Hero (21 page)

“
D
ex
!” Chloe gasped out my name on a giggle. “That tickles.”

I swatted her bare thigh. “Stay still,” I ordered with mock-sternness. “You’re going to mess up my signature. If you do, I’ll just have to cross it out and start all over again.”

“This is silly,” she groaned, but she stopped squirming, her naked body going still. She was stretched out on our bed, her hands held above her head and her legs spread for me like a good girl.

“There’s nothing silly about marking what’s mine,” I told her smoothly as I touched the tip of the gold marker to her inner thigh. The words
PROPERTY OF
already shined against her skin, my untidy scrawl stretching from her knee to her pussy lips. I turned my attention to her right leg, slowly dragging out the letters to spell my name in all caps:
DEXTER SCOTT
. Her skin pebbled in response to the light stimulation, and the scent of her arousal teased through the air around me. My attention riveted to her glistening pussy.

“Don’t,” she panted in warning. “We’re going to be late for my signing as it is. I can’t believe I let you take the time to doodle on me like this.”

“Doodling? I’m branding you, princess. And I’m not finished. Give me your hand.”

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, but she was smiling when she placed her right hand in mine.

“No,” I corrected her. “The other one.”

Bemused, she complied. Grasping her hand, I tugged her up to a sitting position. She watched me with curiosity as I directed her palm up and touched the tip of the marker to the base of her ring finger. The gold ink left a neat, gleaming line around her skin as I spread her fingers to work between them.

Her breath caught when I turned her hand over and completed the outline of the gold band. Her chocolate eyes met mine, wide with longing.

“I think a princess cut diamond would be appropriate,” I said, drawing in a small rectangular shape. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s perfect,” she said, her voice rough with emotion.

I beamed at her. “Not quite,” I said. “It should be bigger.” I reached into my pocket and retrieved the small, velvet-covered box. Her jaw dropped when I snapped it open to reveal the sparkling princess cut diamond set in white gold. I took the ring out of the box and placed it at the tip of her finger, then captured her gaze in mine.

“Chloe Martin,” I said solemnly. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have my family with you. I want you to be mine in every way possible. Because I’m already yours. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

“Yes!” she burst out. “Oh, Dex. Yes!”

Grinning, I slid the ring onto her finger and pulled her in for a searing, possessive kiss. I kept my lips locked on hers for long minutes, memorizing the feel of her in my arms, with my ring on her finger.

I finally broke our kiss so I could speak. “Come on, princess. You’re going to be late for your signing.”

“It’s at Dusk. I’m sure everyone will find a way to occupy themselves if I don’t show up,” she countered, bringing her lips close to mine again.

I pulled away, tapping her nose with my forefinger in reprimand. “That would be rude, little sub. Besides, I have more planned for you later. We’re going to Dusk.” I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “No pouting.”

She grinned, wide and silly. “I’m not pouting. I’m
engaged
!” she squealed out in happiness and threw her arms around my neck. I held her close for a few blissful minutes, but I was mindful of our timeline.

After a while, I stood, lifting her to her feet as well. I turned her toward our huge walk-in closet and landed a sharp swat across her perfect ass. “Get dressed, little one. There are a lot of people waiting to meet their favorite author.”

She scoffed, but she hurried off into the closet to select an outfit. “I doubt many people there will have even read my books. It was really nice of the owner to help me promote my work in his club.”

“Josh might be a friend, but he’s also a businessman,” I pointed out. “He wouldn’t have invited you to have the signing if he didn’t think your books were good. And trust me, they’re better than good. Your newest release is my particular favorite.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped into a red tutu skirt. It was short enough that I could catch flashes of the gold ink on her inner thighs as she moved.

“You only like
Hero
because it’s about you,” she pointed out.

“Oh, I’d like it anyway. And I wouldn’t have known it was about me if you hadn’t told me.”

She shook her head. “So the huge, blond, gorgeous, nerdy, Dominant FBI agent character didn’t ring any bells for you? Honestly, Dex, I don’t understand how you can’t see yourself that way.”

I helped her into her black silk corset, cinching the laces tight. “I see myself as your Master,” I told her. “I don’t really think about the rest of it.”

