“Come, boy.” She panted. “Come for your Mistress.”

Her command tore the orgasm from every frenzied nerve inside him, surging forth in powerful, shivering waves. He rocked into the fist around his cock, his fingers digging into the rope on his torso, pressing into the man’s mouth on his, and moaned a hoarse, strained exhale.

His body tingled, trembled, sighed. He collapsed, shoulders deflating, the plug pressing against his heels, throbbing to the beat of his blood.

She set the dildo aside, squatted before him, and removed the cloth from her face. Van raised his arm, his wrist striped with come, and licked it clean in one swipe.

Josh shuddered. Seriously, that was jacked up.

Van held out his tongue, lathered in semen, and leaned toward Liv.

What the unholy hell? She wouldn’t. No way.

Her moment of hesitation passed quickly. She caught his jaw between her hands and drew his tongue into her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut.

Every muscle in Josh’s body stiffened, the urge to interfere overwhelming. He trusted her intentions. She was playing a game. He bit down on his cheek and waited.

When Van’s hand shoved between her thighs, his fingers slipping inside her, Josh jerked forward.

She broke the kiss, caught Van’s wrist, and pushed his hand away. “Thanks for the burgers, Van.” She rose, gathered up the trash, and entered the code at the door.

A red flush stormed over Van’s expression. He stood, yanking his jeans into place, and strode toward her, his voice low. “You’re sleeping with me. Get him out of the ropes. I’ll wait.”

Chapter 26

Fear, anger, and jealousy stormed through Josh, pulling at his insides and squeezing his ribs tight. He strained his eyes to keep his chin down while glaring over his shoulder.

Liv’s arms lolled at her sides, her head tilted up, her face a blank canvas. “Another time, Van. I’m working.” She smiled, but it was tight at the corners. “You owe me an orgasm. Don’t think I won’t collect.”

Van raised his hand, caught a few strands of her loose hair in his fist, and yanked. His eyes flicked to Josh.

Crap. Josh dropped his gaze, praying he didn’t rouse suspicion about his obedience.

“Okay, Liv.” Van sighed, his voice tired. “Get through the meeting tomorrow. Then come to me.”

The unmistakable smack of lips followed, colliding with wet sucking sounds. The door clicked shut.

The gravity of what Josh had just participated in settled like lead in his gut. The burger and fries gurgled to come up. He jumped to his feet. “He needs a damned padded room.”

She slumped against the door, her stoic mask falling away, exposing the heartbreaking expression of a trapped woman. Her eyes fluttered shut.

He moved to her, the rope web pulling on his thighs, the plug rubbing sore tissues. He leaned into her space, frustrated he couldn’t hold her, and pressed his forehead against hers. “It worked, at least.”

“For now. We still have to get through tomorrow.”

And the next nine weeks. He inhaled the scent of her skin at her temple and let her closeness soothe his nerves.

“Do you resent what I did tonight?” Her voice was small, unsteady.

His sins were mounting. Of course, he hadn’t been given a choice, but he orgasmed in another man’s fist. Did it really matter in the scope of their situation? “No, Liv. You got me past some pretty big barriers. If I hadn’t been so horny for you—” he dropped his head on her shoulder, laughed, groaned “—that would’ve gone much worse.” He straightened and looked into her eyes. “What was the semen-licking thing about?”

A ragged sigh pushed past her lips. “It’s his thing. He does it during training sessions. In the past, it wasn’t a battle I’d chosen to fight. Changing that tonight would’ve stirred up questions about us.”

Us. The sound of that stirred up all kinds of questions. But that was for another time.

Her hand traveled over his backside and gripped the plastic base of the plug. She leaned up and bit his lip as she pulled it out with one tug.

He blew out a breath, the muscles in his backside clenching away the tension. But his relief was accompanied by a flush that spread through his body. She’d awoken something in him, and he wanted…more. He followed her to the sink.

She washed the plug and tackled his ropes. As the knots loosened so did his knees. He leaned his butt against the edge of the vanity and relaxed into the satiny feel of her hands trailing over his chest.

Her breasts swayed beneath the movements of her toned arms as she freed each length of rope. He wanted to lean in and lick her parted lips. He wanted to lick her everywhere, and his penis responded immediately to that thought. Her gaze lowered to his glaring arousal, and a slow smile built on her gorgeous face. She flicked her eyes to his and shook her head, grinning.

“I wasn’t like this before I met you.” He laughed. It was kind of true.

“Bullshit. You just wore a jockstrap to keep your endless boners tucked away.”

“Actually—” he puffed his chest defensively “—I tucked it into the waistband of my briefs.”

A laugh bubbled from her, and she tossed the last of the ropes on the floor. “Let’s take a shower, you dirty boy.”

Showering with her was a thrilling mix of gratification and torture. He knelt at her feet, caressing soap along the contours of her slender body. Every curve he stroked reminded him how desperately he wanted her. His breaths quickened, and his hands lingered on her inner thighs, his erection oh-so painfully aware of her naked proximity.

His fingers ached with the need to touch her breasts. So he did with a lather of bubbles and a devoted hand. He was in love with her body, the perfect size of her chest, the dramatic dip of her waist, the pink flesh between her legs. Simply watching her stirred a shiver of pleasure through his groin and a fluttering feeling near his heart.

There was nowhere in the world he’d rather be than on his knees, worshiping her body. It felt…right. The thought should’ve made his blood run cold. Instead, it flooded his chest with a fulfilling warmth.

When they finished the shower, they turned off the lights and collapsed on the mattress.

He pulled her back to his chest and hooked an arm around her waist, her clean minty scent clearing his head. He’d become accustomed to her nudity, but with both of them bare in this position, it felt new, intense. Her belly warm beneath his hand, her feet sliding over his shins, he couldn’t quiet the endless stirring he felt in her presence.

“You’re hard.” There was a smile in her voice.

“You’re naked. And I’m going to burn in hell.”

Her musical laugh lifted through the darkness. “For snuggling with the devil?”

“The devil with the voice and heart of an angel.” He buried his nose in the soft damp strands of her hair. “I want you so damned much, Liv.”

The curve of her body along the length of his lay motionless, unresponsive.

How many times had a captive made the same declaration to her? Damn his big mouth. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to—”

“You don’t want me.” Her whisper cracked. “You want…someone who deserves you.”

An ache tightened his chest. He heard her. Not her words but her. For a fraction of a moment, he heard the girl he’d been searching for. The girl who yearned to be loved. “Will you do something for me?”

She tensed against him.

He caressed his hand from her belly to her breastbone and settled it over the galloping beat of her heart. “When it’s just you and me, lose all those guarded layers. Let me see you.” He raised up on his elbow and strained his eyes through the dark to make out the outline of her face. “Don’t hide this from me.” He tapped the spot over her heart.

A noise hitched in her throat. “It’s ugly in there, decayed by lies and shame, endlessly bleeding for all the lives I’ve ruined. You’re the eighth reason I don’t deserve affection.”