Fierce Encounters Series (Contemporary Romance) Complete Collection

by Mia Cardine

  Emma looked at him a moment and put her hand out to touch his. The heat coming from just his palms made her feel warm all over. She pressed her palm against his and smiled.

  Daniel closed his fingers between hers and let his arm drop. They stepped closer and before Emma could think of something to say, she was pressed against him. They were fully clothed, but she could feel his arousal and she wanted him now, without hesitation. She knew it was probably a bad idea, since they lived so close, but she didn’t care. They’d been playing a dance ever since they’d met and the song was over now. She moaned as she pressed herself against him.

  Emma felt his lips brush against hers. They kissed gently at first, but soon his tongue was pressed against her mouth, wanting entrance. She greeted his tongue with her own and they wrestled in her mouth as his hands caressed her back. They stood in silence for a few minutes, just kissing, as the party played out in the rooms beyond this.

  Emma let her hands wander. His shirt was open, and she wanted to feel the hard tone of his abs and chest. She traced the ridges in his abdomen, allowing her fingers to trail off into his pants before coming back up to his chest. She found his nipple and tweaked on it. The action provoked a moan from the man, a sound that Emma knew she could grow to like.

  With such easy access, she slid the shirt down over his shoulders. His nipples had hardened into hard nickels against his flat chest. Her mouth found one nipple and teased it, running her tongue around the outer edge of the nipple until it reacted. She enjoyed the easy way in which his body responded to her. She wondered what reaction she could get if they had the time and the place to explore this more thoroughly.

  “We don’t have a lot of time. Jenna will be wondering where I’ve gone to,” Emma said, trying to catch her breath for a second.

  “That’s too bad. I had plans for you.” His mouth hovered near her ear. When he spoke, she could feel the brush of his lips against her earlobe. It made her quiver with desire.

  “We’ll have to make do then,” Emma said. This time, she pulled him into a long kiss. As their tongues brushed against each other, she pressed against his abdomen, feeling his erection again. He was ready for her.

  With a final long kiss, Emma slowly got to her knees. She unbuttoned the front of his pants and slowly let down the zipper. Daniel hissed as the zipper slid down and his hard member fell forward a little in its release. The front of his black boxer briefs was already wet with anticipation. Emma smiled, glad to know that she wasn’t the only one who wanted this.

  She was surprised at how bold she was being. Normally, she would have required three real dates before any sexual play, but Daniel was different. The mystery, the sexiness, the muscles. All of this made her want him on a physical level. She tried not to think of it being anything more, since she knew what would happen after this.

  Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she mouthed the front of his briefs. Daniel moaned softly, but the sound encouraged Emma. She ran her tongue up and down the fabric, tasting his desire through the fabric.

  Daniel moaned again. With a single thrust, he shoved down his pants and shorts, leaving him exposed. Emma gasped. He was bigger than she was used to. She’d gone down on a few guys before, usually after she’d known them a while. None of them had been outside of the norm in length or girth. Daniel was long, probably eight inches and somewhat thick. She could easily fit her mouth around it, but she worried about choking on it.

  She started slow, teasing the head of his dick with her tongue. He oozed from the slit. She smiled at the thought of how aroused he was. She was nearly as turned on herself. She licked down the length of his member, letting her tongue go down to the balls and then back up again to the head. She did it again, faster this time and ending with her mouth over the head of his dick. She left it there a moment, willing herself not to choke.

  She felt the shaft fill her mouth as she continued to push more of him into her mouth. He nearly touched the back of her throat. Emma focused on the pleasure and began moving her mouth back and forth along his length. She kept one hand near his balls, and she played with them with her hand as she continued to lick him. Daniel moaned again, a long desperate sound that she couldn’t begin to interpret. He’d need to keep it down or the others would hear him.

  Emma’s other hand crept up his abs again, running her fingers across the hard muscled flesh. She could feel the tension in them and the harder she worked on his member, the more tense the muscles became. It was if she’d discovered a way to measure how far along he was. If the tightness of his abs was any indication, he didn’t have much more control over the situation.

