PleasureBound (9 page)

“Now, lose the towel.” His tone was calm, quiet and as
commanding as she’d ever heard it. “
This
is payback time.”

It was a good thing he was standing so close, as, knees
buckling beneath her, she had to lean back into his big, hard body for support.

Epilogue

Adam took a few steps into the suite and heard the heavy
clunk of the door shutting behind him. Careful not to break their celebratory
kiss, he withdrew his arm from beneath Sam’s knees and, transferring it to join
the one supporting her around the back of her shoulders, let her body slide
ever so slowly down the front of his. The elegant satin gown she wore turned
the maneuver into such a smooth, sensuous glide that it had him wishing he was
enjoying the sensation stark naked instead of swanked up from collar to shiny
shoe-tips in formal black tie.

As her feet hit the floor, he could still feel the curve of
her smile against his lips, telling him she thought herself just too cute for
words. They both knew though, that at some point he’d make sure she paid for
her sarcastic little jibe about how perhaps, given the shifting power dynamics
of their relationship, she should be the one carrying him over the threshold.
But there was no rush. Now that she was his for life, he had all the time in
the world to remind her that he was still the one who wore the trousers. Right
then he was much more interested in keeping a certain vow he’d made to himself
in the desert—a vow he’d been impatiently waiting to fulfill for months.

Over the past few hours, that impatience had grown into
outright desperation. Since the moment he’d turned and seen the way the
delicate drape of Sam’s wedding dress hugged and clung to her figure as she’d
walked down the aisle towards him, he’d been wondering what on earth she was
wearing underneath. Whatever it was, he knew it couldn’t be much. He’d spent
most of the reception plastered to her side, having to make a conscious effort
not to scowl at every male guest that came within six feet of his bride and
counting down the minutes until he could get her alone and stake his claim to
all of her.

Just the thought of now being able to do so was enough to
have him deepening the kiss even as he released his hold on Sam so he could
shrug out of his jacket and start working on his bow tie and collar. Thank god
they hadn’t had very far to travel. The beauty of holding their marriage
ceremony and reception in a hotel was that they’d only needed to take a short
elevator ride up from the lobby to the honeymoon suite.

Her own passion rising, as always, in response to his, Sam
groaned into his mouth and set her hands to help him, pulling his shirt tails
out from his trousers and sliding her palms underneath to stroke at his hot
skin.

Her touch was like an electric shock, making Adam hiss as
his sense of urgency increased. He fiddled and tugged at the dress studs
holding his shirt closed, but they refused to give way under his scrabbling
fingers.
Oh, for fuck’s sake!
a flash of temper had him shouting in his
head. He didn’t have the time or patience to fuss about with them now.

“Whoa!” Sam sprang back, gasping and laughing as he simply
grabbed either side of his shirt and used brute strength to tear it open,
ripping fabric and sending studs flying off in all directions. “Flattered as I
am by your, um, enthusiasm, I’m afraid I really need to make a bathroom stop
before we go any further.” She grabbed the edges of his gaping shirt and pulled
his mouth down for a brief, hard meshing of lips. “But I do like the way your
mind is working, husband. Definitely hold that thought.”

Before she could turn away, he caught her to him, clamping
his hands over the curve of her ass to pull her tight against his throbbing
erection. “Call me that again,” he ordered with a growl.

Sam grinned and looked up at him through her lashes.
“Husband,” she repeated, making the word extra soft and breathy.

Fuck, he was a goner. “Don’t be long.” He made himself
release her. The sooner he let her go, the sooner she’d be back. “And don’t
take off a single thing. I want to unwrap you myself.”

Sam stopped mid-turn to look back at him over her shoulder.
“Like a present?”

“Like
my
present. Go.” Eyes glued to the sway of her
hips as she headed for the bathroom, Adam toed off his shoes at the same time
as pulling the ruined shirt from his shoulders and shaking it down off his
arms. He only remembered the cufflinks when the sleeves got stuck around his
wrists.

Mr. Smooth
, he mocked himself as he twisted and turned
and fought to detangle seeming acres of inside-out fabric to find and release
the cuffs, thankful that no one could see his antics. Finally free, he tossed
the shirt over the back of a nearby chair and made his way into the bedroom.

