by Leah Brooke
Nodding, she blinked back tears, wanting him more than she’d ever wanted anything. She couldn’t get enough air in her lungs, and she ached everywhere.
And he’d barely touched her.
His eyes narrowed. “Open to me.”
Reacting to the underlying steel in his provocative tone, and the promise of ecstasy in his eyes, she obeyed him without hesitation, shocked at how natural and incredible it felt to leave herself defenseless against him.
With a seductive smile, she arched toward him, hiding her amusement at the look of surprise in his eyes. She placed her hands on his chest, looking up at him through her lashes. “I’m ready.”
“And somehow you think I don’t know that. Remarkable.” Taking her hands in his, he removed them from his chest. “I’m your Master, and you’re my submissive. You don’t have permission to touch me unless I give it to you. Spread your legs wider.”
Her smile fell. “What?” She’d expected him to reach for her, and give her the orgasm he’d promised, not drag it out and make her feel even more vulnerable.
Smiling slightly, he ran a finger down her arm. “You heard me. Wider. No talking. Wider than that, Kelsey. Good, now don’t move.”
Kelsey obeyed him, her heart beating nearly out of her chest.
Gabriel’s gaze moved over her, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “Damn, you’re beautiful. I can’t wait to inspect every inch of you.”
Arching her back, she lifted her breasts in offering, her nipples aching for his touch. “Why don’t you do it now?”
She ached for his touch. Everywhere.
Gabriel’s eyes hardened. “No. When I explore you, I want to take my time, and it’s late. You’ve been tense all day and you’re too tired to handle it. Keep those thighs spread. I’ll make you come and settle you for the night.”
“Settle me for the night? I’m not—oh, hell.” The feel of his fingers on her clit had to be the most incredibly sexual and overwhelmingly erotic thing she’d ever felt. “Oh, God!”
Gabriel shook his head, his expression stern. “I told you to stop talking. Another word and I’ll stop, leaving you even more aroused than before. You won’t be able to sleep and you’ll be tired tomorrow. That’ll just piss me off.”
It was as if no man had ever touched her before. The feel of his fingers on her clit, the heat of his gaze on hers, and the powerful presence of the most captivating man she’d ever met filled her with a sense of wonder—a sense of defenselessness and wicked pleasure she’d never known existed.
Everything felt new and exciting, the sensations so sharp, her body tightened and shook, overcome by a sublime pleasure unlike any she’d ever known. She came hard, stiffening and crying out in alarm, shaken by the strength of it.
Waves of it kept washing over her, the slide of his fingers over her throbbing clit sucking her into a vortex of dizzying pleasure that she couldn’t escape. “Oh, God. Gabriel. Oh, God. So good. No more. No more.” Shaking her head from side to side, she fought his hold, but found it inescapable.
“Yes. More. Your orgasms belong to me. Your clit belongs to me.” His deep growl held both authority and sexual tension.
She cried out as he continued to stroke her, the pleasure becoming excruciating on her overly sensitized clit. She fought to close her legs, but a strong thigh between them kept them parted. Her body jerked in reaction, the pleasure so extreme it bordered on pain. “No more. Please. Oh, God.”
She tried to hide her face, but Gabriel removed his hand from between her thighs to grip her chin.
“Don’t ever turn away from me. Your pleasure’s mine, and I want to see it.” He released her hands, his expression hardening. “No more, no, and stop don’t work here, Kelsey. Only your safe word will stop me.” Reaching out, he turned off the light. “Remember that. Red to stop, and yellow to slow down. Unless you use one of those words, I won’t stop.”
Gathering her against him, he dropped back against the pillow. “Now go to sleep.” The edge in his tone as he tucked the covers around her had her struggling to open her eyes.
Turning her head, she smiled, her entire body humming with the most incredible pleasure she’d ever experienced. “Damn, you’re good.”
