Page 75 of The Shadows We Keep

Her lips move slowly down my neck to the little patch of skin peeking through at my shoulder. When her teeth sink in deep, my cock twitches against the zipper of my jeans, and a growl pulls deep from my chest. Her ass wiggles in my hands as she tries to find the friction, she was so desperate for on the couch. But I pull her body back, denying her the relief before I drop her feet to the floor.

“Strip,” I command. And for once in all our time together, she listens without a snide comment to match. I knew she had it in her. It’s plain as day how desperately she wants to relinquish control, but she fights it every time. It goes against every fiber of her being, but after all we went through today, there’s an extra layer of trust between us. Whether we anticipated it or not.

Clothing falls to the floor, piece by piece, revealing the pale tattooed goddess beneath. Small speckles of blood blend in on her chest and hands with the freckles that are scattered across her body. Her skin’s not marred with blood the way mine is after running the knife across his throat. But the sight of that minimal discoloration does something to my body.

Can your blood boil with rage and turn your cock to steel at the same time?

Her nimble fingers work quickly to unbutton my shirt, pausing when she notices I haven’t made a move to join her nudity. The movement pulls me out of my head and back into the moment with her.

“What are you doing, sweetness?” I ask as she works my belt free, shocking me when she places it in my hand instead of dropping it to the floor with the rest of our discarded clothing. She doesn’t explain, instead making quick work of what’s left on my body.

She steps back, inspecting my nakedness. I smile as her eyes drift slowly across my skin, lighting me up without a touch. I wait for her to get her fill, those delicate fingers tracing across my back. Following what I can only assume is the line work of the ink spread across my shoulders.

“Like what you see?” I inquire, desperate to hear her opinion.

A rumbling purr is my only answer and my dick twitches at her appreciation.

“And what do you want me to do with this?” I ask holding out the belt she purposefully had me hold on to. Her eyes sparkle, mischief swirling between her amber eyes.

“I ignored your instructions today.” Her sentence cuts off as if she’s still processing what she wants to share. “Sir.”

My breath hitches at that one word. I know what she wants. What we’ve avoided after how she reacted at the club.

“You’re sure?” I whisper, stepping into her while my free hand traces up her skin. The quick chin dip is enough to reassure me she can handle it this time. That she wants it. Needs it even.

“Do you remember your safeword?”

Another quick nod.

“Words, little one. I want you to say it.”

“Yes, sir.”

I cup her cheek, and she nuzzles in like a cat does to their master.

“I will not accept you pushing through this time. Do you understand me. We are going to take this slow. I want you to tell me when it feels good with green. If you’re getting close to your limit, you will let me know by saying yellow. If you reach a point that you can’t take it anymore you will say, black. That is your safeword.” I snag her chin, drilling my gaze into hers.

“If you can’t communicate with me while we do this Keira, I can’t trust you to do it again.” When I drop her name, her body stiffens, but it gets my point across. This trust thing goes both ways. I have to trust she’ll tell me if it gets to be too much, and she has to put her trust in me to stop when that time comes.

“I understand, sir. I’ll use my safeword if it gets to be too much; I promise.”

“Good girl. Go to the sink. Hands on the mirror.”

I watch as her luscious ass sways across the floor. Hurrying to the shower, I turn both faucets on to the hottest setting. The water falls from above and the room quickly fills with steam. Instant hot water is a first-world luxury I can’t live without.

When I step up behind her, she’s already in position. Her feet slightly parted, delicate hands with her sharp black nails splayed wide against the fogging mirror. Her back arches to accommodate the edge of the vanity. She looks absolutely stunning on full display. I haven’t even touched her skin, but I can see the evidence of her arousal glistening against her inner thighs.

“You’re right,” I whisper, pressing flat against her backside. My hard cock sliding against her wet heat. Her body shivers at the contact and it quickly becomes my goal to make her do it over and over, until she’s crumbling into my arms.

“You didn’t listen today. You disobeyed me and broke your promise. Not only that,” I rub my palm over her supple perky ass, “you put yourself in danger.”

Her body shifts, her eyes looking back over her shoulder, the words at the tip of her tongue to argue with me. Because she obviously wasn’t in any danger when she walked into the warehouse locked and loaded. But that’s beside the point. She should never have put herself in a position to need to protect herself.

That’s what I’m here for.

I wait, my eyes zoned in on her pouty lips when she decides against speaking out. I drop a searing kiss to acknowledge her strength and she shifts back to her original position.

“However, even though you did that I’m in awe of your talent, little one. You’ve been holding back on me.” I nip at her ear and the little mewl that breaks free makes my cock throb with anticipation.

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