Bound to Submit (Miami Masters Book 4)
Page 9
Cocking her head, Hope frowned. “Your boy?”
“Miles, took him in when he was a teen and never regretted it. The gym’s getting ready to close and you missed class, so you may as well join me in a soda until he finishes up. Come with me.” Just like Miles, Ed didn’t give her a choice as he took her elbow and steered her into the gym then over to a small room that held a compact kitchenette and shut the door behind them. “What would you like? I never stocked sodas until the boy insisted, so we have everything, including juice if you want to keep it healthy.”
The way Ed referred to Miles as ‘boy’ tickled her and she wondered how he felt about it. It was obvious how much the older man cared for Miles, and how little she knew about the man she’d agreed to submit her body to. “Orange juice will be fine.” Taking a seat at the round table, she accepted the bottled juice with a smile and caved to the curiosity tugging at her. “Thank you. Why’d you have to take him in? Didn’t he have family?”
Ed took a seat across from her, a look of sadness replacing the twinkle in his hazel eyes. “No, he was alone and angry with the world, with good reason.” He pointed to the wall behind her and Hope swiveled to see an array of awards bearing Miles’ name. “Proved to be a master at the martial arts and no one has matched his success since. He came around, and I couldn’t be prouder even if he carried my DNA.”
Hope rose to take a closer look at the plaques, her chest tightening when she imagined Miles as an orphaned teen. Her parents were aloof and concerned more with appearances than her welfare, but she’d lived in a beautiful home, attended a prestigious school and worn designer clothes. As a teenager, she’d had it made and never complained, until the night no one stood by her when she’d needed them the most. She could’ve used someone like Ed back then.
“What did you mean when you said he was looking out for me?” she asked without turning around from scanning the honors Miles had earned in competitions all around the world.
“Just that Miles has a protective streak, especially towards the people he cares for.”
“Oh.” Turning her head, she tried to disabuse him of that notion. “We’re just…” Crap. How did she explain their relationship to the man who was a father figure to Miles?
Ed’s grin split his craggy face. “Friends with benefits?”
“Something like that,” she muttered, her face warming under his amused regard. Turning back to the awards display, she marveled at the proof of Miles’ talent. “Wow, he’s really good, isn’t he? Is this how he got that scar on his face?” She pivoted, bringing the bottle to her mouth, then halted halfway when she saw Miles in the doorway, a scowl darkening his face.
“No, it’s not,” Miles answered in a short, clipped tone before swinging his eyes to Ed. “Gossiping, old man?”
“Nope, bragging. You’d think you would be used to it by now.” Ed rose and tossed his empty bottle in a recycle bin before saying, “If everything is closed up, I’ll be heading out.” Slapping Miles’ rigid shoulder as he walked by, he tossed back, “Don’t wait up.”
“Where are you off to?”
“You’re not the only one with friends with benefits.”
Hope couldn’t suppress a giggle at the look of surprise on Miles’ face. The laugh died in her throat when he glared at her and her body went hot and soft in response. The urge to reach up and rub her nipples to ease their sudden tightness forced her to clench her hands around the bottle of juice.
“You missed class. Again.”
“I know, I’m sorry, but something came up at the shelter that I had to see to.”
“More important than your safety?” His folded arms emphasized the bulge of his thick muscles and she wondered if he’d give her the chance to touch him tonight. Her mouth watered at the prospect.
“The people I try to help are more important, yes. I don’t want to argue with you tonight, Miles.” She changed the subject before he could complain further. “I like Ed.”
“So do I.”
Closing the distance between them, he plucked the empty bottle from her hand and lobbed it into the bin. Hope wanted to reach up and caress his scarred face and for the first time since meeting him, she wanted to ask him what happened, but his dark look forbade such an intimate touch and didn’t invite any personal inquiries. Which is how you wanted it, she reminded herself when an unexpected pang of longing cramped her abdomen.