He didn’t open his eyes, or laugh as she’d expected, his body tense against hers. “And you’re a brat. You’re starving for it, darling. You came as soon as I touched you.”
“Go to hell.”
“I’ve been in hell waiting for you. There’s a lot of passion inside you just waiting to be tapped. It’s mine now to explore.” Turning toward her, he rolled her to her side, and with a hand at her waist, pulled her back against him, spooning her from behind.
“You’re going to be mad as hell when I deny you.” He kissed her shoulder, chuckling softly when she shivered. “Being unsatisfied puts you on edge. Believe me. I’m feeling it right now.”
“Why don’t you take me?”
“Because you’re half-asleep, and I haven’t had a chance to explore you yet.”
“Hmm.” Disappointed, she lay there wondering what one of his submissives would have done in similar circumstances.
Something else he said penetrated. “Deny me? Deny me what?” She had no idea what he was talking about, and with the warmth of his body seeping into her sated one, she didn’t have the energy to try.
Gabriel’s breath tickled her ear. “Deny your orgasm, darling. Starting tomorrow, you’re going to have to earn the right to come.”
Chapter Six
Kelsey woke with a sense of anticipation she hadn’t experienced in years. Before she even opened her eyes, excitement flooded her veins, her heart racing with eagerness to start the day.
At first, she didn’t know why, but then memories of the night before came rushing back. With a smile, she stretched and reached out a hand in search of Gabriel, hoping to run her hands over him before he woke up. Surprised and disappointed to find the sheet beside her cool, she opened her eyes and turned her head in search of him.
Frowning to find herself alone, she sat up, holding the sheet over her breasts. Smelling coffee and feeling a presence, she turned her head, her breath catching when she saw Gabriel leaning against the doorframe.
Dressed in another pair of cotton, drawstring pants—black this time—and with his chest and feet bare, he smiled, so gorgeous and sexy her mouth went dry. His overlong hair, still damp from a recent shower, had been combed back, emphasizing his elegant, masculine features. “Good morning.”
Wondering how one man could have more sex appeal than any twenty men combined, she smiled seductively, hoping to lure him back into bed.
“Wanna quickie before breakfast?” Dropping the sheet, she bared her breasts, hoping to entice him, and begin the week of pleasure he’d promised.
Gabriel smiled and shook his head. “Let’s get something straight, darling. If I want to fuck you, I’ll fuck you. That body belongs to me now, or have you forgotten?” He took a sip from the thick mug he held, and smiled. “I’ll get you some coffee. The coffee here is actually as good as yours.”
“It should be. Julianna made me hook them up with my supplier.” Sitting up, she started to curl her legs under her, frowning to realize that something around her ankle prevented her from moving it. Tugging again, she threw back the covers to untangle her leg from the sheet, shocked to see that her leg had been tied to the ornate bedpost with a length of black silk.
A funny feeling settled in her stomach, and with a sense of alarm that she might have underestimated Gabriel, she turned toward him. “What’s this?”
Straightening, he gestured toward her leg. “Just a reminder of what you agreed to last night.”
Amused at his attempt to scare her, and aroused at his play, she tossed the sheet aside, determined to enjoy every minute of their time together. Grinning, she raised a brow, running a hand from her neck to the upper curve of her breast to draw his attention there. “You planning to keep me tied to the bed all week?”
His ey
es narrowed, the anticipation in his gaze making her a lot more nervous than the threat in it. “I doubt it. I just wanted to remind you of the fact that I can if I want to.”
The realization that his brand of play may be more intense than she’d expected had her shifting restlessly. “And then you can give me all that pleasure you promised. Blah, blah, blah. Can I have my coffee now?”
Gabriel smiled, the anticipation in his eyes sharpening. “Of course.” He started to turn away, but turned back, all trace of amusement gone. “I can’t wait for the moment you realize this isn’t a game, and I won’t let you play me like you’ve played other men in your life.”
