Take Me, page 7
He froze against her, his hands rising to cup her biceps. “Do you need me to take off the tie?”
“No. Just…give me a moment.” It soothed her that he had so readily stopped and some small part of the barrier inside her crumbled. She tested the bindings, flexing her arms. Her Panther strength could easily rip free of the silk…but she didn’t want to. She clasped her hands together to make the position more comfortable. Her head dropped forward until her chin rested on her chest, and her breath sighed out. “Okay, go ahead.”
His tongue flicked against her shoulder blade, his mouth opening to suck on her flesh. She swayed back toward him, shivering when his fangs scored her skin lightly. The heat of his big body left her as he stepped away, and she felt strangely bereft as though he’d been her anchor when the darkness stole her bearings.
She felt a tiny prick against her arm, the slow drag of cool metal over her flesh. Goosebumps shivered down her limbs. The serving fork. She felt him behind her, close but not touching. He slid the fork around her ribs to draw it over her tight nipple. She jerked under the sensation, moaning low in her throat. The scrape didn’t hurt, but it was like nothing she’d ever felt before. He chuckled, the sound a low rumble to her ears.
“Then again, sometimes a little pain heightens the experience, doesn’t it?” The fork raked hard over the soft underside of her breast and she hissed at the hot sting. Her fangs erupted from her gums, and she leaned back against him, her neck lying on his broad shoulder, her arms trapped between them.
“Yes.” Her body bowed, arching into the slight sting of the fork tines. More. Pain and pleasure blended, became fluid. Like time in the darkness behind her mask. They could have been here for moments or hours and she wouldn’t know. She was lost to the sensation, enslaved by her need for it.
His free hand slipped over her stomach until he dipped between her legs. The scent of her wetness reached her nose as he parted the slick lips of her pussy. Her skin was on fire, the feeling heightening as he continued to drag lazy circles on her torso with the fork. His knuckle rubbed over her clit and an arc of pure ecstasy shot through her. She cried out, pushing her pelvis forward to make him stroke her harder, deeper.
“Do you want more, Andrea?”
“Yes!” Her hips twisted, but he lightened the pressure until he was barely touching her. “Yes, I want more.”
She felt him smile as his lips brushed over the skin under her ear. “Say, ‘please.’”
Her eyes popped wide, but she was still blinded by the mask. She wriggled against the bindings, resisting his command. He flicked her clitoris hard and withdrew again. Her breath caught, passion making her muscles quake with need so great it consumed her. She had to have more of him, of this. Desperate longing pounded in her veins and she could feel the sweat gathering to slide down her skin. “P-please. More. Now.”
“Mmm. Very nice. That deserves a reward.” His chest vibrated with suppressed laughter, and she hissed at him, but the sound cut off as his fingers plunged between her lips. Two of his long digits worked into her channel, stroking hard and fast.
Her pussy flexed around his fingers, her hips snapping forward to take him as deep as she could. She turned her head toward him, rotating her torso in a way that strained her bound arms. “Miguel. Oh, my God. I need to come. Right now. Please, please, pl—”
Catching her lips with his, he filled her mouth with his tongue. She sucked on it, biting down lightly. He grunted, flicking a nail over her clit in response. She jolted, her sex fisting tight, but it wasn’t enough to push her into orgasm. A whimper bubbled up in her throat. Their mouths went wild on each other in a dance of lips, teeth, and tongues. His taste was so hot, it intoxicated her. Their panting breaths mingled, his scent filling her nostrils.
The fork now circled her navel, each pass over her belly taking it lower and lower until it scraped over the tops of her thighs. The pointed tines drew swirling patterns on the insides of her legs, sometimes soft and tickling, sometimes hard and painful. His fingers still thrust into her pussy, his thumb rubbing in quick strokes over her hard clit.
She didn’t know what to expect, she couldn’t predict what he would do next. It was too much. Far too much for her to handle. His fingertips angled in until they hit her in just the right spot. Her mouth broke from his and a low cry tore from her. “Miguel.”