“We’re not going to argue; you’re going to make up the class. Since you haven’t bothered to change, you can go through the drills naked. Follow me.”
Stunned and excited by his dictate, she skipped behind him into the gym, replying with surprised breathlessness, “You want me to grapple with you naked?”
More than my next breath. Of course, Miles kept that thought to himself. The last thing he needed was another reason to admire Hope and her work, but how could he fault her for putting the homeless in dire straits before his class? Damn it.
“It’ll be a good lesson in distraction.” He waved his hand at her shorts and top when they reached the large mat in front of the row of mirrors; another distraction. “Strip.” He almost smiled when her eyes darted around the now empty room, as if someone might be lurking in a darkened corner. “We’re closed, Hope, and everyone has left, even Ed.” His departure had taken Miles by surprise. He’d never known Ed to date, although in his younger years, he had gone out a lot more and Miles had assumed he was meeting a lady friend. He wouldn’t put it past Ed to have left just to give Miles the place to himself and Hope.
He watched Hope shimmy out of her shorts, conjuring up her face when he’d found her talking with Ed. Both pride and concern were reflected in her blue eyes when she’d turned from viewing his awards, and the instant warmth that look filled him with was too damn close to what he used to feel when his mother gazed at him with that same expression. It hadn’t helped his irritation when he’d overheard the label, ‘friends with benefits’ and instant denial rose to the surface. It was time he showed her exactly what he expected from a friend with benefits or, more aptly, a woman who had agreed to submit to him.
A pink tinge of embarrassment colored Hope’s pale face when her head emerged from her top. Dropping it on top of the shorts, she looked at him with indecision even though her turgid nipples were clearly visible through her silky bra.
“Problem?”
She huffed out an exasperated breath and shifted her feet, which made him want to smile again. “This is awkward.”
“I tell you what. You can leave on the underwear for now. After I demonstrate a few moves, you’ll get a chance to practice, then, if I take you down after that, you ditch the bra. The same with the panties. Now, pay attention.”
Hope threw up her hand, palm up, deflecting Miles’ punch aimed at her face by a split second. He pulled back before connecting with her hand, his fist just tapping her palm. They’d been bouncing around on the mat for thirty minutes, and she was naked, hot and sweaty, her ponytail clinging damply to her neck. Her blood pumped in a warm rush through her veins, her breathing came in pants, her nipples turgid pinpoints and her pussy a swollen channel of need. God, she felt good, exhilarated in a way she’d never experienced before, and all from watching those dark eyes glow with approval or listening to that hard voice snap with frustration. The grin that showed a hint of straight white teeth made her toes curl into the mat and wish she could see that look of approval more often.
“Good job.” He ruined his praise when he kicked out and sent her toppling to the mat, again. The rumble of his deep-throated chuckle next to her ear when he landed on top of her vibrated straight down to her aching core. “But you blew it by letting your guard down again. Didn’t that easy maneuver cost you your bra?”
“You cheated.” That was her defense and she was sticking to it as she resisted the urge to spread her legs and cradle his pelvis between them.
“You think an attacker will come at you nicely? Have you learned nothing from the thugs who accosted you two months a
go and that asshole who cornered you just two weeks ago?” Miles lifted his head and her eyes were drawn to his mouth. The temptation to pull him down to her and taste those lips had been building all evening, every time he spoke, and his gaze would wander down her body. The repeated close contact with that hard as nails body as they came at each other had driven her need up so fast Hope prayed he was about ready to switch lesson plans on her.
“Yes, there are…” She stiffened when he ran a hand down her side then stopped abruptly, his eyes widening then going to black slits when he found the small puckered scar.
Shifting to his side, he looked down, traced the bullet wound then peered back into her face. “That is from a gunshot.”
With all the fretting and second-guessing she had done before agreeing to this temporary relationship, she’d never considered the one physical scar from the night Craig attacked her would give her away. Hoping he would let it go, she kept her reply vague. “Yes, a stupid accident when I was younger.”
