Cherished: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella

by Lexi Blake

  She didn’t even think about prevaricating. She told him exactly what she thought. “It means I’ll never leave you. It means I need you to be happy more than I need to be happy. It means that when I’m with you, I finally feel like myself. It’s like I was always looking for this piece of me and it turns out you had it with you all along.”

  He brushed back her hair. “I love you, Bridget.”

  Tears threatened again. Damn this man. She’d cried more since she met him than all the years before, but she had to admit it felt good. It felt good to not have to hide. Still, it was hard to understand how he’d gone from not being able to say the word to giving it to her with such conviction.

  The door opened and he lifted her up again, this time cradling her in his arms.

  “You don’t have to say those words, Will. I’m good. I promise I’m not going to throw another fit and try to kick you out. I’ll sign the contract.”

  He made quick work of the distance between the elevator and their suite and settled her on her feet again. He opened the door and then pulled her inside by the cuffs. “You will sign a contract, but not the one you’re thinking of. And you didn’t throw a fit. You were scared. Your dad scared you, but I’m going to take care of that, too. I’m going to protect you and make sure he doesn’t have any power over us again.”

  Her eyes widened as she took in the changes he’d made to the living area of their suite. A buffet table had been set up, and Will had laid out a wide array of toys. There was a flogger, a crop, two vibes, a butt plug. Holy shit, was that a violet wand? “What did you do?”

  “I renovated. It’s okay. The room is billed to your dad. He’s going to get charged for what I did to the ceiling.”

  She looked up. There was now a very sturdy hook and chain attached to the ceiling.

  He grinned at her and led her over to the place where the chain dangled. “Don’t worry about it. Taggart and Dean helped me. I assure you they know what they’re doing. And the cuffs were made for bondage so they won’t hurt your wrists.” He looped the chain around her cuffs and she suddenly found herself bound to the hook. “See, that’s perfect.”

  “Will, this isn’t a dungeon.” But it felt like one. With her hands bound above her, she felt vulnerable and open to him. Despite her misgivings, her body was definitely heating up in all the right places. “The maids could come in at any time.”

  “Nope. I slipped the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. We’re all alone and I want you to ask me.”

  “Ask you when you went insane?” She was fascinated by the change in him. He was more relaxed than she’d ever seen him, as if he’d come to some inner decision and now he was at peace.

  He picked up the crop and slapped it against his hand. He turned and studied her, his eyes predatory. “I went insane the moment I saw you, and I don’t want to go back. Now are you going to be a bratty girl who gets a spanking? Or the sweet sub who gets all the treats?”

  It was far hotter in the room than she’d suspected at first. “Will, you can’t make all our problems go away with a flick of the crop.”

  She knew she’d made a mistake the minute she saw that tiny shake of his head. And then he moved to the side and she nearly screamed when she felt that crop come down hard on her ass. Once and then again and again until she’d counted five. The pain flared, roaring through her system and then settling down to a pleasant warmth as his hand cupped her curves through the filmy material of her skirt.

  “So you want to be the brat?” He moved to her front, setting the crop back down before turning around to face her. He moved into her space, his hands starting at her breasts and skimming their way down to the waistband of her skirt. “That was a little taste of what I have planned for you. Let’s see how you like the crop against your naked skin.”

  He eased the skirt down, over her hips and thighs until he pulled it off and she was left standing in her wedge sandals and the embroidered tank top she’d picked out because Will told her it made her breasts look good. She’d known she was dressing for him, hoping to smooth things over this morning. She hadn’t quite planned on things going this way.

  The crop came down again on the fleshy part of her ass. She whimpered but had to admit the man knew how to wield a crop. Her body was warming up, her muscles heating and preparing for what would come.

  “I can be good.” If he wanted to play, she could play. She still wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but she suspected this wasn’t his revenge on her for trying to throw him out. He wasn’t that man. If he told her he wanted to try, then he wanted to try.

  He took her not exactly cheap tank and tore it right down the middle, sending sequins and rhinestones clattering to the floor. His hands went straight for her breasts, thumbs rasping over hardened nipples. “Ask me.”

  She couldn’t think about anything but his hands on her body. “Ask you?”

  “About love.” He leaned over and licked one nipple. Her whole body started to quiver. “I’ve heard your definition. Now you need to hear mine.”

  If he said teamwork, she was going to smile and agree with him. Anything to keep him touching her. Anything to keep him with her. Serena was right. She couldn’t give this man up over the definition of a word. “What do you mean when you say I love you?”

  “I mean I want you. I mean I can’t breathe without you. I mean you invade my every thought, and my whole fucking world lights up when you walk into a room.”

  Oh, that was better than teamwork. “I want to touch you, Will. I want to hold you.”

  He brought his head off her breast and loomed over her. “I want that, too, but only after I make a few things clear. When I say I love you, I mean you’re my safe place, and don’t think I take that lightly. Don’t think it will always be easy sailing. I’m going to start visiting my mother to make an attempt at salvaging some sort of relationship with her. I’d like to save her if I can. I didn’t before. No child can save a parent. They can merely survive, but I’m an adult now and for all she did, I think I would regret not trying. I want you to go with me.”

