by Sarah Bailey
I stroked her skin, my other hand leaving her back. She whimpered, flinching again. I released her, leaning back in the armchair.
“You can get up now.”
She stayed where she was, gasping for air. I wasn’t going to hurry her along even though I needed to be away from her before I broke my word and fucked her anyway.
“You… You…” she whispered.
She shifted, whimpering again as she raised her head to me. Her face was wet with tears.
“That hurt.”
“It was meant to.”
She shifted off me, wincing as she stood. Staring down at me, her eyes went wide and she blushed. I couldn’t exactly hide what was happening between my legs. Liora needed to know who I was. This was as good a place to start as any.
She didn’t say anything, tugging her underwear back up and hissing as it touched her tender skin. I reached down and picked up her jeans before standing. There wasn’t much point her putting those back on.
I took her hand and started tugging her towards the door.
“Slow down, it really hurts.”
“I know it does and if you want me to take some of the pain away, I suggest you come along quietly.”
She whimpered the whole way up the stairs to the second floor. I took her into my bedroom, dumping her jeans on the bed. I left her there whilst I went into the bathroom and plucked the arnica cream from the cabinet. I’d become well acquainted with using this on myself. It would help her.
She was shifting on her feet when I walked back out. I sat on the bed and beckoned her over. I spun her to face away from me and tugged her underwear down again.
“What are you doing?”
“Do I have to tell you again not to question me?”
“No, I just…”
“Let me make it better then you can have a go at me about it if you wish.”
She twisted to look at me, her forest green eyes full of confusion. I shook my head, opening the cap and pressing some cream out onto my palm. I tugged her closer, keeping my other hand on her waist to hold her still. I gently rubbed the cream into her tender skin.
When I was done, I pulled her underwear back up and released her. She turned to me, her expression not exactly full of hatred for me, but she didn’t look happy either.
“You want to ask me what that was about, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“Go ahead. You have my permission to say what you want for the next ten minutes and there won’t be any consequences. I think you’ve learnt your lesson today.”
She fidgeted for a moment, eying me warily.
“You deliberately provoked me so you had a reason to do that, didn’t you?”
I knew she’d worked it out and I wanted her to. Her intelligence was part of what made her so damn attractive.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I leant back against my hands.
“I think you know why I wanted to.”
She shook her head, turning away.
“I don’t understand you at all.”
“Do you want to?”
Pacing away, she wrung her hands. I couldn’t see her face and it bugged me. What was she thinking?
“Yes, I do. I want to know who you are behind that mask you like wearing.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. Intelligent and far too discerning for her own good. I wanted her to see me even if it would destroy everything in the process.
“Come here.”
She turned around and looked me in the eye, determination on her face.
“Not until you tell me why you liked hurting me, and don’t try lying to me, Dante. If you want me to trust you, then be honest and don’t bullshit me.”
Why did she say my name? That made it completely impossible for me to think straight. She wanted honesty. Could I really do honesty if it meant she trusted me?
There were already so many secrets between us as it was, but I needed her trust if this was ever going to work. If we were ever going to survive him without it blowing up spectacularly in our faces.
“You want to know why it turned me on when I spanked you?”
“Yes.”
“There isn’t just one reason. What excites me isn’t normal. Causing you pain gives me pleasure. You whimpered and held onto me but didn’t object. I like seeing the way your skin turned red under my palm. I like the control. I even enjoy the sting of it on my own hand.”
She took several steps toward me. Reaching out, she took my hand, turning it over to expose my palm. It was still a little red.
“Have you always been like this?”
“No.”
I wasn’t going to tell her what triggered it. I didn’t talk about those things to anyone.
“You wanted me to come over here.”
I stood up and looked down at her. Her face was still tear streaked. I reached up, wiping them away.
“Why are you so calm about this?”
She stared at me for a long moment.
“I wanted to be annoyed with you. I wanted to shout at you for hurting me, but that wouldn’t really get me anywhere or help me understand what this is.”
“This?”
“This thing between you and me. You see, I don’t think you want a pet. You want much more than that from me.”
I smiled, cupping her face.
“What makes you say that?”
“I don’t think you’re really the type of person who wants a girl to obey you completely. I might have only been with you less than twenty four hours, but that much is clear to me.”
When I said to myself last night that I was completely and utterly fucked, it’d been before she said that. Now I knew Liora was going to be far more trouble than I ever imagined. Fucked didn’t quite cut it. Well and truly screwed beyond belief? That didn’t either.
There were no words for how much she would mess with my life and drive me crazy.
“What type of man do you think I am in that case?”
“You want to provoke me so you can punish me over and over again. You need that. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You said you wanted honesty, so I won’t lie to you. Your time is up, but I will give you this parting gift.”
