Sweat Equity (22 page)

"Use the word, baby, if you need it."

She shook her head, taking deep breaths and grunting low in her throat when he fastened her other nipple between the clamp's jaws. Her pussy pulsed, her brain buzzed and a crazy sensation of quiet enveloped her. The soft music he'd been playing, the trickle of a waterfall installed along one wall, all ceased as if a switch had been flipped. All she needed, all she wanted to hear was his voice.

"Jack?" Her voice cracked.

"Right here baby." He tugged at the chain connecting the clamps, making her hiss and squirm. His lips found hers again, and she let herself fall into him, letting him carry her over some invisible line. His fingers found her clit, flicking at it, giving her pressure then releasing, before he slipped fingers inside her dripping wet pussy, reaching high, aiming right for her sweet spot.

"Ah God, Jack!" She yelled, anxious and yearning for the release he kept promising.

"Mmmm….no, not yet." He pulled his fingers out, and she tasted herself when he put them to her lips. She sucked hard, thrilled to hear his breath catch, the soft satisfied sound he made.

Then nothing, again. Utter silence descended. She knew he'd left the room, could sense his absence as keenly as his presence. Her skin prickled. The bite of the clamps seemed to disappear. But she didn't cry out. Knew she didn't have to. He'd be back. He'd always be back. That realization took hold, made her suck in a breath.

He would always be back.
She sniffled, wriggled her wrists so she could feel the leather against her skin.

The sensation of calm, of ease, of completeness settled around her nerves. When his hands grabbed her hips, she cried out.
How in God's name could she be comfortable like this?
But she was. He made her that way. He ground his still trouser-covered hard cock against her. "I need you," she whispered, "so much." Hands fiddled with her hair, pins dropped to the floor as he released it, letting it flow around her shoulders and down her back. Fingers threaded through it, pulling some, rubbing her scalp. She sensed him move around to her front. One hand stayed in her hair, pulled her head back. She moaned when his lips found her neck, sucked and bit her skin.

"I know you do. I'm here. I'll always be here for you Sara." He said in between bringing her close to orgasm again without even touching her anywhere but her hair and neck. Her hips thrust forward; her clit ached, needing contact. He cupped her mound with one hand, the heat of his flesh providing just enough pleasure to make her moan as she moved against his palm. "Oh please Jack. Please I need to come."

"No. Not yet. You have to wait." Fury rose in her brain.

Who the hell did he think he was, toying with her like this?

He covered her lips with his, sweeping into her mouth with his tongue, tangling both hands in her hair now. His kiss spoke to her, reminded her of his role. He mastered her but she didn't have to worry. He'd be there. Always. Tears slicked her face and she tasted salt on his lips.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded, not knowing what came next only that Jack had her, and he'd never hurt her or let her be hurt. She groaned when he unclamped her nipples but let out a scream of shock when he pressed ice cubes to her abused flesh. The amazing absence of the pain, the intensity of it, then its fade as her body adjusted, made stars flash behind her eyes. Pleasure and pain shot through her, making her whimper and bite back the urge to beg for the clamps back in some perverse reversal of need.

"Holy shit, Jack that's, ahhh." He licked her neck, kept both hands on her aching breasts.

"Shh…relax." His voice oozed into her psyche. The room got loud again, the music and the waterfall sounds slamming into her brain, making her whimper. A strawberry appeared at her lips and she bit down on it, let the juice drip down her neck, groaning when he licked it away. Then nothing, again. He was gone, leaving her body pulsing with energy and need.

 Sara knew she hovered at a precipice. She could make a choice. At that moment, her body craved release but her brain had settled; her nerves no longer jangled as they had been doing for weeks. The rough sound of his voice, the touch of his hand, just the looks he'd been shooting her all night had brought her to that moment. She took a breath and let it take her, let her body fully relax for the first time in months.