Hope couldn’t read anything into his silence or his intent, probing look, and squirmed in uncomfortable awareness of the press of his clothed, hard body against her nakedness and the conflicting urge to hide from him lest he uncover the whole story behind that scar. With an abruptness that made her gasp, he jumped lithely to his feet, hauling her up with him.
“You worked up a sweat and must be hot. You’ve done good so far, paying attention and heeding my commands. Now, let’s see how well you can continue to do so.”
She watched Miles stride over to a corner and bring back a padded stool which he placed in front of the mirrors she’d done her best not to look into as they’d been grappling. With a crook of his finger, he beckoned her over, his eyes watching the sway of her breasts before trailing down to her feet then back up again. What that man could do with just a look ought to be illegal, Hope bemoaned as her already overheated body turned into a raging furnace. Grasping her waist, he plopped her bare butt on the seat, facing the mirrors, then pulled each foot around the back of the leg rungs, leaving her thighs spread and her gaping vagina on embarrassing display.
“I’ve been hard pressed to ignore your tits since you removed your bra.” Picking up her hands, he placed them on her breasts with instructions. “I want you to work your nipples while I get something from the kitchen, and I mean really work them, Hope. Like this.” He grasped both nipples and pinched them between his thumbs and forefingers then slowly twisted until she blanched. “That seems to be your threshold, for now. We’ll work on building it until you can take more, and like it.”
“Just because spanking turns me on, doesn’t mean I’m into pain,” Hope grumbled as she fought the urge to rub her abused, throbbing buds.
“No?” With a quick swipe of one finger up her spread labia, he held up his glistening digit and proved her wrong. “Since you lied about your response, you can clean up the evidence. Lick it clean.”
Hope wasn’t sure if his demand turned her on or mortified her. The heat enveloping her face as she sucked his finger into her mouth and tasted her own juices could be from either reaction to the decadent order. She tightened her hands around the fleshy part of her breasts and closed her eyes to pretend it was his cock she was wrapping her tongue around, his cream she tasted and his low moan of pleasure reaching her ears.
“That’s enough.” Miles’ rough voice brought her eyes open, and the rigid set to his jaw and blazing eyes were both telltale signs she’d finally gotten to him. The small pleasure of satisfaction that gave her ended when he pinched her nipples again with a succinct command. “Get to work.”
Glaring at his back as he strode toward the kitchen, she started to give in to the childish urge to stick out her tongue when he said, without turning around, “I wouldn’t, if I were you.”
Hope didn’t know if it was Miles’ ominous tone or the zap of pleasure she received from pinching her nipples that was responsible for the shivers rippling down her spine. Not willing to risk repercussions, she tormented her nipples to the same point of pain he had, squeezing then twisting the sensitive peaks until the discomfort bordered on painful. She kept her eyes either down on her breasts or trying to see what he was doing in the kitchenette, anywhere but at her reflection in the bank of mirrors in front of her. It had been a while since she’d indulged in touching herself, and given the frustration of the past week, was it any wonder she had herself worked into a feverish pitch a few minutes later when Miles returned carrying a small bowl he set on the floor.
Before she could glance down to see what he’d brought, he snagged her attention with a curt demand. “Let me see. Hold your breasts up for my inspection.”
More heat flooded her face as she lifted her breasts, presenting her nipples to him. He was really acting the hard-edged Dom this evening, and Hope continued to be surprised by the pleasure she received from obeying his commands. There was relief in not having to worry about whether she was doing something right, or if he wanted something she wasn’t giving him.
Miles ran a finger over each turgid tip, keeping his eyes on her face as he said, “Nice and warm, and hard. Very good, Hope, but I think you could use a little cooling off.” Reaching down, he came up with an ice cube and a wicked grin. “A deep breath might help here.”