* * * *
Trembling with anticipation, Kelsey waited expectantly for Gabriel to cross the room with her coffee, lifting the sheet to cover herself again at the unexpected sense of vulnerability.
Gabriel seemed different this morning.
More intense.
He seemed more sexual. Colder. More in control.
A lot of things she couldn’t quite pinpoint, but the combination drew her even more, and actually gave her the sense of belonging to him.
It was a heady sensation, one that made her realize that she had to fight harder not to let him see that her emotions were involved.
Watching as he crossed the room and rounded the foot of the bed, she stiffened when he sat on the edge before holding out the steaming mug to her.
Accepting it, she stared into his eyes, struck by the possessiveness in them as they held hers. “Thank you.”
Reaching under the covers, he circled her ankle, his fingers sliding over the soft material tied there. “You’re welcome, darling. I ordered breakfast to be delivered. We have a few things to take care of before we leave the room today.”
Taking another sip of the fragrant coffee, she let her gaze drift lower to his chest. “You know, I used to think you wore all those fancy suits and designer clothes to hide a paunchy stomach.”
Gabriel smiled. “Did you?” He caught the hand she reached out to lay on his chest before she could touch him, his eyes going hard and cool.
“We don’t have a relationship, Kelsey. We have an arrangement. You want just the physical aspect of this. Not the emotion. You don’t touch me without permission. Did you forget already?”
Furious to have her own words thrown back at her, she tried to yank her hand from his, her anger growing when he prevented it. He held it just long enough to let her know that he was in charge before releasing it. Snatching her hand to her chest, she held up the sheet that had started to fall.
“Fine. I won’t touch you, but I don’t want you to think badly of me if I can’t be submissive. I’ve spent my life counting on no one but myself.”
Her breath caught when he reached out a hand, her heart racing when he curled a finger over the top of the sheet, brushing it against the upper curve of her breast. “Darling, you’re more suited to it than you think. I’ve already told you that a submissive has to be strong. You need to be overwhelmed, darling, or you’d be bored to death.” Taking the cup from her, he set it on her nightstand and touched the upper edge of the sheet again. “Put your hand down.”
Blinking, she stared up at him, her pussy clenching at his cool tone.
Gabriel’s brows went up. “You can obey me or have me overpower you and have what I want anyway. If that happens, you will be spanked, and I don’t think that’s something you want.”
Kelsey gulped. “You’d force me?”
Something in her tone must have alerted him, because he paused, smiling gently. “Of course—to a point.” Threading a hand into her hair, he cupped the back of her head and lifted her face to his. “You know yourself that passion can be rough and sweaty. You still have all the power, darling. You can stop everything with just a word. Don’t forget that.”
Believing him, she nodded and began to relax, excitement building inside her at the prospect of the raw passion he spoke of.
Her nipples tingled with anticipation when he began to lower the sheet, beading tight under his gaze as he bared her from the waist up.
Sucking in a breath, she fought to remain still as he reached out a finger to caress the underside of her left breast, right below the nipple.
Sharp, tingling heat seemed to shoot from his fingertip, making her entire breast feel warm and swollen.
Using his fingertips, he watched her face as he caressed her breast, his touch light as he stroked it in increasingly smaller circles.
She jerked at the touch to her nipple, his light touch as potent as a jolt of electricity. Never before had she felt such excitement and need at the hands of a man, the deliberation in his delicate caress sending her senses soaring.
Never before had it felt so right.
Shaken and hardly able to breathe, she stared down at his finger, mesmerized by the sight of his dark, masculine hand against her much lighter breast.
“You’re incredibly beautiful and amazingly responsive.” Taking her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, he squeezed gently, the sharp current of sensation to her clit and pussy forcing a cry from her. “Very good qualities to have in a submissive.” He tapped her nipple, his eyes narrowing in warning when she started to lift her hand to her breast. Smiling in satisfaction when she dropped it again, he ran his finger back and forth over it. “You also want to be in control, and find it difficult to give up that control.”
Rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, he lifted his gaze to hers. “That’s an excellent quality for a Master to have in a submissive.”
Kelsey could barely breathe, biting her lip to hold back a cry as the pleasure kept building. She shook everywhere as a strange awareness gripped her, one that left her helpless to her own body’s demands.
Her clit throbbed unbearably, the need to come too strong to ignore. Rubbing her thighs together, she fisted her hands at her sides to keep from reaching out for him, inwardly cursing that he made her wait. She had to swallow heavily before speaking, and involuntarily pulled away, crying out at the sharp tug it created on her nipple.
“What do you w–want m–me to d–do?”
She hated that her voice shook, hated to show any type of weakness. Shocked at the whimper that escaped when he released her, she couldn’t hold back a cry at the sharp sensation of the blood rushing back into her nipple.
The combination of pain and pleasure created a need inside her that she’d never experienced before, a hunger that had her arching, holding her breath when his hand moved to her other breast and he began to stroke the sensitive underside.
Gabriel’s hand was hot as it pressed against her breast as though testing its firmness. “You’ll be given instructions as needed. Right now, I want you to be still.”
With the uneasy feeling that she didn’t have as much control of the situation as she thought she’d had, Kelsey forced herself to remain still, unable to look away from the look of fascination in his eyes.
Gabriel never looked up from her breasts, pinching both nipples at once and tugging them slightly away from her body.
Keeping her nipples in his grip, he lifted his gaze to hers, holding it as he tugged again. “Don’t look so indignant, Kelsey. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a woman embracing her femininity.”
Each shuddering breath moved her body, increasing the tugging sensation. “You m–mean weakness.”
Staring into his eyes, she looked for signs of his arousal, gritting her teeth against her own desperate need.
Other than the lift of a dark brow, Gabriel’s expression never changed. He released her nipples, his eyes never leaving hers. “Is that how you see yourself—as weak? Do you think letting your passion take over makes you any less strong?”
Crying out at the feel of the blood rushing back to her nipples, Kelsey gripped his forearm. “Yes. That’s why I c–can’t do it.”
Gabriel smiled, threading his hands into her hair and holding her face tilted to his. “Oh, you’ll do it all right. I’ve only
begun to inspect what’s mine, and you’re already trembling to come.”
“Fuck you.” She tried to kick her foot as Gabriel tossed the sheet aside, the tug and sight of the strip of black around her ankle sharp reminders of her predicament. Gritting her teeth against the need for his hands on her, she sucked in a breath, her stomach muscles quivering under the hand he placed there.
She couldn’t hold back a cry as Gabriel’s hand moved lower, brushing over her mound before settling on her thigh. “I don’t know what you want, damn it! Just fuck me and get it over with.”
Gabriel’s expression softened, the warmth it created inside her making her feel even more vulnerable.
“You are so beautiful. So passionate. So incredibly sweet.”
Sliding his hand down her leg, he deftly untied her ankle. “There’s something that I don’t think you understand. You have no say in when, or if, I fuck you. I can play with you all day and not give you any satisfaction, or I can tie you to the bed and fuck you over and over. It’s up to me. Not you.”
Sliding his hand back up her leg again, he covered her mound, his palm hot against her skin. “Do you remember that I told you that you’re going to have to earn your orgasms?”
Sucking in sharp breaths, she watched Gabriel’s hand as it moved down her leg again. “Yes. I think so. What does that mean? How the hell do I earn an orgasm?”
Gabriel ran a finger over the arch of her foot. “You earn the right to come by behaving yourself. Cursing at me is not acceptable.” His hooded gaze held hers. “Go take a shower. No masturbating. I have to make a call, but I’ll be watching you through the glass.”
He stood, holding out a hand to her.
Ignoring it, she started to slide out of the bed, pausing when Gabriel shifted his stance, effectively blocking her. Surprised, she looked up to find him eyeing her steadily, still holding his hand out to her.
