Re/Bound (Doms of the FBI Book 1) (15 page)

An exit ramp loomed ahead, and farm fields flanked the interstate. Malcolm pulled to the ramp’s shoulder and put the car in park. He faced Darcy, unsure whether or not he should offer physical comfort. The tension radiating from her body smacked into him with palpable waves.

“Do you want to talk about it? I’m a really good listener.”

She stared at the cuffs. “No, I don’t want to talk about it. I wish I could just erase it from my memory. I hate cops. They’re completely useless and so full of themselves. Maybe that’s why Vic’s security guy creeped me out so much. Same species.”

Malcolm struggled to keep his expression from showing the dismay he felt. He couldn’t pass negative judgment on his brethren because he probably would have done something similar. They had needed to knock her off balance in order to crack the case. They’d succeeded in ruining her balance, but the case had stalled. That was when they had kicked it to him. When he had approached her, he had done so with the knowledge that she might be guilty. The more he knew her, the more he believed she was a pawn in Snyder’s scheme, and that made her a victim.

As he reevaluated his strategy to encourage her to enjoy bondage, she changed before his eyes. Her spine straightened, color returned to her face, and determination darkened her eyes to cerulean.

“I’m not going to let those bastards win.”

“Darcy?” He had leather cuffs in the trunk. They could go around her wrists, get her used to the feel without actually restraining her movement. Perhaps that would ease her into this a little less traumatically. He hadn’t planned for this to be unpleasant.

She pushed a cuff through the latches in a series of clicks, and then she closed it around her wrist. “I trust you, Theo. I’m going to use this to take back control. I can’t let their taint ruin every aspect of my life. They took enough from me. They can’t have anything more.”

The pride he felt in her show of strength warred with his instinct to defend his fellow law enforcement brothers and his instinct to take her into his arms and smooth away the hurt. She closed the remaining cuff over her other wrist.

He pointed to a button at the base of each cuff. “Press this.”

She obeyed instantly. Her eyes widened as the cuff popped open. “A quick release that I can reach.” She looked over at him, the soft blue of her eyes laden with affection. “You really thought about this, didn’t you?”

“Bondage is important to me, Darcy. I want you to learn to enjoy it. I want to train you so that your pussy weeps when you see that I’m going to bind you.”

Taking her face between his hands, he lowered his lips to brush against her soft eyelids. He skimmed kisses across her cheeks, and her mouth opened under his gentle pressure. He swept his tongue inside and tasted her sweetness and strength. A small moan purred from her throat as she gave herself over to him. Tender emotion gripped his insides. He ended the kiss and returned to his side of the car. His hands trembled as he put the car in gear and gripped the steering wheel.

Never had kissing a woman left him feeling so vulnerable or so honored.

“Put the cuffs back on.” Even his voice sounded strange to his own ears.

She fumbled with them long enough for him to see that the kiss had affected her just as much. “Yes, Sir.”

Malcolm shook his head. He wanted her first experience with her hands bound to be completely benign. “No ‘Sir,’ Darcy. Not yet. I don’t plan to top you until we’re headed back to your place.”

Her lips parted ever so slightly, and her brows drew together as she shot him a disbelieving look. “If you’re not topping me, then why am I sitting here wearing a pair of handcuffs?”

He couldn’t stop the grin from manifesting. “Because you want to.” Reaching over, he threaded his fingers through hers and held her hand. “Have I told you how much it turns me on to see how well you’ve embraced this challenge?”

“You’re pushing it, Theo.” She didn’t remove her hand. Instead she placed her other hand on top of his, sandwiching his palm between hers.

Everything about her body language reinforced the correctness of his decision to have her wear the cuffs. “You like being challenged. I think you’d lose respect for any Dom who couldn’t keep you challenged. You’re too intelligent to find fulfillment with someone who doesn’t push your boundaries.”

The silence coming from the passenger side of the car had him glancing over to make sure she was handling it okay. Her gaze fastened on the silver cuffs. Sunlight glittered from them every now and again. He needed to get her mind away from the fact that she was wearing them.

“So tell me how you discovered you were a Painslut.”

