David Read online

  Predatory. Hot. Dominant. She melted.

  “We’ll start slow. I want you to relax. Your mom has the kids for the next two weeks. I’ve taken off work. And I plan on using every single one of those days to remind you of how much I love you. And to make it up to you.”

  “Two weeks?” she repeated, not believing his words.

  “Yes. Turns out in all that time not missing a day at work, I built up a lot of leave.” His hand curved around her cheek. The soft caress melted her already liquid bones. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to repair my mistakes. Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” Her voice was breathless, stolen by her husband.

  “Good. Close your eyes.” All that smooth Southern molasses disappeared from his voice, replaced by the harsh command of a man in charge.

  Lori dropped her gaze immediately. Her cheeks flushed and her breath quickened. He kept his hand on her cheek, and she tilted into his palm, seeking the comfort of his touch.

  “And I need time to show you how much I still love you.”

  She had to use all her willpower to keep her eyes closed. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him with every ounce of love she possessed. His words warmed her from the inside out, killing the coldness in her soul.

  David stood and placed her on her feet. He walked a slow path around her, placing feather light touches on her shoulder, her spine, his fingers setting her on fire.

  When his touch disappeared, the silence permeated her skin, her body. He didn’t have to touch her to control her. Her every thought was tuned to his presence.

  She could feel him in the room. Feel his authority. Something cold slipped around her neck, and she jerked. David lifted her hair over her shoulder, she heard a small click, and then her hair drifted back down her back.

  She touched the small gold chain he’d put on her after their wedding ceremony. One she could wear daily. A reminder to keep him always in her mind.

  No matter where she was, no matter what she was doing, David would be with her.

  An intense wave of longing slammed into her so hard she shook and chill bumps covered her entire body. “You found it?” Tears clogged her throat again. Damn. She never cried, but she couldn’t help it. He’d ripped open a deep wound, and wounds hurt when they healed.

  David came around and stood toe to toe. She had to concentrate not to look at him when all she wanted to do was get lost in his gaze.

  He tipped her chin up, holding her prisoner. “Open up.” She obeyed, and he continued. “Yes, I found your necklace. In its case. In the bottom of my bag. And yes, I noticed you haven’t worn it in a long time.”

  He leaned down, his face inches from hers. “So I took it to the jeweler this week and had him install a special clasp. One only I can open.” His voice grew darker with each word, and it was then she noticed the pain in his gaze.

  The thin necklace seemed to tighten around her neck, cutting off her air. All this time she’d been blaming him, when she had been equally responsible.

  Lori swallowed past the boulder in her throat and touched the chain. “Thank you, David.” She would never take it off again. Ever.

  “However,” David straightened to his full height, a foot taller than she. “You were never to remove it in the first place.”

  That boulder in her throat dropped into her stomach and threatened to take her down. Dread mingled with desire. She should never have removed it. That was David’s job. Her husband.

  “Go upstairs. Wait for me in the bedroom.” His voice changed. Demanded. A small thrill shot up her spine, and she rushed to obey. She didn’t stop until she stood before their king-size four-poster bed. Another wedding present from David.

  Five

  The comforter was gone and only a black fitted sheet remained. She climbed onto the soft mattress, her legs unable to support her weight.

  She heard his footsteps pounding up the steps and chills spread across her skin. Her breathing came fast and shallow.

  “Good, lie down on your back.”

  Lori slowly leaned back until she was stretched out on the center of the bed. David followed, his heat a direct contradiction to the cold sheet at her back.

  “Put your hands over your head.”

  She complied, her arms heavy.

  David pulled a long black scarf from the nightstand, loosely bound her wrists together, and then tied them to the bed.

  Lori tested their sturdiness and discovered she couldn’t wiggle free.

  “This is for you. Relax. Trust me.”

  Lust shot straight from her wrists to her clit. It had been so long. Too long.

  “Stay put.” David’s smile was pure satisfaction. As if she could move if she wanted to. Not that she wanted to.

  Her senses came alive. David rolled off the bed and stood, towering over her. The cool air of the room tried to rob her of David’s heat, but she was on fire, smoldering from nothing more than a touch.

  “You will keep your eyes on me at all times. Do you understand?”

  She nodded. His soft slap landed right between her legs, directly on her clit. She involuntarily bowed off the bed with shock.

  “Do you understand?” David punctuated each word. Each word hammered into her conscious.

  “Yes.” Her answer was more of a gasp than an actual word. His palm slid farther down between her legs and eased back up, cupping her core. She moaned. David pulled back. The loss of his touch was almost unbearable.

  He put one knee on the bed and held his hand close to her face. “You’re already wet for me.”

  The musky smell of her on his palm sent her spiraling. If she’d been hot before, now she was on fire. His words twisted in her insides and then unfurled. She didn’t need to see the evidence to know how much she desired him.

  He leaned away and pulled a small bottle out of the bag he’d placed beside the bed. He poured its contents into his palm, then rubbed his hands together and climbed between her spread legs.

  She was helpless. Completely at David's mercy.

  “I picked up a few new things this week. This is called Fire. It has derivatives from chili peppers to heat up the skin.” David started at her thighs, massaging upward in long, sure strokes. Her already oversensitive skin heated with each pass, almost to the point of pain.

