21
Peter
I undressed as Lucien started the shower. The moment he’d walked into the room, I’d known I was going to give in to whatever he asked. I wanted him to hold me more than I wanted to push him away. And there was something so intense about him tonight. He wasn’t unaffected by what had happened. Even if he didn’t regret killing a man, he was distressed by the attack on his family and what had almost happened to me.
My mind screamed at me not to forget what I’d seen him do, but I pushed that warning away. Because in that moment, Lucien was right. I needed to feel clean, I needed comfort, and I needed his strength.
I stepped into the shower once it was warm. Lucien quickly undressed and joined me. I grabbed my shampoo, but he took the bottle from my hand. “Let me.”
When he began to massage my scalp, I bit back a moan. It felt so good. I leaned into his touch as he kept working the shampoo in with his strong fingers.
He turned me so I could rinse, then he began to wash my body. His hands moved over every inch of me carefully, gently. I wondered if he’d ever touched another man like this. Had any of his other lovers seen his tender side, the caring man he hid underneath coldness and malice?
And if not? What did that mean for us? I hadn’t wanted to fall for him, but when I’d thought he might die, when he stood there determined to do whatever it took to distract the man who held me, I knew I already had. If anything happened to him, I’d be devastated, not because I’d be at the mercy of Lucien’s enemies or because I would have lost my wealthy protector who gave me extravagant gifts, but because I loved the man he was inside, the one I saw in moments like this.
“Rinse yourself, then step out and dry off,” Lucien commanded.
I did as he said. When the water shut off and Lucien emerged, I allowed myself to admire the gorgeous lines of his body as he dried himself. There was so much power in him, so much strength. I wanted to press myself against him and draw some of it into me.
I watched as a water droplet slid down the side of his neck, over the ridge of his collarbone, then farther down until it caught on his nipple. Without thinking, I leaned forward and caught it with my tongue. He sucked in his breath, and when I looked up at him, I didn’t see the heat I expected in his eyes. I saw surprise along with something soft and vulnerable.
I was afraid to speak. I didn’t want to risk breaking the mood. I didn’t know how to explain what I was feeling anyway, not in words he’d want to hear. I was still confused by my feelings for him, but I wanted to touch him. I had no doubts about that.
I lapped up a few more water droplets, one from his shoulder and another from the soft vee at the base of his neck, before I looked up at him again.
I’d accomplished my goal. There was heat in his eyes now.
He gripped my shoulders, holding me away from him.
“I would’ve run tonight. If I hadn’t been sick, I would have just kept going once I left the warehouse.” Why was I confessing this? Did I want to be punished? Maybe.
“I’m disappointed to hear that, Peter. What did you promise me?”
“To obey you. But I was scared. I didn’t want to see more bloodshed, and I didn’t want to know how far you would go to protect your family’s interests.”
“I’ll go as far as I need to go.”
I shivered. There was a hard edge to his voice, and it was clear he didn’t want me to question him. I should though. I should push for more answers. I should ask him to let me go. Instead, I stood there watching him, waiting to find out what he would do.
“What did I tell you would happen if you disobeyed me?”
“You would punish me.”
He reached for the pants he’d discarded before joining me in the shower. He began to slowly pull his belt from its loops. My pulse pounded in my ears as I watched him. Was I going to let him do this? Would he stop if I said no?
He slid the length of his belt through his hands and then doubled it over. “I want to punish you, Peter. I want to redden your ass so you’ll remember not to ever run from me again.”
He held my gaze, and I swallowed hard. Was this his way of asking my permission?
“Yes, sir. But just so you know, it wasn’t you I was running from. I mean… not…” Fuck. I didn’t know how to explain what I meant. “Not the real you.”
“The man you saw tonight is the real me.”
I shook my head. “No, he’s not.”
Lucien frowned, but I saw that vulnerable look in his eyes again before he took my hand and led me to the bench at the end of my bed. He sat and then gave me a slow assessing glance. “I’m going to give you what you need, Peter. Lie across my lap.”
That command, and the way he looked at me like he needed me as badly as I needed him, did me in. I remembered Sabrina telling me he was more vulnerable than I imagined. Right then, I believed it.
I went to my knees and positioned myself like he’d requested. It was both embarrassing and hot as fuck. Lucien’s hand teased the hair at the back of my neck, then his fingers traced my spine before caressing my ass.
I bit my lip, but a whimper escaped anyway. He slapped my ass, making me cry out. “You know the rules. Don’t stifle any of your reactions. You give me everything, every sound, every pant, every tear you need to shed. I want it all.”
“Yes, sir.”
“This is going to hurt, but you’re going to take it because I told you to. You’re here to serve me, and I’m here to take care of you. When you run, I can’t do that. You defied me, and I’m going to make you sorry for it. Then I’m going to make you come so hard you never want to run again.”
“Please.” Was I really begging for him to use his belt on me? Apparently so, but he was right. I needed to forget the horror of this night. I needed him to force me to surrender. I longed for him to establish his dominance over me, to make me remember how much I liked being his.
