Constant Craving [Rapture Island 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (11 page)

Kelsey woke with a sense of anticipation she hadn’t experienced in years. Before she even opened her eyes, excitement flooded her veins, her heart racing with eagerness to start the day.

At first, she didn’t know why, but then memories of the night before came rushing back. With a smile, she stretched and reached out a hand in search of Gabriel, hoping to run her hands over him before he woke up. Surprised and disappointed to find the sheet beside her cool, she opened her eyes and turned her head in search of him.

Frowning to find herself alone, she sat up, holding the sheet over her breasts. Smelling coffee and feeling a presence, she turned her head, her breath catching when she saw Gabriel leaning against the doorframe.

Dressed in another pair of cotton, drawstring pants—black this time—and with his chest and feet bare, he smiled, so gorgeous and sexy her mouth went dry. His overlong hair, still damp from a recent shower, had been combed back, emphasizing his elegant, masculine features. “Good morning.”

Wondering how one man could have more sex appeal than any twenty men combined, she smiled seductively, hoping to lure him back into bed.

“Wanna quickie before breakfast?” Dropping the sheet, she bared her breasts, hoping to entice him, and begin the week of pleasure he’d promised.

Gabriel smiled and shook his head. “Let’s get something straight, darling. If I want to fuck you, I’ll fuck you. That body belongs to me now, or have you forgotten?” He took a sip from the thick mug he held, and smiled. “I’ll get you some coffee. The coffee here is actually as good as yours.”

“It should be. Julianna made me hook them up with my supplier.” Sitting up, she started to curl her legs under her, frowning to realize that something around her ankle prevented her from moving it. Tugging again, she threw back the covers to untangle her leg from the sheet, shocked to see that her leg had been tied to the ornate bedpost with a length of black silk.

A funny feeling settled in her stomach, and with a sense of alarm that she might have underestimated Gabriel, she turned toward him. “What’s this?”

Straightening, he gestured toward her leg. “Just a reminder of what you agreed to last night.”

Amused at his attempt to scare her, and aroused at his play, she tossed the sheet aside, determined to enjoy every minute of their time together. Grinning, she raised a brow, running a hand from her neck to the upper curve of her breast to draw his attention there. “You planning to keep me tied to the bed all week?”

His eyes narrowed, the anticipation in his gaze making her a lot more nervous than the threat in it. “I doubt it. I just wanted to remind you of the fact that I can if I want to.”

The realization that his brand of play may be more intense than she’d expected had her shifting restlessly. “And then you can give me all that pleasure you promised. Blah, blah, blah. Can I have my coffee now?”

Gabriel smiled, the anticipation in his eyes sharpening. “Of course.” He started to turn away, but turned back, all trace of amusement gone. “I can’t wait for the moment you realize this isn’t a game, and I won’t let you play me like you’ve played other men in your life.”

* * * *

Trembling with anticipation, Kelsey waited expectantly for Gabriel to cross the room with her coffee, lifting the sheet to cover herself again at the unexpected sense of vulnerability.

Gabriel seemed different this morning.

More intense.

He seemed more
sexual
. Colder. More in control.

A lot of things she couldn’t quite pinpoint, but the combination drew her even more, and actually gave her the sense of belonging to him.

It was a heady sensation, one that made her realize that she had to fight harder not to let him see that her emotions were involved.

Watching as he crossed the room and rounded the foot of the bed, she stiffened when he sat on the edge before holding out the steaming mug to her.

Accepting it, she stared into his eyes, struck by the possessiveness in them as they held hers. “Thank you.”

Reaching under the covers, he circled her ankle, his fingers sliding over the soft material tied there. “You’re welcome, darling. I ordered breakfast to be delivered. We have a few things to take care of before we leave the room today.”

Taking another sip of the fragrant coffee, she let her gaze drift lower to his chest. “You know, I used to think you wore all those fancy suits and designer clothes to hide a paunchy stomach.”

Gabriel smiled. “Did you?” He caught the hand she reached out to lay on his chest before she could touch him, his eyes going hard and cool.

“We don’t have a relationship, Kelsey. We have an arrangement. You want just the physical aspect of this. Not the emotion. You don’t touch me without permission. Did you forget already?”

Furious to have her own words thrown back at her, she tried to yank her hand from his, her anger growing when he prevented it. He held it just long enough to let her know that he was in charge before releasing it. Snatching her hand to her chest, she held up the sheet that had started to fall.

“Fine. I won’t touch you, but I don’t want you to think badly of me if I can’t be submissive. I’ve spent my life counting on no one but myself.”

Her breath caught when he reached out a hand, her heart racing when he curled a finger over the top of the sheet, brushing it against the upper curve of her breast. “Darling, you’re more suited to it than you think. I’ve already told you that a submissive has to be strong. You need to be overwhelmed, darling, or you’d be bored to death.” Taking the cup from her, he set it on her nightstand and touched the upper edge of the sheet again. “Put your hand down.”

Blinking, she stared up at him, her pussy clenching at his cool tone.

Gabriel’s brows went up. “You can obey me or have me overpower you and have what I want anyway. If that happens, you
will
be spanked, and I don’t think that’s something you want.”

Kelsey gulped. “You’d force me?”

Something in her tone must have alerted him, because he paused, smiling gently. “Of course—to a point.” Threading a hand into her hair, he cupped the back of her head and lifted her face to his. “You know yourself that passion can be rough and sweaty. You still have all the power, darling. You can stop everything with just a word. Don’t forget that.”

Believing him, she nodded and began to relax, excitement building inside her at the prospect of the raw passion he spoke of.

Her nipples tingled with anticipation when he began to lower the sheet, beading tight under his gaze as he bared her from the waist up.