“Come for me, Andrea.”
Every muscle in her body locked in a rigid line, her mouth opening in a silent scream as orgasm slammed into her. It pulled her under like a riptide, tumbling her over and over. His hands kept moving, the sensations drawing out her pleasure. When it finally ended, it left her sagging against him.
His hard cock brushed against her clasped fingers and she relaxed them so she could cup his dick in her palms, stroke her fingertips over the long, hot silken length of him. She wanted his cock inside her pussy. Her mouth watered with the need to suck him. She wanted more. Again.
He closed his hands over her shoulders, removed himself from her touch, and pulled her around so she faced him. She wished she could see his expression through the blindfold so she would know if she’d pleased him. His voice came out a rough order. “On your knees.”
She sank down, the carpet rasping against her shins. It was just one more sensation piling on top of the others. It was too good. She felt drugged, hazy. Somehow, she knew this is what she’d been looking for the first time. Miguel knew what she needed…and she knew he’d give it to her. A whimper slid from her mouth.
Seeking him blindly, her forehead rested against the soft hair that covered his muscular thigh. “I want to suck you. Please, let me.”
She heard his breath stop and the little fork clatter to the floor beside her, felt a shudder run through his big body. His fingers brushed against her jaw. “Then do it.”
The head of his dick brushed her cheek and she turned her face until it pressed against her lips. She flicked her tongue against the broad crest, catching the salty moisture that beaded there. The lingering sweetness of strawberries mingled with his darker, more carnal flavor. The combination was erotic.
Opening her mouth to take him in, she suckled the head for a moment before she sank down on his cock. Her tongue laved the underside of his dick, her teeth scraping his flesh oh so lightly.
His groan told her how much he enjoyed what she was doing. It made pleasure zing through her chest. Her hips pumped as desire so hot it burned rolled through her system. Her pussy clenched on nothingness and it didn’t matter. She quivered right on the edge of orgasm as she sucked his cock deep enough that her throat contracted.
“Yes. Harder.” His hands cradled her face as she moved in quick back and forth motions.
Excitement twisted inside her and her whole world came down to this. The taste of him, the knowledge that she was exactly where she wanted to be, doing exactly what she wanted to be doing. With him. Her mate.
Something inside her snapped and she lost herself to the moment. It was a rush she’d never experienced before, sexual and yet…not.
“Enough.” He pushed her away and she sat back on her heels. She squeaked in surprise when he scooped her into his arms and tossed her on the bed. She bounced against the mattress, her bound wrists making her back arch. His hands curved under her thighs, rolling her onto her shoulders to take the weight off her arms. Her legs draped over his muscular shoulders. The head of his cock probed her wet entrance.
“Dios.” This. This was what she’d been longing for. This final connection.
He stretched her wide when he pushed into her pussy. The position she was in made the penetration just…perfect. He started a slow, deep rhythm that drove her mad with frustration. “Faster, Miguel.”
“No. We’ll go as fast or as slow as I want. And you’ll enjoy every moment of it.” One arm slid under her ass to lift her into his thrusts while the other hand moved up her ribs to tweak her nipples. He rolled them between his fingers one at a time, raking his claws over the hard tips.
She swallowed. Hell, yes, she was enjoying every moment of this. She still wanted more. Clamping her pussy tight around his dick each time he withdrew, she heard him groan. The sound made her smile. She loved how much she pleased him; it fed needs in her that ran deeper than she’d ever guessed.
He drew his claws down her stomach, moving until each hand held her legs against his shoulders. His thrusts quickened until he pounded inside her at a punishing speed. She loved it. It was just what she craved. His claws dug into her thighs, his grip tightening to the point of pain. Her hips arched to get closer, to move faster.
Sweet agony whipped through her, and tears slid from the corners of her eyes to soak into the blindfold. Her breath choked on soft sobs. Her skin felt too hot, too tight. Any moment she was going to disintegrate into a million little pieces.
