by Cher Carson
He gripped the edge of the granite countertop, dropping his head. “Why would you say that to me? Do you even know what that feels like? It feels like you just stuck a knife in my back and twisted it.”
She dropped the rag and slipped under his arms, getting in his face. “Don’t you understand that you choose submissive women because you need to be the hero? You need to take care of them because it makes you feel as though you’re making up for the past in some small way.”
He rolled his eyes, taking a step back. “You sure you’re not a shrink?”
She fisted the front of his T-shirt, refusing to allow him to escape. “I’m not a weak woman, Steve. I don’t need some man to come along and rescue me from the big, bad world. I deal with hardened criminals every day, rapists, murderers, men who have no soul.” She felt a small shudder move through her when she thought about her interactions with some of those men.
He gripped the counter on either side of her, caging her in. “What’s that like?”
She swallowed, trying to avoid his intense scrutiny. She had intended to confront him with his issues, but he was somehow turning this around on her. “I’m not afraid of anything. I don’t have to be because I learned how to take care of myself.”
“What does that mean?”
She lowered her gaze. “Some of those men are vicious, disgusting human beings. The things they say to me…”
He held her face in his hands, kissing her lips gently. “Tell me about it.”
She tried to shake her head, but his hands restricted her movement. “No, I don’t want to talk about this, please.”
“Tell me what they say to you,” he whispered.
“They tell me what they’re going to do to me if they ever get me alone, how they want to tie me up and force me to…” Her voice broke. She couldn’t say it; she didn’t even want to think about it. “Suck…”
Chapter Six
Steve kissed her, effectively silencing her. He couldn’t listen to any more of this. “Why would you subject yourself to that, baby?”
She stepped out of his arms, glaring at him. “It’s my job. So I go in there day after day, giving everything I have to assholes who would like nothing more than to…” The words sounded as though they were torn from her throat, as though she didn’t want to say them, but had lost the power to hold them back. “I trusted a man once, the wrong man, and he…” She sobbed, pressing her fist to her mouth. “He abused that trust.”
He needed to know, but was almost afraid to ask. “What happened?”
She began to pace the floor, her fists clenched at her sides. “He was a client. We were alone together in an interrogation room. I believed in him, in his innocence. I’d worked tirelessly on his case, trying to get his conviction overturned, then he… turned on me.”
He wanted more than anything to hold her in his arms, let her cry on his shoulder, but he knew she needed to get this out before she lost her nerve. “Go on.”
“He attacked me, punched me a few times. He was trying to rape me, but I screamed, and thank God one of the guards heard me before it was too late.”
He clenched his hands into fists behind the counter. He wanted to hit something, hard. He wanted to inflict pain, the same kind of pain that bastard had inflicted on her.
She stopped pacing, braced her hands on the edge of the breakfast bar and looked him in the eye. “That changed me. I can’t be alone with a client now without wondering when or if he might try and hurt me.”
He closed his eyes, the bile rising in his throat. Steve wanted to break something, put his fist through the wall, pound on someone. He didn’t know what the hell to do with the rage eating him up inside. “What happened to that son of a bitch?”
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes pooling with unshed tears. “He’s in for life. He was convicted of first degree murder.” She looked him in the eye. “I almost helped that bastard walk free. He could have killed someone else. He could have raped an innocent woman.”
“When did this happen?” he asked, dropping his head.
“Four months ago.”
“Jesus,” he said, trying to suppress his rage. “How can you put yourself in that situation, knowing that at any moment another one of those sick bastards could turn on you?”
She climbed up on a stool at the breakfast bar. “I won’t let them beat me.” She smiled. “I’m not as fragile as I look.”
He shook his head, unable to believe she was able to smile in the face of such depravity. “You’re amazing. Do you know that?”
“No, I’m not. I’m like hundreds of thousands of other women, a survivor. What other choice did I have? I couldn’t let him win.”
The words were burning his lips, he had to say it. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
She laughed, her face falling when he didn’t share the joke. “Thank you, I think.”
His eyes searched her face. “I never thought…” He didn’t want to scare her by making statements she wasn’t ready to hear. “Tell me that you know there’s something between us, something special.”
She stared at him, finally shaking her head. “I never intended to share that story with anyone. I guess that says something.”
That told him she trusted him, and for now, that was enough.
“You still feel like that glass of wine?” he asked, tipping his head toward the bottle she’d selected.
“God yes, I need a drink now more than ever.” She released a shaky breath, a smile playing on her lips. “I feel better though. Thanks for listening.”
His eyes met hers, and there was so much he wanted to say. “Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me.”
“It’s weird,” she said, watching him open the bottle of wine. “I feel like I’ve known you forever. How is that even possible?”
He poured wine into the glasses she’d set on the counter. “I don’t know, but I feel the same way.” He refused to look at her when he asked the next question. “Do you suppose this is how it’s supposed to feel when you meet the right person?”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “Uh, I don’t know about that. I don’t have a lot of experience in that department.”
