Chapter Eight THE day passed. After a dinner of simple chicken and rice, Stone did the dishes while Lily filled the tub in the bathroom on the other side of the kitchen wall. As he stuck his hands in sudsy water, he tried to focus on cleaning plates. That was like trying to think of Grandma during sex to stave off orgasm—annoying and ineffectual. After he’d slipped back into bed that morning with Lily and waited for her to wake, she’d curled up against him, one thigh thrown over his. It had felt like the longest hour of his life. Warm and soft and smelling so female, she’d driven him crazy. It had been all Stone could do to resist finding out for himself whether she was wearing underwear. But he’d been a good boy and hadn’t copped a cheap feel to answer his question. When he’d confronted her with her true identity, Lily had retreated into her shell, obviously trying to get her bearings again. Besides tidying up the cabin, she had read a book from the shelf in the living room about Cajun history. The place didn’t have any TV, so she’d watched a movie on his phone and caught up on her favorite pop culture sites. Dinner had been almost silent. He’d willed her to say something when he’d tried to engage her. She’d only spoken once. “Who else knows my real name?” she’d asked as she picked at her rice. “Thorpe and Sean.” “Which means Callie knows.” A flash of anger crossed her face. “You’re putting them in danger.” “Don’t you think they have a right to know who they’re harboring so they can be prepared in case Canton shows up?” Her guilty expression told him that she saw his point and hadn’t considered it in that light. “They won’t cast you out,” he reassured, taking her hand. “Jack Cole knows, too. He’s helping me. We’re trying to track down Canton’s whereabouts now and see if we can figure out where he’s been and what he’s been up to lately. I hacked into his system. All I can see is that he doesn’t like to do much on his computer besides play fantasy football and watch porn. If I didn’t know better, his Google searches would convince me he’s a fourteen-year-old.” “I didn’t say he was smart or sophisticated,” she drawled. “Just that he had a sharp criminal mind.” “I’ll start looking at his staff and buddies next.” She nodded absently, then withdrew her hand. “Did Thorpe tell Axel about me?” That possibility seemed to disturb her to the core. Stone tried to understand that her former protector had been her pillar, and she would have an abiding instinct not to disappoint the man. But Stone wished like hell that she wouldn’t dwell on her former lover and his feelings. That would stop tonight, as soon as he could understand her attachment to Axel well enough to discern how to work around it. Stone wasn’t stupid enough to fixate on his urge to slide Lily’s naked body against his and fill her with his aching cock when they had important catch-a-killer things to do. But while he waited on Jack and others to investigate Canton’s location and plots, he and Lily had so little diversion in the swamp. He found it hard to think about much other than her. Besides, Axel was due to land in Dallas in a few hours. If the guy was flying home from another continent because he worried about “his” Sweet Pea, Stone doubted that Axel was going to let little things like a long ride in the car or a state line stop him from reaching Lily. Stone knew damn well he had to figure out how to become important to her—tonight—or he’d probably lose her the second Axel walked in. That damn key Jack had given him earlier still burned a hole in his pocket. After he stacked the last of the clean dishes on the towel on the counter beside him, he crept down the hall to the locked door adjacent to the surveillance room. After a turn of the key, Stone stopped. A padded table in the center of the room took up most of the space. Besides that, a couple of what looked like exercise mats had been spread across the floor. Shelves were filled with plastic shoe box–size containers, each storing its own toy. A wall of pegboard held whips, floggers, restraints. It wasn’t fancy or elegant, but it was effective. He walked the perimeter of the room, staring, his footsteps loud in the relative silence. He needed a game plan and he needed it fast. According to what Jack and Logan had told him via Thorpe, Lily had never allowed anyone at Dominion to touch her except Axel. As far as they knew, the man had never punished her with pain or humiliation. Stone understood why, knowing what she’d witnessed as a girl. Axel hadn’t rewarded her with sex, though everyone suspected that he and Lily had sometimes had it. And still, she claimed she didn’t enjoy it and wasn’t any good at it. So Axel had both punished and rewarded Lily with his words. Stone knew he had to be different without crossing too many of her boundaries. Tall fucking order when, as Sean pointed out, his knowledge was all theoretical. But there was a first time for everything and his was now. He’d finally top Lily tonight. Stone drew in a deep breath and centered himself. That Dominant part he increasingly identified