Gentle Control (7 page)

“Always.”

She shuddered around him, her pussy squeezing around his ridged cock. She struggled to hold on to reality, turning her head and staring at the slit of late afternoon light fighting its way through the heavy curtains. If she lost herself in his embrace whenever Josh plowed into her, she’d never break free. The tenderness, the mind-blowing emotions and corresponding physical reactions would bind her to him more tightly than chains. He’d haunt her every breath.

Her heart lurching, she disconnected. This was just some guy fucking her. Nothing special…a horny guy in a seedy motel room where hundreds of couples had probably fucked before. Tomorrow, he’d move on… She’d move on… Nothing special.

Fingers turned her face from the light. “Don’t do that,” Josh rasped, dragging her back to reality. “Stay with me.”

She sobbed as starbursts exploded before her eyes, blinding her to the desperation in his eyes.
Stay with him
. If only he knew…

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Gentle Control

Josh held Tempest as he stared at the faint light breaking through the curtains he’d cracked open last night when they’d finally settled into sleep. They’d never stopped to eat, each being content to “live on love”. He smiled as he remembered Tempest giggling that sometime yesterday evening. As her stomach rumbled beneath his hand, he suspected she wouldn’t feel the same this morning. Finding food would be high on their agenda, right after checking out of this place.

With a contented sound, Tempest turned in his arms and snuggled into his chest.

Her lips closed around his nipple and tugged at the small gold ring.

“Morning, angel,” he gasped.

“Hungry,” she murmured. “Need coffee.”

She gave the ring another gentle pull, sending a spark straight to his groin.

“Tempest…” His fingers dug into her ass, dragging her tight to him. “Keep that up and it will be noon before we eat. And—” Her stomach growled in support of his statement.

“I think we need to feed you.”

“I’m fine,” she grumbled, slipping from his arms and swinging her legs from the bed. She wrenched the sheet up with her, like a shroud to hide her ivory perfection.

She didn’t say anything, but he knew. He’d hurt her feelings with his insistence that she needed to eat. For God’s sake, she was human, wasn’t she? He grabbed her, yanking her back and burying his face in the crook of her neck. He growled, biting her shoulder. “I’m
starving
and before I fall into a faint over your luscious body, I need some serious protein. What kind of a Dom would I be if I couldn’t keep up with my lusty wench?”

“I guess we’d better find that McDonald’s,” she replied. A spark of mirth danced in her eyes when she turned her head toward him. “Do I get to put on some clothes?”

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Brynn Paulin

He pretended to consider her question. “I suppose,” he teased with a dramatic sigh.

Settling her back on the pillows, he straddled her body and kissed her until their moans echoed in the room. “Stay right there,” he told her, reluctantly climbing from the bed, then tucking the sheet around her. Her eyes followed his every move as he reached for his jeans. Carefully, he pulled them on, adjusting himself so that he didn’t have a zipper mishap. He grabbed the room and truck keys from the floor where he’d dropped them.

“I’ll be back in a sec with our suitcases.”

The birds sang merrily as he slipped outside and headed for his truck. The sun peeked through the leaves to dapple the ground, giving the area an overall peaceful feeling. Despite the rundown motel, it was nice here. He could almost believe he was at the heart of nature primeval. Until he looked behind him at the shabby structures with their peeling paint and torn screens. He kept his gaze on the thick woods, unwilling to let his mood be tarnished by the glaring reminder of how he’d been misled.

He climbed into the truck to pull it around in front of the room. Still deep in thought, he turned the key…and was met with silence. What on earth? He had gas. He kept the vehicle in tiptop condition. He’d just had it in for its regular maintenance and inspection, in fact. Frowning, he turned the key again. He could not be stranded here.

Please, no…

Nothing.

Squeezing his eyes shut he dropped his forehead onto the steering wheel.

Somewhere, for some reason, one of the minions of fate hated him. This could not be happening. For good measure, he turned the key again.

It was happening. Damn it!

Just great. The birds seemed to change their tune, chirping their ridicule in his direction. The dappling turned slightly sinister.

