Inside the Lines: Without a Trace series, a contemporary erotic romance novel (17 page)

I run my hand along his arm gently. He stirs a bit, but then his patterned breathing resumes. His warmth reassures me, though I’m not sure why. He’s so solid, I guess. He knows what he wants in life, and he never wavers. God, I admire that. I wonder if I would have been more like that, had I grown up in a stable family with warmth and love. These musings offer nothing good, so I snuggle back down against him. But I can’t sleep. Not as thoughts roll across my mind, about Kinked, about the complications whirling around Fin and my relationship, about life in general.

“I dozed off,” he says sleepily after an hour or so has passed. He stretches, then gazes down at me with a satisfied sigh. “I rather like waking up to ye twice in a row.”

I wiggle up so I can kiss him. “You hang out much longer, you’ll do it for a third time in the morning.”

He checks the clock. “Dammit. I should get going. I dinna think ye’ll want my 4:30 alarm.”

I make a face of horror. “Most certainly not.”

But there’s a hollow in my heart as he gathers his few things and puts his shoes on. At the door, he pulls me into his arms, and I breathe him in, my hands trailing into his silky hair, the slightly salty taste of his neck as I press my mouth to him.

“I dinna want to leave ye.” He kisses me for probably the twelfth time, but I’m not complaining.

A smile blooms from deep inside, and even my doubts can’t diminish it. “I wish you didn’t have to.”

“Tomorrow night?”

I picture my day planner in my mind’s eye. “I think I’m finished around 9 p.m.”

He captures my mouth in a searing kiss, which I take as an affirmative response.

“Any chance ye’ll let me tie ye up with yer ropes, love? A little ‘turnabout is fair play’?”

My stomach races for my toes, but I think about what Charles said, about not really knowing your position until you’ve experienced others, and my own worries from the evening before. If I’m going to make this work with Fin, maybe I need to be more flexible. “Okay. One night. And you’ll never breathe a word about it to anyone.”

His mouth is the only response I get, and I’m a puddle of aroused goo when the door closes behind him.

Noah and I are digging into a spreadsheet for project expenses for Kinked. While I want to do this, I hate imposing on him when I know he’s knee-deep in work, but he insisted it was okay. We’ve spread out to the small brick patio in front of the brownstone, and the temperature is mild enough to require a light sweater.

When my phone dings with the text message, Noah rolls his eyes. “God save me from the sexting.”

“You’re just jealous,” I say as I grab my phone out of my back pocket.

If you had any idea what I intend to do to you tonight…

I can’t believe how turned on I’m getting over the idea of being held captive to this man. The tingle of desire has me vibrating, but I try to hide it from Noah.

Mmm. Sounds yummy. Of course, you’ll have me at a disadvantage. What will you use for a gag, I wonder?

“Can we get back to the timeline estimates now?” Noah acts irritated, but there’s a glint of humor in his yes.

“Yessir.” I nod.

We’ve nearly got a full timeline with costs written out, and we’re starting on the spreadsheet calculations when my phone vibrates again.

“I’m getting a beer.” Noah smiles falsely down at me and says in a sing-song voice. “Do you want one?”

I can’t help myself. I giggle. “I’m good. But you do that. I’ll be right here, discussing lascivious sex plans with my lover.”

With that, he mock gags and goes in the house.

I’ll have to use my cock for that, I suppose. I might have to borrow your tools. Surely you have a few things I might find intriguing.

My cheeks heat up. I have several I can think of off the top of my head. One of them being that new vibrator…

Well, a professional *should*
bring his own toys, but I guess I can make an exception. But only if you promise to make me come
several
times.

I hope Fin’s not at the barn, because he’s likely hard as a rock after this conversation.

Noah returns with his beer, and he mixed me a peach martini.

“Aw, tank you!” I say sweetly, enjoying the sharp tang of the liquor.

I intend to have you crying out my name many, many times tonight.

I shake my head, catching Noah’s eye and laughing at his expression. “Hey, you want me happy or cranky? You choose.”

He smiles. “Always happy, Lulu.”

Promises, promises.

Chapter 20

Bound

Because I’m not the one in the driver’s seat tonight, I go with a more low-key outfit. Gone are the corset and leather thigh boots, garters and nylons. I opt for a short, spaghetti-strap sundress, with a modest emerald bikini and strapless bra set, along with bare feet. My hair is in long ringlets, its natural state, and I keep my makeup minimal, with just a bit of mascara and blush. Of course, I’m pretty sure I could be naked, and Fin would be just as happy.

The look on his face when I answer the door makes it all worth it.

“Dear Christ, Lux, ye’re beautiful.” He stands there for a moment, admiring me, and I preen under the attention. “Come to me.”

So it begins.

He draws me to him like a magnet regardless, so there’s no hesitance when I step into his arms. He holds me, rubbing my back. I feel like Nellie, having bucked and fought, and now I’m turned towards him, ready to be part of whatever comes next.

His kisses are slow, without eroticism, though that makes them even more so. His palms travel the length of my sides, sliding beneath my dress.

“We should go inside,” he whispers, his fingers teasing over my panties.

