Catch You For Christmas (Bad Boys Book 7)

by Susan Arden

  But in a millisecond, the sizzling sight of him blew apart her drowning frustration.

  Now, his warm hands on her body, his demanding mouth on her lips, and his ability to commandeer her volition—he eradicated her argument that his way was wrong. He was a force to contend with, edging closer like a predator with his ripped muscular body that he kept in tip-top shape.

  She pushed her breasts against his large palms, moaning as he captured her nipples and kissed her roughly. His lips were erotically punishing, accentuated by sucking her bottom lip between his teeth and biting down with the right amount of pressure to make her whimper. Between her legs she felt swollen and slick, and she craved him, pounding into her, bowing over her body. And yes…owning her.

  But how could she admit that everything he said sounded so right? He’d own her lock, stock, and without end. If she gave in, she might never be in control of her future, let alone her desire to be an independent self-sufficient woman.

  What should I do? What do I want?

  “Babe, I’m confused,” she whispered, looking up in his green eyes and seeing both the solution before her as well as the hurdle she might need to overcome.

  It didn’t seem possible to have her man cake and eat it too…not when he returned her gaze with a hungry expression of his own that encapsulated the threat of him consuming her from top to bottom. Oh yeah, especially her bottom!

  “I don’t want you confused,” he replied, pulling her to him with one of his strong arms banded around her waist. “What is it that you want? Tell me the truth.”

  The elevator stopped with a jerk as the steel bars squeaked. Instead of releasing her to open the metal grill, he stared down at her. Waiting.

  “I don’t want to lose myself…so that you dictate my whole life.”

  “That’s not going to happen. I don’t want to rule you, but you need boundaries. I’m going to help you to be stronger. There’s a difference. Do you understand my point?”

  “I think so. Yes. But—”

  He grazed his lips over hers in what felt like a teasing slide, until he growled and planted a kiss over the center of her mouth, muffling her moan. “There are no buts,” he murmured, lifting his head an inch, his gaze colliding with hers. “There’s only you and me.”

  His breath caressed her lips and she craved more of him. “I’m not arguing that issue, but you treating me like I’m a child isn’t fair.”

  “You disobeyed me. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got cause or whatever rationalities you’d like to entertain. Your motives are inconsequential. Between you and me, nothing exists except our love. I won’t have that undermined by disrespect. You wouldn’t put up with it from me and I’m not about to let you cross a line that will harm our relationship. We’re both charged with calling each other on any B.S. we try to sling. And baby, that’s what this is plain and simple.”

  “I-I-I…”

  “Yes?” He lifted his eyebrow.

  “I was working!”

  He pulled her closer. “Try again!”

  Swallowing, she replied, “I wasn’t trying to bullshit you. I see a problem and….”

  “And? Don’t stop there,” he prompted her.

  She exhaled, recalling her god-awful day from holy hell. She rolled her eyes before her gaze returned to his. Christ, maybe he could help her. Reaching up and running her fingers across the stubble on his jaw, she nodded. “Okay, I recognize a big problem and it’s snowballing.”

  Her admission didn’t open the door to him sermonizing. He kissed her forehead, his lips warm and comforting.

  Pulling back, he looked down at her. “I can help.” Three words and he watched her, his fiery gaze unwavering.

  “What have you got in mind?” she asked, her skin heating as his lips quirked.

  “Little wildcat, let’s go inside and I’ll show you. And I promise, nothing that I’m about to do will make you feel like a child. You’re all woman. My woman, and from this moment on, you’ll remember that fact.”

  She shivered in apprehension from the way his green eyes glinted like glass and his stern words came out edged in steel. She’d been around enough hardcore men to recognize when said man was about to lay down the law. And holy crap, this man intended to lay his law across her ass!

  Her heart hammered so hard it felt like small dings and dents were being left along the back of her ribs. She tried to feign courage, and when she scowled at him, her lips trembled. Some wildcat!

  Without releasing her, he pivoted and yanked the handle, opening the grate, and walked into the small hallway between their apartment and Jeanette’s. Brett didn’t pause, but lifted her up into his strong arms and her sweater, camisole, and coat were wide open as her tits bounced, unencumbered for the whole world to see.