I ran my thumb over her bottom lip which trembled.
“I will provoke you and punish you. I will push you way past your limits. And I will enjoy it. But there’s one thing I don’t think you realise, Liora. Do you want to know what that is?”
She nodded slowly.
“You’re going to enjoy it too.”
Chapter Five
Liora
I lay on top of the covers on my stomach in just a long sleep shirt. I couldn’t stand to have anything else against my skin. I really, really wanted to hate him for doing it, but I couldn’t. In those moments I’d learnt far more about Dante then I had in the past twenty four hours. And I wanted to know more.
I’d clearly lost the plot. Why would anyone be intrigued by a man who got off on inflicting pain?
There was far more to Dante than just that. Somehow, I found myself drawn to him instead of repulsed. Shouldn’t I want to run away from someone who’d physically hurt me?
He might have hurt you, but he soothed you afterwards. He made it better.
I buried my face in the pillow. Why the hell were my feelings towards him so damn complicated? It should be simple. I should want to get as far away from him as possible. Instead, I wanted to be closer. The war going on in my head drove me crazy.
I wondered where he was. It was getting late. Why did I care where he was?
Christ, get a fucking grip, Liora.
I hadn’t been able to sit down all day, which made everything difficult. His mood had lightened considerably after that incident in the living room. Almost as if it had made him feel better.
Wh
at the hell happened to him to cause his need for inflicting pain? Was he going to do it to me again? I shuddered. The answer to that question was very much a yes. He’d told me as much.
The door to the bedroom opened. I didn’t look up, but I heard him moving about and felt it when he settled down on the bed. Silence ticked by for several moments. He knew I was awake because I hadn’t turned the lights out.
“You know, he’s been blowing up your phone all day.”
Harrison? Why had I forgotten about him?
Well, obviously because Dante decided you two should have a bath then he spanked you. Those were far more pressing matters than your ex-boyfriend.
My brain could really go and do one right now. I sighed. I supposed I had to deal with the mess Dante had caused. I owed Harrison that much.
“I should probably speak to him.”
He tossed me my phone, which landed by my head. I sat up on my elbows. I checked some of the messages he’d sent.
HARRISON: Please talk to me.
HARRISON: I just want to understand. Everything was fine between us.
HARRISON: Please, Liora. Don’t shut me out.
HARRISON: Who is that person in the photo? Tell me the truth.
HARRISON: Are you really seeing another guy?
I couldn’t read any further messages. I had to fix this somehow and it had to match up with what I’d already said. Or should I say what Dante had told him.
“I’m going to send him a voice note.”
Dante looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. I noticed he was only in a t-shirt and boxers. His long legs spread out on the covers as he sat up against the headboard. I swallowed.
The fact he was so attractive?
A big fucking problem.
Even though I was still in pain, the sight of him forced me to confront something I didn’t want to admit. I, on some level, desired him. My body responded to his proximity as if it knew I belonged to him.
You know what my body could do?
Get fucked.
“I won’t contradict what you told him.”
He waved a hand at me as if to say fine, whatever. I pressed down on the button, flipping it up so it would keep recording without me having to hold my thumb down on the screen.
“Listen, H, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you, but it’s the truth. You need to believe me. Thank you for being an amazing person to me even though I’m not worthy of it. I need you to stop texting me because you’re not going to get any more answers. Don’t go around my flat because I’m not there anymore. I’ve left Edinburgh and I won’t be coming back.”
I sent the voice message. I spied Dante rolling his eyes from the corner of mine. I wanted to provoke him just as he had done to me earlier.
“Did you want me to tell him that he never satisfied me in the bedroom and how much you give me pleasure instead?”
He turned to me with a smirk on his face.
“Well that’s not exactly the truth now, is it? You haven’t said yes yet.”
I almost breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t bring up the fact that I’d asked him a question and how that wasn’t allowed.
“I already told you this morning that’s never going to happen.”
His eyes trailed down to my mouth. My phone vibrated. I looked down at it.
HARRISON: You’re not the person I thought you were. Have you lied to me for two years?
ME: No. I’ve always cared about you, but you have to accept what I’m telling you. Goodbye H.
I locked the screen and shoved it away from me. When I looked up, Dante’s face was right next to mine. I was so startled, I froze in place.
“I don’t think you know what you really want when it comes to me,” he said, his voice low.
I didn’t like how he read me so well. I shrugged.
“If you say so.”
“I want to play a game.”
My eyes found their way to his mouth. The one I’d dreamt about kissing. The one I wanted on me if I was to admit the truth to myself.
“A game.”
“Truth or dare, Liora.”
I raised an eyebrow. Was he serious?
“If I agree to play it with you, I get to ask questions.”
He grinned.
