Page 17 of Under His Command

Watching her blondeponytail swishing as she bounded up the stairs, his eyes migrated to her round behind, twitching in her snug-fitting pants. They hugged her curves to perfection and instantly made his dick hard, a perpetual state around Cassie, something that made Flynn more than a little uncomfortable. She was a kid, barely out of college, maybe twenty-three, twenty-four at the most, an innocent compared to a hardened Navy man who’d seen too much in his day.

Although the attraction was strong, the differences between them were too much of a barrier. Where she was sweetness and light, Flynn had a dark side. He wanted to strip her naked, bind her in erotic ways, keeping her open and vulnerable, taking her whenever and however he wanted. If he possessed her delicious ass, he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off it. Her fair skin would blush to a beautiful rosy red under his hand or a flogger. He could imagine the sexy sounds she’d make when teased by his fingers in between swats. And he was sure her pussy would drench to overflowing with sweet honey when he took her to the brink over and over until she begged him to let her come.

Only then would he fuck her, driving into her relentlessly until one climax melded into the next and her tight, curvy, fantastic body convulsed in surrender. And these plans were mild compared to some of the other creative ideas he had, some twisted enough to curl her soft, fragrant hair.

But Cassie was off-limits.

She worked with him, and even though that by itself wasn’t an issue, lines could get blurred. As a civilian contractor, she fell under the chain of command as a guest on the base. With the Navy taking a firm stance in recent years against sexual harassment, he was careful to avoid anything that could be misconstrued as coercion between them. Cassie already had an impeccable reputation on the base, something he wouldn’t risk tarnishing.

He was a staunch believer in never shitting where you live—ever. Setting the age difference aside, if he pursued things with her, disclosed his BDSM desires, and she wasn’t into it, or if she was and later things fell apart, it could get awkward. He’d seen other workplace romances end, leaving resentments too strong to overcome. In each case, one party inevitably transferred or quit.

No, despite being hard as his steel dress saber whenever he was in her company, Cassie Hardwick wasn’t for him. If she were ten years older, perhaps he’d take the risk, but with him pushing forty, the gap in their ages made him uneasy. He wanted a submissive who was a partner, one who would age gracefully with him. Not one who woke up in the not-so-distant future and realized she had an old man for a dominant while she was still young and vibrant. A May-December relationship might work for some, but it wasn’t his thing.

Knowing how overwhelming the military world could be for a civilian, he would be a friend and act as her guide. Other than that, it was not a path he could follow—sadly—because it had been a very long time since he’d come across someone as captivating as Cassie that kept his dick hard 24/7.

Chapter 5

On all fours, the coldtile floor beneath her palms and knees bit into her skin as she inched forward. The pain intensified when, unable to go farther, she stopped, stuck in the awkward position. A loose strand of hair tickled her nose, or perhaps it was all the dust. Either way, she didn’t dare scratch. It’s not like she could, anyway, hemmed in as she was in the confined space.

If she could squeeze her arm between the frame and the wall up ahead, she could finish and get out of here.Lifting one hand, she balancedon the other while stretching carefully, meanwhile trying to forget the horizontal support brace digging sharply into her ribs.

“Only...a fraction...more,” she said, grunting from the strain.

The clang of metal reverberated loudly in the room. It was the outside door; its self-closing arm in dire need of fixing. Even though she heard it repeatedly throughout the day, it startled her and she jumped.

Another bang sounded. This time from her head connectingsharply with the underside of her workstation. White light flashed before eyes, and she let out a low moan. She raised her hand, intent on rubbing away the burning pain in her scalp, but she smacked her elbow on a bracein the process.

Her initial groan turned into a hiss as a jolt shot up her arm. Whimpering now, she shook her head to clear her vision and stop the ringing in her ears,but could do nothing about the uncomfortable tingling running from her elbow to her fingertips. Afraid to move and do more damage, she knelt frozen on hands and knees while her body dealt with the pain.

When the bright dots had dissipated, she opened her eyes. Except for a slight dizziness, her vision was normal, which she took as a positive sign. Only the lingering tenderness at the back of her head remained. Despite her current predicament, she had to focus on completing her task and getting out of there in one piece.

As the door creaked open and heels thudded on the floor, she knew someone else had entered the control room. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Twisting carefully, she peered over her shoulder and past her hip at a pair of long, muscular legs in pressed khakis, and a pair of gleaming black Oxfords.She cursed silently, recognizing the uniform of an officer.

Could this be more embarrassing?

“Cassie? Do you need help?” The rich timbre of Flynn’s baritone was like velvet along her skin. His presence always warmed her in places where it shouldn’t, but with her bottom sticking out from the hole under the desk, it heated her face in a mortified blush.

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