Her breasts were heavy and uncomfortable from the way the lacy cups were digging in, but her nipples were bare and beading so hard that she moaned with desperation. She wanted him to touch her, lick her, anything. But she was his captive now. That much was clear. And she loved it. She had no room to think or feel anything except the moment.
“Please,” she whispered. The whole room went still, as if his energy took up the entire space, and she felt it wash over her. “Please,” she said again. This time it definitely sounded like begging.
She didn’t care. She wiggled again and thrust her breasts out the best she could. She just needed him. But he’d paused. Maybe on purpose? Maybe to watch her twist and toss—to make her beg?
“Do you like this?” she asked in a raspy voice and tugged on the bindings again. “You like watching me squirm?”
She felt his finger run up the inside of her thigh and meet her slick folds. He teased her just enough to moisten his finger. Then he was against her again, his face by hers, mouth brushing over her lips but not kissing. Then his wet finger came between their mouths. Wet with her arousal. She heard him suck it into his own mouth, and then she felt his smile against her lips.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she breathed. She’d never been so turned on in her life. She’d also never connected with anyone on this level. Though she was blindfolded, she could feel him, read him, and he seemed to read her just as well. Maybe it was the loss of her vision that heightened every other sense she had. But all she sensed was his presence. He used his body to communicate, and she was picking up the messages perfectly.
He traced her lips with that same slick finger, and she pulled it between her teeth, then answered his silent question in return. “I like it, too.”
She couldn’t see him, and yet she felt his intentions. Could read him without her vision. It was a bizarre unity, one she thought he was tapping into as well.
Maybe this was what she’d needed all along. A connection made all the more intense by its temporary and specific nature.
A low groan broke from her anonymous lover, and it was the only warning she had before his hot mouth was on her breast.
“Yes!” she cried out. Her nipples had always been sensitive, so much that a light brush was all it took to get her fired up and ready. But she’d never had much attention paid to them. Judging by this myth of a man before her, that was going to change, and she wanted to go to her knees in thanks.
He sucked hard at the peak, and his whole mouth surrounded her breast and took in more of the plump flesh than she thought possible. When he flicked his tongue over the hardened peak, the tongue ring he wore added to the sensation, and a fresh dose of need surged between her thighs. It might have been embarrassing if she wasn’t so turned on, because she was certain that she was one good suck away from coming.
He moved to her other breast, and she so badly wanted to pull his hair and tug him closer. His hands splayed over her sides. She felt so small within them. All she could do was stand and take it.
He bit down on her nipple. She moaned, and her head lolled back against the wall supporting her.
She could barely hold out. She squeezed her legs together to keep how wet she’d become a secret, but he released her breasts and pressed her legs apart.
Clearly he didn’t like her crossing her legs.
The air moved, and she felt him shift, on his knees now, she thought. His hands gripped her thighs and spread them wide. Cool air rushed up against her hot, pulsing flesh.
She also felt moisture on her inner thighs. She was literally dripping with so much need that it made her hesitate. She’d never been this wet before. Was this weird? Would he think she was abnormal for being so turned on already?
Whatever questions raced through her mind, she didn’t have time to answer because his wicked tongue glided up her thigh and licked her clean.
“Oh, God…” she gasped.
He groaned and licked her other thigh, then hovered just over the place she needed him most. Nolan’s words buzzed through her head. He’d warned her she’d likely call her mystery lover “god” at some point. Now, with him on his knees, on the brink of tasting her, she was ready to scream it to the ceiling.
He gently spanked her sex, then sucked the upper area into his mouth and gave a long moan, she guessed from how smooth she was down there. She got waxed regularly and was completely bare.
“Are you telling me you like it?” she asked—or more like murmured. Words were becoming more difficult since his breath was skating over her clit.
She felt him nod, causing his hair to sweep along her lower stomach with the movement.
“I’m glad,” she said. And she was.
He kissed her folds, as if hammering home his approval, and it made her feel even more sexy and wanted.
His hand moved, and she heard a slight clicking, then a low hum, as if a bee was buzzing. What was that?
He put one of her bent knees on his shoulder, cupped her hips, and drove his tongue into her folds. She almost lost her footing, because holy hell, she knew what the buzzing was now. It was his tongue ring. A vibrating tongue ring, and it was currently running all over her clit. He licked and sucked, only to dive deep again.
She’d never felt anything like it. She’d sat in Nolan’s office twenty-four hours ago claiming to be able to handle anything. Now she was on the verge of toppling over the edge of pleasure she never knew existed. This was already beyond any expectation she’d had. Now, with his firm, wet tongue combined with suction and vibration? She stood n
o chance of holding out.
“Yes, oh God, Myth, please…”
She didn’t even recognize her own words. Or what she’d called him. Because right then, he felt like a myth of man. Her pleas seemed to spur him on, and he licked faster, plunged deeper. His grip on her hips tightened, and he rocked her body into his mouth, urging her to fuck his mouth back.
He was in control—moving her, eating her, helping himself to her body however he wanted.
Her legs tingled like goose bumps were coming from inside her skin. A hot pleasure built and clawed its way up her stomach until she gave in to the flames.
“I’m coming,” she screamed, but it came out a broken sob. Her whole body lit up, fire racing over her skin while her blood chilled. She shuddered so violently that she was sure the hook that held her wrists would break from the wall.
It didn’t. But even if it did, he’d be there to catch her. He held her tight as her orgasm flooded her veins and threw her over the brink into pleasure so intense, it almost hurt.
Breathing hard, he brought her down and slipped her leg from over his shoulder. Another click sounded, and then the humming was gone. Tongue ring now turned off. Lord, she hadn’t known such things existed, but she was a fan now.
With his hands still gripping her hips, he lifted her up like she weighed nothing and unhooked her wrists.
She instantly threw her arms over his head and wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her across the room. She didn’t wait for anything, she just kissed him like crazy. He groaned in her mouth as she clung to him as tightly as she could. She could taste mint and her arousal mixed in his mouth, and it made her insane with need.
She squeezed her legs, pressed herself against him, and felt his erection prod her. All she could think about was getting her hands on it. Her hands that were still tied.
“Want to feel you,” she said between kisses.
He shifted her weight to one arm, and she heard a snap and zipper. He sat down with her straddling him, and she felt her skin against his. And when he rubbed his erection between her legs…