With that same careful precision, he caught one ankle in a knot, tying the shoelace around it. "Wider now," he ordered, and his voice was rougher, more ragged. I recognized how close he was to losing control because I was right there with him.
I slid my legs wider, and he caught the other end of the shoelace against the post that held up the divider between the two rooms. Then, quick as anything, he did the same for my right foot, tying my ankle and lashing it to the other post where the dressing room met the wall.
Then, he trailed his hands up my legs, gathering my long skirt into bunches that he held in his fists, just like reins.
We were both breathing hard now. I was so delirious with desire that the slightest touch had me panting. I arched my back, pushing myself closer to him. "Please," I begged, my wrists straining against the leather that held me fast. "Please."
In an instant he was there, his arm around my stomach pulling me flush against him.
"You'll get what you want," he growled, nipping against my ear lobe. "But first, I'm going to take what I want."
I shivered.
"So wet already," he murmured against my ear as he slid his hand between my legs." I moaned in agreement, searching for him. "I fucking love you, you know that, and you love this, don't you Brynn? Do you feel that? The way the leather holds you fast? You know I've got you, and I'm not..." He paused and took a ragged breath as I felt him gather my skirt higher. "I'm not going to let you go."
He punctuated that statement with a thrust. I yelped, going up to my toes, feeling the weight of that promise. That he wasn't going to let me go, he wasn't going to let me fall. He had me, he held me, and he was holding me together.
That first searching thrust made us both gasp out loud, and I was certain that I heard the person in the other dressing room pause, and listen, and somehow that made me even crazier. I turned my head, the cold press of the well against my cheek, and watched in the mirror as Rett fucked me from behind. I was lashed in place, completely at his mercy, and the way that he used my body was the way a musician plays his instruments. He reached up, holding a fistful of the leather belt in his hand for leverage as he drove upward, filling me. With the other hand he grabbed my skirt, coiling it up and pressing it into my mouth. I bit down on the fabric to hold back the screams that were gathering in my throat.
"If you come," he rasped into my ear. "If you come they're going to hear you. All these people. I'm going to make you come now. Everyone's going to know."
I nodded, desperate, biting down on my skirt as I squeezed back the scream, but he thrust deep inside of me at the same time that his thumb pressed down on my clit. My muscles clenched and he reached down, wrapping both arms around my waist, pulling me down to meet him with each thrust.
The muffled slap of skin on skin filled my ears even as I opened my mouth wider. The skirt fell away, and I turned to sink my teeth into his shoulder. He growled in ragged animal grunts and I felt the muscles tighten in his belly. "Yes," I gasped. "I want it, give it to me," I said in a voice I didn't even recognize as my own.
He buried his face in my shoulder, and his whole body tightened, every muscle twanging like the plucked string of a guitar. With a shuddering groan, he came inside of me, but kept thrusting, kept moving his hand against my clit, wrenching one more ragged, desperate orgasm from my body before I sagged back against him, pulling the belt tight as I fell.
It was only then that I recognized that all sounds from the dressing room next to us had ceased.
"She heard us," Rett said, and there was more in his voice and I could understand.
"She must have," I breathed.
His eyes darted back and forth across my face, as if he were trying to read me like a book. I inhaled sharply when I saw that his eyes were still dark and hungry. I bit my lip, wondering if he was going to fuck me again, my body already pulsing with need for him even as my pussy still clenched in the aftershocks.
But instead he reached up and untied my hands.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Everett
I'd never indulged my darkness out in the world before. My perverted desires had never seen the light of day until Brynn brought the sunshine in. Tying her up like this — it felt like some kind of declaration of purpose. I wasn't going to hide any more.
"I have a new purpose in life," I told her as I knelt by her leg and carefully unknotted the lace. Somehow, after that exquisite moment, it made sense for me to kneel before her.
"What's that?" she breathed, her chest still rising and falling rapidly, like the wings of a hummingbird.
I looked up at her. "I'm going to tie you up and fuck you in every single shop in this town."
She inhaled sharply, and bit her lip, and the way the color raced across her cheeks, I knew she liked the idea as much as I did, and the fact that she did made me want to do something else down here on my knees.
But then she pressed her lips together and shook her head. "What if we get caught?" she asked.
"You know?" I said, rising to my feet and taking her hands into mine. I lifted one reddened wrist to my lips, and then the other, kissing the places where the belt had marked her. "I don't actually give a fuck about that."
She smiled again, her cheeks even redder than before. And all at once I knew that she knew what this meant. What it meant to me to know that I didn't care if someone found us. Fuck expectation, and the fuck decorum, and above all, fuck normal.
I wanted so desperately to say that out loud. I wanted to kiss her, to go back down on my knees and thank her for freeing me. I wanted to tell her that I loved her, that she'd made everything I ever hated about myself into something to celebrate. I would've never known how to do any of this without her.
I took her face into my hands, wanting to say all this, but the words crowded together on my tongue in a rush to tumble forward and I stumbled.
