She cried out.
“Let go of the hurt,” he said in a raspy voice. “Embrace the pleasure. Reach for it.”
His thumb rubbed and strummed at her clit. Then he worked his finger lower and thrust into her pu**y. She arched into him, wanting him to move, to thrust. But he held still against her, buried as deeply as he could go.
“Please,” she begged.
He slowly withdrew and then eased forward. He closed his eyes, and his jaw was clenched tight as he seemed to struggle for control.
“I can’t go slow,” he said. He rammed forward as his finger stroked over her clit. “Oh, God, Faith.”
He began thrusting, his hips slapping against her ass. Moisture flooded her pu**y as her orgasm built and blew out of control. There wasn’t one slow buildup to one big bang, instead there were several explosions, one after the other. Each one was wrung out of her in a mixture of pain and edgy pleasure. It all mixed and swirled together until she was mindless in her ecstasy.
And then when he buried himself one last time, and she felt the hot rush of his release deep in her body, she lost all semblance of time and place.
She screamed as her body flew apart.
He continued to thrust against her until finally he stopped. He leaned against her for a long moment as his c**k jerked and spasmed the last of his release. Then he eased out of her body with a gentle pop. She felt the warm slide of his seed spill over her aching flesh as he left her.
With gentle hands, he turned her over to her side. She curled her legs until her knees tucked into her stomach. Her muscles ached, and she trembled from head to toe. But she felt more alive than she’d ever felt before. Excited, exhausted and completely sated.
He bent and kissed her hip before sliding from the bed. She closed her eyes, too exhausted to do anything more than lie there and wait for him to return.
In a few seconds, he tugged at the rope at her hands. When her hands fell free, he rolled her over onto her back and gathered her in his arms. He picked her up from the bed and kissed the top of her head as he walked toward the bathroom.
The water was still running when he lowered her into the bathtub. She sighed contentedly as the hot water lapped over her body.
He knelt beside the tub and ran a hand through her hair. “Are you okay?”
She smiled, allowing the sheer joy coursing through her to show. “I’ve never been better.”
His eyes glittered, and she could see the satisfaction her answer had brought.
He washed her, gently tending to every inch of her body. When he was finished, he reached down and picked her up from the water. He set her down outside of the tub and reached for one of the large towels hanging on the rack.
As he wrapped the towel around her, he clutched her shoulders and pulled her close to him. He nudged her chin up with his knuckle then lowered his mouth to hers.
His kiss was tender, loving. He fanned his fingers out over her face as he deepened his kiss. She let out a contented sigh that he swallowed up as soon as it escaped.
“You’re so unbelievably sweet,” he murmured. “So perfect.”
She warmed under his approval, and she offered a shy smile when he drew away.
He tucked her hand into his and pulled her out of the bathroom. She followed him into the living room, and he stopped at the couch.
Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her and positioned her at the end of the sofa. The arms were big and fluffy and she had to stand on tiptoe when he bent her over the plump cushion.
Her feet left the floor as he pushed her back until her cheek rested against the seat cushion. Her ass stuck high in the air as her abdomen cradled the arm of the couch.
He left her for a moment then returned and pulled her hands behind her back as he’d done earlier. He wrapped the rope around her wrists and tied them together. Then he spread her legs so that her pu**y and ass were exposed and vulnerable.
“Just like that,” he murmured. “I’m going to jump in the shower. I expect to find you just like I put you when I get back.”
The clear warning in his voice sent a delighted chill over her skin. She heard the soft thud of his feet as he walked back across the hardwood floor to the bathroom.
She lay there, her body already humming with heightened arousal. She didn’t think it was possible to have recovered so quickly from her last orgasm. It had been a force like she’d never experienced. No one had ever been able to give her so much, been able to take so much.
Was Gray the one? Her mind, her heart told her yes. Unequivocally yes. Her body told her yes. Did she dare to hope that she and Gray could forge a relationship?
She closed her eyes, afraid to hope, afraid that this was one disappointment she couldn’t bear if things didn’t work out.
Sensing his presence once again, she opened her eyes to see him standing beside the couch. Her vision focused on his hand at his side and the crop resting against his leg.
Heat flooded every pore of her body. He was going to spank her.
He extended the crop to touch her cheek, the leather tip trailing down her jawline. It followed a line down her neck and over her shoulder. He traced her spine down her back, and she shivered when it caressed her bu**ocks.
It left her body and then a split second later it struck her ass. Red-hot pain scorched the spot where the crop landed, leaving her breathless. Just as soon, though, the pain was replaced by a sensual heat as it radiated over her ass. It went humming through her body, tightening her ni**les and making her pu**y clench with need.
Another blow fell on her other cheek, and she flinched as a surprised cry spilled from her lips.
Two more landed in quick succession until she writhed, suspended between pain and deep arousal.
“You like the pain,” he said.
She moaned softly in response. She did. She couldn’t explain it. With each blow came initial discomfort, but at the same time, each strike gave her more pleasure than the last.
“I love seeing my mark on you. I love how red your ass gets with each slap of the leather. I love seeing you squirm in pain and then give over to the pleasure that follows.”
“More,” she whispered. “Please.”
He struck the soft globe of her ass again, harder than before. She cried out then shivered when his hand caressed away the burn. Again the crop descended, and the sharp snap of leather meeting flesh cracked across the room.
“But you want to know what I love even more?” he asked softly.
She whimpered softly.
“The idea that after I’ve turned your ass red I’m going to f**k you. I’m going to ride you hard while your ass is still burning, while my mark is still visible on your skin.”