Such a wonderful interlude he had going on here…crappy motel, broken down truck. He shoved a hand through his unruly hair and took a deep breath. This could all be fixed. He’d call a mechanic, get the truck repaired and they’d be on their merry way.

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Gentle Control

In the meantime, Grizzly Adams had mentioned the grocery-bait shop was nearby.

Surely they’d have something to eat if the McDonalds was too far to walk.

Right. Okay. So he had a plan. This wasn’t so bad. Call a mechanic. Get some food.

Be on their way to his favorite place on Lake Superior, a secluded cove untouched by civilization. God, he couldn’t wait to make love to Tempest there.

He pulled his cell phone from where it was clipped to his waistband. Flipping it open, he pressed the speed dial for his secretary. Emma was brilliant. She’d find help with a few clicks of her manicured nails on the keyboard. Three beeps let him know it wouldn’t be as easy as that. Incredulous, he stared down at his phone.

No service.

He was in hell.

Reluctantly, he turned toward the main building and scowled at the dented metal trashcan. Someone had painted the wretched thing white and emblazoned it with large black letters spelling
Office
. Perfect. Perhaps Oscar the Grouch was in residence and could point him to a payphone and the nearest mechanic.

* * * * *

Tempest leapt back in bed when she heard the key rattle in the lock. She’d waited forever for Josh to return. When minutes had dragged to a half hour, she’d gotten up and peeked out the window. Not seeing him but figuring he was probably in the office taking care of their checkout, she’d made coffee in the complimentary pot on the dresser.

It would be a dead giveaway that she’d strayed from the bed, but she was willing to deal with the consequences. She needed her coffee.

Josh shouldered into the room, carrying a scrap of paper, a white, wax-coated bag and their suitcases. The luggage dropped to the floor with a thunk as he shut the door.

One look at him and instant worry filled her. This wasn’t the ebullient man who’d left the room earlier. Strain pulled at his eyes, filling them with shadows that had nothing 51

Brynn Paulin

to do with their lack of sleep last night. He gave her a half smile that barely reached beyond his upturned lip.

“What is it?” she asked as he crossed the room and sat on the bed beside her.

Ignoring the sheet that dropped away as she rose, she knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She sighed inwardly as her bare breasts and belly flattened against his warm, hard side and her body revved up for a replay of last night.

She steadfastly ignored it, her only thought to giving him comfort for whatever had upset him.

“Truck’s dead.”

Well, that
was
worth being upset. He hadn’t been pleased when he’d seen the motel and now to be stuck here…

He turned and dropped a kiss on her shoulder, distracting her. He smoothed his thumb over her forehead. “It will be okay.”

Tempest smiled. Josh was so adorable when he was trying to reassure her. When she was younger, she’d occasionally acted worried, just to see his soothing in action.

Silly. But back then she’d been a silly girl, unaware of much of the world and its workings. Josh had been her world and she’d liked the way his attention warmed her.

Even now his comforting turned her on, warming up the dusty places inside her that nobody else touched. He’d tried to shelter her from everything when she was with him—physical and emotional.

No one else had ever protected her as Josh did.

But she wasn’t the one who needed consoling. He was upset and she really didn’t care
how
or
where
they spent their scant time as long as they were together.

He shoved the white bag toward her. “There are a couple of doughnuts in here.

from the hotel’s continental breakfast. I can’t vouch for their freshness, but they’re something to hold us over until we can walk to the grocery and get a few things.”

She sat back on her heels while he stared at the curtained window and they both ignored the bag he dropped on the bed. He shoved a hand through his wild hair and 52

Gentle Control

she fought back a grin as a pleasant sensation of déjà vu prickled over her. He’d always done that and it always made things worse. It would be so easy to slide back into the memories of what had been and forget everything that had happened since they’d last been together.

Absently, she smoothed the long strands, wondering if he’d let her brush his hair later. It seemed an appropriate gesture of a submissive to her Dom. She wanted his comfort and pleasure. She needed it.

