Under His Command (Six-Alarm Sexy) (24 page)

Let go
? What did that even mean? Whatever he wanted her to do, she wasn’t ready for this to end. Breathing deeply, she concentrated on all the sensations going on between her legs. It was amazing really. How could he be so coordinated? The three fingers pumping inside her probed and stretched, the thumb on her clitoris stroked and circled, and the heat—the heat danced and kissed, caressed and embraced her pussy like a lover. As the temperature climbed, the exquisite pressure in her belly mounted.

Remembering the sheep, she tried counting:
one sheep, two sheep, three ahhh
!

Each added degree pushed the volcano inside her closer to the point of eruption. She clenched her fists, struggling to restrain the climax that threatened to break loose. Nothing could distract her from the excruciating ecstasy. It surrounded her, filled her, consumed her.

“Please, more,” she pleaded, barely conscious of doing so.

The intensity of the heat went up a notch. Desperate for release, she clung to sanity by a thread, bunching the towel in her fists.

“Now. Come for me, Mrs. Caldwell.” His sharp authoritative command sent her reeling. He lifted his thumb and blew on her burning pussy. The dam burst and she exploded. Like a constellation, she soared weightless through space and time. Her body spasmed, contracting through wave after wave of pleasure as her orgasm seemed to continue for an eternity.

Jamie’s hands and the heat left her body and she groaned in protest until something soft and warm settled over her. Sighing, she drifted, her body light as air. Sometime later, she felt Jamie’s strong gentle hands massaging something into her skin. It smelled faintly of aloe. Opening her eyes, she watched him, the concentration on his features, the rippling muscles in his arms. She’d never felt more precious or cherished. As soon as he noticed her eyes on him, he brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “How are you?”

Too drowsy and content to speak, she simply smiled.

“Drink this,” he said, laying a straw on her bottom lip. She moaned as cool crisp apple juice slid easily down her throat. Her body seemed to soak it up and the fuzziness in her head started to dissipate.

Jamie set the juice aside and undid the bun in her hair, combing his fingers through it as he massaged her scalp. It felt heavenly. “You were magnificent, Rickie. I’m so damn proud of you.” The love in his bright eyes mirrored the love swamping her heart.

“You were right.” Stopping, she cleared the cobwebs from her throat and wet her lips. “This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was literally out of this world. Is it always like this?”

“You experienced something called subspace. It’s a natural high caused by the release of endorphins and some other chemicals in the body.” He traced the arch of her eyebrows, the curve of her cheekbones, the edge of her jaw, and shook his head as though amazed. “I didn’t tell you about it because few subs reach it the first time and even fewer get into it so deeply.”

“I didn’t do anything to make it happen.”

“Oh but you did. Deep subspace is only possible when a sub gives herself over to the experience and cedes all control to her Dom.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and stared into her eyes for a moment. “You communicated with me, expressed your concerns and worries, and we worked them out. You proved that I can trust you.”

Before she could comment further, he swung her up into his arms and carried her out to the lanai. Sitting on one of the loungers, he snuggled her on his lap, making sure the warm blanket covered everything below her neck. She rested her head on his shoulder and listened to the beating of his heart, enjoying the glide of his fingers over the blanket along her arms, her back, her legs. As her energy returned, she warmed up. The strange high, as Jamie had called it, was receding, but she didn’t feel sad or hungover.

Instead, her heart was bursting with joy. She bent her neck to see Jamie’s face and was surprised by his far-too-serious expression. “What is it?”

“Are you okay with what happened here?”

She thought for a moment, then nodded. “Toward the end, I couldn’t have used the safewords even if I’d wanted to. But I didn’t want to. What happened was amazing. I can’t even imagine what more advanced techniques you might know and how they might feel.”

“There’s so much I can teach you and so much more we can explore together.”

A shiver of excitement swept over her body, making her nipples peak and her pussy clench. She slid her hand to the erection that bulged behind his zipper. “It seems to me that I got more out of this evening than you did.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Rickie. Tonight, you gave me everything—total surrender and absolute submission.” His lips kicked up at the corners in a sexy mischievous grin that made him look like sin incarnate. “I’m a very
satisfied
Dom.”

