Page 9 of Cupid's Naughty Elf

“Liam, I?—”

“Shhhh.” The hand on my right hip dips low, fingertips tapping an unknown tune until he reaches the hem of my shorts. He doesn’t slip his fingers underneath or grip the fabric; he simply holds them there. Not pressing. Not moving. “I need you to listen carefully and answer me truthfully, Piper. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes.” A whisper.

“Good girl.” There’s something so sexy about this handsome, powerful man praising me. It’s pleasurably filthy and demands I comply with his every request, while another part of me wants to defy Mr. Rutherford and be punished.Would he spank me? Would he still deny us?I’ve fantasized about that very scenario for years, hand slipping between my thighs while I write our story in my journal. “Now answer the question, darling. What are you jealous of?”

“You misheard me,” I say stubbornly. Even at this point, I’m simply denying in order to rile him up.

“Don’t, Piper. We never hide things from each other.” His unoccupied hand lifts and encircles my neck, walking me forward until my knees touch the couch. One small push and I’d be bent over. Easy prey.Give in to me, Liam. Give me whatI need.“... because liars never make it into the kingdom of heaven.”

“W-what?”

“Answer...” his fingers flex a little before tightening their hold “...me.”

“How you own me.”

He hums at my whispered response but doesn’t step back. Instead, I feel his girth flex against my backside. “Is that all? Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Shaky. Breathless.

“And why would that be a problem?”

“Because I need to own you just the same, if not more.” My truth. It leaves me raw and open, a literal confession of my deepest fantasy. I’ve never asked for more outright—always content to be in his presence or be gifted a cocky grin—but there’s no denying the desire to change our dynamics.

To be claimed in every single way a woman can be tied to a man.

I want it all.

Love. Marriage. Babies.

“Silly little Piper.” Liam croons then, but it doesn’t come off as mocking. More like a chastisement. “You should know better by now.”

“Do I?”

“Yes, you do.”

“Maybe I need it spelled out for me...”

“And ruin myChristmasgift? Never.” For the first time, his smug satisfaction makes me bristle. I’m horny with hackles raised to high heaven, but before I can tell him to either touch me or walk away, he nips my ear. The sting is sharp, and so is the lightning-quick pulse that settles on my clit. “Now, be a pretty sugar plum, and go change. For your sake and mine. We have outsiders in attendance and?—”

“I’m not changing.”

“Last chance.” His tone loses all amusement. Two words, and they’re tinged with a warning, a little hint of darkness, and I love the tiny shivers they elicit. “Be a good girl for me and make the right choice.”

“No, and—what the!” The fingers wrapped around my neck tighten while his legs nudge me forward, and I stumbled. Use my hands to gain stability. They land on the back of the couch, gripping firmly while my knees settle on the cushions. Spread inches apart and with my upper body almost arching, I feel exposed as more of my asscheek greets the air.

Goosebumps rise on my skin, the cooler air kissing my soaked bottom, and I shiver.

Not that I’m given a chance to complain or pull them down, because a second later, the room is filled with the sound of a sharp slap that blooms across my skin like a fiery kiss. It spreads and the tinge of pain causes me to suck in a sharp breath, but it’s the way it settles over my clit that breaks me.

A mini rush of pleasure. Every muscle in my body tightens.

“Fucking hell, darling,” Liam grits out, his large hand cupping the cheek he spanked before delivering an equally harsh slap to the other. He doesn’t pause either, alternating in intensity and area while the buck of my hips causes the inseam of my shorts to skim my soaked flesh.

I’m on a tightrope of pleasure and pain, my flesh hot and sensitive, but I can’t help the way my body begs for more. It’s there in the way I meet each strike with a gyration of my hips, the slow roll carrying the delicious pain through my every nerve ending.

How I whimper and moan, beggingpleasewhen I’m close to a free fall that will change everything for us.

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