His fingers clenched beside his thigh and she drew back her hand. Had she angered him when she’d touched him? As if sensing her worry, he turned to her, again sharing the partial smile that tore at her heart. Lifting her hand, he pressed a hand to the center of her palm.

“You please me, angel. Don’t fret.”

“Thank you.” She bowed her head, hiding her irrational relief. How had she fallen so easily back into the Master and slave routine? As much as she desired to be dominated, she knew deep inside that she’d kneel to no other man. Somehow, Josh had claimed her soul way back when, and she’d never gotten it back. “If I please you,” she asked carefully, “then what’s wrong? The truck can be fixed. Can’t it?”

“We’re stuck in this…” He stopped to look around the room, his face crinkling with distaste, “
hovel
until at least tomorrow. I called from the office. That’s the soonest the garage can get someone to come out.” He chuffed out a breath. “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“Okay…so we’ll find something to do,” she offered. “Remember how we explored when we were in college?”

“Yeah.” He smiled, his eyes growing dark as he remembered. His gaze wandered over her, taking in her nakedness and her position. Purposely, she slid her arms behind her and lowered her focus to the rumpled sheets between her parted thighs. Her slave pose had always turned him on. And he seemed to need distracting right about now.

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Brynn Paulin

Wasn’t that the first precept of submission? See to the Master’s wellbeing, whether physical or emotional.

His happiness always led to hers.

As he stared at her, her body responded, growing soft and hot and wet in all the places clamoring for his touch. Her nipples tightened, aching for him. She didn’t even care that she was naked with all her flaws visible. Josh didn’t seem to care. He even seemed to like her generous curves her clean-shaven pussy. And, man, how she liked his hard-plated muscles.

She bit back a groan as she eyed his belly and the curve of his hipbone disappearing beneath his low-cut jeans. Her center clenched sending a flood to her cleft. God, how she wanted him. She peeked at his face through her lashes. Would this longing ever stop, or would it go on long after they’d parted once again? He hadn’t come after her before. He certainly wouldn’t chase her this time.

She shoved the thought away, unwilling to taint the moment with the inevitable.

His lids heavy with need, Josh leaned toward her while she fought the urge to arch her chest into him and rub her breasts against his lightly furred body.

“You’re so responsive,” he murmured. “Even without me touching you…but I wonder…what would happen if I did this?” His fingers stroked down the inside of her elbow, grazing the slightly raised veins.

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on,” he whispered.

A shudder riffled through her and her body spasmed with the force of a tiny orgasm, threading its way along her languid limbs.
Where the hell did that come from?

She struggled to breathe and make reason out of her reaction. How had he done that? She’d always thought Shakespeare was okay, but it had never had this kind of an effect on her before. He’d quoted this line every time she came, every time stroking her inner elbow. Goose bumps rose as he trailed the backs of his bent fingers between her breasts and over her quivering belly. Slowly, he slipped one long finger between her folds. “Hmmm…all warmed up.”

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Gentle Control

“Yes,” she whispered.

He cupped her chin, lifting her gaze to his. “You’re mine, Tempest.”

They both startled at the sound of his cell phone ringing. His head dropped to her shoulder. “I can’t get service to call out, but someone can call me…” he muttered, reaching for the holder on his belt. “I better answer it. Might be Marv’s Garage. Maybe we can still get out of here today.”

“Hurry,” she whispered as he answered. She leaned back and raised her hands over her head, looping her fingers through the rungs on the headboard. Deliberately, she raised her knees and parted them. “Master…” she mouthed.

“Ryan…” Josh greeted his brother as his chin lowered and he stared at her. Ire mixed with the desire swirling through his eyes, a heady mix that strengthened her arousal. She was in trouble as soon as he got off his call, but she liked it.

“No, I’m not going to Superior today,” he said.

She sighed, shifting her body to show him her need. She bit her lip, closing her eyes and tipping back her head.

“The truck died.” His voice sounded choked and she heard him moving away from her. What the heck? He wasn’t supposed to be walking away from her obvious display.

She sighed and reached down for the sheet.