Burn

tonight.”

And he didn’t want the violence he’d meted out just an hour earlier to touch her in any way. He knew he wouldn’t hurt her—intentionally—but he’d give himself no possibility of slipping beyond the here and now and back into that dark place he’d been when he’d beat another man.

He didn’t regret what he’d done, but neither did he want it touching Josie. Ever.

“What, then?” she whispered. “Tell me. I’ll do whatever you want.”

He smoothed a hand down the side of her hair, staring down into her eyes awash with earnestness. So eager to please. So soft and submissive she made his gut ache.

“Want you on your hands and knees, baby. Not tying you up tonight. Want you to be able to hold yourself up. Going to fuck that pussy first and then I’m going to have your ass. Won’t be as gentle as I was that first night I had your ass. Can you handle that?”

Her breath stuttered across her lips and her pupils dilated rapidly as desire swamped her face.

“I want whatever you give me, Ash.”

He kissed her mouth, sliding his tongue in to taste her. He loved the way he swallowed her breath, breathed in the same air she expelled. There was something decidedly intimate about that. About taking the air she gave, sucking it in and savoring it before returning it.

“Go get on the bed,” he said in a gruff voice. “Hands and knees, knees perched on the edge of the mattress.”

She pulled away from him and he was reluctant to let her go even for the time it took her to position herself as he’d directed. He watched as she crawled onto the bed and presented her ass just the way he wanted. Then she glanced back over her shoulder, clear invitation in her eyes.

She wanted this. She was ready. He just had to make sure he didn’t take things too far. She deserved gentleness. She’d already suffered far too much at the hands of a dominant man. Not that Michael could be called dominant. What he was was an asshole. An abusive dickhead who got off on controlling the woman in his life.

Not that Ash would be any less controlling, but it was all in the presentation. Josie would absolutely heed Ash’s authority, but he’d give her all the things Michael had never given her. Love. Respect. Tenderness. He’d absolutely cherish her.

He quickly undressed and grabbed the tube of lubricant from the nightstand drawer, dropped it on the bed next to Josie’s ass and then smoothed his hands over her behind, cupping and caressing. The marks from the night before were still there. Fading, but still visible, a stark contrast against her pale, soft skin.

His marks. Evidence of his possession. Arousal splintered hard and fierce through his body until his dick swelled, threatening to burst under the exquisite torture.

He slid his fingers through the folds of her pussy, testing her arousal. She was swollen and wet, more than ready for his entry, but still, he held off, wanting to stroke her to further heights.

She twisted restlessly, pushing back against his probing fingers, clutching greedily at him as he withdrew. He stroked again, going deeper, testing the plush walls of her vagina, seeking the spot where the texture was rougher, slightly different than the rest. He pressed in and she let out a cry. A burst of wetness coated his fingers and he smiled. Yeah, she was ready. And he couldn’t wait to get inside her.

Grasping his dick with one hand, he spread her with the other, positioning himself at the mouth of her pussy before pushing in, slowly, inch by inch, until they were both vibrating with need.

When he gained his depth and strained against her, his balls flattened between her ass and his thighs, she let out a breathy sigh that he felt all the way to his soul. All the ways to take her swirled in the darkness of his mind. There was something about her that called to that darkness, like she was the one person with whom it would be okay to share that. She wanted it. She could take it. She needed it. Just as he needed it.

He leaned over her, blanketing her with his body as he remained tightly wedged inside her pussy.

“Tell me something, Josie,” he said in a silky, entreating voice. “Did all the talk of my threesome with Bethany and Jace make you jealous?”

She stiffened and then turned her head, clear puzzlement and discomfort displayed in her expression.

“Ash . . . I don’t understand . . .”

No, she wouldn’t have. It came out all wrong. He cursed his tongue because it hadn’t come out as he’d wanted.

“Just meant, did you picture yourself in that threesome? Is it something you thought about? Is it something that turned you on and you wanted?”

She shook her head, her eyes still perplexed. But there, just a flash. A hint of something in her eyes. He could barely see it because of the way she was turned.

“I think it did turn you on,” he said huskily. “And I already said it wasn’t happening. Did that disappoint you, Josie? Did you imagine what it was like to have two cocks at the same time?”

He reached underneath her to stroke her clit, feeling her body respond to his touch. She tightened around him, her sweet pussy fluttering and clenching, bearing down on his erection until he was near to exploding.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I imagined what it would feel like.”

