Dear Elliot

by P. Stormcrow

  “Family,” Emma corrected him before she leaned back and swept her gaze across the kitchen. “I like it here the best, though. Mom spent most of her time here.”

  He didn’t argue but wrapped an arm around her shoulder instead while he held a cup of tea in his free hand. On instinct, she leaned her head against his side.

  “She was a remarkable cook.” Elliot took a sip of his tea.

  “She was.” Emma could talk about her at last without breaking into tears, a tiny step towards letting go. Because letting go was important, according to her counselor. But she wasn’t ready yet, even if it had already been a year since her mother had passed. She tilted her head up and grimaced when she spotted him taking another sip.

  “Are you planning to stay up all night writing again?” Because she was pretty sure that cup didn’t hold decaf.

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “Unless you have a better offer?”

  Elliot had been flirting with her more lately as she regained some semblance of a working life, but he never asked nor pushed for more beyond a light teasing. He didn’t date anyone else and stayed home every night without ever bringing anyone to his room. In other words, she knew he was waiting for her with the patience of a saint.

  But for the first time in a year, something stirred within Emma and warmth pooled in her belly. Perhaps it was time. She closed her journal, rose from her seat and walked past him until she reached the doorway where she paused and threw him a heated look over her shoulder. “Perhaps I do. Care to come to bed with me?”

  Elliot grinned and followed.

  She opened the door for him and waited until he entered before she did so herself, closing it behind them. A sudden bout of nerves froze her on the spot, and she took several deep breaths to steady herself while she tried to remember that he wanted to be there. That it wasn’t the first time they would sleep together—figuratively and literally.

  “Em… Luv.” Elliot took her hand and led her to the bed.

  It was the second time ever he had called her that, but this time, she couldn’t suppress the little flip her heart made at the endearment.

  “I’m here,” she responded before she realized just how much she meant it. With a steadier gaze, Emma draped her arms over his shoulders. “I’m here.”

  “Good.” He reached to take her hands and guided them to behind her. “Because if you are ready to see this through tonight, I’ll make sure every word, every touch will keep you here in this moment and this moment only.”

  His breath caressed the shell of her ear as he spoke, and she grew wet at his words. When he pressed her wrists against the small of her back, she sucked in a breath.

  “Give me a safeword, Emma. Something that makes you feel safe.”

  “How about ‘Elliot’?” Emma teased to make light of the moment. Because if he continued with such intensity, she might come from his voice alone.

  Elliot rocked away and smirked. “As flattered as I am by that, Emma, I think it’d be better to reserve my name for when you are screaming from your orgasms.”

  Shit. Her mind fogged as memories of the last climaxes he’d given her surfaced. Heat blossomed across her face until she realized Elliot was still studying her as if he could read every single thought in her mind.

  “Sakura,” she blurted out, referring to the tree they climbed on so often.

  He chuckled and kissed the corner of her lips. “Good answer.” With one hand, he kept hers pinned, while he reached with the other to undo the buttons of her shirt. “Now, tell me, what do you think about bondage?”

  Emma squeaked for lack of a better response. Please don’t let him find the fuzzy handcuffs. Holly had bought them as a gag gift for her birthday two years ago.

  “Emma?”

  “I don’t…know?”

  “Then remember your safeword. What is it again?”

  “Sakura?” Emma was losing her ability to follow the conversation. But instead of continuing it, Elliot tugged her shirt until he’d slid it down her arms. With deft fingers, he tied the shirt around her wrists, leaving her upper body immobilized while her bra-clad breasts pushed out.

  The new vulnerability should have frighten her, but all it did was drive her libido up several notches. Emma strained against her bonds, wishing already that she could just tackle and ride him.

  Instead, she stood still as he circled her until he stopped behind her. He moved his hands up front and undid the clasp of her bra, freeing her breasts. Elliot wasted no time in cupping her breasts and kneading them. Emma pushed against his hands, yearning for his fingers to brush against her nipples. Because in even such a short time, they had already hardened to the point of aching.