Chapter 11

Jamie stopped the car in the driveway to his parents’ house and let out a long exhale. His mother had called early that morning before they’d left for the airport, asking if they could come straight here after landing. The family wanted to celebrate his and Rickie’s reunion. She hadn’t seen his family socially since before the separation, and his mother was determined to change that. Judging by the way Rickie was gnawing at her lip, she was more than a little nervous. He took her hand, circling his thumb on her palm. “Ready?”

Smiling, she dropped a kiss on his mouth. “With you by my side, I can handle anything.”

He groaned and pressed his lips to hers again, his tongue sliding into her mouth. She tasted sweet and sexy and, despite the fact that they’d made love that morning, he wanted her again. Would they ever get enough of each other? He hoped not. “Be careful what you say, babe. Around you, I’m always locked and loaded.”

She laughed and pushed open her door. “Come on. I can’t wait to see Chloe.”

He grabbed the bag of souvenirs from the back seat. Rickie had insisted on getting something special for each member of his family and Dani. Did she think she needed to get back into their good graces? As far as he was concerned, she’d done them both a favor by forcing the issue. If she hadn’t, their marriage would have continued along the same mediocre path, with both of them hiding from each other, both of them unhappy and dissatisfied. What they had now was so much better, strong enough to see them through any future rough patches.

The sounds of a party in the backyard and Chloe’s delighted squeals reached them. Jamie threw his arm around Rickie’s shoulders and they entered the yard through a side gate. As soon as they came into view of the patio, everyone stopped talking and stared at them, open-mouthed. His grip on Rickie tightened as he considered spinning her around and taking her back to the car. She glanced up at him, her eyes wide with worry. Shit. Had he been wrong? Was his family planning to give Rickie a hard time?

Just as he was about to tell her they were leaving, everyone started talking at once and welcoming them back. His mother rushed forward and pulled Rickie into a huge hug. She whispered something into Rickie’s ears that made her blush and hold his mother tightly. When the women broke apart, both had tears in their eyes.

His mother let go of Rickie and launched herself into his arms. “Oh, Jamie. It’s so good to have you home. You both look so rested and happy. You
are
happy, aren’t you?”

He squeezed her gently. “We are, Mom. Believe it or not, your Yoda advice really helped.”

As he let his mother go, his father released Rickie. Tears ran down her face and his father’s eyes were suspiciously shiny. Pulling Jamie against his chest, he clapped him on the back. “Erica’s a damn fine lady, son. You’ve done us all proud.”

Jamie’s chest tightened. He finally understood how much his parents had rooted for the success of his marriage. They’d never bad-talked Rickie and her decisions, as though knowing that with time, he and Rickie would find their way. He was humbled to realize they’d had more faith in his marriage than he’d had.

“My turn, my turn!” Chloe shouted from her perch on Chad’s shoulders.

Mindful of her leg, Chad swung her into Jamie’s arms. “Welcome back, bro!”

When Chad went to greet Rickie, Chloe wrapped her small arms around Jamie’s neck and buried her face against his throat. “I missed you, Daddy.”

His heart filled to bursting at the tears in her voice. “I missed you too, sweetheart. So very much.” He could barely breathe as she squeezed him. He’d lost a year of her growing up, and he’d do anything to make it up to his little girl.

Chloe lifted her head and, gripping his chin with her pudgy fingers, kissed his cheeks. “You won’t go away again, will you?”

It tore him apart that she needed constant reassurance that he was back for good. But he’d repeat it to her every night until she was once again the confident girl she’d been. “Nope, you’re stuck with me. And the next time we go on a trip, we’re all going together.”

As if he’d triggered a thought, she twisted around, searching. “Mommy?”

Rickie stepped closer, hugging them both. “Right here, sweetie.”

Chloe’s eyes went from Jamie’s to Rickie, then to Rickie’s arm around his waist. She pursed her lips, her blue eyes cloudy with uncertainty. “So you and Daddy are friends again?”

Jamie smiled and held Rickie’s gaze before turning back to his daughter. “Even better. Mommy and I are besties.”

Chloe grinned and clapped her hand. “Yay! Let’s go back to the party now.”

Laughing at his daughter’s bossy ways, he carried her back to the patio. Erica sat in a chair and he set Chloe on her lap. He left his girls to catch up and got a beer from the cooler.

