Bound to You (22 page)

For the entire weekend, we lived on Xavier's boat. I have to admit experiencing the regatta as an observer, and not as someone's employee, was a delight.

Months passed. Winter swept into Boston. As he'd promised, Xavier never helped me financially. Not a single dime. What he did offer though was encouragement and love. And when he offered advice, I listened. Who in their right mind turned down advice from a billionaire?

What I did concede to was living together—when he spent his weekends in Boston or when he telecommuted. We made a new home together in downtown Boston on the top floor of the very building where I made him stay in that tiny studio apartment.
Go figure.

After a long day of work I came home to an empty apartment and a handwritten note from Xavier on the end table next to the front door.

The insatiable Mr. Quinn strikes again.

A new note meant a new game to play.

I couldn't stop smiling while I read.

get in the elevator and go down to the studio apartment on the tenth floor. take off your clothes, blindfold yourself, and get into the bed.

He wanted me to go back to the studio apartment. Very nice.

After such a crazy day in the wintry weather, my feet hurt and the possibility of a hot bath beckoned me, but I complied. I knew very well what was coming, so I did as I was told and Xavier knew I loved an order I couldn't refuse.

I made the trip down to the studio apartment. The place was pitch-black and cold. I peered into the darkness. Was he waiting in the shadows for me? I left my sweater dress on the staircase. My garters on the dresser next to the bed. I placed my bra and panties at the foot of the bed.

Then I used the blindfold on the bed to cover my eyes.

I waited and waited in the cold apartment.

The chill in the room brushed against my skin, but I didn't so much as twitch.

By the time I was shivering, I sensed someone approaching. He made me wait even longer, and all I could do was imagine his gaze caressing me in the darkness. He finally brushed his fingertips against my core. The briefest of touches. Teasing me was his specialty at this point and he pleased me every single time.

He always came for me and I always accepted him.

I shifted my hand to reach for him.

“I warned you, Sophie,” he whispered, his breath close to my mouth.

He continued, “Now you'll be punished.”

Please touch me tonight,
I wanted to whisper. What would the punishment be today? Instead of letting me anticipate more pleasure, he rolled me over onto my stomach and gave my ass a gentle smack. The sound bounced off the walls and I had to hold in a moan. He ran his fingertip down the middle of my back, along the seam of my ass to the place where I wanted him the most. From there, he fondled my buttocks before giving me a hard slap on each cheek.

I gasped from the searing warmth spreading along my butt cheeks. He could do that to me again and again until I was begging.

“You're so beautiful like this,” he said as he pressed his chest to my back. “My beautiful love.” He was on top of me now. I felt everything, yet I couldn't turn around to wrap my arms around him and tell him I felt the same. His shaft rested against the back of my thigh. Hard and ready.

I was his and he was mine.

“What should I do to you tonight?” he whispered. His thick finger circled my tight opening, slipping into the indentation and slipping back out. My stomach quaked, and I pushed back against his finger.

Quicker than I expected him to react, he grabbed a fistful of my hair with one hand and pulled my hips upward with the other. I gasped as he thrust deep inside of me.

“I prefer this for now.” The bed groaned from the force of his thrusts. Over and over again he showed me how much he desired me. How much he refused to let me go. I took all the love he offered. He knew exactly what I wanted. Tension gathered around my scalp where he gripped my hair. Again and again he filled me until I screamed my release.

He rolled me over and gently pulled the blindfold off. “Hello, Ashley.”

A name I used to hate hearing filled me with joy every time he said it.

“Hey…love.” Did he really expect me to reply as he continued to pleasure me to the point where my toes curled and my back arched?

Just watching him watch me made it harder to think. Every caress, every kiss, sent me spiraling higher.

With a grunt, his back straightened. I watched him bite his lip. His climax blossomed inside me as his love always did.

Once our quickened breathing slowed, he kissed my forehead. “So what if I told you I wanted to relocate to Boston permanently?”

I couldn't hide my smile. “I'd like that.”

“And what if I wanted to marry you, too?” He kissed my nose and my mouth dropped.

“You're not very good at proposing,” I blurted. “Or giving gifts.”

He laughed. “I just said I want to spend the rest of my life with you and you're chastising my approach?”

“Pretty much.”

“So what do you say?” He reached over to the drawer next to the bed and pulled a box from inside. A ring-shaped box.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't believe this was happening. “Yes, Xavier, I'll marry you.”

He placed the massive princess-cut diamond ring on my finger. “I'm glad you said yes this time.”

I snorted, thinking of when he offered me the cuffs. “You did it right this time.”

“Are you upset I didn't make you wait long for a proposal?”

I ran my fingers along his chin, reveling in the feel of his stubble. “Not at all. I've waited long enough to find you.”

“Was I worth the wait?”

“You'll have to put in the work to show me whether you're worth it, Mr. Quinn. I'm thinking countless hours of rope work. Maybe even a trick or two with a riding crop.”

He ran his fingers down my legs again, grinning like a wolf about to pounce on his prey. “Ashley, I'd be delighted to show you again and again.”