Within seconds, her response ignited his fire.
He forced her mouth apart, tasted the sweetness of wine on her tongue and the tang of her complete surrender. Like a pirate, he plundered deep, leaving no part of her unexplored. With a tiny shudder, she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him support her. In this way, and many others, he wanted to do just that.
Rafe made love to her mouth. As she opened wider, he mimicked penetration, letting her know that she might win the battles, but he intended to win her.
He kissed her until neither could breathe and she became his world. “That will have to hold you until later,” he said against her ear when he ended the kiss.
“I like the way you share my celebration.” Her voice was dreamy, lazy.
That was not what he’d been doing at all. Rather, he’d been planning the next assault in his battle plan.
“You’re pretty good at that.” She ran a finger across her lips after he released her.
“Pretty good?” He frowned. “I’m happy to practice until I rock your world.”
“I suppose that’s okay.” She sat and fanned herself with her napkin. “Yeah, pretty good.”
He wondered if she had any idea that with every passing moment, she stood less and less chance of escaping him. “Let me get dessert.”
“Dessert?” Her eyebrows lifted.
“Coffee and chocolate cake. With sweet whipped cream. I’m told it goes with the cake.”
“Absolutely. Cake. Whatever else could it be for?”
“Right.” He imagined her gorgeous nipples slathered in the sweet stuff.
“Maybe I could stay a little longer,” she teased.
“Temptation is difficult to resist.” He returned her grin. “Sit tight.” Rafe was anxious to get on with the evening. He began gathering the plates.
“Can I help?”
“No. You should enjoy your wine and the evening.”
“But—”
“Keep arguing. And you can sit out here with a sore bottom, which may make it more difficult to relax.”
“In that case, I think I’ll finish the rest of my champagne.” Then, with great deliberation, she added, “Sir.”
Fuck. Between the kiss and the honorific, his cock was hard and throbbing. For him, tonight, everything was about Hope.
When he returned with coffee, her head was resting on the back of the chair. “I go to events almost every evening.” She sat up. “When I am home, I feel the need to work or plan, even when I’m eating. So this is a real treat. You’re spoiling me.”
“I’m glad.” He went back inside for the dessert. “Cake?” he offered, sliding a piece in front of her.
“Yum. Yes.” She stuck in a fork. “I think I’m going to need some exercise later.”
“I can arrange for something.” He enjoyed watching her savor every bite.
“God. This is exquisite.”
“I’ll tell Sienna you said so.”
“Is she taking new clients?”
“No. She works for me and my future wife.”
“That was mean. How am I supposed to refuse you if you keep sweetening the deal?”
This time, he was the one with the triumphant grin. “I told you I intend to be the victor.”
“The rules should be fair. Equitable. You know, giving both sides a chance. The side with the chocolate cake has a decided advantage.”
“That sounds like extreme trickery.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
Over coffee, he told her stories about his life that he’d kept secret. If she was going to marry him, she deserved to know the sordid details, or more of them than she’d already gleaned. He talked about his sister’s two divorces, and how the second one had devastated her to the point that she refused to leave her apartment for over a week. He and their mother had finally gone to her place, made her shower and get dressed. They took her to lunch, and while they were gone, Sienna and a small crew had moved into action, cleaning the place, catching up the laundry, stocking the kitchen. Even though Rafe’s back teeth had ached from grinding them to escape the mind-numbing boredom, they’d gone to the aquarium. He’d drawn the line at riding the Ferris wheel.
“I’ve always wanted to ride it at night. I think it would be a beautiful way to see the city.”
“With the right company, I might find myself much more agreeable. Especially if we snuck on a flask of our favorite libation.” He considered her. “And maybe a rose or two.”
She gave a delightful shudder before taking a sip of her coffee. “Are interventions common in your family?”
“When my dad started pulling away, the three of us drew closer.”
“Why else would you go to the aquarium?”
“Or not throw the lot of you out of my office when you show up uninvited at dawn?”
“If I remember, you did exactly that.” She pushed her plate away, and they spent a few minutes chatting before clearing the dessert dishes and straightening the kitchen.
With a quick giggle, she swiped some bubbles across his nose, and that led to a slow, deep kiss. Once again, he wondered why he’d fought against a relationship for so long.
“Would you like to sit inside or out?”
“I like it out here,” she admitted. “But I’m a little chilled.”
He lit the outdoor heater, then arranged two of the oversize chairs near it. Then he went into his closet to fetch her one of his long-sleeved shirts. When he returned to the patio, she was curled in one of the chairs. Her shoes were crossed on the tile in a haphazard pile. He tucked the shirt around her.
Nature treated them to a cloudless night, allowing them to see twinkling stars.
He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “I’m still hoping you’ll go to Louisiana with me tomorrow.”
“I haven’t decided.” She twisted her fingers together. “I did speak with Sara, the woman you scened with.”
“She must not have said anything awful.”
“No. You know she didn’t.” She stood and paced, drawing his shirt tighter around her. “The idea of going any further with you scares me.”
