She took one last nibble of cheese and nodded, licked the crumbs from her lips, then held his gaze as she swiped her tongue over her lower lip. The muscles in his belly clenched as she smiled slowly.
Maybe she didn’t have so much to learn, after all.
He grabbed the bottle of champagne on the way out, then took her hand and almost pulled her along. She stumbled in her heels, cursed, and righted herself. He handed her the bottle, grabbed her by the waist, and tossed her over his shoulder. For a second, she squirmed, and he placed a hand on her buttocks and squeezed. She went still and didn’t speak until he dropped her in the middle of the four-poster bed.
He took the bottle from her hand and placed it on the bedside table, then drew out a handful of condoms from his pocket and tossed them beside the champagne. He had more in his bag, and he hoped he would need them.
Kim stared up at him, her long legs sprawled, the leather skirt rucked up around her slender thighs. Blood drained so fast from his body to his dick that for a moment he felt almost light-headed.
“Are you turning into some sort of caveman?” she asked, but didn’t appear upset. Instead, she still seemed thoughtful, causing a small niggle of worry to start up in his brain.
“Maybe…” He wondered how to steer the conversation to his plans for the evening. Or perhaps he should shelve them for tonight. He didn’t want to scare her off, and his fantasies could overwhelm her if he gave them free rein. She still worried about the control issue, which he admitted was one of his flaws.
But she had the same failing.
That’s why she’d had such trouble with her father and her husband. Her ex had been an asshole, although she might have dealt with him better if she’d had more confidence in herself. Jake needed to reassure her she’d be in control whenever she wanted, but maybe tying her to the bed wasn’t the best demonstration.
He sank down beside her and stroked her silky, stocking-covered leg. Then he unbuckled the ankle straps on her shoes, threw them onto the floor, and massaged her feet. She had beautiful feet, narrow with a high instep. She wriggled her toes against his hand. He lifted her foot and placed it against his groin, and she wriggled her toes some more, this time against his erection. He rested his hand over her foot and held her still. He wanted to say something before he lost the ability to reason.
“Control is a two-way thing, Kim.”
Her eyes widened as though his words weren’t what she expected. “Is it? I don’t feel like I have much control over you.”
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of control you could exert over me if you wanted.”
She pursed her lips and tugged on the end of her ponytail—he could almost hear her mind work. Then a sly expression entered her eyes, and she smiled. “Really?”
He had a moment of misgiving. She was planning something. But what?
“Don’t you trust me, Jake?”
Against his better judgment, he gave a slow nod.
Her gaze flickered to the posts at the top of the bed and then back to him. “You ready to prove that?”
Why did he suspect that his plans for the evening were about to take a drastic turn?
“Are you willing to give me control, Jake?”
He wasn’t sure he liked the idea. But if it helped her come to terms with what she felt for him, then he’d give it a go. “What did you have in mind?”
She came up on her elbows, pulled her foot free, and sat up. She hugged her knees to her chest and studied him, her head cocked to one side, enthusiasm burning in her eyes.
“Take off your shirt.”
He frowned, but unfastened the buttons of his shirt and shrugged out of it. He crumpled it and tossed it on the chair by the bed. “Now what?”
She swallowed and licked her lips. “Lie down.” She shifted out of the way and sat on the edge of the bed. “On your back. In the middle of the bed.”
“You like giving orders, don’t you?” But he lay down and stared up at the canopy overhead. He rolled his head to the side to watch Kim rise to her feet and move around to stand by his head. She untied the cord that held the curtains and tugged it free, then crawled onto the bed and knelt at his side.
He breathed in the scent of her excitement, sweet and musky; he bet she was drenched beneath that scrap of leather.
He was sure he was about to be treated to the most explosive sexual experience of his life. Still, he had to hold himself motionless as she took hold of his right hand and scraped her fingertip across his palm. Heat sizzled up his arm. She wrapped the cord around his wrist and pulled it tight, then gently maneuvered his arm over his head so she could loop the cord around the post.
“You know,” he murmured. “This isn’t exactly what I envisioned happening here.”
“I know. You wanted to tie me up. Have your evil way with me.” She yanked the knot tight, drawing his arm high over his head. “Instead, I’m going to have my evil way with you. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me. You’re at my mercy.”
She scooted off the bed, came around the other side, and repeated the process with his left arm. As the cord tightened, he had to stifle his need to pull free. He closed his eyes and willed himself to settle.
When he opened them, she stared down at him as though she weren’t quite sure what she should do next. He had a few ideas but decided to leave it to her imagination.
She slipped her T-shirt over her head and placed it on top of his shirt. Beneath it, she wore a black bra, and through it, he could clearly see her nipples, poking at the lace. He wanted to touch them, stroke them, kiss them, and he couldn’t. Kim cupped her breast, rubbing her palm over the nipple. Her lashes drifted closed, only to snap open as he growled.
A small smile curled the corner of her lips as she climbed onto the bed beside him. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips, too briefly, then sat back on her heels and examined him. With one finger, she trailed a line down his inner arm, stroking the hair in the hollow of his armpits. Her touch was slow and sure as though she’d set aside her doubts, at least for the time of his captivity. A fingernail scraped his nipple, sending a jolt of pleasure to his groin. She took in his reaction, her eyes darkening, then leaned over him and flicked the nub with her tongue.
His dick pulsed in his pants, which were, by now, way too constricting. He wished she’d get on to the important bits, but she appeared in no hurry.
She nipped him with her teeth hard enough to hurt. “You were looking a little comfortable there,” she said.