Page 28 of Live a Little!

And, at last, he kissed her. Taking firm possession of her mouth with his lips and tongue, delving deep until she was mindless with the pleasure of it. He took her wrists in his hands and lifted them over her head. She felt glorious, as though she could fly on those wide-stretchedarms.

Somewhere, dimly, she was aware of the cold shock of metal on the heated flesh of her wrists, but he was kissing her so fiercely she couldn’t concentrate on this new sensation. Not until she heard the ominous tinny snap did she realize what he’ddone.

“No!” she cried, pulling frantically, but she was handcuffed securely to the bed. And bitterly did she know how helpless she was. “Jake! Let mego.”

There was no other answer than the shifting of bedsprings as he left thebed.

Next she heard the scrape of a match being lit. She followed the tiny bobbing flame of the match as he lit one candle, then another. She recognized her emergency candle stash, and soon flickering candles added a luminescent glow to the room, and to the man in possession of it—and her. Her fantasy. This was herfantasy.

She glared at him. “You read themagazine.”

He bent to light another candle on her bedside table. He glanced at her and she saw twin candle flames like devil lights reflected in his eyes. “Yep. Personally, my favorite fantasy was ‘Servant Girl Washing her Master’s Plinth.’ But you’d highlighted ‘Helpless Virgin Ravaged by a Dark Dangerous Stranger’ in yellow marker, so I figured it turned yourcrank.”

“You werewrong.”

“Are you sure?” His voice sent a shiver over herflesh.

“Yes.” She might be helpless, but she’d be damned if she’d beintimidated.

“Well, you’re certainly helpless, and since I’m a gentleman, I’m going to assume you’re a virgin. But, just so it doesn’t get too frightening, I’m going to tell you in advance what I’m going to do, every step of theway.”

“Couldn’t you just let mego?”

He shook his head. “Not until I’ve ravishedyou.”

Politically correct this wasn’t. But the thrill that shot through her was visceral. He might act the part of the fierce stranger, but she was sure he’d never really hurt or frighten her. Well, prettysure.

“Now, I’ve gone easy on you, seeing it’s your first time. Your legs aren’t shackled. But you give me one little bit of trouble and you’ll be spread-eagled.Understand?”

She gulped. “Mmm-hmm.”

“First thing I’m going to do is touch those pretty breasts of yours.” He moved toward her as he spoke, still dressed in his jeans, bare chest glowing in candlelight. “I’ll probably play with the nipples quite a bit, too.” At his words, her breasts, and most of all, her nipples, began to throb, longing for his touch, and she felt an echoing throb between herlegs.

He put his big, capable hands on her breasts, cupping and kneading the flesh, then pulling on her nipples until she gasped. “I’m going to put my mouth there now,” he told her softly. “I’ll be using my teeth on those little cherries, so braceyourself.”

She moaned. It was as though each caress came twice. When he told her what he was going to do to her, her imagination played it through, while the part of her body he described ached and tingled in anticipation. Then, when he actually touched her, the excitement was almost more than she couldbear.

Everything from the palms of her shackled hands to the toes of her feet were subjected to this double caress. Everything except the desperately aching core ofher.

She was almost sobbing with need when he stood back, stripped off his jeans and slipped on a condom. The sight of that proudly jutting manhood was too much for her self-control. She whimpered, and the handcuffs rattled against the mahogany four-poster.

He smirked. “Don’t be frightened,” he soothed, knowing damn well she wasn’t scared. “I’ll go slowly and try not to hurtyou.”

“Not slowly, no.Please.”

“I understand you want to get this over with. But taking a man into your body can be painful the first time. Now, I want you to spread your legs open for me so I can see if you’re ready to take meyet.”

And she did it. Lord help her, she parted her legs for him eagerly, and watched as well as felt him settle himself at the bottom of the bed and justlook.

He was so close his breath stirred the damp curls. She was heavy and swollen with desire, too excited to be embarrassed at the intimate way he stared at her. With his index finger he traced her opening and she hissed in her breath. “I’m going to put just this one finger inside you, to see if you’reready.”

She would have kicked him upside the head if she wasn’t certain he’d tease her for hours more if she did. Instead, she watched in agonized frustration as he slipped a finger slowly inside her. Unable to help herself, she cried out and bucked against hishand.

The finger was gone in an instant, and with more phony concern he said, “I’m sorry, honey. I guess I hurtyou.”

“No.No!”

“Shh. I know I hurt you. I’ll kiss itbetter.”

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