“Andrea,” he groaned. His hips froze for a moment and a great shudder wracked his body. Then he slammed his pelvis forward once, twice, three more times, rotating to grind against her clit. “I want more from you. Come for me again.”
That was all the encouragement she needed. Her sex clenched around his cock, the tight feel only adding to her pleasure. Tingles raced over her flesh and she twisted in his arms. Every ounce of control left her and she was nothing more than the explosive sensations that rocketed through her system, pushing her further than she’d ever been before. A low, desperate keen slid from her mouth as it went on and on.
“That’s it. Just like that.” He lifted her and cuddled her close as she broke into harsh sobs. Loosening the tie, he freed her from the restraint, and then pulled away the blindfold. “Shh. Shh. You were so wonderful, so perfect.”
“Miguel.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his throat. The pulse point there still hammered, and his chest rose and fell in pants.
He slid his hand over her hair, rocking her from side to side, soothing her with gentle care. It made her cry all the harder. Never in her life had she felt this close to another person. Her fingers balled in his long silken hair.
Their heartbeats slowed and a strange lethargy sapped at her will to move. She wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms forever. A tiny warning went off in the back of her mind at that thought, but she hadn’t the energy to let it surface. She closed her eyes, relaxed and pliant in his embrace.
He lay back against the pillows, letting her legs straddle his hips as he held her tight. “Sleep now.”
She obeyed without question, without thinking. At that moment, she was completely his. Consciousness slid away and dreams took her.
Chapter 5
“Ooh, look!”
Miguel turned to glance at Andrea, blinking as she dragged him into a well-appointed jewelry store and over to a display case. The feel of her slim fingers tightening around his was too sweet. It was something he hadn’t experienced with her yet.
He tried to remind himself to enjoy it and tamped down on the frustration that had been boiling inside him for over a week now. Since the first night she’d let him tie her up. He’d only seen her at family dinners and in the bedroom since then, and as delightful as it was to have her at his mercy every night, he could see now that she was using their arrangement to avoid any other intimacies with him.
The wariness he saw in her gaze outside the bedroom angered him. He’d done nothing to deserve it. Try as he might to understand that her past experiences made her unwilling to trust, it still made a hollow ache fill his chest. She was his mate and he wanted to be her mate. He doubted very much that she felt the same. Damn it.
The only reason he was seeing her now was that Solana had had an intense craving for saltwater taffy from some godawful tourist trap of a shop down by Pier 39, and she’d volunteered both of them for the job of fetching the candy. He’d picked up the taffy and dropped it off at the limo but insisted that Andrea have dinner with him. He could tell she wanted to protest, but the driver wasn’t going anywhere without Miguel’s say so and she knew it. Smart woman.
The fading rays of sunlight caught on the necklace she pointed out. It was a fire opal hanging from the slimmest chain he’d ever seen. It almost looked as though the gem were floating. She smiled. “Isn’t it lovely?”
“Not as lovely as you.” She blinked, flushed, and glanced away. So many facets. At once shy and bold. It fascinated him. She was like the stone, cool and composed at first glance, but a closer look revealed the fire that flashed beneath the surface.
The saleswoman bustled over. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Andrea’s grin returned. “Oh, no. We’re just look—”
“We’ll take that one, please.” He tapped the glass over the fire opal.
She flipped open the case and pulled out the small stand that held the necklace. Andrea stroked a finger over the gem, an avid gleam shining in her eyes. Then she fisted her hand, let her arm drop, and shook her head at him. “You can’t buy this. It’s extravagant.”
“But you want it and you won’t get it for yourself, will you?” He tugged his wallet out of his slacks and dropped a credit card on the counter. He winked at her. “Besides…I can buy anything I want to.”
“Of course he can.” The tiny saleswoman whisked his card away to ring up his purchase.
He plucked up the thin chain, motioning for Andrea to turn around. She spun, glancing over her shoulder at him. “It’s too much.”
