by Em Petrova
“Aiden’s already getting irritated with me at night, cold one minute and the next asking him to get away from me because I’m too hot.”
“My sister evened out after the first few months.”
Amaryllis nodded. “Hope so. You know, I wanted to visit your spa for a massage when we were in town, but we got a call that the guy we were investigating was sneaking out the proverbial back door.”
“I would have loved to have you come by. Maybe next time. I can’t imagine working as a team with my husband. Do you guys get sick of each other?”
Amaryllis smiled at her. “Not really. I think we’re so completely different and we argue enough to keep the spark. Plus, we’re still newlyweds. But I don’t see myself getting tired of Aiden even when we’re ninety.”
She pondered her words, her thoughts centered on Judd. If Aiden and Judd were twins, how much alike did that make them? Aiden and Amaryllis got along perfectly, and she was as far from Cecily’s personality as the moon from the sun.
“The Roshannon men are hard. Stubborn, unwilling to let go of whatever thought’s lodged in their thick heads even if they’re not right. But I’m sure you’re learning that.”
Cecily nodded, a trace of a smile on her lips.
“Their teasing sends their momma off the deep end, but she sometimes gets them back and embarrasses them good.”
With a chuckle, Cecily rocked a little, arms around her knees. “I can totally see that happening.”
“And when Wes is here, all three of the guys are unbearable, tossing out insults to each other day and night. When the whiskey comes out, it gets worse but they’re having so much fun, nobody wants it to end. Not even their parents.”
“But you said Wes is their cousin.” Cecily was trying to straighten family ties in her mind, but the ribbons were twisted.
“He is but was raised like a brother. I guess I just see him as a younger bro. The guys are protective of him like that. Also, they pick on him for the same reason.”
“Interesting, for sure. I’m glad to be a part of it today.”
After a beat of silence, Amaryllis said, “Judd’s crazy about you.”
She twitched to attention. “How do you know?”
“This might sound odd, but I see the look on his face, and it’s the same one I see on Aiden’s when he looks at me.”
She gave a soft laugh. “Well, I guess they would share expressions.”
Amaryllis nodded.
Cecily conjured the strength to ask the question she’d been dying to all day. “Can I ask you something personal?”
Amaryllis studied her. “Yes.”
“It’s just that… I think Judd likes me, but I feel like he’s holding back.”
Amaryllis twisted her lips.
“In the bedroom.”
Silence pulsed between them, filled only by the far-off bark of a dog and some chickens squawking over the food Mrs. Roshannon had scattered earlier.
“What makes you think that?” Amaryllis asked at last.
“He looks like he’s about to do more when we’re… you know, intimate. Then he doesn’t. The only time he has was when there was some rope on the floor of the SUV and I told him to use it.”
Amaryllis sat up straighter and folded her hands over her belly, though it was completely flat. “I can’t speak for Judd’s tastes, but the Roshannon boys are known for their different bedroom play.”
“Meaning whips and ropes, right?” Cecily’s heart pounded.
Amaryllis nodded. “Spanking, hair pulling. Does Judd order you around in bed?”
“He starts to. A few times, yes. But mostly, he just swallows something down and I know he’s restraining himself. I can’t help but feel that if we’re going to move on with this relationship—if that’s what it is—then we need to be completely open with each other.”
“You’re right. Have you talked to him about it?”
“Not yet. Maybe this trip is a good opportunity.” She needed to discover what he wanted so she could give it all to him. And he wouldn’t hold back with her at all. She couldn’t help but feel this next step in the bedroom would also be the next step in their relationship.
She didn’t know much about BDSM, but she trusted Judd and the few glimpses into him controlling her in the bedroom she’d liked. Okay, more than liked. Whenever she thought about him tying her up or giving commands, tingles raced through her.
She thought on that mythical trunk in the attic full of whips. She wasn’t about to go looking for it. But staring toward the barn, she was pretty sure she could come up with some rope.
Chapter Nine
Judd’s muscles were pleasantly sore. After a few hours of manual labor, he shouldn’t feel he’d gotten a workout, but he did. A sure sign he needed to do more outside the office, even if it was walking his own dog.
He showered and considered a shave, but Cecily’s door was already closed, and he didn’t want to waste another minute. He rubbed his head with a towel and threw on a pair of fresh boxers and jeans.
Barefoot, he walked down the hall. He threw a glance at Aiden’s closed door as he passed. The house was quiet, but he didn’t believe for a minute that his momma might not leap out and harass him any second.
Judd and Cecily hadn’t discussed whether or not they’d share a bed. He could take a chance and hopefully get his way—or she could send him to the couch.
Stopping in front of the door, he listened for movement beyond. No sound came back to him, and he listened to his heart thundering in his ears before lightly knocking.
She opened the door a crack, her eyes bright, hair curling around her beautiful face.
His lip quirked up at the corner. He pitched his voice low. “Can I come in?”
She offered him a nervous smile and stepped back. As soon as he moved into the room, he stopped dead. Candles lit around the space. The double bed from his childhood was thankfully sporting a simple navy bedspread and matching sheets instead of the cartoon characters of old. The covers were turned down and the pillows fluffed.
