Fever (33 page)

cock touched the opening of her pussy and nudged inward, pausing as he stretched her around his

width.

She sucked in her breath and reveled in the sensation. Stretching. Burning. So deliciously full.

He pushed inward, his hands sliding to her waist, holding her, not that he needed to hold her down.

She was prevented from moving by the ropes. Her legs were stretched wide, her arms pinned over

her head.

But his fingers dug into her waist and then slipped down to her hips, gripping as he thrust deeply

into her body.

He wasn’t all the way in. He stopped, breathing raggedly, his fingers pressing into her skin,

marking her just as the crop had marked her ass.

“Okay, baby?” he whispered.

She didn’t answer. Couldn’t. But she didn’t say no and so he powered the rest of the way into her,

sealing their bodies together as his balls pressed against her mound.

At first he fucked her gently, withdrawing only to ease his way back in. But as she went wetter

around him and his entry grew easier, he picked up his pace. His movements became more powerful.

Her entire body jostled with the force of his thrusts.

His hips smacked against her ass. He pushed deep. Touching a part of her that hadn’t been touched

before. Every time he stroked over that one spot, her entire body jumped and pleasure rocketed

through her system, flinging her perilously close to release.

It was as if she had no control whatsoever over her own body. He commanded it. He owned it.

He pressed into her with a deep groan, straining upward and inward, his body mashed so hard

against hers that her legs were pulled taut by the rope.

“Are you close, Bethany? I want you with me, baby. Not coming without you.”

Her heart melted. So much of this scene was about him. His wants and desires. And yet he was

absolutely focused on her pleasure. He’d checked constantly to make sure he wasn’t pushing her too

far, that she was okay with everything he was doing.

The flutters of her orgasm had begun long ago. She’d likely have come already if she’d given in to

the urge. But she gritted her teeth and warded it off, wanting to come when he came. Together.

“I’m close,” she said faintly.

“Tell me what to do, baby. Tell me how to help you.”

“Just touch me,” she whispered. “And take me hard, Jace. Don’t be easy. I need it hard and fast. I

want you deep.”

His growl echoed through the room as though her blunt words made him lose the last vestiges of

control. He was like a crazy person. Frantic. He began pumping into her as hard and as fast as she’d

asked for.

The room went blurry around her and her orgasm built and built and, impossibly, built some more

until her entire body was one giant rubber band at full stretch. Oh God, she couldn’t take much more.

She needed release and yet the explosion hadn’t occurred. It was still climbing, higher and higher

until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t process anything but the excruciating tension that

coiled in her belly.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her fingers curled into tight fists above her head. Her knees locked and

her back bowed as she raised her head up, trying desperately to achieve relief from the vicious ache

assailing her.

He thrust again. Hard. Almost savage. Hell, it
was
savage. Each powerful push took her breath

until her lungs screamed for mercy.

She ground her teeth together, tensing from head to toe. It had to come now. She couldn’t take any

more without breaking.

And then in a tumultuous flash, it roared over her like a tidal wave. Fierce. Powerful. All-

consuming. Her body went flying in a dozen different directions. Something inside her snapped loose.

Relief from the incredible tension.

She sagged into the bed, her cheek pressing to the mattress. Eyes closed, body limp, she lay there

as Jace continued to pump into her body. Each thrust sent a delicate shiver, almost unbearable,

through her pussy. She was hypersensitive. So much so that every movement was a delicious sort of

agony.

She whimpered and Jace went still deep inside her and then she felt him pulsing wetly. She was

slick with his semen, but still, he held himself there, his cock twitching until the very last of his

release was wrung from it.

He leaned forward, his body pressing warmly to hers. He kissed the center of her back just

between her shoulder blades as his hands skated hotly up her sides and then back down again to cup

her hips.

“So beautiful,” he murmured. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight than you tied to my bed, pussy

open, waiting for me, your ass red from my crop.”

She shivered underneath him and then he pushed upward, withdrawing wetly from inside her. He

left her, his footsteps disappearing in the distance.

She lay there, sated, exhausted, her body humming in the aftermath. She drifted off, existing in a

haze between awareness and unconsciousness. Unsure of how much time had actually passed, she

was roused when Jace’s hands slid back over her ass. When he leaned in, his cock was rigid again,

surprising her. More time than she’d realized had to have passed.

He wanted her again.

Her arms and legs ached from being pulled so tight with the ropes, but she didn’t complain. He

would take care of her afterward. He’d never push her too far. He seemed very in tune with her limits

and he’d exhibited extreme patience while working up to this point. She trusted him.

“Going to fuck that sweet ass,” he murmured close to her ear. “Been dreaming about it. You’re in a

perfect position. Legs spread. On your belly. Helpless. Not a damn thing you can do. Going to come

all over your ass. Inside, outside. I’ll be in you so deep you’ll feel me in your belly.”

A full-body shiver worked its way from her shoulders to her feet. Chill bumps broke out and raced

across her skin until every part of her tingled with awareness.

He lifted himself off her again and left her only to return a few seconds later. Something warm

dribbled over the crack of her ass. Then he spread her cheeks and squeezed more over her opening.

His fingers glided over the area, spreading the lubricant, pausing over her entrance before pressing

inward.

One finger slipped easily past the barrier, coating the opening and just inside. Then he added more

lubricant and gently pushed another finger, stretching her to accommodate both digits.

She moaned softly, the burn in her ass edgy and sharp. Not unlike the crop. Both pleasurable. Just

in different ways.