Sucking in a breath, she fought to remain still as he reached out a finger to caress the underside of her left breast, right below the nipple.

Sharp, tingling heat seemed to shoot from his fingertip, making her entire breast feel warm and swollen.

Using his fingertips, he watched her face as he caressed her breast, his touch light as he stroked it in increasingly smaller circles.

She jerked at the touch to her nipple, his light touch as potent as a jolt of electricity. Never before had she felt such excitement and need at the hands of a man, the deliberation in his delicate caress sending her senses soaring.

Never before had it felt so right.

Shaken and hardly able to breathe, she stared down at his finger, mesmerized by the sight of his dark, masculine hand against her much lighter breast.

“You’re incredibly beautiful and amazingly responsive.” Taking her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, he squeezed gently, the sharp current of sensation to her clit and pussy forcing a cry from her. “Very good qualities to have in a submissive.” He tapped her nipple, his eyes narrowing in warning when she started to lift her hand to her breast. Smiling in satisfaction when she dropped it again, he ran his finger back and forth over it. “You also want to be in control, and find it difficult to give up that control.”

Rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, he lifted his gaze to hers. “That’s an excellent quality for a Master to have in a submissive.”

Kelsey could barely breathe, biting her lip to hold back a cry as the pleasure kept building. She shook everywhere as a strange awareness gripped her, one that left her helpless to her own body’s demands.

Her clit throbbed unbearably, the need to come too strong to ignore. Rubbing her thighs together, she fisted her hands at her sides to keep from reaching out for him, inwardly cursing that he made her wait. She had to swallow heavily before speaking, and involuntarily pulled away, crying out at the sharp tug it created on her nipple.

“What do you w–want m–me to d–do?”

She hated that her voice shook, hated to show any type of weakness. Shocked at the whimper that escaped when he released her, she couldn’t hold back a cry at the sharp sensation of the blood rushing back into her nipple.

The combination of pain and pleasure created a need inside her that she’d never experienced before, a hunger that had her arching, holding her breath when his hand moved to her other breast and he began to stroke the sensitive underside.

Gabriel’s hand was hot as it pressed against her breast as though testing its firmness. “You’ll be given instructions as needed. Right now, I want you to be still.”

With the uneasy feeling that she didn’t have as much control of the situation as she thought she’d had, Kelsey forced herself to remain still, unable to look away from the look of fascination in his eyes.

Gabriel never looked up from her breasts, pinching both nipples at once and tugging them slightly away from her body.

Keeping her nipples in his grip, he lifted his gaze to hers, holding it as he tugged again. “Don’t look so indignant, Kelsey. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a woman embracing her femininity.”

Each shuddering breath moved her body, increasing the tugging sensation. “You m–mean weakness.”

Staring into his eyes, she looked for signs of his arousal, gritting her teeth against her own desperate need.

Other than the lift of a dark brow, Gabriel’s expression never changed. He released her nipples, his eyes never leaving hers. “Is that how you see yourself—as weak? Do you think letting your passion take over makes you any less strong?”

Crying out at the feel of the blood rushing back to her nipples, Kelsey gripped his forearm. “Yes. That’s why I c–can’t do it.”

Gabriel smiled, threading his hands into her hair and holding her face tilted to his. “Oh, you’ll do it all right. I’ve only begun to inspect what’s mine, and you’re already trembling to come.”

“Fuck you.” She tried to kick her foot as Gabriel tossed the sheet aside, the tug and sight of the strip of black around her ankle sharp reminders of her predicament. Gritting her teeth against the need for his hands on her, she sucked in a breath, her stomach muscles quivering under the hand he placed there.

She couldn’t hold back a cry as Gabriel’s hand moved lower, brushing over her mound before settling on her thigh. “I don’t know what you want, damn it! Just fuck me and get it over with.”

Gabriel’s expression softened, the warmth it created inside her making her feel even more vulnerable.

“You are so beautiful. So passionate. So incredibly sweet.”

Sliding his hand down her leg, he deftly untied her ankle. “There’s something that I don’t think you understand. You have no say in
when
, or
if
, I fuck you. I can play with you all day and not give you any satisfaction, or I can tie you to the bed and fuck you over and over. It’s up to me. Not you.”

Sliding his hand back up her leg again, he covered her mound, his palm hot against her skin. “Do you remember that I told you that you’re going to have to earn your orgasms?”

Sucking in sharp breaths, she watched Gabriel’s hand as it moved down her leg again. “Yes. I think so. What does that mean? How the hell do I
earn
an orgasm?”

Gabriel ran a finger over the arch of her foot. “You earn the right to come by behaving yourself. Cursing at me is not acceptable.” His hooded gaze held hers. “Go take a shower. No masturbating. I have to make a call, but I’ll be watching you through the glass.”

He stood, holding out a hand to her.

Ignoring it, she started to slide out of the bed, pausing when Gabriel shifted his stance, effectively blocking her. Surprised, she looked up to find him eyeing her steadily, still holding his hand out to her.

Resigned, she blew out a breath and placed her hand in his. “I can get up by myself, you know.”

Giving her room, he held her hand in his and helped her to her feet. “That’s not the point.”

Frustrated that every step just seemed to confuse her more, Kelsey gritted her teeth. “What, exactly, is the fucking point?”

He led her to the bathroom. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.” He tugged her hand when she would have started for the shower, pulling her to stand in front of him. “For the rest of the time here, you’ll address me as Master.” He placed a finger over her lips before she could object. “We have no relationship. We have an understanding—an arrangement that lets both of us explore this thing between us. No emotion. No feelings. Just sex, pleasure, and submission.”