by Alice Raine
‘I think we’re both a little fucked up, Marcus. I’ve been emotionally shuttered for so long I don’t know how to handle all these feelings I’m experiencing. That won’t exactly make me the easiest person to be with, either.’
‘Maybe that makes us a perfect match?’ he speculated hopefully.
‘A perfectly imperfect pair?’ I joked.
‘Yeah.’ His eyes were glowing now, and he moved just a fraction closer. ‘I really like you, Sasha. I know it won’t be easy, but I’d really like us to try again.’
Me in a relationship. It seemed such a bizarre concept. It had been so long since I’d contemplated something like it that I had to take a moment to think it through. Marcus was the first in… well, forever, to make me want to share my life with a man and not just my bed. I chewed on my lower lip for several moments and finally nodded. ‘I’d really like that, too, Marcus.’
Clearing his throat, Marcus stood up and held his hand out to me again. Jerking a head towards the dance floor up on the lawn, he gave a shy smile. ‘Would you, uh… would you like to dance?’
My eyebrows rose with pleasant surprise, but I took his hand and let him help me to my feet. ‘You know that dancing involves touching, right?’ I asked cautiously as we made our way back towards the wedding marquee and the soft strains of music that were floating out into the afternoon air.
‘Yup, but if I want to make this work with you, which I do, then we’ve gotta start somewhere, right?’
My chest clenched at his declaration, and I nodded, giving his hand a squeeze.
By the time we got back to the tent, my heart was pounding with excited nerves and even though I caught both Robyn and Chloe giving us curious glances I kept my attention solely focused on the gorgeous, sweet, damaged man who was walking beside me.
We found a spot on the side of the dance floor and then I turned to him expectantly. I knew how I usually danced with a man – closely entwined and touching pretty much everywhere – but with his contact issues I didn’t want to push Marcus too fast, so I simply waited for him to take the lead.
At first, it seemed like he didn’t know what to do, but finally, after fidgeting on the spot for a few seconds, he stepped closer and tentatively placed his hands on my hips.
Smiling at how intensely focused his gaze was, I decided that touching his waist might trigger him as it was so close to his scars, so I raised my hands and laid them on his shoulders. As soon as I made contact with him, Marcus tensed and stopped swaying to the music. Leaning back to see if he was OK, I noticed a sheen of anxious sweat on his brow and immediately began pulling my hands away.
Marcus caught me by the wrists and shook his head. ‘No.’ Keeping his grip gentle, he guided my hands back to his shoulders again, then resumed his hold of my hips, drawing me in closer so he could rest the side of his face against mine as we slowly moved to the music.
My wrist was against the side of his neck, and I could feel his pulse racing under the skin as if his heart were trying to break free of his chest.
The thing that struck me the most about this situation was that I knew from first-hand experience just how skilled this man was in bed. He was right up there with the best lovers I’d ever been with, and yet right now he was attempting a simple cuddle and shaking like an inexperienced kid who’d never even touched a woman before. It made my heart clench for him, and I felt myself falling for him even more.
‘You don’t have to force this, Marcus, we can take it slower. I don’t even like dancing that much.’ I tried to push back from him again, but he tightened his grip with a little growl, pulling me flush against him and not letting me go.
‘Liar. I know you love dancing, I’ve seen you at the club.’
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment about how many guys he must have seen me dancing with, rubbing against and kissing, but I pushed it away. That was the past. This man here in my arms was my future. ‘OK, I do enjoy dancing, but it doesn’t mean you have to put yourself through this.’
His grip still didn’t relent, and so, after a second or so, I began to relax into our dance. Now he was so much closer it was a little awkward to have my hands around his neck because he was taller than me, so I slowly lowered them and wrapped them around his waist instead. I placed them more across his back so that they were away from his scars and made my movements as slow and as gentle as I could.
He didn’t seem to mind the change of position, so I leaned my head onto his shoulder with a contented sigh. He smelt incredible; I didn’t know if it was aftershave or just his natural scent, but I wanted to nuzzle into his skin to get more of it. I didn’t, though. I reminded myself that we needed to take small steps, and so held myself back.
His heart was still pounding in his chest like a speeding freight train so, after a few minutes, I raised my head again and met his gaze. ‘Is this OK?’
The sheen of sweat had gone now, and Marcus’s eyes were dilated and heavy-lidded with lust and not the trace of fear I had seen earlier, which were certainly all good signs.
‘Yes. God, it feels so good. You feel so good.’
I grinned at his words and allowed him to pull me back against him. He trailed a hand down my back and then sighed happily.
His grip intensified, and he drew his head back to stare deeply into my eyes. I could tell from his expression that his next words were going to be important in some way.
‘No one knows what the future holds, Sasha, so I can’t promise you’ll always want me around, but I can promise that I will never hurt you. If you can trust me with your heart, I will cherish it, and treat you like a fucking queen.’
A warm feeling spread through my body at the protective determination in his tone. I reached down and took one of his hands and lifted it up to lay it flat on my chest, right over my heart. ‘It’s yours,’ I murmured softly. ‘And I’m not walking away, either. Now we’re doing this thing you’d need to pry me out of your life with a crowbar.’