with filled him, expanding his lungs, making his blood race. He had to keep his cool, focus on her, and not lose his head to the needs of his dick. Before she made it out of the tub, he found a few implements he hoped would interest her and spread them out on a narrow table under a row of shelves. He dimmed the lights in the room, then shut the door. As she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in that splotchy, ugly-ass T-shirt he suspected she wore to turn him off, he blocked her path before she headed back to the living room. “I have more questions for you.” She sighed and sent him an expression that said she’d rather endure some crazy Chinese fingernail torture than talk about her past. “They’re not about Canton,” he assured. “Oh.” She looked relieved. “Okay.” “It also isn’t a request.” As soon as his words were out, she froze. The awareness on her face told him that she understood the command in his tone. “I don’t know if I can do this with you.” “Do what?” He wanted to be perfectly clear that she understood. “Submit.” She dropped her gaze and bowed her head. Lily wasn’t sure she could submit to him? Unconsciously, she just had. Stone lifted his palm and stroked her crown, then bent to kiss the top of her head. “You don’t know until you try.” He held out his hand. “I think you can. Come with me.” She hesitated, her gaze torn and fixed on his outstretched hand. She debated so long, Stone felt sure she’d refuse. Something in his chest wrenched. How the fuck could he persuade this bruised, wounded woman to put her faith in him? Before he could devise some other idea to win her over, Lily slid her hand into his. “I’ll do my best.” It wasn’t a promise, and he’d wanted one. Logically, Stone knew she could simply break it, so maybe her honesty was better. He led her to the playroom and eased the door open. As he stepped in, she got her first eyeful and gasped. “You didn’t expect this?” “No.” She shook her head. “Wow . . . I would never have imagined a place with a refrigerator built around the same year my grandma was born to come equipped like this.” Stone laughed. He liked her slightly offbeat observations and sense of humor. She had a lot to be serious about, but somehow she made him laugh when he least expected it. “I’m full of surprises tonight. Kneel on the mat over there, and we’ll negotiate.” Her smile faded, and he would have lamented its loss if a pretty blush hadn’t taken its place. “Yes, Stone.” The way she said his name, with the same reverence she’d say “Sir,” made him hard and more determined than ever to win her over, body and soul, tonight. Without a word, she approached the mats. Suddenly, she stopped. “Um, I’ve only ever done this with Axel. When we were alone, I usually wore . . . something different.” Stone would rather see her wear something other than the garments she’d enticed Axel with, but this wasn’t about him. “Do you need to wear that tonight to be comfortable?” Lily hesitated. “I think so. It’s part of my ritual, gives me comfort.” Since she had every shred of clothing she owned with her, Stone cocked his head in the direction of the hall. “Go ahead.” “I’ll just be a minute.” The woman was true to her word, but it seemed like a damn long minute. Curiosity was killing Stone. He imagined everything from a body stocking to complete nudity. And he started to sweat. If she showed up wearing absolutely nothing, would he be able to use his brain and stay on top of the scene? When she returned, he spun around to see her tiptoe into the room—and lost his jaw when it dropped somewhere around his knees. She all but floated in wearing a white baby doll nightgown with ruffled straps over her shoulders, almost-transparent flowers over the pert swells of her breasts, a wide band around the waist that tied into a big bow at the back, and sheer fabric that brushed her thighs with every step, clearly revealing that she wore tiny lacy panties beneath. How the fuck was he supposed to use his brain if all the blood he needed to power it fled south to his cock? “Is this all right?” she asked softly. He could accuse her of trying to torture him, but she already looked so uncertain that he didn’t dare put her off-balance—at least not yet. “You look . . .” Stone blew out a breath. “I’m probably never going to forget how sexy you are right now.” A tremulous little smile broke out across her face. Her sweet blush followed. “Thank you.” “Just being honest.” As she sank to her knees and settled herself on the mat, she lifted big eyes to him. “Before we start, can I ask you a question?” That gave him pause, but he couldn’t exactly say no if he wanted to win her trust. “Sure.” “Why do we need to be in here doing something so personal if you’re just going to ask me questions?” Stone had anticipated her wanting an answer for that. He pulled over a rolling stool from the corner and sat in front of her, focusing utterly on her and her alone. “Because the questions are personal and we’re going to build trust while we’re doing it. What’s going on, both with Canton and with us, is too important to have anything less.” The little bit of challenge he’d seen on her face slipped off. “You’re right. It’s just . . . everything is happening so fast. I usually take more time to think about things.” “If I could slow it down for you, I would.” Because he couldn’t not touch her, he filtered his fingers through the soft hair at her nape. “I’ll bear as much for you as I can, but that’s another reason you need to trust me. If you don’t, you’ll try to handle everything yourself, the way you have for years. And you’ll have no one to turn to if you get overwhelmed.