Page 41 of Possessive

"I miss her a lot," I said. "Her and Asher. Dane too, I guess. Do you think I should contact them?"

"If you're ready." He remembered the knife and turned to throw it. "No one is going to pressure you into anything. Least of all me. I haven't spoken to my family in years."

This was the first time he mentioned a family. Until now, I hadn't wanted to intrude by asking.

"Why haven't you spoken to them?" I asked.

He rubbed a hand over his chin. "It's a long story. Mostly they're assholes and I'm better off without them." There was clearly more to it than that. I decided not to push. He'd tell me if he was ready.

"Their loss." I threw again, this time getting the blades closer together.

"Very much so." He adjusted his pants again. "What other skills do you have that are hot enough to almost make me come in my pants?"

I walked over and spoke softly in his ear. "I can pick locks."

He groaned. "Fucking hell, woman. You really want to see me make a mess, don't you?"

I laughed softly. "Is this where I say I'm sorry?"

"You can try, but I wouldn't believe it for a moment. You seem to enjoy torturing me." He was grinning as he said it.

I was close enough to reach out and touch the front of his pants with the tips of my fingers lightly. I swallowed at how hard he felt. How big.

"Sweetheart," he said softly. "I won't ask you to?—"

"I want to." This was all about me taking back my power. I knew he'd let me go as far as I was comfortable and wouldn't say a word if I pulled back.

I worked the button of his jeans out of the hole and slid down the zipper. I wasn't surprised to find brightly coloured boxers, decorated with cartoon characters. None I recognised, but very Gianni.

I pushed them down to free his massive erection. A piercing glittered in the tip. Three or four more decorated the underside of his cock.

"Jacob's ladder," he said. "For the pleasure of my partner. When she's ready."

Intrigued, I ran the tip of my finger across each of the steel bars and the warm skin between them.

"Did they hurt?"

"Yeah, but I like pain," he replied easily. "Giving and receiving it. Don't worry, I only give it without consent to people who deserve it. I know how to be restrained." He swallowed hard, clearly holding back the urge to thrust himself into my hand.

"I thought you might," I ran my finger up and down his length, enjoying the feeling of hot, throbbing pulse beneath thin, blood-darkened skin.

He moaned softly. "Can I ask you something?"

I glanced at his face, then back down to his cock. "That depends what it is."

He chuckled softly. "I guess it would. I'm wondering if you were ever with anyone. By your choice."

I stopped stroking to look back up at him. "No," I whispered. "There was never anyone I wanted to…fuck. None that wanted me, too." None I knew of anyway. It wouldn't have crossed my mind that Reuben might have. He seemed so far out of reach, we might as well have lived in different worlds.

"Anyone who doesn't want you is out of their mind," Gianni said. "But I promise when that happens between us, it will be fully with your consent. No pressure from me. No obligation."

"When?" I ran my whole hand up and down his length before curling my fingers around him.

"When," he said firmly. His eyes half closed. "There will come a day when I slide my cock deep into your sweet pussy. But for now, this is enough." He rolled his hips as I started to slowly pump his cock. "You have magic hands."

"I don't know about that." I watched his face while I worked him, revelling in how responsive he was. Everything he felt right now was because of me. Because of my touch. Because my hand was wrapped around his cock. I was the one in control. I decided how fast or slow we went.

"I do," he said with a groan. "Fuck, sweetheart, I'm going to… Come." He gave me time to pull away before he gritted his teeth and thrust his hips faster. He slid in and out of my hand until he stilled. Hot, pearly cum squirted out of his tip, onto my fingers like the blood from the woman's neck.

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