by Lucian Bane
She’d surely die. And yet, nothing could keep her from devouring every touch, every little show of tenderness and compassion. Not even the threat of death.
Chapter Eleven
Daniel carried Nineveh into the familiar vacation home he’d not seen in years. She would take the upstairs loft room with the private bath.
“I can walk,” she murmured her head against his chest.
“I don’t want you to,” he said back as he opened the door and used his shoulder to flip the switch on the wall. He carried her to the made bed and carefully laid her on it. “Do you need anything? Bathroom? There’s a private one in this room so you don’t have to leave.”
Her eyelids weighed heavy and his stomach tied in burning knots as he tried to look at her without seeing how fucking busted up she was. He leaned and pressed his lips on her forehead, praying as he did.
“Sleep with me,” she whispered, her hand on his neck.
He took her hand and pressed his mouth on the palm, praying again as he nodded. “Okay, angel,” he whispered. “Let me go get Gramma settled, and I’ll come back.”
She nodded and he stood, not wanting to leave her. “Ten minutes,” he promised, shutting the light off as he went.
By the time Daniel got back to the room, she was out. He decided to get a shower, using the one in the room, in case she woke up. After, he entered the dark bedroom, wondering how deeply asleep she was. He climbed in the bed and she bolted up with a gasp, looking at him.
“I need the bathroom,” she said, hurrying out the bed.
His stomach tensed at hearing her throwing up the second she got in. Fuck. He hurried to her, holding her hair aside. “You’re okay,” he soothed, rubbing her back until she was done.
“Get out, please,” she barely said.
“Okay. I’ll be right in the room if you need me.”
She nodded, not looking at him. Closing the door, he heard the shower turn on and he sat on the bed, waiting and praying for her as he did. The shower finally shut off and he wondered if she had everything she needed. He knocked on the door. “You need me to get your things?”
“Yes, please. I forgot.”
“No problem.”
Daniel hurried downstairs and found her stuff then ran it back up. Entering the room his stomach tensed at finding her wrapped in a towel sitting on the edge of the bed while staring down. He carefully walked over to her and set the bags on the floor and sat next to her. “Feel better?”
She nodded, not looking at him.
“Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?”
“No thank you. You’ve… you’ve done enough. So much.”
He looked at her hand and reached for it, taking it in his and stroking the skin with his fingers. “Nobody will hurt you again, do you understand me?”
She nodded as a tear fell in her lap.
Daniel pulled her into his embrace, his heart burning when she climbed in his lap and laid her head on his chest. He sat with her for many minutes, rocking her a little until her body went limp in his arms.
Carefully, he carried her to the bed and laid her down. Shit, she was only in a towel still.
Daniel climbed in bed next to her, covering her with the blanket and putting it between them, not trusting himself at this point. He spent thirty minutes up on his elbow, watching her sleep, stroking the hair next to her face, while praying for her.
At one point, she moaned and turned over, fighting to get her face in his neck. Daniel moved the covers enough to help her, not caring if it was appropriate or not. Anything she wanted, she got. Anything she needed, he wouldn’t deny her.
****
Three days in Paradise and Nineveh had healed up almost completely. Miraculous, Daniel knew. He’d waited on her hand and foot and loved how she ate it up.
“You’re spoiling me,” she accused when he brought her breakfast in bed, her smile lighting up the room.
“You deserve it,” he said, helping her get situated.
“No, I don’t,” she said, turning her attention to the food. “You made this?”
“I wish I could cook that good,” he laughed, sitting next to her. He discovered he enjoyed feeding her more than anything, and the way she smiled and waited for him to, said she might love it as much.
“I do love when you feed me,” she said, opening for her first bite of biscuit.
“I was just thinking you seem to love it as much as I do.”
“You love it?” she asked, like she thought that was the most amazing thing ever.
“Very,” he admitted, loading the fork with fluffy eggs. He watched her chew, fascinated with her lips, as always.
“Do I have food on my face?” she wondered, shielding her mouth with a hand.
He eyed her twinkling blue eyes. “No. I just like your mouth,” he said, unable to deny himself.
Her brows shot up. “What else do you like about me?” she asked innocently, leaning for another bite.
“I might like your nose. And definitely your eyes.” He dared a look at her, knowing damn well he was playing with fire. Then he found her elated smile and his fears dissolved.
When he was done stuffing her, he made sure she drank all her milk and juice and put her tray on the foot of the bed. He turned to find her in the middle of a stretch and his gaze dropped to see her hard nipples through the material of her shirt. Heat filled his cock as he ordered himself to look away. But he disobeyed, his muscles locked and his eyes fixated on them. They suddenly jutted toward him and he realized she’d posed intentionally that way, her hands behind her, watching him.
Before he could say anything, she threw the covers off the bed and ran to the window, looking out but all Daniel could see was the edge of her cute, plump ass cheek peeking out of her very short pajama shorts. Fucking… Christ, she was killing him slowly.
“I’m gonna go eat,” he said, turning for the door before he said something he’d regret. She was tempting him, he knew. The problem was, he liked it and was nearly ready to pull up a chair and let her continue, see how far she’d go.