He swallowed hard.
There’s rope.
The coil lay in the center of the bed, along with a wide rectangular hairbrush, his own handcuffs… and the butt plug.
His eyes bulged as he turned his gaze to Cecily. He tried to find his voice, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat. “What is this?”
Her eyes burned as she stared up at him. “Do you like it?”
Hell. He fucking loved it. Could only think of using the smooth backside of that hairbrush on her bottom with her handcuffed to his bed.
For a long moment, he stared into her eyes. “Cecily, we need to talk.”
“Let’s talk here.” She walked over to the bed and untied the belt around her robe. The cotton parted to reveal the nude strip of skin and lower, the dark patch of curls covering her mound.
“Christ, what are you trying to do to me? Cover up so I can think straight. We need to talk about this.”
She hugged her robe closed and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Look, I know that you hold back with me. And I’m telling you that you don’t have to.”
He snaked his fingers through his damp hair, battling his own instincts—to take her, to show her exactly what she was getting into with him if she stuck it out.
But he wasn’t that person anymore. Was he?
A glance at the bed told him he was.
“Baby doll… this isn’t something you want.”
“How do you know until we try it out? I liked the things you’ve done so far. Your commands, the rope…” She wet her lower lip, and his balls clenched tight.
“Okay, well, that’s tame compared to what I’d ask from you in the bedroom.”
She cozied up to him, and he nearly cracked. “What’s that?”
He held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “What I am… What I need is a woman who will take my commands without question. Because you trust me.”
“I do,” she said at
once.
He shook his head. “I don’t think you understand. If I tie you up here and paddle you, you’re going to make noise. You might even cry.”
Her eyes widened more. “Because you hurt me?”
“It’s not hurting you—it’s breaking down barriers, which is emotional. I know how to make you feel the pleasure more intensely through the sting of my paddle—or whips. Fuck, Cecily, you’re not ready for this. You’re too naïve, too sweet—”
She ran a hand down his bare chest to his waistband. “I may not totally understand what is going to happen, but I want this. I want you. Not as you think I want you to be—as you are. I’m a grown woman and I think my decision should mean something to you.”
For a moment, he stared into her eyes, choking on words—choking on hope. “Baby doll.”
“You won’t hurt me, I know that, Judd. Can’t we please try… Sir?”
The word was a spark to gasoline. He pulled her up against his chest, hard. “How do you know you should call me that?”
“I don’t. Well, didn’t. But the few times I slipped and called you Sir instead of sheriff or Judd, I’ve seen a look in your eyes.”
“What look is that?”
“The same one you’re giving me right now.”
His throat worked as he considered taking her under his parents’ roof. Or taking her at all.
“Okay,” he said roughly, “but not here.”
* * * * *
Thank God his pa didn’t have any hired hands staying in the spare rooms behind the barn. It was the perfect spot to take a woman who was bound to make noise once Judd tied her up and spanked her sumptuous ass.
Cecily stood by the bed and let the robe drop to the floor. Her bare curves begged for his hands; he was in so much goddamn trouble. His mouth was desiccated, his dick rock-hard.
When she perched on the edge of the bed, knees together, breasts natural, the tips hard, his cock throbbed. He took a step toward her and stopped.
“Cecily.”
“I want you, Judd. Just as you are, whatever way that is. You choose the pleasure to give me. I’m ready.”
He jammed his fingers through his hair. The battle inside him was raw, black. If he was going to walk away, it had to be now.
But she wasn’t asking him to do that. She was asking him to give her the pleasure he chose.
My God.
“Judd.” Her voice came out a harsh whisper. “Why are you fighting it?”
“I don’t want to lose you,” he grated out.
A soft sound burst from her. She shifted on the mattress, drawing his attention to the shadow between her thighs and her hard nipples. But it was the dark need in her eyes that made his decision.
In two strides he reached the bed. Caught her around the waist and bore her back on the covers, driving his thigh between her legs. She moaned as her damp heat hit his denim-clad thigh and he found her mouth. Taking control, guiding her through a series of open-mouthed, breathless kisses that had her writhing on his thigh.
She moaned, and he answered with a groan of his own. Need curled like smoke in his core. Fucking hell, he’d gone mad. She had no idea what she was asking for.
He’d stop right after he kissed her one more time.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth, dancing it over hers, tasting the passion and a hint of mint from her toothpaste. Breaking away, he panted as he stared into her eyes.
She ran her fingers up his spine to dig into his shoulders. “I need you.”
If that was true, he had some training to do. Training a sub.
His cock was achingly hard, his control tightly wound as he got off the bed and looked down at her.
“What I’m going to do is instruct you, and we will both find our way to extreme pleasure.”
She nodded.
“You’re a natural sub—I feel it. God, do I. But I have to make sure you’re safe first and foremost. I’m going to use this rope to tie you up, and you’re going to listen only to my voice and react. Do you understand?” His voice had taken on that edge of command he’d been trying to slice from his life for too long. With Cecily, he didn’t have to anymore.
“I understand.”
“Sir,” he supplied. “From now on, you will address me as Sir when we are alone this way.”