Deep breath, hell. Nothing would have lessened the shock of ice hitting one nipple while Miles’ warm lips closed over the other. Since she didn’t dare release her breasts, Hope was forced to tighten her legs around the stool to keep her balance as he drew on her nipple with strong suctions while passing the frigid ice cube back and forth over the other. A soft cry spilled past her compressed lips as her nipple went numb and the other throbbed from his suckling. Then he switched, iced the side damp from his tongue and awoke the cold numbness from the other with his hot mouth. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know her cream dripped from her sheath onto the stool.
By the time Miles finished bedeviling her nipples, Hope was shaken with the need to climax and knew one small touch between her legs would set her off. She’d never gotten so aroused just from nipple play, and the heights to which he could take her were mind boggling, and a little scary. He must have read something in her face because he slowly shook his head and lifted her off the stool.
“Not yet. Have you ever been restrained in any way?”
Her heartbeat went into overdrive and palms grew sweaty with the suggestion. She shook her head. “No. Is that next?”
“No, Sir, and yes.” He turned her, drawing her arms behind her as he pressed against her backside. “I’ll just bind your arms today,” he reassured her. “Your safeword to call a halt at any time is red.”
Where he got the soft rope he started wrapping around her forearms, pressing them together from wrist to elbow, she couldn’t guess, but as the restraint signifying how much she was putting her trust in him threatened her composure, she quit wondering. A breath of panic escaped her tight lips when he finished and her automatic attempt to move her arms failed. Before it could give way to full-blown alarm, his large hands landed on her shoulders and warm breath blew in her ear with his soft but demanding voice.
“Inhale, Hope. Relax.” Miles kneaded her shoulders, his warm grip erasing the coldness of apprehension at the vulnerability of her circumstances. “Good girl. Now bend over.”
Such simple praise to have such a profound effect. Excitement replaced trepidation as his hands urged Hope over the stool until her abdomen rested on the padded seat and her breasts dangled down, hard nipples pointing toward the floor. He bent over her, his clothes-roughened body pressing so close again, setting off sparks that threatened to singe. His big hands cupped her breasts and squeezed, drawing a low moan as she tried to shift her hips closer to the erection pressing against her butt.
“Please,” she whispered, unashamed about the plea. How had he ratcheted her arousal to such a feverish pitch so fast when she’d been on the brink of panic a few seconds ago?
“I’m not done playing with you yet or cooli
ng you off.” He straightened, released her breasts and coasted his hands down her spine, over her buttocks with small kneading clutches before sliding down her legs to hook her feet around the legs again, leaving her spread and open for whatever he was planning.
Hope’s face heated, whether from the blood rushing downward or picturing those eyes taking in her most private parts, she didn’t know. She felt his thumbs dig into her crack, spread her cheeks then rub against her exposed anus. Mortification, unease and a shiver of excitement tightened her muscles. “What… what are you going to do?”
A sharp slap landed on one buttock and Hope’s startled cry echoed in the silent room. “The next time you don’t address me properly, I’ll withhold your orgasm.”
Shit. There was no way she would risk that, so she sucked in a breath, turned her face around and said, “Sir, please don’t keep me in suspense.”
“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Miles pinched the spot he’d slapped, and the needle-sharp pain zipped straight down between her legs. She turned away from his knowing smirk when his hand cupped her damp pussy.
“You continue to surprise me, Hope,” he murmured.
There was a pause as he shifted, then the trail of a frigid ice cube moved up and down her spread buttocks, numbing her small puckered hole and eliciting goosebumps up and down her entire body. Her head snapped up, her eyes flying open and colliding with the erotic image of her flushed face and dangling breasts in the mirror. “No!” she exclaimed on a shocked gasp when he pressed the cube against the tight rim. Her immediate attempt to shift away from the diabolical intrusion was met with a volley of blistering swats, all on the same spot. Her buttock swelled and heated even as her rectum chilled with the sudden push of the cube inside her. The combination of temperatures threw her into a tailspin of conflicting responses and it wasn’t until the ice was embedded deep inside her and she felt his warm breath on her labia that needy arousal took precedence over the mild discomfort.