Busted (9 page)

“Not gonna happen, baby. At least not yet. First, I want you
to show me what you want, how you like it.”

Her eyes drifted closed. “That night… you made me come so
fast…”

He would never forget how responsive she was to his touch.
That was part of the reason he hadn’t been able to get that night out of his
head. “Open your eyes and look at me.”

Her eyes flew open before her hand began to glide down her
flat stomach.

“Stop!” He knew his harsh tone startled her, but she needed
to know that he was in charge. “I’ll tell you when and if you can touch
yourself. Is that understood?”

“Yes…
sir
.”

His eyes penetrated hers as she searched for a sign of
mockery he didn’t see. Just the sound of that word on her lips nearly brought
him to his knees, but he refused to reveal his weakness. “I like that.” He had
never been so tempted to ravage a woman in his life. He wanted to take her,
possess her, make her his in every sense of the word. But he knew she would
spook easily… he had to tread lightly. He questioned whether she even
understood what she was getting herself into, agreeing to be his submissive.
Not that she’d agreed to anything yet, but she would. Soon.

“Show me how wet you are. Now.”

He watched her hands glide down her stomach, over her hips,
to her mound. The clipped triangle hid her arousal from him, and he practically
trembled by the time she slid a finger between her soft lips, peeling herself
apart for his perusal.

“Jesus,” he whispered. The sight of her pink and swollen,
glistening with the evidence of her excitement, made it difficult for him to
think straight. “You’re so hot, so sexy.”

“Please…”

He knew she was close to climaxing, but he wanted to draw
out her orgasm as long as he could stand it. “Rub your clit, but stop when I
tell you to. Got it?”

Without responding, she began rubbing the distended bud
feverishly, as though she couldn’t stand to wait another second to claim the
orgasm her body desperately needed.

“Stop!”

She whimpered, but pulled her hand away, waiting for his
instructions.

“Now I want you to slide two fingers into your pussy, nice
and slow. Don’t thrust, just enjoy the sensation.”

She widened her stance and he watched two fingers disappear.

“Spread your legs wider and add a third finger.” His voice
sounded raspy, and he was closer to the edge than he’d ever been fully clothed.
His body pleaded with him to just take her already, but he wouldn’t give in
until he took her to the peak of sanity and back again. “That’s it, just like
that.” He watched her tilt her hips up, and he knew she was dying to plunge her
fingers in and out of her tight heat.

“Oh…”

“Look at me,” he said quietly. “You know why I’m doing this,
don’t you?”

“I—”

“Your pleasure is mine now. Your body, your orgasms are
mine. You don’t come until I tell you to. You don’t use any toys to get off
when you’re alone. You don’t come unless I’m with you, unless I give you
permission. Is that understood?”

“But… I…”

“You want to come, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You trust me to make you feel good?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Cole knew she wasn’t ready to surrender completely,
but she would be by the end of the night. He would make sure of it. “Now, I
want you to slide your fingers in and out while you rub your clit with your
thumb. But when you feel like you’re gonna come, I want you to stop. If you
come, I’ll be very, very angry.”

“But I need to come, please.”

“You will, soon. But I want to taste you. I want to feel you
throbbing against my lips when you do.”

She shivered and her eyes glazed over as she slid her
fingers in and out of her tight opening. “Oh God…”

“That’s enough.” He didn’t trust that she had the control to
halt her orgasms at will yet, so he decided it was time for him to take over.
“Take my clothes off.” He watched her walk toward him slowly, and when she
reached for him, his cock jerked in response. He had always had impressive
endurance with his previous lovers, but he knew this woman would test his iron
will tonight and every night thereafter.

She kissed his chest as she bared it, and he thought about
chastising her for taking liberties without his permission, but she looked so
beautiful with her mouth pressed to his skin that he didn’t have the heart to
reprimand her. He would have plenty of time to make her understand the rules. Tonight
was only the beginning for them.

Charlene chastised herself for allowing things to go this
far. She knew this shouldn’t happen again. A relationship with Cole was out of
the question, but maybe, just maybe she could steal a few more hours of
pleasure in his capable hands. Her conscience told her she should have ended
her relationship with Paul first, but they’d never agreed to be exclusive.

