Page 73 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

He deliberately held back, watching as the pleasure ate her from the inside out, fused into every beautiful part of her. He made her climb higher, let her buckle under the weight of it, cry into the ceiling, and then—finally—he gave her release.

His tongue softened as she came, and he held it to her clit, hands fastened to her hips as she twisted every which way. But there was no escape. There would never be an escape so long as she chose him. Because he would always choose her.

At last, she shuddered out a long breath, and her whole body went limp, eyes drifting closed. The personification of contentment.

Sitting back, he reached down into his boot and pulled out his knife. She still clutched the end of the belt in her hands, and he only had to pull a little to get the same tightness they started with. “Don’t move, sweetheart. I don’t want to cut you.”

Her eyes opened, and she watched through hooded lids as he carved a small nick where the buckle would fit. Then he slipped it off her wrists and massaged the faint red marks that had appeared.

“Feel better?”

“Mhm.”

“Good. Hold still.” He moved down the bed, wiggled off her boot, and crossed her ankles over each other before wrapping them with the belt. Making a second nick, he slipped it off and fit the belt back into his jean loops. “I’ll make better use of that later.”

She stared at him, soaking in the meaning of his words. He licked his lips for one more delicious taste and ran a hand over his stubble. Her essence smeared over his chin, and he fully intended to wear it like that all day.

“For now, it’s time to get ready for your surprise.”

THIRTY-FIVE

After that, he still had a surprise?

Adrian swept his gaze over her again, dark and commanding and cloaked in his trademark black leather, but he looked more elated than she’d ever seen.

“I might need a minute,” she admitted, leaning back on her elbows.

His lips twitched, slick with her juice. “All right. But you’re lucky I’m giving you a break.”

She laughed. “What a lucky girl I am.”

It was supposed to be a joke, but her heart almost burst all over again at realizing what today meant—what this meant.

She could really be his.

She sat up and stretched, noticing the mess in her room, which had become even worse. Half of the pillows on her bed were now scattered along with the heap of clothes on her floor. “It’s not usually like this,” she explained. “I couldn’t find the boots, then you called before I finished getting ready, and—Wow. I can’t believe that just happened.”

He grinned. “I plan to have it happen a lot more often.”

The thought made her weak again, in the best way. “So it’s official? As in, we’re…” She trailed off, uncertain of which term to use. Fitting them into a label had never been important, but she wanted to make sure they were on the same page.

“I’d be honored to be your boyfriend.” His palm caressed her calf, rings warm and smooth where his skin was hot and rough, and he bent to place a soft kiss on her knee. “Your knight. Your Master. Whatever you want me to be.”

She blushed, adoring all three. “Everything. You can be my everything.”

“I like that.” He grinned, eyes bright and molten gold.

“Are there going to be rules?” she asked.

“A few.” He helped her remove the stuck boot and reached for the pair of jeans that had fallen on the floor. “I wanted to show you the surprise regardless of your decision—but now it can be a way to explain my rules.”

That piqued her interest. Wiggling into the jeans, she shook off her post-orgasm fatigue and put on her sweater. Adrian kneeled by the bed to lace up her boots.

The simple gesture destroyed her as effectively as all his promising words and indulgent kisses. Not only did he care to take her clothes off, he would get on his knees to help her put them back on. She expected the roles to be reversed—to be the one at his feet, and certainly, there would be a time for that—but she also recognized the action for something deeper. Their exchange of power went both ways. He was willing to give as much as he would take.

She fidgeted, feeling more important than she’d grown accustomed to.

He finished and looked up as she chewed her lip. “Something on your mind?”

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