by Janae Keyes
Nate’s eyes diverted from the scene outside of the window, and they met mine. I gave him a soft smile as the sweet butterflies in my stomach fluttered around. He was different from other guys I’d met and dramatically different than my ex.
“What are you thinking?” he asked me, his hand taking mine.
“Why me?” I asked truthfully. I was some artist who lived by the seat of her pants, and he was structured, controlled, and calculated in every move he made.
“I’ve wondered that. Believe me, I’ve wondered it often since that night, but I knew it started much earlier than that night. When I first saw you on the plane. You struck me, I knew you were so different from the realm I’d placed myself in. It was like your carefree spirit latched onto me. I tried to fight it and fight you in turn. I am sorry. I can be known to be abrasive in business, but I was abrasive with you to keep myself from falling for you.” As he spoke, he ran his thumb over the back of my hand. I felt so relaxed under his touch.
“You failed,” I noted.
“Believe me, I know. I never fail at anything, but if I was going to fail at something, at least it was my inability to stay away from you. Every move I make has a purpose, normally when it comes to business and keeping my empire in order, but this was one of the very few moves I’ve ever made when it comes to my heart and its desires.” He was serious, and that stopped my heart for a moment. He wanted me in a way much deeper than I’d anticipated and in return, he was showing me his enclosed heart.
“And your new look, was it for me?” I asked him, eager to know what was behind his drastic makeover.
“A bit for both of us I guess. I caught myself wanting to impress you. I can’t remember wanting to impress a girl before, not like this,” he laughed. I found it sweet and something he didn’t have to do for me. “I wanted to show you me, what was under all of that hair at least. I take that you like it?”
“I love it, you’re the same person, but as you said. I can see the you that you were hiding. It is a nice change,” I noted happily. “Plus, it ups your sex appeal.” I gave him a wink. He leaned in and took my lips with his own. Breaking away, he gave my hand a squeeze, I felt like I knew him, not Lord Branagan, but Nate. “It struck me that you were such a control and neat freak, but your appearance before didn’t correlate with that. I’d imagined someone like you to be as clean as you are now.”
“Rebellion, I guess. Something that my family would frown upon and I could control. It also helped me keep in the background. Nobody pays attention to the man with the beard who looks maybe a little scary. Most people tend to stay away from that person, but not you. Personally, I like the clean look better. I always felt so gross before, but like I said, it kept others away.”
He was opening up to me again. I thought about what Anne said, about there possibly being something about me that made him comfortable with me and apt to open up to me. I was seeing him as a human, a human with his ticks, but an actual human.
TWELVE
I TOOK THE final bite of my dessert. I’d never been filled with such wonderful food in my life. I hoped it wouldn’t be long until Nate brought me here again. During dinner, we kept our conversation light and casual. I allowed Nate to open up to me as he pleased, I wasn’t going to push him. I enjoyed hearing him sound like a normal person.
I was snapped out of my thoughts as I felt his hand on my thigh, he’d done it periodically throughout dinner. His hand on my skin was like fire.
“You have a little cream by your mouth,” Nate informed me. I hurried and picked up my napkin, but my hand was grabbed by Nate. “No, no. I’m taking care of it.”
His face came toward mine and his soft, warm lips on my skin. I let out a gasp as he kissed and sucked the misplaced cream away. He broke away, giving me a seductive grin that caused heat to radiate from inside of me. My heart began to pound as his fingers traveled further up my thigh, just brushing against the lace of my panties.
“Come on, Darling,” Nate growled as he removed his hand from my leg and took me laced his fingers through mine. He pulled me into a standing position and led me through the restaurant.
“Nate, what about paying?” I asked him as we hurried out of the front door.
“Payment is taken care of,” he informed me as he held onto me tight. Quickly, we walked together through the streets of Edinburgh. “The car is just up the road.”
“Nate, wait!” I said, but Nate continued to move along, dragging me with him. “Nate, I said to fucking wait!” I finally screamed out, stopping in my tracks. I stopped there in the middle of the sidewalk. Edinburgh Castle looking down on us. I couldn’t continue. I wasn’t going to pursue this unless I knew what was going on. What did he want with me? I refused to sleep with him again without answers. I wasn’t his whore. I was no one’s whore.
“Darling, what’s wrong?” he asked me as he continued to keep his hold on my hand.
“Am I your darling?” I questioned. “Besides my paintings, what do you want from me? Is this just for sex or do you want something? I need clarity from you. The other night, you swept me away, and it was the best thing I’d ever experienced, but I don’t want that, alone. I don’t want to be with someone for gain or for purely sex. Is this real to you? You dragged me in deep, and I don’t want to be that girl that opens my legs because some incredibly handsome guy says go.”
“Slow down,” he said, trying to calm me. I was spewing out all of my questions and thoughts at a rapid pace. The pounding in my chest was out of control. I could barely breathe nor see straight. “Come here.” I allowed Nate to lead me to a wall. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again. I took a deep breath while he rubbed his hand on my back. “I want you to be mine. I’m only afraid that being mine may not be for you. I’m constantly busy, I’m a control freak, and you know that. I can have a shit attitude sometimes. Would you be able to deal with that? Then, there is my status. Luckily, I’ve kept my private life private, but that can always change. If anyone got hurt, it would be you. I don’t know what I would do if you were to get hurt.” I looked into his olive eyes the entire time he spoke. I saw a whole host of emotions flash in those orbs. He did want this. He wanted me to be with him, and for more than just sleeping together.