She nodded, eyes bright with excitement. “Sir.”
His chest constricted.
“I assume you’ve never been spanked.”
“N-no.”
“Then how did you think of the hairbrush?”
She flushed. “Amaryllis mentioned Aiden uses it on her sometimes.”
Fuck. He should have known she’d talk to his sister-in-law about this. He didn’t know whether to be angry or thank her.
He breathed out.
Tried to think straight.
Couldn’t see anything but the mirage of using that brush on her ass like a paddle.
So much trust went into a relationship between a Dom and submissive. And here she was giving it all to him, based on a guess at what he needed. She knew him so well.
“You understand what happens?”
“I don’t need to know it all. You’ll tell me as we go.”
Oh God, the trust. There it was, laid bare for him.
He nodded, holding back a roar of primal satisfaction. “I tell you what’s happening, I ask you constantly how you feel, what you’re thinking. This kind of play is about breaking down barriers and growing closer.”
“I like that… Sir,” she murmured.
He grabbed the coil of rope. “Put your arms up,” he ordered.
She did his bidding, wrists together.
With a groan, he let the length of hemp slide through his palms. Then he took the end and wrapped it around her wrists until she was bound. The knots were loose enough she could escape if she really wanted, but solid enough she could tug at them as she screamed her way through several orgasms.
Dark need hit his senses, and he stared down at his handiwork. “Spread your legs. I’m going to tie your ankles apart.” The short bedposts were the perfect places to hitch the rope loops over. When she was spread eagle on the bed, he got up and stared at her.
“So fucking beautiful. Hot. Jesus Christ, baby doll.”
“I love the way you’re looking at me. Sir,” she added. Her breasts rose and fell.
Long seconds passed while he considered what he was going to do next. He hadn’t tried the butt plug on her yet—and it was high time.
He’d grabbed all the essentials before bringing Cecily to the barn, and he reached for a tube of lubricant now. She watched him with her teeth set into her bottom lip as he smeared a copious amount of lube onto the butt plug.
Holding her gaze, he said, “Don’t tense up. This won’t hurt. You’ll only feel pressure. First my fingers.”
As he stroked her netherhole, he watched her reactions closely. After the fourth stroke, her eyelids fluttered in pleasure. He continued to tease her backside, running his fingertip around the ring and then dipping it inside the scantest bit.
When she began to push against him for more, he swallowed a guttural groan and dripped more lube over her pucker. In the dim lighting of the room, seeing her forbidden entrance glistening and ready made his cock throb.
“Slow your breathing. I don’t want you passing out,” he ordered.
She hiccupped and swallowed a gulp. A shiver coursed through her as he sank his finger to the first knuckle into her entrance. Holding her stare, he eased his entire finger in. She cried out and wiggled down on his hand.
“Fuck. You’re so responsive. Take it slow—I don’t want you hurt.”
“It feels good. Nobody’s ever…” She bit her lip again, the plump skin inviting him to kiss her. But first he had to seat this plug in her backside and stretch her good so she remembered who had played with her tonight.
After fingering her ass for several minutes, he felt her begin to loosen. When he could easily add a second finger, she was prepared.
Heart hammering, he sat back on his knees and looked down at her.
“I’m going to insert the toy now. You’re going to feel full, and I want you to bear down as I slide it in. Tell me if anything hurts or you want me to stop.”
She nodded, eyes bright with excitement. As he slipped the plug through her relaxed outer ring, he watched her closely for signs of distress. She gasped and pulled at the ropes. Once he had the toy fulling stretching her ass, he stared at it.
“Fuck, you look so hot. Sexy as hell.” He leaned in and kissed her gently at first. She quaked and made a mewl of desire, which he couldn’t resist. Soon he was slanting his mouth across hers, claiming her sounds for himself. When he was on the brink of losing control, he pushed back.
“How do you feel?”
“Turned on,” she whispered.
He nodded and reached for the hairbrush. “You’re going to feel my paddle. Focus on the sound, the feel. The heat. If at any point, you’re too scared to voice anything, you use a safe word. It’s a simple word that—”
“Stars,” she said at once.
He nodded. “Stars it is.” He gripped the hairbrush. The bristles were a soft, natural material but the handle smooth and polished. Good for slipping into her pussy and fucking her with if he had a mind to.
Eyelids drooping, he stepped up to the bed again. “I’m going to show you how good we can be together. Are you ready, baby doll?”
Her green eyes smoldered. “Yes, sir.”
* * * * *
Judd’s body glistened with sweat and a few drops of water from his shower clung to the ends of the hair lying across his forehead. His legs were braced wide and his jeans hung low on chiseled hips. Each cut of his chest muscles rippled as he made even the most minute of motions.
She was so jittery with anticipation, she could hardly breathe. She gasped for breath and it made her breasts jiggle.
He wet his lips and moved in. “Have you ever had your nipples spanked, baby doll?”
A shock of pleasure hit her and ran rampant. “N-no, Sir.” The form of address was coming easier to her. And each time she said Sir, excitement trickled low through her belly.
“I’ll start slow and light. I want you to tell me how each smack feels. You ready?”