My words clearly pleased him, and then, to my surprise, he copied my action, taking one of my hands and laying it over his heart.
‘Ditto. It might be trying to break its way out of my ribs right now, but this is all yours, too, baby.’
It was a big step forwards in the contact between us and his chest tensed below my touch. He was obviously anxious, his heart was rapidly hammering under my palm as evidence, but as I glanced up, his smile was contented and as we swayed together I felt his body begin to relax.
The song playing was quite an upbeat number, but Marcus and I continued to dance to our own private rhythm as we both absorbed all that we had confessed to each other, moving slowly together and ignoring the excited jumping and dance moves of the people who shared the space with us.
I felt utterly content and happy, but the entire time we danced I was hugely aware of the zinging chemistry passing between us. It was like this whenever we were near, but now we were taking our first tentative steps towards togetherness it seemed even more potent. It was like magnets pulling us together, an addictive feeling, and one that I no longer had to try to fight against.
I wanted to kiss him, touch him, explore his body, and then fall into bed with him in a bundle of sweaty limbs, but I knew all of that would probably have to wait, or at least be done in careful, small steps.
Tipping my head back, I gazed up at him with a grin and my heart exploded with excitement when Marcus returned the expression with just as much gusto. He looked relaxed now, and so handsome that it made my stomach flip.
‘I really want to kiss you,’ he murmured, his eyes dropping to my lips.
‘Why don’t you, then?’ I offered coyly, wanting him to make the first move.
‘With our rather explosive history I’m a little worried that it might get a bit explicit for the middle of a wedding.’
A giggle erupted in my throat and I buried my head into his shoulder to try to quieten it. Explosive history? I suppose that was one way of putting it.
‘I can’t seem to
control myself when I’m with you,’ he continued. Gripping my waist tighter, he ground his hips forwards and the hard length of his erection, trapped between us, throbbed against my belly.
Oh… I hadn’t noticed that earlier. Must be because it was confined in the tight suit trousers he wore.
‘Yes, it’s all getting a bit uncomfortable down there,’ he commented with an amused quirk of his lips that had me breaking into another loud laugh. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this relaxed and carefree with a man, and it was quite a refreshing feeling. ‘Seeing as my poor balls are already in near agony I might as well kiss you. Just stop me if I try and drag you down to the floor and strip you naked, though, will you? I’m not sure Oliver’s ninety-six-year-old grandma could cope with the sight of my arse bouncing in the air.’ Both of us laughed, but then our eyes seemed to lock and as we shared a heavy gaze our smiles gave way to the heat simmering below them.
Marcus lowered his head. His lips brushed over mine and I can honestly say it was such a special moment that it felt like the first time we’d ever kissed.
Our lips met. At some point, he gathered both of my arms and held them gently at the base of my spine. I was so lost in the kiss that I barely noticed the move, and to be honest I’m not sure Marcus was aware that he’d done it, either.
With a groan, he finally dragged himself back from the kiss, parting our mouths but keeping me firmly ensconced in the circle of his arms. ‘God Sasha, I…’ Marcus seemed to bring himself up short with whatever declaration he’d been about to say. With a shy smile he lowered his face and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of my mouth. ‘You’re incredible.’
I let out a contented breath. Over his shoulder, I saw Robyn giving me a double thumbs up. I grinned at her and then snuggled into Marcus as I absorbed the way he was gazing down at me with such affection.
He was giving me that deep look again, the one that made it seem like I meant everything to him. It had terrified me when he’d first looked at me like that in Club Twist, but rather than scare me this time, it made something inside me vibrate with warmth. I could now accept it without panic, because as much as I’d never thought I’d say it, he was starting to mean everything to me, too.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Robyn
As the wedding party started to thin out and our guests began leaving in the shuttle of taxis towards the glittering city skyline, Oliver and I took a little time to speak to some of our closer friends. Stella and Nathan had grabbed us to offer further congratulations and we had shared a glass of wine with them on the terrace.
We’d been friends for a few months now, but the very first night I’d met Stella both of us had spotted the collar the other was wearing; a possessive claim from our respective men, and one only those in the know would understand. It had led to us bonding almost immediately. It helped that she was laid-back, down to earth, and lovely, too, but the fact I could ask her any questions I had about the Dom/sub lifestyle had been brilliant.
From the snippets she’d told me, she and Nathan were a little more immersed in the lifestyle than Oliver and me, but seeing her again today – with her collar firmly secured at her neck – had given me an idea for this evening.
Oliver and I were now heading back to the guest cottage at his parents’ house, and I was working out when I could prepare my surprise. We’d chosen to spend the night here because it was well separated from the main house to give us privacy and had the added bonus that we wouldn’t have to get a cab or drive back to the city.
As he opened the door we were met by a glorious display of lights and the scent of vanilla filling the air.
‘Wow!’ Looking up at Oliver, I grinned.
Someone – presumably my mum, Sophia, and Sasha – had filled the cottage with fairy lights and there were jars of scented candles littering the table tops and fireplace. I looked up and was surprised to see an expectant expression on Oliver’s face that made me start to suspect perhaps my original guess had been wrong.
