She gasped in pleasure and curled her hands into tight fists. He shoved his cock deeper and spoke one word.

“Now.”

Chapter Ten

Cole gathered Sasha in his arms. She was weak and trembling with heavy eyelids that she appeared hell bent on keeping open. But she didn’t fight him when he carried her out of the kitchen into the downstairs bedroom he’d claimed as his own.

He gently placed her in the middle of the bed and covered her with a thick blanket. “Stay here, little one. I’m going to get you cleaned up and then you’re going to rest.”

She made a noise low in her throat, but it was impossible to tell if it was in agreement or protest. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and when she burrowed into the blanket he decided it’d been in agreement.

He’d set out what he needed before meeting her in the kitchen, but even so, she was asleep after he collected everything, threw on some shorts, and made his way back into the bedroom.

She rested on her side, still covered by the blanket, and her smile of contentment pierced his heart. He’d been rough with her, holding little back, wanting her to grasp just a bit of a Master/slave relationship, and instead of running away, she found contentment in his bed.

He washed her as best as he could without waking her and rubbed ointment on her backside. There was no way for him to guess how long she’d sleep. After he’d caned her, she’d only slept for a handful of hours. This time when she woke up, he wanted to be there.

Decided, he climbed on the bed beside her and curled his body around hers. She wiggled deeper into his embrace and whispered, “Oh, thank you,” so softly he almost missed it. He pressed his lips against the back of her neck and wondered if he’d have the strength to let her go at the end of two weeks.

She slept for an hour and woke up delightfully disoriented, twisting in his arms and looking at him for a few seconds as if trying to remember who he was.

He cupped her cheek, fearful she’d had a bad dream. “Are you okay?”

She sighed and rubbed against his hand. “Yes, Sir. You held me.”

I always hold submissives after a scene, he almost said, but stopped himself. Though it would be the truth, it wasn’t the same holding her as it’d been with other submissives. Even Kate had gotten to the point where she didn’t want to be held for very long. For damn sure, she never snuggled close and thanked him in her sleep.

“I wanted to,” he stated. “You have a sweet and affectionate nature and I wanted to be sweet and affectionate to you. I know there was very little warmth in the way I took you in the kitchen.”

Her hand covered his. “If I may, Sir, there was warmth in the way you took me. Was it a typical warmth? Probably not, but that doesn’t devalue it. Being different doesn’t make it less.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Explain, please.”

“You took care to prepare me. You kept me the center of your attention, even while you were taking your own pleasure. You ensured I wasn’t pushed past my limits.”

“What are you saying, little one?”

She hesitated, backing down a bit and swallowing. “I’m saying, Sir, that maybe you need to redefine how you look at warmth. It’s not just hugs and kisses; sometimes warmth can be found in the details. And sometimes it’s the details that mean the most.”

He let her words sink in. He, who had told her a month or so ago that words had meanings and she needed to recognize that fact, had just learned a much needed lesson. Wanting to catch her off guard, he took her in his arms and rolled them both so she was under him.

“You’re full of surprises. Has anyone ever told you that?” he asked.

“Once or twice, Sir. But never while we were both naked.”

“I’m not naked. I have shorts on.”

She shrugged. “In my dream, you were naked.”

She looked so adorable, on his bed, wrapped in his blanket, chatting away about being naked after dropping something so philosophical. He took her hands and brought them above her head.

“Everything about you turns me on. You’re such a complex contradiction.” He dropped his mouth to her ear. “It’s so fucking hot.”

He claimed her mouth then, taking her lips in a way that would show her without words just how much she turned him on. There was a time for words, he more than anyone knew that, but there was also a time for action. The woman in his arms had been given words, but too often there had been no follow-through.

He nibbled on her lips and explored them with his tongue, tasting the mint left behind by her recent teeth brushing. She answered back with her own actions and when she bit his bottom lip and sucked on it, he groaned in pleasure. Bloody hell, he hadn’t kissed this woman near enough.

He pressed her into the mattress with his hips, making sure she felt every damn inch of him and knew without a doubt just how much he wanted to be inside her. He thrust his cotton-covered erection against her unprotected sex and when she gasped in response, he plundered her mouth.

He kissed her until she trembled in his arms and wiggled in an effort to get closer. It would be easy as hell to ease his shorts down, spread her legs, and give them what they both wanted. Easy, but that wasn’t his plan.

Using more control than he thought should be required, he pulled away. She whimpered.

“Hands above your head, slave, and don’t move them.”

She instantly swallowed her whimper and followed his command.

“Good girl. Now show me my cunt.”

Again, there was no hesitation as she spread herself for his scrutiny.

“Very nice.” He ran a finger down her freshly shaven flesh. “I meant to inspect you earlier to ensure you prepared yourself properly. Unfortunately, I got carried away with other things, so I’ll rectify that now. Do you know, little one, the best way to make sure you didn’t miss a hair?”

Her eyebrows crinkled as she thought. “With a magnifying glass?”

“No, with my mouth.” He didn’t give her time to process his words, he simply shifted slightly, lowered his head, and gave her pussy a lick. She jerked and he bit her gently. “Be still, slave.”

Only when he was certain she would remain motionless did he resume. He made sure not to touch her clit, choosing to focus on the surrounding flesh. Only seconds had passed when he noticed her thighs start to shake. Poor Sasha, it’d probably been a long time since she had to work against her natural urges. And right now, it was taking most of her strength not to move.