As if he sensed her giving way, he held on tight from behind, cupping her breasts, then moving down to tease her clit and pussy again, never staying in one place long. "I think we need one more thing, don't you?" He must have shed his shirt at some point and the delicious sensation of his flesh against her back made her sigh, and arch her hips. He put a foot between hers, shoving his thigh against her pussy. She moved her hips, ground against his leg, needing to climax so badly she wanted to cry. She did cry, could hear herself sobbing; could feel the tears slip out from under the blindfold.

"Arch your back Sara," Jack commanded as he pushed one leg away from the other, forcing her legs apart.

Panic shot through her. The moment she'd been attacked last year came swirling through her brain. She tugged at the restraint over her head.

"No, I can't. I'm scared. My feet are getting numb. I can't–I can't feel my hands. Jack." Her voice sounded breathy, anxious, but her brain kept pouring some kind of calming elixir over her nerves. It had to be the strangest sensation in the world. Abject terror, white-hot fury, and a clean pure jolt of need warred in her. Then nothing. Crystal calm made it all the turbulence, all the chaos of her last year fade into nothingness, like it had never happened. She tasted her own tears.

"I know. Give it to me. Let me have it." He bit her neck, ran a hand across her ass. "Give it to me Sara." She winced when his palm met her flesh, the smacking sound echoing around in her ears. "It's mine. All of it. Your fear, hate, anger, love – it's mine. Give it to me." He smacked her again, then once more, harder. "Come. Now." Her body obeyed even as the astonishing tranquility poured through her psyche. Fluid coated her thighs as she moaned, cried his name, but couldn't hear herself. Her words slurred and her vision darkened behind the blindfold. The orgasm plowed her under, made her whole body release energy from the tip of her tingling scalp to her shaking toes. She slumped, letting the leather hold her up, pull at her sore shoulders.

"Jack, please I need you inside me." Those were the words she tried to say, but they made no sense, garbled with some strange intense emotion she had no name for, as her entire universe narrowed to a pinprick of light, then winked out. At the center of the dark hallway he stood, arms out.

"I've got you baby. I'll always have you." She sobbed and slumped against him.

Jack couldn't breathe. His chest ached and his eyes burned. His woman now. He knew her best and her worst, and wanted it all. Her moan, cries, and bone-deep orgasm nearly brought him to his knees. When she slumped against him he flicked the restraints open, caught her in his arms. The beast in him roared, beat its chest, dimmed his vision and heightened his other senses. He could smell her, her juice, lust and release in every pore. He felt her skin, wet, hot all over as he kissed her. Primal need flared, his cock leaked and throbbed. He'd already come once. He'd had to leave the room to wipe himself off.
Sweet Jesus, what a fucking buzz.

"Jack," she muttered against his neck as he held her on the floor, smoothing her hair back, letting her utter submission to him infuse his soul. "I'm not scared anymore." He smiled, picked her up and laid her on the bed. Starting at her feet he found every inch of her flesh with his lips and tongue, dipping into her dripping pussy, lower, loving the beautiful pink rosebud of her ass, then working up, dipping into her bellybutton, lapping the sweat from between her luscious breasts, then finally up the long line of her neck to her lips once again.

He allowed himself a moment to feel her sex pulse against him before he entered her body with one firm thrust, groaning as she enveloped him, gripped his cock. "Fuck me hard Jack. I need it." She gasped but he slowed, wanting to relish it, take his time. Her body spread, taking his girth, pulsing, tugging him straight over the cliff.

"Sara, I won't last long baby."

"Fill me Jack. Please, give me what I gave you." Her eyes were bright. As he lowered his lips to hers, she brought both legs up, giving him a better angle. He pounded into her, groaning into her mouth, their bodies dancing toward release together. The orgasm flashed bright behind his eyes and his hips thrust hard again and again, the smell of their combined lust swirling around him.

"Ah God!" He grunted, and his body tensed before releasing. A glorious shaft of pure pleasure ripped him in two. The gut deep climax kept up, his hips kept pumping, filling her body, fulfilling a primal function as old as time. She gripped him, held on, and cradled his head to her breasts.

