"Is it one of your smutty books?"
"It’sthesmutty book. It’s thanks toFifty Shadesthat an entire generation of us discovered BDSM."
"What you’re going to discover now is not ordinary BDSM, baby."
"Umm, o-k-a-y. Should I be worried?" She giggles, then gasps when I throw her down on the bed. She bounces once, then supports herself on her elbows. Her gaze widens. She takes in the gray, cashmere-covered walls, the thick carpet, the dimmed lighting, the raised table in the corner, until her gaze comes to rest on the closet that covers one wall. The spotlight from above highlights her soft skin, making her seem even more ethereal than usual.
"This looks—"
"Normal?"
"Too normal." She laughs. "You’re hiding your not-ordinary-BDSM devices in that closet, huh?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you’re trying to scare me."
"Am I succeeding?"
Her chest rises and falls. Her pupils dilate, until there’s only a circle of black left around the circumference of her irises. It’s answer enough, without any words being spoken. She’s turned on by the thought of what I can do to her. She glances at the closet, then back at me. "Do your worst."
I can’t stop my mouth from twisting. Goddamn, but she challenged me. Either she’s really not scared of me, or… she’s trying to push me to find out what I’m going to do next.
I move closer to the bed, then in one quick move, I’m on it and over her, balancing my weight on my palms and the toes of my feet as I plank over her.
She shrinks back against the bed, but her eyes are defiant. Color tinges her cheeks. The pulse at the base of her neck beats so fast, it’s like the rapid movement of a hummingbird’s wings.
"You sure about that, LadyBird? Once I start, there’s no stopping me."
She glances between my eyes.
"How many women have you brought here?"
"What if I tell you, there’s been no one here… before you. What if I tell you I’ve been stocking this room for the day that I’d have the woman of my dreams here to play with me, that from the moment I saw you, I knew it was you. What if I tell you that" —I lower myself until my lips are poised less than a millimeter from hers— "once I fuck you in this room, you’ll be spoiled for anyone else?"
"Is that a promise?"
I rub my nose against hers. "That’s a pledge."
Her gaze softens. She cups my cheek. "Just for tonight, you can do whatever you want to me."
"And after?"
She swallows. "I don’t know, Liam. I’m trying to figure this out. Please, be patient with me."
It’s as close to a promise as I’m going to get from her. It’s not nearly enough, but it will have to do. For now. "Okay," I say before brushing my lips against hers.
"Okay," she breathes against my mouth.
"Okay." I lower my head and sniff her neck, and the scent of her, as always, goes straight to my head. At the same time, the blood rushes to my cock. A groan rumbles up my chest. My biceps tremble. "Goddamn, woman, you slay me every time."
I sense her smile, then she wraps her arms about my shoulders. "Come inside me, baby."
My thigh muscles spasm. My dick thickens further. If I stay here another second, I’ll be doing exactly that, and I don’t want to. Not yet.
"Soon." I lean over her again and kiss her deeply.
She parts her lips, and the taste of her courses through my veins. Like salvation and redemption and deliverance, all rolled into one. She’s my lifeline, and I’m hers. Only she hasn’t realized it yet. And maybe I’m taking undue advantage of her by using everything I have at my disposal to bind her to me, but it’s the only tool I have. Something more potent than my wealth or my power. It’s a chance to show her just how good I can make it for her. And I’m going to press my advantage while I have it.