Unbound (Bound and Bared Book 1)

by Christine Monroe

  *

  I could hear Val behind me, his hands searching for something, as time seemed to slow. Every breath held anticipation. My body hummed with need, my mind willing to lose itself under Val's control. I heard his footsteps as he walked back to where I hung. His hands reached up and gripped my breasts. Something cold and tight clamped over one of my nipples, sending a shot of pain burning through the soft peak. He did the same thing to my other nipple, and the ache in my breasts replaced with the sharp pinch of the clamps. My eyes took in the sight of the metal glittering under the dim office lights. The view is sending a rush of pleasure between my already aching thighs. Something so brutal shouldn't look so beautiful.

  “I want to see you.” Val demanded. Taking my arms, he ever so gently spun me around. My cheeks flushed pink.

  Seeing myself this way was one thing, Val seeing me was far different. I wondered what he thought. Did the sight of me thrill him as it had done for me?

  I raised my eyes and saw the truth written across Val's handsome face. His pupils had grown dilated, his mouth was set in a thin line, his breath coming hard and fast. He wore the look of a man possessed, the look of a man determined to give me everything I asked for and more. My eyes traveled down his body, catching the thing resting in his hand. A riding crop held tight in his grasp, the sight surprising me. The crop seemed so simple, such a mundane thing. Something I had seen so many times in my life, now in Val’s hands had turned dangerous. A device to deliver me from myself.

  *

  I said nothing as I placed the crop against her, tracing her pale skin with reverence. She shuddered when the crop made contact with the clamps, the slight pressure causing her nipples to harden even more behind the cool metal. I kept tracing, her stomach, her hips, over her thighs and in between them. Running over her slick folds, tracing circles on her clit. Every piece of skin came alive, demanding for more.

  Without warning, I struck. The crop was hitting Miranda's thighs with a hard crack. The hit stole her breath as her body swayed in the chains. I struck again, the crop making contact with her other thigh. She arched my body towards me, and I stood transfixed by the red prints the crop left on her skin. The red started to fade; crimson washed away with the return of pale skin. Every strike would mark her, leaving imprints that would go far beyond the surface, permanent marks on her heart and soul.

  “What do you need Miranda?” I leaned close, every bit of my attention fixed on her as I reached out and brushed a finger against one of the clamps. My lips parted dying for a taste.

  “More.” Her voice trembled, her eyes wide and glassy as she rocked back and forth within the chains.

  "More what?" I bent down, licking around her taut nipple trapped inside the clamp. She bucked and a cry spilled from her lips christening my office with the sound, she made me holy as her body begged for my worship.

  Her eyes flashed to the crop in my hand. I smiled.

  I struck with precision, each strike like a prayer against her skin. Her body was arching within the chains, the metal singing. She cried out, matching the sound, her mouth no longer able to be silent as I offered her my throne in brilliant strikes of leather.

  *

  I become an addict, craving strike after strike, my past burning away with the pain. It came like an old friend I didn't remember ever meeting, but one I now expected with a hit of the crop. Each blow sent my breasts dancing, the clamps weighing them down pulling on my swollen and sensitive nipples. If I could have formed words, I would have asked Val to lick them again, to drag them into his mouth and ease the burn. Suddenly he stopped, the crop going still within his hand. Once again I looked for words, but I had no hope of finding them when he dropped to his knees before me.

  *

  I was on my knees, tracing her bright red flesh with my tongue, over and over again stealing the pain and leaving nothing but a dull burn. My tongue rode up her thigh as I set my sights on her pussy. I needed a taste, needed to bury my tongue so deep her taste would linger for days. Gripping her thighs, I pushed them open even wider. It didn't take more than a firm nudge, Miranda complying without hesitation. I could feel her eyes on me. She watched me, her eyes fixated on my head between her thighs. I could feel the slight tremble of her legs, the glistening folds of her pussy telling me her body enjoyed what I was doing.

  “Are you just going to stare at it?” Her voice broke through the trance I was in. It was laced with amusement, I looked up and caught the smile on her face.

  I must be losing my touch. She looked far from afraid, dangling there at my mercy.

  “I’m waiting V.”

  “And now you will wait a little longer.” I stood up and undid my tie.

  “Open Miranda.”

  *

  I realized Val planned to gag me. The thought sent both fear and desire raging through my body. My desire won, and I opened my mouth. He put the tie in my mouth, tying the smooth silk behind my head. The scent of him drifted up from the tie, filling my mouth and nose until all I could taste was him. The scent reminded me that a man shouldn't smell so good. I couldn't help but believe that smelling like that would get a girl to do just about anything. My body swaying in his chains, my mouth only allowed to breathe in nothing but him left me knowing it was true.

  *

  I stepped back, admiring the sight of Miranda. If I thought she was beautiful before, wearing my tie in her mouth made her fucking gorgeous. The sight made my already hard cock strain further in my pants. Every part of me wanted a piece of her, but I had eight hours left with her. When I wanted, I had the patience of a saint. I intended to use it.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  My eyes glued to the desk in front of me where Val now sat. I didn't believe he had just walked away, leaving me to hang unsatisfied. I now understood why Val put his tie in my mouth. He had been smart to gag me. Otherwise, I would be yelling obscenities at him right about now. He wasn't playing fair. I should have guessed he wouldn't.