He wanted to go to her, reassure her. Instead, he remained where he was, giving her the freedom to sort through her doubts.
Barefoot, she returned to stand beneath the heater, keeping her distance. “I’ve told you about my mom, how she wasn’t able to move on after my dad’s death.” Though he remained silent, she went on. “I don’t want to be like that. I can’t be obsessed about a man, that vulnerable.”
“The third C is as important as the others. I will be committed to you. I’m not like my father. If you walk down that aisle to me, you will always have my fidelity. You will be my honored, treasured wife. You will never give more than you receive in return.”
She gripped her shoulders. “And the BDSM thing… I’ll find out more about that this weekend?”
“That is my intention. Yes.”
“Parts of it scares the hell out of me.”
“Let me throw a fourth C your direction. Communication. You will always have a safe word. We will discuss everything. If something is off-limits, it’s off-limits.”
“You said you like to show off your subs.”
The pitch of her voice had risen a bit, so Rafe sat back and propped one knee on the opposing ankle, trying to put her at ease.
“Is that negotiable?”
“Everything is. I’d want to know what made you uncomfortable. Perhaps you had conditions that would make it tolerable for you.” She’d been scandalized at the Bluewater Grill when he asked her to run the rose’s dangerous stem across her bared skin, but she’d done it. And there’d been a flush of excitement on her cheeks. “If you don’t want to scene in a club, that’s fine. We can confine our activities to private spaces. I’d invite you to visit the Retreat, or my other club, the Quarter in New Orleans. If you said no, I’d ask if it was okay for me to still attend, and we could negotiate the terms of that as well, under
standing that your views might change or evolve over time.”
She scowled, and an intriguing note of possession crept into her voice as she said, “I wouldn’t want you playing with other women.”
“Understood.”
“That doesn’t mean you agree.”
“Perhaps you’d like to watch a demonstration live so that you have more information to judge your request?”
“If we…if we were to move forward, you would never put your hands on anyone else.”
So his sweet Hope had claws. Her responses were more those of a woman who was considering a relationship than one who was thinking about it in abstract terms. “There’s only you, Hope.”
She exhaled. Until her shoulders rolled forward, he hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, revealing how much his answer mattered. She’d revealed a vulnerability she’d been trying to hide. In that moment he vowed to always make her certain she was secure with him. “Come here,” he invited, keeping command out of his voice. This had nothing to do with her being a sub, and everything to do with caring for the emotions of the woman he hoped to marry.
“Your chair is too small for both of us.”
“That’s what makes it perfect.”
Still, she hesitated, even when he extended his hand.
Finally, after a long sigh, she erased the distance between them, demonstrating her trust. Rafe took it from there.
He uncrossed his legs and eased her onto his lap, pulling her against him, tucking in the borrowed shirt, cradling her body.
At first, she kept her body rigid. Though tempted to rush her, he didn’t. Over the space of several heartbeats, she allowed herself to relax against him. He drew in her signature lilac scent. Then he sensed something else in her. Wistfulness, perhaps? The unfurling of trust? A slight breeze ruffled her hair, and he stroked it back. “Sweet Hope. Nothing will be more important to me than you, than the success of our relationship. Not ever. I want you as my sub. Has there been anything you hated so far?”
“Other than Tony’s allergy attack?”
“Fair enough.” He grinned, and her lips twitched in response.
After a minute, she inhaled before admitting, “I can’t stop thinking about the things we’ve done, how naughty some of them were, and how much I wanted more.”
More? His new favorite word. “Even the denied orgasms?”
“Those are the worst. So frustrating, so annoying. I’ve never crawled out of my skin, needing to come before. Which is your point, I think.”
“Driving you wild is my point.”
“It worked. When I did orgasm… God, Rafe, part of me can’t believe I’m telling you this. No one has asked me to have a frank discussion about sex. I’ve just…done it, you know?”
“I do.” Arrogant pride filled him. He wanted to be the one to open the world to her, change her. “When you did orgasm?” He wanted her to be comfortable discussing everything with him.
“It was powerful. So much so that one of them hurt.”
At her confession, his cock responded, and Dominant urges flared. “So as much as you hated it, you want to continue with them?”
“Yes.”
She was more than he’d dared dream. “And the acts of service you’ve performed for me?” Having her remove his cufflinks, assisting him as he dressed or undressed, soothed the savage inside him.
“To be honest, my first reaction was to tell you to do it yourself, that I’m not a servant or maid.”
There were words she’d left unsaid, and he was curious. “You did it, though.”
“It hadn’t been on my limits list. Since I didn’t have a good reason to say no, I thought I’d give it a try.” She pursed her lips.
At some point in the future, he hoped she wouldn’t hesitate out of a misplaced sense of embarrassment. He wanted the unvarnished truth.
“It wasn’t as uncomfortable as I’d expected it to be. Part of me liked touching you, pleasing you. It made me happy. This might sound strange, but it was personal.”
“Intimate.”