“There’s another way,” he said smoothly. “Not quite as good as the real thing, but I can give you that sensation if nothing else. Have no desire to ever share you with another man, darling, but I can give you that experience at least.”

“I don’t understand,” she said in a breathless, excited tone.

“I’ll put in an anal plug. A bigger one so you’re all snug and tight around it. Then I’ll fuck your pussy with the plug inserted. You’ll have the experience of two cocks inside you without there being another man in the picture.”

“Oh.”

That one word conveyed a whole host of things. Excitement. Arousal. Yeah, she wanted it. And he’d give her that. He might not give her another man—that was never happening—but he could give her that sensation. Having her pussy and ass stuffed full.

He eased back, lifting his weight off her, withdrawing slowly through engorged, silken tissue. Then he pushed forward again, not ready to leave her tight heat. Not yet. He’d tease her a bit more, get her so worked up that she’d be about out of her mind.

He thrust forward, back and forth, more clinically as he sought to rein in his control. She moaned and twisted restlessly, but he knew she wouldn’t fall over that edge. Not unless his fingers were on her clit. That helped him because it meant she would only orgasm when he was ready for her to.

After a few more thrusts, he looked down, enjoying the sight of his dick sliding from her pussy, wet with her juices, so snug. So fucking tight. He couldn’t even imagine how much tighter she’d be with that plug in her ass.

He pulled completely out and left her trembling on hands and knees on the bed while he went to retrieve one of the unopened plugs in his closet. His hands shook as he tore open the packaging. Anticipation. Desire, a razor’s edge, boiling in his veins.

When he returned to the bed, Josie’s hands were balled into tight fists, planted in the mattress, and she turned her head to look at him, her eyes widening when she took in the size of the plug.

He laughed softly. “It’s no bigger than I am, love. You’ll take it and you’ll take me.”

“It’s going to hurt,” she said dubiously.

“Part of the pleasure is the pain,” he said softly. “Remember the marks on your ass from last night. I was a lot harder on you than I was that first time. But you took it and begged for more. Push aside the pain, Josie. Embrace it, because after the pain comes the pleasure. I’ll give you that and a hell of a lot more.”

She closed her eyes, throwing back her head, her glossy blond hair spilling like silk over her back. He wanted to twist his hands in the strands, pull hard and fuck her even harder. But that would come. For now he had to prepare her. Ease her into the situation. Then they’d both go over that edge together.

He applied a generous amount of lubricant both to the plug and to her ass, stretching her opening, sliding his fingers inside to coat her passageway. When he was certain there was enough to push the plug in with minimal effort, he tossed the lubricant aside and stepped back between her thighs.

“Breathe with it, baby. I’m going to go nice and slow and ease it in, but help me by breathing easy and pushing back when I tell you.”

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice breathy with excitement.

He inserted the tip, stretching her opening the slightest bit as he began to push inward. She moaned softly and he paused, withdrawing and then pushing forward in slow fucking motions as she continued to stretch around it.

For several long seconds, he played, teasing, pushing in and out, going a bit deeper with each thrust. Then he reached around, stroking over her clit as he began to press harder and deeper.

“Oh God,” she cried.

“Too much?”

“No! It feels so good, Ash. Don’t stop!”

He chuckled. “Not going to happen, baby.”

He stroked gently over her clit, working her into a frenzy, before finally pushing the plug all the way home.

She cried out and arched her back, her legs trembling and shaking violently as breaths heaved from her chest.

“Shhh, darling,” he crooned. “It’s all the way in. Just breathe and settle. I’ll give you a few seconds to come down. Don’t want you coming yet.”

She put her head down, resting it against the mattress, eyes closed as her body continued to shake. He wanted this to be good for her. It was all about her. No doubt he’d enjoy it every bit as much as her, but this was for her. He wanted her to come screaming her pleasure. His name.

He stepped back and her head immediately came back up, turning toward him, her gaze seeking. He smiled and leaned down to kiss the small of her back, just above the curve of her buttocks.

“Give me a minute, baby. Want to make this good for you.”

“If you make it any better, I’m going to die,” she said with a groan.

He laughed again and then went to get the scarlet red sash at the top of his closet. He’d ordered these things the minute Josie had moved into his apartment. Wanted everything he used with her to be new. Never having touched another woman.

He carried it back and then gently pulled her around so she faced him. She was up on her knees, thighs splayed to alleviate the tightness of the plug. Her face was flushed with arousal, rosy, eyes glazed.

Her eyes widened when he began to lift the sash to put over her eyes. He paused only long enough to offer her an explanation.