She had missed out on the opportunity to see Cole completely
naked last time they had sex, and what a sight to behold. He was a big man,
tall, with wide shoulders, defined abs, and lean hips. Every woman’s naughty
fantasy, and he was promising to give her everything she secretly craved. She’d
be crazy to refuse. Determined to push her doubts aside, she vowed to relax and
enjoy the ride.

Watching him lay the hand-made throw out on the floor, she
was struck by how uninhibited he was. Not just with her, but with everyone. He
was comfortable in his own skin, confident in who he was, and he didn’t feel
the need to blow smoke to impress anyone. She
loved
that about him. No,
love was too strong a word, wasn’t it? She couldn’t be falling in love with
this man. Her heart pounded harder as the truth settled over her. Oh God, was it
already too late?

“Hey,” he said, reaching for her hand and pulling her toward
him. “What’s wrong, baby? You looked scared all of a sudden.”

She was terrified. How had she allowed a comfortable
friendship to evolve into so much more? Every day she felt a pang in her chest
when he walked out the door, holding his little girl’s hand, but she told
herself it was nothing. Sure, she was attracted to him, she enjoyed his company.
They had a lot in common, from sports to their love of horses, fast cars, and
big trucks. They both loved kids and dogs and... Oh God, why hadn’t she seen
this before? He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man, but that dark, deviant
streak meant she could never have him. Loving him would mean losing everything
that meant anything to her, the respect of her peers, friends, and family.
Possibly even the job she worked so hard to excel at. Everywhere she went,
people would talk and whisper about them, what they did behind closed doors,
how a
nice
girl like her had allowed a man like Cole to draw her in to
his dungeon of depravity. She knew she shouldn’t care what anyone thought, but
she couldn’t help it; she did.

“Cole,” she said, pressing her hands against his chest,
trying to push him away while his arms circled her waist. “I think you’d better
go.”

His eyes darkened and she knew he was angry and confused.
“What’re you talkin’ about?”

“This was a bad idea. We can’t do this. It’s wrong—”

“Who says it’s wrong? Your parents, your brother, your boss,
your
boyfriend
? Who has the right to say it’s wrong for you to want to
be with me?”

She hated that she hurt him, but he deserved to know the
truth. “Everyone, but that’s not the point. It’s me, I just can’t do this. I’m
sorry.”

He thrust a hand into her hair, holding her neck as he
searched her eyes. “You have feelings for me.”

Yes!
“No.”

“Why are you so afraid to admit it?”

She fixated on his chest when she could no longer face the
pain she saw in his eyes. She’d never intended to hurt him, never even
suspected she had that kind of power over him. “I don’t expect you to
understand. You didn’t grow up here. Small town life is so different than life
in a big city, you know that.”

“Yeah, it can be hell at times.”

She stroked his jaw, wishing she could say or do something
to ease his anguish. “You’re a good man, Cole, a wonderful father… you do so
much for the community, but—”

“Everyone just sees me as some sick bastard who gets off on
hurtin’ women, right?” He turned away, facing the fire, and she couldn’t resist
the urge to stroke his back, to offer him some small measure of comfort.

“I know you’d never hurt me.”

He thrust his hands into his hair and grimaced. “I’d never cross
that line with you. I like to be in control, but your safety, your pleasure
comes first. I…”

She wanted to understand, but her limited sexual experience
made that impossible. Sure, she’d read her fair share of erotic books, but they
didn’t help her understand why the man she was falling in love with felt the
need to dominate his partners. She wanted to understand, but she knew allowing
herself to get in any deeper would be a mistake.

Turning to face her, he whispered, “I wanna be with you. I
don’t know if I can control my… urges, but I’m willin’ to try… for you.”

Her heart skipped a beat as she reveled in the sacrifice
he’d offered to make… for her. “I can’t ask you to be someone you’re not, Cole.
You need a woman who understands this lifestyle, who’s not afraid to embrace
it, in spite of what people might think.” She hated feeling so weak. She wanted
to be strong enough to stand up to her family, friends, employer, the parents
of her students, anyone and everyone who dared to question her about her
feelings for this man. But she couldn’t risk everything for someone who was only
looking for a good time. It would be professional suicide, and by the time
their relationship had run its course and he’d tired of her, she’d have nothing
left.

