by Mari Carr
His fingers tangled in her hair, and he pressed his lips against hers in a hard, demanding kiss. His hips continued to move as his cock filled her. “Come, Leah.”
His voice was deep, commanding. He wouldn’t settle for defeat, and he wouldn’t let her get away with faking it. It didn’t matter. Neither were options for her. He moved faster, and her head flew back against the pillow as an unfamiliar sensation rumbled through her. Her pussy clamped down once more, harder this time, and it held. She screamed, her fingers gripping the straps at her wrists, needing something to hold her to the planet. She was flying apart. Bright, white lights flashed behind her closed eyelids as sharp pricks of lightning struck her.
Sawyer held still throughout her orgasm and when she finally found the strength to open her eyes, she found his gaze on her face.
“Jesus. That was incredible,” he murmured.
She cried out, her body shuddering when he pulled out. “Wait…you didn’t—”
He flipped her as if she weighed no more than a rag doll, the ties on her wrists twisting easily. She was certainly boneless enough to play that part.
“Let me worry about myself, Leah. Do that again.” He lifted her hips and drilled to the hilt from behind. Within three thrusts, she was facing the pinnacle once more. His hand wrapped around her waist, pressing firmly against her clit, rubbing it until her toes tingled.
“Again, God dammit.” His harsh command was all she needed as she plunged from the cliff into the abyss. She trembled, biting the pillow beneath her as the earth-shaking spasms racked her body. It was too much. It wasn’t enough. She’d never get enough of Sawyer, of this.
Exhaustion claimed her as she fell face-first into the pillow, gasping for breath, but Sawyer offered her no surcease.
He pulled out again and turned her to her back. She whimpered at the movement, her body ultra-sensitive to every touch.
“Together,” he whispered as he slowly reentered her quivering cunt. Leah gave herself up to his warm embrace.
He rocked inside her almost gently. She was overwhelmed by the care behind his actions. He kissed her, slowly showing her exactly how much he had to offer. While he would rock her world with the pain, the intensity, the forbidden, he could also take her to the same plateau with soft touches and tender kisses.
The crush she’d harbored for Sawyer for years made the transformation into something deeper and infinitely more dangerous.
She was falling for Sawyer Compton.
That realization jarred her harder than any wicked demand Sawyer might make, and her climax blossomed. The impact was softer, but no less powerful. She shuddered, refusing to close her eyes. Sawyer was with her, and she studied his face as he let go of his own hard-earned control.
She wasn’t disappointed when his eyes drifted shut and his strong body trembled. A long stream of babbling fell from his lips as his hips jarred against hers of their own volition.
“Jesus. Leah. So. Fucking. Good. My rose.”
She wrapped herself up in his praise and committed his face—in this moment—to memory. She suspected she wouldn’t have any trouble bringing herself to orgasm with her vibrator when she returned home alone. She’d only have to close her eyes and imagine Sawyer’s handsome face, his powerful voice and she’d be there.
She’d had an orgasm. She’d done it. Leah struggled to wrap her head around the realization, the relief that she’d finally been able to come. She’d honestly believed she was broken. Sawyer had set that fear to rest with his patience and his skill. Unlike past lovers, he hadn’t written her off, assuming since her needs couldn’t be met, he didn’t need to make the attempt. He’d given her a wonderful gift.
He’d broken down a barrier inside her tonight, and he was well on his way to demolishing a few more. She should try to regain some sort of foothold, but she couldn’t summon the energy to make the attempt.
She was too content in the here and now. She’d worry about the rest once the party was over.
Sawyer untied her hands. She tugged them down, trying to hide her wince of pain. She shouldn’t have wasted the effort. Sawyer was too attuned to her reactions.
“Roll over.” As always, he had her halfway to the position he demanded before she had a chance to respond.
She groaned when he straddled her thighs and started massaging her neck and shoulders.
“Oh my God. That’s so good.”
“I shouldn’t have kept you tied up for so long. Didn’t realize you were going to be such a hard nut to crack.”
She laughed. “Yeah, that’s me. Tough as leather.”
He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her hair. “I think you pretend to be tough on the outside, but I know better. Inside you’re pure marshmallow.”
“Damn. And here I was, thinking I had everyone fooled.”
He crawled to her side, claiming more than his fair share of the mattress. It didn’t matter when he lifted her slightly until her head rested on his chest, his muscular arms engulfing her in his hold.
He squeezed her lightly. “Not me.”
She giggled lightly. “I can’t believe we’re here like this.”
“I don’t think it’s that far out of the realm of believability. Not sure Sam would be too surprised by it.”
“Maybe not Sam, but Beth and her vicious pack would definitely keel over.”
“Beth might have been an airhead, but I never really saw her as a bitch.”
“That’s because you’re a guy. She made no secret of the fact she didn’t like that you and I were friends.”
Sawyer tipped her face up until she was looking at him. “I didn’t know she was mean to you.”
She shrugged. “Oh, it wasn’t anything serious. She made fun of my clothes and hair. Typical girl stuff.” While she’d been careful to hide from Sawyer exactly how poor she and her mother had been, it hadn’t been that hard for the other girls to recognize the old clothes they’d donated to charity being worn by a classmate or the fact she clumsily trimmed her own hair.
