by M. S. Parker
I turned the heat up until steam filled the room, and then stepped under the spray. I closed my eyes and let all the filth – real and mental – slough off. Shampooing my hair, washing, shaving, all of it was done on automatic pilot. I knew I’d eventually have to truly deal with what happened to me, how much danger I’d been in, but I wouldn’t do that today. And I wouldn’t deal with the still-present questions about my feelings toward Cai Hunter either.
Not today.
I felt more human as I toweled off, more than I had since I’d gone to that cabin. My clothes had been cleaned, but I didn’t put them on, needing something more comfortable. I pulled on one of the hotel robes, then stepped out into the room.
Cai was sitting in the chair across from the bed, his gaze immediately settling on me. His eyes were darker than usual, tension radiating off him. I’d seen that look before, though I hadn’t recognized him at the time.
How had I not known it was this man behind that mask?
Need made my stomach clench painfully, but it wasn’t hunger for food that had me walking across the room. Any thought or logic that had made it through my shower disappeared, leaving behind a primal desire I was quickly learning only one thing could satisfy.
He watched me as I stopped directly in front of him, his fingers digging into the arms of the chair as I bent down and pressed my lips to his.
Twenty-One
Cai
I told myself that when I booked the rooms here, this had been the last thing on my mind, but a part of me knew that wasn’t entirely true. From the moment I realized that she was the woman behind the mask, having her again had been on my mind. Honestly, that thought had been lurking ever since that night, even before I’d known who she was.
There were a thousand different reasons why this was beyond a bad idea, but only one reason why I wasn’t going to stop unless she asked me to – I needed to have her again.
She dug her fingers into my hair, and I grabbed her hips, pulling her down on my lap. I kept one hand on the small of her back and moved the other up to tangle in her wet hair. I swept my tongue between her lips, exploring her mint-flavored mouth. She moaned, squirming on my lap until my cock pressed painfully against my zipper.
It would be too easy to do this right here and now. I wasn’t wearing anything under my jeans, and I doubted she was wearing anything under that hotel robe, leaving a button and zipper the only things preventing me from being inside her. Skin to skin, inside that burning, molten heat. I’d never been tempted to forgo condoms until this moment. The worst part was, it wasn’t logic or concern that kept me from doing just that. I just wanted to take my time.
I pulled on her hair, baring her neck so I could kiss and lick every inch. My free hand roamed now, exploring the firm curve of her backside before moving to her long, amazing legs. My fingers crept under the bottom of the robe, and I waited to see if she’d ask me to stop. She didn’t, her hands dropping to my shoulders as she gave over control to me.
“Cai,” she breathed my name as my hand moved up her thigh. “You feel so good.”
I smiled against her throat, then pulled skin between my teeth, worrying at it until I left a small mark. She could cover it with make-up, but I’d know it was there. She’d know too.
I moved my face lower, kissing across her collarbone, then down to the valley between her breasts. I pushed open the robe, my hand tightening on her upper thigh. Her breasts were perfect, from their size to the peach-colored nipples that hardened under my gaze.
I took one in my mouth, sucking on it even as I flicked my tongue across the tip. I was rewarded with a gasp, and then she said my name again. And again. I’d loved hearing her calling me ‘Sir’ before, and I wanted to hear it again, but not right now. I rarely bedded women who knew my name, so to hear it as she writhed on my lap was sweeter than I’d have imagined it to be.
“Please, Cai, I want…I want…please…” Her hands fisted in my shirt and she tugged at it. “Off.”
I chuckled, letting the vibration move across her skin before releasing her nipple. “Patience. I intend to take my time with you.” I met her eyes, needing to know one thing before this went any further. “If that’s what you want.”
She nodded, crushing her mouth against mine hard enough to bruise. The muscles in her slender body flexed as she wrapped her arms around me. I slid one arm under her ass and the other across her upper back. My tongue tangled with hers as I stood, taking her with me. She yelped in surprise, and I used the opportunity to take control of the kiss. I nipped at her bottom lip, then drew it into my mouth, sucking on it until I reached the bed.
I sat her down on the edge and disentangled myself. Her hair hung in wet locks, twisted and tangled from my rough treatment. Her lips were slightly swollen, her breathing rapid. One of her breasts was still bare, and I reached out and ran my thumb across the nipple.
“That night in the club,” I began, “that was the first time you’d had sex.”
“Yes.”
“Any kind of sex?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking how far I’d gone in the past?”
I gave her a half-smile. “I suppose I am.”
“Not this far.”
Good enough answer.
I pulled off my shirt, then went down on my knees in front of her. I kept my gaze on her face, wanting to see her expression as I became the first man to go down on her. I pulled her legs over my shoulders, tugging her closer. Her eyes widened as understanding dawned on her face. She didn’t say anything though, watching me as intently as I was watching her.
Her eyelids fluttered as I ran my tongue across her sensitive skin. I teased her, tracing the outline of her lips before dipping the tip of my tongue between them. She moaned, shifting her hips, but I held her steady.