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he worried she’d point out that she had Axel. God, the thought even made Stone want to grit his teeth. Instead, she nodded. “You’re right. What do you want to ask me?” He breathed a sigh of relief. “First, we need a safe word. Think of one for me. I’d prefer something you’ve never used before.” It might be a bit selfish, but he’d rather she chose one solely for them and their time together. “How about . . . ‘lunar’?” She glanced at the moon rising outside the window as the sun set. “‘Lunar’ it is. If you say that, I’ll stop everything, and we’ll decide together whether to proceed differently or not at all. What are your hard limits?” “I found out that I’m not good with pain. I tried it a few times. The sensations temporarily blocked out everything in my head and made me live strictly in the moment. That was nice at first. But it also left me raw and alone with all my thoughts once they came rushing back. Ultimately, I felt worse afterward, not better. I didn’t have the heart to tell Axel after he’d gone to so much trouble to find a sadist. By then, he was getting involved with Mystery, so it didn’t matter anyway. Oh, I’m afraid of blindfolds. And definitely nothing with knives or needles.” She shuddered. “Anywhere I can’t touch you?” She sent him an apologetic gaze, looking a bit like a sad angel surrounded by her platinum hair and frothy white garment. “I never really know until that moment. It took Axel a long time before I was mostly good with him touching me whenever and wherever.” In other words, once she’d trusted the guy. Had that taken weeks? Months? Stone finally decided he’d be better off not knowing. He had tonight to make this work. “I want to understand your experience and where you are emotionally,” he told her. “How long were you under Axel’s protection?” “Almost three years. Thorpe asked him to look after me. He tried himself.” She smiled. “I think he was too distracted by Callie even then. His heart wasn’t in it. Axel and I got along, so it was a natural pairing.” “Why did Thorpe think you needed someone to look after you?” “It started as a protection measure. When I first came to Dominion, some of the Doms wanted to play with me. I refused everyone. When Thorpe asked why, I told him I wasn’t ready. Floating the story around the club that I belonged to Axel precluded others from propositioning me.” So it hadn’t been any grand love she’d felt for Axel—at least not at first. “You trusted Axel and relied on him. You were friends, right?” “Yes.” “How much more than friends?” She bowed her head, finally breaking their eye contact. Stone felt the loss acutely and realized that when he couldn’t see her, he couldn’t read her. And he couldn’t handle that. “He did his best to take care of me.” “You mean sexually?” “Yes,” she said so softly. Stone had known it, but hearing that still bugged the piss out of him. “And he topped you, too?” “Yes.” “Did he spank, flog, whip, or otherwise engage in impact play with you?” “Not much. He’s not any sort of sadist.” Pain seemed to push her buttons in the wrong way, and Stone could easily live without it. “Did he restrain you?” “Sometimes. After I came to trust him, that got easier. I even liked it every so often.” “How often did you have sex with him?” “Occasionally.” What did that mean? Stone crooked a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze again. “How occasionally? Once a month?” She gave him a self-conscious shrug. “More like once or twice a year.” Her answer shocked the hell out of him. The math meant she’d had sex with Axel a mere handful of times? That stunned him all over again. Why? Stone frowned, mentally debating which of the three questions pelting his brain would best serve his needs next. He finally chose the most pressing. “Because he didn’t want it more often or you didn’t?” Lily took a long time answering. “Both.” That stunned Stone silent for a long moment. In one sense, it probably shouldn’t have surprised him because Lily claimed she didn’t enjoy sex. But why hadn’t Axel wanted her more? Was that the reason she believed she wasn’t any good at sex? “I think he usually had someone else he enjoyed sex with more,” she volunteered. And she sounded really shamed by that. “He never talked about it with me but . . .” “Who usually initiated the sex when you had it?” Her eyes filled with moisture and her lower lip trembled. “Can we talk about something else?” “No. I asked you a question, Lily.” “That’s not my name anymore.” She sniffled, but