“Is that why you hung out with me and Sam instead? I always assumed you found girls annoying and steered clear of them. I know I did.”
“You avoided them? Wow. I missed that part. From where I stood, it looked like you constantly had a pack of them following you around like groupies.”
Sawyer winked at her. “Damn. You’re making me miss high school.”
“Well, I don’t. Not at all.”
“I didn’t realize how hard it was for you. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“It was no big deal.”
He placed his finger against her lips before she could continue spewing the same lies she’d relied on a million times before. It had hurt when classmates made fun of her, but she’d had to pretend, had to don a blasé look or be crushed by the humiliation.
“Don’t. Don’t ever lie to me. You can spout that bullshit to the world if it makes it easier for you, but don’t do that with me.”
She hadn’t expected the tears his kind comment provoked. She wasn’t a crier by nature, and she couldn’t understand why Sawyer being nice to her would trigger the emotion after years of teasing hadn’t.
“It was high school, Sawyer. A lifetime ago.” She smiled as she spoke. She was an adult and the things that had tormented her when she was younger didn’t carry the same importance.
He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I don’t like the idea of anyone hurting you.”
She lifted her head and gave him an amused grin. “Is that so?”
He caught her meaning and laughed. “I should say anyone who isn’t me. And to clarify the difference, you seemed to enjoy the pain I was giving you.” His face sobered. “You never said the safe words. Are you sure you didn’t need to?”
She looked down at her hand as she ran it along his smooth chest. His body looked like it was chiseled in stone.
“I loved every minute of what we did together.”
He cupped her face, forced her gaze to his. “So did
I. We’re not finished here, Leah. There are a million things I’m going to do with you.”
A rush of warmth accompanied his words until reality came knocking on the door. “Sounds like it’s going to be a busy weekend.”
He started to speak, but talking about the end of this adventure made her stomach ache. Not yet. She silenced him with a quick kiss. For now, they had another whole day ahead of them and she refused to waste a minute of it worrying about what came after.
“Guess that means I won’t have a chance to sneak in a trip to the beach.”
“The beach?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t realize this party would last more than one night until I got to Stacey’s. My flight leaves fairly early on Sunday and I was really hoping there would be time for me to see the ocean. I’ve always wondered what it looks like.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened in shock. “You’ve never seen it?”
“I grew up in Wyoming, Saw. My mom and I barely had enough money for groceries, let alone for some big trip to the sea.”
“What about college? Spring break?”
She rolled her eyes. “I worked every holiday and summer to afford tuition.”
“I’m taking you tomorrow.”
“Is that allowed?”
It was Sawyer’s turn to roll his eyes. “We’re not freaking captives here, Leah. It’s a party. We can come and go as we please.”
She put her head on his chest and smiled. “I’d love to go see the ocean with you. Thanks.”
He tightened his grip and his breathing slowed as sleep came to take them both away.
“Good night, rose.”
“Good night, Sawyer.”
Chapter Four
Sawyer took Leah’s hand while trying to get a handle on the emotions rumbling around inside him. They meandered along the shore in silence, watching the people pass while enjoying the scenery.
He took a deep breath of the sea air and sighed. Leah had thrown him for a loop. Last night, his true feelings for her had come to the forefront when he realized she was wandering around the party as an unattached submissive. The idea of another man claiming what he’d always wanted had him seeing red. He didn’t like to think about what would have happened if he’d arrived at the party too late—if Leah had accepted another man’s invitation. He didn’t doubt he would have made a scene and broken every rule of the house to steal that claim away.
After spending an entire evening with her tied to his bed, he’d realized Leah offered the best of both worlds—a sub in the bedroom and a partner everywhere else. She reminded him in a lot of ways of his mother, Vicky. Both women were spirited, beautiful, opinionated, loving.
Something JD had told him once drifted back to him. Sawyer had come home for Christmas three years after he’d joined the Coast Guard. His mom and dad had put decorations on the tree, retelling the memories attached to each ornament. None of his other brothers had been able to make the trip, so he’d had his parents to himself that year—a rarity.
Every now and then, JD would steal a kiss or lightly pinch his mom’s ass, making her giggle, and Sawyer teased them about being worse than a couple of teenagers. JD had told him, “Sawyer, when the Compton men fall, they fall hard and forever. Might take you awhile to find the one, but when you do, it’ll hit you in the face like a brick.”
Sawyer had first felt the sting of that blow when they were eight years old and as they grew older, the stirrings definitely remained. For years, he had pushed them away for a million little reasons that failed to make sense to him now.
Sawyer rubbed his jaw as he looked at Leah and grinned. He halfway expected to discover a big knot from the cinderblock that had finally taken him down last night. When JD was right, he was right.
Leah kicked off her shoes, tossing them in the sand, wiggling her toes and laughing. She seemed so different from the serious girl she used to be. He’d noticed with each progressive trip home that she was changing, evolving. She was more comfortable in her own skin these days. She was happier, more at ease, freer.