“Okay, I’ll get dressed. Are you still researching?”
“Yes, I am,” he said, his cock jumping at the question. She had no idea he’d been studying up on her favorite topic—BDSM. He just needed to understand it more. He was pretty sure the more he learned about it, the worse his condition toward her got. Knowing that she wanted a Dom and reading the shit a Dom had the power to do had Daniel in constant repentance. He couldn’t seem to stop envisioning himself and Nineveh in every scenario he read.
“When do I get to know?”
“Maybe never,” he laughed, more serious than she knew.
“Awww,” she whined, reminding him of the most recent thing he’d read about. The Daddy Dom. He’d thought it was silly and ridiculous but hearing her make that sound brought visions of him spanking her along with a tidal wave of heat in his body.
He was in a mess with all of it.
****
Daniel glanced over his shoulder for the fifth time. He had the door locked but still worried somehow, somebody would see him looking at the shit he was trying hard not to see. But everything that had to do with BDSM in a how-to sense seemed to come with pictures. Daniel struggled to see the mechanics of it but ten seconds in, and he was seeing Nineveh in many of these scenarios. There was no way in fucking hell he was imagining her in any of these things unless he was with her. And God, he was. In all the wrong ways.
It was late, and the house was quiet as Daniel made his way up the stairs to check on Nineveh. Or maybe he just wanted to see her one more time for peace of mind. He barely knocked, not really loud enough to be heard before he opened the door. Finding the bed empty, he leaned his head in enough to see the bathroom door open with the crack giving him a straight view of Nineveh’s face, head back against the tub wall, brows pinched.
His cock jerked and pounded at hearing her soft moaning. Daniel was trapped, again, just like he had been that first
night he’d seen her in his bed. He couldn’t turn away. He couldn’t stop devouring her face, her perfect lips parted in pleasure. His brain and body was on fire with the need to see what she was doing, something with her hands.
Leave. Leave. He clenched his eyes tight, right as her moans grew louder. She uttered his name in a gasp with yes, yes, please, and he nearly lost his fucking mind. She was calling him, holy fuck. He moved closer, his gaze devouring her tits. Her hands disappeared below but her fucking legs were on the tub, wide open.
The water splashed as she strained and gasped and Daniel undid his pants, pulling his cock out. He slid his hand over the wet throbbing head, his muscles trembling as he watched her face, her mouth widening more with each moan. What the fuck was she imagining while calling his name?
She suddenly gasped and sat up and he jerked away from the door. Daniel reversed out of the room and hurried down the stairs shoving himself back in his pants as he went.
“Daniel?” she called.
He came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the stairs, his heart hammering as he waited a few seconds before returning back up. “You called?” he whispered, head in the bedroom door. “Gramma is asleep.”
“I forgot a towel,” she whispered back.
“I’ll get it.” He hurried downstairs to the main bath and ran a towel back up, tossing it onto the floor. “It’s by the door.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Hey,” she called. “You wanna lay with me till I fall asleep?”
God. His fate seemed to be crucifixion by desire, lately. “Okay,” he said.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to.”
“I’m sure.” He glanced down and away when she came out of the bathroom wrapped in her towel while opening her drawer.
“I forgot every darn thing,” she whispered, hurrying back in the bathroom and shutting the door.
He let go of a huge breath and walked over to her bed and sat, feeling like he’d run from certain death and barely escaped with his life.
The door opened with her whispered chatter. “Gramma wants to go to the pier tomorrow. Some guy named Josh is supposed to be there, she said you two were childhood friends. You know him?” She hissed and covered her mouth. “Was supposed to be a surprise. Don’t say I told you.”
Daniel’s brain wrecked with several things, her nipples that were clearly visible in her thin pajama top, her ass again peeking out of her shorts as she climbed on the bed and the mention of a dude. No, not just a dude, that dude. The player one. The gigolo of the lake that always got all the girls when they were young.
“What?” she wondered, getting comfortable under the covers.
“Nothing.”
“You remember him? Do you not like him? Was he a dick?”
He stood and smiled at her while she held the covers to her chin, grinning. Her innocence stole his breath even as his mind echoed the sounds of her moans.
“Oh,” she gasped, sitting up and patting the bed. “You promised.”
“Promised what?” He tried to remember, his mind drawing a blank while his cock jumped to hopeful ideas.
“A massage, you said I could repay you with one?”
“Now?”
She nodded, all bright eyed as she opened the covers and patted the bed. “On your stomach like a good boy.”
The term brought back another one that had burned in his head. Good girl.
“Without the shirt,” she begged when he lay down. “I really was hoping to get to touch your tatt, not gonna lie,” she said lightly.
She was going to innocently burn him at a stake. He sat up and she helped him remove his shirt. He quickly lay down, not trusting himself while she ooohed and ahhed over his ink. Then she climbed on his butt and sat her fucking ass on him.
“Is this okay, am I too heavy?”
Not heavy enough. “Can barely feel you.”
She bounced on him. “Can you feel me now?”
“Yes, I can fucking feel you, now will you do the massage before I change my mind?”
