Controlled Surrender (7 page)

Pride erupted, but it quickly faltered under
the notion that she thought she wasn’t good enough for me. Had I
really not conveyed how much I wanted her? How could she not have
seen it?

Hope swept through my chest for the first
time.

I shook myself. Fuck! I needed to get to
her.

I shot past a flabbergasted Edna, still
opening and closing her mouth. I quickly closed the distance
between me and Laina. I reached out and grabbed her, pulling her
into my arms.

She gasped as she collided into my chest. She
gazed up at me wide-eyed.

“Do you really think you’re not good enough?”
I damn near did a fucking dance when she didn’t cast her gaze
away.

She gave me a small smile. “You’ll find
someone who is. I’m confident of it.”

“Why aren’t you good enough?” I was riding a
fine line as my wolf roared.

She briefly looked away before facing me
again. “I love this pack, and I love its alpha. You both deserve to
have the best of the female weres representing you. You don’t need
a fat-“

I slapped her ass.

She yelped, frowning at me.

“Say one more demeaning thing about yourself
and I swear I’ll strip you naked right here and give you forty
lashes in front of everyone.”

Her face blanched, but her arousal faintly
slipped into the air around us.

I leaned in close, nuzzling her neck. “I
think that’d be sexy as hell. I could show everyone that you’re
mine. By the end of those slaps, your ass would be red and your
pussy would be weeping for me.” I nipped her neck.

She shivered, remaining silent.

“You have thirty seconds to object, sweetie.”
I kissed her neck, trailing up to her jaw.

Her eyes were wide with shock. Her lips were
trembling, tempting me to capture them and give them a reason to
quiver.

I smiled mischievously, my wolf’s rumble
close to a purr of excitement. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,
four-“

“No!” She snapped.

I pursed my lips, batting at my
disappointment. There was a reason I didn’t hope. Things were
better black and white. Hope was a grey area, an unknown part of
life.

I painstakingly unglued myself from her. My
wolf went crazy, turning psycho on me. He could never destroy me
the way her single word rejection had though.

“Please, don’t leave,” the familiar female
voice cut in.

I was surprised to find my brothers and
mother there. I watched as Laina cast a wary gaze upon them.

“I know we’ve been complete dicks, but don’t
leave him because of us,” Brad said.

“Language, Bradford,” my mother snipped.
“What my foul son was trying to say was that we haven’t treated you
with respect, which was inappropriate and uncalled for. My eldest,
our alpha, has never agreed with us nor participated. Instead, he
reprimanded all of us and sent us away without supper the night you
didn’t join us. And last night he might as well have done the same
considering he sat there like a wilted flower staring at your empty
chair all evening.”

I felt my cheeks heat. Leave it to my mother
to air out my dirty laundry. It was because they meant well, and
because I was fucking desperate, that I let them carry on.

She cleared her throat. “My point is that
Jayson clearly sees you for who you are rather than what others say
you are. Don’t punish him because of the rest of us.”

“What she said,” Aaron said.

Laina fidgeted. Her gaze was everywhere as
she worried her bottom lip. It was a little while before she
finally focused on my family. “I’m not punishing him.”

She abruptly turned and walked away, heading
for the road again.

My wolf’s anger seeped into my veins. Without
thinking, I yanked her back into my arms. “Then what the hell are
you doing?”

She stared at the ground, her body lightly
trembling in my arms. I was ready to throw my hands into the air
and scream when I caught sight of her tears.

I crooked a finger beneath her chin and
lifted her face towards me. “Hey, talk to me, sweetie.”

She warily looked at the crowd starting to
gather around us. She clamped her lips together. Secrets were
definitely safe with her.

My gaze traveled over the curious pack
members as they moved closer. I couldn’t fault them. I was their
alpha; I was as much their concern as they were mine.

“Will you come back with me so we can talk
this out privately?” My pulse kicked up at the thought of her in my
private space again.

Slowly, she nodded her head. She wasn’t
enthusiastic over the idea, but she didn’t have much choice unless
she wanted to hash this out in front of everyone.