“You’re worth it.” He lifted the chain up and over her head to fasten it. He took the opportunity to press a kiss to the nape of her neck and then looped his arms around her waist. Possession wound through him, and he found he liked the idea of her wearing something he gave her, something that marked her as his. “Never take it off.”
She stiffened, her shoulders bowing away from him as she shimmied from his embrace. “You don’t get to tell me what to do outside the bedroom. I’ll wear what I want, when I want.”
A muscle began ticking in his jaw when he clenched his teeth. It was the tenth reminder he’d had from her of their rules, and it was starting to wear his patience thin. He felt as though she used it as a way to never have to trust him any further than she already had, to keep him at arm’s length. As if he could ever betray her—he held on to his temper by the tips of his Panther claws and forced himself to smile. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to accept a gift graciously?”
Vulnerability flashed in her gaze as she covered the opal with her palm. “I’ve never had a gift with no strings attached.”
“Not even from Pilar?”
Her lips pursing thoughtfully, she dropped her hand from the necklace. “We don’t really exchange presents, so there’s nothing to attach strings to. The only gifts we give are time, friendship, love.”
Three things she clearly had no interest in giving him. He closed his eyes and sighed, suddenly weary. Their salesclerk returned his card to him and he pocketed the receipt. Taking Andrea’s arm, he escorted her out of the shop. “Let’s go eat.”
“Where are we eating, exactly?” She tugged her arm from his grip, so he caught her hand, twining their fingers together.
“A seafood place nearby.” He waited a beat, but when she said nothing more, he returned to the subject of her best friend. “I met Pilar once, just after Antonio took over as Pride leader. Her ballet company was performing in San Francisco, so she came to the Pride den to take her loyalty oath. She seemed…vivacious.” Audacious, sarcastic, and cracking jokes from the moment she stepped inside the mansion. Pilar put her fire on display for the entire world to see, unlike Andrea.
An affectionate smile curved his mate’s lips. “She is.”
“I assume she reported back to you.” He tugged on her hand, pulling her down a side street.
“Yes, her exactly words were, ‘Your brothers got hot, even the younger ones,’ and then ‘All those assholes who used to be powerful in the Pride are still there, still powerful, still assholes.’” She shrugged. “So, not a ringing endorsement.”
One more reason his mate would have been reluctant to return. He squeezed her fingers. “We’d only just arrived. It takes time to make lasting changes.”
Mischief sparkled in her gaze when she glanced at him. “Do you want to know what she said about you?”
“I’m honestly not sure.” He released her hand as they reached the restaurant, setting his palm on the small of her back to urge her up the single step and through the door.
She stepped up but paused to look back, her face level with his as she whispered, “That guy’s got the kind of calm that says he walks softly and swings a big dick.”
He had no idea what kind of expression crossed his face, but it was the very first time he ever saw his mate laugh her ass off. After a second of stunned silence, he joined in her mirth.
A few moments later, still chuckling, they were seated in the small seafood restaurant he’d discovered his first week in the city. She leaned forward and fiddled with the saltshaker in the middle of the round, glass table. “Will you return to Buenos Aires to become leader the way Antonio did?”
“Ah…no.” He blinked. In the time he’d known her, she’d avoided almost all personal conversations with him. “I’m not the South American heir. I’ll remain here for as long as your brother and my Pride leader wish me to.”
She met his gaze for a moment. Her fingers lifted to the necklace again and she offered up a tentative smile. “It’s unusual to have a non-heir or someone not directly in line for leadership as Second. How did that happen?”
“It’s complicated.” He sat back in his chair, enjoying the rare opportunity to have her to himself for a meal. Patience. As good as he was at remaining patient in most circumstances, he found it difficult with her. He wanted her too much to want to wait. “I am the Pride leader’s grandson, and my Uncle Pedro wasn’t interested in being a Second again as he’d just returned from Spain when Esteban died and Antonio had to leave. Pedro’s heir was the next likely choice, but he needed to go on his mating tour. So, Antonio suggested—and my family agreed—that I go in their place.”