“I’m in control,” I said quietly. “Do you remember what you’re supposed to say if you want me to stop?”
She nodded. “Watson.”
“Good. Now, let go and let me take care of you.”
“I want to come.”
I smiled and nipped the soft skin of her inner thigh. “I’m sure you do, but I get to decide when that happens. Understand?”
She scowled. “You’re bossy.”
“Yes, I am,” I admitted.
“I could get myself off quicker.”
I tightened my hold on her hips. I sincerely hoped she was kidding, because if I had to stop before I could make her climax from my mouth, I was going to hate myself for going into Dom mode. But I would hate myself just as much if I hadn’t let her see who I truly was.
“Is that what you want?” I asked, careful to keep the desperation out of my voice. I would honor whatever decision she made, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed if things ended here.
She reached down and ran her thumb along my bottom lip. “No,” she said. “You’re in charge. I’ll be good…Sir.”
Damn.
I caught her hand and drew her thumb to my mouth. I licked it clean before releasing her. “Lie back and relax. Enjoy yourself, because I certainly intend to.”
I lowered my head, resuming long, languid strokes that had her moaning my name. Her leg muscles flexed against my back, her heels thumping against my shoulder blades. I could feel the tension building in her body. I could make her come easily, pressure on her clit, a finger inside her, curling to find her g-spot, but I wanted to stretch this out, take her to the edge again and again, teach her how denial could give her the most explosive orgasm she’d ever had.
I wanted to teach her about all my world had to offer. She would take to it, I knew she would. She’d be the sort of sub I’d always dreamed of having. Submissive, but with steel in her spine and fire in her eyes. Dominating a woman like that was a challenge that appealed to me on a deeper level than merely sexual.
“Cai,” she whimpered. She caught some of my hair between her fingers, twisting and pulling until my eyes watered.
“Yes?” I looked up, making
no effort to hide my smug smile.
“I’m so close.” She reached down between her legs, but before she could touch herself, I caught her wrist.
“Who’s in charge?” I asked. I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed her palm.
“You are.”
“And who decides when you get to come?”
“You do.”
I stood, and she made a noise of protest. “Don’t worry. I intend to return to my task as soon as I’ve made an…adjustment.”
“What are you talking about?”
I reached down and pulled the belt of the robe free. The sides of the robe fell apart, revealing the pale skin of her flat stomach and a thin strip of auburn curls.
“Hands.”
Her eyes darted to the belt, then up to me. I waited, letting her decide without any persuasion, intentional or otherwise. When she held out her hands, a thrill went through me. No matter how impulsive her kiss had been, or even if we were caught up in the moment, she’d made a choice to give me her power, and I wouldn’t take that lightly.
I tied her wrists quickly, leaving enough give to prevent her skin from chaffing, but tight enough to restrict her movement.
“Scoot back,” I said. I followed with the belt, indicating when she could stop. I pulled her arms up until they were over her head, and then wrapped the free end of the belt through the notch at the top of the headboard. I tied the knot tight, then stepped back to admire my work.
Her body was stretched out, all long lines and lightly freckled flesh. The robe framed her nicely, somehow more alluring than if she’d been completely naked. I planned to have her that way at some point, but right now, this was perfect.
I stripped off my pants and kicked them aside, pausing only to get out my wallet and retrieve my emergency condom. I tossed that on the bed and made a half-joking mental note to check the hotel gift shop for condoms.
“Now, let’s see how close I can get you to the edge again.”
She glared at me as I climbed onto the bed, but she didn’t try to keep me from settling down between her legs. I didn’t start slow this time, instead focusing immediately on her clit. Back and forth, circles, the alphabet. Every possible way to torture the sensitive bundle of nerves.
And that was how I learned that Addison didn’t only babble when she was nervous. She did it when she was kept from coming, and it was as equally entertaining.
“Please, Cai, I need to come. I’m going to explode. Everything’s on fire. Please, please. Sir. Let me come. I’ll do anything if you’ll just let me come. Anything. I promise. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Please, Cai.”
“Anything?” I echoed. “What do you mean by anything?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes were as wild and desperate as her voice. “Whatever you want me to do. I’ll suck your cock. I’ve never done it before, but I’m a quick learner. You’re too big for me to take all of it, but I’ll try. I’ll make it good for you, I promise.”
Fuck. The thought of sliding my cock between her lips, seeing how deep she could take me, and then pushing it just a bit more…
I could almost come from that thought alone.
“Cai…” My name came out in a whine.
“Just a little longer,” I said as I went back to work.
My tongue traced around her entrance, then slipped inside. I’d let her come this time, I decided. Considering this was only her second sexual experience, she was accepting everything I’d asked her to do surprisingly well. I’d tied her up, and she hadn’t even blinked.
“Cai, not again. I can’t do it again.”
I could hear it in her voice, feel it in her body as I took her clit between my lips. She was reaching the point where she couldn’t take anything more. If I didn’t let her come this time, she’d use her safe word, and she’d never trust me like this again.
“It’s all right,” I said. “I’m going to let you come this time.”
