Surrender (16 page)

“Actually, it’s been a while since something like this has happened. I’d grown a little lazy, I think. Too trusting. I made myself an easy target.”

I gazed into his eyes. “It’s sad,” I said, watching him as he studied me. His gaze was still extremely penetrating. Sharp. “Here you are, a man who has so much, a good man, a generous, kind man. But because of what you have, you have to be on guard at all times. Always aware there might be someone out there waiting to take it all away from you.”

“That’s just it, I wasn’t living like that,” he said. He reached for my hand, took it in his. “How about we take a walk?”

“Didn’t you just say you’d been too lax? Is it safe to leave the house?”

“There’s nobody around. No one knows where we are.”

“No one?” I echoed, doubtful. How could he just pick up and leave? He was the owner of a huge corporation. He was important, needed. Someone had to know where he was.

“Nobody.” Not particularly gently, but not too roughly either, he tugged me toward the steps that descended to the patio below and the swimming pool. Suddenly more aware of my surroundings than ever before, I followed his lead. We circled the pool and headed toward the lake’s shore. At the narrow beach we found a fallen log. It was mossy and damp, but I didn’t care. I sat and stared out at the sparkling water.

“I could get used to this,” I said as I inhaled deeply. The air smelled so clean and fresh. Like damp earth and water and green plants. The sunshine made me feel energized and alive. And being with Kam right now, silent, both of us absorbing the beauty around us made it that much better. Especially knowing we were closer to setting things right between us again.

“I could get used to this too.” He audibly exhaled. “A part of me wishes I could just walk away from it all, the responsibility and the stress, and stay in a place like this. Somewhere where I can just be Kameron Maldonado. A man. Only a man. Not an entrepreneur. Not a business owner. You know?”

“Why don’t you?”

“Responsibility. I can’t just dump it all into someone else’s lap. It wouldn’t be fair to him or her. It wouldn’t be fair to all the people whose livelihoods rely upon me, either.”

“I understand.”

“It’s crazy. When MalTech was a small company, all I could think about was making it bigger. All my problems would go away if only I could increase sales, increase profits. I would provide people with jobs. With insurance and education and a future. But the bigger the company became, the smaller my personal life became. Until now, I basically live to make the next deal, to find the next opportunity.”

Yes, this was the way it should be. He was opening up again, trusting me, sharing with me. Allowing me to glimpse the man nobody else knew. “I never would have imagined that,” I said. “Maybe I knew, on some gut level, that a man in your position would live and breathe work. But I guess I assumed men who did that did it because they loved it. Work was their life because it was their choice.”

He shook his head. “Not always.”

“You should retire.”

“There’s nobody to replace me. Nobody I trust. That’s the key. Trust. I can’t just hire someone off the street, lay everything in his hands, and walk away. He could fuck it all up and screw everyone who has trusted me all these years.”

“That’s a tough one.” Turning slightly, I met his gaze. “But doesn’t everyone, yourself included, deserve a life? Happiness?”

“I’m happy.”

I gave him an oh-really look.

“Sometimes,” he admitted.

“Like when you’re in the dungeon? When you’re playing those games?” I asked.

“No.” He raised a hand, cupping my cheek. “More like now, when I’m sitting on a moldy old log, ants crawling up my pants, talking to you.”

“Ants?” I giggled. “Who wouldn’t be happy with ants in his pants?”

“Exactly.” His tongue swept across his lower lip. His gaze locked to mine. He was going to kiss me. Yes, yes, yes! “I’m sorry for being such an asshole.”

“It’s okay. I understand why you were suspicious. The important thing is we talked it out. You didn’t just keep it all inside.”

“Good. But I have one question.” He angled closer.

“Yes?”

“You had a bag packed when I arrived at your place. Where were you going?”

“I don’t know. Just away for a while. Someplace peaceful. Someplace like this.”

“I’m sorry I had you placed on leave. They . . . I was convinced you had spiked my coffee.” Shaking his head, he smoothed a lock of my hair back and tucked it behind my ear. “You’re a better person than me. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive so easily.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t usually forgive so easily either. But with you it’s different.”

“I’m glad.” He moved closer still. His lips were right there, less than an inch from mine. His breath was gently caressing my face. My nerves were tingling, anticipation zinging up and down through my body.

Despite everything, his gruff attitude earlier, and his accusation, his suspicions, my body craved his touch. Craved it so much it almost hurt inside.

I lifted my hands, flattening them on his chest. One fingertip found a hard nipple, poking at soft knit fabric.

He audibly gasped, and so did I.

