Deep Domination (Bought by the Billionaire #2) by Lili Valente Page B

mantra for as long as it took for it to stick, she wrapped up in a towel and stepped out of the bathroom to find her favorite breakfast—croissants and fresh fruit—waiting on the coffee table.
    Even more exciting, however, were the new clothes spread out on the foot of the bed.
    At the sight of the khaki cargo shorts and black tank top—with a built in bra, thank God, she was so sick of going without one—her heart flipped over and a giddy grin broke out across her face.
    Clothes! Real clothes!
    She practically skipped across the room, squealing with delight when she saw the socks and hiking boots on the floor on the other side of the bed.
    She was going outside and it looked like Jackson had something active planned! She was so thrilled. After days of stagnantly stewing she was dying for a long hike through the jungle, or up to the bluffs above the sea. Any place where she could breathe deep and feel the eternal, peaceful pulse of nature whispering across her skin.
    Where she could feel her blood rush and her skin heat for reasons that had nothing to do with sex or the man who was quickly becoming the seductive black hole at the center of her universe.
    She dressed quickly, hands shaking with happiness as she covered her nakedness, even putting the socks and shoes on, though she never wore shoes in the house at home. But if felt so good to have something to wear, to be granted that small privilege. When she was through, she wrapped her arms around herself and held on tight, relishing the way the cotton and spandex of the tank top clung to her skin, helping hold her weakening center together.
    If Jackson were here right now, she would throw herself into his arms and hug him until he grunted. She wouldn’t be able to help herself. She was just so grateful.
    Grateful for clothing, giddy because he’s stopped forcing you to walk around in nothing but a sheet, feeling vulnerable and exposed.
    Hannah’s smile faded and the happy butterflies in her belly died a quick death, falling to the floor of her stomach where they began to fester and rot.
    The voice of reason was right. She could enjoy these clothes, but she shouldn’t be grateful for them. Jackson didn’t deserve credit for easing up on a punishment or for pleasure delivered on his terms. She couldn’t afford to start feeling gratitude for anything Jackson gave her except her freedom at the end of this month and the full payment of her promised fee.
    With that thought firmly in mind, she sat down to eat her breakfast, determined to keep her head in the right place and make the most of her afternoon of freedom.

CHAPTER TWELVE
    Jackson
    Jackson asked the cook to prepare a picnic lunch and then deliberately added the cooler pouch with three water bottles and two fruit juices into Harley’s pack, simply to add a little extra pain to what promised to be a miserable experience.
    For Harley, anyway.
    She’d seemed to enjoy their strolls on the beach years ago, but she’d clearly been miserable the one time he’d taken her hiking on his favorite stretch of the Appalachian trail a few weeks before she’d disappeared. She’d complained for most of the six-mile hike and acted like the small camelback water pack he’d brought for her weighed a hundred pounds.
    That was the first time Jackson had realized how out of shape she was. Back then Harley had been slim—almost too skinny for his tastes—but she’d maintained her weight by watching what she ate, not exercise. By the end of the trail, he’d been beating himself up for taking her on such a grueling hike. They should have started out slow, to build up her endurance.
    Now, he was looking forward to watching her attempt to maintain her “I live to serve” attitude while being forced to hike five miles up hill through a close, humid rainforest and then five miles back down again. By the time they were back at the trailhead, he expected her to be reaching the end of her rope. It would then be a simple business to