“I should spend more time preparing you,” he said in a strained voice. “But I can’t. Want you too

badly. I need you to relax and work with me, baby. I’ll try to go slow.”

His fingers withdrew and then he added more lubricant, smoothing it around the opening. Then the

blunt head of his cock pressed against the entrance. Pressure built as her body resisted, refusing him

entrance.

A low growl sounded in his throat. She shivered again, aroused, on fire, burning. Just for him.

“Let me in, baby. Relax. Don’t fight it.”

She sucked in her breath and let it out in a long exhale as she tried to force herself to do as he’d

commanded. She let out a whimper as he pushed relentlessly forward, opening her body to his

advance. She clamped her mouth shut, worried he’d stop. But he didn’t. He seemed too far gone to

heed any sign of distress from her.

He continued to exert steady pressure, pushing, pushing, until finally her body gave way and he

sank halfway in. His hands tightened at her waist, his fingers flexing spasmodically.

“God, baby,” he groaned.

He pulled back, his cock dragging over super-sensitized, distended flesh. Withdrawal was potent,

extremely pleasurable, the relief enormous. But then he pushed forward again and her body’s natural

resistance to the invasion kicked in, making it difficult and painful as he pressed in all the way to his

balls.

“Fuck me,” he said in a strangled voice. “Take me whole. Goddamn, Bethany. What you do to me.”

He dragged himself back, slowly retreating, her opening quivering around him. He nearly left her,

only leaving the head of his penis tucked inside her opening. He waited for the opening to close,

fitting snugly around his cock head, and then he ruthlessly opened her again, thrusting forward, his

strength overcoming her resistance.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her breaths rushed from her nostrils and then, not able to

suck in enough air through her nose, she gave up and gulped in mouthfuls, her chest heaving against

the mattress as she fought the bombardment of divergent sensations.

Pain. Pleasure. Fear. Arousal. Powerlessness. Strength. Unrelenting pleasure.

Safety.

Comfort.

His possession.

“I’ll take care of you afterward,” he murmured as he leaned forward, his cock stroking through her

distended opening. “This is for me.”

And then he began to pound against her ass, his thighs slapping against her cheeks, each thrust

sending a shockwave through her body. He palmed her cheeks, pushing upward to make her ass more

accessible. The movement stretched the opening around his cock tighter and he let out a low moan.

He levered himself up and over her, positioning all his weight so he was atop her fully. Blanketing

her. Covering every inch of her back as his hips worked in and out, driving deeply into her ass.

His teeth grazed her shoulder. His hands reached over her head to find hers, cupped his palms over

the wrists that were bound and he gripped her tight as he continued to hump himself over her body.

Hot spurts of semen exploded into her ass. He continued thrusting, each forward motion depositing

more of his release deep into her body. On and on, in a seemingly never-ending stream, he pumped

more into her until finally he collapsed against her, his body heaving with exertion.

His cock was wedged inside her ass and twitched with the last vestiges of his release. Some of the

semen had worked its way out of her ass with the forceful thrusts and was sliding warmly between

her legs.

He lay there a long while, still inside her, as his breaths calmed and he quieted above her. He

kissed her shoulder and then smoothed his hands down her arms and then down her sides.

“So beautiful,” he whispered. “And mine. You’re mine, Bethany. You belong to me. Only to me.”

She wasn’t going to argue. She was perfectly content to be his for as long as he wanted her. And

she tried not to dwell on how short a time that might be.

chapter twenty-seven

Jace rose quietly from bed, careful not to wake Bethany. She was sleeping soundly. She hadn’t

stirred since he’d untied her and carried her into the bathroom to bathe and pamper her before putting

her to bed. The moment her head had hit the pillow, she’d fallen asleep. Which was good because in

order for him to pull off his Christmas morning surprise, he’d definitely needed her oblivious.

It had gutted him to hear she’d never had a Christmas tree, but what hurt him the most was that he

hadn’t put up a tree in their apartment. Their home. He hadn’t even put one up for her in the other

apartment she spent time in. Trees had been something he’d always done without fail for Mia when

she was growing up. He’d taken her to see the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center. But when

she’d gotten older and they had separate residences, he’d never bothered putting up a tree. It hadn’t

made any sense when it was just him, and so he hadn’t even thought about putting up a tree for

Bethany.

After they’d gotten home, and Bethany had fallen asleep after they’d made love, he’d made a few

emergency calls and Gabe, Mia and Ash had come over with an artificial tree and ornaments and

they’d quietly decorated it in the living room. Jace had left the lights twinkling so that Bethany would

see them when she went into the living room the next morning. He couldn’t wait to see her face.

Moreover, he’d make damn sure she never went without a tree again.

He went to his dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out the small wrapped gift for Bethany.

Then he returned to bed, glancing at the window as first light softly illuminated the room.

She was beautiful in the pale light of dawn. Her hair spread out on his pillow, her fingers clutching

his sheets. In his bed. Which was where she belonged.

He crawled back into bed, putting the present between them as he propped himself on his elbow,

content to watch her while she slept. He could wait. He loved to watch her wake up, her eyes all

dreamy and content. Fogged with sleep, a soft smile on her face. It was the way she awakened every

morning. As if she were grateful for every moment away from her old life.

It hurt him that she’d ever lived that life. He’d give anything to be able to erase it. But he couldn’t

change the past. He could sure as hell change the future though.

After a few moments, no longer able to withstand the temptation, he reached his finger out to trace