  Instead, he littered kisses along her exposed neck and shoulders. Sensitive as usual in those places, Emma trembled, and her breathing hitched. More. Please. She begged in her mind but refused to give those words shape.

  “One night, I will make you beg.” Elliot circled his fingers closer and closer. “But tonight, all I want is for you to feel.” With that, he captured both of her nipples between his fingers and pinched.

  It was as if an electric current ran through her body. Emma gasped and jerked in his arms, her knees almost giving out from the long-awaited sensation. Pleasure washed over her as he rolled the sensitive hardened nubs and she cried out as she soaked her panties.

  Just as she thought she was about to come from the stimulation on her breasts alone, Elliot stopped. When Emma whimpered, he nipped at the place where her neck and her shoulder joined. “Hush now. More to come. I promise.”

  Seconds later, Elliot undid her button and tugged her jeans down, just far enough for him to slip a finger inside. When he discovered her pussy slick with her arousal, he groaned.

  Emma held her breath as he toyed with her, slipping his fingers through the folds, dipping one into her slit then scooping the wetness out to smear upward. His intentions became apparent when he found her clit and circled it with his forefinger.

  It almost bordered on pain the way he flicked her clit, then rubbed and pinched it. Too much. Too sensitive. Emma doubled over but couldn’t do anything to escape those fingers. Nor did she think she wanted to.

  “Give in, Emma. Surrender your control.” He moved faster until her belly tightened.

  Her clit was so hot. Her stomach clenched. Liquid fire radiated from her sensitive bundle of nerves out to her entire body until at last, she came, screaming his name as she drenched his hand with her orgasm.

  Elliot didn’t wait but pushed her onto the bed, her hands still tied behind her. “I’m clean,” he muttered.

  “IUD,” Emma gasped out, aware that the way her shoulders pushed into the bed meant he had positioned her with her ass high in the air, her legs spread apart. That was all the warning she had as Elliot tugged her pants farther down and thrust into her pussy with one long stroke.

  Fuck, he was huge to start with, but now he was even bigger at this angle.

  Emma struggled for a breath as he gripped her shirt and used it as some sort of handle. He pounded into her without waiting, but she was wet enough that the cock just provoked intense pleasure every time he pushed it in deeper. She stretched her fingers out, only to curl them into fists again as he fucked her.

  So much. So fast.

  She tensed and jerked against the restraints as she thrust back while he pushed her higher and higher until she hung on the precise and spots of color appeared in her vision.

  He let go of her shirt, reached around until he found her clit and pinched.

  The orgasm ripped through her body and everything in Emma’s mind faded as she focused only on the intense pleasure he gave her while her body buckled against him like a marionette with invisible strings.

  He slammed into her one last time and released with a feral growl. Emma moaned, rolling her eyes back before fluttering them closed as she floated on the euphoric high of her climax.

  Behind her, Elliot withdrew and used something to wipe her and himself.
Emma cracked an eye open to glimpse his nude upper body. Oh, he used his shirt. Mm, yummy. She let her head fall back down and grinned to herself.

  When he untied her shirt and she still didn’t move, Elliot slapped her butt cheek lightly. “Move, Em.”

  She yelped more in surprise than from any sting and crawled up the bed until she laid her head on her own pillow. After a moment, Elliot joined her. Naked. I could get used to this.

  He pulled her over to him, and she resettled with her head on his shoulder, her eyes half closed while her mind floated from one thought to another

  “So, El, is this like…our third one-night stand?”

  Elliot chuckled under his breath. “Is it still considered a one-night stand if it’s with your girlfriend?”

  Emma snapped her eyes opened and cranked her neck to look up at him. “I thought you only did one-night stands—or friends with benefits?”

  “Not with you Em, not with you.” He kissed her on top of her head.