The room was large, decorated in varying shades of white
with silver accents. He knew that behind the swathe of floor-to-ceiling
curtains currently covering an entire wall, a set of sliding glass doors looked
out onto a private balcony, and beyond, an all-encompassing view of sky and
ocean that in the morning would be spectacular to wake up to. Now, though, the
room had been prepared for the night, with the curtains drawn for privacy and
ambient lighting setting a seductive mood. As he passed by the doors, Adam
heard a faint snatch of laughter through the glass, rising from below where a
few lingering wedding guests enjoyed a last drink on the candlelit terrace, or
wandered down to the water’s edge to dip their toes.

Unbuckling his belt as he approached the silver-framed four-poster
bed, he noticed a pair of fluffy white robes had been placed, neatly folded and
side by side, on top of the turned-down covers. Beneath the hotel’s logo
embroidered on the breast of each, one of the robes bore the word “His” in
powder blue thread—the other “Hers” in baby pink.
Very twee
, he
chuckled, loosening the fastenings of his trousers and stepping out of them.

Standing there in his underwear and socks, he doubted he’d
ever felt happier, or more content. He and Sam had been on quite a journey of
discovery since their Moroccan odyssey, experimenting and testing and pushing
their own and each others’ physical and psychological boundaries. And their
explorations had turned out to be revelations. Who’d have thought that the act
of tying each other up could prove to be such a profoundly freeing
experience—that when given to the right person, the gift of surrender could
actually make you stronger?

And freer and stronger Adam most definitely was. Free from
what had become a near obsessive drive for absolute control, strong in the
knowledge that he could occasionally let go and trust someone—Sam—to have his
back.

She was different, too, in subtle ways. More comfortable in
her skin now that she didn’t have to hide or deny her desires. The very nature
of the games she liked to play required absolute consent and honesty from both
of them, and the biggest change had been to their relationship. What Adam had
thought of as pretty damn perfect beforehand had now become even more
fulfilling through the new level of openness and understanding they shared.

Not that that meant things had become predictable or any
less challenging between them. They were both still stubborn, strong-headed
individuals, and Adam still delighted in refusing to let Sam have it all her
own way—the set of burgundy-leather and platinum bondage cuffs he’d had
specially commissioned in her size as a wedding gift were a testament to that.
He looked forward to seeing the dainty things on her, but for the moment they’d
have to stay wrapped and hidden in his suitcase. He already knew how he wanted
tonight to go.

In the short time it took Sam to emerge from the bathroom,
Adam had removed the rest of his clothes and was waiting for her on the bed,
arms crossed over his chest, back against the headboard and his legs stretched
out before him.

His heart felt as if it would stop at the sight of the smile
she sent him. God, she was so beautiful, glowing with such obvious happiness
that he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she walked closer to the bed.

“Nice robe,” she said, when she got close enough to see the
pale pink “Hers” emblazoned across his breast.

Yep, he was not only a goner, but a complete loser too. And
seeing the joy shining in her eyes made his demise so worthwhile. “Glad you
like it,” he replied with what he hoped was a sufficient dollop of face-saving
insouciance. “There’s one here for you too, by the way.” He nodded to the “His”
robe before rising from the bed. “I’m thinking of putting that one in my bag
and taking it home for you to wear every day. Just so you don’t forget.”

“In that case,” Sam said as he came to stand before her.
“I’m taking this one for you. Fair’s fair, after all.” She reached up and
traced the pink lettering with her fingernail and Adam felt the touch brand his
skin right through the toweling.

“No need,” he said and shucked the robe, leaving him
standing in nothing but the black wrist cuffs she loved so well. Her gasp shot
straight to his groin.

“I am yours, Sam. Freely, willingly.” Raising one cuffed
wrist, he brushed a tendril of hair behind her shoulder so he could run his
fingers down the curve of her throat. “And right after I’ve stripped you bare
and claimed every inch of you for my own, you can go ahead and claim every inch
of me right back.”

About the Author

Multi-published author Kat Black was born in Australia but
currently lives in Southern England with her alpha-adventurer husband (the guy
rows across OCEANS, for crying out loud!) and her two relatively normal
offspring.

Kat’s been writing for as long as she can remember, but only
decided to have a go at turning her hobby into her profession a few years back
after placing as runner-up in an erotic writing competition. Getting to spend a
large portion of her time daydreaming about love, sex and hunky men, and being
able to justify it as work, makes her realize she’s very lucky indeed.

Kat welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website
and email addresses on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

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Pleasure Bound

ISBN 9781419940996

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Pleasure Bound Copyright © 2012 Kat Black

Edited by April Chapman

Cover design by Irene Adler

Photo: romancenovelcover.com

Electronic book publication June 2012

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