She turned to me with a smile. “My Master and my fiancé,” she said with a happy sigh as she began to undo the buttons on my work shirt. “You’d better get into your leathers,” she prompted. “We really are running late.”

I stepped back. “Then you’d better get out of here and let me get changed on my own. If you keep undressing me, I’m going to have to yank up that cute little skirt and fuck you hard. And while we’d both enjoy it, I don’t think we have time.”

She licked her lips. “Right,” she said shakily. “I’ll leave you to it.”

She flounced out of the closet, and I quickly found my leathers. In a matter of minutes, we were changed into our kinky attire, I had my kit bag, and we were on our way to Dusk. During the short drive from our neighborhood to the club, I held her hand in mine, running my thumb over the diamond that shined on her delicate finger. She leaned on me, resting her cheek on my shoulder as I drove.

When we entered the club, our friends were waiting for us. Carina caught sight of Chloe’s ring and squealed in delight.

“I knew it!” she cried, triumphant. “I knew you two were perfect for each other.”

“Carina,” Chloe said on a laugh as the older woman pulled her in for a hug. “What are you doing in Chicago?”

“Dex invited us. Kennedy and I didn’t want to miss your signing. Well, I didn’t want to miss it,” she said, shooting a wry smile at her fiancé. “And I wanted to celebrate the success of your Latin Kings story. It went viral over two weeks ago, and I haven’t been able to congratulate you in person yet. I thought it was past time we had a glass of champagne in your honor.”

“Only one,” I stipulated. “I plan on playing with my sub later.”

“Excellent,” Carina beamed. “Oh, I’m just so happy for you two.”

“So am I,” Katie chimed in, stepping up to give me a hug. “You went with the princess cut?” she asked, releasing me to take Chloe’s hand. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” Chloe smiled, pulling her in for a hug of her own. “The ring is beautiful. I’m guessing you had something to do with the selection.”

Katie shook her head, smiling. “Dex did it all himself. Once I went over the types of diamond cuts with him, he knew which one he wanted for you.”

“It’s perfect,” Chloe gushed. “It was so sweet of you to help him out. I’m really glad you two have been able to spend more time together now that Dex is back in Chicago.”

I was happy about it, too. I finally had my best friend back in my life, and being near her wasn’t painful at all. And now that I’d spent a little time with him, I’d come to accept that Reed wasn’t entirely terrible. We might not be buddies, but being in the same field office with him again was working out just fine so far. He was a good agent and a good Dom to Katie. There wasn’t any reason for me to hate him anymore.

He clasped my hand with a wide smile. “Congrats, man,” he said with genuine pleasure.

“Thanks,” I replied, not even attempting to crush his fingers.

A bottle of champagne appeared on the bar, and we all enjoyed a glass over the next half hour as Dusk slowly filled up. Eventually, the club owner came to get Chloe settled in for her signing, and she spent the evening scribbling out her pen name in her signature gold Sharpie. As I watched her, I couldn’t stop staring at the diamond sparkling on her finger, couldn’t stop envisioning the metallic ink that glimmered between her thighs where they were hidden beneath the table.

Finally, the crowd dispersed to engage in other, kinkier activities. Chloe closed her last book with a smile, and I was instantly at her side, gripping her waist and lifting her up in my arms.

“Hey!” she huffed out as I began to carry her back to the private room I’d set up for us while she was busy with her fans. “What are you doing? I wanted to talk to Carina more.”

“She’ll still be here when we’re finished.”

She eyed me suspiciously. “Finished with what?”

I brought my lips down on hers, silencing her questions. Sometimes it took a few minutes for her to transition out of writer mode and into sub mode. Kissing helped with that. If she was ever stressed out or working too hard, I’d found that a thorough, possessive kiss helped her start to relax. Subtle dominance had always worked much better with Chloe than barked orders.

By the time we reached the private room I’d selected for us, she was soft and submissive in my arms.

I set her down on her feet and undressed her slowly, taking my time to reveal her gorgeous body. I saved her skirt for last, going to my knees before her as I slid it down her legs. I ran my tongue along the gold lettering of my name on her thigh, making my way from her knee to her pussy. When I reached it, I pressed a single, light kiss to her clit. She gasped and rocked her hips toward me. My fingers curved into her waist, steadying her as I pulled away.