  He neared her core but passed by, circling around her hips and moving to her belly. Everywhere his hands touched her skin tingled and burned. He kept going. When he neared her breasts, she gasped. Her nipples beaded, readying for his touch. Finally, his hands covered the sensitive peaks. Her back arched.

  David pushed her back down. “Hold still.”

  How could he expect her to be still with liquid fire spreading over her body? He didn't miss an inch. His coated hands massaged all the way down her arms to her hands, pulling and warming each individual finger until she moaned and moved with every caress, her muscles loose and languid. She was only vaguely aware she disobeyed his order.

  David moved, lightning fast, and flipped her onto her stomach. Smack! The first blow snapped her from her reverie. “I told you to hold still.” Smack! Smack! Smack! He didn’t give her time to think. “You disobeyed. What happens when you disobey?”

  Lori had to wade through the haze of pleasure and pain to process his question. Smack!

  “I expect a response when I ask you a question.” His words snarled at her, demanding respect.

  “I...I can’t remember the question.” Lori’s voice quavered, her reactions so intense it shook her very core. Her entire body burned and tingled from the oil. Her ass burned from his hand.

  David flipped her back over, and she was met with the intense heat of his gaze. “Don’t move.”

  Lori barely held back a groan. David’s fingers dropped below her waist, not giving her time to prepare before he started rubbing her clit in small, sure circles, the warming oil tingling and turning her inside out. His strokes never sped up or slowed down. Her temperature rose to near exploding. She arched mor
e, bowing her body upward under his touch. Needing more. Needing him to satisfy the craving he’d started.

  But he moved downward, massaging her calves. Her feet. Slowing her burn to a simmer. His eyelids drooped, heavy and sexy.

  She licked her lips. “Kiss me.”

  David’s answering smile was mischievous. “I don’t think so.”

  She couldn’t help the little moue of a frown turning her lips downward. Her entire heart, body, and soul longed for him. She needed him inside her. Filling her, replacing the emptiness.

  David leaned over and pulled a cube of ice from a small porcelain bowl on her bed stand. Her frown deepened.

  His gaze melded with hers, warming her already burning body. His hand lowered, taking his time until her belly was rising and falling in rapid waves. He touched the ice directly to her nipple.

  Lori cried out and her back bowed. The contrast between the warm massage oil and freezing ice was wickedly drastic. Her already-tight nipples went painfully hard.

  "I told you to hold still. To be silent. Now, we begin your real punishment. I don't want to hear a word or any sound come from your mouth. If you move again, you will regret it."

  She should have known a sensuous massage and a spanking wasn’t going to be it. She pressed her lips together, tight and firm. Lips that tightened even more when David popped a fresh ice cube in his mouth and took her nipple between his teeth.

  He sucked her pink flesh harder, his hot mouth turning colder with each tug, pulling an intense reaction from her core.

  Trembling started in her stomach, subtle at first as she fought for control. Fought to remain silent and hold still.

  But David had no mercy. He wrapped his lips around her other nipple and bit down. The sharp sting of pain and ice had her biting her lips. He didn't stop. Not until the ice cube melted and water dripped down her side. Not until her breaths sawed in and out of her in harsh gasps.

  She watched, transfixed, as he placed another cube between his too-sexy lips and lowered to her belly button. The contrasting sensations were so intense. So overwhelming. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. All she could do was feel.

  David sat back on his knees, studying her. Lori kept her eyes locked onto her husband. He retrieved more ice. He didn’t trail down her belly. He didn’t touch her thighs. He didn’t prepare her body in any way. He bent down. His tongue lashed her clit, and he feasted on her pussy, replacing his tongue with the ice cube every other stroke.

  Lori cried out, unable to keep her lips sealed another minute.

  David stopped immediately. “You disobeyed, pet.”

  She cringed, wondering what her punishment would be. She didn’t have to wait long.

  He pushed the ice cubes inside her, freezing her from the inside out. When his tongue licked her again, it was warm, absent of the ice. He inserted another cube. Her body jerked. The chill spread from her core outward, and she screamed, caught in a mindless void of sensation.

  It had been so long. So long since David had touched her. Since she felt this uncontrollable need eating her body.

  He pushed a finger inside her, moving the ice around and still licking her clit. The pleasure increased. He inserted another finger, stretching her unused folds, the up-and-down movement of his tongue matching his fingers pumping in and out.

  She tossed her head to the side, and her muscles pulled tight, reaching for that blissful cloud of pleasure only he could provide.

  David increased his pace. She was so close. So near the edge. She needed just a little more.

  He stopped. His fingers left her body. His tongue left her flesh. He left her panting and unfulfilled.

  “Please, sir. Please don't stop.”

  “Do you think you deserve to come?”

  “Yes. Please. Yes.” She couldn’t think. The melted ice dripped down her slick opening.

  “Do you really think your punishment is over?”

  She gasped, eyes wide, and realization dawned. Her punishment wasn't going to be a spanking. It wasn’t going to involve any pain whatsoever.

  “That’s right.” David read her mind, speaking the words for her.