It was as if his need fueled mine and the other way around. Our bodies were in sync. Nerves sending little jolts of electricity through our skin and into the other’s body. Skin warming. Pupils dilating. Faces flushing.

Shifting forward, I set my mouth on his. He groaned, and the low vibrations pulsated through me, zooming to my center. The first tingles of heat warmed the tissues between my legs. The sensations were so glorious, I wished I could freeze that moment and cherish it forever.

His mouth started moving, sliding across mine. Lips touching, caressing, brushing back and forth. It was a slow, seductive kiss. The kind of kiss I would remember for a long time.

Maybe forever.

Then, it got better.

His hand, the one that had been so sweetly cupping my cheek, made a slow but steady descent. It followed my neck, lingered for a moment at the ticklish spot at my collarbone before dropping farther. When it found my breast, my spine arched. My breath hitched in my throat. And a flare of bright colors exploded behind my closed eyelids.

Oh, what wicked things his hands could do. Wicked, wonderful things. Like now. His fingertip found my nipple through my clothes. It was pure agony, as that fingertip flicked back and forth over the sensitive peak until it was so hard my insides were clenched.

My hands smoothed up his broad chest to his face. I held him there, deepened the kiss, my tongue shyly slipping inside his sweet, warm mouth to tangle with his. We kissed. And moaned. And groaned. And whimpered. All thoughts of employees and poisonings and murdered fathers flying from our minds.

This was our time. Time for us to just live. And share. And be. At last, it was our time.

17

I
was in heaven. This moment. It was pure ecstasy.

The gentle, earth-scented breeze was caressing my face as Kam’s hands softly worked over my body, igniting every nerve under my skin. His tongue was stroking mine, filling my mouth with his decadent flavor. The sound of our breathing, coupled with the glorious noises of nature, created a magical song that made my heart gallop and my soul sing.

I’d never felt anything like it.

“I want you now. Here,” Kam murmured as he flattened his hands on either side of my head. I stared into his eyes. They were dark, full of lust and hunger and desperation. The writhing flames flickering there thrilled me. He needed me.
Needed.

“Yes,” I said.

He took my hands in his and put them on the bulge pressing against the front of his pants. Feeling naughty and sexy, I curled my lips into a smile and rubbed.

He growled.

How I adored that growl. Feeling my smile widening, I unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. As I worked, he kissed and nibbled my neck, which made me shiver, goose bumps prickling my arms, neck, chest. My hands pushed under his shirt. His stomach was a glorious thing. Perfectly sculpted. Rigid planes of muscle sheathed in smooth skin. I could touch and stare at his stomach all day long.

But it seemed he had something else in mind.

Making another little growly sound, he fisted my wrists and moved my hands lower. A fingertip brushed against velvety skin, the plump, engorged head of his cock.

“Yes,” he murmured. “Stroke it.”

I curled my fingers around his rod and slowly ran my hand up and down, up and down.

“Yes,” he repeated. “Yes. Take me in your mouth.”

Sliding off the log, I knelt in front of him, knees on the moist earth.

I flicked my tongue over the tip, tasting salt and clean skin. Precome. He tangled his fingers in my hair, using it to move me. I loved how he took control. It was like a dark secret, a wicked thrill—serving him like this, submitting to him.

As he eased my head lower, I opened my mouth wider, allowing his length to inch deeper inside. My tongue cushioned his rod as it filled me. The taste of him exciting every taste bud, all the way to the back.

He pulled, and I withdrew until just the plump head remained in my mouth. I swirled my tongue round and round. I let my teeth gently scrape over the flared ridge circling it. And I soaked in all the sounds of his little gasps and groans and moans of appreciation.

Once again, he pushed me down, forcing me to take him deep, deeper. He touched the back of my throat and I fought the urge to gag, inhaling slowly through my nose. Even as I struggled, the tissues between my legs throbbed. Heat swirled round and round through me. Behind my closed eyes, I imaged his face, ecstasy pulling at his features. Face flushed. Eyes hard. Such a beautiful face. Strong and sexy. Masculine but still perfectly formed, almost too perfectly.

When he pulled me off, it was abrupt and a little shocking. I gasped, jerked my eyes up to his face. It was exactly as I’d imagined. Jaw tight. Flames burning in his eyes.

“Take off your pants,” he demanded.

I stared into his eyes as I unzipped my pants and pulled them down. I had to do a little wiggle as I pushed them over my hips. The fire in his eyes intensified then, making the blood in my veins burn hotter.

“Turn around,” he said just as I was shoving them down toward my ankles.

