Page 45 of Just Between Us

It would be submission.

“Yes, sir,” I softly corrected.

A full beat passed as we simply stared at each other under the cover of a star-soaked night.

“What is this? What are we doing here?” My breathless whisper didn’t even sound like me.

“It’s your first lesson.” Royal wet his lips, and I was transfixed by his lush mouth. I wanted him to lean in and kiss me, to plant his mouth on me anddevour.

Instead, Royal moved behind me, supporting my weight as I leaned backward into him. His hands brushed my hair to the side as his fingertips grazed the thin skin at the base of my neck. I stared ahead, fixing my attention to the horizon. My brain attempted to click offline, to do exactly what Royal had warned me about. In my experience it had always been easier to zone out and wait for the moment to pass—sex and affection had never been all that remarkable anyway.

Instead, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Iwantedto do as he said and see what all the fuss was about.

“Do you feel this?” The pads of his fingers dipped below the collar of my sweatshirt and danced along my collarbone.

“Yes.” I clamped my eyes shut, and a whimper escaped my lips.

Our breaths moved in tandem as his other hand found the cropped hemline of my sweatshirt. My stomach tightened when his wide palm pressed against the bare skin on my stomach. He pressed into me and fused us together. I was trapped, his large arms caging me in.

I should have wanted to run. I should have wanted to find a way to escape his hold. I shouldn’t have felt the safest I’d ever recalled.

The hand at my neck moved higher, encircling my throat as his nose grazed the side of my face. “Relax your shoulders. Lay your head back.”

I hadn’t realized my entire body was rigid and standing at attention. I released the tension in my shoulders and lolled my head back.

Royal squeezed my throat. “That’s my good girl.”

My toes curled into the sand as a hot rush moved down my thighs. My pussy tightened in protest, desperately clenching around nothing.

“Do you like my hands on you as much as I do?” Tingles washed over me as my mind raced.

I nodded and kept my eyes closed. “Yes, sir.” His hand moved from my throat, and I immediately missed the warmth and protection of it. His hand slid down my arm, and he held me for a moment.

“Have you done this before?” The question had been pinging in the back of my mind. I already knew the answer—it was clear this wasn’t Royal’s first time taking charge with a woman. Still, I needed to hear him answer it.

“I’ve been with women who’ve liked when I take charge. That’s not all that uncommon.” He turned me so I could face him. “But this?” His finger stroked down my cheek. “Having the perfect, confident woman standing in front of me, willing to submit and be set free? It’s a first for me.”

Electricity crackled under my skin. My body arched into his.

Aching.

Wanting.

Needing.

“Do you feel that?” His hips pushed forward as his hard length pressed into me. “That’s what you do to me.”

I reached for him, ready to run my hand down the front of his jeans, but he stopped me. With my wrists in his hands, he shook his head. “There’s time for that. But right now is about you.” Royal adjusted and held both wrists in one hand. He looked me in the eye. “You will do as I say. Do you understand?”

My chest fluttered. “Yes, sir.”

Slowly, Royal knelt in front of me, the waves crashing at my back. I looked down at him to see his handsome face gazing up at me. He guided my hands to his shoulders, and a mischievous smile lit up his face. “Do not move your hands from my shoulders.”

My throat was coated with sandpaper. The best I could manage was a shaky nod as his hands released mine and found the smooth skin on my legs.

Thank god today was a shaving day.

The errant thought caused a giggle to titter out of me. My eyes went wide as I looked down at him.

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