  She started moving faster, knowing that their time was limited. She moved her mouth quickly up and down the shaft, tasting him as her mouth rose again to the head. She knew that he had to be getting close. He didn’t speak. His head was titled back. His eyes were nearly closed and his mouth panted.

  “I’m getting close,” he said a few moments later.

  Emma gave him another long lick and then brought her mouth off of him. He began to spurt and his juice came in long streams across the bathroom counter. His hips thrust and Emma watched him as he grew spent. He looked down at her and smiled. He offered her a hand up, and he kissed her a long and dreamy kiss, before he pulled up his pants.

  “I’ll clean this up. You’d better find that aspirin for your friend,” he said, looking around for a cloth.

  Emma handed him a hand towel and smiled. “Always the gentleman. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  “Indeed you will,” Daniel promised.

  Emma rushed back to her friends, feeling slightly torn. She played polite hostess while fantasizing about what had actually just happened in the bathroom. Even Jenna, who had swallowed the aspirins with a shot of tequila, noticed that Emma was distracted. She queried to find out what was wrong, but Emma just gave an excuse that it had been a long night with a lot of drinking.

  Some of the others took that as a sign to leave. They packed up, located their designated drivers and trundled out into the breezy summer evening. Emma expected Daniel to follow along with the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen. Emma could have kicked herself, knowing that he’d probably snuck out the back way, having gotten all that he could have wanted tonight. So much for being direct.

  Emma didn’t bother to undress. She just threw herself into bed and fell into fitful sleep.

  She awoke the next morning to the sound of knocks on the door. She groaned, rolling herself out of bed. She took a quick look in the mirror, took a brush to her blonde hair as she headed to the door. She set the brush down on the coffee table and looked out the peep hole. It was Daniel, standing there with a smile and coffee. What the hell? He’d left without a word last night and now had the nerve to show up first thing in the morning with coffee.

  Emma checked the clock. It was almost eleven. Okay, maybe not first thing, but still early. She thought about going back to bed, but Daniel knocked on the door again. Emma relented and answered the door.

  “Hi,” she said as she leaned against the door. It was very bright out and she squinted to see him.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” He proffered a coffee and another smile. “You were a little under the weather when I left last night.”

  “About that…” Emma queried.

  “What?” Daniel asked, taking a small sip of his coffee. He was clear-eyed, dressed in a more proper polo shirt and jeans. He still looked great, but Emma kept remembering him in that costume from last night.

  “What happened to you? I went to look for you and you’d vanished. Pulled up sail and cast off.” Emma wondered if her metaphor had gone too far.

  “I wasn’t sure how to say good-bye. Anything that was suitable for you might have surprised your friends, given that both of us mentioned that we’d met recently. A long good-night kiss would have been suspicious.”

  “And what about a hearty handshake?” Emma asked. She cringed inside, wondering if she’d really used
the word “hearty” in a sentence just now. Ugh. She needed to work on her confrontational skills.

  “After what happened in the bathroom, I didn’t feel right about a quick handshake or a polite hug. That would have been hard for me to pull off without showing I was interested. I decided to skip out, and then we could talk more one-on-one today.” Daniel smiled and toasted her with the coffee.

  Emma felt odd. She knew that she should protest in some manner, but at the same time, logically his reasoning made perfect sense. Did she just want to start a fight for the sake of arguing or could she better articulate what was going through her head? Could she even clear out her head enough to figure it out for herself?

  She was still thinking of last night. In some ways it was so unlike her to be so forward with a man she barely knew, but at the same time, it had felt like she’d known him for ages and that the moment had just been right. There was something to say for spontaneity, even though she rarely practiced it.

  Emma realized that she’d been lost in her own thoughts as Daniel had sat and watched her. “I guess it’s okay. I was just disappointed that you’d left so early. It made me feel cheap, I guess.” She looked down as she said the words. She couldn’t bear to see his reaction to her words.