She laughed softly and lifted her gaze. Now she watched the passing scenery. “That realization came pretty fast. At that party Scott and I attended where we discovered the D/s lifestyle, I couldn’t tear my eyes from anyone being whipped. I watched subs with tears streaking down their faces, lost in bliss, and I envied them. I’m not a person who is normally jealous, and I don’t begrudge anyone anything. That’s when I first knew what I needed.”

She stroked the back of his hand, the gentle touch so at odds with the violence she craved. She looked at his hand, but he knew he had to get her attention away from anything close to the cuffs. “Not everyone who enjoys being whipped wants it on the level you want it. True Painsluts are remarkably rare.”

This earned a short, ironic laugh. “People who are mentally balanced who want to dominate a Painslut are remarkably rare. Few men can keep up with someone who needs what I need. They think they can, but they can’t. Even Scott limited the amount of time he would spend on impact play. Most of the time when I asked, he said no.”

Malcolm squeezed her hand. “It’s not safe to whip a sub every day, no matter how much you want it. I’d say he was living up to his responsibility to see to your physical health when he limited your whippings.”

She looked at him for so long he had to return her stare. Layers of pain and longing that had nothing to do with him glittered from her cloudy blue eyes. “He practiced on me a lot at first, as he learned what each whip did. Very few floggers leave marks that last for more than a few hours. The sensitivity and the sting subside pretty quickly. Even those that raised welts didn’t leave anything that lingered longer than a day or two. I found it easier to achieve subspace when a second flogging followed the first in a short amount of time.”

Subspace, a pain-induced state of euphoria, acted as a double-edged sword. It could take someone to a peaceful place, but it also provided an escape when a problem should be faced. “And you loved subspace. You found it addictive?”

“I’m not explaining this right.” She lifted her hand and looked down when it didn’t go far. Bemused surprise crossed her features. She set it back down. “Yes, I like subspace. It’s a place where my brain finally stops thinking about a million other things and I can just exist. But it doesn’t turn me on. A whipping can make me horny, but you can also turn me on just by going all Dom on me. Or kissing. You kiss really well.”

“Thanks.” Her kisses definitely turned him on. Watching her come the other night had been so hot that if he’d had a condom in his pocket, he wouldn’t have been able to maintain his self-control.

“I like vanilla sex too, though I’m not sure you can ever really have vanilla sex with a Dom.”

He caught the teasing in her tone. “You’ll still have to ask to come.”

“I thought so.” She massaged his hand a little, but he didn’t miss the sadness she tried to mask. “A spanking or a whipping keeps me calm and focused. It’s not just a momentary physical euphoria. It lets me know without a hint of a doubt that I can handle anything that comes my way, and it reminds me that I have someone strong standing behind me, ready to catch me if I fall.”

He maneuvered his small car into the only empty space in the small lot. Turning to face Darcy, he extricated his hand and cupped the side of her face. “You are a strong woman.”

“I know.” No smile touched her lips, but she didn’t try to break eye contact. “But it’s a lot easier to be strong when you know someone’s in your corner. Theo, I don’t want you to think that I expect you to replace Scott or that I’m with you because you’re a Dom who came along when I really needed somebody.”

Malcolm leaped on her pause. “Darcy, I won’t pretend this situation isn’t complicated.” He had more to say, but she held a silencing finger to his lips.

“I like you. I like talking on the phone with you and going out to dinner. I like that you came over today and took me out when any other man would have tossed me over his shoulder and ran up the stairs. Last weekend I could barely remember the last time my smile was real. In one week, you’ve made me remember what it’s like to feel joy. Thank you.”

Oh, he was totally fucked. The bald honesty of her admission hit him like a ton of bricks. She was falling in love with him. Real love, not the rebound kind that burned hot and fast. He had no doubt she would hate him when she found out the truth, and it would take an extraordinary man to heal the emotional scars Malcolm would leave etched on her soul. He had to lay the groundwork right so the foundation of what they were building could withstand the coming storm.

For now he couldn’t say anything to warn her away. He needed her for his case. Victor had gone through a lot to make sure the two of them worked together. The man had gone out of his way to point out that he knew Malcolm was a Dom and that he had dominated Darcy.

Words failed him, so he just kissed her with all the passion and tenderness in his heart. He tasted her tongue and nipped at her lips. When at last he pulled away, he clicked the button to release her cuffs.