“Nate,” I breathed out in an attempt to find the right words. “I can deal with you and your shit attitude. I think I’ve done an excellent job with it so far.” Nate chuckled at my words as he put a hand on my hip, the other was on my cheek, rubbing it softly with the pad of his thumb. “Call me insane, but maybe we can try this. This unexpected thing. I came here to paint, not to fall into the arms of someone.”
“I hired you to paint and not for me to want you with every fiber of my being. I tried fighting it, I failed. I’m done fighting,” Nate concluded. He brought his face to mine, our eyes locked for a small moment before he was kissing me with all his might. His body pressing mine against the wall, leaving no gaps between us. I fell into his kisses, allowing myself to tangle with him, our tongues fighting an intimate battle and our bodies raging for more, my panties growing damper with each second.
He slipped a hand under my dress, sliding it up my thigh and taking hold of the lace of my underwear. I gasped as he tugged at them. His mouth broke away from mine as he looked me over.
“There is only one condition,” he declared in his strong tone, pushing against me hard enough for me to feel the rigid bulge in his pants.
“Of course, there would be conditions, Control Freak,” I sassed, giving him a wink.
“Would you expect less?” he questioned. I shook my head in response, unable to speak as he slipped a finger into my panties and along my soaking folds, just enough to barely brush over my clit. I gasped in response, my head hitting the stone wall behind me. “Don’t hurt yourself,” he instructed as he removed his finger and straightened my dress.
“What … what are these conditions?” I asked as I tried to regain my breath.
“Simp
le, allow me complete control in the bedroom. Let me be in charge of your pleasure. That’s all,” he proposed.
“That’s all?” I inquired as if there was a catch of some kind.
“That is all, Darling, let me give you everything you need,” he murmured his lips brushing over mine.
“Done,” I answered in a single breath. My answer required no thinking at all. He could have all the control, if it was going to feel like the other night, he could control everything he wanted.
“Taylor,” he spoke softly for a moment, I looked into his olive eyes, they were serious and thoughtful. I only wondered what was on his mind. “You are saying yes, but I want to make sure you know what yes means. When I say control of everything, I mean it, but it doesn’t always have to be that way, and you can make it stop at any time.”
“Okay,” I answered, keeping my eyes locked on his.
“We will talk more at the house but think of a word, any word that you can tell me when you want it to stop, do you understand?” I nodded at his words. What did he mean about wanting it to stop? We were going to just have sex, great sex, but just sex, at least that was what I was assuming. Right then, all I wanted was to be with Nate, have Nate touch me, hold me, kiss me, caress me.
“Good girl and from what I could feel, you wore the panties I bought for you,” Nate said as he pushed his finger into my mouth, allowing me the taste of my arousal. I sucked his finger, tasting myself before he removed it and took my hand into his. “Now let’s go, I need to get you back home and into my bed as soon as possible. I told you there was an end game.”
THE RETURN FLIGHT to Branagan Manor felt as if it was the longest ride possible. I lusted after the feeling of Nate’s hands on me. Sitting next to him, his eyes burning through my clothes, showing every bit of desire he had for me.
The moment we landed, Nate was fighting to get the seatbelt off of me. He thanked the pilot and pulled me along with him as we jogged toward the house. The wait was over, and we could have everything we wanted, every bit of our needs would be cared for.
Barely inside the house, Nate pushed me onto a wall. He attacked me with sensual kisses and bites. I was burning from the inside out and aching to be out of my clothes. I yearned to be completely bare for him and with him. He’d changed my perspective on what sex could be, and with him, I knew it would be that and so much more.
“I’m taking you upstairs, but I have some instructions,” Nate informed me as he broke away. I was panting, out of breath from running and kissing. I was ready to do whatever he needed me to do. “When we get to my room, take your dress off, fold it, and leave it on the bedside table. Leave on your underwear and shoes. I need to see you in that lace, if only for a moment, my darling.”
“Okay,” I breathed out. Nate gave me a come hither grin that nearly brought me to my knees. I wanted to run as fast as I could to the bedroom, but I refrained from keeping myself from being seen as too eager.
“Do you remember our talk before about a word?” he asked me seriously.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“What is it?”
“Potato,” I affirmed as I tried to not giggle. I had no idea why I picked that word. I felt like it was the most abstract and least sexy thing. Nobody expects anyone to say that in the middle of a sexual encounter, I figured it was perfect. Maybe it wasn’t perfect and was a terrible word, but ‘Potato’ it was.
“Okay, that is your safe word. If you want me to stop just say it and I stop. Is that clear?” He was being so loving about this. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew Nate didn’t want to hurt me or anything like that.
“It’s clear,” I noted.