  She reached for her coat and Brett growled, “Don’t even think about it!”

  He paused at their door, pulled his keys from his pocket, and met her gaze. He shifted his eyes to her naked chest and his nostrils flared. A muscle clicked at the corner of his cheek, and except for the jiggling of his keys, the silence was deafening.

  The air between them all but crackled, like one of those fierce electrical storms back home that came before a thundershower. The hairs along her neck rose when their door burst open and he strode inside, kicked it closed with his boot heel without breaking stride. He crossed the apartment, all the way to their bedroom. Once inside, he surveyed the interior for a beat before grunting out a possessive sound like an alpha male, affirming he was home.

  Brett tossed her gently onto their bed. “From here on out, you don’t move unless you have permission. Understood?”

  “Yes.”

  “‘Yes’ what?” he leaned over her, caging her between his arms.

  The silk comforter, plush and sensually riveting, rubbed beneath her fingers. “Yes, Sir,” she replied in a measured cadence.

  Without moving, he let his gaze drift lower on her body and the way he consumed her with his once-over made her nipples pebble. He lifted her arms above her head, and lowered his mouth to her breast, sucking her tip into his mouth. She thrashed under him, bucking her hips, trying to get free to touch him back. He growled a warning in a deep voice; the vibration resonated along her skin, making her moan his name. He switched sides, sucking her other nipple deep into his mouth, hoisting her arms higher, sucking her harder until she arched her back off the bed.

  “Please, Brett!”

  For several seconds, he didn’t stop. Didn’t say a word. He sucked, licked, and nipped her breasts, transferring her two wrists into one of his large hands. Without warning, he slid his palm next to her belly, beneath the waistband of her leggings, and in between her thighs. He thrust his finger into her, all the way. “You’re wet. So wet,” he said between his gritted teeth.

  “Let me ride you. Oh babe…”

  He pumped his finger into her hard. Rough. Then stopped.

  “I call the shots. Not you.” He released her wrists and removed his finger from her pussy, sucking her juices from his skin. Peering down at her, his heated gaze drilled into her with a dose of smoldering lust, unyielding in his eyes. “I bought a few things to help us get our house in order, so to speak. First things first. This is an all or nothing kind of deal. After I start, you won’t say some word to get me to relent. I’m serious about helping you. Don’t bother with any pleas, and no howling! I’ll stop when I decide you’ve learned your lesson. This spanking will hurt like the dickens. But nothing you can’t take.”

  “How will you know?” Oh my goodness! So this is how this was going down. She’d heard from her sister-in-laws and friends enough talk about scorching-hot sex. More and more of her girlfriends talked about silk ties and a few had their own handcuffs tucked into their nightstands.

  Not her.

  Outside of one spanking, she had zero experience in anything that resembled sugarkink.

  “You trusted me before. Trust me again. Just like I trust you.
I’ll always give you what you need to be successful.” He jerked his chin, his eyes moving around the room before settling back on her, reconnecting their gazes as she felt a juggernaut of excitement burst apart under her skin.

  He was prepared to deliver scintillating pleasure, mixing this carnal connection they shared with erotic pain. But she understood, she had to agree. “I do trust you. It’s just hard.”

  “Darlin, I’m prepared to love you… harder,” he grunted, placing a kiss on her mouth, lightly sucking her bottom lip. “Say ‘yes’ and we’ll begin.”

  “Yes,” she hissed.

  Brett lifted her ankle and removed one of her boots, then the other. He peeled off her socks, staring down at her. He pulled her up to sit and slid off her coat, then her sweater and tattered camisole, unhooked her bra, and had her bare from the torso up.

  “Stay right there,” he commanded. “Don’t move.”

  Sliding his leather jacket off his broad shoulders, he flung it onto the chest at the foot of the bed. Hooking his finger in the back of his shirt, he removed his pullover, giving her a tantalizing view of corrugated muscle that composed his abs up to his rock hard pecs.

