Her Keeper

by Rianna Campbell

  “You sure you want to put up a fight, Princess?” Parker asked. “You’re in enough trouble already.”

  “Would it be as much fun if I didn’t?” she asked, slowly inching her way backward on the bed until she was in the middle.

  Parker pounced, carrying her upper body back down to the mattress with the weight of his own. He captured her wrists in his hands, pinning them to the bed, while he wedged his hips between her legs.

  She flailed and kicked her legs, but she couldn’t get any force behind them because her hips, like her hands, were pinned to the bed.

  He held that position for a few minutes while she tired herself.

  “You’re a brute,” Amanda huffed, breathing heavily, her breasts pressing into his chest with each inhalation. The word stung until he reminded himself that this was the game. This is what she wanted. She wanted the brute. That might be all she wanted from him.

  Locking that thought away, he shifted her hands so that he held both wrists with one hand. He used his now free hand to grab one of her squirming legs just beneath the knee. He tucked it close to his side and held it there, taking advantage of the angle to roll his hips into her, showing her just how ready he was. She gasped and stilled, and he used that moment to hoist her leg up onto his shoulder.

  From there he could reach up and pull off her sneaker. She put her bare foot on his shoulder and tried to push him away. He laughed and dropped her leg back to the bed beside them.

  She groaned in frustration as he repeated the same process with the other leg until she was barefoot. Releasing her hands, he sat back on his heels and quickly took hold of the hems of her yoga pants and yanked. He backed up a little, pulling them over her hips and down her legs. She squealed and laughed as he flung them over his shoulder to the floor.

  She flipped over and started to scramble away, crawling toward the far side of the bed. He pounced, pinning her to the bed, this time on her stomach. He slipped his hands under her t-shirt and started to slide it up over her torso.

  She gasped and laughed.

  “That tickles!”

  “Ticklish, huh? Good to know.”

  He continued his path upward until the shirt was bunched up beneath her arms. He dug his hands into the shirt and used them to guide the opening of the shirt over her head so that he could slide it up her arms. When it was bunched around her wrists, he wound it around them several times and tucked in the end, creating a makeshift binding.

  She wasn’t wearing a bra, which he was thrilled to discover, and the smooth, flawless skin of her back was bare beneath his hands. He sat back and slowly ran a single finger down the length of her spine.

  When he reached the point between her shoulder blades, she shivered and made a little mewling noise. Knowing he’d found a particularly sensitive spot, he bent forward, bracing himself on one forearm, and ran his tongue over the same place.

  She moaned, arching her back and he slid his free hand under her body, palming one of her breasts. They were so soft and pliant, and they fit perfectly in his hand. He found her nipple and rolled it between his fingers. She moaned again, pressing further into his hand.

  “Parker…”

  That one word was a benediction and a plea rolled into one, and he couldn’t help himself. He sat back again and took hold of the waistband of her panties, sliding them down her legs and tossing them on top of her pants on the floor.

  This wasn’t at all what he’d planned for her, but he was good at thinking on his feet and he came up with a new plan in a blink. One that would drive his point home, so to speak, but would also get him inside her a lot faster. Win-win in his book.

  Rolling her over onto her back, he used his palms to push her legs apart. He settled in between her thighs, ready to taste her. He’d been dying to do this again since that first time.

  It was hard to believe it had only been a week. He supposed that the time they’d known each other before made it seem like a lot longer. He’d been thinking about it for so long…

  “You’re not going to do it again are you?” Amanda asked, panicked. He knew what she was thinking, and he didn’t necessarily want to tell her. Anticipation was often its own kind of torture.

  Instead, all he said was, “Settle in, Princess. It’s going to be a long night.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Oh, God…

  They’d been through this before. The first time they’d been together he’d gotten her so close so many times but he wouldn’t let her come. Ten times- ten- he’d gotten her right to the edge and then brought her back. He’d been proving a point, and by the end, it had been loud and clear. Eventually, she would submit to him and when she did he would make it worth it. Oh, God, was it worth it.

  That orgasm had not only been the first one she’d ever had with a partner, but it was the best she’d ever had in her life. As much as he’d tortured her, he’d certainly paid her back tenfold.

  Of course, that had been different. She hadn’t really done anything wrong so it wasn’t really a punishment. This time though… she’d been really, really stupid. A couple of times. And although he’d taken some of it out on her in the bathroom at the rehearsal dinner, he wasn’t nearly done with her yet.

  As much as she hated to admit it, what he’d done had been so fucking hot, he could have told her to do anything and she would have obeyed him. Even telling her she’d have to live with her sexual frustration for the next two days. It hadn’t been easy, but she’d done it. She just hoped that it would at least count for something.

  She’d actually felt really bad about the whole thing afterward. She honestly hadn’t thought he’d be that upset about it. It was just supposed to be a silly little prank. She still wasn’t sure why it had bothered him so much, but when she realized that it wasn’t a joke to him, she’d regretted it.