“Come here, my darling,” Nate murmured as he pulled me up and into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist, his imprisoned arousal pressed against me, begging to be set free.
As he carried me, I planted delicate kisses along his neck. I placed a soft kiss at the crease of his neck, and he let out a moan in response, I’d found the spot that made him weak, even to me. I planted another kiss there, followed by a sensual bite.
“Stop it,” Nate growled to me. I ignored his instruction and continued to torment him with my lips on his skin.
At once, Nate jerked my face away from his neck. He forced me against a wall and peered into my eyes with a deep intensity. I didn’t know what it was, but the way he looked at me, it made me yearn more for him.
“You are to follow my instructions, Taylor,” he said sternly.
“And if I don’t … are you going to spank me?” I asked with a playful smirk, but his expression did not change, it stayed serious.
“I won’t hesitate to do so. You gave me permission to have all the control in the bedroom. I’m taking it when I tell you to do something, you do it.” I swallowed my breath, realizing he wasn’t joking. I wasn’t scared or nervous, but with each passing second that he held me there, I grew more turned on by him and his dominating personality. “Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” I responded.
“Now do you remember my instructions for when we go into my room?” he asked me.
“Yes.”
“And they are?”
“Take off my clothes, but not my underwear and shoes. Also, fold my dress and place it on the bedside table.”
“Good girl, and remember if you want me to stop at any time, you have your word.” With that, he pulled my back from the wall and we started up the hall of the East Wing, my heart pounding with exhilaration.
When we entered the room, he placed me on my feet, my heels clicking to the hardwood floor. I watched Nate’s eyes as they studied me and took me in. A grin spread across his mouth as he ran his hand over my backside before giving it a swat, I jumped at the sting that rippled through my body. As much as I knew it was a punishment of sorts, it made me hunger for him more.
“That’s for not following my instructions earlier,” he growled in my ear, causing me to shudder in response. “Now, Darling, you were given instructions for what to do, I expect it done when I return.” With that he walked away, leaving me alone in the bedroom. I worked quickly to pull the dress over my head and off. I followed his explicit instructions and folded my dress before taking it to the bedside table. I returned to my original spot to wait for Nate. I stood nearly bare in only the red lace of the bra and panties and my black strappy heels.
I bit my lip and flicked at my fingernails as I eagerly awaited Nate’s return. He left so much mystery and allure with his departure, and it entranced me.
The echoes of footsteps echoed through the room before I heard the distinct click of a door opening. I turned and spotted a nearly naked Nate entering the room from his en suite bathroom. My eyes flickered over his strongly built body, making me twist my legs together in response to the tingles that worked their way through my core.
“Fuck, you look better than I expected. Both lace and red look great on you,” Nate murmured as he approached me.
He gave me one last look before walking behind me. I felt his presence before his body made any contact with mine. I inhaled at his warm skin on mine, his hand moving my straightened hair to the side before his lips pressed to my neck. He found that spot right away, causing me to moan at his will.
One of his hands lazily traveled down my back to the clasp of my bra. With barely an effort he unclasped the lace holding me together. His kisses began to travel until they reached the lobe of my ear.
“I knew there was a reason I always craved chocolate,” he whispered before taking a nibble at my ear as he slipped the bra from my arms and discarded it at my feet. Nate’s hands slipped around me taking hold of my bare breasts, kneading them in his hands. I leaned back onto his strong frame as he brushed the tips of his fingers over my hardened nipples causing me to gasp.
“Nate,” I sighed out in a single breath. He left a kiss on my neck before giving the buds a squeeze. I moaned as the aching at the junction between my thighs grew stronger. With each touch from him, I was being tort
ured.
The trail of kisses continued at a leisurely pace down my neck and my back until Nate was kneeling and his mouth at the band of my panties. His teeth grazed me as they took hold of the lace and began to drag them down. The moment the lace was no longer making contact with my soaked entrance, I shivered at the chilly air. I looked down to spot Nate’s hand pulling the damp fabric down to my feet.
“Step out and spread your legs,” he demanded. I obliged as he expected and stepped out of one leg followed by the other. “Turn around.” I once again followed his instructions and turned to face him in all of my naked glory, spreading my legs apart.
Nate’s hot breath came in contact with my heat leaving me struggling to keep my balance in my high heels. He took a firm hold at my thighs, the heat of his breath growing stronger until the tip of his tongue was running up my slit. I grabbed his shoulder to keep myself standing while I shook with delight. His tongue repeated his previous action, but the second time going in deeper and brushing over my knot of pleasure.
“Mmm,” I sighed as my head went back, relishing in the sparks that flew through my body at each of his slow licks.
He yanked me closer to his warm mouth, nearly knocking me off my feet. I gripped at his silky soft hair while my other hand kept a firm hold on his shoulder. This was more than I could want and the thought of knowing there would be more, that alone could drive me off the edge, but at once, his assault ended. I snapped my head down to see what he was doing. He gave me a soft grin before wiping his mouth.
“Go to the bed, just sit down,” he told me. I worked to straighten my wobbling limbs before teetering my way toward the bed. I sat on the edge and looked Nate, whoNate who wasn’t far behind me.
