I moaned, closing my eyes and rocking my hips the way I knew he liked it.
“Touch yourself,” he ordered. “I want you to come too.”
When I’d come home tonight, I hadn’t thought an orgasm would be possible any time soon, but Austin had brought me back to life. I was rock-hard, and every stroke he took sent me closer and closer to the brink, and now that I had his permission, I pumped myself for all I was worth.
“God, Austin,” I whimpered, fighting back my orgasm because I didn’t have permission yet. “You feel so good.”
“So do you, baby,” he panted. His fingers tightened around my hips, and his voice was deliciously sharp as he ordered, “Come.”
Instantly, my body reacted like his voice was hard-wired to my cock. I cried out, coming all over my hand, and he shouted as he slammed into me and shuddered. Nothing in the world was hotter than Austin riding my orgasm to his own, and I murmured delirious nonsense as his hips jerked and his cock pulsed inside me.
He sighed happily. I slumped forward, my whole body a mix of aches from my job, from the flogging, and from sex, as Austin rested his forehead against my shoulder.
And I felt better than I’d ever thought it was possible to feel on Christmas Eve.
Chapter 5
Whether it was Christmas hell season or just any other random day of the year, this was, hands down, my favorite place in the world—tucked against Austin’s side in our bed with his arm around my shoulders and my head on his chest. Even on nights when one or both of us was too tired for sex, there was nothing better than curling up like this at the end of the night. Sometimes we talked. Sometimes we just held each other until we were starting to nod off.
And after we’d done a scene together, he always—always—held me this way once we’d cleaned up and he’d taken care of any cuts or welts on my skin.
My body ached all over. Some of the fatigue and soreness from my job still glowed in my joints, but they were dulled considerably by the more intense and pleasant sensations left over from my scene with Austin. I was utterly drained, but in a way that was dreamy and pleasant, rather than like I’d been flattened by a semi truck and dragged behind a freight train, which was how I’d felt when I’d shuffled into the apartment an hour or so ago.
Had it really only been that long? It felt like days ago. My job was a distant memory. The mental cacophony of all the nagging, yelling, demanding, and bitching voices from the last several weeks was gone, replaced by the synchronized thump of Austin’s heart and mine. I would still need to catch up on some sleep and baby my body a little, and I’d probably still be foggy and exhausted tomorrow, but this was like getting work done at the dentist. Things would be tender later, but the toothache was numbed by Novocain and my head was floating from nitrous. Or something.
Austin ran his fingers through my hair. “Do you feel better?”
“I always feel better after you’re done with me.”
He laughed softly and kissed the top of my head. “I’m glad. I always worry about you this time of year.”
Guilt needled at me. I hated how much my stress in turn stressed him out. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing for you to be sorry for.”
“Still.”
He kissed me again. “Why don’t we go have some coffee and something to eat? I’m assuming you haven’t had dinner?”
My stomach growled before I could respond. That sandwich I’d had eons ago clearly hadn’t been enough.
“Come on.” Austin patted my arm. “It just needs to be heated up.”
“What does?” I pushed myself up and met his eyes.
He smiled. “I put a few things together for dinner. Let’s go.”
Normally, I did the cooking and serving when we were at home, but he always gave me some leeway this time of year. Mostly because I was usually too braindead, and I was liable to burn something (including myself). Once I was back to my normal hours, we’d fall back into our normal routine. God, I couldn’t wait.
I could handle pouring us coffee and setting the table, though, so I did that while he put a couple of bowls in the microwave. As they heated up, the smell told me it was my favorite holiday comfort food—stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and turkey mixed together. I usually made it out of leftovers from Thanksgiving and took it for lunch for a solid week, and if one of our families did the turkey dinner for Christmas, I’d be set up until New Year’s.
“Did you just…” I blinked. “Did you just conjure leftovers from nowhere?”
Austin laughed as he took the bowls from the microwave and nodded toward the kitchen table. “No, it’s pretty cheap. Boxed stuffing, gravy from a jar, deli counter turkey.” He shrugged and put the bowls down. “Nothing fancy.”
“Doesn’t have to be. It smells amazing.”
And it was amazing. It didn’t have to be homemade from scratch. It was hot, it tasted good, and between the flogging, the sex, the coffee, and the food, my day at the store felt like a distant memory.
Austin put his fork down and looked at me across the table. “So, um.” He held my gaze. His eyes were soft and sweet, but his tone was cautious. “I’ve been looking over our budget.”
Cringing, I broke eye contact. “I know, I don’t make very much, and—”
“I think you should quit.”
I blinked. “Wait, what?”
Austin reached across the small table and covered my hand with his. “This place is obviously making you miserable, and I make enough to cover the bills. So if you want to quit and look for something else, we can afford it.”
“We…” I struggled to find, never mind form, words. “But that would… I mean, you’d…”
“Your job is sucking the life out of you. I would rather have us on a tighter budget than watch you spend another holiday season getting stomped into the ground.” He squeezed my hand. “I can keep us afloat until you find another job. If we have to tighten our budget a little, that’s a price I’m willing to pay to see you happier than you are now.”
“You… Really?”
“Of course.” He scowled. “There’s nothing that place offers that’s worth what they do to you, and that goes for the whole year. So yes, I’ll keep us going until you can find something that won’t grind you into the dirt for a pittance.”
I stared at him some more. Then I laughed softly, turning my hand over beneath his and intertwining our fingers. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
He smiled. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I am. Even if I’m stuck at this job, I’m happy because I have you. But yeah, if I can change…” Whistling, I shook my head. “God, that sounds amazing.”
“Then do it. The sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned.”
I nodded, but as my brain caught up and processed all the implications of what he was suggesting, I frowned. “The only problem is if I quit before I’ve lined up something else, I lose my benefits. If I get a job right away, then great, but if it takes a while…”
Austin’s lips quirked and his eyes lost focus.