  She pressed her knees together, failing to suppress a shiver. Impossible when he returned to her, lifting her up off the bed, and then gripping her around the waist. He pulled her to him, their naked torsos touching. His hard body grazed the tips of her breasts, making her nipples pebble and ache. Up close and bare chested, he was a specimen of arresting masculinity. She let her gaze drift down from his face to the smooth skin stretched taut over his chest.

  “What’s running through that wild imagination of yours?” he asked, kneeling before her. He rolled her leggings off her hips, then down to her ankles. She leaned over, pressing her palms on his carved shoulders as he knelt in front of her, peeling her leggings the rest of the way off her feet.

  “That I’d like to lick a path from your collarbone to your cock,” she replied, meeting his gaze.

  “Baby, I love watching you suck on my skin, especially my cock as I fuck your mouth. Cory, we’ve got a whole day ahead of us and we’re spending it naked.”

  He pressed his face forward, his mouth peppering kisses over her stomach as his fingers undid one satin bow on her hip, then the other. He removed her panties and sat back on his hunches, holding her by her hips. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Let me ride you. Please don’t make me beg,” she whispered, swaying her breasts in front of his face. His grip tightened on her hips and in one swift motion, he reached behind her and swatted her on the bottom.

  “Afterward,” he said, his eyes darkening. “Don’t tease me. Sit on the bed. Now.”

  She met his gaze, his pupils were fully dilated, and the muscle twitched on and off at his jaw. “Yes, Sir,” she replied, as goose bumps spread over her skin.

  Standing, he unbuckled his belt, then unbuttoned his jeans, revealing more of his happy trail to drive her wild. Goose bumps spread over the carved contours composing his shoulders. His nipples were erect, the brown discs tight, beckoning her to lick and suck a trail over his pecs. She clawed the comforter as she sat on the edge of the bed, and he undressed before her. He stopped to remove his boots, then unzipped his jeans, and peeled off his wet clothing.

  “Do you want me to start a fire?” she asked, wishing she could do something to offset the butterflies swarming in her stomach.

  “No. Learning to wait patiently is a skill. One you’ll learn if you don’t try to escape being overwhelmed.”

  That’s exactly what she did…dove headfirst into a problem. It was easier to get busy than deal with her fear of failure. Was she that transparent? Or was he truly in tune with her?

  “Okay, I’m waiting,” she said. “Semi-patiently. It’s all I’ve got right now.”

  “It’s a start,” he replied.

  Naked, he crossed their bedroom and opened the glass fireplace doors, placing two logs inside. Sweet Jesus, he was something to behold. Merry, MERRY, Christmas to me!

  “How long has the electricity been out? We’re low on starter sticks,” he remarked, striking one but all she could focus on was his very large and very hard cock at the mention of a stick. More like a log. “Are you going to answer me?”

  Um, did he expect to have a normal conversation?

  She stopped staring at his hard-on, and forced her attention to his face. “Since last night. It comes and goes. I fell asleep on the sofa.”

  He threw the stick inside, closing the doors when the logs caught fire. Flames shot upward and the logs crackled loudly. In the early morning light, his body was backlit by the fire, casting shadows that outlined the hundreds of bands of solid sinew, crisscrossing his body.

  Instead of coming to the bed, he bent over, retrieving his carry-on, and brought it to the chair. He opened it and removed a black, plastic bag. From within the bag, he withdrew a large paddle, and then fully faced her. “Baby, time to learn some discipline.”

  Chapter 8

  EACH TIME Cory bared her body to him, he had to instill rebar into his resolve to go slow. Hard, rough, crazy sex was not what they did—not yet. He’d held back from taking her over the edge into the arena of untamed, full-throttle fucking.

  But he was close, and for fuck’s sake he wanted more and more. Her naked body caused a rush inside him—he didn’t need any more ammunition to get hot and bothered by her. Her plump tits filled his imagination. Her pert pink nipples were the perfect size to suck into his mouth to drive them both insane. Now, with her breasts right in front of his face, he curled his fingers over the silky skin of her hips. So tempting to lay her down, he thought as his cock throbbed. All he had to do was push her back onto the bed, spread her thighs, and give them both relief. God, if they were back home in Dallas, he could be buried balls deep in her right now. He looked up into her face, and steeled his resolve yet one more time.