So I kissed her and tried to put all of those words that I couldn't say into kissing her. I wanted to make her understand somehow, and this, this was the only way.
The way she tilted her head, willingly, yielding her soft mouth up to mine — giving herself over — it overwhelmed me. All at once, I was sinking to my knees again. I gathered her skirt in my hands, lifting it up. She was still red down there, swollen from my cock, so I kissed her sweetly, flickering an exploring tongue along her center.
She gasped and sank her hands into my hair, and even though it was different this time, I still couldn't resist catching her wrists in my hands and holding them tight as I began to fuck her with my tongue, holding her fast in place while I gave her what she needed, but perhaps I needed it even more.
I loved her taste. I loved her noises. I loved the way her whole body clenched before she came, like she was bracing for impact. I loved the way she gasped out my name, loved the way it sounded like a plea to give her more. I'd give her more. I'd give her everything I had if it would make her eyes sparkle. All she had to do was bite her lip and smile and I'd gladly lay down my life.
I also loved how ready she was for me. Drawing her clit up between my lips I sank my fingers into that scalding hot softness and felt how wet she was, slick and perfect. My cock throbbed, ready for round two, but that wasn't what this was about. I'd been denying myself forever, waiting for a girl like her. I could deny myself just this once.
When I had her arching, and felt her thighs clench around my head, I kissed her once, and then again, then pulled back to look up at her. "What do you say?" I asked her. "You game for taking on my plan?"
She looked down, gasping, reddened, and completely undone, the way I liked her. "Every shop in this town?" she gasped.
"Yep," I said.
She nodded, bit her lip and then smiled. "It's good to have goals," she said.
And I stood up and kissed her full on the mouth once more.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Brynn
My attempts at journaling had failed. My commitment to daily hikes had died on the vine. Aside from that one bou
t of organizational inspiration, my house remained a mess. My summer of self-improvement was a total bust unless you counted one area of achievement I was excelling at.
If we kept up our pace, Rett will have fucked me in every shop in town before the summer was over.
Turns out I can achieve goals if I set them. I just need to be... properly motivated.
I grinned as I sat down on the park bench in the town square. It was one of those late July days where the cicadas buzzed in the trees in a rising and falling cadence that sounded like heat itself. I'd taken to meeting Rett here after work here most evenings so we could get right down to the business of... goal achievement.
Some places proved easier than others. Bob and Lou's Diner, with their nice, sturdy locks on the bathroom door was the easiest by far. Scoops Ice Cream Stand? That had proven a bit of a challenge with no public restroom and swarms of tourists always milling about. We'd sat in our booth, frustrated, until Rett took matters into his own hands and plunged his fingers down the waistband of my shorts.
After some back and forth, we decided that counted towards our tally.
Today's aim was Mrs. Feathergill's Antique Shoppe. I'd already scouted it out and found that the dressing room was surprisingly spacious. Rett had mentioned something about wanting to try a new knot.
I was very excited.
I leaned back on the park bench and closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun settle about my shoulders like a comforting blanket.
But even in the peace of the moment, I couldn't keep my foot from tapping anxiously against the ground. Rett should be here, any minute. Even now, with my eyes closed, I could conjure his face in front of me, the echo of his voice in my ears praising me as I pushed myself to the very limit.
If I wasn't careful, I was going to start making some noises that were distinctly inappropriate for a public place.
The sound of children's voices filled my ears. Reddening, I opened my eyes and watched as parents started pulling up to the daycare across the street.
I smiled watching the happy reunions. Kids hurtled across the playground to arriving parents while harried-looking workers hustled to keep track of who was leaving with who. I spotted Autumn's flame-red head amidst the fray and was unsurprised to see that she was still smiling even after what had to be a long and stressful day.
I was surprised to see that I recognized Adelina — Grace's mom, the waitress at the country club — hustling Grace into a beat up old Chevy, all the while surveying her surroundings like she was looking out for something.
Or someone.
I wondered what she was looking out for. I raised my hand and waved in greeting.
When she saw me, Grace's face lit up. I saw her mouth something, and grab her mom's hand.
"Oh boy," I said to myself, seeing Adelina’s pissed off expression. But Grace was already dragging her mother across the street towards me.
"Hi Miss Reese," Grace sang out.
"Hi there Gracie," I said, standing up and then going down to my knee to give her a hug. "I've missed you! How has your summer been going?"
"Good!" she said, twisting and turning on her feet. "I made a giraffe with Mrs. Granger today."
"A giraffe, huh? What letter does the word giraffe begin with?" I prompted her.
"G!" she said, smiling and showing that she lost her bottom tooth.
I looked up and greeted Adelina. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to hold you up, I just wanted to say hi," I told her when I saw her stormy face.
"Yeah, well." Her eyes darted around again. "We need to get going. You never know what kind of creepers are around."
I narrowed my eyes. "It's a pretty safe town," I started to protest. But then I remembered that my own house had been broken into. Granted they hadn't taken anything, but it was still pretty unnerving so I bit my tongue before I started babbling away like a hypocrite.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Adelina said. "But you can't ever be too safe."