her tears didn’t fall. “Yes, it is,” he shot back. “It always has been. It will be again. You’re not Misty.” “I prefer Sweet Pea.” Stone’s first instinct was to shut her down but he checked it. Finally, he knew something she wanted that he could give her. “If you answer my questions to my satisfaction, I’ll call you that for the rest of the night.” She pondered his words for a tense moment. “I initiated. Always.” She slumped her shoulders. “Axel never . . . He helped me but he didn’t really want me, not like that. I only asked him when I needed to be held or got some crazy-ass idea that I could be a normal woman with a normal sex drive. And every time, the whole exercise would remind me for another six months or more that that wasn’t true.” Swallowing in shock, Stone stared at her. When she turned her face away, he dropped his finger and let her have a moment of peace without him staring down at her. Without him drilling into her soul. Deep inside, Lily seemed to feel every bit as broken as she sounded. He saw that on her face. Heard it in the catch of her voice. Damn it . . . “Did he ever give you an orgasm?” “Sometimes. When I could get out of my head enough, and we had a few hours to devote to the cause. Like I said, I’m not very good at it.” She sounded both shamed and depressed by that, too. Stone had a suspicion that though Axel hadn’t intended it, the guy had made her feel more like a burden than a woman. No wonder orgasm had been difficult and rare. “Do you love him?” “Yes.” Her quick answer slapped him. Stone clenched his fists. “As more than a friend?” he clarified. Lily didn’t answer right away. “Maybe. He’s the only man I’ve had any sort of relationship with as an adult. He’s talked me through so many of my fears. I’m sure you think I’m still a head case, but I’m way better now than I used to be.” She probably did see it that way, and maybe it was true. But that wasn’t love. Stone simply had to prove that to her. And that urge was way more about his own feelings for Lily than his need to persuade her to take the stand. “When we first got together, I couldn’t tolerate sex at all. He’s helped me with some coping mechanisms,” she added. Stone wasn’t sure whether to shake Axel’s hand or punch him in the face. Maybe both. And maybe he’d had other reasons for being intimate with Lily only when she’d asked for it. Whatever. That was done and over. Now Stone intended to do everything different without triggering her fears. “Thank you for your honesty. I know it wasn’t easy.” “Being dishonest about my feelings and needs ultimately hurts me more than you,” she said, almost as if she were reciting something that had been drummed into her head. While Stone supposed the statement was true, he suspected he had Axel to thank for that, too. “It hurts both of us,” he corrected. “Look, I’m not trying to get laid right now; I want to help and understand you. I’m doing my best to make you like me within the context of our larger, more dangerous situation with your past. I have a feeling that trust between us will be important if we both want to defeat Canton and come out of this alive. So before we go any further, do you need to say something? Ask me anything?” She blinked, then dropped her gaze again. “Did you think of me when I didn’t take your calls these last few months?” “Every fucking day.” She frowned. “Why? It was one kiss.” The shaking in her voice tugged at him. He didn’t want her to be worried or afraid, but the fact that she wanted to know if she’d been on his mind was pretty damn endearing. “Hell if I understand it.” “Have you . . . been with anyone since you got out of prison?” “Yep.” He hoped that didn’t upset her too much but he wasn’t going to lie. “I’m not a saint.” “Since we met?” “I’ve had opportunities but . . . no.” Her head snapped up again. So that got her attention. “D-did you really like kissing me that much?” Axel hadn’t? Stone scowled. Her raw, vulnerable questions confused him. Most women protected their hearts and feelings with way more sophisticated mirrors and smoke screens. Lily simply asked. Stone slid off the stool and got to his knees in front of her. Yeah, it probably upset the D/s psychological balance or whatever, but Lily needed the touch of a man right now way more than she needed the authority of a Dom. He cupped her face in his hands, thumbs caressing her cheeks. “Baby, I kissed you . . . and that was it for me. I hardly think of anything else, except imagining what it will feel like when I do a lot more than kiss you.” She tried not to smile. And she didn’t reply, but he was damn happy that his admission hadn’t freaked her out. In fact, he had a better understanding of the state of Lily’s heart and mind. Now he had to put that information to good use. His father used to complain jokingly that women didn’t come with user manuals. Stone had never really understood his dad’s complaint until now. He couldn’t help but feel as if he had only one shot to bind Lily to him. Tomorrow the rest of the world would probably invade. If he fucked up, he might not get the opportunity to sway