  “I don’t recall agreeing to be your girlfriend,” Emma snipped back.

  “Oh, you may be right. Well then, Emma Jones, would you like to be my wife?”

  Emma pushed herself up, ready to punch him in the shoulder for the joke, only for everything to stop as he held up a ring with a simple princess cut diamond on top. Her brain ceased to function.

  “We can go back to being girlfriend, boyfriend again, if that’s what you prefer,” Elliot teased and moved to put back the ring.

  “No!” Emma made a grab for it, only for Elliot to hold it out of her reach. She subsided and smiled. “I mean, yes. Yes, I’ll be your wife.”

  Elliot took her hand and slipped the ring on, and Emma stared at it even as she lay back down. She couldn’t help but widen her grin at Elliot’s own happiness shining through his face.

  “So, question… Would I be Mrs. Carmichael or are you Mr. Jones?”

  “Well, I’m already Mr. Jones on my pen name.”

  “I know.” Emma’s smile turned smug before another question popped in her mind and she grew more serious.

  “Would you want to have another kid?”

  Elliot tensed. “I don’t want to lose you.” It was a bare whisper.

  “You won’t, Elliot. Besides”—she grabbed his hand—“have you heard about my job’s killer maternity leave benefits?”

  He let out a shaky laugh and shook his head in disbelief.

  “You want to be a dad, right?”

  “More than anything,” he admitted at last.

  “Then it’ll be okay. Our baby will be worth it. I’m thinking may be a spring baby, so they can see all the flowers blooming.” Emma gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Besides, the trying will be fun.”

  He laughed, an easy sound that told her they would make it work somehow. “That will definitely be fun.”

  Want to see more from this author? Here’s a taster for you to enjoy!

  The Playgrounds: The Words to Bind

  P. Stormcrow

  Excerpt

  What the hell am I doing here?

  Luna Weir stared at the mirror above the sink, tapping the porcelain rim as she bit her lower lip, studying herself. The woman in the mirror looked almost sickly, her features lost in the pale complexion framed by almost-silver hair. The only spots of color were the startling blue of her eyes and the red lips that were bruised from being chewed raw. Nervousness was making her twitch this way and that.

  She was in no shape to meet new people.

  Outside the public washroom she was in was a group of pure strangers sitting down to have a nice Sunday brunch together. If it were any other networking event, Luna would stride out there with all the confidence of an ambitious newbie in the industry.

  But this was not a professional meetup—and the topic at hand wasn’t what she would call work-safe.

  Eating with strangers… Talking about kinks and fetishes…

  Why am I doing this again? Right… She’d said she would give this one last shot.

  ‘We’re done, Luna. I get you want my opinion, but stop making me make all the decisions. It’s exhausting. You’re just too intense. Look… I wish you luck, but I’m not the guy for you.’

  She winced at the memory. He’d also expressed other choice words, like what he thought about her lack of enthusiasm in bed. It was true. She had a low libido. And yet, she couldn’t reconcile the earlier memories of how turned on she’d been by even the faintest idea of something kinky. That’s why I’m here, right?

  Luna startled as the toilet flushed behind her. A woman emerged from the stall, a bounce of impossible red curls matched with impossible stilettos. She was stunning, with brilliant hazel eyes lighting up at the sight of…something.

  Wait… She can’t be looking at me, can she?

  “Hello, sweetie. Luna, right?”

  Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

  Luna mustered a smile, watching as the woman walked up to the sink next to her with a sway of hips and washed her hands. A pang of envy stabbed through her. The woman oozed confidence and swagger in a way she only wished she could emulate.

  “I’m Lani, the hostess for the munch this month.” She smiled, glowing with warmth, and Luna could not help but relax just a smidgen.

  “Yeah, I’m Luna. Nice to meet you.” Always be nice to the hostess.