  David had never denied her an orgasm in her entire life. But when he left the bed and stood next to her, she knew that was his devious plan. To leave her longing. Wanting. Craving.

  “This could take all day. All week.” David unbuttoned his shirt, seeming to relish every word. He crossed to the chaise lounge and folded his shirt on its cream surface. His muscles rippled with each movement. Cut and lean, not big and bulky. Strong.

  Her mouth watered.

  David faced her and pulled open the button on his jeans. His abs shifted and danced beneath his skin; a trail of blond hair disappeared beneath his waistband. She wanted to scream at him to pull those ripped jeans from his gorgeous body. She wanted to see him. All of him.

  He sauntered across the room, still partially clothed. “Do you want to see me? Touch me?”

  A direct question. “Yes, David. Please.” She strained against her bonds, but the effort was useless. She wouldn’t touch him until he said so. Until he decided.

  Instead of satisfying her need, he pulled open her nightstand drawer. She didn’t pay attention to his movements but kept her eyes locked onto his nearly naked body. It wasn’t until she caught the flash of hot pink that her attention was pulled from her husband.

  He’d found her vibrator.

  Six

  “So this is what you used to replace me in my own bed?” He studied the small device, thoughtful, but hard lines formed around his mouth and eyes.

  She thought she'd been so careful, that he would never know. She’d forgotten how observant her husband was. Her needs hadn’t disappeared after they had stopped having sex, but by then David had become distant. Cold. Instead of risking her heart, she’d bought the vibrator to take the edge off. It in no way satisfied her body, but it had kept her from going insane.

  David inspected the device, ignoring her for the moment. “Did this tiny thing really give you what you needed?”

  He didn’t wait for her answer. She didn’t think he really expected one. They both knew the answer to his question. David pushed his jeans down, revealing his gorgeous, hard cock. God, she wanted him. Craved him with a need bordering on recklessness.

  David took himself in hand, wrapping his fingers around his shaft, easing up and down the swollen flesh.

  She whimpered. She should be the one pleasuring him. She should be stroking him.

  "I'm not going to ask you how long you've had it. But since I haven't gotten the pleasure of seeing you use it, I figured we could start today." David pulled out something that looked like a wide thong with ties on the sides.

  He hooked the material beneath her hips, moving her this way and that until he tied a strap across each of her hipbones so that the material formed a triangle. A makeshift type of thong. Then he slipped the vibrator inside the material and nestled it against her clit.

  He stood back, holding the matching pink remote, and surveyed his work. “Now we will continue your punishment.”

  David clicked the vibrator on to the highest setting, and her already-swollen clit thrummed. She cried out at the intense shock of pleasure.

  “Be silent. If I have to tell you again, that spanking is going to look like a reward.” David said, his expression as hard as his voice.

  Lori sucked her lips between her teeth and bit down until she tasted blood. Her entire body was fine-tuned for his pleasure. The constant vibration was pushing her near to climax.

  “You will not come without permission.” He knew. David knew everything. That’s what made him such a good cop. He could read people. See their insides. And right now, he was using his gift for torture.

  Lori couldn’t take it much longer. She was so close to exploding, punishment be damned.

  He flipped the remote off and the vibrations stopped. She was breathing hard, sweat beading her body. She tried to slow her furious heartbeat, but
she couldn’t relax. He’d pulled her body so tight it nearly snapped.

  David leaned down and pushed her hair from her forehead. “That looked intense.”

  Lori scowled, and his answering smile was the devil incarnate. He straightened, rolled the small wheel on the side of the remote, and flicked the vibrator back on. She bit down again, grinding her teeth together to keep quite. To hold still.

  Her eyes drifted shut, unable to stand the pleasure and torture.

  “Eyes on me.” David ripped her from the haze long enough to focus. She fixated on his thumb. He dialed down, decreasing the vibration against her clit. Her hips relaxed and she sucked in air, unaware she’d been holding her breath. He shut it off again.

  “David, please. Please turn it back on,” she cried out in frustration.

  His answer was to stroke his cock, and a small drop of pre-cum glistened on its large tip, her discomfort obviously pleasuring him. The vibrator came on again. This time, instead of the steady pressure, the pulsing between her legs mimicked a strong heartbeat. A heartbeat she felt through her entire body.

  David worked his hand faster on his cock. She squeezed her thighs, trying to push them together and exert enough pressure to push her over the edge. But her legs were in no way what she needed to satisfy this craving.

  David climbed onto the bed and straddled her hips, leaving the vibrator on pulse, and laid the remote to the side. He took her nipples between his finger and thumb, pulling until she curved off the bed.

  "Does that feel good?" he asked.

  “Yes,” she gasped out, his touch sending her beyond control. Beyond thought.

  "If I let you go without your punishment, you'll never learn your lesson. You have directly disobeyed every command I've given you.” David kicked up the intensity of the vibrator and took one of her nipples into his mouth. Drawing hard.

  “You closed your eyes and robbed me of their beauty.”

  Lori forced her lids to stay open and focused on him. On his mouth.

  "You spoke when I told you to be silent." He dialed down the intensity another notch. Every muscle in her body pulled tense.