  He took his hand and put it on her chin. Her eyes looked up to his. “I didn’t mean for you to feel that way. I would have stayed. Honest. It was just awkward. I thought we’d have more time to talk today and find out what’s next.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “There’s a next?”

  “There is if you’d like one. Last night wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t interested in something more. There’s something about you that I find – interesting.”

  Emma felt her skin flush as he spoke. She’d thought of herself as nondescript, not someone who would catch the eye of Daniel. “Thank you. Of course, it’s the same for me.”

  Daniel cleared his throat. “I’m glad to hear you say that. There’s something that I’d like to talk to you about. Just clear the air if we’re going to start dating?”

  Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. Here it was. He was going to trot out that he was married or engaged or gay or still living with his mother. Some game changer that she couldn’t have possibly foreseen in their short time together. “I’m glad you feel comfortable in sharing with me,” she replied. She congratulated herself on the calm demeanor she presented as she winced internally.

  “It’s nothing terrible, but I like to put it out there fairly early. I don’t want to spook anyone that I date.”

  Here it comes, Emma thought. The wife and kids speech.

  “I’m very much into BDSM, and I prefer to date women who are as well. I don’t require it all the time with the person I’m involved with, but for me, it enhances the relationship significantly to engage in dominance.”

  Emma couldn’t find the words to speak, she wasn’t sure what to say. She’d never done anything kinkier than doing it in the bathroom at a party. Now he was wanting her to be a part of some sex scene that she had no idea about.

  Daniel looked at her. “Too soon to bring this up? Not interested?”

  Emma forced a smile at him. “Not really sure what it’s all about. I mean, I’ve heard about it. I just don’t know anything more than a few things I’ve heard.”

  “It’s fairly simple, actually. There are two roles in dominance. There’s the dominant role, which would be me. It’s not a guy or girl thing. It’s just the role I prefer. I’ve always preferred to be the one in charge of a situation, whether it’s work or sex.”

  “So then I’d be the submissive person?” Emma thought her own voice sounded weak and raspy as she spoke. She wouldn’t be intimidated by this. Just because it was something that she didn’t understand was no reason to reject it. She at least owed herself the chance to learn more about it before deciding.

  “Yes, the submissive, who is usually just called a ‘sub’, is the person who submits to the wishes of the other person.” Daniel practically glowed as he spoke, talking about this. Emma could see it on his cheeks and in his eyes. He was turned on by just the mere discussion of this.

  “So it’s just a sex thing?” Emma said, still not taking in the full range of what he was talking about or why he was so turned on.

  “It can be, but I’d prefer it not to be. It’s a matter of a mutually agreed upon power exchange, where you trust me to do what’s best for you and to make the decisions for you in the bedroom – and sometimes out of the bedroom.”

  Emma pursed her lips. She wasn’t sure how that would work. She liked being in charge of her own life. What would it be like to give control over to someone else? “So I’d give in to all you wanted?”

  Daniel’s face turned serious. “It’s not like that. I’m not going to keep you trapped in a basement somewhere. You’d still go out, see friends, do the things that you enjoy. I’d just want you to wear a little reminder that you belong to me.”

  Emma stood up without thinking. “Not a dog collar or something. No way. My friends would freak out if they saw that.”

  Daniel stood up too and took her hand in his. “Not like that at all. In a relationship I had a long time ago, the sub wore a leather cuff around her wrist. It looked like a friendship type bracelet to most people, but to us it meant more.”

  Emma yawned against her will. She was still tired from last night and this conversation was pretty intense for one cup of coffee. “This is a lot to take in all at once. I was thinking you were going to tell me that you were married or something – and instead I get a lecture on BDSM. Wow.”

  Daniel smiled. “Why don’t you take a few days to think about it? We don’t have to rush anything. We could start slow and work our way into more. It’s not fair for me to expect you to be at the same place I am. I’ve done this for years, and it’s what I prefer in a relationship.”