I let go of her, opting to hold one of her
hands. I threaded my fingers between hers, thrilled when she didn’t
jerk away. Her hand was dainty compared to mine. It was just
another thing to love about her.

I escorted her back to my house. I set her
bags beside the door before leading her upstairs. I held open my
bedroom door.

She hesitated in front of it.

“It’s the only soundproof room in the
house.”

That seemed to convince her. She took those
final few steps, crossing the threshold.

I took a deep breath as I closed the bedroom
door.

Chapter 15

LAINA

I couldn’t help but think of what had
happened in this room yesterday. I didn’t think I’d ever forget it.
How could I? He’d somehow demolished my fortress of refuge and left
me out to face the storm.

He stepped in front of me. “Take a seat.”

I glanced back to check the door. All of the
locks remained open. With that knowledge, I sat down on the edge of
the bed.

He studied me for a minute before he
followed. He immediately leaned forward, resting his elbows on his
knees and clasping his hands. “What are you doing, Laina?” His
voice was soft, but had a rough edge.

Anger, disquiet, rumbled to my surface.
“Jayson, yesterday you tied me up. You did all sorts of things to
me, some of which I can’t even define. One thing I can clearly
recall and easily decipher was you unlocking the cuffs and then
immediately turning away from me. You didn’t stop there though. You
opened the bedroom door and stood there, waiting for me to leave.
Nothing about you was warm. You acted like I’d done something
wrong, like I’d pissed you off. You… you dismissed me. I told you
I’d been gone within twenty-four hours because you never said
otherwise and your actions didn’t either.”

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of
his nose, his forehead creasing as he did so.

He was doing it again. At least now I
understood what he must have gone through when I did it. It was
utterly frustrating to want answers, to want an explanation, but
receive silence.

I slid down from the bed. His hand snaked out
and captured my wrist. I looked at him, shocked to find he hadn’t
opened his eyes. His move had been so fast, so precise.

He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around
my waist tightly. His muscles flexed as they swathed me.

I was unsure how to respond. Uncertainly, I
returned the gesture.

His warmth felt good against me. I felt safe
in his arms. I never feared him like I did my father and brother.
Even when I knew he was angry, I never worried that he’d slip and
hurt me. I knew I’d always be protected in his arms, even after
he’d seen the worst of me.

He loosened his grip on me marginally, enough
to slide back and face me. As he unsheathed his eyes, I was
immediately lost in their glistening depths.

“I want you, Laina. Fuck, I want you so bad.
If you thought anything different, I’m sorry. You’re who I want. No
one but you.” His voice was aggrieved.

His words sent a new wave of emotions, of
happiness, crashing through me. He didn’t hide from me. He gazed
into my eyes the entire time, delivering the truth with
confidence.

Before I allowed the joy and relief to take
over, I closed my eyes, shutting out the beauty of him. “Name one
good thing about me.”

“Open your eyes,” he commanded.

I opened them and sought him.

“I could name a million good things about
you.” He smiled. “Besides the fact that you’re great with the pack
young and will make an excellent mother one day…” He kissed my
forehead. “You’re smart.” He kissed my temple. “You’re brave.” He
kissed my cheek. “You’re beautiful.” He kissed the tip of my nose.
“You’re strong.” He hovered over my lips. “You’re mine.” He pressed
his lips to mine.

His lips molded to mine as I fell into his
embrace. He pulled out yesterday’s rubber band in my hair and freed
my locks. He weaved his fingers through my hair and cradled my
head.

His taste exploded on my tongue as he plunged
his tongue inside my mouth. I sucked on his tongue, eliciting a
growl from him.

Abruptly he pulled back. His body shook as he
stared at me. “Strip,” he ordered.

When I merely gaped back at him, he slit his
eyes at me. “Or else I’ll chain you up again, only this time I
won’t spank you. I’ll do much worse.”

That had me moving. I kicked off my shoes and
toed off my socks as I tossed my tank top aside and undid my bra. I
slipped my bra off my arms before I slid my sweat pant capris and
panties off at the same time. I stood naked before him in record
time.