  She kind of felt like she needed punishment. Was that weird? Or was that why people were into this stuff in the first place? Was it cathartic, like a good cry? A purging of guilt, maybe- a way to work through relationship issues without having to pay for couple’s therapy?

  “Fuck,” she swore. Her reprieve over, Parker’s mouth descended on her again, working her into a frenzy before pulling her back down from the brink. This was the fourth time. Or was it the fifth? It was hard to keep track when her heart was pounding and her ears were buzzing.

  “Soon, Princess,” Parker said, his mouth moving against her flesh as he spoke and his voice filled with wicked humor. And he was true to his word. After he’d gotten her nearly to the peak just to bring her back down again, he pulled away and sat up.

  Reaching into the drawer of his nightstand he produced a foil packet.

  “Don’t.”

  He looked up, surprised.

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. I like it when it’s just you.”

  Now that they’d talked about it and she knew it was safe, she didn’t want anything between them.

  “Thank God.”

  Amanda’s heart skipped a beat as he came down over her, kissing her hard and deep.

  She was so wet that he slid in easily and she moaned his name at the feel of him. Her arms were still wrapped in her shirt above her head and she knew better than to move them this time. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her heels into his ass to pull him in closer.

  After a moment, Parker pulled her legs away, pushing her knees out to the sides until she looked like a butterfly.

  “Watch me, Princess,” Parker said, his voice hoarse. “Watch me take you.”

  Swallowing hard, Amanda looked down her body to where his thick cock disappeared into her core. She had never wanted to watch before- had never even thought of it- but this… this was hot. In and out, in and out, she was amazed that that fit into her. And not only did it fit but it felt fucking amazing.

  She only had a moment to marvel though as her body began to tremble as all the tension that he’d been stoking came roaring back.

  Until he pulled
out.

  No, no, no. Not again!

  “Parker, please,” she begged. She didn’t care. She was beyond pride at this point. All she wanted was for him to fuck her and make her come.

  “Patience,” he whispered. He kissed her hard, his tongue tracing the roof of her mouth. She was too dumbfounded to do much but surrender.

  He rolled her onto her stomach and, grabbing her hips, pulled her back into a kneeling position, her shoulders still on the mattress.

  He slammed into her from behind, pulling her hips back to meet his thrust, and she saw stars. She made noises she’d never heard herself make before as he pumped into her, hard and fast. Before long the pressure was building again, but she knew better than to expect a release. And she was right.

  He pulled out, guided her down to her side with her legs bent together, and guided himself into her again. He felt even bigger this way, which she hadn’t thought was possible.

  Again and again, he fucked her, pulled out, changed positions, and started all over again. After a while, the constant arousal she’d felt for the last hour began to make her feel like her body was vibrating on its own. It was like a perpetual, low-level euphoria that more closely resembled a leisurely stroll up a rolling hill than climbing to the summit of the mountain.

  It felt as if she wasn’t even in her body, at least not as a thinking person. There was only the humming pleasure and the feeling of his body against hers. And then finally, finally, after eons had passed, an orgasm ripped through her like the crack of a whip or a jolt of lightning.

  She screamed. Nothing intelligible or coherent, just a long, keening cry that lasted until her lungs ran out of air. It seemed to go on forever until she thought she might black out from the intensity of the sensation.

  But eventually, the waves of pleasure faded, her muscles relaxed and she slowly became aware of the room again. She was lying with her hips off the bed, being held aloft by Parker’s large hands as he stood on the floor, feet braced wide.

  She watched the muscles in his forearms contract and relax as he continued to pull her hips rhythmically forward to meet his as he fucked her. A moment later he stilled, head thrown back, every muscle in his torso tensed until they stood out beneath his skin.

  And then he said her name. Not Princess, Amanda.

  That, more than anything, seemed to bring her fully back to herself.

  He pitched forward, catching himself with one hand on the bed while he continued to hold her up with the other.

  Breathless and disoriented, Amanda wrapped her legs around his waist to keep herself from falling. He shoved her back on the mattress until she was no longer in danger of falling on the floor, and then he collapsed beside her

  They lay in silence, both of them breathing heavily. Parker reached over and took her hands, bringing them to his mouth. He placed a kiss in the center of each of her palms as he unwound the t-shirt from her wrists, freeing her hands.

  Then he got up and walked out the door.

  Amanda watched him go and then slowly worked her way farther up onto the bed, her body feeling like it was made of jello. She slumped back against the pillows, utterly exhausted.

  A moment later she felt a wetness on her face and realized she was crying. Again.

  What was wrong with her? Everything felt… surreal. She felt so light, so calm, but also strangely bereft. She didn’t know what to make of any of it.

  Parker returned with a glass of water and a plate of food and set them on the nightstand. He saw her face and frowned, sitting down beside her, pulling her into him.

  “Hey, what’s all this?”

  He pulled the comforter up to her chest and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her head and murmured soothing words, most of which didn’t even register. But his tone was soft and reassuring and his arms were warm and strong and after a little while, she calmed enough to look up at him.

