Dare Me

Chapter Four

Rafe stared at the woman in front of him and wondered if he was in heaven or hell. Felt like both. His body didn’t belong to him any longer—every inch of skin and muscle belonged to her. Usually so sharp about the next maneuver to make a woman experience pleasure, instead his mind fogged. Every reaction was completely tied to her words, her commands, her praise. In a matter of one evening, all his military training and dominant mannerisms faded away under the sting of her voice or the sharp bite of her spiked heel.

What the hell happened to him? A pounding cadence enveloped his dick and wrecked his concentration. The cock ring tamped down the urgent need to spill his seed, but his swollen flesh ached with the need for release. The strange line of pain and pleasure caused him more arousal than ever imagined. He’d never wanted to come so badly in his life. Even worse, he’d do anything she commanded if she gave him release. By giving his trust, he bound this woman to take care of his needs. So far, he’d never experienced such soul-wracking pleasure by giving a woman an orgasm orally. Sure, he loved getting a woman off, but she took it to a whole new level. Her spicy taste drugged him, her slick heat clenching around his tongue in a fury that stripped away his barriers and any neat control he imagined he owned.

The cock ring kept him uncomfortably hard, but excitement slithered underneath the surface of his pain. A raw lust he needed to unearth. And the only way was through Summer’s commands.

“Tell me about your brothers,” she said. Her fingers stroked his hair and caressed the line of his jaw. Her soothing touch gentled the lunging beast of want threatening to overtake him.

“They’re both dealers like me. When I got out of the military, I stayed in Atlantic City for a while, but my brothers harassed me to move out to Vegas and join them. They got me a job with the Castillo Hotel, which I love. And, they both got married by meeting their wives through Madame Eve.”

She paused in feeding him a cracker smeared with brie. “What? They both met their wives through 1Night Stand?”

He chuckled at the look of surprise on her face. “Yep. Better watch out, baby, seems Madame Eve is magic when it comes to the Steele brothers.”

She smiled at him. The luminous light in her blue eyes squeezed his heart with longing. God, she was beautiful. Her angelic face expressed a pure openness he rarely glimpsed in a woman. She mirrored the perfect twist of naughty and nice that would make a man happy every morning he woke up in her bed. “I’m not afraid of commitment,” she said, softly. “I’m tired of hiding who I am anymore. I want a man to be my partner and friend in life. In public. And I want a man strong enough to submit in the bedroom.”

Her words shook him like an answering thunderstorm. What if she offered him the opportunity to be with her past dawn? He pushed the tempting thought aside. “Maybe you don’t have as much to lose,” he blurted. As his cock pulsed, he waited for the sting of punishment from his outburst, but she stared back, her face serious.

“I teach third grade,” she said softly. “I’m in the PTA, afterschool clubs, and tutor privately. I have a nice little house with a white picket fence and roses in the backyard. My best friends are married for years with babies and vanilla lifestyles. I don’t want to give any of that up, and I don’t intend to. But I need to be who I am, and if that consists of joining a private BDSM club, or finding a partner who isn’t afraid of experimentation, I’m going to follow it.” She paused and pressed her thumb against his lips. “What are you so afraid of? That your brothers would never forgive you? That you would be called less than a man? Or that you’ll finally find what you’ve been looking for?”

He imagined Summer by his side, in public and private. Building a life. Free of restrictions, completely submitting to her every demand. To finally feel the freedom of pleasure on his own terms.

His cock throbbed and his heart wept.

The idea of his brothers staring in wide-eyed shock and horror flashed in his mind. Shame pulsed with the knowledge that a well known sergeant fell to his knees before a woman in leather, enjoying the sting of a slap in punishment. No. How could he be like this? Perhaps when he finally claimed her, finally climaxed, he’d experience a satisfying relief and could walk away.

A fleeting glimpse of recognition flickered in her eyes, as if she suspected his secret thoughts. She stepped back and put away the wine and snacks, then came back into the room with determination. “I seem to be craving your touch on my body,” she snapped. “You will leave your cock ring on. Stand.”