“Why are you mad?” she asked, going to town on the muscles along his spine.
Her strong fingers drew an “Mmm,” from him. “I’m not mad, shhh. Just keep doing that.”
“Feels good?” she asked, sounding proud. “I actually have professional experience with this, I took a six-month course in college.”
“I can tell,” he murmured, his cock receiving every touch she tortured him with. He suddenly jerked when her fingers went too close to his ribs.
“Ohhh, is somebody ticklish?”
“I don’t like being tickled,” he warned.
“Okay,” she said, suddenly digging her fingers into his ribs.
Daniel bolted, flipping her off him but somehow she managed to continue digging into his ribs, laughing at him.
He caught her hands and she fought to get them back, forcing him to use his body as leverage. Before he realized it, he had her hands over her head, pinned while staring into her laughing face. She went suddenly serious and he released her and sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes shut tight.
“Sorry,” she said behind him. “Did you have a bad tickling episode when younger?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head, laying down on his back.
She got up on her elbow and his entire body locked up with fear and need. She was too unpredictable and carefree around him. He wasn’t safe to be around anymore, he realized. He also realized he’d set her up to feel safe around him which was why she was so physical with him. Because it was safe. But it wasn’t safe. Not anymore. And there was no denying it.
He closed his eyes, unable to look at her.
“Is it that dumb dude coming tomorrow you’re weirding out about? We can push him in the lake if you want. Was he mean to you? I’ll kick his ass.”
He looked at her and her smile slowly faded. “You okay?”
“No,” he said, looking away from her.
“What’s wrong?” she wondered, the worry in her voice real.
“Nothing you did,” he said, already hearing she thought that.
“Am I being too weird with you? Too much? Have I made you feel awkward?” She lay down on her back with a huff. “I’ve always been like that, since I was a teenager. Anytime there was a boy I liked, I was Miss Touchy, Touchy. And I ain’t gonna lie, Daniel, I really do like you. But guess, what? I can shut it off, I swear it, and I will. I’ll get back on my Daniel fast.”
He looked at her, staring at her profile before his gaze lowered to her breast. “Daniel fast?”
“I had to. When I was still stuck in my… lifestyle. if you know what I mean. To keep from raping you, I had to make myself not think of you or touch you or anything.”
“Wow,” he said, not knowing what else to say all while he longed for her to do that.
She looked at him. “What? Are you flattered to be somebody’s fast?” she wondered, smiling.
He stared up at the ceiling, burning alive in flames. “I am,” he whispered. “Very.”
“Was that boy coming to the lake nice to you when you were young?”
“He was… just a kid, like any other. Girl chaser. All the girls liked him.”
She pffed. “He sounds dumb.”
Daniel grinned and looked at her. “He was.” The urge to kiss her became unbearable and Daniel sat up. “I uh. I’m gonna head to the shower. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay,” she said, sounding worried as he walked for the door, ready to run. “Night Daniel.”
Chapter Twelve
Daniel made his way toward the lake where Nineveh and Gramma waited for their deliveries--refreshments and a Bible. He paused, a distance off, at seeing Josh standing in a small boat next to the pier, talking and laughing. Prick would show up when he wasn’t there. Shirtless.
Daniel continued with the small ice-chest and Bible tucked under his arm.
“There he is,” Josh said, seeing Daniel. “I bet you don’t even remember me.”
&
nbsp; “I was about ready to go fetch you,” Gramma G said. “Dyin’ of thirst here.”
“Hey man, how’s it going?” Daniel set the chest down and handed Nineveh the Bible before leaning toward the boat, shaking his hand. “Been a while.”
Josh laughed with raised brows, his sky-blue eyes twinkling. “What, like… seventeen years, give or take?”
Daniel glanced at Nineveh who sat with her head lowered. “Give or take, yeah.”
Josh’s face slowly fell and he looked down. “Never got to give my condolences…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Daniel said. “You’ve met Nineveh?”
His smile returned to full beam. “I have. I must say, we don’t get very many women who aren’t taken in these parts. I promise not to stalk. Much,” he laughed, bringing a surge of something in Daniel that wasn’t the least godly.
But how did Playboy already get her relationship status?
“Pretty sure any man interested will need to go through Daniel,” Gramma G said, saving him from himself. “She’s like a little sister to him.”
Josh laughed, back to wagging his brows at Daniel. “Can you pen me in for an appointment, then? Afraid if I don’t, I’ll be waiting behind a line.”
Daniel regarded Nineveh, wondering how she was feeling about all of it. At catching the hint of a smile on her lowered face, another strange anger hit him. He regarded Josh then. “Nineveh’s a grown woman. She can decide.”
“Well there you have it,” Josh said. “Did I just get a date with the most beautiful woman in Michigan?”
“No, you sure didn’t.” They all looked at Nineveh who shielded her eyes with a hand as she eyed the guy. “I’m actually not available. I’m seeing somebody. He’s the best man for me and I don’t want any other.” She picked up the Bible and said, “Let me introduce you. His name is God.”
Daniel’s laughter erupted at that and she scowled at him.