  After lighting the fire, he rose and went to his carry-on, removed the paddle from the plastic bag, and watched as Cory’s eyes widened.

  Retracing his steps, he showed her the paddle. “Baby, time to learn some discipline.”

  Sweet Jesus, that’s what he was about to demonstrate…his ability to maintain his own discipline in not tossing the paddle aside to thrust deep inside her. Everything about this type of interaction took a toll on him, requiring that he maintain an ironclad lock on his self-control, and not give in to what his dick demanded as they stood inches apart.

  Naked.

  Mind-blowing.

  Inches.

  If he could maintain self-control under these hotter than hell conditions, so could she in life beyond their bed. He sank down on the side of the mattress, and set the paddle next to him. He guided her across his knees, silently groaning as her soft body folded over his legs. Her rounded ass cheeks were presented to him and he rubbed his palm over one perfect globe, and then the other as a thunderbolt of lust tore through him. Palming her ass, he felt himself go beyond rigid.

  “First my hand. To get you accustomed to being spanked and then the paddle.” No need to delay the inevitable. He landed a firm smack on her ass cheek, reinforcing that he was calling all the shots.

  “Ouch!” she cried, her head snapping upward.

  Without responding, he spanked her once, then again. With each smack, she jerked forward, gasping softly. He refused to give in or reinforce any words or movement on her part that detracted from delivering the discipline she required. She’d grown up pampered and petted—he couldn’t fault her parents, having one daughter amidst five rowdy sons. He adored Cory, but this was his duty. His girl—his duty. He repeated that sentiment for several smacks to her bottom. He spanked her nonstop, counting six on each cheek.

  Only when he paused, did he admire the glowing sight of her lovely cheeks that he’d stained pink, and had him hungry to stop and sample what lay between her thighs.

  “Spread your beautiful legs,” he instructed her. “Wider,” he
demanded, impatient to touch her silken heat.

  She complied without contradicting him and that was remarkable in and of itself. With her thighs splayed open, he bit back a groan at seeing her glistening folds. He fought the urge haul her onto the bed and drive his cock fully inside her as he fucked her repeatedly.

  “Please touch me,” she whispered, rocking her ass seductively for him.

  “You’re wet,” he said hoarsely, his cock juddering as she rubbed her mound against his quads. He pressed his hand along the curve of her hip, forcing her to lie flush on top of his lap. Fuck, if he slid his finger across her pussy, he’d lose it.

  “Have you spanked me enough?” she asked.

  He smacked her again with his palm. Hard.

  “Sugar, we’re just getting started,” he replied, curling his fingers around the leather handle of the paddle. He lifted it off the bed. The paddle was crafted from a dark walnut, the center bored with holes, and the weight felt oddly comforting in his hand. He tried it out, spanking her right ass cheek. Whack!

  “Whoa!” she croaked.

  “That’s for teasing me. Again.” He landed another smooth smack to her creamy glowing cheek, and heard the sharp gasp that hissed from Cory’s mouth. Again he lifted and delivered a well-planned spank to the other side of her ass. His cock throbbed incessantly from his handiwork as her ass cheeks blushed a deeper pink. The next time, he landed the paddle on the center of her backside, and she jerked, crying out a muffled sound as though her words were tangled within her throat.

  She turned to him, a mixture of a glare and disbelief, her sapphire eyes liquid jewels within a simmering gaze, locked with his. “Sir,” she whispered. “How much more?”

  Sweet Lord, he wanted to stop and get her under him as he buried his length inside her over and over. He gripped the handle, fisting it, and replied, clenching his jaw, “At least ten more. Moving from side-to-side, or down the center. Haven’t decided which.”

  Her chin quivered and she swung her gaze away. He spanked her again, harder this time. Opting for the middle of her bottom, he felt her flinch from what he imagined had to be the sting of the paddle, ricocheting through her. He hungered to have her fully splayed. If only they had one of those padded benches he’d seen at the S & L. He could spank her and observe her expression. A lot easier to gauge what his spitfire required. A bench would provide him with the means to deliver precise licks.