“I’m a whole different type of beast.”

She glanced up at him. The coldness in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. He downed his wine in two gulps and set his glass on the dresser. He went to the closet and pulled a hard-shell, black suitcase from its depths. He knelt in front of it on the floor.

She moved to stand beside him, looking at the suitcase. “What’s that?”

“The reason I brought you here.”

He flipped the locks and tossed the lid open. Aggie’s eyes widened. He had all kinds of things inside, ranging from obvious paddles and candles to things she couldn’t identify.

He looked at her. “You still trust me, right?”

The anxious flutter in her stomach excited her. She had no idea what he had in mind, but whatever it was, she was game. He had yet to disappoint her. “Yeah.”

He began to sort through the case, arranging things in piles. She couldn’t decipher any pattern in his groupings as she watched him, sipping her wine. He lit candles, setting them on the side table. He left the room and returned moments later with a bowl of ice, a bottle of chocolate syrup, and a can of mixed fruit.

“What are you doing? Preparing for nuclear winter?”

He smiled slyly. “You’ll see. How’s the wine?”

“Perfect.”

“Do you want another glass?” He seemed ready to start his orchestrated pleasure session. Or would it be torture? She was eager to find out.

Aggie finished her wine in one long swallow and set her empty glass next to his. “No, I don’t want any more wine. I want you.”

“Soon.” He closed the bedroom door and approached her. He undressed her slowly, caressing every inch of flesh he revealed, first with his fingertips, and then his lips. His tenderness never ceased to amaze her. He f**ked her hard. Made love to her gently. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as he unhooked her bra. “I love your curves.”

She had plenty of curves. She’d never possessed the athletic slenderness that Hollywood and fashion runways considered beautiful, but she was comfortable with her body and glad that Jace appreciated it. Her dancing kept her in good shape, but her feet never touched a treadmill. Her heavy br**sts fell free of her bra, and he cupped them, gazing at the flesh overflowing from his hands. He lowered his head to kiss the soft globes, his tongue sliding over her ni**les. Aggie’s belly tightened. She rested her hands on his shoulders as he kissed his way down the center of her belly. He removed her jeans, panties, and sandals with equal care and agonizing slowness. By the time he led her to the bed, she was more than ready for him to possess her body, and he hadn’t even started using the objects from his suitcase.

They knelt in the center of the bed, facing each other. Jace pulled something from his back pocket and fastened it around Aggie’s left wrist. She looked down at the thick leather cuff, lined with fleece. Her heart thudded against her ribs. Restraints? He fastened a matching leather cuff around her other wrist and attached them to each other with a length of chain.

“Why are you restraining me?” she asked.

“So you don’t interfere with what I do to your body.”

Her heart thudded even harder. “Are you going to hurt me?”

He stood in front of her on the bed and lifted her hands above her head, securing her wrists to the hook in the ceiling with the heavy chain. He didn’t answer her question.

“Jace, I don’t like to be on the receiving end of pain. Only inflict it.” She supposed if she got too freaked out, she could stand on the bed and free her hands from the hook. She was well versed in self-defense, but something inside told her she could trust this man. Her intuition had never failed her in the past.

He knelt in front of her and touched her cheek gently. “I’d never hurt you, Aggie. I only like to be on the receiving end of pain. Never inflict it.” He stroked her arms with the backs of his hands, and then continued down to draw them along the sides of her br**sts, the indent of her waist, and the flare of her hips. “I do plan to make you beg for mercy, but from the pleasure I give your body, not pain.”

Well, okay… if he insisted.

“Do I have your permission to continue?” he asked.

She bit her lip, looking into his gentle brown eyes for signs of deceit. She found none. “Yes.”

“Good.”

He pulled something else from his back pocket and slid a blindfold over her eyes.

“I can’t see,” she said breathlessly. Her heart thudded faster. She wasn’t afraid, not exactly. Excited. Yes, that’s what had her breath hitching, her heart racing, her core aching with emptiness.

He chuckled. “That’s the idea, sweetheart. You don’t need to see. Just feel. Feel me, Aggie.”

“I do. I feel you.”

He gathered her hair in his hand, twisted it, and clipped it to the back of her head.

“Your skin is so soft,” he murmured into her ear from behind. His hands gently stroked her back… her belly… her br**sts. “Smooth. Warm.”

“Pale,” she added with a grin.

“Perfect.”

He suckled and kissed the flesh on the backs of her shoulders while his hands continued to stroke her belly, br**sts and hips. His hands slid between her thighs, spreading her legs apart. She trembled. His fingers parted her swollen flesh and dipped inside her. Her head fell back against his shoulder. He rubbed her clit, slid his fingers into her pu**y, rubbed her clit again. How did he know exactly how to excite her beyond her limits of tolerance?

“Jace.”

He continued to stroke her until she was ready to explode, and then he moved away, leaving her trembling. Unfulfilled.

Something ice cold slid down her spine. She shuddered. It continued down the crack of her ass, over the aching opening to her pu**y, and finally her clit. He stroked her there, with the ice between his fingers and her flesh, until the ice completely melted. She didn’t know how it was possible for her clit to feel like it was on fire and frozen at the same time.

“Jace,” she said in a pleading tone.

He slid two of his fingers into her mouth. They tasted like chocolate. She sucked the sweet treat from his digits. He withdrew them and inserted them again with more chocolate. Something cool and thick drizzled over her nipple. His hot mouth sucked at her nipple while he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her mouth. Did he realize what he was doing to her? She ached from wanting him already. He’d likely restrained her hands above her head so she couldn’t get herself off while he tortured her with pleasure. She was definitely desperate enough to do it.