by Amelia Jade
“Fifth, I shouldn’t have been so cold to you after we got together. Nor been afraid to let you be close to me in public.”
He considered her words as she lapsed into silence, seemingly having said her piece.
“So what did your parents have to say about the baby?” he asked softly.
Rhynne stiffened, but she didn’t say anything, and Dominick had his answer.
“This is the problem, Rhynne. You are afraid of them, and therefore you’re unwilling to tell them the truth, which by the way, they are going to figure out on their own sooner rather than later. Then you’ll be in an even worse jam.”
She looked down, avoiding his piercing gaze, and he desperately wanted to reach out and move her reddish-brown hair out of her face as it fell across it now, but he couldn’t. Nor could he kiss her plump lips or caress her cheeks. There was this object between them that was preventing both of them from truly acting on their feelings.
Dominick wasn’t stupid. He could see that she cared for him, but until the issue hanging between them could be dealt with, their feelings for each other would never be truly allowed to blossom. He regretted that fact, but he wasn’t going to enter into some sort of secret relationship. Rhynne would have to deal with her own inner demons. He would support her however he could of course, but she was the one who would have to do so.
And as he stared across at her, the distance felt much farther than it truly was, as if a gulf yawned between them.
“It’s not that easy,” she said heavily. “I know it should be. Believe me Dominick, intellectually I understand it.”
“Perhaps,” he said gently, trying a different tactic for a change, “you need to re-examine why you’re even doing it.”
She frowned. “Doing what? Telling my parents about you? I’m doing it because I care for you, and because you care for me. But I care for them as well. They are my parents, Dominick, and I can’t hurt them.”
He nodded. “And they won’t like it, because they assume it would be bad for you to be with me, correct? That I would not be a good fit, and thus you would not be as happy?”
Rhynne shrugged. “Essentially.”
“A mother will do that, you know,” he said. “Perhaps that’s what you need to start thinking of. Don’t do it for me,” he urged. “Do it for our child. For our daughter, or our son. You owe it to them to ensure they grow up with parents who can be there, involved, and unencumbered by exterior factors.”
Rhynne jerked back, her face full of pain as he spoke, and he could see the blood draining from her face as she realized the truth of what he was saying. Tears formed in her eyes, and this time Dominick did go to her, wiping them away with his thumbs as he squatted down at the edge of the bed to be on her level.
“Okay,” she whispered, terrified. “I’ll do it.”
The tension in the room lifted measurably, and Dominick sighed in relief as he pulled her head to his chest. He wanted to do more, to lift her chin and press his lips to hers. His entire body was aflame with desire, which, combined with the more nurturing aspect of it all, made his refusal to do so torture.
He’d gotten through to her, giving her not one, but two powerful reasons to confront her parents, who seemed to be such scary figures to her. It had worked, and perhaps now they could begin to press forward with their relationship and see what was truly there between them. Dominick relished that more than just about anything else in this world.
“But I need you with me when I do,” she whispered from within his embrace.
Oh.
Shit.
Chapter Ten
Rhynne
“I would have been with you from the beginning, if you’d let me.”
She looked up at him. “Really?”
He nodded, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Yes, of course. I’m pretty sure that night I made the first move. It wasn’t just because you’re beautiful, Rhynne.” Dom smiled. “I’ve been crazy about you for a while.”
Her heart caught in her throat. “I didn’t realize you cared that strongly. Not at first, at least. I thought you just wanted something physical.” She looked down, ashamed. “That’s why I was so standoffish, you know. I had to keep you at a distance, because I couldn’t provide that sort of unattached, uncaring agreement.”
Dominick sat down heavily from his squatting position in front of her. “That’s why you did it?” he asked in disbelief.
Turning her head so that he couldn’t see the guilt written on her face, Rhynne nodded, pursing her lips as she tried not to cry.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” she said helplessly as the tears came back, clouding her eyes over with a watery cover. “Clearly I’m no good at this part of life, am I?” she said with a sarcastic laugh. “I could do the whole Guardian and soldier bit. Always was good at that. Executing missions, obeying orders, the whole lot. Driving myself to do better was just natural. But emotions? Relationships and social interaction?” She shook her head. “Hopelessly inept.”
Dominick didn’t say anything as he got up and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Rhynne immediately tensed up at his closeness, unsure of what to do next.
“Welcome to the club,” he said. “I’ve been terrified of you, and so refrained from saying anything.”
Despite the tears, Rhynne managed an actual laugh. “Of me? What?”
He joined her in a laugh. “Yes, you. Think about it. I’m just a cadet, trying to learn my way. And here you come along, this super-hot badass Guardian, who also happens to be one of my instructors. What guy thinks he’s good enough for a woman like that?”
“I think you’re overstating things a bit,” she protested.
“How I feel about you, or how small you made me feel?” he teased, then whispered in her ear. “I’ll deny it if you tell anyone, but you make me weak in the knees.”
Rhynne inhaled sharply as the temperature in the room notched up several degrees instantaneously. “Is that so?” she asked slowly, unsure of exactly what it was she thought she was doing.
