“I am yours,” she whispered into his skin.

Keeping her head low, she moved to his other foot. She’d always loved kissing Jeff’s feet. Kneeling before him, offering herself for his use but able to touch him, to kiss him and show with her lips how much she wanted him. Her lips had just left his left foot when he spoke again.

“Kneel.”

Reluctantly, she moved back into her waiting position and waited for further instruction.

“You asked me to flog you—is that correct?” he asked.

“Yes, Sir.”

“I’m fairly tense after the last few days. I need to make sure you can take what I’m going to give. It won’t be anything like the so-called flogging Ron gave you. I’ll get you into subspace, but you’re going to feel it in the morning.”

If he meant for his words to cause her to change her mind, he would be disappointed. They did the exact opposite. She needed this. Needed him.

She lowered her head to the floor. “Please, Sir.”

He didn’t hesitate. “Stand.”

She slowly rose to her feet. She knew above her head were restraints he’d hung from the ceiling. If he had an intense session in mind, that’s where he’d bind her.

“Arms above your head.”

Her heart pounded just a little faster, knowing she’d guessed correctly. He took one wrist and then the other and buckled them in the cuffs above her head.

“There’s no fear in your eyes tonight,” he said.

“No, Sir. Never when I’m alone with you, Sir.”

There was victory in his eyes; she was certain of it.

“Tell me this.” He walked closer to her, blocking her view of anything but him. Not that she was interested in looking at anything else. He wanted her; she was almost certain. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Are you wet for me, Dena? Are you excited knowing I’m getting ready to use you?”

Fuck, yes. “Yes, Sir.”

He nipped her ear and then backed away and walked to his cabinets. He took two floggers, hesitated, and took two more, then turned to face her. “Close your eyes.”

He was so unfair. He knew how much she enjoyed watching.

“Now,” he said. “Or else I’ll call another submissive to come over, and you can watch me get her off.”

Bastard.

She closed her eyes.

He could move so quietly, she might not hear him when he approached her again. She forced her body to relax, but she still jumped slightly when the first blows fell.

He was using a light flogger and the blows were soft. For Jeff that only meant he was warming her up so she could take more and for longer. Bound as she was in the middle of the room, he had access to both sides of her body and he made use of it. Across her thighs, lighter across her belly, a touch harder on her breasts.

There was no pain with his light touch, and she relaxed her muscles, gave herself over to him.

“There you go,” he said, obviously noting her surrender. “That’s it.”

She fell into a rhythmic breathing pattern and barely noticed when the flogger started landing harder. He picked up speed, or maybe he was using more than one; she couldn’t tell. And to be honest, she really didn’t care. All that mattered was the thud of the tails hitting her skin and the warmth that slowly spread throughout her body. She hummed in bliss.

“You’re fucking beautiful.”

His voice sounded fuzzy, and some part of her recognized that he had switched floggers. The thuds were landing harder. She gasped as one came precariously close to her clit and then moaned when it didn’t hit again.

“Please,” she begged.

“Not even close to being finished.”

As if to prove his point, there was a switch of floggers and he went back to the lighter one. So light it almost tickled as it brushed between her legs. She shifted her feet.

“Need to come, Sir. Please.”

“No.”

He let her come down from her endorphin high, but just slightly, and then he worked her back up and she was flying again. Fuck, she missed this. She spent too much time working with newbie Doms who didn’t know what they were doing.

He leveled off with his strokes and kept her where she was, once more working all sides of her body until she toed the pleasure/pain line and balanced between almost too much and never quite enough.

“Want to come?”

The leather struck between her legs and she rose on her toes. “Yes, Sir.” She made a garbled sound when it flicked her clit. “Please, Sir. Touch me. I need your hands.”

She wasn’t sure where those words came from, and they must have surprised him as well, because there was a pause in his strokes. Idiot. She felt the high leave and she started the descent back to reality.

“I’m sorry, Sir.” Why did I open my mouth? “I didn’t mean to…. I’m sorry….” She was babbling. She couldn’t help it. What had possessed her to say that?

“Look at me.” His command left no room for disobedience.

She didn’t want to see him; she was too afraid of what she would find in his eyes. But she looked anyway, and there was nothing to be found but masculine lust. He cupped her ass and pressed his hips against her, his erection rubbing her just the right way, even through his jeans.

“You want to feel my hands?” he asked, starting a rocking motion that would probably have her climaxing within seconds, all the while looking straight into her eyes.

“Yes, Sir.” Fuck. The roughness of his jeans against her was almost more than she could take.

“Come for me.” He kneaded the flesh of her backside roughly and held her in place as he rolled his hips into her and pressed hard against her clit.

She sucked in a breath as she came. “Oh, fuck. Yes.”

He stayed where he was as her climax passed. His arms moved up her back and held her close to his chest. When the last tremor left her body, he gently removed her wrists from the cuffs and swept her into his arms.

For a second, she thought he was taking her to his bed, but instead he carried her to the guest room. Once there, he placed her on the bed and held her close to his side. And though it felt decadent to be in his arms again, something was missing.

His strong hands held her close and his thumb brushed back and forth against her skin, but unlike last time, there was no sweet kiss, no soft words murmured. She could have kicked herself for saying what she had about needing his touch. All that had done was further prove how awkward and distant they’d become around each other.