She nodded, and he gave her time to formulate the rest of her response. “I realized it might be part of the scene, the whole submission thing, but it is so much more than that, deeper. I mean… People who care about each other do things for them. Like…okay, this is a strange example. But Skyler brought me a latte on Monday because she guessed I’d been up late on Sunday and had to get up early to prepare for our meeting.”
“Ambush,” he corrected.
“Ambush? Is that how you saw it?”
He shuddered anew. “A veritable army in high heels and pearls. Terrifying.”
She smiled. “And here I thought you were braver than that.”
“You’re kidding, right? Have you ever gone against three powerful women determined to have their way?”
She shifted in his lap until she found a position she liked, one that left him decidedly uncomfortable.
“Anyway, sometimes on a Friday when we don’t have events, I send Skyler home early. And I buy her and Tony lunch from time to time. I enjoy making them happy. It’s not about them being my employees. It’s about appreciation.”
“Excellent example.”
“And with you… There’s a reciprocity that I haven’t experienced with anyone else. You didn’t have to drive me to work the other morning. We could have eaten dinner out. The flowers… My point is, in a lot of relationships, people do nice things for each other all the time. My mother told me that my dad always kept the gas tank on her car filled when he wasn’t deployed. Little things. What I did for you? I liked it.”
“You have my utmost appreciation.”
“So how would you like to show me?”
A match flared inside him. This was the first time she’d ever initiated anything physical between them. He hadn’t been planning to fuck her tonight. Or tie her up. It had been about making her comfortable, revealing parts of his personality that he’d kept hidden—maybe even from himself. That he was capable of the tenderness he wanted to show her stunned him.
“I’d like to be more comfortable together. I want to know what you’ll expect from me if you’re going to show me off in Louisiana. And…”
“And?”
“I’m horny,” she murmured against his chest.
“No hiding.” He moved her back and captured her chin.
“This is outside my comfort zone.”
“Sweet Hope, I intend to destroy it. We can start by going inside. At the bottom of the stairs, you will remove your clothes and leave them near your purse. Then you are to go upstairs, find the butterfly and a blindfold. Place the vibrator against your clit, and I mean that. Touching it. Turn it on to the pulse setting. I’ll expect to find you wearing a blindfold and spread-eagle on the bedspread, faceup. Do not move from that position. Pretend you are tied to the bedframe. And do not come.”
“Uhm…” Her breaths came in short pants. “For how long?”
“Until given further instructions.”
“That’s not—”
“Arguing is not in your best interests, Hope.” He helped her to stand. She stopped to gather her shoes. “Leave them. I’ll get them later.”
“Yes, Rafe.”
He was enjoying those words almost as much as he was hearing the term, “You have a deal.”
At the bottom of the stairs, she shrugged out of his shirt, then drew her dress over her head. He took it and hung it from the newel post. This time she didn’t hesitate as long before removing her clothing.
Hope stood in front of him in a matching bra and panty set, all black and wisps of lace. She dressed for me. Possession rocketed through him. “Tell me about the pearls.” Unable to stop himself, he touched one, finding it warm from her skin. “They look like a choker.”
“You mentioned collars.” She dropped her gaze briefly. “I was imagining what it might be like.”
He very much approved. “And what do you think?”
“I’m torn between the wei
ght of the commitment and how sexy it might be.”
“Could it be both? If I were to put a collar on you, it would tell you, me, and the world that you were mine. You’d receive all the benefits of that, including my protection.” Which she had, no matter what. “In return, you would have obligations.”
“Such as?”
“Not allowing other men to touch you without my permission.”
“I don’t want to ever be shared.”
Such a sweet admission. “Good. We are in agreement.” He smiled. “Now your bra and panties.”
Obediently she removed her bra and handed it to him. Then she stepped out of her underwear.
Her lingerie, he placed near her purse. “Go on up.” When she neared the top, he said, “Stop.”
She paused to look back at him.
“When I’m showing you off, I want everyone to see how proud I am of you, how much confidence you have as a business owner, a woman, my sub. I see all of you, Hope. So much admiration for you. Now pull back your shoulders. As if you’re a princess, continue on. Unclench your buttocks. Own all the parts of who you are.”
“Sure,” she said. “That’s easy enough.”
“Don’t dare disobey me.”
She gave a ragged exhalation, half sigh, half resignation, part determination.
You’re a fucking gem, Hope.
Following his instructions without further argument, she placed her fingertips on the banister and climbed the next step, then another.
“Oh, Hope?”
She paused again. This time she raised her eyebrows when she faced him. “Yes?”
“With the other toys, you’ll find a pair of leather gloves. I expect you to place them on the nightstand.”
“Okay.” Then she spoke again. “Yes, Rafe.”
He gave her one last warning before sending her on her way. “Be careful with them.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
A princess? No way did that moniker fit her. But as Hope reached the second floor, her spine was still straight, and she hadn’t been squeezing her ass. Following his advice had made her much more confident, in a way not much different than acting confident had boosted her business success when she first started out
Billionaire's Matchmaker (Titans) Page 19
