Embracing the Fall (12 page)

Cami was about to combust right where she sat. Watching Z crawl to Evan, with her
shoulders and hips rolling, while he’d sat there in his big chair and his gorgeous
face all intense and focused had been such a turn on. Then, when he’d started speaking,
it had taken all her will power to keep from moaning. This was what she’d been hoping
for. In one speech, Evan had dispelled one of hers and Z’s biggest fears. He didn’t
see them as footstools or weaklings. It was sexy as all get out.

“Cami.” His gaze slowly lifted until he was looking her right in the eye.

“Yes, Sir?” she answered, though her throat had closed up with his attention zeroed
in on her like that.

“Come with me, darlin’.” Then he stood to his impressive height and reached a hand
out to her. She stood immediately, not wanting to give him a reason to make her crawl
wherever it was they were going, but she was frightened of leaving Ziporah. He smiled
at her and his expression was softer than the one he used for Z. “C’mon, darlin’.
I’m just gonna get you set up and then I’ll come back for Ziporah once I’ve got you
ready.” Her hand may be shaking, but she still placed it in his, so that was progress.
She was scared, but it was an exhilarated scared, like a roller coaster or a haunted
house. She could handle this and she trusted him to stop if she used her safe word.
So, as he led her down the hall, she followed him with only one wide-eyed glance back
at her friend. Z looked concerned for her, so to ease that worry, Cami stuck her tongue
out, then felt her cheeks burst into flames when she turned to look where she was
going and saw that Evan had watched her acting like a fourth grader.

“Oops. Sorry, Sir,” she said as mortification swamped her. Great, the man was leading
her into a room for sex and he’d just caught her behaving like an infant.
Real sexy there Cam
, she thought to herself, real sexy.

“Sorry? What’re you sorry for?” He backed her up against the door at the end of the
hall and pressed all that big hard body into hers. “I like your playful side. You
can stick your tasty little tongue out at her all you want, brat.” He kissed her then
and he was even more hot and delicious than she remembered. “Just remember, you stick
it out at me and I’ll be putting it to work.” Then on that ominous note, he reached
behind her and turned the knob.

“Oh, my goodness.” It was a sex room. More than that, it was a BDSM sex room. There
was a giant X on one side of the room that looked like it was covered in red padded
leather. There was a spanking bench and a scary looking contraption that appeared
to be an old fashioned stockade. There were bars and chains hanging from the ceiling
in one section of the room and a giant, king-sized four-poster bed dominated the far
side of the room, in front of the massive windows. A chest close to the door, big
as a steamer trunk, caught her eye and she didn’t want to even guess what was in there.

He stood behind her as she took it all in, quiet as she gazed around. He combed his
fingers through her hair, tugging lightly and letting his nails scrape just a bit
along her scalp. It was just a little disconcerting to be faced with the reality of
it all. Yet he must have guessed that it would be, because even as her heart raced
at each tool and implement she spotted, his touch soothed her.

“It’s a lot to take in,” he whispered in her ear, “isn’t it?” Even as she answered
in her own hushed voice that it was, he was gathering her hair to drape over one shoulder.
His lips were soft, moist and hot and they set off a shower of chills when he laid
them on that tender spot just behind her ear.

He stayed there for an eternity. His breath became the rhythm of her heartbeat, a
slow hot pumping that calmed her nerves and awakened desire. What was it, she wondered,
that was so incredibly exciting about a man breathing in her ear? Was it the unbelievable
intimacy of being that close to another human being? Or was it the primal life force
of each exhale that flowed from deep within him out and over that ultra sensitive
shell? Whatever it was, it was killing her slowly as she waited for him to begin.

Just the slightest movement, a deeper pressure from his lips and a soft brush of his
nose in the downy hair there and it brought a moan to her lips. “Cami, sweet brat.”
He spoke with barely a sound. “Unbutton your sweater.” Her hands lifted without conscious
thought on her part; they simply moved to obey his command. As each small pearl slipped
free, she felt an answering kiss on her neck until there were no more and her hands
were clutching at the cashmere, waiting for his next directive.

“Hands at your sides, now.” They dropped to her sides so swiftly he chuckled. “Good
girl.” Then he was sliding the garment from her shoulders and off. He walked to face
her, the top dangling from his hand and his gaze was ravenous as he stared at her
in her high-waisted skirt and white lacy bra. “Hand me the skirt now.” He looked fierce
as he watched her hands fumble clumsily at the side fastening. Cami almost whimpered
when the stubborn thing finally gave and she pulled the zipper down hastily. It was
a tight fit so it took some shimmying to get it over her hips, but he didn’t seem
to mind. He watched as her breasts wobbled in their lace cups and it was obvious from
his expression, he enjoyed the sight.

“You have a beautiful body, Cami,” he told her once she’d handed him her skirt and
stood before him in nothing but a white lace thong and bra.

“Thank you, Sir.” She wanted to cross her arms over herself but knew that would only
make her seem self-conscious, and the thought made her smile ruefully.

“What?” he asked.

“Sir?” She looked at him with brows raised in question.

“I know what brought the pretty flush to your face, but what brought the smile?” he
questioned as he brushed the backs of his fingers over one heated cheek.

“Oh, that,” she said in a bashful tone. “Well, I was feeling very exposed and embarrassed
and wanted to cover myself with my arms. But then I was embarrassed about being embarrassed.”
She looked up at him with a face she was sure that was now as beet-red as a cooked
lobster. “It’s exhausting being me.” There was that warm chuckle of his again, like
honey-flavored crack for the ears.