I shuffled around, peering over my shoulder as I bent.

His gaze locked on my ass, which was currently covered in a thin layer of sodden black satin. I could literally feel the heat of his gaze on my skin, burning it. The sensation made it that much harder to go slow and draw out this torturous game of submission.

When I had my pants off, he commanded, “Now, the rest. I want you nude.”

Remaining with my back to him, I pulled off my shirt and bra. I let them drop to the ground before hooking my thumbs under the waistband of my panties and pushing them down, down over my hips, down my thighs, down my shins. My pussy was burning, clenching as I stepped out of them.

“Good, now turn around.”

I shuffled back around.

“Come here.” He reached, and I stepped closer until his hands were resting on my hips. His tongue swept across his lower lip. His gaze meandered up and down my body. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Do you know that?”

“I . . . thank you.”

“I tried to fight it. I tried to tell myself this wasn’t right. That I was taking advantage of you. That you were taking advantage of me. That it was all wrong, and we needed to stop. But every time I closed my eyes at night, this was what I saw.” His eyes met mine. “Those eyes.” He traced the line of my lips with the tip of his index finger. “That luscious mouth.” His hand slid down, fingers curving around my neck. “This graceful neck.” Down it went again, fingertip skimming down the cleft between my breasts before wandering to the right and circling a nipple. “These perfect little nipples.” He pinched it, and a sharp blade of pleasure-pain pierced me. I whimpered as a jolt of need zigzagged through my body. “Who could blame me? Who could be strong enough to deny himself this?”

I was speechless. No man had ever looked at me the way he was, like I was the world’s most perfect woman, like he was in awe and had to drink in every tiny detail. Like I was the world’s most perfect work of art and he couldn’t look close or deep enough. My heart felt as if it were expanding in my chest. I was soaring. I was weightless.

I was . . . wanted.

Needed.

Cherished.

“Come here.” Hands on my hips again, he pulled me closer until one knee was resting on the log, next to his hip, and the burning tissues between my thighs were inches from his erection. Taking the base of his cock in one hand, he positioned it at my slick opening. “Now.”

I eased down, taking him so deep I couldn’t help groaning. Ah, he filled me so perfectly. Our bodies fit together. His hard form the perfect complement to my softness. Both trembling and sweating, we writhed and thrust, our bodies working in perfect harmony. Heat building. Need overcoming us. Blood pounding hard and hot. Waves of pleasure crashing through us. Our voices cut through the noises of nature as we cried out our pleasure, as we succumbed to our need and the tight grip of orgasm made our bodies spasm. Our eyes were locked to each other as we rode out the storm of pleasure.

It was an orgasm like no other. It wasn’t just a physical experience. It wasn’t just nerves blazing and muscles contracting. It was more. It was so much more.

It felt as if our souls had become tangled together. For that one magical moment. That brief time.

And when it was over, a part of me felt empty, as if his soul had been torn away from mine. I wanted to do it again, to feel that strange, glorious sensation once more. I needed to feel it again.

But when I tried to start moving, firm hands stopped me, holding me in place. Strong arms wrapped around me, holding me against his hard, slick body.

“Not now,” he whispered, breath caressing the side of my face. “I just want to hold you.”

I closed my eyes and grinned. Could this be any more perfect?

 

Ten minutes later I learned it could be more perfect. Holding me cradled in his arms, Kam stood. Instead of carrying me toward the house, he went to the water’s edge.

His eyes were glittering with childlike glee as he stood ankle deep, grinning at me. “How about a swim?”

I couldn’t help giggling. “Do I have a choice?”

“No.” Running, he splashed into the water, sending crystalline droplets spraying all around. Splash, splash, splash, and one final splash, as we plunged under the surface. My ears filled with water. Sound muffled. I emerged, sucking in air, laughing, clinging to Kam, legs now wrapped around his waist.

He held me tightly with one arm, placed the other hand on the back of my head, and held me as he kissed me until my head was spinning and the water droplets on my shoulders and back were sizzling from the heat. A pounding throb beat between my legs, and I couldn’t help rocking my hips back and forth, rubbing against him shamelessly. It had been minutes since that mind-blowing orgasm, and already I was burning for him again.

“Kam,” I whispered against his lips. “Oh God.”

“You see, that’s what you do to me.” He pulled my hair, forcing my head back. That was so damn sexy, how he took control of my body.

That was it, that was the key, I realized as I trembled against him. My muscles were knotting. My blood was simmering. My nerves were zapping. And it was all because of how strong and domineering he was. I absolutely loved being dominated. Loved it. Needed it. Craved it.

