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  “There isn’t anything you can’t tell me,” he said. “Nothing. How can I deal with your fears if I don’t know what they are?” He nipped her earlobe. “We can wait on that, Fallon. The pain is supposed to be pleasurable, not unbearable. I don’t want anything from your other life to bleed into this one.” His voice dropped. “I want to bring you nothing but pleasure.”

  “You do,” she whispered.

  He tightened his hold just enough so the heavy ridge of his cock pressed against her through the fly of his well-worn jeans.

  “Feel what you do to me?” His hips thrust slightly. “I can hardly look at you naked without getting harder than steel.”

  Her gaze met his in the mirror and held. Her breathing quickened.

  “Open your legs for me.” He didn’t raise his voice but the command was there nonetheless. When she hesitated a second, he exerted pressure on her breast. “Now, Fallon. Right now. Don’t make me tell you again.”

  She moved her feet to widen her stance. The moisture on her inner thighs glistened in the light.

  “Wet. Just like I thought. Rub two fingers through your slit then lift your hand.” His voice was dark with a smoky quality, tinged with the promise of forbidden treats. His gaze in the mirror still held hers.

  She did as ordered, bringing the slick fingers up to her face. She knew what was coming.

  “Now lick them. Suck every bit of your taste from your hand.”

  She trembled as her tongue swiped the juice from her fingers. Her legs trembled. If not for his arms around her, she would have collapsed to the floor. How easily he made her entire body his. And how willingly she gave it.

  “Excellent. Your musk intoxicates me. I’d say watching you lap it from your hand makes me hard, but just looking at you already does that.”

  Another gush of fluid soaked her cunt. She was helpless to the power of his words.

  “Tonight,” he said, “wear that black dress I like so much.”

  The design of that dress was elegant, but the material was thin enough to show the slight outline of her nipple rings, just visible to anyone looking. Tonight they were attending a small party with business associates, a chance for both of them to network.

  He bent his head to nibble at her earlobe. “And when you get dressed, leave off the panties.”

  She turned in his grasp. “No panties?”

  He gave her a wicked grin. “I want unimpeded access whenever I choose.”

  “But—”

  He brushed his mouth over hers. “I’d better shower and dress or we’ll be late. Remember. The black. And those skinny heels that make your legs look ten miles long.”

  He stripped on his way to the bathroom, giving her an unimpeded glimpse of his excellent ass and muscular back. The sight made her weaker than she already was.

  From the first moment she’d submitted to Cord, crossed that threshold with him, he’d held an invisible power over her. Power that, when she’d finally allowed herself to step into this relationship, she’d willingly given. If the addictive craving from her past occasionally tried to force its way to the surface, her relationship with Cord gave her the strength to push it back.

  She ran her tongue over her lips, finding the residual taste of her juices still lingering.

  Okay. No panties it was.

  * * * * *

  The first thing Cord had done when he’d bought the ranch was to thoroughly renovate the house itself. He had the bucks and he was determined to outfit it with every comfort he wanted. The bathroom had been primary, with its Jacuzzi tub, long vanity, heated towel racks and a glassed-in shower in which the water sprayed from multiple showerheads at whatever pressure a person chose. Now he stood beneath those showerheads and let the hot spray beat down on his aroused body. The naked image of Fallon danced in his head.

  Jesus, the woman could turn him on with nothing more than a look. A touch. Especially when her submission was written plainly across her face. Upon seeing her naked, he’d wanted nothing more than to bend her over the bed, clamp her wrists behind her and fuck her senseless. That she would let him do it willingly made his cock ache with need.

  He had been a Dom for so long he could hardly even remember when it first became a part of his life. In Dallas he’d had access to the best dungeons, the best private clubs, and a long list of subs had satisfied his needs. But with his fortieth birthday breathing down his neck, he’d wanted something more. Especially after the purchase of Comanche Pass Ranch. The goddess of fate had surely been watching over him when he met Fallon and hired her to do promotion for the ranch and plan the opening event.

  Immediately at that first meeting, he’d sensed she was a submissive. She’d taken some coaxing to establish a connection with him but it was worth every effort on his part. Fallon had been out of the scene for a year when they’d met. He’d wondered what happened, why she hadn’t even gone to a club to play or to hook up. But as their relationship progressed, he’d realized there was a history she kept buried so deep he had to work to pull anything out of her. Her previous Dom had changed her, until she’d no longer understood or recognized the intricacies of a healthy D/s relationship, and the part real emotion played in it.

  Because of that, Cord was overly cautious about focusing on the importance of consent, about establishing limits between them. He took his lead from her reactions, negotiating from one level to the next. It had stunned her at first. She’d obviously expected he would make his demands and she would simply acquiesce. But he didn’t want a sub who was a robot, over whom he had ultimate mind control. He wanted a woman who submitted because it gave her extreme pleasure to do so, but who was smart and independent in her own right.

  He knew that most of her previous Doms had been smart and caring, excellent trainers for a budding sub as she grew into her submissive role. In fact, she’d lived a healthy life as a sub, enjoying the scene—until she’d met that colossal asshole Brian Willoughby.

