Dalliance in Darkness ( Dalliance #1) (10 page)

“I’m not like Dean,” he asserted. “Risks are my game as much as everything else.” I felt a shade more mental for coming here after he had done that, but if I had come this far already what was another red flag in a sea of them.

“Whatever you say,” I declared before turning my head a bit to the left.

James wrapped an arm around me and sipped from his glass. “Why do you want this so bad?” He placed down his glass of wine, drawing me closer to him. “Ya seem unusually determined.”

Pinioned under his embrace I looked up at him and then my sight drifted downwards and to the left, briefly caught on the legs of the coffee table. “I wasn’t there for someone.”

James put a finger to my cheek and brought me back to his eyes.

Suddenly I was aware of the weight once again on my shoulders. “I mean,” I caught myself trying to find the right words. “I wasn’t there for anyone,” I nodded. “Friends, family, lovers,” there was a coldness and an emptiness to my words, “myself especially.”

James pet the side of my face with his thumb comfortingly.

I leaned in to his touch. “I just promised someone that I would start doing for me, even if I never got to tell them that.”

“It’s okay,” he assured. “You don’t have to give me the details.”

I wanted to say thanks but I couldn’t find the strength.

He pulled away his thumb, a moment passing before he grabbed his glass between his fingers and drank. “Ya know you made him break the rules for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Never give second chances,” he paused. “Or thirds and fourths,” he continued, gesturing slightly with his head. “Not sure what he sees in you,” he said in a wry voice.

“I see plenty of things to like about myself in the mirror,” I said. “So what do you see.”

James sipped from his cup. “In?”

“In me.”

“Well,” he started, ignoring what I said. “When I look at myself in the mirror,” he paused considering his words. “Every day, mind you, every day before I go to work – or well, I go to my second job.” I perked up at hearing that, but didn’t know what he meant. There was no way a man of his position needed or could work a second, I was surprised enough he had time enough now.

I watched James carefully as he continued. “And when I go to shave or to comb or to see how I’m presenting myself, I smile.” James chuckled. “I smile darlin, from ear to ear I see just how picture perfect I can get it.” He turned his glass in his hand. “Tell myself that ya had to do it once for trust and twice for that line ya made in the sand. That line? It keeps me smiling, it’s what makes these people want to trust me and is my absolution no less than a prayer to the faithful.”

He sighed. “But that’s enough,” he placed his fingers on my chin. “Are ya really wondering what I see in you?”

I pulled away playfully from his touch. “Maybe.”

James brought a firm hand back to my jaw.

Shadow of the Black Heron II

I looked up at him and held my gaze for a moment before moving upwards and kissing his lips. They were soft and warm and inviting. There was a hunger to my attack, and he responded kindly with a fierce display of power – pinning me down on the couch a growl escaping him.

It was in that moment that everything came together in a hot crescendo. His eyes locked on my own, his hands forced against me and the lightning between us unyielding like nothing I’d felt before. He pressed his lips against mine, this time exploring my mouth with his tongue.

I welcomed him freely while exploring his mouth myself, basking in the taste as my body responded with little pinpricks all around. I could feel warmth pulsing between my legs and a need growing more and more with every heavy breath. We moved to strings unseen, my hands gripping him tight as they moved all around his back – like I was trying to map out every line of his body against his clothes. I needed them to be off. I needed to feel his bare skin against my flesh.

That was when he sunk his teeth into my neck. Glorious. So fucking good. To feel that painful bite I couldn’t help but squeak as he did that. It all seemed so animalistic, the way he growled under a breath as I squeaked. But it turned me on even more. Already I could feel my lower lips anticipating the feel of his hard cock slipping inside the tightness of my wet pussy. The whole of my body threatened a tremulous motion at the thought, his constant sucking and biting and claiming of my neck and below my ear dizzying me with lust and verve.

I pawed at his shirt and lifted it up and off revealing his body.

James stopped his advances.

He had an exquisite body no doubt. But I was surprised he had even let me take it off. There was faded, pasty, flesh colored scars in all kinds of sizes across his chest. I didn’t say anything, they were not pretty things or attractive in the sense that all of those books and movies wax on about – but I couldn’t let it get to me any more than I could let it get to him. I know that kindness would have saved me a lot of heartbreak. So I just crept up from my spot and kissed down from his jaw to his neck, to his chest. Giving each individual cut marking a kiss before going down closer to his crotch.

James grabbed me by the length of my hair and nodded his head from side to side. “No lass.” He got up from the couch and continued to pull me by the length of my hair. The stinging was aggravating but he wouldn’t let go. We walked several paces and then some to the guest bedroom. He let go of my hair and pointed to the floor. “On your knees.”

I did as he said.