He recalled her comments about high school and marveled at how differently they’d viewed that time. Leah claimed she’d been putting on a tough front, and he had to admit, she’d fooled him. Sawyer always marveled at how poised she was as a teenager. She seemed to possess the things most girls her age didn’t. Self-confidence, maturity, intelligence. From his perspective, she’d never bought into the high school scene or its games. She didn’t care what clothes were in style, didn’t bother with makeup, didn’t try to finagle invitations to the popular kids’ parties. She’d always stood out to him as something special, something different.
She smiled at him. “Wow. I can’t believe how beautiful the ocean is.”
Sawyer was still reeling from Leah’s admission that she’d never seen it before. Of course, he shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d gone straight home to Compton Pass after graduating from college. Leah was too careful with her money to indulge in a frivolous vacation, and the fact she’d saved for this trip drove home how very bad her sex life must have been.
She lifted her arms to soak in the sun and the fresh sea air. Her actions reminded him of the first time he’d seen the ocean. There was something so majestic, so breathtaking about it. Even after years with the Coast Guard and working around the water, he never ceased to be amazed by the power of it.
Though lately, he’d found himself missing the land. He longed to see the mountains, feel the crisp, cool breeze in his face as he rode his horse over fields so green they sometimes made him wonder if he’d taken a trip to Oz. Leah reminded him of home and family. Things he’d merely tolerated while growing up—barn dances, neighborhood picnics, ranch chores—suddenly had him yearning to return to Wyoming.
Leah squealed as a cold wave crashed around her bare feet. The sea breeze lifted her auburn hair, blowing it around her porcelain face. He used to stare at her in gym class, wondering why all the other guys seemed oblivious to the hottest girl in school.
It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining brightly with enough wind to keep them from getting too hot. Sawyer yanked his T-shirt over his head, dropping it in the sand behind them where they’d left their shoes.
Leah’s gasp had him spinning toward her.
“Leah?”
“Your tattoo. Turn around.”
She hadn’t seen it yet. He’d risen before her this morning, throwing on his clothes and venturing downstairs to find them coffee and breakfast. After that, they’d made out like teenagers for nearly an hour before he told her to get dressed for their outing. He hadn’t pressed for more sex, afraid she might be too sore from the previous night.
He angled his back toward her, curious about her response.
“Wow. That’s incredible. Who did it?”
“Snake.”
Her fingers traced the ink on his skin. “I figured it had to be someone from home. It’s so realistic.”
“My brothers have the same one.”
“All of them?”
He nodded. “Each of us has small variations. On mine, the W is larger than the other compass points. The Pacific Ocean has been calling me since I was a kid. Seth opted for a bigger S, Sam has a fancy E and Silas started it all with a big honking N on his back.”
She continued caressing his back. “The tattoo as a whole is impressive, but it’s the details that are really amazing. Is there significance to all of it?”
“Yeah. Most of it is there for a reason. The ranch and brand obviously represent home, the smaller compass points are there for my brothers. I had Snake ink in a JD and a V for my parents. They’re intertwined there in the center of the compass. See them?”
She touched the spot, her voice sounding a bit choked up. “That’s so sweet.”
He chuckled. “Christ, rose. Don’t say that too loud. I got the tattoo to look tough.”
She placed a soft kiss on his tattoo and he closed his eyes, wondering how such a simple gesture could pierce his heart like an arrow
. “You know what I mean.”
He was confused by the comment and the sudden sadness in her tone, but he dismissed it when her fingers began tracing the pattern again. “I like this the best.”
“Which part?”
Her finger drew a W on his back. He understood what had caught her interest. “The way Snake designed the W. Is it made up of dandelions?”
He swallowed heavily. “Yeah.”
He shifted before she could look too closely at the rest of the tattoo. He wasn’t ready for her to study all the details. If so, she’d realize there was a rose growing out of the ranch brand. That part of the tattoo had been added at the last minute—a silly whim he thought he’d regret later. As the years passed, the rose continued to be his favorite part of the whole tat.
He kissed her, cutting off any more conversation about his tattoo. She welcomed his embrace, wrapping her hands around his waist.
He pulled away. “I’m glad you like it. It’s pretty big. More than a few women turn their nose up at it.”
“I think it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
He grinned and kissed her again, a short, hard press of his lips against hers. Then he twisted her until they faced the ocean together, enveloping her in his arms.
They were silent for several minutes as they studied the white caps and listened to the mighty roar of the sea.
“I can see why you’ve chosen this life, Sawyer. There’s something very hypnotic about it all, isn’t there? The constant, soothing rhythm of the waves, the endless horizon, the gentle way the water and sand work together to massage your feet. It’s incredible.”
He nodded. It was, but it wasn’t enough.
“I’m leaving the Coast Guard.” He wasn’t sure why he’d blurted it out like that. Though his decision had been ninety-five percent made, he hadn’t taken that final leap to say aloud, I’m going home, to anyone.
Leah took his hand in hers, giving him a sad smile. “I’m not surprised. I mean all your other brothers have done the same. I’m really sorry about your dad, Sawyer.”
