“No. Before you, I had never even been kissed.”
Oh, Jesus. He’d been the first? How the fuck was that possible?
He scrubbed a hand down his face. Had he misunderstood her? “Laila, are you a virgin?”
She sent him a bitter laugh. “Not for many years.”
How many? She couldn’t be more than twenty-two. Fuck, he felt lecherous, wanting a woman who was more than a dozen years younger. But everything in his gut told him he could do more than keep her safe. He could make her happy, too. And damn if she didn’t feel like his missing half.
Slow down, buddy. You barely know her.
Besides, what Laila had inadvertently divulged confirmed some ugly math. Never been kissed plus not a virgin, multiplied by orgasm deficit, divided by afraid of men equaled she’d been raped, probably by someone in Emilo Montilla’s cartel. His money was on Hector and Victor Ramos.
Suddenly, Trees itched to go on a killing spree.
But Laila, looking defiant even as she tried to make herself seem small, needed him more.
“I’m sorry, little one. I’ll never hurt you. Ever.” He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, drinking in her warmth and the hint of perspiration sheening her skin. “I meant what I said earlier.”
She frowned in confusion.
“All you have to do is say red,” he reminded her. “I’ll stop whatever I’m doing.”
Her frown deepened. “Why?”
There were a lot of ways to interpret her question, but she didn’t know or care about the Dominant code of conduct. She probably didn’t believe that there were men who would never take pleasure in forcing a woman against her will.
He settled for the simplest answer. “I want you to feel safe with me. You should know that you have the ultimate power between us. If anything hurts, upsets, or scares you, tell me. There won’t be any judgment, blame, coercion, or belittling. We’ll stop. We’ll talk. We’ll work it out.”
She traced a finger up his arm and licked her lips. “What if I want you to make me feel good again?”
Trees’s heart jumped into his throat as he started to shimmy back down the bed. “I’m more than happy to. Spread your legs and—”
“That is not what I meant.” She hesitated, biting her lip nervously. “Can you make me feel like that if you are inside me?”
Oh, hell yeah, he could. But short-term gratification—as much as he wanted it—wasn’t the point. “Are you sure you’re ready for that? I can be patient. I can love your body in a million other ways. We don’t have to…”
“Fuck? I want to, if you can make me feel good again.”
He fucking wanted it, too, but… “I can. I just don’t want to rush you.”
“Why wait?” She pressed kisses along his jaw, then drifted down his neck. “In a few minutes, you gave me more pleasure than I have ever known. I could be afraid of all that has happened to me, but if I let fear control me, they win.”
Trees couldn’t fault her logic. She hadn’t mentioned any emotional attachment to him, but that didn’t worry him yet. She had no idea he was already half in love with her. And after everything she had been through, did she even know what she was feeling, except the urge to be brave and accept her desires?
That was fine. He could work with it.
“Then we’ll make sure they lose. What’s the word to say if you need to stop me?”
“Red.”
“Yep. Anything you know you don’t like? Don’t want?” Anything guaranteed to fuck with your head?
She bit her swollen lip, then brushed a stray strand of damp hair from her temple. “Do not hit me.”
Trees swallowed back his anger to clarify. “Define hit. Spanking your butt?”
“As if I am a child?” She scowled, shaking her head as if she’d never heard of such a thing. “No. With your fist. To my face.”
That was it. He was definitely going to kill some motherfuckers the second he got a chance. All she had to do was point them out, and he would end them—preferably with his bare hands so he could both feel it and ensure he inflicted maximum pain.
She recoiled. “If that request makes you angry—”
“No.” Was she saying she’d let him hit her? “I’m not mad at you, little one.” He forced his expression to soften and cupped her cheek. “I’m furious anyone would treat you with force and violence. But you have nothing to worry about from me. I only want to please you.”
That wasn’t totally true. He also wanted to protect her and avenge her. He wanted to love her, own her, and dominate her, too. God, she’d look beautiful in nothing but sheer lace and his collar. But he was getting way ahead of himself…
“Then I want you inside me now,” she whispered.
Laila was unexpectedly blunt, and his aching cock didn’t mind at all. “I’m happy to oblige.”
Beneath him, she smiled and spread her legs.
Then something damn inconvenient occurred to him. “I don’t have any condoms.”
“The doctor in Florida tested me. I do not have any disease.”
Her indignation was cute. “I don’t, either. But you could get pregnant.”
The image of her swelling and ripe with their baby made his desire claw at the door of its cage, determined to be set free. He didn’t dare.
She shook her head. “My sister and I have had shots.”
“For birth control?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” If Laila was no longer being held hostage by her rapists and she had never taken a lover voluntarily, it didn’t make sense.
“Valeria thought it was a good idea to maintain such things in case Emilo ever found us.”
And they got dragged back to be abused again. Fuck.
“Your sister was thinking ahead.”
“Yes.” But now that they’d agreed to have sex and put the business end of the details to rest, she looked nervous again.
“Laila?”
She blinked. “I-I have never done this because I wanted to, only because a man demanded it.”
And she didn’t know how to act or what to do. He hurt like hell for her. She’d endured so much. Trees vowed to give her nothing but the utmost pleasure.
“We don’t have to rush. I’ll kiss you for a while and if you still want this and you feel ready—”
“No. I do not want to wait.”
Because she had worked up the courage to have sex with him? Trees would like this loads better if she wanted it because she wanted him. But if he made her feel good, that would hopefully come. Maybe her feelings would, too.
He’d never expected to fall for a client, and the bosses were going to have his ass. But he didn’t give a shit. Yeah, he might lose his job, but his sweet Laila had been through so much adversity, fighting for survival alone. She needed someone willing to fight for her, to take care of her, no matter what.
She needed him.
He cupped her face. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.” She surprised him by raising her head, slanting her lips under his, opening to him softly, and inviting him inside.
The kiss jolted him. Their connection kicked him. The rightness of it nearly bowled him over.