her in his direction again. So he had to pull out all the stops right fucking now. “When you had sex with Axel, where did he usually take you? Bed?” She shook her head. “Sofa.” Lily didn’t elaborate, and Stone found that odd but didn’t press. Instead, he stood and peeled off his shirt, hiding a grin when she stared raptly. “Wait here.” He left and found his phone in the bedroom, then flipped through the screens to find the music streaming service he subscribed to. When he found a channel of sexy electronic instrumentals, he launched the first song and reentered the playroom. “That okay?” he asked. “Yeah. Music helps me relax.” Exactly what he’d been hoping. “Close your eyes.” She hesitated, closed them, and opened them quickly again. “I have trouble with that. I need to see what’s happening.” He would remind her that she needed to trust him to take care of her during a scene, but he understood that fear drove her. On the other hand, he’d bet that when she was too aware of what was happening around her, she couldn’t shut off her brain enough to let pleasure take over. Axel may have let Lily have her way. Stone couldn’t afford to. On some things, he had to be aware not to push her too far past her limits too fast. But right now, she would never unravel for him if he didn’t. “I’m here. I’ve got you. We’re in a secure house in the middle of a swamp. There’s no one out here but us. Put yourself in my care. I’ll talk you through everything.” Lily seemed to wrestle with herself, biting her lip and staring at him, silently asking if he would harm her when she couldn’t see. That face hurt him, deep down where he wanted to make her happy. But he didn’t rush her. Finally, she came to the right conclusion and slid her eyes shut again. In reward, he stroked the crown of her head. “Good job, Sweet Pea.” “I know I asked you to call me that, but could you . . .” She sighed. “I like it better when you call me ‘baby.’ No one has ever called me that. It makes me feel sexy.” And Axel had probably called her Sweet Pea or Misty all the time. Stone took it as a good sign that she wanted things between the two of them to be different. “Baby, it would be my pleasure.” She gave a happy little sigh. He walked behind her and knelt so he could whisper in her ear. “I’m going to give you pleasure now. Ready?” “I’m nervous.” Stone placed his hands on her shoulders and stroked his way down her arms. “Nothing but goodness from here on out. I promise.” “Yes, Stone.” She barely breathed the words and trembled under his touch. Fuck, if that didn’t arouse the hell out of him. Most of the women he’d taken to bed had been jaded, afraid to be vulnerable with the man inside them. But Lily seemed not to have much of a filter when it came to shielding her reactions. She laid herself bare more often than she realized, and he wouldn’t want to change that for anything. “Move the hair off the back of your neck,” he whispered against her nape. He heard her breath catch; then she raised both hands to lift the shimmering, pale mass and push it to one side, exposing the narrow column and that delicate sweep of flesh into her other shoulder. “Good,” he praised, then followed that up by pressing his lips against her sensitive skin there in reward. Fuck, she smelled good, sugary-sweet with a hint of something spicy. He breathed her in—and his dick went harder. How the fuck was he going to restrain himself from throwing her to the mat and shoving his way inside her? He had to; she wasn’t ready for that, Stone knew. But damn if he didn’t burn to take her in every way known to man. “Tell me how you’re feeling.” “A little restless.” She squirmed as she sat back, butt on her heels. “A little achy.” “Aroused?” he prodded. “Yes, Stone.” God, he loved hearing his name from her lips, especially in that slightly breathy tone. He stroked her shoulder, peeling away the frilly little strap. His lips followed his hand, setting a slow trail of kisses all the way over the slope. Lily’s breath caught as he made his way back up, adding a nip of his teeth, followed by a soothing lick of his tongue. When he reached her neck again, he moaned in her ear. “You taste sweet.” She shuddered in his arms. “Are your eyes still closed?” he asked. “Yes.” “Do you feel safe?” This time she took a bit longer in answering. “Having my eyes closed may never be comfortable for me, but it’s not a reflection of you.” So something about having her eyes closed must remind her of a bad experience. Her friend’s rape and murder? He had to keep her from falling into her own memories and fears and failing to reach orgasm. “Picture the playroom we’re in. Remember the soft lighting. Feel the mat under your knees. Can you do that?” She nodded. “Are you uncomfortable beyond what you can bear?” “No,” she assured softly. “That’s what I want to hear. Now, keep that image firmly planted in your mind. Don’t let your thoughts usurp that visual with anything else. If you start to drift, bring back the hardwood floors and play equipment. Picture me right here with you.” “Yes, Stone.” The sensual song ended then slid