“I don’t know if I can,” she said.
He let out a slow breath. “Oh baby,” he said gently. “You can. You have.” His hand trailed softly over her hair. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
She searched his face, seeking truth, seeking something real. He meant what he said. Something inside her broke away, and she did the thing he demanded.
She dropped to her knees.
His groan vibrated through her body. “By the stars, Fallon. You’ll be the death of me.”
It felt right. On her knees, her hands resting on her thighs, her head bowed, she felt peaceful, unfettered. How was that possible? And how had she not known this about herself?
“Now, for your punishment,” he said.
Somehow, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. But she also realized this was a lesson. Matthew said he would prove she belonged to him, that she was his Claimed. She swallowed. What would he do?
“Get up, Fallon.” Matthew’s voice whipped through her. The earlier warmth and tenderness was gone.
She rose to her feet, but kept her gaze lowered. His hand seemed hot on her skin when he guided her to the waist high bench and pressed her down. Her breasts spilled over the bench and her ass was in the air. The position itself made her pussy throb and her nerves stretch taut.
Still, her breath stopped when Matthew gripped her right wrist and bound it outstretched to one side of the bench. The leather strap over her skin and the tight squeeze of Matthew’s fingers caused her to squirm. Her other wrist restrained, she thought he was done. But he bound her ankles too, splaying her legs wide apart. Air hit her private parts, and she shifted, trying to escape the overload of sensation.
His fingers trailed over her spine, and she moaned, a sound she bit off as quickly as she could. He lingered over her ass, his touch intimate, owning her. His hand cupped her pussy while his hips pressed against hers. He slid his finger over her clit and the entrance of her slick passage. Moisture eased his firm touch, and she thrust toward his hand.
Sensations burst over her, and pressure began to build. Just as she began to climb higher, he took his fingers away. “No,” she choked out.
“Tsk, tsk, Fallon. You spoke without permission. Only red light is acceptable.” He backed away, taking his warmth, and she saw him stride to the wall out of the corner of her eye. He lifted something from a hook and approached her from the front.
He held up a contraption that held a ball between two plastic strings, and her mind imagined crazy things. Where the hell did that go? It was almost a relief when he slid the ball in her mouth and clasped it behind her head. There would be no more words.
While he adjusted the strap around her head, he instructed her, “Say red light’, Fallon.”
“Eh iii,” she managed.
He nodded and studied her. “Do you have any idea how sexy that looks? With your mouth stretched like that, like you’re sucking my cock?” His intense gaze held hers. “It may be difficult for me to punish you as I’d like.”
Something happened to Fallon. The feel of the ball in her mouth and the restraints on her wrists and ankles relaxed her. It was a strange sensation, like floating. Suddenly, she realized she could let go, let Matthew control events. After years of overwhelming responsibility, of guilt, of steeling herself for the next bad thing, Fallon could release it and let Matthew have it. And he would take it.
A feeling of freedom washed over her, and she sighed deeply. A sense of certainty that Matthew would never hurt her and that his punishment would be a pleasure also clicked into place.
He began with a large dildo in her pussy. She thought it would split her in two and, for a moment, the pleasurable bubble she’d been in burst. But when Matthew’s tongue on her clit added to the painful thrust of the dildo, pain and pleasure blurred.
Again, just as she reached the pinnacle, he stopped, and she growled in frustration. The huge dildo in her pussy still slid inside her, but in shallow strokes that kept her on edge, near to release, but not over it.
The dildo on automatic kept rhythmic thrusts while Matthew obtained another object with which to torment her. He held up a thick, leather belt and stepped behind her. “Those ten lashes Trista gave you didn’t even leave bruises.” He stroked the rounded flesh of her ass. “I intend to make you understand that you belong to me.” He snapped the belt. “Every time you sit down, you’ll remember.”
The first strike from the belt sent pain through her body. By the stars, she didn’t know if she could do this. The dildo in her pussy stretched her, filled her, as the belt smacked against her skin. Again, the strap slapped her ass, and the sting coincided with a deeper thrust of the dildo.
Matthew had changed the setting on the dildo. Now, the tip touched the spot within her that send shards of pleasure along her nerves. Every touch deep within her happened at the same time the belt whacked her ass.
The sting changed to a pleasurable tingle that made her arch toward the strikes of the leather. Her hips rotated, and her nipples hardened until she just needed release. He stopped long enough to unclasp the strap around her head and the ball dropped onto the floor. She hissed in a breath when the next strike echoed around the room.
“Tell me, Fallon. Tell me who you belong to.”
So close. She was so close to exploding. Pain. Pleasure. Need. It was all the same now. The feel of his blows to her body and the thrusts of the dildo were the same. The force of his words and the swing of his arm were the same. Everything narrowed down to one thing.
Him.
“You. I belong to you,” she choked out.
“Me. You belong to me,” he said and swung again.
“Matthew,” she screamed, her pussy tense, her muscles crying out for relief.
“Damn it, Fallon,” he cursed, and the belt flew across the room. The next blow was his bare hand on her skin.
