With that thought warm in my gut, I help her step out of her leggings. I ghost the pads of my fingers up her calves and thick thighs, watching goosebumps fan out as I do. Unable to resist, I kiss the rounded flesh at the top of her pretty center before I stand.
Slipping my finger under her chin, I catch her gaze to check in with her. “How are you feeling?”
“Exposed.”
I nod and stroke her heated cheek. “Is that okay?”
“Yes,” she says. Her voice is more level than I expect it to be, and my chest fills to the brim with pride. I’m happy that she can feel that way with me and be okay.
“Can I continue?”
“Yes, Kade.”
I hum my approval, her words going straight to my already hard cock as I pull my plain white T-shirt up and over my head, tossing it beside her clothes. Her eyes drink me in like I’m water in the middle of the desert, and I realize this is the first time she’sseeing me without clothes on, too. She swallows, her heated gaze meeting mine when she’s had her fill.
“You like what you see, Lemon?”
“Very much.”
A smile tugs at my lips. The woman I met in the back of Night Hawk wouldn’t have been forthcoming with that information, but it’s written all over her face right now, anyway.
“Good.” I drag my knuckles down her neck and chest. “Because I like what I see very much, too.”
Presley’s irises turn bright at my compliment, and she returns my small smile. I reach up to caress her nipples, and when she gasps, I capture the reaction with my lips in a short kiss.
Knowing that if I keep kissing her, we’ll never get to what I have planned, I pull back and walk to the beds. Presley’s eyes remain focused on me as I pick up two long coils of tan-and-red two-ply jute rope that I’ve conditioned with food-grade mineral oil.
It’s funny how my entire body relaxes as I grip the rough-textured ropes in my hands. It feels almost like coming home or seeing an old friend and settles the deep need for control I have inside me—the need to direct, manage, and take good care of the things I love.
When I’m tying someone up, it’s not only challenging, requiring my mind to be focused on my partner, but it’s also fun and intimate, too. Just like with spanking and other forms of kink, rope is a way to connect with someone on a deeper level, to learn trust through being vulnerable and open. That’s the real reason I’ve chosen this for us tonight, going beyond my desire to simply see Presley in my ropes.
I take a deep breath and center myself, moving to stand in front of her willing body that looks more beautiful than even my best fantasies imagined. “I’m going to start tying you now,” I say, holding up the rope.
Presley eyes them and licks her lips, curiosity sparking in her gaze.
“It’s called a four-braid harness, and it’s meant to be a little uncomfortable, to bring you into your body and push you a little, like spankings.”
Presley bites her lower lip, and I know she’s thinking about that night in the loft.
I brush my finger down her cheek. “I think you’ll enjoy it. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
I press my lips to hers for a kiss to ground and connect us, exploring her mouth that tastes of mint toothpaste and something that’s all her own. When I pull back, she’s gazing at me with adoration, trust, and an ease I know reflects in my eyes, too.
“Good girl,” I croon. “Now, stand up straight, and let me take care of you.”
Chapter 30
Presley
Kade holds the longred-and-tan coils of his rope, his workman’s hands gripping it gently as he steps forward to drape them behind my head. The moment the coarse-textured material lays on the back of my neck and drapes over my bare chest, I break out in goosebumps from head to toe.
I can’t believe I’m doing this—standing in a room, with the lights on, fully naked, while a man I once considered too hot and young for me ties me up with rope.
Rope.
I’m being tied up with rope.