“Very nice.”
Pleasure surged through her at his words. He ran a hand down her back, making her shiver. Every nerve-ending in her body sung. He twisted her hair around his hand, tugging on it. Her breath caught, nerves and memories entangling one another.
Duncan kissed her shoulder, reaching his hand around to cup her breast.
“Easy, sugar.” His voice was low, soothing. “Who’s touching you? Say my name.”
“Duncan.”
“Again.”
“Duncan.”
Her tight chest eased, allowing her to take a deeper breath. Duncan wouldn’t hurt her.
He let go of her hair, stepping close behind her, his skin hot against her back. He grasped both of her breasts in his hands, pinching her nipples, tugging on them. She whimpered.
There are rules I want to discuss,” Duncan said.
She nodded. Duncan was big on rules. It was as though rules helped him keep control over his life. He was big on control, not only because he was a Dom, but she figured because there had been little calm and control while he’d been growing up.
He had once told her a little about his childhood and it sounded like complete chaos, so she could understand his need to control his surroundings.
“You will use one of your safe words at any stage you need to. Yellow to slow down, Odie to stop. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“During sex, I’m in charge. Outside of the bedroom, I would want control of your health and safety. Beyond that I’m willing to negotiate.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Lean over and rest your hands on the bench.”
Laken bent over, placing her palms on the bench, pushing her ass out.
Duncan kneeled between her legs and ran his hands over her buttocks before pulling the lips of her pussy apart. He held her that way, just looking at her. Laken bit her lip, holding back her protest, her thighs trembling with the effort of remaining in place.
“Stay still, I want to look at you. You’re very wet, sugar. Did watching me turn you on?”
She sucked in a sharp breath as he reached out with one finger and lazily flicked her clit.
Smack! His other hand landed on her butt, startling her.
“Y-yes, Sir,” she replied, realizing what he was after.
“Good girl.”
She stilled at those words, fighting the voice in her head. His voice.
She jolted as another flare of heat engulfed her ass as she smacked his hand down on her butt cheek.
“No one else is here but you and me, Laken. All you need to concentrate on is me. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Easier said than done. Damn him. Did he think he could just order her to forget about that bastard?
He ran his finger down the slit of her bottom. Parting her cheeks, he pressed his finger against her asshole. She shivered. She loved having her ass played with. He continued down lower, cupping her mound.
One finger strummed her clit. Back and forth, round and round. Oh God. Oh God. So close. She’d been on fire for the past hour as he’d worked out. It wouldn’t take much. A bit more.
Suddenly Duncan stepped back. It took her a moment and a few ragged breaths before she realized he’d actually stopped.
“Come on, sugar. I need to have a shower. You can wash my back.
She stood and swung around. “You’re stopping?”
His lips twitched but his gaze remained stern. “You haven’t earned the right to come yet.”
The right to come? Say what?
She gaped at his back as he walked away.
Seriously! She had to earn herself some pleasure? She had a damn decent vibrator at home and all it required were a few AA batteries.
Earn her pleasure. She so didn’t think so.
“Laken.”
Ahh, damn it. She knew very well that no vibrator would ever substitute for Duncan. Shaking her head, she followed him into the bathroom.
***
Duncan leaned his palms against the side of the shower, letting the water flow over his head and down his back. Having Laken in the shower with him had proven to be too much temptation. He’d had to fight the urge to bend her over and take her from behind. Or to lift her, lean her against the side of the shower and push his way inside her.
But he had drawn a line in the sand when he told her earlier that she would have to earn her own pleasure. Sure, he could take his pleasure, but that would make him feel like a complete asshole.
So he had sent her to start dinner.
Christ, how was he supposed to do this? To push her? He’d seen the uncertainty in her gaze. He wanted to help her through her pain and fear, to ease her past the terror. But he didn’t have time to do that slowly.
He had to shove his way through her barriers, tear them down and steamroll her. He hated it. Why hadn’t he fallen for a dependent, shy woman who would look to him to take care of her?
No, he had to fall for a feisty, too-full-of-courage-for-her-own-good woman who would tear him inside out by the time she was finished throwing herself into danger.
He was upset by the way she’d kept things from him. But he was even more upset at himself. He should have paid closer attention to what was going on with her instead of focusing all his attention on getting her back into bed. He should have told her that she was in danger as soon as he had found out.
They’d been so busy trying to protect each other that they had both forgotten to lean on one another. She would learn to rely on him once again. He had let her down once and with horrible repercussions. But he wasn’t that guy anymore. He was here for her.
He couldn’t blame her for not telling him everything about her attack. He hadn’t exactly treated her well in the past. Now he would put her first. Always.
An alarm screamed and his head shot up as he reached out to turn off the water to the shower.
He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and sprinted down the hall to find Laken standing on a chair, waving a dish rag in front of the smoke alarm. Duncan grabbed her around the waist and lifted her down before reaching up and pulling the battery out of the alarm.