“Oh yes,” she hissed out, loving the feel of his hand on her, not knowing why the sting of it was so much better than the belt.
Five rapid slaps of his hand against her skin, and she shattered, her pussy squeezing the huge dildo. Her hips moved frantically, her pussy exploding and stars showing behind her eyes.
She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see. Every muscle strained, the restraints the only thing holding her on the planet as she splintered into a million pieces.
Tears streamed down her face and the taste of salt told her she’d been sobbing for a while. The only sounds in the room were her low, keening moan and Matthew’s harsh breathing.
Now, his hands were gentle, tender as he stroked the bruised flesh of her backside. He slowly removed the dildo, rubbing his thumb over her clit as he did. Shards of opposing sensations cut through her like glass. She groaned as another earthquake rocked her.
She crested a wave, her body not her own, her mind drifting. Vaguely, she became aware that Matthew had wiped away the tears, released her ankles and wrists, and swept her into his arms. Without a conscious thought, she snuggled into his shoulder, and her senses spun.
His lips brushed her forehead, and he laid her on a soft cushion in a different room. She saw everything through a long tunnel of dark edges around her vision. The skin of her ass burned against the softness of the bed. She shifted, but the pain wasn’t a bad pain. In fact, her hand moved down her body to touch herself.
As if he’d read her mind, he beat her there, his tongue warm and insistent on her throbbing clit. Incredibly, she careened over the edge, fast and hard. Her pussy ached and pulsed, reveling in the way Matthew moaned against her pelvis.
He lifted his head and met her half-lidded gaze. “Say it, Fallon,” he demanded.
She sighed. “I belong to you, Matthew.”
Then, she closed her eyes and floated away.
Chapter Fourteen
The Asberek sky was streaked with pink and orange, another beautiful sunset denoting another day had passed. Matthew stared at the skyline and wondered if Fallon would break the silence. A
week had flown by while Fallon adjusted to the new state of things. Their official Claiming ceremony would be in two days, but Matthew’s announcement that he’d Claimed Fallon had created a firestorm on Earth.
He glanced at Fallon. Her face had worn that same blank expression outside of his playroom. Naked and kneeling, however, she revealed her worry, her fear, her passion. Only when he touched her and drove her from one orgasm after another did she let the tears flow that he knew had to clog beneath the placid surface.
Her participation in the council had been invaluable, pointing out members of Earth Central that might be more sympathetic ears. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain. Earth Central had ceased to listen. The success on Mars had convinced hardliners their way was best and they were in charge.
“You’re worrying again,” she said softly.
“Those death threats worry me,” Matthew admitted. Fallon had become the target of several groups who believed she had betrayed Earth Central.
“We’ve discussed this, Matthew. They’re just posturing.” She poured him a cup of hot tea. “I think we need a plan B in case the Dormrelian council changes their mind.”
He stared at her. Everything had changed so drastically. Tonight, she wore a simple skirt of soft green and a flowing white blouse. Her brown hair was long and loose, the curls brushing her neck tempting him to move the strands and kiss her skin. Every night she stripped and waited for him on her knees, a picture of perfect submission. And every night he drove them both insane with need.
Did she understand why he didn’t consummate his own desire? He withheld that ultimate connection, using every tool to bring her to orgasm, but not himself. As yet, she hadn’t asked him. He wondered if she ever would.
She bent over the dining table and laid out silverware for their evening meal. Did she have any idea how the simple action of placing a knife on a table made his blood sing? No, she couldn’t.
Her gaze met his. “What is it?”
“I was thinking how stunning you are.” He let his glance linger over the sweet curve of her ass.
She straightened. “Matthew—” A line appeared on her forehead, and she bit her lip. “I want to ask you something.”
His heart pounded. Had the time come? “Anything.”
Her gaze dropped to the table, and her hand clenched on the edge. “Why haven’t you…” The words didn’t materialize, and Matthew resisted the urge to smile.
He stepped closer and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her close. “Why haven’t I what?”
She blinked and glanced up to meet his gaze. “Why haven’t you fucked me properly? Are you afraid of getting me pregnant?”
Ah, so she had been wondering. He’d been waiting for this moment. He ran his hand over her belly. “I would like nothing more than to have a child with you, Fallon.” He cupped her face. “But, though you know you belong to me, you still don’t know how you feel.”
“You mean about you?” The line on her forehead deepened. “I’m grateful.”
His stomach dropped, and his heart clenched. Yes, she was grateful to him. Perhaps that would all she’d ever feel for him. Was it enough? Not for him. But it might be all he’d inspire. He brushed her lips with his. “I’m grateful to you, too.”
He stepped away from her, his heart sore and battered. Some cosmic joke created love and passion in him that he’d never thought himself capable of feeling. Unfortunately, it was for a woman who might never return those feelings. Well, gratitude was better than resentment or hatred.
“Why?” she asked, and he had to drag his mind back to their conversation.
“Why am I grateful?” he said as he placed plates on the table and opened the replicator for their dinner. “Without you, this colony would have been destroyed. You’ve saved us from several diplomatic mistakes.”