I got to my feet and left her briefly so I could get what I needed from my kit bag.

“I chose this room because I want you to be able to see how beautiful you are,” I told her, gesturing at the mirrors that covered the walls and ceiling.

Her eyes slid past me, and she caught her naked reflection for the first time. She blushed and dropped her gaze. I closed the short distance between us and curled two fingers beneath her chin, lifting her face.

“Look at me,” I commanded.

Her chocolate eyes met mine. They were open, expectant. She held nothing back; she allowed me to look straight into her soul.

“You’re mine, Chloe,” I told her. “I want everyone to know it.”

One corner of her full lips ticked up in a crooked smile. “Your name is written between my legs, and your ring is on my finger. I’m pretty sure they know.”

I chuckled. “Well, just in case anyone missed the signs.” I lifted the slim strip of white leather for her inspection. “I want you to accept my collar.”

Her pupils dilated as they fixed on it. “Yes,” she whispered. “Of course I accept it.”

“Good girl,” I said, my voice heavy with pleasure and pride. “Lift your hair for me.”

She did as I commanded, and I stepped behind her. “Watch,” I ordered, directing her to look forward into the mirror so she could see the moment the collar slipped around her neck for the first time. Her eyes locked on mine in our reflection. I pressed the length of leather against her neck. The white was beautiful against her tanned skin, every bit as lovely as I’d fantasized.

“Gorgeous,” I murmured, buckling it closed at her nape.

Her pulse jumped at her throat, and her breath hitched. She ran her fingers over the collar in reverent exploration. “It is,” she agreed. “I love it. Thank you, Master.”

“Thank
you
, sweet sub.” I brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “I have one more present for you.”

“Something else?” she asked as I went back to my kit bag.

“Oh, yes,” I smiled, lifting the large jeweled anal plug I’d selected for her. “Sorry, princess. This one’s not a real diamond.”

She giggled, her eyes assessing its size as I coated it with lube. “That would be impossible. I don’t think diamonds come in that size.”

I grinned. “Real or not, it’s going to look very pretty in your sweet ass.” I cleaned the excess lube from my hand with a cleansing wipe and gestured for her to get on the huge circular bed that was the focal point of the room. “Hands and knees, princess,” I ordered.

She complied with alacrity, positioning herself in the middle of the mattress, spreading her knees wide so her pussy and ass were on display for me. She shot me a saucy grin in the mirror when she caught me staring at her most intimate areas.

I reached beneath her, cupping her breasts and rolling her tight nipples between my fingers. She moaned and closed her eyes. I gave the hard buds a particularly cruel twist.

“Watch,” I commanded. “I want you to watch everything I do to you.”

Her eyes flew open, and she caught my gaze in the mirror once again. “Yes, Master,” she said, her voice lowering with lust.

“Good girl.” I petted her pussy in reward, exploring the wetness at her core before toying with her clit. When she began to whine and rotate her hips into my touch, I lifted the plug to her asshole. Her eyelids grew heavy with desire as she watched me ease the tip of the toy inside her, continuing to work her clit as I applied pressure. She moaned as it slid into her ass in a slow, steady slide. When the widest part stretched her, she began to pant and whimper. I rubbed her clit in a firm, demanding rhythm.

“You can take it,” I assured her. “Relax.”

Her white teeth sank into her lower lip, and her dark eyes locked on mine in our reflection. I pushed the plug the rest of the way in, and it settled deep inside her. She shuddered and gasped. I increased the rhythm of my fingers on her clit.

“Come for me,” I urged. “Get your pussy nice and wet for my cock.”

Her eyes flew wide, and she cried out as bliss crested, her pleasure unleashed by my command. Satisfaction flooded my chest, and my dick throbbed, aching to get inside her writhing body.

Unable to wait a second longer, I freed myself from my leathers and positioned my body behind hers on the bed, lining my hard cock up with her soaked pussy. The gem in her ass and diamond on her finger caught in the mirrors, dazzling me and giving our scene a surreal quality. For a moment, I could hardly believe it was real; the incredible woman before me was my collared sub, my beautiful fiancée.