Somehow, I’ll have to figure things out because I want Summer for keeps. I’d hoped to someday be given Summer. To have earned her. But this will negate any chance of that.
So what now? It doesn’t happen often that I find myself unsure of what move to make next.
Tugging her dress down, I pull her up into my arms.
Summer’s flushed face and glassy eyes give her a just-fucked look, which makes me want to toss her on her back and complete the ravishment.
She rubs her lips together and looks at me with heavy lids. “Are we going to talk now? I’m not even sure what that spanking was for.”
Definitely submissive. I lean my forehead against hers. “No? Why do you think I spanked you?”
Her forehead crinkles. “It’s not my fault I attracted a stalker.” There’s no heat behind her words, more confusion.
“Were you at that club alone?”
“No, I went with friends.”
“Well, where the hell were your friends while you were hiding in the bathroom?”
She gives a half-shrug. “I guess they left me at some point.”
I want to fire all her friends and get her some worth keeping. “They didn’t say goodbye?”
She nibbles her lip. “They might have…I was a little drunk for a while there.”
A good reason for her friends not to leave her there alone. Cristo.
“You were at a nightclub looking hot as fuck in that dress–with no panties–alone, and a little drunk. I seriously want to punch a wall right now.”
Her jaw juts forward. “Don’t you dare tell me I asked for it by wearing this. Because that’s victim blaming, and—”
“No, bambina. But I’m surprised you didn’t have twenty stalkers waiting outside that bathroom door for you. But it’s not your fault they’re assholes. Your friends aren’t worth a damn, either. Listen…here’s the rule, and I expect you to remember it—don’t wear that dress out again without me at your back. Or better yet, wear it only for me in private.”
The retort she appeared to be gathering falls away when my words register. Her pretty lips part. “For you...?”
A prickle of heat makes me unbutton the collar on my designer shirt. Am I going to stake my claim on her now? Or keep things loose and undefined? Her wide copper-colored eyes contain something resembling hope. My heart picks up speed.
Cogliere l'attimo.
“Yeah.” I slam her with a possessive stare. “You heard me.”
She meets my challenging gaze and swallows.
“I think you need looking after.”
“And... you’re the man to do it?”
The corners of my lips kick up. “That’s right.”
“So...what? You’re like, my bodyguard?”
I shake my head. “I’m your keeper.” I stand up from the couch, keeping her cradled in my arms. Carrying her to the bathroom, I plunk her down on the counter and wash my hands.
She sits docile and sweet, but a charge of anticipation runs between us.
I have a toothbrush still in its package under the sink. I pull it out of the wrapping and squeeze a line of toothpaste on it. Handing it to her, I say, “brush.”
“Bossy.” She feigns a pout but takes the toothbrush.
I make quick work of my own teeth and hand Summer a washcloth for her face. She scrubs, obediently. When she finishes, I cover her hands bracketing her sides on the countertop with my own, pinning her there. “Listen to me, bambina. I’m going to take you to my bed now, if you agree. But know this--if you spend the night here tonight, when tomorrow comes, I’m not letting you go. You’re going to stay here with me and live under my rules, so I can take care of you.”
It’s bold. Bordering on lunacy. If Don LaTorre finds out, I’m a dead man. But having Summer here in my apartment makes me reckless. Unwilling to let her go.
Her breath stops.
I’ve gone way too far, but hell, I can’t see any other way around it. I’m not going to stand around and watch Summer free-fall anymore. And if I claim her, I’m not going to do it half-assed. I’ll make her mine. Worship that body of hers. Figure out what’s going on in that beautiful head that’s making her act out this way.
“Is that all?”
Her answer surprises me. No reaction to my proposal? “No, that’s not all. I back up all my rules with discipline.” The corners of my lips tick up. My dick presses against my zipper. “So you’d be giving yourself over to me. Mine to punish. Mine to pleasure.”
Summer’s eyes dilate. She lowers her gaze to the bulge in my pants. “Do I get to pleasure you, too?”
I almost jizz in my pants.
Did she really just accept all my terms and then offer to blow me?
Gripping her hair, I tip her head back and lean in close, skimming her jaw with my lips. “You won’t have a choice, doll.”
Of course, it isn’t true, but I can’t resist the test. How will my little submissive respond? Does she trust me?