  “I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I keep doing this.” She gestured to her tear-streaked face. Parker leaned over and grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the nightstand and handed them to her.

  “There’s nothing wrong with you. This is actually pretty common.”

  “You’re telling me all women cry after sex?”

  “I’m sure some do, but I meant that it's pretty common after something like we just did. It’s called ‘subdrop.’ There’s a lot of endorphins involved and when they stop pumping, you crash.”

  “Why do I feel like you made that up?” Amanda eyed him with skepticism.

  “Because you’re contrary and difficult?” Amanda laughed a little and he smiled. “I’m not making it up. You should google it.”

  “I should google ‘why do I cry after sex’?”

  “Well, no, not exactly. Google ‘subdrop’ and something called ‘subspace.’ I’m pretty sure that’s where you went just now.”

  “What is that?”

  “It’s hard to explain, but basically you went all soft and dreamy, right? Like you were floating?”

  “Something like that.” She frowned, unable to think of a better way to describe it.

  “That’s normal, too. In fact, for some Subs, that’s the goal. After a little while, you’ll recover from the crash and you’ll feel good. I promise,” he kissed the tip of her nose and reached over to retrieve the glass of water. “Now drink this, and let me take care of you until you feel better.”

  “Okay.” She took the glass, sipping the water.

  “Good girl.” He smiled at her, running his fingers through her hair.

  Amanda’s insides went all fluttery and she felt her face heat. Hard to imagine that he’d just had her in every position she’d ever heard of, and some she hadn’t, and yet that simple bit of praise made her blush.

  Yeah, she definitely felt like she was in bizarro world.

  ✽✽✽

  She was amazing. Every single day he was more and more impressed with her. She was totally new to all of this and she’d still handled everything beautifully. She was open and uninhibited, and so responsive.

  The fact that she’d spaced out like that, that she trusted him enough to fully let go? That was fucking priceless. Jesus, he was going to marry her.

  That thought stopped him cold. He couldn’t believe he’d been stupid enough to let himself think about a forever with her, even for a moment. Then he realized he’d done something far, far worse. He’d fallen in love with her. He loved her.

  When had that happened? When had he let his guard down? He wanted to kick himself, and not just in the ass, but straight in the giblets.

  You stupid mother-fucker…

  And of course, that was when she chose to drop a damn bomb on him.

  “I want to tell Lex,” Amanda said quietly.

  His heart sank and he felt the blood drain from his face. It was a punch in the gut that she was so sure about them. She thought it would be a step toward the future and he knew it would be the beginning of the end for them.

  He only had two options. He could say yes and make her happy, knowing it would be short-lived, or he could do the selfish thing and say no. She’d be upset, but it would mean they’d have a little more time together. Maybe if he could just explain it the right way, he could make her understand.

  “Here’s the thing,” he said, trying to keep his tone light and unconcerned. “If we tell people, we’re going to have to answer a lot of questions about when and how this all started, and we both know that’s not going to be a comfortable conversation to have with anyone.”

  Amanda wrinkled her nose. “True.”

  “And it means we’re going to have to go to dinners and double dates and all that shit. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not a terribly social guy.”

  Amanda snorted. “Oh, I've noticed.”

  “I would much rather keep you all to myself for as long as possible,” he whispered, kissing the side of her neck and pulling her closer to him. “More time for the good stuff.”


  She seemed to think it over for a second before she sighed. “You make a very compelling argument. But we’re going to have to tell them eventually.”

  “I know. Unless of course, you want to run off to Mexico with me. Or Hawaii, if you’d prefer an island lifestyle.”

  Parker sounded like he was teasing, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized that he’d do it if it meant he could keep her forever. He’d drop everything he had, such as it was, if she just said the word.

  “We’ll keep that as plan B, okay?” Amanda smiled, but he knew she didn’t mean it. She had a family, a job, friends. She had connections that she would never sever. He only had one, and one that would become weaker and weaker as Jackson continued to make a life and a future for himself. Honestly, he’d probably be doing Jackson a favor.

  “You got it,” he replied, forcing a smile. He reached over for the plate of food and set it in front of her, effectively changing the subject. “You know the drill.”

  “I know, I know.”

  Amanda dug in without further comment and he put on a movie with the volume down low while she ate all the food that was on her plate. When she was finished with that and the glass of water, she leaned back against him with a satisfied sigh.

  “Feeling better?” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, breathing in her vanilla and spice scent.

  “Much,” she said. Then she stiffened.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Is this-”

  “Oh, sorry. I can change it if you want. It’s-”

  “Blade Runner,” she said with a grin. “No, leave it. I love this movie.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s one of my favorites.”

  “You are fucking perfect, do you know that?”

  “Tell me again,” she teased.

  “You are perfect.”

  God, he was so in love. And he was so doomed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  The next three weeks alternately dragged and flew by. The days and nights that she got to spend with Parker were like a dream, but always over way too soon. And she spent the rest of her time reliving every detail until she could see him again.