Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Her shoulders relax a tiny bit.
“Now that we’re alone, we have to set a few things straight. I’m going to take off your blindfold, restraints, and gag.”
I don’t give her an ultimatum.
Yet.
First, the blindfold.
Light smolders in her beautiful eyes, even as they snap at me. Unfathomable beauty, intelligence, and brilliance all spark in her eyes. I long to soften her gaze. To soothe her anger. To bring out the submissive I know lurks inside her.
She’s still gagged and bound, so I take a minute to admire her.
“You look lovely as a brunette,” I murmur.
“Mmpph.”
I pretend I know exactly what she says. “Very clever. And you’re welcome.”
“Mmmph!”
I won’t waste any more of my time or hers. It's time to make this woman obey me. She needs to learn her place, for her own damn good.
I grab the knot at the back of her head so I can unfasten the gag. “Now listen, Savannah,” I whisper in her ear, “I’m talking this gag off. There will be plenty of time for you to ask me questions and for us to talk. But it’s late, and we need to get to bed. It’s best if we get some sleep and discuss this in the morning. You need to understand, though. We’re here for your safety. And to make this work, you need to be sure that you’re in your role. Your role here is my slave. You’ll obey me. If you don’t, I’ll punish you.”
I whip off the gag.
“How many times are you going to say that?” she seethes.
I grab her chin in my hand and squeeze. Her eyes widen. “As many times as it fucking takes.”
“You are so full of yourself,” she says through clenched teeth.
“Your point?”
“Argh!”
“Now whether or not you go to bed with a sore ass is up to you. You’re not mine. We’ve covered what that means. But since you’re under my protection and in my care, I’ll hold you to certain standards.”
She nods with narrowed eyes.
“I’ll expect you to show respect to me. I’ll expect you to defer to my authority and do what I say. I’ll expect you to submit yourself to discipline, and for all intents and purposes, behave like my slave when we’re out in public.”
“And in private?”
“In private, you’ll treat me like the fucking man who’s going to save your life. Got it?”
Though she still fumes, she knows there’s no way she can get away with anything now. We’re in my home. We’re on my terms. She’s under my protection. And Savannah’s a smart girl.
She heaves out a sigh. “Got it.”
I wonder if she’s as innocent and pure as I suspect.
Is she a virgin?
I can’t help but wonder if a part of her, deep down, wants this. Does she know how intensely erotic it can be?
I wonder if she can feel the way I’m mentally undressing her. Dominating her. Envisioning her parted lips and tortured plea, begging for me to allow her to come as lust trumps her protests and she grows desperate—
I can’t do this.
Fuck all.
She’s Nicolette’s sister.
My own angry gaze meets hers as I reach for the restraints at her wrists.
“Behave yourself when I unfasten these. They were for show at first, but now I want to be completely sure you don’t do anything that will jeopardize us.”
“Fine,” she grates out. “I won’t.”
I want to tease her a little more while she’s still under my control.
“Ask me nicely.”
“You son of a bitch—”
“Savannah.” She clamps her lips shut at the warning in my tone.
I hold her hands in mine. “I said,” I repeat, holding her gaze. “Ask me nicely.”
“Or you’ll just leave me bound like this?”
“Yes.”
“Ha!” she says humorlessly, despite the look of triumph in her eyes. “You know you can’t.” She thrusts her chin in the air, as if to defy me. “How will I wipe my ass?”
I thread my fingers through her hair and cup the back of her head in my palm. “I’ve had slaves cuffed and bound for days,” I say in a low voice. “Trust me. You find a way to do what you have to. It’s nowhere near out of the question.”
I watch as the glint of victory in her eyes fades. When she licks her lips, I find myself staring, enraptured. Her mouth is perfect, so fucking perfect.
Begging to be defiled.
I tighten my grip on her hair until she hisses in a breath and tips her head back. She stifles a little cry.
“You don’t know what you’re playing with, Savannah,” I whisper. I kiss her cheek, her nose, her temple. When her eyes flutter closed, I kiss her lids, then tip her head down so I can kiss her forehead. With a finger under her chin, I lift her face to meet mine and brush my lips across each cheek before I move my mouth to the side of her jaw. I kiss my way down her neck to where her pulse quickens, then lick my way from her neck to her collarbone, to the valley between her breasts.