  "Now who's staring?" Val said behind the safety of his desk. I tried to scowl, but the gag prevented my mouth from doing so.

  "Do you know what you do to me? You walked into my life, and I can't bear to see you walk out. I know that's what's coming. That you will leave and all I'll have left is this." Val shifted in his seat, his body leaning over the desk, his palms sliding against the wood, his fingers restless as they tapped against the dark cherry wood.

  I wished they were on me instead, my skin a far better place for his fingers. Still, I knew he had to continue; the words were for me, but I knew they were also for himself. I had become a part of his world like he had become part of mine, we both hadn't wanted to imagine what it would be like after I was gone.

  He took a breath and stood up, his fingers trailing over the desk as he moved closer. Standing in front of me he reached out and caught my chin. His eyes were meeting mine as he brushed my parted lips. His body filled with tension and promise, I went completely still, transfixed by him.

  “All I will have Miranda is the sight of you hanging there, the sound of the crop marking your pale skin. The smell of your desire." His fingers slipped down my body, over my hips, and across my pussy. His fingers traced the exact path the crop had taken, but instead of moving his hand back up my thigh he slid one finger inside me. My eager pussy tightening around it, desperate for anything he would give me. His finger had stayed for just a moment before he withdrew it. He smiled before opening up his mouth and putting his finger inside, licking every drop clean. I let out a whimper from between the silk.

  He found my ear. I loved hearing his voice sharp and breathless. I knew he was torturing both of us, drawing out every second of our need for each other.

  "I couldn't help myself. I needed a taste. I am trying to brand everything about tonight into my memories so I won't ever forget. Will you do the same? Will you remember everything about our last night together? Will you keep me in your head as I plan to keep you in mine Miranda?"

  The words reached out
, filling the space between us, and all I could hear was the pounding of my heart, overriding the desire, reaching out blindly for the man before me. My heart wanted to be worthy, longing to tell him I would never forget. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not when my world went black, and I lost the only night that lit me up like the sun.

  Val reached up, undoing the lock around my wrists. My arms dropped like lead, my heart following as confusion swept in. He couldn’t stop. He had to keep talking, keep touching me. Terror struck, afraid I’d go back to sleep, everything Val had awakened within me would disappear.

  Undoing the knot from his tie, it fell from my mouth taking away the taste of him. I stared down in horror. This wasn't what I wanted. We weren't supposed to end like this. Val tugged my arm, and I shook my head. I wasn't leaving. I would fight him if I had too. He had promised to try. I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

  "Trust me, Miranda. I want to do this right." Val pulled again, and I let him take me.

  With a sweep of his arm, Val sent everything on his desk crashing to the floor.

  Lifting me up, Val laid me out on top of the desk. The cool wood met my skin, making me shiver.

  "I want to take you here." Val leaned down, running his tongue over my clamped nipple. The heat was hardening the peak to the point of pain. The combination of both the clamp and his tongue sent a direct hit right to my pussy, clenching, begging him to deliver on every dark promise.

  He repeated the action on my other nipple, and this time when I moaned there was nothing to hold back the sound. My body arched up from the desk, trying to get closer to his mouth.

  "This is how I want to remember you, Miranda. Fuck you're beautiful."

  I spread my legs, loving the sound of Val’s growl as he watched me open for him.

  Val wasted no time, settling his face between them and devouring me. Val ate me like a madman, showing no mercy as he went after what he wanted. The sweet sound of my cries echoed through the room, and I came hard my taste exploding in his mouth with a scream.

  I drifted back to earth; the climax hit me so fast I saw stars. I combusted, and I thought I might never be put back together. Val reached down and pulled me up towards him. The sight greeting my eyes was Val's bare chest. Even with all the scars, he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

  “Put your arms around my neck, and wrap your legs around me.”

  I obeyed, finding myself being held against him as his cock pressed against my entrance. The position kept my skin to skin with him. I could feel his heartbeat pound as the slight brush of raised skin met mine, the deepest scars pressed next to my skin. The Val I knew would never let me this close, but then I remembered I asked to see the part of himself he kept hidden. Did he long for contact or did he long for contact with only me?

  I searched his face for the answer, the truth burning with his blue eyes. He wanted contact only from me. I knew no one else would see this Val, tomorrow he would go back to what he knew. His control. His rules. They would fall back in place like a mask. Tonight he was mine.

  “Hold tight.” The words came the same time he thrust upward, his cock impaling me making me gasp for breath. Val fucked me so hard my ass bounced against his thighs. The way he fucked me boarded on madness, he fucked me like he wanted to lose himself and remember me with every thrust. Breaking apart I fell head first into the madness, lost in the free fall I shattered. My breath was stolen as I came harder than I thought possible.