“
Aye
,” I answer, breathless.

Upstairs, I’ve laid out everything I have that I’d want used on me, which was a tough decision to begin with. While I’ve always imagined what certain things would feel like—a hearty spanking or a well-placed crop strike—I’ve never allowed it to happen. Now that I am…I don’t know what I like. I leave it up to him.

“So.” He looks around the room, scratching the back of his neck for a moment. “I guess…we should have ground rules, yes?”

I sit down on my bed, flattening my dress modestly against my thighs. “This is your scene. You get to set it up.” My pulse quickens with both desire and nerves.

He snorts. “Aye, well, I rather like it when I get to just lie back and enjoy.” He grins then, his dimple enhancing his charm. “Let’s see… ye dinna need to call me ‘Master’ or anything like that. And I dinna wish to call ye slave or some such names.”

I snicker. “Did your research, did you?”

He nods. “For weeks now. Found a book called something like…” He thinks for a moment. “
Screw the Roses, Send me the Thorns
?”

“Yes, that’s a great reference. Particularly for a beginner,” I praise him. Though given some of the things they outline in its pages, he might have gotten some ideas…

He beams. “Fascinating wee book.” He holds up his hands, showing me its thickness, or rather, lack thereof. “Learned quite a bit.”

“Hm.” I drop my chin and gaze up at him.

His tone turns from academic curiosity to lust in barely a second. He crosses to the bed, hauling me against him and kissing me hard.

“I believe I’ll leave the finer elements of BDSM to ye, Mistress Hathaway, but for tonight, ye’ll be mine to do with as I wish. Am I clear, love?” He bends to my neck, his teeth grazing the skin.

“Very.”

“And ye’ll come when I say, and not before.” He draws a hot path along my collarbone, nudging my dress strap out of his way.

“Yessir,” I agree, my head falling back as his mouth seeks lower, stopped only by the neck of my dress.

“And I did bring a surprise for ye.”

I raise an eyebrow as he pulls something out of his rear jeans pocket. “Oh really? I can’t wait to see.”

He hands me a finely crafted handcuff set. The leather cuffs are soft as butter and held together by a buckle. I admire the deep shade of the hide, even as my insides lurch at the idea of being confined in them. “These weren’t cheap.”

“Well, ye said I should bring my own tools, so I stopped by Shay’s on my way here.”

“Fair enough.”

He takes them from me and draws me against him. “Are ye okay with this, love? We don’t have to do it tonight if ye’re having second thoughts.”

His eyes—nearly green in the low light—search mine for an answer, so I close my eyes and kiss him. “I am yours tonight.”

When my hands are tethered to the bed frame, I feel a bit less confident about that answer. He opted to keep the cuffs hooked together and looped over one of the headboard’s rods, so my wrists are comfortably bound directly above my head. Fin’s gaze studies me as though he wishes to memorize every detail, and my sex drive revs to life. He runs a slow hand over my leg, his fingers stopping just shy of my panties.

“I must admit: I had a plan in mind, but now that I’m here, all I want to do is worship at yer feet, love.” His gaze, molten and hungry, locks onto mine, and I can’t look away. “Do ye know how stunning ye are? How much I want to lose myself in ye?”

I swallow, moisture pooling between my legs. I have no idea what to say, as I’m desperate for his touch. The intensity of my arousal scares me a bit. Why is this such a turn on for me?

When he slips a blindfold over my eyes, all my thoughts scatter. A sense of panic accosts me, but I push it away, determined not to ruin this for him. For several moments, I can’t feel or hear him, and the anxiety rises. I shove down a threatening scream and listen for any movement. Then his belt buckle jangles, signaling its removal, and I relax slightly.

“Did ye really want me to use all of these on ye?” He sounds a bit incredulous, and he must be reviewing the items I left on the dresser.

His doubt eases my tension, and I consciously soften my limbs, trying to work out the rigidity. “Not all of them, no. But I wanted to give you options, in case there was something you wanted to try.”

“Mmphmm.” He sounds like he’s deciding, and I hear a rustle of something. Then the bed dips with his weight.

His mouth makes me jump, his tongue sweeping into mine. He kisses me so thoroughly, I’m breathless. He blazes a path down my chest, taking advantage of my bra’s front closure. My breasts freed, he captures a nipple, but at the same time, his knuckles spread my thighs. The telltale thrum of a vibrator sounds, and while he laves my sensitive nipples, he presses the vibrator against me. I arch my back as he slips past the edge of my panties, centering the bullet at the underside of my clit.

“Fuck,” I breathe, jerking against him, but his legs hold mine captive.

“Come for me, Lux,” he urges. His teeth scrape against my breast, and my whole body burns brighter. When I come, the world splits in two, and it’s only Fin’s weight and the cuffs that keep me anchored to the bed. I’m shaking, but he gathers me to him, holding me until my breath calms.

There’s not much break before he takes possession of my mouth, his hand traveling south. When his fingers spread me, I struggle against the bonds, the intensity almost too much. “I can’t…” But then I bite my lip as his fingers press into me, dancing against my center. “Oh, God, Fin, I don’t think I can…”