"I love you Sara. So much. I, I need you in my life. Please. Please stay with me."

Chapter Eighteen

Sara had never felt, in all of her nearly thirty years, so content. So utterly sated and happy. How he had done it, she had no idea. One thing was certain, all the signs and signals, conversations and long nights awake, wishing to be in his arms again, lead her to this exact moment. She had found her man and she'd do anything to keep him. He sighed, slipped out of her and collapsed down on the bed.

She stretched, went up on an elbow and watched him, saw the familiar signs of his body easing out of one mode and into another. She ran a finger down his stubbled jaw. "Wow." She smiled when he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Master of the understatement, aren't you?"

"Don't laugh Jack. That was…just…wow. Can we do it again?"

He tugged her to his chest, pressed kisses against her hair. "Sure baby. Any time you want." She sat, rolled her arms to work the soreness there and wandered into the fully stocked bathroom.

She stared at herself a minute.
Sara, you have done the exact opposite of what you told yourself. You let him do this, manipulate you, control you.
She shook her head, shutting down the negative noises inside it.
It's what I want.
She declared to herself.
No, it's what I need.
She washed her hands, passed them down her body. She felt full, complete, and ripe. A stab of fear iced its way into her consciousness, thoughts of bad timing and a distinct lack of condoms making her dizzy.

She held back the panic fluttering on the edges of her horizon. No, she was safe with him. She knew it now. Still…letting herself go like that had been terrifying, exhilarating and now made her heart pound with residual anxiety. She needed him again, badly. But she forced herself to stay alone a minute. Gather her wits.

She bit her lip, decided to keep that detail about "bad timing" and "no condoms" out of the pillow talk for now. When she went out the bed was rumpled and empty. Following the sound of his voice she found him in the kitchen, naked, drinking from the champagne bottle and talking on the phone. He handed the bottle to her and finished talking to Jason, giving him final orders about wrapping up the party. She wrapped a hand around his magnificent cock, grinning when he pulled the phone from his ear and groaned.

"Okay, we'll, um I'll be back down in a few. Buy you a night cap." He dropped the phone on the counter, and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her with passion, intensity and emotion, leaving her breathless and wanting more. "Baby, keep that up and poor Jason will be stuck waiting for me another hour." He moaned and cupped her breast. "But if I'm not mistaken, I think I forgot to give you something." She frowned when he moved back into the bedroom, returning with what was unmistakably another jeweler's box.

The ring was magnificent; fit her like a charm. She swallowed, nodded and wrapped herself around him. "Mine." She heard him mutter into her neck. He released her, ran a finger down her cheek. His next words made her chest constrict. "No more blonde boy toy? I win this round?" She glared at him, shrugged out of his arms. Alarm bells rang loud and in her ing head.

"What did you say?" A sudden tightening in chest made her gasp. She tried to keep her voice light, but felt herself shutting down again, letting go of the exquisite clarity he'd brought her earlier.

He tried to pull her back but anger deafened her, made her dizzy, breathless. She stomped back into the bedroom and pulled her dress on. She'd done it again. She'd let herself go; this time farther than she ever had. Let him release all her fears and … and… dear God. She sank to the floor, covered her eyes. He tugged her to her feet, but she pulled away, had the ring in hand already.

"Nice try Jack, really. A for fucking effort. You don't
win
me. I…."

His eyes darkened. "Goddamn it to hell and back woman did you not hear anything I said? Did I not give you what you needed? Christ almighty!" He ran a hand through his hair. "I
love
you. Can't you believe that? I don't think you're a prize to win. I'm…oh hell." He stepped into his pants, found his shirt and shoved his arms into the sleeves. "You are impossible."

Sara felt the last bit of her heart crack into a million pieces and fall to the floor. His eyes snapped with fury, then he dropped to the bed, put his head in his hands.

 "Come home with me tonight. I need to wrap this place up; we could get some real food, talk. Let me explain. Something?"