He opened the door and adjusted the lights to a dim and moody setting. The room appeared very neat, the bed well made and the trash bin empty. There wasn’t the slightest suspicion that the room had been used in quite some time. James, with his back still facing me, snapped his fingers and wagged a finger beckoning me over.

I crawled on my knees towards him. But as I moved a few inches past him he grabbed me once more by my hair.

“No.” He said. “You follow.” James started to walk forward. “I lead. Better ya learn that now than later.” He stopped at the king sized bed and knelt down, reaching underneath and pulling a few items out one by one. The first was something I wasn’t familiar with, it looked like a pointed pinwheel made of metal. The second was a flogging whip, black and with dark blue streaks.

Now the third. That was the really interesting one. A vicious pair of silvery and black nipple clamps.

James turned his head and looked at me with a lust in his eyes and beckoned me closer once more.

I crawled over to him slowly.

“Good.” He praised. “Just like that, like you’re a pet.”

It felt good. Really good. To just stop and listen. Following, making sure that I focused on obeying his every word to the point. I was about to nuzzle up against him, but I stopped myself. “May I—“

His arm moved quickly, and his open hand struck me with some force.

My head moved with the motion of his hand, accompanied by a stinging that didn’t quickly go away. I fought back the urge to rub it. The stinging feeling crept over to just behind my eyes as well, but I didn’t cry.

James placed a hand on the side of my face and pressed a thumb gently just below my eye. “Some men,” his eyes wandered away from me . . . “Some men are just in it to hurt. Not to teach.” He wiped his thumb across my face before doing the same to the other eye. “Cry now sweetheart,” he said. “You’ll know who gives a shit about ‘ya or who doesn’t.”

“I’m not crying,” I insisted.

He helped me up so that I could stand level to him. “When you address someone in your position you’ve got to stick to a certain criteria – I would have told you before but I honestly thought you knew since you seemed so on the know.”

James circled his thumb across my cheek soothingly. “Some like to hear you say Master,” he said. “Others might like Daddy,” he moved behind me and put his hands to my waist. “You may call me sir.” His hands rocked against my hips back and forth before he snaked one hand upwards to grab my breasts. The other hand going downwards and grabbing my ass.

I leaned in to his touch, embracing the pulse between my legs – thickening with every second that he played with me. The way that his hands explored me, filled me with a kindling flame beneath the surface of my core. I couldn’t hold back even if I had wanted to.

Next he brought his mouth close to the lobe of my ear, the tickling sensation of his warm breath assailing me. Then, in a sudden rush, his lips were on the side of my neck – pressing and sucking and nibbling.

I could feel his grip tightening around me as he marked my neck, wrapping himself taut around his property. Or at least, what he thought was his. As much as it pained me to use someone, I didn’t want to lose – I hated that thought. But I couldn’t deny the fact that what he was doing to me was so…good. I moved my hand to his crotch to feel his cock, but he batted it away.

“Permission,” he said. “Remember you always ask for permission when you approach for what you want.” James spun me around to face him, his eyes on my own. “Men of respect,” he smirked. “As I’m sure you know, do the same but in a different way,” he leaned in to kiss me, and I in turn leaned to meet him. His lips locked tight against mine before his hands worked their way down to my pants, unbuttoning and unzipping just an inch.

His fingers pet between my clit up and down teasingly, making me hyper aware at just how slick my pussy had gotten. His other hand moved to my neck and grasped me firmly, making it a little hard to breathe – he had to be going easy on me.

James growled. “Look at how wet you are,” he inched a finger inside of me.

The penetration sent shivers up my spine, and all that I could think about was how badly I wanted – needed – more. More. Just hurry up and fuck me with your fingers. “Please sir,” I whimpered.

“Speak up little one, what is it ya want?” He asked, pulling his finger out of me and sliding it back inside, the teasing torturous in its pleasure. His finger was undoubtedly slick with my juices. “Look at me,” he said.

I did not instantly react to his directions. But there was a blistering burst of pain that found itself once again on my cheek, though not quite as hard as it was last time.

“Look at me,” he repeated.

I did so. “I want it,” I said.

James fed my lower lips a few more inches of his fingers.

I moaned in response to his touch. “Yes…” I uttered.

“Louder,” he demanded. He pulled back his fingers and circled my clit now.

“I want it sir,” I replied loudly. “I want you to stop teasing me and fuck me.”

James pulled his fingers from the tight grip of my wet slit and pushed me backwards onto the guest bed. He placed an arm against the length of my clavicle, assuming a dominant position on top. “I dictate this tempo,” he pressed his fingers against the cheeks of my mouth, so firmly that I could feel the ends of his fingers against my teeth. “Not you,” James growled. “Nod if you understand.”