"No, you can't," I said, parroting her. As I said that, I saw Rett out of the corner of my eye, striding towards me with a purposeful grin on his face and I realized that yeah, you actually could be too safe. And I didn't want that any more.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Everett
The summer rush was in full swing and in an effort to eke out every last bit of tourist money they could, the town of Reckless Falls always threw a summer festival, complete with a parade down Main Street.
I hadn't been to the parade since I was a little kid, but Brynn had insisted she wanted to go, "to check and make sure we ticked everything on the block off our list."
How could I say no to that?
The sidewalks were thick with people, townspeople and tourists alike lining the curbside, jostling for the best view of the parade. But there was a little bit of space along the storefronts, so that was where we walked.
"The furniture store?" Brynn asked.
I grinned at her. "You don't remember? They had a spare headboard in that back room behind the service entrance."
"Oh yeah," she said, blushing bright red. Then she looked along the block. "Did it, did it, did it," she chanted, pointing at three storefronts in a row. "Have we really done it?" she asked breathlessly. "Did we finish this block already?"
I stepped out and surveyed the street. I was never going to be able to look at my hometown the same way, ever again. "I think so..." I said slowly.
"No wait!" she exclaimed.
I turned to where she was pointing, and spotted the lights on above the hardware store. "We haven't tried in there," she said, with a giggle. And then, fuck me, she was blushing that rosy shade of pink again and holy shit, I freaking loved this girl.
I grinned at her, then looked down at my sandals and sighed heavily. "No shoelaces," I intoned in mock sorrow. "I'm not prepared. Your Boy Scout has failed you."
She grabbed my hand and pointed again. "We can stop inside the yarn shop first..." she suggested, tugging at my hand.
"We'll miss the parade," I teased her.
She squeezed my hand, biting her lip and tucking her hair behind her ears, and just that simple gesture had me already undone, already imagining the knot at her breasts.
I let her lead me into the throng crowding the streets as we made our way over to the Yarn Barn, a literal barn behind the main drag. I was so focused on the swing of her blonde hair, and the sway of her hips, that I didn't give a crap that the crowd was closing in on me, that everyone could see us and wonder what we were up to. She led me towards a side alley, a gap between the buildings, cutting a short path to the barn, and it was strange, that little ghost of a memory of how things used to be. I wasn't like that anymore, but worrying about what people were thinking, that was like some kind of muscle memory. I rolled my head from side to side to clear it and as I did, I caught the eye of the last fucking person I wanted to see here.
Nick Butler appeared at the entrance to the alley and looked down at my hand entwined with Brynn's.
Then he planted his feet, standing directly in our path and blocking our way, a challenge in the jut of his chin. "What's up, McLame?" he asked, looking me up and down.
I stopped, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. I had so many more important things to do than get into a dick measuring contest with Nick Butler.
Brynn came to a wary halt and swayed a little in place, all her weight poised on the balls of her feet. Like any second she'd break out into a run.
But Nick looked over at her slowly, and his eyes raked from her face down to her breasts in a way that made me glad she was holding my hand so I didn't punch that smirk off of his face. "Hey Reese's Pieces," he leered. "You look good."
"Thanks Nick," she said warily. Her face was closed off, cautious.
He must have finally been smart enough to read the temperature of the room, because he turned back to glare at me. "What are you two up to?" he asked, doing that stupid sizing me up thing again.
He was dressed in a loudly patterned button down shi
rt and jeans instead of the uniform of a cop. No authority at all.
Maybe that's why I wasn't in in the mood to be the bigger man.
I dropped Brynn's hand and planted my feet, letting him see that I had a good four inches in height on him. I looked him in the eyes, then deliberately dropped my gaze downward, mimicking his bullshit sizing up maneuver. I took in his police academy trained muscles, but also took note of the softening tummy, the beginnings of a beer gut. Then I dropped my gaze lower...
And then I did a double take, adrenaline squirting bright hot rage in my throat. I looked again just to be sure, and in an instant I had him up against the wall, my hands around his throat.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Brynn
My hands went to my mouth, and I lunged for him. "What are you doing?" I cried as Rett grabbed ahold of Nick's collar and swung him so hard that his head cracked against the brick wall of the Country Closet clothing boutique. "My God what are you doing?"
"You Motherfucker!" Rett growled, and I'd never heard his voice so dangerous. He looked like he wanted to kill Nick.
"Rett what the fuck! Let go of him!" I cried yanking on his arm.
But he gathered Nick's collar in his fists and then slammed him into the wall again. "Fucking asshole," he snarled. "Brynn look!"
"What are you talking about?"
"His shoes, Brynn! Look at his fucking shoes!"
I looked down and my eyes lighted on that orange reflective strip and suddenly my blood ran cold.
"You?" I said, looking back up at Nick.
He eyed me warily but said nothing.
And that's when I knew.
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