  It already pissed off Cord that a shithead like Willoughby had damaged her; so badly it had taken Fallon a year to willingly step into another D/s relationship. The things she told him were bad enough. But when he’d managed to dig out additional details from her friend Claire, he’d been downright enraged.

  Even in Dallas Cord had heard of the bastard, and that was exactly what people called him. A taker. A user. A man drunk with power who wielded it like a sword, but with such a magnetic personality people were in his thrall before they even realized it. Friends had come out on the losing end of business transactions with Willoughby, the deals done before they’d even realized he’d ridden roughshod over them. Many of them were still shell-shocked at the situations they’d found themselves in.

  Apparently he was no different in his personal relationships, because it appeared he’d done the same to Fallon.

  How had she even met him? He wasn’t known in the BDSM community. His type of Dom would be banned from respectable dungeons and groups. Lack of respect was never tolerated and from everything he’d heard, that man respected no one.

  The experience with Willoughby had scarred her, wounds that Cord knew were still healing. He sensed there were still deeply buried fears, deep-rooted anxieties that impacted the life he and Fallon were trying to build together. He knew despite his best efforts, she always held a little of herself back. A last part of her that he couldn’t quite reach.

  If their relationship was to become what he hoped, there could be no secrets.

  What if she still has feelings for him? Is still drawn to him?

  If Cord were truthful, that was a good part of the reason he didn’t push harder. The last thing he wanted was for Fallon to run away. Maybe back to him. And he didn’t want to lose her. She’d gotten to him, right in the deepest part of his gut, lodged there now like a permanent part of his body.

  He was so lost in thought he didn’t hear the door to the shower slide open. But his eyes flew open when slender fingers closed around his throbbing cock.

  “May I, S
ir?” Her voice was equal parts desire and submission.

  “It appears you’re already doing it. And without my permission.” He heard the rough edge of need in his voice.

  “I understand.” She lowered her eyes. “But it occurred to me I haven’t served my Sir well today.”

  Cord clenched his teeth as she caressed his shaft from root to tip and back again. “Too true. A hardworking Dom needs to be attended to. Perhaps I should punish you for the omission.”

  “As you wish. It would be my pleasure to receive whatever punishment you choose for me.”

  He gave a strangled laugh. “I’ll just bet it would.”

  They were back in D/s mode again, her head bowed in a submissive pose as she stroked his shaft. For a moment he considered paddling her ass while it was still wet, increasing the edge of pleasure/pain. Then all rational thought left him as she dropped to her knees and closed her lips over the head of his cock, swirling her tongue around it as her hand continued its steady stroking movement. His balls tingled and the vein wrapped around his dick pulsed rhythmically. Her mouth was like hot velvet, her tongue a silken flame.

  Staring down at Fallon on her knees in the shower, head bowed over his cock as she sucked and stroked, it took everything he had not to come right then. But he wanted to prolong the enjoyment as well as the sight of her in submissive mode. Droplets of water traveled down the length of her spine and rolled off the curve of her ass, an ass his hands itched to spank. The image of those rounded buttocks, hot-pink from his hand or the paddle, sent another surge of lust bursting through him.

  Pulling the clip from her hair, he let the shiny tresses tumble to her shoulders so he could wind them around his fingers and grip her head. Tightening his hold, he worked his cock in and out of her mouth, each time thrusting harder and deeper. The head scraped along the roof of her mouth then slid lower, across her tongue and toward her throat. Fallon adjusted the angle of her head to take him deeper, her hand still stroking rhythmically. He wanted badly to make it last, to prolong the sensations, but the minx knew exactly how to work him.

  When his control threatened to snap, he jerked himself from her mouth. He would decide where he wanted to come, and tonight it wasn’t in her mouth. He wanted to feel her snug pussy around his shaft, tightening and milking him, her muscles clenching. Reaching up to a little built-in shelf where he stored them, Cord grabbed a condom and rolled it on with shaking hands. If he wasn’t so close to the edge he’d take her in the ass, rough and hard, but he was already past the danger point.

  Lifting Fallon to her feet, he placed his hands beneath the slippery cheeks of her ass, balanced her against the shower wall and drove into her body with one swift thrust. He closed his eyes and made himself take a deep breath. Fallon wound her legs around him, pulling him closer, impaling herself on him.

  Sweet Jesus!

  Her inner walls were already flexing, her body trembling. Banding one arm tightly around her waist to keep her pinned to him, he slid his other hand between their water-slicked bodies to find her clit. Rubbing her sensitive little peak, he thrust hard, holding back as long as he could. The moment he felt a long spasm claim her entire body, he let go, his muscles tightening as the release surged up from inside him in time with hers.

  When the last of their tremors had subsided, he lowered her to the floor and backed up to lean against the opposite wall, his legs trembling with weakness as he still held her close. He closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing, gain back some control.

  Jesus! She just did it to him, every time.

  And he loved it.

  A willing sub who submitted eagerly but with a strong spirit. He’d never thought to find this, the perfect woman to enrich his life in all aspects. She even rode a horse now like an expert. The nipple rings were his attempt to solidify their relationship, to let her know this wasn’t a transient thing for him. He really wanted to give her the delicately crafted collar he’d had made, currently sitting in a locked drawer in his desk.

