Her Gentle Giant: No Regrets (20 page)

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Rachel couldn’t wait to put it on and hoped it would fit as she checked the label to see what size it was. The sleek black satin nightgown was trimmed in silky-soft ivory lace around the neckline. The same lace adorned the hem line and the deep slits on the side. The bodice was held up by thin black spaghetti straps.

She smiled, discovering the gown was a plus-size extra large, exactly what she would need. She noticed the manufacturer’s label and realized he had made more stops than just an adult toy store today. This was an expensive designer gown he must have shopped for in an upscale department store. He’d probably talked to Grace because Grace knew all the best-kept secrets for where to shop for sexy plus-sized clothing.

She gathered up the gown and slipped it over her head. She stifled a gasp as the cool satin slithered over her warm skin, falling in a smooth sweep to her shins. The lace was as soft as silk, another sign that this was not a cheap nightgown. She moaned softly as she picked up the matching bundle made from the same silky-soft material. Holding up the robe as it unfolded, she slipped her arms into the deep sleeves. The satiny fabric caressed every inch of her body it touched, and she closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around her middle, and felt beautiful and precious. She knew that had been his intention, and she was surprised by the arrival of tears behind her eyelids. She wiped them quickly away and smiled again, not wanting her eyelids to become red-rimmed.

She reached for the other small bundle and unfolded it. Her lips popped open as she realized what it was. A black satin blindfold with satin ribbon bindings. She used the blow-dryer quickly and brushed out her long hair.

With shaking hands, she placed the blindfold to her eyes and tied the ribbons at the back of her head. She straightened and stood there waiting for him. She could hear him moving back and forth between the kitchen and bedroom, then after a short time, he stopped at the bathroom door and knocked softly.

A couple of stuttering breaths passed over her lips as he asked softly,

“Are you ready, angel?”

Her breath rushed from her lips. “
Yes
.”

She smiled, thinking it sounded more like she whimpered than actually spoke. She knew if she didn’t get her pounding heart and raging hormones
,

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under control, she would go off like rocket the first time he touched her intimately. She took a deep breath as the door knob turned and opened with a metallic whisper. Blindly, she turned to him and smiled softly at the sound of his breath as it caught in his throat.

“Rachel, I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life. I swear,” he said in a husky, strangled voice that sent shivers straight to her clit. Her breath caught in her throat when his warm hand made contact with the exposed flesh above the lace bodice and slid just a little inside the robe. Her abdomen quivered, and the strong pull of desire raced through her body.

“The blindfold is heightening all my other senses, Eli. Your hand…it feels so warm and gentle. Thank you for the lingerie. It feels so soft on my skin.” Every nerve ending in her body tingled as he slid his other hand alongside her breast and over her ribcage to her hips. Wherever he touched her, the satin caressed her body, sending her senses that much closer to overload.

Rachel reached out and her hand landed on his broad chest. He had changed out of his clothing into his robe, judging by the feel of soft fleece under her fingertips. She came close and laid her cheek against his chest as he slid his arms around her and enveloped her in his warm, woodsy-scented warmth.

“Does the blindfold bother you?” he asked as he slid a fingertip over her cheek then down to her lower lip. Without thinking about it, she licked her lip and caught his thumb with the tip of her tongue.

“No, it doesn’t. I–I like it, actually.”

“Good. Come lie down on the bed with me.” He slid his big hand into hers and led her carefully to the bedroom. He lifted her in his arms and crawled with her to the center of the bed, laying her on the cool sheets and fanning her long, wavy hair on the pillow. She lay completely still as she waited for him to settle down beside her.

“Rachel?”

“Yes, Eli?” she asked in a shaky voice. He sounded unsure of himself.

“You would tell me if I was…overwhelming to you, wouldn’t you?” He brushed a stray lock of hair back from her cheek.

“Overwhelming…how?”

“My height and my size mainly, but in other ways, too. Physically, I know I’m a lot to handle, but I also mean timewise. You said you needed to
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stay home to finish settling in, and I respect that. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed by me, like you need more space or time, I don’t want you to feel rushed.”

She wished she could see his face and look into his eyes right now, but she understood that with the blindfold on, it might have made him more comfortable being that open. He was certainly the first man she’d ever known who could drop the “playing it cool” act long enough to show that he
had
some vulnerability.

She reached out carefully and her hand came into contact with his throat and moved up to his cheekbones.

Caressing him, she said. “Honestly, what I needed to do tonight is already mostly done. I was trying to give you a way to have a little time away from me because I didn’t want you to get burned out on
me
.”

He sighed and rested his forehead gently against hers as she continued,

“As far as the rest of you is concerned? Your body is…beyond my wildest dreams. You don’t just take what you need from me, you
give
so much. So, yes, you overwhelm me, Eli, in all the best ways. And, no, you don’t overwhelm me in the ways you were worried about.”

She could hear and feel his heart pound as he held her close. His hands seared her through the satin of the gown and robe.

“Rachel, I adored your beautiful body from the moment I first saw you on the dance floor. I’m glad, and a little relieved, that what I have to offer is pleasing to you. I’ll be honest and tell you that you bring out the caveman in me, the territorial and possessive part of me that wants to beat his chest and tell everyone else that you’re
mine
. Sometimes
he
brings out the worst in me.”

“Like with Ace Webster?”

“Exactly.”

“I’m all yours, Eli.” For as long as you’ll have me,
she thought to herself. “And I don’t feel rushed.”

“The blindfold?”

“Leave it. I enjoy feeling at your mercy, so long as you don’t…”

“So long as I don’t what?” Eli asked curiously.