“Thank you,” she practically sobbed. “Thank you. Thank you.”
She continued to repeat those two words over and over until they turned into a scream. Her thighs clamped down on either side of my head, her entire body arching off the bed, and I softened my touch, helping ease her back down. When she slumped back onto the bed, legs sprawled wide, I moved up to my knees.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice hoarse.
I slid my hands up her calves and back down again. She shivered, her skin still sensitive. “Thank you.”
She was still gasping, so the words came out in pants. “For what?”
My hands moved over her knees to her thighs. “For trusting me to take you there.”
She gave me a smile. “I’ve trusted you to save my life. After that, this was easy.”
I nodded, not wanting to think about what would’ve happened if I hadn’t made the connection in time.
“Are you going to let me keep my promise?” She licked her lips.
“Later.” I leaned over her and brushed my lips across hers. “Trust me, I’m looking forward to teaching you all the wonderful things you can do with your mouth, but right now, unless you’ve changed your mind, I need to fuck you.”
She blinked, startled by my word choice.
“I don’t want to be soft and gentle, Addison,” I warned her. “I want to continue to show you how good this can be, but only if you–”
“Yes.” She tugged on her restraints. “Yes! No more waiting. Please, Cai. I can’t wait anymore. I’m not a patient person. I thought I was, but I’m not.”
I opened the condom wrapper and rolled it on as she talked. The next time we did this, I would order her to talk dirty. I had a feeling she’d be quite good at it.
“Are you going to untie me?” she asked as I moved closer.
I cupped her ass, lifting her up until we were lined up, and then I buried myself inside her with one quick thrust. She cried out, but I recognized it as pleasure, not pain. Still, I waited a moment before starting a fast, deep pace that drove me to the very end of her, her body accepting me as if I’d been made to be with her like this.
We were both too close for this to last long, no matter how much I might have wanted it to. I dropped her hips and leaned over her, her nipples hard pebbles against my chest. I rolled my hips, the base of my cock rubbing against her clit. I kept enough of my weight on my arms to keep from crushing her but stayed low enough that I could take her mouth as I drove us toward mutual release.
Then she was there, her body thrashing underneath me, mouth pulling away from mine, so she could yell my name again. She wrapped her legs around me, holding me inside her, tightening her quivering muscles until I came too.
I rolled to the side, tugging her hands free as I went so she could lay next to me, catching her breath too. She snuggled up against my side, and I wrapped my arm around her. We’d have to think about this later, I knew, but for right now, I was going to lay here and enjoy the moment for as long as it lasted.
Twenty-Two
Addison
Things could’ve been awkward after Cai and I had sex again, this time knowing who the other person was. But it, strangely, wasn’t. I woke up and he was in the shower, but when he came out, he smiled and said he’d call room service for breakfast while I showered.
And food was indeed waiting. A lot of it.
Now, I was in clean, if wrinkled, clothing, eating my third helping of waffles, while Cai sat across the table, working on his own breakfast. Neither one of us had said much of anything yet, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. More like we understood each other on a level that didn’t exist with anyone else.
I wasn’t entirely sure how I was supposed to feel about that.
“Why May?”
I looked up, confused by the question. “What?”
“At the club that night, you said to call you May. Why that name?”
I shrugged, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks. “It’s my middle name.”
He laughed. “And here I’d been
trying to figure out if it was your favorite month or if you were a Spiderman fan.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Aunt May. I never would’ve pegged you as a comic book nerd.”
He shrugged. “They were an easy escape for me.”
I wanted to pursue that train of thought, but I had a feeling it might be a little too serious for the moment. I didn’t want him thinking that I felt like I had some right to know personal details about him because we’d slept together.
I went with a question that I’d been thinking about for a while, and that I felt was a little more pertinent to our new level of intimacy.
“How did you get into BDSM?”
He was quiet for a moment, but I didn’t get the impression that he was angry, just thinking.
“I’ve always been a bit of a…control freak. I never did the relationship thing, but even in casual hook-ups, I wanted to be in charge. When I first moved to Atlanta, a woman I’d met took me to the club where you and I first had sex. I felt like I’d found a place where things finally made sense in an area of my life that hadn’t before. I understood the rules, the way things worked. It offered order whenever I needed it.”
I nodded as he spoke, his words explaining the way I’d been feeling since that night at the club. I wasn’t a submissive person by nature, but I found the idea of exerting control over someone else exhausting. I’d spent most of my life having to be the parent, the adult. Even if I hadn’t been taking care of other people, I had to take care of myself. With Cai, I’d let him take care of me, let him take charge.
And it had been…freeing.
“I do wonder though,” he said, “how much of what we are is formed by our experiences when we are young.”
I leaned closer. “What do you mean?”
“Do you ever look at your siblings and see all the ways you’re different and all the ways you’re the same?”
“Sometimes. Mostly how we’re different.”
He smiled. “Me too. I’ve always thought that the four of us boys couldn’t have been any more different. Growing up, that’s what everyone said all the time. How none of us were alike. We had nothing in common.”
