Heartbeats passed as Jaz sagged in his arms, breathing in his clean scent. By the time he slowly let her take her own weight again, she felt a drunken satisfaction settle over her.
“That was…” She didn’t know what she wanted to say and frowned at the sudden difficulty in choosing words. “That was…um…”
“The beginning,” Liam said, taking Jaz’s sentence in a different direction as he picked up the riding crop Dior must have delivered. “Brace yourself, Sprite.”
Before Jaz could protest, Liam adjusted her stance so her backside was jutting out. A fact that she should care about but did not. Especially not when he started tapping the flat part of the crop all along her skin, rousing her nerves. Sliding it along the slippery wetness between her folds. Slapping the wet leather against her vulnerable ass until her whole body reawakened and turned taut.
Just as the mounting need, punctuated with forceful waves of hot pleasure, approached the pinnacle, Liam suddenly stopped. Tossing aside the crop, he came to stand in front of her, his gaze studying her intently. Like her own breath, his was quick with arousal, and the bulge at the front of his jeans twitched visibly.
“It’s up to you how we finish,” Liam said. Reaching up, he pulled open the silk scarf binding Jaz’s hands. The knot slipped, the silk unraveling to the floor as he traced a thumb along her cheek, a slight tremble to his hand. “Up to you whether we finish.”
Liam’s cockiness was gone now, and Jaz knew that even as he’d taken her on a journey, he’d gone on one himself as well. That it took all his willpower to now hand over the reins. Though Jaz was the one without clothes, at this moment it was Liam who was the more naked of the two as he stood in judgment before her. And they both knew it. Because this was about so much more than sex.
“You’ve let me bring you here. Let me show you my games in action. Let me take charge of your body and your pleasure.” Liam’s strained whisper filled the air between them. “The Cove doesn’t matter to me. What matters—the only thing that matters—is whether you still think that I have any desire to hurt you.” He dropped his hands to his sides and raised his chin, visibly bracing himself for whatever verdict she’d deliver.
In answer, Jaz stepped forward without hesitation and opened Liam’s zipper.
His cock sprang out so forcefully that the bit of moisture beading on its tip flew through the air.
Liam exhaled audibly. “Thank fucking God.”
“God can wait his turn,” said Jaz. “It’s me who needs fucking now.”
Liam grinned and pulled a condom from his back pocket. He sheathed himself quickly before hoisting Jaz onto his hips and taking her against the wall. After the teasing play, the feel of his cock filling her channel was ecstasy. The missing piece that made her whole.
Despite the strain of need on his beautiful, strong face, Liam didn’t rush their coupling. He thrust deeply, perfectly, in the rhythm of their bodies. Each time the large head of his shaft slid along her channel, Jaz felt a jolt of sensation zapping through her nerves. Little shocks of pure pleasure, punctuated by the thump of his sac against her skin.
Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.
Jaz dug her fingers into Liam’s shoulders, everything inside her coiling tighter and tighter. The arousal climbing higher and higher. Until it was impossible to hold off from falling into the gaping abyss. She screamed as her climax seized her, every fiber in her body tightening at once. Agonizing waves of pleasure rippled from her sex, raking across her back and legs until even her toes felt the unyielding rush of release.
She heard Liam cry her name as he climaxed right along with her, the pair of them tumbling together into oblivion.
Epilogue. Liam
Liam paused just outside the newly furnished training room at the Rescue and unobtrusively watched his tiny fiancée demonstrate a complex set of knots to an attentive audience of three former special forces operatives. The sprite was in her element, talking enthusiastically about rope bends and bites. The way she presented the class made it impossible to be anything less than mesmerized.
Liam scowled, an absurd possessiveness rushing over him. The three men had better contain their mesmerization to the knots and ropes, and away from Jaz. He shook his head at himself. It was utterly illogical to expect the men not to look at their teacher. It was just hard to imagine anyone watching Jaz lead a group and not fall in love with her. Hell, Liam had already passed the class—she’d made him take it, CEO of Trident or not—and was tempted to step farther into the shadows and watch her demonstrate all over again just to see her face animated with excitement and passion.
Also, time was currently of the essence, and Jaz would eviscerate him if they missed the arrival of Eli and Dani’s second baby. From the way Aiden had described things—he’d been in the middle of a therapy session with Dani when she went into labor—things were progressing quickly.
Liam knocked.
Jaz glanced his way, her face lighting as she fingered the engagement ring on her finger. Liam had it commissioned to look like a climbing knot with a diamond in the middle, and it suited her perfectly. Six months ago, if anyone had said that Kyan’s little sister would be anything but pissed at an interruption from Liam, he’d have laughed in their face. It was different now. Somehow, she found him deserving of her.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Jaz told the class and headed for the door.
The three men rose in unison.
Jaz blushed a shade of burgundy. “I’m not… You guys really don’t need to, you know…do that.”
The men continued to stand at attention, their eyes forward—though Liam could see the small twitches at the corners of their mouths as they worked to conceal their grins. As Liam had predicted, the men—being trained special forces operators—had quickly recognized Jaz’s competence. Likewise—again, being special forces operators—they couldn’t let someone they liked go without a bit of friendly teasing and had ferreted out the sprite’s weak point in a matter of weeks.
Now, whenever she ran a class or meeting, the men pulled out full military courtesies. And it never failed to make Jaz blush. Especially when someone else was watching.
Unable to leave them standing there, Jaz turned about. “Listen, why don’t you guys go and practice with the anchor setup? We’ve got the new gear that just came in for testing, and you can tell me if you like the feel.”
“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” the three intoned in unison.
Jaz groaned.
Liam laughed.
“Not funny.” Striding over, she poked her finger into the middle of his chest.
“No, of course not. Well…maybe just a little amusing.”
Jaz growled softly, which was, of course, way too much to resist. Leaning forward, Liam captured her bottom lip between his teeth and took a long luxurious kiss, losing himself in Jaz’s sweetness—right up until the phone in his pocket started to vibrate, reminding him of exactly why he’d come to interrupt her class.
“Dani is in labor,” he told her, pulling away.
Jaz looked disoriented for a second, then her eyes widened as she grabbed the tops of Liam’s arms. “Now? Already? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Ivy said second babies come quickly.” Her earlier blushing forgotten, Jaz stuck her head into the classroom long enough to rattle off instructions, then whizzed past Liam into the car. “You know the aggressive driving they taught you in army school? You better start using it.”