“I was going to teasingly say, ‘so long as you don’t tie me up or anything,’ but then I reconsidered. I, um, wouldn’t mind that, either.”

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“Really?” he replied with avid interest. “What else is going through that decadent mind of yours, hmm?”

“Well…”

“You can tell me anything, Rachel. You’re safe with me.”

“If I was naughty, you might need to spank me, occasionally,” she replied breathlessly.

“If you were naughty? Should I plan on you being naughty?”

“I might not be able to avoid being naughty sometimes. I would need a thorough spanking on my bottom,” she said in a shaky voice, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

“And how would you like me to tie you up? Faceup or facedown?”

“Oh, definitely both. Facedown you could put me on my knees and I’d be at your mercy. Faceup you could spread my legs wide and tie them down, too. You could do all sorts of things to me,” she replied in anxious anticipation. Denied visual input, her imagination was even more vivid.

“What would you want me to spank you with?” he asked in a husky voice.

“Oh, only your hands, please, Eli. Nothing else. And I wouldn’t need to be tied down for that. You could put me right over your knee and…” A pleasant little shudder ran through her as she imagined being turned ass up over this big man’s powerful thighs.

“Turn your sweet ass pink?” he asked, and she nodded eagerly. “If I was to inquire the most effective means for delivering a spanking that had the desired effect, could you suggest the name of someone I might want to talk to about that? The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Rachel.”

As if he could ever hurt her. He proved he couldn’t by being humble enough to ask for a name. “I have it on good authority that Ethan might know a thing or two about such matters,” she replied softly. “Please don’t think I’m a freak,” she squeaked out. “Grace let on last weekend that a spanking by the right hand was a good thing, and ever since then, it’s been brewing in the back of my mind.”

He laid soothing fingertips on her collarbone and stroked her as he pressed gentle kisses over that spot. “Does it turn you on to think about it?”

His hair slipped off his shoulder, and the cool, silken strands slid over her shoulder and her chest, leaving a tingling trail in their wake.

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“Yes, it does, Eli. But, Eli, that doesn’t mean whips and chains are next on my wish list, okay? I’m fairly sure we’ve plumbed the well on my interest in mild pain play. I think what I really like is the idea of you having total control of me in that way.”

“That’s good to know,” he chuckled, “because I don’t think a black patent bodysuit would be a good look for me.”

“I don’t think it would be for me, either,” she replied. “Although I doubt that the majority of people involved in that lifestyle dress that way. Now,
you
in black leathers, bare-chested and wielding a whip…hmm. I’d wear your collar, baby. So you’ll talk to Ethan?”

“Sure, he’s cool. We have the rest of the afternoon to ourselves. I told Kelly we would be ready to go to supper at six thirty.”

“What time is it now?”

“Don’t worry about that. We have plenty of time. I told you once already, but, honey, you look amazing in that gown and robe. Just beautiful.”

“Thank you. I love it. I’ll get a thrill every time I put it on, the way it slides over my skin, and the way your hands feel through the satin when you put them on me.” She stretched luxuriously in his arms and trembled slightly as his big, warm hand slid down her torso until it was mere inches above her mound.

“I hope you’ll wear it for me on a regular basis.”

“Of course, if you’ll promise to take it off of me on a regular basis.”

“Undressing you is a pleasure no matter what you have on.” He rose up and knelt in front of her. He took her hand and drew her to him so she knelt facing him. She allowed him to remove it, and then he lifted the hem of the gown. She raised her arms over her head and shuddered as he allowed the gown to slide slowly over her skin as he removed it.

With the blindfold over her eyes, her other senses became more acute.

She could hear the satin as it slid over her skin and hair. Her nerve endings were in overdrive, and gooseflesh formed on her skin at the slippery, silken touch of the gown. She heard Eli’s soft breathing and the slight sound of his movements as he placed the gown with the robe. The bed dipped again as he returned to her.

Feeling gooseflesh on her arms, he asked, “You cold?”

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“A little, but you can warm me.” She smiled as his hands slid over her shoulders again. His lips brushed her hair as he came closer and enveloped her in his arms, surrounding her with his warmth.

“Nervous?”

“A little. Just wondering what will happen next.”

“You seem a little tense, so we’re going to start with a massage. I’ve laid out a towel for you on this side of the bed. Come over here to me as I lead you. Damn, but you’re beautiful, baby,” he murmured. She moved toward his voice as he held her hand.

He helped her lay down on the towel so that no massage oil got on the fresh sheets. The light scent of jasmine floated on the air.

He spread the oil over her back and shoulders. He took his time smoothing it over her skin, down to her buttocks. He maintained constant contact with her as he gently spread her legs so he could smooth the oil all over them. She gasped when his fingers strayed near her wet pussy lips. He teased her and made her groan when his hands moved away without touching her. He continued to massage her legs then worked his way back to her buttocks.

Her flesh was warm now, and between her legs, her pussy blazed. He massaged the cheeks of her ass firmly. His thumbs strayed now and then to her rear opening, smoothing oil over it. He patiently worked his way up her back and finished by gently working her shoulder muscles, which were tense from pushing the mower and turning the soil in the flowerbed.

Finished with her back, he helped her turn over. She moved her hair out of the way over the pillow and lay still for him. He smoothed more oil over her upper chest and gently massaged over her shoulders, chest, and arms. He smoothed the oil in gentle upward strokes over her breasts, taking his time and gently tweaking her nipples into hard points. She moaned softly at the stimulation. His hands swept up the underside of her breasts, cupped them, and squeezed gently. Rachel noticed his breathing sounding a little rough.

The throbbing in her cunt increased as he dragged each nipple between his fingers one more time before moving on.