Her entire body hummed with awareness.
As he released her ankles, he instructed her to close her legs when she was ready. After he stood, he captured her face between his palms. “Are you back with me?”
“Almost. I think.” Her knees were still trembly. “That was…” Because her voice was little more than a whisper, she cleared her throat to try again. “Everything.” She’d yielded to him in a way she never had with any other man.
“I need to get you some water, take care of you.” He held her against his powerful body, and his heartbeat was steady beneath her ear.
She snuggled in closer, knowing something had been transformed inside her. She’d never be the same again. “Jacob…”
“Anything, Elissa.”
God, she couldn’t let this end. “Will you take me to bed? I want you to make love to me.”
Her request stoked passion in his eyes. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”
Chapter Six
Fucking hell.
In his thirtysomething years, Jacob had experienced more than some people did in a lifetime—he’d seen plenty of horrors that he wished he never had, and he’d left part of his soul back in a hellhole. But nothing—nothing—had ever affected him as deeply as seeing Elissa’s beautiful tears while they scened. A part of his heart he believed long dead was slowly healing.
And now her lower lip trembled, as if she were uncertain of his reaction.
How was that even possible?
Though he was always a considerate lover and Dom, he’d never bonded with anyone like he did her. She was the perfect submissive, willing to try what he suggested and to trust him. She’d come apart in his arms, and then she’d turned to him for comfort. Not only was he honor bound to protect her, but now he was determined to find a way to keep her with him after the job ended.
Jacob swept her from the floor and carried her to his room, where he placed her on the bed.
The Dominant in him was tempted to tie her wrists to the headboard. But the need to have her arms around him while he made love to her overrode everything else.
“I’ve got to have you inside me.”
He needed it more than his next breath.
After removing his boots, something he’d ask her—his beautiful little sub—to do in the future, he tugged off his T-shirt.
Elissa turned onto her side to watch him. He grinned.
“You’re gorgeous, Sir.”
Her voice was scratchy. With desire? “Not sure anyone has ever used that word in relation to me.”
“They should have.”
“You got the details right.”
She frowned. “The details?”
“On the image you were working on.”
“Oh my God. You saw?” An alluring shade of pink stained her cheeks. ”It’s not what you think. I mean…”
“I’m flattered. Thank you.”
“Okay.” She exhaled. “It wasn’t intentional.”
“I believe you.” Neither of them were immune to the wild tug of untamed attraction. “But that’s not why I bought it. There’s an honesty about the piece. A yearning. A completion.” And he’d think of tonight every time he looked at the finished portrait in his playroom. “I know you’re wondering…” Jacob pointed to the raised bump on the far left side of his stomach. She’d replicated the jagged edges with extraordinary accuracy. And yet now, he saw the scar through new eyes. It was no longer just an ugly reminder of the past. Instead, it was a natural part of him, and a reminder that he was lucky. He’d gotten out alive. “It’s from a knife.” The wound had been deep, and the team medic had done his best to sew him together given the extraordinary circumstances.
“It means you survived. And we get this moment.”
Jacob finished undressing, and she kept her focus on him. His cock was still hard, throbbing with insistent demand.
“You’re…” She met his gaze. Throughout their scene, her eyes had become a darker shade of blue, and now they were wide. “Tell me you don’t expect me to… I mean, you’re massive!”
“Oh, Elissa, yes. I most certainly do.” He generally didn’t tease, but the indignation in her voice made it irresistible. “I expect everything from you. You’re my submissive.”
Frantically she shook her head.
“I’ve got a generous nature. We’ll go slow.” Then everything inside him became serious. He intended to claim her in every way possible.
Honoring her wish, he grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer and rolled it down his length before joining her on the bed. “Part your legs for me.”
“But I’m ready now.”
“You’ll be ready when I say you are. Now do as you’re told before I get my ropes.”
Interest sparked in her eyes. It wasn’t defiance, but rather a revelation of what she craved.
“What’ll it be?” He didn’t have to ask the question. Every part of him knew the answer.
She set her chin in response.
His inner alpha happily responded in kind.
Jacob prowled to the closet to fetch his sturdiest rope. Unlike the silk he’d used earlier, this was sisal, a bit ragged, something he’d bought at the hardware store, suitable for use on the range. It might chafe, and at least for a little while, it would leave his mark on her body.
Impossibly, the idea made his cock even harder.
“Come to me, Elissa.”
She didn’t.
“Refusing to cooperate?” The more she played the game, the more ravenous he became. Whether she knew it or not, she was his.
Mine.
He’d used the word when he collared her earlier. He’d meant it, and this moment only reinforced his intention.
One way or another, Elissa Conroy was going to be his woman.
She curled into a ball, increasing the tension. He was going to fuck her so damn hard.
“Remember you asked for this,” he reminded her as he picked her up and deposited her on the end of the bed.
When she immediately scooted back, he clamped on to one of her ankles and dragged her toward him. Her breath whooshed out, and her eyes darkened once more. She wanted things his way. She just wanted him to work for the victory.
Already he’d learned to recognize her expressions. He adored every aspect of her—playful, serious, emotional—and he vowed to fulfill all her fantasies.
Quickly he tied one of her ankles to prevent her from retreating again.
“Ouch! That stuff’s rough!”
“Maybe that’ll teach you to be a good sub and follow your Dominant’s orders.” Lord, he hoped not.
Once her other ankle was secure and she was spread before him, helpless, he crawled between her thighs, then parted her labia to devour her.
“Jacob! Don’t.” She thrashed her head. “I can’t. It’s too much.”
“Would the lady like to wear a gag?”
“No!”
“In that case, I recommend you use your mouth for happy sounds. Moans, groans. Sighs. Or if you must, screaming my name.” That would be the sweetest of all sounds.
“But—”