Darcy watched the cuffs disappear into the glove box. Wearing them hadn’t been at all traumatic. Even discussing such personal things as why she liked being whipped and her relationship with Scott didn’t send her into any kind of panic. In the past eight months, she hadn’t discussed Scott with anyone except Layla. Even with Layla, she kept her statements general.

She reflected on Theo’s vastly different approach to introducing her to bondage. By starting small, he made it seem almost innocuous. He’d said it was important to him. For that reason alone, she wanted to beat the irrational panic that gripped her whenever she was restrained.

But if he thought she wouldn’t push his boundaries too and explore his aversion to anything touching his anus, he was living in a fantasy world.

Chapter Seven

Thousands of butterflies filled the air, their fluttering wings beating against anything and everything. Darcy wondered how so many could fit into such a tiny room. The butterfly house at Michigan State was not impressive from the outside. Accessed by walking the length of a stifling greenhouse, the little room hid near the end of the hall like an afterthought. A narrow path led around the perimeter and cut through the center. Plants and trees sprouted from beds between the stepping-stones.

Along one wall, three laminated pieces of paper showed the eight varieties of butterflies in the room. So many insects weaved drunken paths through the air that she couldn’t quite make out any of the pictures.

A glance back at Theo showed a man thoroughly enjoying the show. He stuck out his hand and held it up. After a minute, a butterfly landed on his palm. It stayed a short time, but others replaced it. Entranced, Darcy did the same thing.

Immediately two butterflies landed on the back of her hand. Their feet tickled even though their tiny weight was impossible to discern. Something slowly slid out of the front of one. Before she could scream and shake it off—who knew whether or not they were genetically spliced mutants?—a man’s deep voice arrested her intended action.

“He must sense some moisture on your skin.” He pointed at the lengthening projection. “That’s like a straw. It’s how he drinks.”

Focused on the butterfly about to take a chunk out of her hand, she eyed the thing warily. “Will he bite me?”

The man chuckled just as a tickling sensation crawled across her skin. Darcy jerked her hand, and the butterfly flew away. With that close call in the past, she lifted her gaze to find a very handsome man smiling down at her.

Green eyes perused her face with a startling boldness. He wore his light brown hair cropped close to his head, and he was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved cotton tee graced with Bruce Springsteen’s face.

He snagged her hand with a confident grip and turned it so her palm faced up. Darcy glanced around for Theo, but he wasn’t paying attention. The man didn’t set off any warning bells, and she could handle him. Of course, when it came down to it, she preferred for her Dom to handle other men who tried to hit on her.

“Hold still. You’ll like this.” He produced a dropper in his other hand and squeezed a few drips of a clear liquid into her hand.

“Water?” She didn’t want to sniff it, and the feel of it told her nothing except that it was room temperature.

“Sweetened water. They’re sugar junkies.”

Another butterfly landed on her hand. His internal straw extended to the sweetened water cupped in her palm. In less than thirty seconds, he’d sucked down everything. He moved his straw around looking for more. When he found nothing, he flexed his wings and took off.

She looked back up at the man. Butterflies landed on his shoulders, arms, legs, and head. It was an odd juxtaposition with the distinctly masculine air emanating from him. He must be affiliated with the university, though she couldn’t tell if he was a grad student or a professor. “That was really cool. Thank you. Do you work here?”

“I volunteer. Is this your first time?”

Dropping her hand, she absently wiped the sticky residue on her skirt. “Yes. I’ve never had a butterfly land on me.” They swirled around her head and fluttered against her body.

He lifted his chin and gestured to her shoulder. “Don’t freak out, but you have them all over you.”

Moving just her eyes, she verified his statement. Butterflies landed and alighted so delicately she could barely feel them. What she thought was the feeling of them flying around her body turned out to be the sensation of them checking her out. “Well, that’s definitely the last time I can say I’ve never had a butterfly land on me. Now I can say I’ve had them eating out of my hand.”

Crinkles around his eyes showed his amusement. “I bet you have more than just butterflies eating from your hand.”

She blinked and severed eye contact, hoping he hadn’t read anything into her direct gaze. It had been a long time since anyone had attempted flirting or banter with her. Even Theo used the direct approach.

