The softness of his tone didn’t undermine the iron in the command. A little shiver worked down her neck and spread outward. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been reading too many historical novels lately and had a silly image pop into my head of you being some prince and me being dragged into court as a captive. Ridiculous, I know.”
The heat that flared in his eyes would’ve shown up on a thermal camera. “You’d make a lovely slave girl, Tessa. Maybe we’ll have to try that some time.”
She tried to wet her lips, but her tongue had gone dry, and she barely m
anaged to eke out her reply. “Too bad you lost the bet and we don’t get another date.”
The corner of his mouth lifted and the sheer confidence of it nearly knocked her down. “Over my knees, Tessa. Now.”
And in that moment, she knew then that he’d won anyway. That look said it all—when I’m done with you tonight, you’ll be begging me for another night. The quicksand that was Kade Vandergriff had engulfed her ankles and now he was going to pull her right under. But she couldn’t stop herself from walking to him and letting him drape her over his lap. She braced her fingertips on the floorboards, her hair sweeping down to curtain her.
The clink of the belt had her stiffening and lifting, but he pressed a soothing hand to her back and eased her down again. “Hands behind your back.”
With no small amount of trepidation, she raised her arms behind her. Kade gripped her wrists and wound the leather belt around them then cinched the belt tight. The move put her off balance and made her even more vulnerable, something she didn’t think possible. “Kade.”
“Shh,” he said, running a finger beneath the belt and checking how tight it was. “My way, remember. I won’t let you fall.”
She pulled a deep breath into her lungs, held it, and released it, trying to calm herself.
“Are you scared, baby?”
“A little.”
“Good.” His palm caressed over her backside, raising goose bumps on her skin, and tracked lower. He tapped her thigh. “Open wider for me.”
She did as she was told, the commands falling right into the slave girl fantasy she’d conjured. She was at his mercy. It probably shouldn’t turn her on, but already her body was melting like ice on hot pavement. Kade’s fingers moved along her spread sex and easily slid inside, the state of her arousal embarrassingly apparent. Her body clamped around him, and she couldn’t stop a whimper from escaping.
“God, baby, you’re so hot and wet. You’re going to get me hard all over again just thinking about how your pussy would feel around me.”
She shuddered in his hold. Normally, the word pussy would make her cringe. It sounded so crude, but somehow the way he said it made it sound reverent. Like it was some mysterious wonder of nature to be worshipped.
There was soft laughter from above her. “I love how when I say dirty things to you, your skin turns the sexiest shade of pink. I can’t wait to see how it’s going to look red.”
Before she could process what he was saying, a hard smack landed on the left side of her ass. She yelped at the sharpness of the sting, the unexpected pain. Sonofabitch. She’d asked if it was going to hurt, but it’d been almost in jest. She’d hadn’t really expected it to be painful. Wasn’t spanking like a play thing? A pretend game where it was more about the role play than the actual hitting? But when another stinging swat hit her right side, she realized quickly there was nothing faux about this. It freaking hurt.
“Kade,” she protested. “I’m not sure . . .”
“Breathe through it, Tess. Trust me,” Kade said, without any sympathy in his voice. “You have a safe word, but I suggest you give me a minute before you tap out.”
Trust me. That seemed to be a recurring theme with him. And though she wasn’t quite there yet, she managed to say okay. She was determined not to pull the plug too early. The pain wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t unbearable. She’d just hoped this would be more of an enjoyable thing than a painful one. So much for this being a reward for winning.
Kade’s hand came down again and hit the back of her thigh. Holy hell. That was even worse than on her butt. She reared up, but he kept her against his lap with his free arm. “Stay still.”
“I’m trying,” she said through gritted teeth.
That spurred him on more, and she regretted talking. His hand smacked her other thigh then went on a rapid trip across her ass again. Smack. Smack. Smack. Her body began to sweat and hum with restless energy. Her thoughts blurred around the edges. The pain was turning into something else, numb at first, then a weird buzzing sensation—like having one too many shots of alcohol. She tried to say Kade’s name because the feeling was so disorienting and unfamiliar, but the word wouldn’t come out. Then he landed a blow right against her sex. A million nerve endings gathered at the point of impact and exploded into currents of sensation, rippling out like a backdraft. A cry tore from her throat and everything went burning hot and needy inside her. Skin that had stung was now tingling and aching for more. Her heels came off the ground, her body offering itself to Kade.
“That’s it, beautiful,” Kade said, running a warm hand over her tightening skin. “Let it kick in and enjoy the buzz.”
He spanked her again and she moaned, shameless at this point. Her body was throbbing and desperate for release in a flash, the soft fabric of his pants rubbing against her clit and adding to the mix. From pain to near bliss in mere minutes. “Kade, please.”
“You want to come, Tessa?” he said, gravel in his voice, as if he were riding his edge, too.
“Yes,” she said, squirming against his lap, seeking more contact. She was right there on the brink but needed more. She needed him. But she doubted he was ready for round two yet. “Please.”
Instead of reaching beneath her to touch her like she expected, Kade slid her off his lap and onto her knees. Frustration flooded her at the delay. What was he doing? He stood and shoved the chair out of the way, then he hooked her beneath her armpits and lifted her to her feet.
She struggled to stay steady with her arms still bound and her head rushing from being upside down one minute and right-side up the next. She braced her hip against the edge of the table. “What are you doing?”