Dominick made an affirmative noise. “Here, I’ll show you,” he said, taking one of her hands and placing it on his knee closest to her.
“I don’t feel anything,” she said, her voice wavering, but not quite cracking as her fingers dragged across his leg, her palm rubbing through his jeans.
“I do,” he whispered into her ear, the wash of his breath over her ear sending little tingles down her spine, eliciting a shiver of delight from her core.
“That’s because I’m touching you,” she told him, still not looking up as she watched her hand go back and forth, stopping about midway along his upper leg before slowly moving back toward his knee.
“Would you like me to touch you?” he asked huskily, leaning in slightly closer to her neck, his deep voice reverberating across her skin as he spoke. He all but growled his question in that deep, seductive way that men somehow managed to pull off.
Not trusting her voice, Rhynne nodded, and tried not to jump as a big, strong hand ran up her back. She was wearing her normal vest and white shirt combo, but right then, she wished there were nothing between his fingers and her skin. Nothing that could impede her feeling his touch, wherever he might decide to do so.
“So all this time,” he said, his lips a fraction of an inch from her ear.
He dragged a single finger across her neck, left exposed by her hair, which was worn up in a tight ponytail as usual.
“You’re telling me…” He dropped another finger onto her, moving closer to her hair. “That you’ve actually wanted me?”
Rhynne, still not able to speak, nodded. Dom chose that moment to push all of his fingers up through her hair, massaging her scalp with them as his lips burned a mark in her neck. She trembled under his touch, feeling the heat in her core rise as the fires burned brighter, stoked by Dom’s touch.
His head dipped lower, slowly, achingly slowly, kissing down her exposed neck toward her collarbone. He kept kneading his fingers through her
hair, keeping Rhynne all but immobile in his grip as he sent every nerve ending he came across into a frenzied breakdown.
Rhynne’s right hand came up across her body, reaching around the back of his head even as he continued to press his lips into the tender flesh of her neck, and her fingernails gently scraped across his skin, starting just behind his ear and moving to the base of his neck.
Dominick shuddered at that, but he didn’t stop. Instead, Rhynne stiffened as his other hand slid across her lap, beginning to rub up and down the inside of her leg. He stopped short of the arch at the top, but each time his fingers came a little bit closer. The stimulation was becoming almost too much for her to handle.
Almost.
“Dom,” she whispered as his teeth nipped lightly at her neck, the mixed sensations driving her further into the fog of arousal that was rising within her, that heady feeling that seemed to eclipse everything else around her whenever it appeared.
“Yes?” his voice came through her ear, deep and thrumming with desire as they once again fell into each other’s embraces.
This was what she’d seen in him that first night, and why she had let herself be seduced by a cadet. There was a connection between them, a bond of sorts that seemed to transcend their normal interaction. It was as if they both just had an instinctual understanding of what the other wanted, when they wanted it, and how.
And right now, Dom was holding back on her.
“Touch me,” she all but begged, willing his hand between her legs to rise just a little bit farther.
“Is that so?” he asked, continuing the slow, deliberate, rise and fall of his fingers, while his lips dipped just a little bit closer toward her collarbone.
Rhynne hissed in restrained delight, but she nodded. “Yes, touch me now,” she told him, contemplating removing her hand from his lap and forcing him between her legs. But she didn’t, for now.
“Say please,” he spoke into her ear, his voice hardening in that utterly intoxicating way, the one which signaled he was taking control of the situation. At the same time, his fingers in her hair tightened. Not enough to make her uncomfortable, but just enough to give a tug on her hair.
Rhynne couldn’t help it. She moaned at the change in his approach. It was so fucking hot. “Please,” she whispered. “I want it.”
Dominick seemed to consider it for a moment. “Like this?” he asked, and his fingers reached up and pressed between her legs, sending shockwaves of pleasure rushing out through her system as he finally made contact with her clit, even if it was through several layers of clothing. That first touch was still electric, and it produced a violent shudder that ran from the base of her spine up to her neck.
“Yes,” she said aloud, “just like that, please.”
This time Dominick’s voice was a growl as he stopped kissing her and spoke into her ear once more. “Please, what?”
The commanding tone in his voice made it clear to her what he was looking for, the answer he wanted to hear. Rhynne felt blood rush through her body at the way he was taking command.
“Please, sir, touch me like that,” she replied, knowing that that was what he wanted to hear.
“Better,” he said, and she almost lost control as his hand began to move anew between her legs, drawing circles with his fingers around and over her, coaxing more moans from between her lips as she tried to stay focused.
“Shh,” Dom was forced to say at one point. “We’re not fully alone this time.”
Rhynne nodded and bit her lip, trying desperately to keep quiet as his touches built the heat within her, forcing her hotter and hotter until she was ready to explode.
“Stand up,” Dom commanded abruptly, and Rhynne was on her feet before he was done speaking.
“Turn around.”
She did as she was commanded, facing away from him. She felt more than saw him rise from the bed, and his body pressed up against hers. His head came around and he began to kiss the neglected side of her neck, sending a fresh batch of shivers through her whole body.