“Going to blindfold you. It will heighten your other senses. Want you to trust me completely to give you pleasure.”

“I do trust you,” she said in a sweet, soft voice.

He smiled his approval and then placed the sash over her eyes. He tied it tightly in back, checking to make sure it completely covered her eyes, blanketing her in darkness.

“Now I want you to lie back,” he directed. “On your back, legs over the edge of the bed.”

Even as he spoke, he helped her into position, taking care to position her as he wanted. She sank onto the mattress, a soft smile curving her swollen lips.

“Wish you could see what I’m seeing,” he said gruffly. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Josie. All laid out in front of me. Blindfolded, that plug in your ass. Just waiting for me.”

He knelt in front of the bed so his face and mouth were level with her open pussy. He licked over her opening and up to her clit, enjoying the shivers that cascaded through her belly.

“I won’t last long this way, Ash,” she said in a strained voice.

“Yes you will,” he said calmly. “You come when I tell you and not before.”

She made a sound of impatience that had him smiling. And he continued to eat her, savoring her like a delicacy, slow and sweet.

She writhed beneath him, bucking upward, each time she came back down, the plug pushing deeper inside her. She was panting, so close to her orgasm. But he knew her body well. Knew the signs of her impending release. And so he pulled back, leaving her precariously hanging off the edge.

She groaned, a sound of dismay and frustration, making him smile all over again.

“When I say, baby. When I say, and not before.”

“You’re killing me,” she wailed.

“Oh, I haven’t even begun yet,” he said silkily. “Before I’m done, you’ll beg me.”

“I’m begging now!”

His smile broadened and he pushed her legs farther apart. Then he reached into the nightstand again, pulling out nipple clamps she couldn’t see. He leaned over, licking one nipple and then the other, coaxing them into turgid points.

He sucked at both, setting a leisurely pace that would drive them both insane with want and need. When he had her nipples into rigid peaks, he flicked one last time with his tongue and then carefully applied the first clamp.

“Oh!” she exclaimed when the clamp bit into her nipple. “Ash?”

“Easy, baby. I won’t hurt you. You know that. Just a little pain. Give you that edge. You’ll like it.”

He affixed the other and then leaned back to survey his handiwork.

She was a work of art. No corny statements. She was utterly magnificent. The intricate, colorful tattoo snaked over her right side. So reflective of who she was and what she was. He could honestly say before her he’d never been a fan of tattoos on women. It just wasn’t something that did it for him. But from the moment he’d gotten a glimpse of hers, he’d been rabid with curiosity.

On her, it wasn’t just a tattoo like so many others. It was her art. A reflection of herself. And it fit her to a T. He wouldn’t have her any other way.

“You fascinate me, Josie. You have such a clean, wholesome, good-girl look going on. That blond hair, those gorgeous blue-green eyes. But underneath the clothes, there’s that tattoo. It screams bad girl. I like it. I like it a lot.”

A smile curved her lips again. A dreamy smile.

“Glad you like.”

“Oh, I do, baby. No doubt there. I like everything about you. Everything that makes you you.”

He stared a moment longer at the clamps pushing her nipples upward and then he let his hand drift down her midline, over her belly and to the wetness between her legs. Yeah, she was ready for him. No doubt there. But he didn’t want to end it so soon. He would take his time. Savor her. Make it good for both of them.

He stroked his cock, holding it close to her opening as he stared down at what was his. Mine. She was his, absolutely. Never thought he’d have a woman who understood him so completely in his bed. And yet here he was, staring down at a woman so beautiful that it hurt to look at her. He couldn’t look at her without a heavy ache in his chest. The knowledge and recognition that she was it for him. And he’d never look back. Never regret a single thing.

He pushed her knees upward, bending her legs so she was open wide to him. The base of the plug was lodged there at her ass. And he was ready to dive into that tight pussy.

Sweat beaded his forehead and his teeth clenched together as he pushed through her warm, damp folds to lodge himself at her opening. Oh hell, but she was tighter. So much tighter than before, that plug making her pussy opening that much smaller.

It wasn’t going to be easy to get in, but it was going to feel fucking amazing.

He pushed the head farther in, eyes rolling back in his head at the exquisite feel of her tugging snugly at his dick. She moaned loudly, her hands coming off the bed and fluttering, almost as if she didn’t know what to do with them.

Hell, he knew what to do about them. The idea of having her not only blindfolded, but bound, excited the visual side of him. Of being able to look down at his woman, vulnerable and helpless against his will. Oh yeah, that excited him.