  Yep. She was crying again. “I would love to. I want to help you, babe. I’ll help any way I can.” Her heart swelled at the thought of him reaching out to her and trusting her with something so personal. She wouldn’t let him down. A terrible thought struck her, and she had to hope this newfound openness and forgiveness didn’t go too far. “Please don’t tell me you think I should try to reconcile with my dad.”

  He stepped away. “No. What my mother did was selfish, but when I look back, I can see she was never malicious. She got caught in a bad cycle. Your father is simply an atrocious human being. I told you. I’m going to take care of your father. When I say I love you, I mean I’ll protect you. You don’t need walls around me. You don’t need walls anymore because I’ll take care of you. I think I understand what you need now. Tell me, was I right about the characters?”

  His voice had gone deep again, his hands on her body. He stroked her as he waited for a reply.

  She sighed as his fingers skimmed down her belly and over her pussy. There was no way to hide it. From the moment he’d touched her, she’d been wet and ready for him. She’d never responded to a man like that before and she knew she never would again. Will was hers. And he was right. “I took what I wanted in my dream man and made him into three brothers. It’s only a fantasy, Will. I fear what real ménage would be like with all the laundry and three men demanding I listen to their work stories. Hopefully they all have jobs. Then they would probably fight over the TV and I would never get to watch The Bachelor.”

  He reached up and gave her nipple a nice twist. “Stay with me, sweetheart. So let me get this straight. Your dream man is thoughtful.”

  Like he’d been thoughtful. She couldn’t help but smile at him. “Yes. He’s thoughtful. He’s the kind of man who gently maneuvers me into relaxing more.”

  His hand was on her pussy, lightly playing, making her crazy. “So you caught that. Well, I’ll have to be
sneakier next time. Bridget, I promise to always think of you, to put your needs before mine.”

  He stepped away.

  “Hey, already breaking your promise here,” she complained. “Because I am definitely feeling needy.”

  He was standing at the table, and when he turned back, he held a set of nipple clamps in his hands. “I fully intend to take care of all your needs, to make you understand that you don’t need three men. The only one you need is right here.”

  He dropped to his knees and sucked her nipple into his mouth, tonguing her and making her writhe. He wasn’t playing around. It seemed he meant business. He nipped at her breast, and when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he leaned back and slipped the clamp on.

  “Oh, god.” The alligator clamp bit into her flesh, sending the sensation through her system.

  He went to work on the opposite breast, preparing it. When both nipples were well clamped, a thin chain running between them, he stood and admired his work. He played lightly with the chain, sending delicious heat through her body. “Don’t you look pretty like this? So the middle brother is the smart one. He’s the one who always knows what to say. He’s the clever one who would think up inventive ways to make the heroine go crazy.”

  The clamps were already doing that for her. They were making her restless, and somehow those damn things seemed to have a direct line to her pussy. “You don’t need to do this. I know you’re smart. You’re the smartest man I know.”

  He was back at his mad buffet of torture implements, selecting one of the larger plugs. “Oh, sweetheart, I have been very stupid when it comes to you.” He took his time, lubing up the really big plug from its rounded tip down to right above the flared base that would help ensure that sucker stayed where he put it. “I haven’t always said the right things but I’m going to start.” He turned and faced her, plug in hand. “I love you, Bridget.”

  She had to laugh because apparently when Will said he loved her he meant she should take his large plug up her ass. When she thought about it, it was a fitting way to prove her love. “You’re going to fill me up, aren’t you, Doctor?”

  His leathers suddenly looked way too small. His cock was tenting them nicely. “I like that. I see we’re going to have some very kinky medical exams in your future. But tonight I’m going to make sure you feel me everywhere. And I’m definitely going to say all the right things.” He disappeared behind her. “This is the most gorgeous ass I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  She’d always thought it was too big, but she could become grateful for it if Will kept telling her how pretty it was. “What are you going to do to me, Doc?”

  She knew what he was going to do, but she loved to hear him talk dirty. She trembled when she felt him move in behind her.

  “Spread your legs for me. I know it’s hard, but you look so gorgeous when you’re submitting to my every disgusting desire. Do you know how much I like to fuck your ass? Do you know how good it feels when that pretty hole is wrapped around my dick? Do you know how good I feel when you’re wrapped around me? When you hold me and all I can see and smell and touch is you—that’s my whole world.”

  Oh, he was so stinking good at saying the right things. She managed to give him what he wanted. Very carefully, she spread her legs and opened herself to him. Almost immediately she felt the cool tip of the plug against her asshole. Every breath made the clamps move, and now she felt the sweet pressure of the plug working in.

  He fucked her with the plug, moving in and out of her body with an easy rhythm that made her want to scream. “I’m not going back to my condo, Bridget. I’m moving in with you because wherever you are, that’s where my home is. I don’t want to spend a minute apart from you that I don’t have to.”

  She groaned as he slid the plug home, nestling it deep inside. She could feel the flat base of the plug fitted between her cheeks. “I think we should get a house. Serena’s neighborhood is nice.”