“But Earth Central is still going to attack.”
He dished up vegetables and some meat for Fallon and put the plate at her place. He waited until she sat down before he answered her. “That was inevitable. Your help will show its value in the aftermath when their attack fails.”
She stared at him as he sat down. “You should have sent me home.”
His gaze narrowed, and his hands froze over his food. “No. They would have dissected you, used you without valuing your life.”
“But you value my life.” Her steady gaze studied him.
“More than you know.” He managed to keep his voice even and calm. She had no idea. He didn’t want to live without her. The man who’d scoffed about any serious relationships, any commitment for himself, had fallen completely, passionately and irrevocably in love.
Fallon forked some vegetables and ate them. “I don’t know why.”
An idea occurred to Matthew. “Tell me about Earth customs, Fallon. What does an Earth man do when he … dates a woman?” Date. What a strange word for courtship.
Her eyes widened. “Well, it varies,” she said cautiously and took a sip of tea. “Some men take a woman to a nice place for dinner. Some men take a woman out to other special places, like a park.” She cleared her throat, and color rose in her cheeks. “Mostly, they spend time getting to know a woman.”
Matthew tapped his fingers. “On Asberek, courtship is usually in a VFR, and the man brings a woman to orgasm.”
“Just like that?” she said as she sat up straight. “I mean, don’t they spend any time together before that?”
“They spend time together bringing each other pleasure.” Matthew frowned. “I hadn’t realized how different our customs really are.”
A closed expression shuttered her face. “I don’t know what difference it makes.”
He raised his eyebrows. “It makes a big difference. Here I’ve been courting you, and you didn’t even know it.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she shut it with a snap. “Courting me?”
He snorted. “Badly, apparently.”
“But you already Claimed me,” she said, stuttering.
“Is that enough for you?” he asked her. He already knew the answer. She accepted the Claiming as a necessity, not a pleasure. “Wouldn’t you like to have our connection mean more?”
She stared at him. “You mean—” She bit her lip and stared at her plate.
“I mean love, Fallon.” There. He’d said it.
Her silence hurt. Maybe there was no hope. Maybe she would never love him.
“I haven’t had much luck with love, Matthew,” she said in a small voice.
His heart flipped over, and he reached across the table to take her hand. “Then, you’re not opposed to the idea?”
Her gaze felt like a laser through him. “No, I’m not. But it terrifies me.”
“Oh, baby,” he said softly. “We’ll face it together. Now, let me explain Asberek courtship to you.”
Her lopsided smile made his blood heat. “Why don’t you just show me?”
He grinned. “Are you giving me orders?”
She pressed her free hand to her chest. “Me? Just making a suggestion.”
“I’ll take it into consideration,” he said slowly and yanked the hand he still clasped. “Come here.”
Food was forgotten, and she slipped into his lap. “Have you really been courting me?”
He buried his nose against her neck. “Yes, Fallon Denny. I’ve been trying to.”
Her hands twined in his hair, and she shifted on his lap until his cock strained. “I didn’t know.”
His lips slid along her skin. “I’ve been stupid. It never occurred to me that Earth customs might be so different.”
“But you were on Earth. You went to the Academy.” She pressed him closer.
“Baby, courting in the Academy is completely unique. And not that different from Asberek’s customs. Both my relationships began in a VFR and were totally sexual in nature.”
She drew back from him and met his gaze. “No love?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t know the meaning of the word. I came back t
o Asberek convinced I’d be alone.” He brushed her lips with his. “Then, I saw you.”
“And you knew?”
“I wanted you beyond reason, beyond anything. Every touch, every encounter, brought you nearer to my heart.” He kissed her again.
“I’m afraid, Matthew,” she whispered.
“I’m here. We’ll stand together, my Claimed one.” He twined his fingers through her soft, silky hair and brought her head down to his. Nothing could be sweeter than her kiss, her soft pliable surrender.
“Please, Matthew,” she said when he freed her mouth. “Love me.”
Nothing would hold him back now. “Are you sure you’re ready for what I want?”
“I want you to possess me. You’ve been holding back. Please don’t.” She leaned down and bit his earlobe.
A low growl escaped his throat, and he rose out of the chair suddenly. She would have fallen except his hands were all over her, tearing her clothes, desperate to have her.
Her fingers plucked at his clothes, and he ripped them away next. She spun away from him, backing up, putting distance between them. Distance he wouldn’t tolerate. Naked and feral, he stalked her, his heart pounding.
She had no idea what she’d unleashed.
Her eyes widened, and she turned to run. Something primitive swept over him, and he caught her around the waist. Her breath heaved, and she squirmed in his arms.
Though his blood screamed to pound her, take her on the floor in a quick possession, the part of him that made him a Dominant kicked in. He’d take her, but only after she yielded everything.
Her breasts scraped his forearm, and his cock strained against his pants, but he controlled himself. He hefted her over his shoulder and stumbled into the playroom. He wanted her restrained, laid out for his attention. He wanted her screaming for release.
Commanded to Yield Page 10