into another, this one with some chanting and panting and a seriously sexual vibe. “Focus on the music,” he instructed. “You hear that? You like it?” She nodded. “Tilt your head back. More. Yes, all the way.” Once she complied, Stone trailed a fingertip from the tip of her chin, down her throat, into the hollow beneath, and descended slowly toward the swells of her breasts. “Can you feel me behind you?” She nodded. “You put off so much heat. Your skin is soft but everything beneath is muscled and hard. Every time I take a breath, I smell that you’re a man.” She let out a shaky breath. “I like it.” That was more honesty than Stone had expected, and he decided to reward her again with another kiss to her neck, another murmur in her ear. “You’re so delicate under my hands.” He caressed her arms again, then let his palms drift down to her waist. “So tender under my lips. Tell me, baby . . . are your nipples hard?” “I think so.” But she didn’t know for sure? That told him that her brain and her body might not be syncing up yet. “Touch yourself and find out for me.” Lily didn’t move right away. Was she wondering why he didn’t check himself? She didn’t ask, simply placed her fingertips over the baby doll’s wispy fabric where it covered her breast, then yanked her hand away quickly. “Yes.” He smiled. “Are you sure? Check again. Be really thorough.” “You just want to watch me touch myself,” she accused breathlessly. “Damn straight.” She didn’t obey right away. Stone felt the second she went up in her head and thought too much about the mechanics of what he’d asked. Then he’d bet she weighed how she would look to him or if arousing herself more while he watched would earn her praise or make her feel ashamed. “You’re taking too long,” he warned. “I can’t stop thinking that you’re going to be looking over my shoulder and watching me.” “Let’s make that worry go away. I’ll just ease around you and plant myself right here,” he said inches from her face. “So now, I’m not looking over your shoulder anymore. I’m just looking.” Her cheeks turned a pretty rosy shade and she opened her eyes, focusing in on him. “You’re going to leer at me while I touch myself?” He chuckled, liking the dreamy expression in her eyes, her slightly dilated pupils. “Pretty much. Unless that bothers you for some reason.” “No. It’s just not what I’m used to.” “I know. Right now, there’s only us and whatever we want.” He cupped her cheek. “You got that? I’m not judging anything. I just want you to be all right. I want you to feel pleasure.” Lily nodded. “Being with you . . . it’s so different.” “I’m not Axel.” And though he understood why she still had the man on her mind, it pissed Stone off that she couldn’t think about him when he was in front of her, half-naked and wanting. “Obviously,” she agreed. He grabbed for his patience. “Different isn’t bad.” “It isn’t,” she acknowledged, and he let out a sigh of relief. “What I meant was that everything feels so different when the purpose of the play is to feel good, not simply to screw my head on straight. It’s . . . nice to be wanted.” Her words took him aback. He should have put two and two together earlier and realized she wasn’t really used to indulging a man’s desire. On the other hand, if Thorpe was right, she had the heart of a submissive. She wanted to please. It had been one thing to obey Axel when he’d merely been trying to lead her down a path to help her grow. It was another for her to actually satisfy a man she would kneel for and eventually give herself to. She’d want that. And Stone intended to give it to her. “I’m still waiting—and not very patiently. Touch your nipple. Take your breast out of your nightgown and caress that hard nub. Right where I can see everything.” Lily’s breathing turned choppy. She trembled a bit as she lifted her hands from her lap and pulled the side of her baby doll down with one hand and lifted her sweet breast above the fabric with the other. The sight of the gentle swell in her hand aroused the hell out of him, but when she dragged her thumb across the turgid pink peak and sucked in a little gasp, Stone nearly lost his fucking mind. “That’s it. Again.” When she complied and looked at him with the big eyes seeking approval, he couldn’t resist cupping his hand around her shoulder and coming closer. “Did that feel good?” His words came out rough and low, and he hoped that wouldn’t scare her. The brave girl gave him a little nod. “Knowing that you’re watching and liking what you see is its own pleasure.” Just her tone made it clear she hadn’t expected that. “Do you ever touch yourself when you’re alone, make yourself come?” At that question, she frowned. “Not so much. I feel awkward, weird, touching myself when I’m alone. I never got the chance to before I left home as a kid since I shared a bedroom with my little brother. I know toys exist so that it’s more expedient and less messy, but I don’t like hearing things buzz. I don’t like plastic. And then there’s the whole feeling-too-alone thing. Masturbation just isn’t for me.” Stone would bet she just hadn’t had the right