When Lucien cracked the belt against my ass, I couldn’t have held back my cry even if we weren’t in private. The second blow stung so badly tears came to my eyes. I’d known it would hurt worse than his hand, but I hadn’t known it would be this bad. He kept going, bringing the belt down again and again. My ass burned, and the pain threatened to overwhelm me.
“Breathe,” Lucien commanded. He ran a hand over my ass. It felt cool compared to my heated flesh, but then he squeezed, and pain shot through me, making me cry out.
“Take this for me,” he demanded. His rough tone made me shiver, but it also made me want to do exactly as he said. I arched my back and lifted my ass toward his hand.
He groaned. “You’re so fucking beautiful like this.”
I was so far under his spell I heard the slap of the belt before I registered the pain of his next strike. I didn’t have time to catch my breath before he brought it down again. He kept going, alternating sides. Sometimes the blows were light, sometimes much harsher, sometimes so hard they took my breath and forced tears from my eyes. I took it, all of it, because he needed to give it to me, and I needed to serve him. I’d known I wanted a man who would protect me and take charge, but I’d had no idea how much I longed to give all of myself to someone.
Lucien cracked the belt against my ass so hard I screamed. He paused then and squeezed my aching ass as he laid a hand against the base of my neck. I felt distant from myself, almost like I was floating. The pain was there, but it was almost like I was somehow shielded from the reality of it. All I could think about was how much I needed Lucien and how thankful I was that he hadn’t sent me away. He’d kept me there, and he was giving me what we both needed.
“Never run from me again. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, sir. I’m yours. All yours. Use me. Come in me and on me. I want it all. Want to me marked as yours.” Tears streamed down my face.
Lucien growled as he slid a hand into my hair, using it to pull my head up. I gripped his thighs so I could support myself. His gaze burned into mine. “Are you serious?” My mind was so fogged with need that I c
ouldn’t process his question.
“Are you serious about wanting my cum in you?”
I whined. “Please.”
He growled low in his throat. “I want that so fucking much, but I need to be certain you truly want me bare inside you.”
Did I? Fuck yes, I did. I’d already risked so much. I sat back on my heels and held his gaze. “Yes, I want it.”
“Then you’ll get what you want. I’ve always been careful. You’re in no danger from me.”
I started to laugh. I was in so much danger from him in so many ways.
“Peter? Do I need to spank you more?”
“No, sir. Sorry. I can’t think. I just…”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes. I want to feel it running down my legs. I want to feel the heat inside me. I want you all over me.”
“On your feet,” he ordered. I tried to stand, but my legs wobbled.
He scooped me into his arms bridal style and tossed me onto the mattress on my back.
“Don’t fucking move.”
It didn’t matter how soft the bedding was, it felt rough against my sore ass, but I still obeyed him. I bent my knees and spread them wide, expecting Lucien to join me on the bed, but he stood watching me.
“Get the lube and prep yourself.”
I obeyed without thinking. Once I found the lube in my nightstand drawer, I slicked up my fingers, but as I contemplated what I was supposed to do, shyness overcame me. Could I really open myself up while he watched?
“Peter, I gave you an order. I expect you to follow it.”
Once again, his dark voice made me want to obey. Heat rushed to my face as I reached down to tease my hole. I ignored my embarrassment. Lucien wanted this, and I was going to do it. I pushed a finger into my ass, and Lucien stared at me, eyes large and dark. The fact that he was so enthralled he seemed to have forgotten that he was undressing encouraged me to keep going.
I added a second finger and used my other hand to stroke my cock. Lucien’s lips parted as he watched my fingers moving slowly in and out. “That’s it. Open yourself up for me because I’m not going to be gentle with you.”
That was the last thing I wanted. I was desperate to be taken hard and fast. I wanted to forget everything but the feel of Lucien against me, his cock inside me.
Stroking myself faster, I pushed my fingers deep enough to brush against my prostate and arched my back, letting Lucien see my reaction to that zing of pleasure. All my reservations about him watching me disappeared as I realized I enjoyed giving him a show and seeing how it affected him. He took his cock in hand and began to stroke, never taking his eyes off me.
“Put another finger inside yourself. I want to see your ass stretched around them.”
I did as he said, groaning at the sting. I spread my fingers as much as I could, loving how mesmerized Lucien was.
“Enough,” he commanded. “Put your hands over your head and keep them there.”
Reluctantly, I let my fingers slip from my body and released my cock. I reached for the pillow that lay above my head, knowing I would need to hold on to something. Lucien knelt on the bed between my legs. I stared into his eyes, needing to see the heat there, the desire. He wanted me. Somehow I knew he didn’t look at other men the same way. He took pleasure from them and gave it, but there was something more between us. There had to be.
He wrapped his hands around my ankles and pulled my legs up until they were draped over his shoulders. “Hang on tight. This is going to get rough. I need to claim you, punish you, make you feel.”
I had to swallow before I could speak. “I need that too.”
“Then take it.” He drove into me. Usually he gave me time to adjust but not then. He was wild like an animal, freed after having been caged. And feeling him in me with no barrier between us, feeling the heat of his skin, and knowing he was going to fill me up with his cum, made me hotter than ever.