His eyes glittered with amusement and
appreciation. It wasn’t a harmful amusement though.

“Come here.”

I stepped towards him, standing between his
legs. I fought the urge to cross my arms by fisting my hands.

“Take off my shirt.”

I gave him a shy smile. I reached for the hem
of his shirt. I slowly dragged it up his body. When I began to
press tiny kisses to his newly exposed flesh, his breath hitched. I
swore I heard his wolf rumble in his chest.

I flicked my tongue over his small, tight
nipples before I passed the shirt up his arms and over his head.
The second the shirt was off him, he claimed my lips again. There
was an expansive need behind his touch, a powerful desire that I
was excited for him to unleash upon me.

He released my lips. “Lay in the middle of
the bed and don’t move.”

I frowned. “What about your pants?”

He chuckled, nipping my jaw. “If you touch
them, I’m liable to come like a virgin before I even enter the
palace.”

I snickered. “The palace?”

He slid one hand down me, gliding his fingers
through my folds. “The palace,” he stated.

I shivered as liquid heat flooded my pussy.
My nipples pinched tight as my breasts swelled in anticipation.

He lightly tapped my ass before turning me to
the side and sending me off.

My body thrummed with awareness as I climbed
onto the bed. I lay in the center of the bed on my back. I tucked
my hands beneath me to keep from fidgeting.

He came around to the side of the bed.
“Watch.”

I observed as he slid out of his pants. He
had no boxers on beneath. My heart thundered at the sight of him.
He was gorgeous, the epitome of masculinity. He was hard with sharp
angles, clear-cut lines and beauty. His cock was a large, thick
shaft that curved up towards his stomach. A wave of fear washed
through me. He looked too large, like he wouldn’t fit.

“This is what you do to me, and I assure you,
my wolf has no leverage over my cock.” He pumped his dick a few
times before he climbed onto the bed with me. He leveraged himself
over me. “I’m not going to chain you, but if I have to, I will. You
have two rules to follow. The first is to obey every command I give
you. The second is to never close your eyes to me. Understood?”

I nodded my head in agreement.

“Good,” he roared.

His lips crashed into mine as his hands
molded to my breasts. It was a rush of feeling, of touch that I
wasn’t expecting. His mouth caught my moan as he flipped his thumbs
over my nipples, teasing them, sending jolts of pleasure through
me.

I gripped his biceps as he massaged my
breasts, passing over my tight peaks in unsteady, unpredictable
intervals that awoke every part of me. I whimpered, my wolf making
a long over-due return towards my surface as Jayson slid his cock
along my slick folds. Sensations wracked my body as he continued to
keep me guessing.

My body was bundling tighter as my need
magnified with each passing second. He kept me on the edge, never
allowing me to get too close. He kept me hovering, longing. He kept
me in the painful pleasure zone that had my frustration multiplying
by the second. I compressed my muscles, leaning into his moves,
fidgeting beneath his to no avail.

He teased my mouth, gliding his tongue over
the inside of my lips. His fingers continued to tweak my nipples as
his cock tormented my pussy. I was trapped beneath him, stuck going
at his pace. My need was too intense though. Feeling exasperated, I
bit his bottom lip.

He jerked back. He passed his tongue over his
bottom lip. He wasn’t bleeding, but he was irritated.

He moved off the bed. I was instantly cold,
instantly lonely. My body shuttered as phantom pleasure crackled
through me despite his absence.

He opened one the chest drawers, grabbed
something and returned to me. “Sit up.”

Unease overrode my desire as I complied with
his command. I crossed my legs Indian style.

“Open your mouth.”

I jumped as he stuffed a ball inside before
sliding the elastic lanyard connected to it over my head. It fit
snugly in my mouth, the band compressing to my head. I swallowed
hard, discomfort knotting my stomach.

I ran my fingers along the string,
frowning.

“You do anything to mess with it, and I’ll
bind your hands.”

My heart pounded in my chest. Trust, I
reminded myself. Trust was what every relationship was built
on.

I brought my hands together in my lap and sat
perfectly still.