impetus. In the past, she’d probably tried doing it for the same reason she tried sex with Axel, to feel normal. When she figured out how to tune her brain to pleasure and simply indulged, he suspected she’d feel very differently about the subject. And if having him watch turned her on, then he was totally game. Because seeing her touch herself even now was about to make his cock bust through his zipper. “Keep touching that nipple for me,” he coaxed. “Just flick it back and forth . . . Yeah.” Her eyes slid shut. Despite the fact that he’d told her earlier to close them and focus, now Stone felt shut out of her experience, and that he wouldn’t tolerate. “Look at me, baby.” Lily was slow to comply. She lifted her thumb away from her breast before her lashes fluttered open. “Am I doing something wrong?” “No. I want you to touch yourself again but look at me. Right at me. Don’t look away.” “You really want to watch me?” “Fuck, yeah.” A nervous little smile crept up her face, but she didn’t refuse. Instead, she dragged her thumb over the hard point again. At the flick of her digit, Stone watched her peak bend, bounce back, then harden even more. She was so close that he could nearly touch it himself. Hell, he could nearly taste it. His mouth watered just thinking about working the stiff bud with his lips and tongue, giving her a slight sting with his teeth. He groaned. At the sound, her eyes widened. She blinked, then looked down his body, right where his hard cock fought to escape his pants. Stone grabbed at his bulge. “This is for you, baby. This is what you do to me. Watching you is excruciating torture, and yet I can’t stop. Pinch your nipple. Squeeze it. Just like that,” he encouraged. “Does it feel good? Can you feel the blood filling it? Do you like the tingle and bite?” Her breath wasn’t quite steady as she nodded and tried to close her eyes again. “Yes.” “Open those pretty eyes. Look at me. Don’t look away.” With a flutter of her lashes, she did as he demanded. Her eyes had darkened from the color of melted chocolate to sultry midnight. Stone couldn’t help himself. He had to touch her, stake a claim. “Do it again. Don’t stop until I tell you,” he murmured across her skin as he brushed his knuckles along her collarbone. Her eyes widened. She rewarded him with gooseflesh and a little whimper. Then she did exactly as he’d instructed, taking the hard nub between her thumb and finger and giving it a squeeze. Her whimper became a moan. “Harder,” he commanded. “Do it now.” To his satisfaction, Lily obeyed readily, almost viciously; then she rasped the edge of her fingernail across the sensitive peak. It tightened, turning rosy as it filled with more blood. Stone watched in utter fascination. And when her moan became a high-pitched keening, he smiled. “That’s fucking pretty, baby. Can you do that to the other breast?” he asked as he tucked his fingers under the other strap of her baby doll and lifted it off her shoulder, letting it fall uselessly down her arm. “Show me. Tease your nipple.” Lily didn’t hesitate to lift her other breast from the nightgown and reveal the perfect swell along with its tight berry tip. “Damn,” he choked out. “So fucking beautiful. Look at you.” He trailed his fingertips in a light caress down the side of her breast, then withdrew quickly in case she objected. But he shouldn’t have worried. Lily’s eyes softened in thanks. As she let out a sigh, she first brushed the newly exposed kernel gently with her thumb, then frowned as if the sensation displeased her. She blinked at him in confusion. “You want more now,” he supplied. “You’re sensitive and you want to feel. Pinch, tug, twist. Make that nipple come alive. Show me how you want them touched.” With a shaky bob of her head, Lily clamped her fingers around the barely touched peak and gave it a hard yank, a vise of a pinch, then a scrape with her nail. Her whole body seemed to melt as she tossed her head back with a shiver. Stone thought he might crawl out of his skin with wanting her. He curled a hand around her nape and forced her stare back to his. Her not-quite-focused eyes and pleading glance began to unhinge his restraint. “That’s the way I like to see you. You like it, too. I can tell.” He leaned closer, whispering against her lips. “Do it again, but tease both your nipples at once. Right now.” The moment she clenched her nipples between her thumbs and forefingers, she yelped. Then she groaned as sensation hit her. Stone swallowed the sound by covering her mouth with his own and surging deep inside. In this moment, he owned her. And he craved more. He loved the idea of having every part of her belong to him, spread out for his viewing pleasure, ready whenever he wanted her. Which would be always. But with such a beauty, who could blame him? She keened out and he drank in her need, itching to touch those sweet nipples himself. As he changed the angle of the kiss and rose on his knees above her, bringing her closer, he let his fingers trail from her shoulders, down to the swells of her pouty breasts. He covered her hand with his