He pulled back and she registered her complaint with a whimper. He caressed one leg, his imagination working overtime as he expanded on his earlier thought of tying her hands. Hell yeah. He’d tie her hands and legs. Spread her impossibly wide and secure her there. All he had to do was position her at the end of the bed where he could tie her ankles to the bedposts.

“Just a minute more, baby,” he said, his voice rougher than he intended. “Going to tie you up.”

She swallowed hard, but didn’t make a sound. Her chest rose and fell with the exertion of her breaths. He knew it excited her every bit as much as it excited him.

He retrieved the rope from his closet and then went back to the bed. He helped her up and guided her toward the end of the bed and then surveyed his possibilities.

He lifted her arms up over her head and brought them together, binding the wrists with a secure knot. Then he pulled the long end of the rope up toward the head of the bed, pulled it taut so her arms were stretched high, and secured it, testing the tautness so that it didn’t put too much of a strain on her shoulders.

Satisfied that it was perfect, he returned to the end of the bed, letting his hand wander lazily down her body, appreciating and savoring the fullness of her curves, the lean lines of her narrow belly and the flare of her hips. But this time he didn’t touch her intimately, a fact that frustrated her judging by the groan she emitted. He grinned again. Yeah, this was going to be perfect and he was in no hurry. He was going to savor the delectable sight of her in restraints and fuck her until they both lost their minds.

Gently, he pulled one ankle up, wrapping the rope around it before stretching it to tie it to the bedpost. Again, he tested the tautness, wanting it to be tight and spread her wide but not wanting to hurt her or cause her too much discomfort.

By the time he got to her other leg, it shook and trembled beneath his touch. Her breaths were coming more rapidly now and perspiration gleamed on her skin.

“Ash?”

He paused in securing the last bond to the bedpost.

“Yes, darling?”

“Forget what I said about not being able to come without clitoral stimulation,” she said weakly. “I think I’m about to get there anyway!”

He laughed and leaned down to kiss the inside of her calf. “Nuh-uh, baby. Not until I say. You’re not going to leave me behind here.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, her lips tightening as she battled the desire building within her.

Then he stepped back to survey his handiwork.

“Beautiful,” he breathed. “You have no idea how turned on I am right now, Josie. I wish you could see yourself right now. Never seen a more beautiful sight than you tied to my bed, all spread out for me. I’m going to feast on you.”

“Please, Ash. I’m begging. Please, I need you.”

He’d promised her she’d beg, but he didn’t want her begging. No, he wanted to please her. To give her all the pleasure she was giving him.

His hands slid underneath her ass, lifting as much as the restraints would allow. He cupped and caressed the plump mounds as he moved in, ready to possess her.

He positioned his dick at her opening, pushing in just a bit to test the snugness. He let out a groan, one that was echoed by her when she stretched around him.

“So tight,” he ground out. “Want you to feel this, baby. This is what it would be like to have two cocks inside you.”

“It’s wonderful,” she breathed. “More, Ash. Please. Before I go crazy!”

He pushed in harder, nearly dying as her body fought his intrusion. The plug had made her pussy painfully tight. But it was pain he embraced because after that edge of pain came unimaginable pleasure.

He was sweating now, rigid as he sought to maintain control. He inched forward, pushing deeper into her snug passageway.

“It’s too much!” she cried. “Oh God, Ash. I’m going to come!”

He stopped, gripping her legs, his fingers digging into her flesh. “Not too much, baby. Never enough. Hold on for me. Go when I go.”

He glanced down, wincing when he saw he was only halfway in. He pulled back and then put one hand down over her mound, sliding his thumb in between her folds to her clit.

“Going to go hard, baby. I won’t last and neither will you. Come with me now. Going to fuck you hard. It’s going to hurt. But it’s going to feel so damn good.”

She moaned again, her entire body tightening around him. “Hurt me then, Ash. I want it. I need it. I need you.”

The soft plea tore the last of his control. He pressed his thumb over her clit and then hammered forward, determined to get all the way in this time.

She cried out, her pussy convulsing around him. She went wet. Slick. So hot and velvety. He began to thrust hard and fast, and then she opened for him and he slid all the way home. But he didn’t stop to savor the sensation of being completely immersed in her warmth. He was too close. She was too close. There was no stopping now.

His hips smacked against her ass, jostling her entire body. Her body swayed against the tight restraints and arched upward, bowing up off the bed.