There was no going back. I would never enjoy a man who didn’t know how to take control in the bedroom.

He bit down on the sensitive skin on my neck, and I writhed, little bolts of pleasure-pain zinging up and down my spine. A wave of adrenaline rushed through me in the next instant, leaving me feeling like I was ready to soar to the moon and beyond. Ready to do whatever this man demanded.

I curled my fingers, clawing into the hard flesh of his shoulders. That seemed to spur him on even more. He dropped both his hands to my buttocks, gripped the flesh hard, and parted them.

“If we weren’t in water right now, I would fuck this ass,” he growled as the head of his cock prodded at my entrance.

I quivered in response to the wild edge I heard in his voice. He sounded like he was half beast, untamed, dangerous.

I loved a dangerous man.

I . . . loved . . . this dangerous man.

He slid inside my pussy, stretching me wide, filling me. With my head tipped back, eyes closed, I let a soft moan slip from my mouth. Using my stomach muscles, I tilted my hips back and forth, meeting his thrusts. In and out he drove. The friction against my clit was divine. Despite the chilly water, my skin sizzled. My body tightened, and waves of pleasure rippled out from my center.

Holding my semibuoyant body in the water, he took me slowly, too slowly. His thrusts weren’t rough and fast and hard like I’d come to expect. This was a delectable change. I felt him caress me from entrance to the deepest depth. Every nerve inside came to life.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he grumbled as he nipped my neck. “I don’t think I ever will.”

The pleasure was almost too much to bear. Hearing his words. Feeling his cock plunging deep inside. The heat of our bodies warming the water and each other. I hooked my ankles together and rode the waves of need washing over me, focused on all the glorious sensations racing through my body. The scent of water and sex and man. The sound of the birds, the splash of the lake water, the rough husk of our breathing. The tightness knotting my muscles.

His finger slipping into my anus.

A flare of erotic heat flashed through me as his finger pushed deeper, invading me.

“Oh God,” I said as a tremble quaked through me. “Oh God.”

“Squeeze my cock.”

I tensed my muscles, and another sharp blade of heat blazed through me. I was so close. A breath away. A shiver away.

“Yessss,” he growled.

I felt his cock expand as he orgasmed. That minute sensation pushed me over the edge, and my pussy started spasming. Huge waves of pleasure crashed over me. Heat blasted to my scalp and down to the soles of my feet. I’d never thought I could come so hard. I’d never imagined I could come twice in such a short time.

When the sensations had eased slightly, I kissed every inch of him I could. Neck, shoulder, earlobe, chin. I was wrapped around him, legs and arms. We were still joined. Still twitching.

He smiled into my eyes, and my heart literally skipped a beat.

I hoped he would always smile at me like that. Tomorrow. Next week. Next month. Somehow we would fix the problems that had brought us here. And we would go on. We would make a future together. A real future.

“As much as I’d love to stay out here and do that again, I need to make some calls.” Slowly, he withdrew from me, his semiflaccid cock slipping out. As he set me on my feet, he kissed my forehead and studied me for a moment. His mouth opened, as if he were about to say something. But he didn’t speak. He just pushed through the water to the shore while I followed him. We gathered our clothes. And I took his hand in mine as we walked back up to the house.

It was crazy to think this way, but a part of me was grateful that things had blown up at MalTech. If they hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been together.

With a happy bounce in my step I walked up to the house. He went straight to his room, saying he wanted to grab a quick shower. I thought about offering to join him, but the truth was I could only imagine that would lead to another round of lovemaking, and I was a smidge sore. I needed a little time before round three. I went to my room, showered, put on some comfy clothes. By that time my stomach was howling in protest.

Time to eat.

Barefoot, I padded into the kitchen, listening for Kam’s voice, or any sound that might indicate where he was. He’d said he wanted to make some phone calls. I’d expected to hear him talking. I didn’t.

Before digging into the refrigerator, I went on a search and recovery mission. I called his name a couple of times. No response.

I checked his room. The door was open. I checked his en suite bathroom. That door was open as well. It was empty. I meandered farther down the hall, checking two more bedrooms before doing a one-eighty and heading back toward the main living space. Finally, I stepped outside onto the back deck.

I spied him standing next to the pool. His back was facing the house. His head was bent, and he was holding the phone to his ear.

Unsure whether I was invading his privacy, I crept closer but didn’t go beyond the edge of the deck. From that position I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but I could see the tension pulling at his shoulders and upper back. At one point he jerked a look over a shoulder, spied me, then snapped back around and took another couple of steps away.