He’d just managed a sip when Tori jumped into his arms, knocking the bottle out of his hand. “I always knew you had it in you, big brother.”

Since starting her master’s degree in psychology, she was constantly analyzing everyone and talking in riddles. This time, he was completely stumped. “Had it in me to do what?” he asked, setting her on her feet and picking up the now empty bottle of beer.

“To tame the shrew, of course,” she said, her tone teasing.

His blood beginning to simmer, he narrowed his gaze. “Don’t talk about my wife that way, Tori. What happened or didn’t happen in our marriage is our business, not yours.”

Holding her hands up, she backed away “Hey, hey. I’m just kidding. She seems completely transformed. Check out her body language.” She jerked her head in Rickie’s direction. “She’s relaxed and laughing. Chatting with everyone. I can’t remember the last time I saw her like that. Whatever went on between the two of you in Hawaii, keep it up.”

Dani dropped her hand on his shoulder and gave it a good squeeze. “Looks like Erica followed my advice.”

He twisted around and grinned when she exchanged his empty bottle for a fresh one. “
Your
advice? When did you become Dear Abby?”

“Oh, LJ. Didn’t you know?” She shook her head, feigning sadness. “Erica and I have become BFFs since the earthquake. We tell each other
everything
.”

His face tightened and his belly flipped. How much did Dani know about the BDSM stuff?
Shit
. If anyone found out… Dani punched his shoulder. “Hey. Lose the boy-with-his-hand-in-the-money-jar look or you’ll have people even more curious about this sudden transformation.”

“The boy-with-his-hand-in-the what?” Drew asked, joining them. “This I’ve got to hear.”

“It’s nothing. Dani was just catching me up on what’s been happening at the station.” He took a long pull on his beer, hoping Drew would drop the subject.

“How would she even know? From what Chloe’s told me, Dani’s spent most of the past week here.”

Expecting a quick comeback, Jamie glanced at Dani and was surprised to see her flaming cheeks. When she scowled at Drew, Jamie arched a brow. She crossed her arms and scrunched her face. “What else was I supposed to do? Huh?”

“About what?” Drew’s face reflected Jamie’s own confusion.

Dani swallowed and shrugged. “I like playing with Barbie dolls. Sue me.”

Jamie laughed. Sure Dani had wanted to help keep Chloe entertained. She genuinely enjoyed spending time with his little girl. But seeing the direction of her stare, he knew something—or should he say someone?—had been the driving factor for her frequent visits.

As though sensing Dani’s eyes drilling into him, William turned away from his conversation with Rickie and Chloe. He pushed out of his chair and joined their little circle. “Welcome back, Jamie.”

“Thanks for visiting with Chloe while we were gone. She loves seeing her uncles and her aunt.” When William’s gaze landed pointedly on Dani, Jamie added, “Especially the honorary ones.”

William’s lip curled up and he focused on Jamie. “Erica looks good. I trust you had a good time?”

“The best.”

Dani reached out and yanked on his tie. “You should try it sometime, Will. It might loosen you up a bit.”

Jamie and Drew burst out laughing. Dani didn’t even flinch when William pinned her with his eyes.

She leaned forward, her hands on her hips. “Look at you,” she said. “Who wears a
tie
to a backyard barbeque?” With a last dip of her shoulders that no doubt gave William an eyeful, she spun on her heel and stalked off to join Rickie and Chloe.

Jamie nearly choked on his drink when he saw his brother’s beet-red face. “It’s okay, William,” he said, his voice hitching with laughter. “You can wear whatever you want.”

“I may wear too much, but she doesn’t wear enough,” he said. “If she was mine, I wouldn’t let her out of the house like that.” His jaw was so tight, Jamie could practically hear his molars grinding together.

William was pissed, that much was clear. But was it because Dani had joked about his clothes or that she’d flashed him? She was an attractive woman. Most men wouldn’t have minded. But William wasn’t most men. He had an almost Victorian sense of propriety. “She looks fully dressed to me,” Jamie said with a smirk.

His brother leaned in close so Drew, who’d watched the exchange with interest, wouldn’t hear. “Danielle isn’t wearing a... a bra. Do you think she realizes—” He snapped his mouth closed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pressed slacks.