when we leave active duty.”
She could buy that. A Navy SEAL. He’d fought for his country. A warrior. Maybe that was why she felt safe with him.
“Sweetheart, are you sure you want to play with me?” His hands came up, tracing the line of her jaw. “You should be careful.”
“Are you going to hurt me?” He hadn’t before. He’d given her exactly what she needed.
“No.” His thumb found her lower lip, his eyes catching there. “Not at all. Actually I’ve had a horrible day. I’ll be honest with you, I normally wouldn’t do this, but I’ll take it today.” He crowded her, leaning over. “Come up to my room. But not before you tell a friend where you’re going.”
She looked back at Gaby. “Gaby knows. She runs the place.”
He shot Gaby a smile. “Yeah, that’s good, sweetheart. Let’s go upstairs and hope my brother’s not hanging around. I heard he’s in the dungeon. He’s probably playing with a sub, but he can manage on his own for a night.”
She wondered about his brother, the nice one. But he was all she needed. “Can you kiss me, Sir?”
“How do you like to be kissed, sweetheart? I don’t know how your relationships work. Do you want it soft or rough?”
“I want it every way.” She wanted to lose herself. That was all.
He leaned over and pressed his beautiful mouth on hers. Men’s lips shouldn’t be so full and sensual. He was softer than she’d expected, but it was a revelation all the same. He didn’t pull her to him, rather let her cuddle up, her body molding to his. He had to lean over to kiss her, making her feel petite and delicate and feminine, a state she thought she’d left long ago.
He kissed her, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips, asking for entry. He was tentative, not at all the strong dominating presence of before, but she was okay with that. He knew her story. He was treating her with caution. One more reason to like the man.
“You’re awfully sweet.”
She felt sweet. “I’m in a mood, Sir. Take me to your room.”
He took her hand and led her away. Nat followed, her heart pounding. She was ready to find out just how far she’d come.
Chapter Five
Ben hit the button for the tenth floor and wondered briefly what the hell the sweet-faced girl with the pink hair was doing, but then he saw the swell of her breasts and the way her eyes heated up and he didn’t give a shit.
Everything could wait. He’d known it the minute he saw her. A connection had sparked as if he already knew her. Sweetness. The word had played along his head, a little whisper he couldn’t ignore. She would be sweet once he got past her armor.
He could still feel Chase, but he ignored his brother’s pull. Chase was brooding. What was different about that? Chase was bemoaning his existence or drinking because he was bored. Ben wasn’t sure what had happened earlier. He’d felt an odd sense of contentment rush through his system, blanketing him in peace. It had to be Chase since at the time Ben himself had simply been pissed off because Georgia wouldn’t stop complaining about her broken nail. Now Chase was right back to his brooding self. It was a regular old Dawson Friday night. Being weirdly connected to his brother was the bane of his life.
But the girl with the pink hair was different.
He’d looked at her across the dungeon and his dick had leapt at the sight. She was different, and the way she looked at him made him feel ten fucking feet tall. She looked like she could eat him alive, and he would love the process of feeding her.
He needed this, and she’d shown up like freaking manna from heaven. He pulled her close, his hands sliding over the curve of her ass, and she winced slightly.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m still a little sore from earlier.”
Ah, now he understood what she was doing. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to help out a poor little submissive who’d been horribly treated by a Dom. It could happen for a lot of reasons.
Robert J. Sawyer, Stefan Bolz, Ann Christy, Samuel Peralta, Rysa Walker, Lucas Bale, Anthony Vicino, Ernie Lindsey, Carol Davis, Tracy Banghart, Michael Holden, Daniel Arthur Smith, Ernie Luis, Erik Wecks