Laken dropped her fingers from her ears, looking at him with relief. “Thank God, I thought I was going to go deaf.”
He looked over at the sink where a pot of something lay steaming.
Grabbing the pan up with a towel, he stalked over to the back door to place it on the porch. He left the door open to let in some fresh air before turning back to Laken.
She stood, her eyes square on the ground, her shoulders hunched.
Reaching out with one hand, he grasped her chin and raised her face. Tears dripped down her cheeks and his heart melted.
Poor little subbie.
He drew her into his arms, rocking slowly.
“Hey… hey now, it’s just a few burnt veggies.”
“I-it’s not that,” she sobbed, her whole body shuddering with the force of her tears. “It’s everything.”
“Baby. That’s it, let it out.” Damn, he should have realized she’d hit her limit. There had been a lot to take in today and although they had a lot of work to do before going to the club this weekend, she needed some downtime as well. Time to just process things. He lifted her up and carried her into the living room. Placing her on the sofa, he kissed her forehead before standing.
“Stay here, sugar,” he told her as she sat up. He walked back into the bedroom and put some pants and a t-shirt on, then grabbed a blanket.
Moving back into the living room, he wrapped her up in the blanket, then placed her on his lap, holding her tight, surrounding her in his scent and security.
“What about dinner?” she finally asked.
“I’ll order pizza.”
She nodded her head and snuggled in against him. After about ten minutes he realized she’d fallen asleep. Shifting her easily, he laid her back on the sofa then stood and moved into the kitchen to order the pizza and tidy up.
“Laken,” he said quietly, sitting in the chair next to the sofa. “Laken, wake up.”
Her eyelids moved and she let out a low moan.
“Laken, wake up now,” he said in a firmer voice.
She came awake with a gasp and sat up, looking around desperately.
“W-what?”
“It’s okay, baby.” She hated waking up in strange places, which is why he had always stayed at her place until tonight. “You’re at my house. You’re safe.”
She stared at him, taking in one deep breath after another.
“I fell asleep on the couch.”
“Yes, sugar. Pizza’s here and you need to eat.” He scooped up a cheesy slice and put it on a plate for her. Then he handed her a napkin. He didn’t bother with a plate for himself.
“I don’t think I can,” she told him.
“You can and you will. You’re too thin, Laken. It worries me.”
Laken sighed but picked up the slice of pizza and took a delicate bite. Damn, he had it bad if watching her eat turned him on. By the time she had finished her piece, he was well into his third slice. He grabbed her plate and placed another slice on it.
She glanced at it then at him. He gave her a stern look and she shrugged, slowly nibbling on it. When they were both finished, he tidied up, waving at her to wait on the sofa. He then sat beside her and cuddled her against him.
“Please don’t make me wait any longer,” she begged him. “I can’t stand it.”
“Make you wait for what, sugar?” he asked in surprise.
“I know I should have told you about Ricky and the flowers. The waiting and wondering is worse than the punishment.”
Ah hell. He’d been contemplating just wiping the slate clean. After all, they both had made mistakes. She had been sitting here worrying while he’d been thinking about all the ways he wanted to fuck her.
He nodded. “Go and get a pillow off the bed, then lay it on the end of the coffee table. Place yourself over the end of the coffee table, your hips on the cushion and your legs wide apart.”
As she moved slowly to do his bidding, he rose and went into the main bathroom to grab some lubricant.
When he returned, she was positioned just as he had ordered and he took a moment to look at her, to take her in. Damn, she was beautiful. Her skin was lightly tanned everywhere but her ass. Did she sunbathe topless? Well, she’d better not do that where anyone but him could see, or she would be sunbathing with a bright red bottom.
Her hair brushed her shoulders as she moved her head, trying to get comfortable. She was tense, nervous. A small shiver shook her and he frowned slightly before moving over to the wall to adjust the temperature. He thought it was hot as hell in here, but Laken had always felt cold, and he would put up with sweltering if it meant she was comfortable.
Well, as comfortable as she could be waiting to get her ass walloped.
He stood there, staring down at her. What was he doing? After all she’d been through he was now going to spank her? Hadn’t she suffered enough at his hands?
“I can’t,” he blurted out.
She turned slightly, staring at him over her shoulder.
“Can’t what, Sir?”
“I can’t do this. How am I supposed to flog you or do anything that might cause you distress when you’ve been through so much?”
Images of her bruised and bleeding swamped him. Of her alone and vulnerable. Needing him.
She stood, then moved to sit on the couch. Grabbing a blanket, she pulled it around her.
“I understand,” she said quietly. She looked so defeated, and a sick feeling developed in his stomach.
“You understand what?” he said suspiciously.
“This is why I didn’t want to tell you everything. But now you know and you see me as a victim. I’m broken.”
He drew her up so she was standing and shook her lightly. “You are not broken.”
Her misery-filled eyes narrowed. “Obviously I am or you wouldn’t fucking hesitate to spank my ass for keeping secrets from you.”
“Are you saying that you want me to spank you?” he asked.