He set her glass in front of her. “Do you ever think about quitting your job?”
She twisted the stem of the glass between her fingers, staring at the claret liquid. “Every damn day.”
Her sentence hung in the air and he asked, “Think you ever will?” He prayed she would; he couldn’t imagine loving a woman who was locked in confined spaces with murderers and rapists every day. It would make him crazy, worrying about her.
She looked him in the eye. “It took me a long time to make partner. My father is counting on me to take over when he retires.”
“Is that what you want?”
She took a generous sip of her wine. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure what I want right now.”
“I know exactly what I want, Brook.”
She smiled, tipping her head when she looked at him. “Is that so? What do you want?”
He took a sip of wine, wrestling with the urge to tell her the truth. “I want you.”
She savored the wine for a moment before responding. “You’re intriguing, but so different from the type of guy I usually go for.”
“Okay.” He wanted to bellow in frustration. He’d finally found the perfect woman only to find he wasn’t her ‘type.’
“Obviously, I haven’t used the best judgement where men are concerned,” she said, offering him a small smile. “Maybe this time I’ll get it right.”
He laughed, feeling the weight of concern lift, allowing him to breathe again. “I certainly hope so.” He came around the counter and turned her swivel chair so he could stand between her legs. He touched the side of her face and she turned into his palm, closing her eyes. “I don’t want to screw this up, Brook. I don’t want to push or make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m not fragile,” she whispered. “I promise I won’t break.”<
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“I need you. I need to make love to you, but I’m not going to push if you’re not ready.”
She framed his face with her hands. “I have never been so attracted to a man in my life. You turned me inside out from the first second I laid eyes on you.”
“You felt it too, huh?”
“Oh yeah.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to give you what you need in the bedroom, but I’m willing to try. I don’t want to live with this fear anymore.”
He tipped her face so she was forced to look him in the eye. “I’d never hurt you, sweetheart. I need you to believe that.”
Her eyes travelled over his face. “I believe you. I can’t explain why I feel so strongly about this, but I trust you. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me.”
“Does that mean you’re willing to take this to the next level?” he asked. He wanted her, not just in his bed, but in his life. If she offered her body but withheld her heart, he didn’t think he could handle it.
“I want to be with you tonight, to make love to you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
He shook his head. “I think you know that I’m asking for more than that.”
She sighed. “I’m busy; so are you. Dating would be difficult, to say the least.”
“I’m willing to make it a priority if you are,” he said, praying she was willing to make the effort to make this work.
“I work sixty or seventy hours a week. I get home at night dead on my feet.”
He kissed her lips. He hated the thought that she had given so much to her career and left nothing for herself. “So, I could be there waiting for you when you get home, not every night, but some nights. How does that sound?”
She closed her eyes, as if imagining the scenario. “How does it sound, having you waiting in my bed when I get home from work?” She laughed. “It sounds like a dream come true.”
He laughed, kissing her lips. “Then you’re willing to try and make this work?”
She opened her eyes, looking at him intently. “I can’t make any promises, but if you’re asking me if I’m willing to keep an open mind about where this may take us, the answer is yes.”
“That’s all I’m asking, for now.”
He reached down to pull the tank top up and over her head. She hadn’t replaced the bikini top she was wearing earlier, so she was bare from the waist down. His mouth watered. He wanted nothing more than to ravage her spectacular tits, but he forced himself to pull back and let her take the lead the first time. He pulled his T-shirt over his head, tossing it to the ground at his feet.
She smoothed her hands over his pecs, placing feather-light kisses over his chest. He closed his eyes, imagining the feel of her mouth wrapped around his hard shaft. She reached down to pop the button on his denim cut-offs, pushing them over his hips. He stepped out of them, kicking them aside as he reached for the buttons on her shorts. He couldn’t wait to get her naked again, only this time, he wouldn’t let words get in the way. He intended to show her how he felt, what he wanted from her.
“Bedroom?” she whispered, pulling his head down. She kissed him hungrily, stroking him with her tongue until he was ready to tear her remaining clothes off in his haste to get her naked.
“Wait,” he said, pulling back, gasping. “Wait, we’ve gotta slow down.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him into her body. “I don’t want to wait. I want you now.”
If she kept this up, he was going to embarrass himself. He wanted to take his time with her, give her the pleasure she deserved. He placed an arm under her legs, scooping her up as he carried her into the bedroom. He was struck by how light she was. So small and fragile, yet so strong and independent. She was a sexy paradox he couldn’t wait to discover.
He set her down on the bed, standing over her. “Take those off,” he said, gesturing toward her shorts.
She bit her lip, a wicked gleam in her eye. “You first.”
He chuckled, slipping his boxer briefs off and kicking them aside. “Happy now?”
She looked him up and down, licking her lips. “You have no idea how happy you’ve just made me, Davis.”
He watched her shimmy her shorts off, no panties underneath.