A possessive hand landed on her lower back, and she leaned into the comfort of Theo’s body. “A beautiful woman like this definitely has more than butterflies eating from her hand.” He brushed a kiss over her temple. “I see you made a friend.”

That cue meant he expected an introduction. Well, she didn’t know the volunteer’s name. She flashed a smile at Theo. “He put sugar water in my hand, and I got to see a butterfly drink it. I didn’t know they did that. I mean, it makes sense that they’d need to eat and drink, I just didn’t know how they accomplished it.”

Theo grinned at her cautious enthusiasm and stuck his hand out toward the volunteer. “I’m Theo. This is Darcy.”

The man grabbed Theo’s hand in an obviously firm handshake. “Keith. Nice to meet you, Theo.” He released Theo’s hand and lifted Darcy’s to his lips. He brushed a kiss across the back of her fingers. “Darcy, it’s been a pleasure. If you ever dump this one, you come back and ask for me.”

Stunned at Keith’s audacity, Darcy tugged her hand until he let go. Keith winked and moved away. She watched as he bent to introduce a group of kids to the wonders of hand-feeding a butterfly.

Lifting her gaze to Theo, she drew her brows together. “What is it about being out with you that makes men hit on me?”

Theo blinked and lifted a brow. “I don’t see what I have to do with it. You’re a very beautiful woman. You mean to tell me this doesn’t happen when I’m not around?”

“It doesn’t.”

He slid his arms around her waist and chuckled. “I bet you just don’t notice.”

Automatically she lifted her arms and parked her palms on his biceps. “That’s entirely possible. I guess I find it shocking that anybody would hit on someone who is so obviously on a date.”

He leaned down to kiss her, but a butterfly landed on his cheek and he froze.

“See? Even he wants to get in on the action.”

Amusement glittered from Theo’s warm brown eyes, and his chest rumbled with a deep laugh. “I can’t say I blame him. However, you’re mine, and I don’t share.”

Warmth pooled in her belly at his possessive declaration. She closed her eyes and welcomed the light kiss he brushed across her lips.

__________

Later, after a slow walk through the botanical gardens, he led her back to the parking lot. She waited next to the passenger door while he rooted around in the trunk.

At last he opened the door for her and spread a towel on the leather seat. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and smoothed his thumb over her brow and lip. “When you get in, I want you to remove your panties and put them in the glove compartment. Lift the back of your skirt out of the way so it doesn’t get wet.”

Her pussy tingled at the instruction. “Yes, Sir.”

She sat down, and he closed the door. The tinted windows on the side and the lushness of the trees in front of the car afforded some privacy. Reaching under her skirt, she eased her thong down her legs. She didn’t normally wear such provocative underwear, but she had expected him to have discovered it hours before now.

His door opened and closed. He slid the key in the ignition and started the motor. Air hissed through the vents, and the suffocating closeness of a car that had been sitting began to dissipate. He’d set something on his lap, and she craned her neck to see what it was.

He tugged at the top of the clear bag, and she recognized the object he extracted. A butterfly. A short vibrator stuck into the air, and the textured pad that would stimulate her clit stretched out in front of it. Wetness rushed to her pussy. She loved wearing one of these while being spanked. Given the logistics of the situation, she didn’t expect a spanking or a whipping until after they arrived back at her place.

“Take off your shoes.”

He dribbled lube over the dildo and the pad while she complied with his command. Together they maneuvered the straps of the device over her feet and up her legs. She lifted her hips and held her skirt out of the way as he parted her slit and slid the dildo into her waiting pussy.

She shifted the butterfly and her bottom until she was comfortable with the position and the fit. Tilting the seat back a little helped. Theo watched until she settled down. Then he gripped her chin and turned her face toward his to claim her in a searing kiss.

His teeth nipped her lower lip, reminding her that only he was allowed to bite it. Then he thrust his tongue into her mouth and staked his claim that way. She melted into the heat of his kiss, and the low moan in the back of her throat turned to a high-pitched squeak as he hit the button on the remote to start the vibrations. He held her there until she couldn’t stop the sounds of pleasure from escaping into his mouth.