  “Let me guess… You’ve come up with a case of nerves and that’s why you’re hiding in here?” Lani leaned forward, but before Luna could protest, she added with a lowered whisper, “It’s okay. My first time, I hid in here most of the munch and kept peeking out until the last person had left.” She winked and tilted her head toward Luna, as if sharing a conspiracy.

  She couldn’t imagine the self-assured woman in front of her afraid of anything, but somehow, it made her feel better.

  “Now, if you’re feeling lost, why don’t you come sit with me? I can point out who’s who.”

  Luna stared at the offered arm, beginning to wonder why she had been so scared before. They were just people—people like her. Okay, she was nothing like Lani, the indomitable force, but Luna found her easy manner hard to resist. She looped her arm around the other woman’s and nodded. “All right, I can do this. Lead the way!”

  Lani tossed her head back and laughed. “That’s the spirit!”

  The waiter was just arriving to take people’s orders just as they made their way to the long table in an alcove at the back of the restaurant. As Luna sat, the waiter came around with a friendly smile.

  “And what can I get for you today?”

  It was an easy decision for a sugar fiend like her. “French toast, please, with the whipped cream and strawberries.”

  “Sure.”

  Surprise made her turn with as much discretion as possible to study Lani as she ordered the same. The woman flashed her a quick grin and nodded toward the rest of the table, an invitation to look.

  Luna ventured to observe the people around the group. Seven, including herself, rounded the table—three on each side with Lani at the head. She was seated to Lani’s left, while to her own right was a lanky man with a mop of light brown hair and rimmed glasses. Across from her was another woman about her age, a slim Asian who was built like a ballerina. A couple sat farther down the table across from her, but she could only catch an occasional glimpse of the last person on her side. From what Luna could tell, the three at the other end of the table were deep in discussion about the best flogging techniques. She bit her lower lip, memories surfacing before she clamped down hard on them. A distant echo of a sensation—the pain—and the sheer lack of pleasure.

  “Luna, I’d like you to meet Cassandra and August.”

  Thankful for the distraction, Luna gave a little awkward wave.

  “Oo-o, fresh meat,” the girl across from her squealed.

  “Cassie, stop trying to scare her off. Not everyone’s competition,” August cut right in.

  “Was not!” she protested in return.

  The man ignored her and turned towa
rd Luna instead with a cordial incline of his head. “So, Luna, what brings you to the munch?”

  Although she appreciated the save, wow…biting. To the question he’d directed at her, she answered without hesitation. “Curiosity.” It was the answer she’d prepared before she’d left her apartment.

  Lani’s eyes sharpened with interest and Luna braced herself for more questions. Instead, Lani grinned and clapped her hands together. “Excellent answer.” She lifted a long-stemmed glass of orange liquid to her lips and Luna wished she had ordered a mimosa too. She could use some liquid courage.

  “So, has anyone heard about the private play party Erica and Dominique are throwing in a few weeks?” Lani was quick to open the topic.

  She had heard about these play parties before in her chat room.

  “I heard it was invitation only?” August asked with a lift of his brow.

  Cassandra—or Cassie, as everyone else seemed to call her—grinned like a cat with a large bowl of milk. “Guess who already got an invitation?”

  August ignored her again and instead turned to Lani. “Ma’am, would you happen to know who would be attending?”

  Ma’am. Things snapped into focus. Lani was a Dominant and August was likely submissive. Or did their relationship go deeper than that? Wait… Did they have a relationship of any sort?

  “Well, Jacob and Darryl are both going to be there, I believe, though I think Jacob may be working as a dungeon monitor. Erica mentioned she also invited a shibari master to come to demonstrate.”

  Dungeon monitor, shibari… These were all terms Luna knew, in theory. A voice in her head suggested that she should make a hasty exit right about now. It was one thing to keep things online. Words were easy, sexy. The one time it had spilled to real life… Luna opened her mouth to make her excuse to leave.

  “French toast for the ladies.” The waiter set the plates down and Luna snapped her mouth shut, lest drool escape. Okay, maybe after the food.