“You’re adorable, little brat.” He kissed her then, his mouth swallowing up her gasp
and feeding her back his soft groan as their tongues tangled and lips melded. Cami
was just on the verge of stiffening up when he pulled away with a soft hungry sound
and told her, “Go kneel on the right side of the bed and lay your upper body on it.”
Her hands went to her tummy, this time not to cover it but to try and control the
frogs that had started leaping around in there. Once she was at the side of the bed
she noticed a padded bench along the floor. It looked like one you’d see in a church
for parishioners to cushion their knees while they prayed and Cami was touched by
its presence. Comfort wasn’t something that she expected Doms to consider a priority,
so it gave her hope that he wasn’t going to be quite as extreme as she had feared.

“Good girl. I want you to turn your face to the left so you can see the room. Good.
Arms out to your sides on the bed. Come on. Full out. Stretch them as far as you can.
That’s the way. Now, palms up. Perfect.” He stood behind her and ran one hand, firm
and strong, along the center of her back, all the way down over the crease of her
ass cheeks. Even as she felt a new flush of embarrassment, she also felt a rush of
arousal at being seen and handled so familiarly. “Stay exactly where I’ve put you,
Cami. I’m going to fetch Z and when we come in, you’re to watch, but I don’t want
you to speak unless I give you permission.” He waited until he heard her breathless,
“Yes, Sir,” before leaving, and Cami wondered if it was possible to die from arousal
overload.

Cami half expected Z to enter the room on hands and knees but she walked in with her
head high and her back straight. It was her kick-ass lawyer walk and the look on her
faced matched it. It was the look she wore in front of juries and hardened criminals;
and it dared any and all of them to cross her.

Z didn’t stop to gaze around the room like Cami had; instead she sauntered right to
the middle of it, then stood as straight and proud as a soldier waiting for Evan to
decide what to do with her. Cami envied her bravado; Z had always had a beautiful
knack of facing anything new or scary with a
Charlie’s Angels
hair toss and a pirate’s grin.

Evan started walking in slow circles around Z. His hands clasped behind his back and
his eyes coursing over her from top to bottom the whole time in a never-ending journey
while she stared straight ahead and tried to look unaffected. Cami noticed that he
brushed up against her here and there as he did and she thought again of his reference
to horses.

She’d seen a documentary once about a breeder of Friesian horses who refused to use
artificial insemination to impregnate his beautiful stock. In one scene they had shown
the mating.

The solid black stallion with his flowing mane and tail had stalked his eager and
waiting mate in just the same way Evan was doing to Z. The male had circled the smaller
mare, bumping her in challenge then nipping and breathing on her neck until she’d
gentled and settled and then finally, lowered her proud and lovely head to let him
claim what was his for the taking.

It had been primal and riveting. And right now, Cami couldn’t help but compare the
two scenes side by side especially as–holy crap! Evan leaned in and bit Z right on
the neck. Not a kiss or a word first, just leaned right in from behind and laid his
teeth to her.

Cami didn’t know whose gasp was louder, hers or Z’s. Ziporah’s frozen and cool facade
blasted away and the two of them locked eyes briefly as the other woman’s hands fluttered
up to clutch at her chest, then fell back at her sides when Evan growled a muffled,
“Drop ‘em,” around his bite.

Cami felt her own neck tingling as she watched Evan crowd even closer, till he was
flush against her back and then he lifted his head. Even from where she was, she could
clearly see the glistening indentations left by his teeth in the delicate skin of
Z’s throat. He’d done it right over her pulse, and thanks to the mark that acted like
a spotlight, she could see that pulse rabbiting. As fast as it was, Cami thought hers
was probably faster. Freaking hell, that was hot.

Evan’s tanned head gleamed in the lights as he towered over her friend and his emerald
eyes were so vivid they looked like jewels in truth. Passion had marked his features
as clearly as a chameleon changes colors. Gone was the confident and charismatic southern
gentleman. Here and now, Cami was staring at the hard core Dom and it rocked her world
on its axis.

“Cami, my sweet brat.” It took a moment for Cami to realize he was talking to her,
because he was staring at his bite mark on Z while he traced one finger over it in
a long, slow circle.

“Um, y-yes, Sir?” Cami barely managed to get out.

“Will you please tell Z here how your clothes were removed?” Still without looking
up and still tracing those marks. Cami felt her own neck arch in an unintentional
invitation.

“You-you had me remove them, Sir.” Cami swallowed and arched again. It was becoming
hard to stay still.

“Do you know why I had you take them off?” He dipped his head and kissed the mark
and Cami shuddered, or maybe it was Z, she couldn’t tell any more. “Or why I am not
going to allow Ziporah to do the same?” Z stiffened, then his big calloused hands
gripped her arms tight and he tugged her to the tips of her toes as her eyes widened
in alarm until they took up her whole face.

“Umm, n-n-no Sir.” Cami had no idea sex caused stuttering but apparently for her it
did. “I d-don’t know why, Sir.”

“For some women,” he growled as he let Z’s heels slam back onto the floor and fisted
her hair in one hand to yank it out of his way. “The charge–” one hand tore at the
zipper in the back, “comes from the strip tease.” His eyes locked on Cami’s and seared
her soul. “Shedding the shy little girl and letting the sex goddess out to play.”
Her breath caught and she thought
yes! Oh God, yes!
“Now, for others–” He released Z’s hair with a hard turn of his wrist that had Z
gasping and used both hands to tug and yank her dress not just down, but off. “For
others, the charge comes from pure–” Next he ripped her strapless bra off and flung
it away, “brute–”Her panties were next, and for those he gripped the delicate lace
of the thong by reaching his hands around her and grasping them right over the crotch,
“strength.” He tore them to shreds and Z was moaning audibly as he pulled the tatters
from her then bundled them into a wad that he stuffed in her mouth. Cami didn’t realize
that her own mouth was hanging open in envy until it snapped shut when Evan looked
at her.