Rhynne felt her knees begin to wobble as two strong, deft hands slid up her sides, across her stomach, and cupped her small, but firm breasts through her shirt. She wasn’t overly sensitive when it came to her mounds being touched, but she did, however, love the feeling of Dom’s hands on her body.
“I want to see you naked,” he rumbled into her neck, his fingers beginning to unbutton her vest. She didn’t even have time to reply before the two buttons fell away. “I want to be able to run my lips across your entire body,” he continued.
“Yes,” she said, the word coming out as a moan. “Please, sir.” Now she was begging, and she was loving the growl of delight that Dom gave, the vibrations powerful enough she could feel them through his chest. The noise turned her on even more, if that was even possible at that point.
Moments later her shirt was open and he was able to touch the soft, smooth skin of her stomach and sides for the first time. He didn’t waste a moment, tracing fiery lines across her skin with the tips of his fingers.
Her heart was racing, blood pounding against her skull as he brought her to new heights of arousal. Yet all she could think was that he hadn’t even kissed her yet! Rhynne felt her eyes roll back into her head as he continued to touch her body, hands sliding up her sides before diving down and across her stomach, pressing over her jeans and running right over her now-throbbing clit.
Rhynne couldn’t take much more. She was about ready to explode, and her pants were still on. She tried to turn and face him so that she might kiss him, but firm hands grabbed her shoulder and held her still.
“Did I tell you to move?” he asked in her ear, his voice full of command once more.
“No sir,” she replied, allowing herself to submit to his authority.
In her normal life, Rhynne was anything but submissive. She was a dominant, powerful figure, and that was just the way she liked it. But right then, right there, the subtle yet unmistakable ways that Dom was taking control were perfect. He was firm without being overly rough, and yet despite him being in control, it was she who was benefitting from it all as he explored her body.
The contrast was powerful, and it increased her arousal further, ensuring she would do anything he commanded her to.
Now if only he would command me to do something. Like take off my pants. Or take off his pants…
Abruptly she realized her hands had been doing little more than dangling at her sides, or touching Dom’s arms, feeling his muscles as he ran them across her. Feeling frisky and confident, she let them fall back to her sides. Then, biting her lip in anticipation, she pushed her hand across his firm stomach and down over his belt. She hesitated for just a moment as his hands undid her bra, stopping her actions to let the last piece of material on her upper body fall to the ground before she resumed her quest.
Dom had touched and was now seeing much of her body. It was only fair that she was able to return the favor. Her hands found his belt buckle, pulling it apart as her hips pushed back into him and feeling the hard bulge pressing through his pants. She wanted to free it, to wrap her hands around it and stroke it, until Dom told her to do more.
He didn’t stop her as she fumbled with the button of his jeans. After a second it came away, and she tugged the zipper down as well. Rhynne didn’t pause to pull his pants down. Instead she just tucked her hands under the waistband of his boxers and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. He was already almost completely hard, and the sudden groan as she touched him was accompanied by a rush of blood to his cock, hardening it still further in her grip. His hands had been midway up her now completely bare sides, and they slid across her ribs to cup her breasts, his fingers gently playing with her nipples as they hardened under his touch.
Now, however, he slid one hand down her stomach and back between her legs, while the other came up and lightly wrapped around her neck. Rhynne froze. Not out of fear, but out of anticipation. Dominick wasn’t going to hurt her, she knew that, and had no
doubts. No, her pause was because she knew he was about to order her to do something else. She just didn’t know what it was.
“Do you like what you’ve found?” he said into her ear, nibbling on her lobe as he did.
“Y-Yes, sir,” she said, her voice stammering as his fingers found her clit, moving over it as he awaited her response.
“Good. You’re going to show me how much you like it, aren’t you?” he asked, though his voice wasn’t a question.
Rhynne licked her lips, knowing exactly what she was going to do now. “Yes, sir,” she replied, turning to face him.
Dom pulled her close and at last he kissed her. Both of his hands came up and grabbed the sides of her head, while she threw her arms around his neck, hauling him in tight. She knew it would be some minutes more before she got the chance to kiss him again. She took advantage of the moment right then and there, pressing her tongue out until it found his, their lips coming apart and moving back together as they stood there in various states of undress.
At last they broke apart for air, and Rhynne did as she had been commanded to by dropping to her knees in front of him. His jeans had fallen to his knees, but the electric-blue boxers—such a fitting color—were still concealing him from her eager eyes. With a lick of her lips to wet them, she pulled the waistband out and over his cock, springing it free from its clothed prison so that she could look upon it at last.
From her first grip she’d known it was long, and it hung out now, as if straining toward her in eagerness for what she was about to do. Thick veins ran up the underside as she wrapped her hand around the base of it, holding him steady while her tongue flicked out and around the underside.
“Fuck that feels good,” Dom groaned from above her, invigorating her efforts as he continued to make pleasurable noises while she sucked his cock.
There was nothing better than a man that made it known he liked what she was doing, and Dom did just that. He continued to brush his fingers through her hair, which was starting to fall out of her ponytail. His grunts and groans told her she was doing a good job.