palm, helping her support the drawn-up curve while he caressed her so-soft skin and itched to put his fingers right where hers worked. The moment she released the reddening tips, he moved in, dragging his thumb over what had to be her supersensitive flesh. Lily tore her lips from his. “Stone!” “You like it when I do that to you? Do you like my fingers tugging on your nipples, baby?” “Yes.” She stared, looking somewhere between pleading and helpless. “You’re asking for more with that expression,” he warned. “Just begging me for the answer to the gnawing ache growing between your legs. You’re wet, right?” “I am,” she said with such tortured honesty. “Have you ever felt this need?” “Not this sharply. You can’t leave me . . .” “I won’t,” he assured, brushing her right hand from her breast and taking over. “You like your nipples toyed with and you like it rough. I love touching you, baby. I’ll take care of it.” When she flushed all over at his words and her little candy peaks hardened again, he groaned. “Look at you. God, I don’t ever remember anything sexier. You want more?” She nodded adamantly, demanding without a word. “You want more of my fingers?” He pinched, teased, toyed, twisted, enjoying her gasps and the way she wriggled as if the ache of her cunt was becoming too much to fight. “Or do you want something more? Do you want me to suck you?” When he bent to her breast, he tested both her arousal and her fear by drawing her nipple into his mouth and rolling it around on his tongue. Lily gave an animal cry of desperation and wrapped her arms around his head, clutching him closer. With a pop, he eased her bud from his mouth and smiled. “Would you like it if I did that to your other breast? Let’s see . . .” He didn’t hear anything that resembled her safe word, so he kissed a path from the hollow of her throat, his lips coasting down velvet skin, all the way down to the hard crest stabbing the air as if silently demanding attention. Gently, he surrounded the nub with his lips, then laved it, his tongue prodding it back and forth over her aroused flesh, just barely there. “That enough?” he teased. “No.” She clung to his shoulders. “More. Please. I’m . . . lost.” Something about the way she begged told him that she’d never done that in her life. Satisfaction and a desire to own her slammed him. Stone wanted to be the only man who ever heard her in true need. He wanted to be the only man who sated it, too. “Lost?” He gave her a mock frown. “Oh, baby. I’ll help you find exactly where you should be. Lie back.” Stone worried she would refuse or demur, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nearly melted into the mat, the delicate swells of her breasts pointing toward the sky, the tips calling his name in a siren song he couldn’t resist. Lily flung one arm over her head. The other she draped across her middle. She looked like a seductive goddess finally waking to the power of her own body and sensuality. “Like this?” He took her in, the gauzy white giving her fair skin a luminescent quality. She looked like a fucking pearl, all glowing. Stone couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Almost. Now bend your knees.” With a furrow of confusion wrinkling her brow, Lily planted her feet flat on the ground. Gravity caused the handkerchief hem of the baby doll to slide down her thighs, revealing a creamy length of leg and a hint of lace underneath. “That’s nice, baby. Really nice. You would look even prettier if you spread your legs for me.” When she hesitated, looking uncertain, Stone backpedaled. “Just a little more. That’s all. Get comfortable.” She swallowed. “You won’t hurt me?” As aroused as he was, Stone stopped everything and caressed her cheek. When she peered up at him, fear and uncertainty creeping back into her expression, he murmured a soothing sound. “Never. Whatever happens between us, I’ll never do anything but protect and pleasure you.” He caressed his way down to her breast and filled his palm with it, his thumb taking a slow slide over the sensitive tip again. “Ever. Do you have any idea how good I want to make you feel?” Exactly as he’d hoped, that turned Lily’s thoughts away from whatever disturbed her and turned her back toward bliss. Lily arched into his touch, her eyes drifting shut for the barest of moments as she groaned. And she spread her legs wider. When he bent and took her nipple into his mouth and fondled the other, her eyes flew open wide. “Stone!” “You like that?” “Yes,” she panted. “It’s . . . I ache everywhere. It’s too big. Can’t fight it.” “Don’t try. I ache, too, baby. I’m absolutely dying to see you give in to pleasure. Do you want that? Do you want to come?” As he continued to lick and pinch her nipples, he stared, his gaze delving into hers until she scratched at the mats and nodded feverishly. “I don’t know what’s happening.” “Just pleasure. Follow me and I’ll make sure you get to orgasm. Do that for me, baby. We both want you to reach it.” She panted, her face softening with need. Her voice thinned with desperation. “How?” “Let me touch your pussy.”
Chapter 8