Page 90 of My Darling Rogue
“You’re such a good girl. Waiting so patiently for me to make you come. Just a bit longer until I show you the stars,” he murmured, smoothing his hand over her buttocks. “Christ, I cannot keep my hands off you when you are wearing shoes like this. They scream for me to fuck you so hard we both forget how to breathe.”
Celia jolted forward, her belly and the valley between her breasts coming into contact with the fluted column of wood. The coolness of the bedpost’s surface made her gasp with awareness. Her nipples puckered even more in reaction. They were now painfully tight. Aching for contact. Aching for Gabriel’s mouth. His tongue. His teeth.
“Please…”
The word slipped out. A supplication for more.
“You’ve been frightened of the dark since I’ve known you, Celia, and since our marriage, I’ve realized the severity of your condition is far deeper than just simple fear. Perhaps I can help with this, if you trust me to do what I think is best. Will you allow it, pet? Let me help you?”
Celia’s brow creased. Was he trying to cure her of that trauma? How could he? And how did this mesh with the promise of pleasure? It did not seem the two could possibly intertwine.
“I-I don’t know.”
“Shhh. Let me show you what I mean. You can always use your word and I will stop.” He stood beside the bed, his dark eyes burning into hers. His hand smoothed over one of her breasts, tweaking the nipple between thumb and forefinger. When she sucked in a breath and trembled, Gabriel smiled as though he’d just been provided with vital information. “I hope you don’t use that word, however. It will please me immensely if you can endure this for even a few moments.”
Celia took a deep, ragged breath. She wanted so desperately to please him. Surely, she could do what he wanted for a few seconds. “I’ll try. For you, Gabriel.”
“Good girl.” His approval rumbled through her, leaving her warm and achy all over but especially in the space between her legs. “Wait here. I shall return shortly.”
Dropping his hands, he stepped away, and instantly, Celia was cold, her skin pebbling with goosebumps. She hung from the bedpost, listening to the sounds he made while searching for something in the adjoining room which served as a huge wardrobe. It seemed an eternity before he finally returned, and in the soft glow of the lamplight, she saw that Gabriel carried two items in his hands.
A second cravat of black silk and leather riding crop.
CHAPTER37
Gabriel approached her slowly, using all the caution one might when encountering a wild creature.
Celia tugged against the cravat, dismayed when it did not loosen one bit no matter how she struggled. A sob caught in her throat as fear clawed its way into her soul.
“Shhh,” Gabriel shushed. Setting the items down on the bed, he reached out. With a gentle hand, he stroked her hair as it tumbled over her shoulders and down her back in a mass of dark waves. “Calm yourself and listen to me.”
“Y-you are going to hurt me,” Celia choked out, straining away from her husband and his dark, solemn eyes.
“A little, yes,” he replied, his gaze unapologetic. “But, Celia, I swear it is nothing you cannot handle. I believe this will help you. More than you realize, in fact.” Gabriel pressed closer, brushing a soft kiss against her trembling lips. “Do you remember your promise to trust me? Believe me, sugarplum, I’d rather stab myself in the heart than cause you harm.”
Celia forced herself to stand still and accept the light stroking of his hands down her flanks and over the curve of her buttocks. “Why do you have those things?”
Gabriel moved her hair away from the curve of her neck as he stood behind her. Soft, persuasive kisses were pressed against her skin. Despite herself, Celia’s eyes fluttered shut from the pleasure.
“I intend on blindfolding you, pet. And I will use that crop on you in such a way you will experience extreme pleasure. You will associate the darkness, of not being able to see, with unimaginable ecstasy.” He murmured his plans in a soothing, singsong voice. The melodic tones were so beautiful and sweet, it was hard for Celia to separate his words from the horror of what he intended.
“If it is a matter of the lamp burning all night that bothers you, I will gladly sleep in the adjoining bedchamber,” Celia cried out in desperation.
“Oh, darling. That is not it at all. Your suffering. Your fears. Your nightmares. They pain me because they hurt you. I cannot bear to see you this way night after night. It is killing me. Making me crazy until all I can think about is finding the man who did this to you and snuffing out his life, slowly and with as much torment as possible.” Gabriel’s hand rose to cup Celia’s throat, his fingers spreading wide as he held her immobile so she could not move away. He held her firmly, his cock a hardened steel rod pressing against the softer flesh of her buttocks. Warm breath fanned her ear when he whispered, “I want to destroy that man, but since I have no idea who he is, I must destroy your fears in his place.” The tip of his tongue touched her cheek, and with leisurely intent, he licked up one of her tears. “Trust me to help you, Celia. And remember your word that makes all of this stop.”
“Tea—” she began, but Gabriel’s hand tightened around her throat.
“Think carefully before using that word before we even begin, pet.”
Celia swallowed the word. For a long moment, she simply breathed, taking in all the nuances of her predicament. And Gabriel allowed her to think things through. To rationalize both her fear and her willingness to please him.
And the opportunity to erase your nightmares,her inner voice counseled.
He knew the moment she surrendered, but Celia was not surprised by that fact. Gabriel knew everything about her and used it all to his advantage. He kissed her softly on the nape of her neck, then nipped her there while his fingers still gripped her just beneath her chin.
Celia gasped, the juncture of her thighs growing wetter.
“A bit of pleasure. A bit of pain. They are perfect complements to one another, and I will show you, Celia, how we can use that to erase your fears.” As he spoke, he leaned over and picked up the silk cravat from the bed. “I’m going to cover your eyes now. I want you to focus on breathing through every emotion you will undoubtedly experience. Focus on me, Celia, and be stronger than whatever it is you fear in the dark.”