He kissed her neck, trailing his lips to her shoulder. “Let
me love you tonight,” he whispered. “Just you and me. No commands or
expectations. Just two people who like each other, who are attracted to each
other, findin’ a little mutual satisfaction. Please… don’t say no.”

Her mind screamed no, but her heart pleaded with her to say
yes. She knew if she turned him away tonight, he wouldn’t offer again. It was
now or never. “I don’t know—”

Cole framed her face with his hands and delved into her
mouth, lowering her defenses with every stroke of his tongue. “Give yourself to
me tonight,” he murmured, stoking her desire with quick lashes of his tongue
inside her ear. “I promise you won’t regret it. We’ll go slow. So slow. Let me
worship your body…” His rough hands skimmed over her hips, cupping her bottom. “Every
inch of your body.” His voice was raspy when he said, “I just wanna kiss you
all over. I wanna feel you takin’ me so deep inside, milkin’ me…” A shudder
moved through his big body. “Baby, I just need to feel you throbbin’ around my
cock. Please. God, don’t deny me this. Please.”

She knew Cole was used to getting what he wanted. He’d
probably never pleaded for anything in his life, least of all a woman. But he pleaded
with her now, and she couldn’t deny him. Especially when she wanted him as
much, if not more. “Yes,” she whispered, peppering kisses on his bare shoulder.
“Yes.”

Cole heaved a sigh of relief. He didn’t realize how much he
wanted her, needed her, until he’d almost lost his chance. He wasn’t ready to
define what he felt, but he knew it was epic. Whatever she needed to feel
secure, he was willing to do it.

He didn’t want to cause a rift with her family, and he
certainly didn’t want to cause her grief at work, but he needed her; it was as
simple as that. He couldn’t let her go back to a man he knew was determined to
convince her to settle into a safe and comfortable life of domesticity. She was
his
, damn it, and he couldn’t let another man have her.  

“Lay down, sweetheart,” he said, turning her back to the
blanket.

He’d never tried to be a sweet and gentle lover before, even
with his wife. They never made love, they only had sex. A sinking feeling in
his stomach reminded him of his mother’s words. He was so concerned about his
own needs, he hadn’t stopped to consider what Andrea might want or need. He
tried to mold and shape her into the perfect submissive when all she ever
wanted was to be his lover. He wouldn’t, couldn’t make that mistake again. Not
with Charlene.

He watched her lie back, reaching up for him to join her,
and something in him snapped, releasing a flood of emotion he hadn’t realized
he’d been trying to keep in check. All those hours he spent with her, talking
about the work she did to her house, the new employees he hired at the ranch,
his daughter’s dance recitals and gymnastics… He’d shared his life with her and
fallen in love. His heart hammered as she stared up at him, and he wanted to
tell her, to show her…

“Cole…” she whispered, taking his hand and bringing it to
her lips. “Aren’t you gonna make good on that promise?”

He’d promised to love her body, but how could he keep his
feelings out of the equation? Wouldn’t she see right through him? He never
allowed himself to be vulnerable with a woman before, be the first one to
profess love, or give a woman the power to bring him down. Whether she realized
it or not,
she
was the one in control.

He closed his eyes, trying to focus on giving her pleasure,
but as his lips skimmed her soft skin, he realized she was the one giving him
pleasure. With every soft moan that slipped through her lips, every time she
threaded her hands through his hair and drew his head closer… she gave him
everything he needed and more.

Circling her nipple with tongue, he licked, nibbled, and
teased as he held her hips firmly in his hands to keep her from rising off the
blanket. Instead of insisting she lie still for his sensual invasion, he forced
her to stay down, to surrender to the pleasure until she thought she couldn’t
stand it another second. As he eased down her body and began kissing her
intimately, he heard her whisper his name, and he knew now was the time to tell
her he loved her, that he wanted her, in his bed, his home, helping him raise
his daughter. But he couldn’t force the words past the fear that nearly
rendered him immobile.