“These hands?” he asked softly, lifting them to cup her face as he leaned down to give her another long, deep kiss.
“Yes,” she breathed as he let her go. “Those hands. Those beautiful hands that craft beautiful things.”
A world-renown whip maker, Adam had given her a parting gift of a pair of gorgeous wrist cuffs he’d made from leftover strips of leather dyed in shades of russet, umber and gold, intricately braided together to form impossibly soft but sturdy restraints.
Adam smiled, taking her hands in his. “I work in leather. You work in metal and gemstones to make that beautiful jewelry with these lovely hands.” He lifted them one at a time to his lips, kissing each palm.
Shani shook her head, embarrassed he’d compared the two of them when in her mind, there was no comparison. “I don’t work in it,” she protested. “It’s just a hobby. Something I do for family and friends.”
“Come on, Shani,” Adam protested. “I can’t be the only one who’s told you that you could do it professionally, if you were of a mind. Your creations are really unique. In fact—”
He cut himself off, turning away. “No. Not yet.”
“What?” Shani replied, confused. “In fact what? Not yet what?”
“Nothing, nothing,” he said quickly. “We can discuss it later.” He reached for a bottle of the island’s special welt lotion from the supply bench. “Let’s give your skin some aftercare so it doesn’t blister. You took quite an intensive fire whipping.” He gently removed the towel from her shoulders and set it aside. “I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.”
His hands felt wonderful on her skin. She sighed with pleasure as he smoothed the soothing balm over her shoulders, back and ass.
“I should have been here two hours ago,” he said as he worked, “but the boat guy apparently had engine trouble and was late picking me up from the mainland. I haven’t even been up to my room yet. I just threw my bags in the lobby and raced out to the beach.”
“I thought you weren’t coming until next month,” Shani said, still dazed with happiness. “I thought you had back-to-back events all over the country.”
“See?” Adam said teasingly. “That’s what comes of being off the grid, Princess. I could have texted you to let you know but…”
Shani chuckled. People always freaked out when they asked for her contact information, and she gave them her physical mailing address. She didn’t own a cell phone or maintain a presence on email or social media. She had never wanted to be sucked into that whole cycle of cyber communication and intrusion. Her mother and sisters knew how to contact her on the island if they needed to, and there was no one else she cared to stay in touch with. It had been a definite advantage when she’d needed to disappear.
“Okay, okay,” she said, still smiling. “I admit there are times I think about entering the twenty-first century. I’m just not quite there yet. So, what changed with your itinerary?”
“The Southwest Leather Conference where I was supposed to run some seminars this week was canceled due to a fire in their facilities. They’ll reschedule for some time later in the year. So, I found myself with a couple of days between gigs. I gave Ryan a shout and he suggested, after some not so subtle hinting on my part, that I spend the time here with you. It was his idea to make it a surprise. I’m just glad I didn’t miss the entire fireplay scene.”
Though she was delighted he had chosen to come back to the island early, she couldn’t help but snag on the words, a couple of days. Why did she have to fall for a guy who traveled half the year? She didn’t say anything, however, not wanting to spoil whatever time they had together by whining that it wasn’t long enough.
Done with the lotion, he replaced the damp, cool towel over her shoulders. It felt good against her still tender skin. He moved to stand in front of her, gazing down with those vivid green eyes outlined in dark, thick lashes. Reaching for her hand, he playfully placed it over the rather sizable bulge at his crotch. His mouth lifted into a playful, sexy smile. “Let’s go inside. I need some aftercare too.”
~*~
Once back in the lobby of the resort, Adam grabbed his small suitcase and gear bag from the counter where he’d left them. He turned to Shani. “You should know, I plan to hold you hostage for at least the next twenty-four hours. Is there anything you want to get from your room? Your toothbrush? A flannel nightie?” He grinned, adding, “Just kidding on the nightie. I want you naked and fully accessible to me, slave girl.”
“I’m not sure my bosses will be too happy about me disappearing for twenty-four hours,” Shani said, smiling back at him.
“Didn’t you hear Ryan? You’re cleared for the rest of the evening and all day tomorrow. And if I have my way…” Again he trailed off, not quite ready to make his offer yet. Instead, he said, “I’m in room 204. How about you grab whatever you need from your room and meet me up there? The code is 7444.”
“Sounds good. See you in a few.”
“Wait,” Adam blurted, unable to let her go. Dropping his bags, he leaned forward and kissed Shani on the forehead. Taking a step back, he cupped her bare breasts in his hands. They were full and round, the nipples like lovely dark cherries at their centers. Her nipples hardened as he gazed at them, too tempting to resist. He glanced at Shani’s face to gauge her reaction. Her dark, liquid eyes were shining, her pretty pink tongue appearing between her lips.
He pressed her breasts together and lowered his head to suck each nipple into his mouth. She moaned softly, leaning toward him. His cock was throbbing in his jeans, pressing hard against the denim. He took a step back, forcing himself to stop before he took her right there in the lobby.
“Don’t be long, sexy girl. I’ll be waiting.”
As she strode away down the hall, her gorgeous, rounded ass swaying, he grabbed his bags, turned back toward the elevator and jabbed at the button. Deciding it was taking too long, he took the stairs, two at a time.
Once in his room, he threw down his bags. He pulled off his clothes and used the bathroom, splashed his face and hands with water and quickly brushed his teeth. Then he lay down on the bed, his cock loosely fisted in his hand, his eyes trained on the door.
He heard the sound of the lock turning as the code was entered, and then Shani appeared, still naked, a small overnight bag slung over her shoulder, the cuffs he’d given her during his first visit around her wrists, a shy smile on her lovely face. She still wore the simple black slave collar that all unowned staff slaves wore. Maybe one day, she would wear a collar he’d made just for her…
“That’s quite a picture,” she said, coming toward the bed, her eyes on his very erect cock.
“I could say the same.” He grinned, adding, “In fact, I do say it.” He held out his arms to her. “I must have you. Now.”
With a small laugh, she set down her bag and lowered herself to the bed. Adam pulled her close for a long, sensual kiss. She smelled wonderful, her skin smokey from the fire with a pleasant overlay of eucalyptus from the balm, her mouth sweet as honey. She winced a little as his hands moved over her back and ass.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Your skin is still tender.” He let her go. “I desperately need to fuck you.”