  He was smiling when he moved around to face her. “Then a house you shall have, sweetheart. But there’s one more brother, isn’t there?”

  She shivered at the thought. She’d written that character from her darkest fantasies. She’d wanted a lover who was sensitive and smart but oh, how she’d wanted one who could dominate her, too. “The oldest Coleman brother was the Dom.”

  He reached up and tugged on the chain between her breasts, setting her nipples on fire. “That’s the part I love to play and that’s the part you won’t forget. I’ll lightly and sneakily top you in our real life. Don’t think I won’t. I’ll suggest and make the way easy for you, but that all changes the minute we enter the bedroom, and by bedroom I mean any room I’m going to fuck you in. Who’s in charge of this, Bridget?”

  There was only one answer to that question. “You are.”

  “I’ll want you naked. I’ll want you on your knees. I’ll demand that you take my cock every way possible. In your mouth and between your breasts. In your ass and definitely in your sweet cunt. All of those things belong to me.” He flicked a nipple, making her jump. “This body is mine.” He put his hand against her breast. “Tell me this heart is mine, too.”

  What the hell had she done to get him? “Everything I have is yours. Unfortunately, you get my bratty mouth, too.”

  He leaned over and kissed her, his mouth devouring hers. “I love your bratty mouth. It gives me the chance to spank you and torture you. You never bore me and you’ve made me understand that I need a partner, not a responsibility. You’re my partner, Bridget. I can count on you. You have no idea how much I needed that.”

  “I need you, too. I love my friends and they’ve been a godsend, but I’ve been waiting for you, Will. I love you so much.”

  His fingers went to the ties on his leathers, freeing his cock with a few twists. Long and thick, his dick pointed her way and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. He stroked himself with that big hand of his. “Then take me. Take all of me. Know that you don’t need any other man than me.”

  He spread her legs even further, his hands bracing her, and she felt his cock start to penetrate. With one long thrust, he took her pussy, diving deep inside her cunt to connect them. He held her up, balancing her and making her feel secure.

  “Do you know how good it feels to be inside you?” His mouth hovered over hers.

  She was held up only by his strong arms and the hook he’d planted in the ceiling. It should have scared her. At the very least it should have made her uncomfortable, and yet she’d never felt safer. She didn’t need defenses against him. He was the one place in the world where she could let go and be exactly who she was. She squeezed him tight, loving the groan that elicited from him. “I know how good it is to have your cock inside me. What are you waiting for?”

  He slowly pulled out. “I like this position. You’re so fucking tight. I won’t last long so I need to make this good for you.” He pressed back in. His hands tightened on her hips so he could grind against her clit. “I like you like this. My sweet sub.”

  Always his. “My gorgeous Master.”

  “You know that’s true. Yours, Bridget. Don’t you ever forget it.” His face took on the hard lines of a man on a mission and he stroked into her again and again. He picked up the pace and her whole body came to vivid life.

  There was nothing for her to do but feel. He’d put his mark on her, tied her hands, made it so all she could do was take what he gave her. Trust. He wanted her trust and she gave it to him. She’d never trusted a man, loved a man the way she did Will Daley.

  His cock rammed deep, almost immediately hitting her G-spot. All she could do was moan and let that pleasure shiver through her body. She could feel him everywhere. He was there in the way her breasts jangled in the clamps, in the pressure of the plug in her ass. His hand moved to help keep the plug deep inside. He was there kissing her mouth and fucking her in the sweetest way possible.

  And his words started to penetrate. “I love you, Bridget. I love you so fucking much.”

/>   She let the orgasm take her, riding that wave of pure pleasure until she couldn’t think about anything but him.

  He stiffened and she felt the wash of his come inside her. It filled her and made her warm.

  He slipped out, a wicked grin on his face. “Now we get to the fun stuff. I’ve been dying to use that violet wand on you.”

  Nope. She didn’t need any other men. She got the feeling she would barely be able to handle the one she had.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bridget stood next to Will and looked at her sister and Frankie. They were stunning in their wedding finery. Amy was wearing an impossibly gorgeous Vera Wang sheath with a diamond tiara instead of a veil. Frankie was stylish in his Gucci tux. She had to sigh because they really were the most beautiful couple she’d ever seen. And guilt sat in her gut. She hadn’t talked to her sister. She’d chosen Will. In the end, it had to be that way. Will was the love of her life. She owed him everything, but she couldn’t stand the fact that she’d betrayed her sister.

  “It’s going to be all right, sweetheart.” Will had been mysterious all afternoon. He was planning something. He’d been on the phone a couple of times, but when she would ask, he shrugged her off.

  “I hope so.” She waved as her sister walked over. Her baby sister. God, she remembered when Amy couldn’t tie her own shoes and now she was a gorgeous woman.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” The deed was done. They’d been married on the beach not thirty minutes earlier, but Bridget had to ask the question.

  A secret smile lit Amy’s lips. “I’ll let you know in a day or two, but I think everything’s going to work out fine.”

  Shit. Her sister thought once she slept with Frankie, everything would be okay. “Amy, I have to talk to you.”