  But she still had too much baggage dragging her down. It was impossible to ignore. She told him so little about it. He couldn’t be sure if she was afraid to tell him, if it was too upsetting, or if she was still in some way addicted to the Dom who had made such an impression on her life.

  “Cord?” Fallon’s warm voice shook him out of his unpleasant musings.

  He sighed lightly, stripping off the condom. Sliding open the shower door, he tossed it into the wastebasket.

  “That was damn good, girl.” He kissed her forehead.

  “Shouldn’t we wash and get out before we shrivel up?” She grinned at him. “It would be my pleasure to wash my Master’s body.”

  He laughed, enormously glad for her presence. He brushed his mouth gently against hers.

  “We’ll be late for dinner if we keep this up.”

  She lowered her eyes seductively. “Would my Sir feel compelled to punish me?”

  He licked the water from her lips. “I think when we get home from dinner we might have to have a session.” His tongue darted into her mouth then out.

  “I’ll look forward to it.”

  “No more than I will.”

  Chapter Two

  Fallon looked out the window as the car raced down the Interstate, the lights of businesses flashing by. Tonight they rode in what Cord called his “city car”, a black BMW that was one of his rare indulgences.

  “I need to feel something besides a truck beneath me once in a while,” he’d said.

  She folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath, trying to settle the sudden attack of nerves. What was there to be nervous about, anyway? A short trip into the city wouldn’t hold any danger as long as Cord was with her, and she avoided places where she was likely to run into Brian.

  Since moving out of San Antonio, she had confined her client list to the central area of the Texas Hill Country. The city reminded her of too many things she needed to wipe from her brain, an effort in which she was only partially successful.

  The cocktail party was in San Antonio, hosted by some local business acquaintances of Cord’s. No big deal, she thought. And hoped. When her agency was located in the city, she had actively mixed and mingled in the business scene. But that was before she’d met Brian. Then she’d dropped off the face of the earth. Would any of the people tonight be familiar with her? Would they want to know why she had closed up her agency so quickly? Did they know she was back in business but not in the city?

  Maybe some of her former clients would be there and would ask questions. For the past two years she’d basically been out of the business and social circles in the city. By now those people might as well have been in another country, as far as she was concerned.

  But Cord had been firm in his desire that she accompany him tonight. “I know you want to avoid the city but I really want them to see the beautiful woman who completes my life.”

  She had to trust that. Trust him. She hadn’t asked for specifics on who would be attending tonight. It was highly unlikely that he would be there. He and Cord just didn’t run in the same circles, although where big money was concerned, lines could become blurred.

  Cord reached over and closed his hand over both of hers. “Want to tell me what’s up?”

  God, his voice covered her like warm molasses. The sound of it pulsed all the way to her wet pussy; her still-sensitive nipples burned and shivers skittered down her spine.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re jumpy as a tick on a horse at the high point of summer.” He gave her hands a quick squeeze. “Worried about who’s going to be at this little shindig?”

  “No. No, of course not. I mean, we don’t know the guest list. It’s possible some of my former clients might even be among them.”

  “Be honest, Fallon, I know you’re determined to avoid Willoughby.” His voice softened. “I can promise you he won’t be a guest here. I’ve met with several of these people while discussing opportunities at the ranch and the
y all have the same opinion of him as I do.”

  “But he gets around people,” she insisted. “I’ve seen him do it.”

  “Not these people. Believe me on that.”

  She made herself breathe evenly. What was she doing? Cord would never take her into an emotionally dangerous situation. Right now she needed to push thoughts of Brian out of her mind. With an effort of will, she made herself relax.

  “We’ll be fine. I know this is difficult for you but I’ll be right there, anchoring you. Grounding you.” His voice softened further. “I take care of what’s mine. And if I’m not right next to you and you’re feeling uncomfortable, signal me and I’ll be there. These are just some of the people who helped me put together the deal for the ranch. It’s their way of easing me into the right circles if I want the ranch to succeed. And I really want you with me. After all, you’ll probably be working with a number of them. I hope.”

  “I know.” That in itself gave her a warm feeling.

  “We’ll do the meet and greet, let them see the gorgeous woman who belongs to me.” He chuckled. “Give them a chance to be jealous. I’ll press the flesh and show them what an outstanding member of the community I’ll be. It’s all good, I promise you. Very good.” His hand slipped between her thighs. “Your legs are touching, girl. Remember the rules? Legs apart.”

  Fallon shifted to accommodate him. When he slipped into Dom mode like this, it made her feel wanted. Willing to do whatever he wanted, and gladly.

  Yes, for him? Gladly.

  One of the first things she learned as a sub was the concept of trust. Brian had never even touched on that. She realized now that he’d built a situation on equal parts seduction and intimidation. That was why she’d been reluctant to give in to her feelings for Cord, no longer sure she was capable of making good choices.

  But this was a totally different ball game. He valued her as an individual. A person. After Brian, that was strange and exciting and made her more than willing to do whatever he asked.