“I always knew you would see me differently if you knew it all. Why do you think I never told anyone? I don’t want to be pitied. I don’t need you to feel guilty. It feels like this giant rock tied around my neck, holding me back. I want to be free.”
He ran his hand over his face. He understood what she was saying. Here she was, trusting him to look after her, to give her what she needed and once again he was letting his guilt get in the way of what they both needed.
She needed him to be strong. She needed her Dom.
Damned if he was going to let any other man fulfill that role for her.
He sat back on the sofa. He needed to hold her for this. “Lose the blanket and get over my lap,” he demanded.
Her gaze widened and her breathing came quicker as she stared at him.
“Hesitating will only add on to your punishment,” he growled.
She scrambled into place. Placing the lube on the sofa beside him, he found he couldn’t stop himself from running his hand over her back and bottom.
“Tell me why you earned this spanking, sugar.”
“Not telling you about the flowers and phone calls, and for not telling you everything about the attack.”
He paused. No, he couldn’t have her thinking that. “For keeping those phone calls a secret, yes. For not telling me about the flowers, yes. Did you think I’d get jealous?”
She snorted. “Of course I thought you would get jealous. Look at how you reacted to Saxon giving me a membership to the club.”
“Saxon wants you,” he growled. “That’s completely different. I know Ricky is a pest. I know you would never go back to him, but I would have warned him away from you.”
Oh yes, that would have given him a great deal of satisfaction. He moved his hand lower and she parted her legs, allowing him access to her plump, wet pussy.
“It’s not because you didn’t tell me everything about your attack; that’s partly my fault, and it’s partly about trust. I didn’t react as I should have when you first told me. Instead of asking you what you needed, I treated you as if you were fragile. You’ve been trying to protect us all, baby—it’s about time to let go and let me protect you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know how you think. You’ve kept what happened to you a secret all these years from everyone to protect them. There’s an element of not wanting people to pity you. But you know I wouldn’t do that; neither would Lila or your dads. So why not tell us? Because you wanted to protect us from any worry, or in my case, from guilt.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It wasn’t yours either, baby. You went through a horrible experience and you did it alone. But you’re not alone now. Let me help you, protect you, can you do that?”
She paused for a long moment and then nodded.
“Thank you,” he told her. “So if anything happens, if Ricky contacts you or if you receive any gifts, you’re going to tell me, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
A shudder ran through her and he massaged her nape with his free hand. With his other hand, he cupped her mound.
“Count of twenty, sugar.”
Duncan smacked his hand down on her bottom, feeling it give way beneath him.
“One, Sir,” she said shakily.
He continued on, measuring his smacks out, waiting between each one for her to count them out. Her ass turned a light pink, then a deep red. At fourteen she tried to push her hands back to cover her bottom.
“You know better, sugar,” he barked. “Hands in front of you.”
With a whimper she moved her hands back in front of her, grasping on to the sofa cushion. A pang of sympathy hit him but he forced it aside.
��Move again, sugar, and I’ll add extra.”
As he landed two more, she burst into tears and he finished up quickly, not worrying about making her count them out. Grabbing the blanket, he picked her up and wrapped her in it, sitting back on the sofa with her held tightly in his arms as she cried.
He kissed her forehead and just let her wind down. As she calmed, he reached over and grabbed a bottle of water, holding it up to her mouth.
“Drink, sugar, you’ll be getting dehydrated with all those tears,” he teased lightly.
She drunk deeply and he placed the bottle aside as she finished. He kissed her damp forehead.
“How you doing, sugar?” he asked.
“I’m okay, how about you?” She stared up at him out of her deep blue eyes and he smiled. She was worried about him?
“Well, I have you in my arms, so I’m feeling pretty damn great. If you’re feeling a bit more together, there’s something more we need to do.”
“Can you just hold me for a bit longer first?” she asked in a small voice.
“I’ll hold you forever, sweetheart.”
About ten minutes later she started to stir. “I’m ready.”
Brave girl.
“Move the cushion around to this side of the coffee table, then lie over it, butt towards me.”
He watched as she moved slowly, her bottom still bright pink.
“Reach back, sugar, and hold your bottom cheeks apart.”
She didn’t move and he sat there for a long moment.
“Laken,” he said, injecting plenty of Dom into his voice.
She reached back and pulled her butt cheeks apart. Her tiny asshole clenched and released, winking at him. Christ. His cock was hard enough to cut through concrete and this wasn’t helping. He reached over for the lube and squirted some on his fingers.
“I want you to hold yourself open for me. Don’t let go, understand?”
“Yes.”
He cleared his throat.
“Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.” If there was a sarcastic snap to her tone, he decided to ignore it this once.
He pressed one finger against her asshole, then waited until she relaxed slightly before pushing his way inside her. His finger popped past the tight muscle and she clenched around him. Duncan held back a groan, his cock twitching as he imagined her clenching around his dick, pulsating with pleasure as he pushed his way in deeper.
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