Not a hint of the sadness, the pain, that he’d worn so heavily in the early weeks after the attack.
“That’s right. You do. My sweet, beautiful baby girl. All mine.”
Without releasing his hold on her hair, he urged her to her feet. He gripped the back of her neck firmly with his other hand and lowered his lips just above hers.
“You belong to me. I’ll die before I let anyone hurt you. You know that, right?”
She nodded, transfixed by his sweet gaze. “Yes, Sir.”
He teased her, making as if to kiss her but not letting her close the gap, earning her another of those smiles. “Tell me what you want.”
This was something else that felt right. She wasn’t sure what to say, but the words magically appeared in her brain. “I want you to own me completely, Sir. I want to be your slave. I want you to own my heart and my body.”
He never looked away, his gaze holding hers. “For the rest of our lives.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“That means taking punishment if you disobey me.”
Her breath came faster. “Yes, Sir.”
He completed the kiss, setting off explosions inside her. He kissed her hard, crushing, fucking her mouth with his tongue as she did her best not to let her knees turn to jelly. She had to wrap her arms around him for support.
He took and tasted, giving her no choice, holding her there and stealing her breath with the ferocity.
Just as suddenly, he used his grip on her to pull her away from him with a playful smile. She gasped, reeling, and he used her discombobulation to spin her around and deliver a bare-handed swat that stung even through the seat of her jeans.
“Go start a fire, baby girl. I have plans for you tonight.”
She raced to do it.
Laura kindled a fire while Rob opened a chilled bottle of champagne he’d bought the day before. They curled up in front of the fireplace and linked arms.
He gazed into her eyes as she felt the first true, deep peace she had since the nightmare began. “I love you, Laur,” he said. “You are my life.”
She leaned over to kiss him, nearly spilling her glass. This set them both giggling and they barely managed to take a sip before having to untangle themselves and put the glasses down.
“Tell me the truth, Sir. Was I always this klutzy?”
He smiled. “Yes, but it was one of the things I loved about you.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. She hadn’t had the color touched up. It had grown out a little and she was back to wearing it like she used to. “Someone so beautiful and talented and yet as human as the rest of us.” He stroked her cheek. “You used to always joke you wear your food well.”
“There’s still a lot I don’t remember, you know.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” He hooked a finger through the ring in the front of her collar and pulled her close. “Tonight you don’t think about that. Tonight, you completely belong to me, and I’m going to make up for lost time.” He kissed her before pulling her into his arms.
She settled against him and watched the flames dance in the hearth. “I want it all back, Sir,” she whispered. “I want all my memories back. I want to know everything.” She paused. “I want those goddamn journals!”
“Stop. That’s an order. Do not think about it. Not tonight. Regardless of whether or not your old memories come back, we’re going to make new ones, right?”
She nodded.
“Okay, then. Let’s make some right now.” He kissed her, slowly, refusing to be rushed. She folded against him, opening herself to him completely, her body pressed against his. She’d missed this, being with him, contact with him. Especially when they’d just begun rekindling this part of their relationship.
When she pulled him down on top of her, he stopped her.
“What?”
“Hold on a minute.” He got up and disappeared into the bedroom, reappearing with blankets and pillows, as well as a duffel bag.
“What’s that?” she asked.
He grinned. “You’ll find out, baby girl.”
A thrill ran through her. He obviously had something up his sleeve. She had a strong suspicion what that something was.
Once they spread the blankets and pillows out on the floor, he held his arms out to her and drew her close. “That’s better.”
He took his time. It was sweet, slow torture as he traced her neckline with tiny kisses and carefully unbuttoned her shirt. As he kissed her bared skin she pushed away all thoughts that these last few days could be the beginning of the end if the stalker had his way.
She moaned softly while he slowly, carefully, explored every inch of her flesh. When she tried to work on his waistband he gently pushed her hands away. With a sigh she lay back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his body against hers.
He made her feel beautiful, in a way she’d thought she might never feel after seeing her reflection in the mirror at the hospital. She’d come away, physically, with just a tiny scar on her forehead.
Emotional and mental scars, however, weren’t something she wanted to ponder. Not tonight.
Feather-soft, his fingers traced patterns on her skin, making her shiver with anticipation. He nibbled on the top of her shoulder, at the junction with her neck, nipping her just enough to make her squeal with pleasure and pain.
“Such a sweet sound,” he whispered against her flesh before he did it again. And again.
Her clit pulsed, throbbing. He knew her body better than she did, it sometimes felt like.
Then he reached for the bag, hooking the strap with his finger and dragging it close. He unzipped it and held up her leather wrist and ankle cuffs. Slowly, after grazing his teeth across her flesh at every point, he buckled each cuff around her.
“Now that’s the way I wish I could keep you dressed all the time,” he said. He grabbed her wrists and pulled them up and over her head, pinning her down. His stiff cock pressed through his jeans, hitting her perfectly against her clit. “Wearing nothing but my cuffs, my collar, and my wedding ring.”
She nodded, barely able to breathe with the anticipation coursing through her body.
He reached into the bag again. He withdrew a coil of royal blue rope and held it up. “Tonight, we do things my way.”
Laura caught her lower lip under her teeth. She felt close to coming just from the raging passion in his face. She nodded.
“Good girl.” Using her wrists, he pulled her up into a sitting position. “Arms up.”
She immediately complied as he set to work, weaving a chest harness around her torso. He took his time, the rope sliding over her flesh as he trapped her breasts, making them stand out.
Pausing, he leaned in and sucked her left nipple between his lips.
She let out a moan and started to put her arms down to hold him but he let go. “I said arms up.”
Dom tone. Her arms shot skyward again.
“Good girl.” He sucked her right nipple into his mouth. An accompanying bolt of liquid need coursed straight to her aching clit.
He continued fashioning the chest harness, then added her arms to it, binding them snugly to her sides and leaving her unable to move them.
Rob stood and admired his handiwork. “Good.” He pushed her down onto her back. Leaning over, he pulled something else from the bag. She recognized it as an adjustable spreader bar. He clipped it to her ankle cuffs and then pushed her legs up and back, using the rope to secure it to the chest harness and leaving her open and vulnerable.
“Someone got mouthy with me on the phone, didn’t they?”
Unable to trust her voice, she nodded.
He tsked at her and reached over to pull something else from the bag.