He pounded into me over and over, slamming his hips against my ass. He was stretching me open, filling me up, making me wonder if he would rend me in two, but I wanted it, all of it, everything he wanted to give.
“Peter, you feel so fucking good under me. I can’t get enough of you. I can’t…”
I wondered what words he might have said but not for long. Moments later I was so close I didn’t think I could hold back anymore.
Lucien wrapped a hand around my cock. “Come for me. I want to feel your ass squeeze my dick. I want to watch your face as you let go and give in to this need we have for each other.”
His words and the tight squeeze of his fist was all I needed to go over. I came, crying out his name, bucking my hips up and trying to get even more.
“That’s it, Peter. Give it all to me. Let it all go.”
My orgasm went on and on. When I was finally drained, I sank into the mattress as if I’d gone completely boneless, but Lucien didn’t slow down.
“Fuck, need this. Need you,” he cried as he rammed into me harder than ever.
I found the strength to reach for him and hold on tight. Seconds later, I felt the hot rush of his cum inside me. My cock twitched, making me wish I was ready to come again.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and reached for Lucien, wanting to feel his weight against me.
I thought he might press his face into my neck, kiss and bite my throat or my shoulder, but he shocked me when he brought his lips to mine and kissed me for the first time. There wasn’t anything gentle about it. He took my mouth the same way he’d taken my ass, possessing me completely, his tongue thrusting into me. I kissed him back with equal fierceness. I hadn’t thought I’d ever be allowed to do this, and I wasn’t going to waste a second of it. I slid my tongue along his and nipped at his lower lip, reveling in the warm, spicy taste of him.
When he finally pulled away, we both struggled to catch our breaths. I thought he might regret what he’d done, and I wondered if he would make some excuse and leave or tell me that wouldn’t happen again. Instead, he stared at me with wonder in his eyes. “I haven’t done that in years.”
“Kissed a man?”
He nodded. “Not since I was in high school.”
That made me sad for him. “I’d like to do it again.”
Lucien flipped us so I was on top. His cock slipped from my ass, and I felt the warm rush of his cum sliding out as well. He groaned as he slid his fingers along my inner thigh, circled my hole, and then pushed inside, fucking the cum back into me. I arched my back and rode his fingers.
“You are fucking perfect. So obedient, so needy, so slutty when we’re all alone.”
“I…”
“Shh.” He pressed a finger to my mouth. “You know you’ll let me do anything.”
“I… Yes.” He was right.
He traced a finger through the cum on my chest and then painted it over my lips. “Kiss me again.”
“Please,” I begged.
He let go of my ass and cupped my face in both his hands. I didn’t care that he was making a mess of me. I just wanted his lips on mine again, wanted to know that I was special enough to be kissed, to be given something he didn’t give anyone else.
He licked the cum from my lips, then I sucked his tongue into my mouth, loving that he tasted like me. It was hot as hell, but then he slowed the kiss, pressing his lips to mine in a way that was almost sweet. It was more than I could bear. Lucien being demanding, I could handle. Lucien making my ass burn and my cock ache was incredible. When he fucked me in his rough, primal way, it was the best thing ever, but him being tender with me was going to destroy me.
Lucien broke the kiss. Had he felt the tears I couldn’t hold back?
22
Lucien
“Look at me,” I demanded.
Peter swiped at his eyes before obeying.
“Are you all right?”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
“Peter, tell me why you’re crying.”
“It’s… I don’t know exactly. The kiss. It
was… I’ve never felt like that, like…”
“You’re special to me, Peter. That’s why I need you safe, healthy, and happy.”
“I am all those things when I’m with you.”
His words made my heart skip a beat. I loved him. I wasn’t ready to say it, but I couldn’t deny it anymore. “I’m going to clean you up, then I think we both could use a drink.”
I sure as hell could anyway. I kissed the top of his head and headed to the bathroom.
I’d told myself I wasn’t going to kiss Peter, no matter how much I wanted to, but after denying myself again and again, I couldn’t stand it anymore. Not after I’d watched him kneel for me, saw him surrender as I used my belt on him, and watched pleasure overtake him. I had to know how he tasted. I wanted to do everything with him, even the things that would make me fall even harder for him.
Most people thought I didn’t have a heart to lose, but they were wrong, and when I was around Peter, I couldn’t close myself off like I usually did.
When my father had told me I would one day lead the family, he made sure I knew how important it was not to let anyone think I was soft.
At eighteen, with my mother gone and my father insisting I start stepping up and taking on responsibilities, I made a decision to shut the softer part of myself away. I pushed Ash away. He was the only man I’d let myself fall for, the only man other than Peter who I’d ever kissed. He’d gone to college in California and never come back. As far as I knew, he’d broken off all ties with his family. After that, I’d made the decision to avoid anything romantic. Love would only make me weak. I loved my family, but they were all part of my world, and I could trust them to help me hide the things I didn’t want to show others.
Peter was right. When I was alone with him, I was different, more like the man I’d been before I lost my mom, but that side of me wasn’t fit to run the family business. To do that I had to stay hard.
Could I be the man Peter wanted in private and still keep my edge? If I couldn’t, I was going to have to send him away.
Lucien Page 13