  *

  Every inch of me was pressed against Miranda, I moved with her, losing myself within beautiful insanity. My lips sealed over hers, every breath offering my broken soul like a sacrifice, letting her own me completely as my control slipped away allowing her to invade every piece of my soul. I gave up my crown, let it fall without a sound. Far better than gold, more real than my nightmares, Miranda became my throne as I bared my scars and laid my shadows at her feet.

  I let go, coming hard as I followed her into the free fall. I didn’t think. I didn’t breathe. I soared.

  *

  Val held me; I felt fragile and fearless at the same time. We clung to each other, afraid to let go. The end had come. We couldn't stop how the story would end. I closed my eyes as the wreckage from the impact fell around us, cutting us open, leaving us bleeding in the dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I don’t know how long we stayed together, every minute we had was scared. The clock ticked away our time. An enemy out to destroy us.

  "I have to get ready to go." Those words broke the silence that had settled between us. They sounded hollow to my ears, and I no longer recognized the voice as my own. I couldn't pretend I wasn't changed. I was altered, the woman that existed now would be the mask I wore to hide the woman I wanted to be. The real me longed to be his, wanting to stay in his bed, naked, covered in his scent. I wanted to wear the violence like a brand. Every handprint, every bruise marking me as his. Val brought me to life, and now I had to return to the land of the dead. The land of monsters and nightmares.

  Gathering up my clothes I dressed as quick as I could afraid I might change my mind. My steps took me to the door slowly, and I waited for him to say something. I craved something to hold on to, but there was only silence. I walked back to where he sat on the bed, my hand reaching up to brush his cheek. He flinched, and I dropped my hand, not knowing what to do with the fingers that longed to touch him. Val stared at my hand like it was deadly, but ever so slowly he took my fingers and brought them back up to his face. I let them rest on his cheek as he ever so slightly leaned into my touch. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I didn't them fall.

  "Goodbye, Mr. Knight. It was a pleasure doing business with you." With those words, I fled. My heart carved from my chest, laying bloody and broken beside the man that had forever changed me.

  *

  Miranda walked away; her final words hit their mark with deadly aim. They should have hurt, but they hadn't. What hurt had been the slight waver of her voice, the way there so much more rested behind her words. The truth lingered with a faint spark. Miranda had ripped me open, leaving remnants of herself behind in my hollow chest. I couldn't follow her. I could only hold on to what she left.

  *

  He didn’t say goodbye. He let me leave with nothing but silence. Selena had found me and walked me to the door, her arms wrapping around me before letting go.

  "Don't worry Miranda everything will work out. You will be back breaking bottles and driving V insane before you know it. If your sisters are anything like you, they will drive him crazy too. I can't wait to watch. I might even bring popcorn."

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Selena made this almost bearable.

  “I’m not saying goodbye.” Selena’s voice wavered.

  I didn’t know what to say. We had become so close in a month, and I had been unable to resist Selena's charm. I had met anyone like her before. Selena had crashed into me like a tidal wave, sweeping me under and pulling me with her. She was dark and deadly with something sweet under the surface.

  “It’s okay. Val didn’t say it either.”

  “That’s because he’s a fucking idiot. He didn’t say goodbye because he couldn’t. He doesn’t know how. You were the first person he let get close to him, the first person he let see the parts of himself he keeps locked away. All the rules give us the feeling of protection. They protect us from the things hunting us in the dark and haunting us in the light.”

  I heard what Selena said, but the hollow place in my chest didn’t have much left to believe it.

  “Don’t do anything stupid Miranda. Come back to us okay?”

  Those tears I had tried to keep from falling, found their way down my cheeks. I belonged here. Bound and Bared felt like home. My sisters deserved to feel the same way. They deserved a place where the shadows kept you safe instead of tearing you apart. Val and I might not get a happy ending, but I had faith he would find a way to give one to my sisters. Underneath all the scars, rules and control he had a hear
t even if he didn’t believe it.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  That limo stood like the grim reaper waiting to drag me back to hell. My father's driver opened the door, and I forced myself to get in. I breathed a sigh of relief when I discovered I was alone. I had a few more moments to myself, wiping away the last traces of my tears I prepared myself for what awaited me. I could have never guessed what was coming. If I had known, I might have run, begged Val to save me from the monster waiting for me. Instead, I sat in the limo like a lamb to slaughter, the ride carrying me to fate I couldn't escape. At first, I thought leaving my heart and soul behind would make everything easier. That I had nothing left to break. I had been wrong.

  *

  I let her go to face the things ahead, without so much as a goodbye. I couldn't bring myself to say the word, but yet I couldn't admit something had changed within me. I stood on a foundation made of sand and any minute I could sink buried beneath the weight. Still, I couldn't move, my feet completely still upon the fragile sand willing it not to drag me under. Not yet, not until I did what I promised. I would save Miranda's sisters, and nothing would stop me. Reaching for the phone, I called the one man I knew would be more than willing to help. Lucky for me he answered on the first ring.

  “Do you know what time it is fucker? Why the hell are you calling me at 6 am? This better be important V.”

  “I have a job I need your help with.”

  “And you couldn’t have waited until I’ve had my coffee before waking my ass up?”

  “I would have waited until after noon Thorn. You know me, I not the patient type. No time like the present.”