She settled back against the seat and ground her pelvis down onto the toy, but the vibrations had ceased.

“Give me your wrists.”

Her eyes flew open. She hadn’t heard the glove box open or close. When she regarded him, he held wide, black leather cuffs in his hand. She swallowed against the pointy seeds of trepidation stabbing her throat. They would be more comfortable than the metal handcuffs, but he hadn’t been topping her then. And the metal cuffs had quick-release buttons.

He’d said bondage was important to him. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to fight him. Since they were technically in public, a struggle between them wouldn’t look good to any passersby. She offered her wrists. Her hands trembled as he secured a cuff around each wrist.

“I know this is difficult for you, Darcy. I’m very proud of your courage and the strength of your determination.”

The low timbre of his praise washed over her and chased away the worst of her anxiety. He produced a four-inch-long length of chain and fastened each end to a cuff.

She practiced breathing.

“Darcy, sweetheart, tell me your color.”

That question required a bit of thought. Though these cuffs had no quick release, the short chain meant she could maneuver her hands to undo them if the need arose. Once again she appreciated this slow introduction to bondage. “Green, Sir.”

He kissed her again. As his contagious passion spread to her core, she wondered if he meant the kiss as a reward or if he couldn’t help himself. Subtle nuances were beginning to show through his expressionless mask, but she didn’t feel confident in her read of him. Yet.

The butterfly between her legs came back to life, vibrating intimately on a very low setting. Theo broke the kiss. “Let’s make this interesting. In the backpack I left at your house, I brought my favorite instruments of torture. I also threw in a few canes and a single tail. If you can manage three orgasms before we make it to your house, I’ll let you choose two to use tonight.”

Three orgasms in an hour would be a challenge even if her wrists weren’t bound. He sure knew how to throw out a difficult test. She swallowed. “If I fail?”

He shrugged as if his answer didn’t mean much. “Then you get no say.”

Darcy sat back in her seat. The rate of vibration increased, causing her hips to jerk in surprise. She glanced over to find Theo’s thumb on the remote. He’d switched it to medium speed. “I’ve never experienced a single tail.” Scott hadn’t been comfortable enough with his ability to use one. He’d still been in the early practicing stages with that particular implement, and he hadn’t arrived at the point where he felt comfortable using it on her skin.

Theo’s brows lifted, disappearing under the fringe of bang that fell over his forehead. “Then I guess you’re really motivated to succeed.”

She’d seen it used once. The submissive had screamed and writhed, but her bonds had held her in place. Darcy had ignored the bondage aspect and concentrated on the sweet sound of the whip. Just the sight and sound of the single tail slicing the air and landing with that thunderous crack had made her pussy burn with need.

It burned now, an ache aided by the steady hum of the butterfly against her clit and in her vagina. She rotated her pelvis and pressed into the molded silicone piece.

“Beautiful, Darcy. Since I can’t really watch you, I want to hear you. Don’t temper your volume, sweetheart. And don’t forget to ask to come.”

Fields, marked by signs and small buildings that proclaimed things like TURFGRASS TEACHING AND RESEARCH, flew past. “Yes, Sir.”

She rocked into the device, fucking it with a steady rhythm to build up the sensations. Heat coiled, and she knew it was just a matter of time before she’d be asking for permission to come. The fields disappeared as they came into a built-up area of Okemos that catered to the MSU crowd entering and leaving the freeway. Completely not an exhibitionist of any kind, she groaned as her impending orgasm receded.

Frustration didn’t bring out the best in Darcy. She struggled to avoid swearing or saying something that would earn a punishment. Theo would no doubt take the whole question of the single tail off the table if she did that.

He changed the radio station and found a Springsteen song. Darcy had never been partial to The Boss. The song didn’t help restore her vanishing chance at orgasm. Theo turned onto the entrance ramp to the freeway. She concentrated and redoubled her efforts.

It took forever to build the pleasurable sensations toward climax. Theo played with the speeds, cranking it up to the maximum and then decreasing the speed when she squirmed and moaned her enjoyment. Vibrators gave her very large orgasms that radiated deep and long, but they took a lot more time to attain. If she could use her fingers or if he would spank her, then she wouldn’t have a problem achieving three.