  Emma looked at him. “Relationship?”

  It was Daniel’s turn to blush slightly. “Well, I was hoping after last night that, well you know…”

  Emma perked up. She was in familiar territory now. “So the deal is that we would be a couple if I agreed to be your sub?”

  Daniel took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to think of it as a blackmail situation. I’m not swapping me for sex. But I do like you – a lot, and I’d like to pursue something, but I know from experience that in order for a relationship to work for me that BDSM has to be a part of it. I don’t want it to sound like you have to do this or else. It’s just what works for me.”

  Emma nodded. “I get that. It’s still a lot to take in all at once – on a Sunday morning.” She gave him a wan smile in hope that it was enough to buy her some time on this matter. She had some serious considerations to make.

  Daniel nodded. He changed the subject to the neighborhood and the friends from the party last night. Emma tried to reintroduce him to all of them via their role in her life and what they’d been dressed in last night. At least the costumes had been colorful enough to make it easy to individualize them. He laughed at the stories she told, and before she knew it, Emma had agreed to dinner.

  Fortunately, Daniel knew of a Thai restaurant with lots of privacy. Emma wanted to continue their discussion, which required some discretion. Emma spoke up after their orders had been taken. “I’m very interested in you, but I do want a normal dating life”

  Daniel took a bit of his spring roll and grinned. “It’s not my every waking moment. You should know. I came to your party last night wearing a pirate’s costume of all things. However, most of the time in the bedroom, I like dominance. It’s what really turns me on. The rest is okay, but I know what I like. I can go through the motions with other types of sex, but I know what works for me.”

  Emma sighed. “What about flowers and gifts? I don’t want to sound totally materialistic, but a girl likes to be wooed.”

  Daniel waved his arm around the room. “We’re here. I can eat in public and have a good time out on the town. I won’t wear cha
ps to your friends’ weddings, I promise.”

  Emma laughed at that, but a small part of her wondered how he would look in chaps. “I still need to think about this. It’s all new to me.”

  “I understand. I just usually put it out front rather than wait until we’re weeks or months into a relationship and then you find out that I like this and don’t want it.”

  The conversation slipped back to discussions of restaurants they’d been to. They played a game of trying to find mutual acquaintances, which passed the time but bore no fruit. Daniel escorted Emma back to her house. She stood awkwardly on the front step, wondering if he would be turned off by her pursuing a kiss. She decided to go for it and leaned in close to him.

  Daniel reciprocated and gently put his arms around her. They stood there in the dim light of the front door locked in embrace. The kiss today was sweeter, less demanding than last night. He took his time before pushing his tongue against her lips. She let him in and immediately began to feel the desire of the previous evening. She’d only had a single drink at the restaurant tonight, so alcohol was not fueling her desire.

  She broke off the kiss long enough to open the door and move the action inside. She grabbed his shirt and held on as his hands began to run across her. She wasted no time in getting his shirt to the floor. She began as she had last night, kissing and biting at his nipples. There were no guests to hide from tonight, and Daniel’s moan was audible in the house. He pulled her blouse over her head and held her tight for a moment before he started the lightest bites on her neck and shoulders. He would nip her skin and then use his tongue to lick over it. He fumbled with her bra for a second and then it fell to the ground as well. He began with just touching her breasts, running his fingers over the nipples lightly. She felt her areoles grow hard as he played with them.

  She started moving them, half-dressed, into the bedroom. Still standing, she kicked off her shoes. Daniel did the same. She stepped backwards and pulled him along. He was being almost timid, which surprised Emma, since they’d spent the better part of dinner talking about his dominance. Emma felt the back of her legs against the mattress. Daniel’s hands were on her at once, gripping her hips hard, hard enough to leave red marks in their wake. She reached for him, getting him free from his pants and then his underwear, black boxer briefs again.