She opened her legs, grinding her hips into the mattress. “I’ve heard it can intensify the pleasure, being bound and blind-folded. Is that true?”
The image of her completely at his mercy made him so hard it was almost painful. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
She ran a hand over her taut stomach. “You’ve experimented with bondage, I assume?”
He couldn’t even think about other sexual encounters with this goddess in his bed, spread out before him like a wet dream come to life. “Yeah.”
“Do you want to tie me up, Steve?”
Shit, how was he supposed to answer that? He wanted to kiss and lick every inch of her smooth, bronzed body, give her pleasure beyond anything she’d ever experienced before, and he knew she had to give herself over to it before he could make that happen. “I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, baby.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He finally decided to take the risk, praying he wouldn’t ruin his chances with her. “Yes, I want to tie you up.”
Her hands caressed her tits, plucking at her nipples. “Why?”
He could see the evidence of her arousal when her legs fell open. Her pussy was slick with her juices; he couldn’t wait to taste her. “I want you surrender to the pleasure, Brook. I want you to feel out of control, in a good way. If you let your body lead you, it’ll be an experience unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.”
Her hands roamed her body, her soft sigh permeating the air. “I want that. I want to give myself to you.”
He knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. “Okay, tell me how you want this to play out.”
She shook her head, leaning into the pillows. “I’ll leave that up to you. You’re in charge.” She winked at him. “At least for tonight.”
He loved her sass and confidence. Hell, he loved everything about her.
He went to the dresser and extracted several silk ties. He wouldn’t use handcuffs, not tonight. The thought of using the same handcuffs with her that he’d used on other women felt wrong. She deserved the best of him and that’s what he intended to give her.
He walked back to the bed, positioning his knee between her open legs. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, baby?”
She nodded, her eyes drifting over his body. “I can’t wait.”
He secured her ankles to the bedposts quickly, testing the ties’ strength before he moved on to her wrists. He held the remaining scrap of silk. “You sure you want the blindfold, too?”
“Positive,” she whispered.
He carefully tied it around her eyes and stood back to look at her. His heart thumped in his chest and his cock twitched. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve this, but he said a silent prayer of thanks nonetheless. Climbing on top of her, he brushed his lips across hers as the hair on his chest teased her nipples.
She moaned, trying to pull forward to claim his lips.
He pulled back, placing brief kisses on her cheek, her ear, and the side of her neck. He knew he needed to start slow, heightening her arousal until she was begging him to take her. Ultimately, he wanted her to be the one to decide when she was ready, at least for tonight. Once he’d gained her trust and shown her what her body was capable of, he’d be willing to take a stronger lead, but tonight was all about meeting her demands and earning her trust.
He drew her lush bottom lip between his teeth before prodding her mouth with his tongue, exploring deeply. He moved on to her neck, the crevice of her collarbone, licking and tasting every exposed inch of warm flesh.
She cried out, writhing against her restraints. “Oh God, that feels so good. You’re making me so wet, so hot…”
&nb
sp; He smiled against her skin, taking pleasure in giving her pleasure. “I’m just getting started, sweetheart.” His tongue traced a path to her breasts, drawing a taut nipple into his mouth. He suckled gently. He started lapping at her more vigorously, swirling his tongue, drawing the sensitive pebble between his teeth until a sob escaped her throat.
“Steve, please,” she whispered. “I need you to make me come.”
“I will, baby, over and over again. I promise. I just need you to relax and enjoy.” He left open-mouthed kisses down her stomach to the apex of her thighs. The musky scent of her arousal infiltrated his senses, testing his tenuous grip on self-control. He refused to overwhelm her with a sense of urgency she may regard as threatening.
He spread her open, flicking his tongue over her sensitive bud. She lifted her hips off the bed, crying out his name. Her reaction sent him over the edge, and he ignored the mantra in his head telling him to slow down and take it easy on her. One taste lit the fire that sent him up in flames. He devoured her pussy, deep, probing strokes as he forced her hips into the mattress for his onslaught. He couldn’t get enough of her. He felt her coming apart in his arms, felt her pussy throbbing against his tongue, her thighs trembling against his face, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more. He needed to drive every thought of another man out of her head forever. He wanted to claim her as his, to…
“Steve, stop, please.”
Her broken plea finally registered, forcing him to pull back. “Shit, I’m sorry. I kind of lost it there for a minute.”
She laughed. “Don’t apologize. That was… wow…that was amazing.”
He grinned, relieved and pleased that she was as dumbfounded by their connection as he was. He pulled the blind-fold off her eyes. He needed to look into her eyes when he made love to her for the first time. “About the condom…”
She shook her head, smiling. “We don’t need it. That is, if you trust me?”
He had no reservations about her or them. He trusted her with his secrets, and now she had his heart. “I trust you,” he whispered. He positioned his aching cock at her entrance, staring into her eyes. “Do you need me to un-tie you?” He glanced at the ties binding her wrist. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