“Of course, that’s if I pick truth.”
Why was he still so close to me? My skin prickled. I had a feeling I knew exactly why he wanted to play this with me, which meant I couldn’t under any circumstances pick dare.
This was ridiculous. Playing such a childish game when we were full grown adults.
Dante wanted to play so we’d play.
“Truth.”
“Why did I kiss you in your dream?”
I rolled my eyes, shifting back from him.
“You asked me if I wanted you to take my pain away and when I asked why you’d do that, you told me my welfare is your responsibility, after which you admitted you couldn’t stop yourself kissing me.”
His eyes flickered with amusement. I wondered if it was because it was something he would say or if my subconscious had just made shit up.
“Truth.”
What should I ask him? There were too many things. I could ask him about his father and mine, but something told me that subject was off limits.
“How much do you want me to say yes to you?”
He arched his perfect eyebrow. He knew the meaning behind my words.
“How much? I’m not sure that’s quantifiable. Don’t forget I’ve already waited three years for you. I can wait some more.”
I swallowed. His expression told me he knew I’d give in.
We’ll fucking well see about that.
“Truth.”
He watched me for a moment before he asked the next question.
“Are you attracted to me?”
My face felt hot in an instant. Damn him. Why did I agree to this idiotic game? That was something I didn’t want him to know.
“Yes,” I mumbled, looking away.
When he said nothing for a long moment, I peered at him from the corner of my eye. His expression was deadly. Like I’d revealed something he could use against me and was planning to.
You stupid fucking idiot.
Hadn’t I realised by now he was never going to play fair with me?
“Dare.”
And now I had literally no idea what to say. Dare him? To do what exactly? Then an idea formed in my head.
“Okay, I dare you to go a whole day and night without laying a hand on me. That means you can’t touch me at all.”
That made him scowl. If he wasn’t going to play fair, neither was I.
“And if you don’t, then you have to go an entire week as a forfeit.”
His scowl deepened. I smiled at him. He’d wanted to play and he didn’t tell me there were any rules about what I could and could not ask of him.
“Fine, but that only starts tomorrow morning.”
I nodded, my grin growing wider. I wasn’t sure if Dante could manage that considering how much he insisted on touching me and we’d only been around each other for a day and a half.
I was about to say truth again when he put his hand up.
“This is going to get very boring if you keep sticking with truth.”
“I don’t trust you. I know what you’ll dare me to do.”
His scowl turned to a smirk.
“Really now? Why don’t you live a little and find out if you’re right?”
Christ, he doesn’t half make things difficult.
If I chickened out, he’d win. Would it be so bad?
“Dare.”
“So she does take the occasional risk.”
“Just get on with it.”
“I dare you… to touch me.”
Wait, what? I thought he’d dare me to kiss him.
“Where specifically?”
His eyes sparkled. He pointed to his face.
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“Here.”
Next to his stomach.
“Here.”
And finally, he pointed to his crotch.
“Or here.”
Why the hell wasn’t I surprised that was one of the options?
“Keep in mind, it has to be with your mouth.”
And there was the fucking kicker. Fine. He didn’t specify where on his face I had to kiss him.
“Come here then,” I said.
I was too sore to move over to him. That happened to be entirely his fault. He did as I asked, coming closer until our faces were almost touching again.
“Where’s it to be?”
“I think you know where I pick.”
He grinned.
“Go on then.”
I leant towards him, turning my head enough so I could kiss him on the cheek. Except Dante had other ideas. When I was less than an inch from his face, he turned towards me. My lips caught the edge of his. Electricity crackled across my mouth, sending jolts down my spine. I froze against him, entirely unable to move or breathe.
Everything screamed at me to shove him away. I couldn’t. Hot waves of desire clashed inside me, searing through my body at an alarming pace and causing my core to throb restlessly.
It was at that moment I realised Dante wasn’t breathing either. He was frozen like me. One of us had to move. To break the contact and whatever fucking sorcery this was between us.
Turns out, both of us had the same idea. I turned into his mouth just as he turned into mine. Lips clashed together and all thoughts of what was right or wrong flew from my head.
His kiss was entirely gentle at first as if working out what the fuck the two of us were doing. Should we even be kissing each other?
This wasn’t like my dream. Dante made me feel things I’d never felt before from that simple touch. His mouth glued to mine caused fireworks in my chest and stomach. Wave after wave of hot, searing lust made me tremble and melt.
As if pulled by some force, I cupped his face, holding him closer. He growled, the low rumble in his chest battering me with waves of passion and possession. Right then, I was Dante’s and I surrendered to it.
He cupped my face with both hands, deepening our kiss. Mouths melded together. He tasted my lips, sucking the bottom one between his. He tasted like honey and wine. And I wanted more.