‘Did you do this?’
My new husband smiled down at me and slid his arm around my waist. ‘That depends, do you like it?’
‘I love it!’ Stepping inside, I took in all the details of his hard work; as well as the candles and twinkling lights, the bed was topped with a gorgeous bouquet of red and white roses, and there was a chiller beside the bed with a bottle of champagne in it. As I turned to him something else caught my eye that had me sucking in a breath and moving to the wall beside the window.
‘Oh my God, Oliver…’ On the wall was a frame containing a collage of photographs that all had one thing in common – us. Pictures of us from our last trip in Barcelona, one of us from outside a café in London, and several inside Club Twist which I immediately recognised as the night that Oliver had proposed. I didn’t even remember those ones being taken.
‘Sasha gave those ones to me. Caught on her camera phone.’
Oliver was proving to be even more romantic than me, and my eyes misted up as I gazed over the pictures again. ‘Wow. I love it, Oliver.’
Oliver stepped up behind me and slid his arms around my waist from behind so I was tucked in with my back against his chest. ‘I’m glad.’ Reaching an arm over, he pointed to one photograph. ‘This is my favourite.’ The picture was from the night we’d got engaged and mostly contained me, grinning from ear to ear and looking so happy I was almost bursting. In the background, behind me but connected to me with a firm handhold was Oliver, looking equally as happy and proud as punch. I could see why he liked it so much; it had perfectly captured our special moment.
‘Now, as much as I want to throw you on that bed and ravish you, I’ve drunk too much champagne and I need to use the bathroom.’
As soon as he disappeared I quickly set about getting my own surprise ready. I stripped down until all I was wearing were the stockings and suspenders and then ran to my suitcase to retrieve my jewellery bag. I removed the single pearl necklace that my mother had lent me as my “something borrowed” and replaced it with my collar. Then, wearing just the suspenders, my collar, and my wedding ring I knelt in the centre of the floor and presented myself in the submissive position that Oliver loved the best.
The bathroom door opened a few seconds later and I immediately heard Oliver draw in a shocked breath and then hum appreciatively.
‘Utterly breath-taking,’ he murmured. His praise made my cheeks heat, but I kept my gaze averted like any good submissive would.
Oliver placed a hand on the top of my head and slid it down to the nape of my neck before trailing through my hair until he found the strip of my collar. His fingers traced the collar until he touched the small disk at the front that held his initials and my nickname – cariño.
‘I see you came prepared.’ He slipped his hand through my hair again and tilted my head back so I was gazing up at him. I wore the collar most of the time back home, but as soon as my mother had offered me the pearl necklace for the wedding day – she had also worn it on the day she married Dad – Oliver and I had immediately agreed that it was a lovely gesture, and I’d removed the collar before flying out.
What he hadn’t known was that I’d packed the collar, too, just in case the opportunity arose.
‘As gorgeous as you look, can we save that for our honeymoon tomorrow?’
I frowned, wondering if that meant he didn’t want any sex at all tonight. It had been a long day, not to mention a stressful couple of days beforehand.
I couldn’t deny that I was a little disappointed. I’d been hoping to consummate our marriage in this beautifully decorated room, but I’d be happy as long as Oliver held me in his arms as we fell asleep.
‘Of course.’ He helped me to stand and I reached for my silk nightgown before lifting it to pull it on but was stopped as Oliver gripped my waist and shook his head. ‘Uh, uh, you won’t need to be dressed,’ he murmured, a sexy grin spreading on his face.
‘But I thought you just said to leave it until tomorrow?’
He chuckled, and as he took a step towards me I noticed a large bulge in the front of his trousers which looked decidedly promising. ‘I asked if we could leave the submission until tomorrow, not anything else.’
Suddenly it dawned on me that perhaps he was feeling romantic. It was our wedding night, after all, and even though he always took care of me during our scenes, his dominant persona wasn’t perhaps his most romantic side.
‘Tonight, I just want this to be about us, together, no leading or commands.’ He was gazing down at me now with such heat that I felt completely and utterly frozen to the spot by the intensity in his eyes.
Oliver might not be intending on dominating me tonight, but he certainly had plans for something hot in his mind, that much was very clear, and a shiver of lust shook my entire body.
He saw my shudder and let out a low, sexy chuckle as he reached my side and slid a possessive hand around my waist.
‘Come here, Mrs Wolfe, we have a marriage to consummate.’
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Oliver
As I gazed down at Robyn I could hardly deal with the intensity of the emotions I felt for her. I wanted to worship this woman for the rest of my life. Love her, protect her, make her laugh, make her come apart in my arms, and make all her dreams come true.
I’d never in a million years thought that I would meet someone who would make me want to settle down, but now the idea of being with anyone else sickened me. No other woman would do. I wanted Robyn, and Robyn alone, to the point where I literally couldn’t imagine a life without her by my side.
She had looked so gorgeous today at the ceremony that I’d been hard for most of the afternoon, but she was even more stunning now. My eyes skimmed down her body again. She was naked except for the suspenders, her collar, and her wedding ring.