He rose, his knees sore from kneeling in the same position, even with the thick carpet. Dear God, if I touch her for too long I’ll explode—with or without the damn ring. He dug deep and clawed for the control he’d need to make love to her without coming. She lay down on the bed, her gorgeous white blonde hair spread over the burgundy satin pillows. Then spread her legs. His mouth watered. Her breasts and nipples reminded him of cherries on whipped cream. Her abandon ratcheted his own desire, her pussy naked and open, ready for him to serve.

He settled on the bed, pressing on top of her. Licking and biting the sensitive curve of her neck, he plumped her breasts, drew a nipple into his mouth and sucked hard. She arched and he relished the quick flip of control. He feasted on her breasts, her belly, then dove between her thighs. Sucking and tonguing her to a sharp orgasm, he held her ride out the spasms, greedy for more. The need to thrust into her tight heat gripped him in a frenzy.

“Please, Summer, please.”

“Tell me what you want.” Her eyes glazed. “Tell me exactly.”

“I want to fuck you. Let me fuck you.”

She smiled and licked her lips. “Yes, Rafe, you may fuck me.” The relief of freedom surged, victory finally close. She grabbed a condom from the table, ripped off the wrapper, and held it above him. “Remove the ring.”

He stripped the restriction from his cock. Blood surged through him and he gasped as he fought to hang on.

“Good.” She covered him in seconds, then flipped over and knelt on all fours. He almost exploded at the sight of her perfect ass held high in the air. Grasping her hips, he positioned her, then drove to the hilt in her heat.

Sparks shimmered behind his eyes at the sharp pierce of pleasure. Her pussy clenched on his cock like hungry, greedy fingers, her juices dripping around him. He cried out in ecstasy.

“You are not allowed to come.”

Her words shattered his sensual fog. “What? No, I can’t, please—”

“No coming. Now fuck me.”

He moved, plunging in and out. His control slipped away with each thrust, the slow, steady rhythm ripping away his sanity and leaving a raw, bleeding need to be filled by her. Tears pricked the back of his lids. Her pussy clenched around him.

“Tell me what you want! Now.”

A sob caught in his throat. “I want to come, Summer. Fuck! Let me come inside you!”

“Very nice, baby. Come with me, now!”

He gave a guttural cry of victory and dove deep, his balls slapping against her ass. “Ah!” He shot hot cum, the orgasm gripping every muscle and hurled him over the edge. His toes curled into the mattress as he pumped furiously and released every last drop. The climax shimmered for what felt like endless minutes, going on and on, until he collapsed on the bed, completely spent. She whispered his name and cuddled into him, stroking his back and kissing his cheek. He floated in a strange space of complete peace and bliss he’d never known existed in this life plane. Stray tears clung to his cheeks but she licked them away, and he was too far gone to care.

Emotionally and physically wrecked, fucked out of his mind, he closed his eyes and surrendered to the nothingness.

Summer glanced at the clock by the bureau. Six AM. Dawn had broken beyond the bat cave blinds of the bedroom suite. He slept with a peaceful slumber that broke her heart. They’d woken up a few more times to make love and snuggle, but it had taken him a while to surface after diving into the sub space after his first orgasm.

She took in his strong, muscled body, carved chest, olive skin. Dark curls tumbled over his forehead and her fingers itched to touch them. A rough five o’clock shadow stubbled his chin with a rough sexiness she craved on a full time basis. Oh yeah, I’m completely screwed. And not in a good way.

She’d fallen in love with Rafe Steele.

She sat up in bed. What had she done? How had he snuck past her defenses so quickly? When she’d visited that club for her orientation, she met many subs and not one had connected with her. Her experimentation with play called to her soul, but he’d ruined her for every man who might follow. Unless she asked him to stay.

As if reading her mind, he opened his eyes.

His smile lit up her insides with a glowing warmth. She wanted the time to treasure him, to show him the exotic world of submission that completed both of their souls. But he needed to have the courage to try and reach out for what he wanted.

He needed to take the dare.

He pulled her down for a kiss. His lips moved over hers with the knowledge of a lover, and she gave it all back to him before finally pulling away. “What’s wrong?” His voice was gritty and rough from sleep.

“It’s morning,” she said simply.

Recognition dawned. He sat up, the sheets twisted around his hips. A mix of trepidation and want filled his eyes. “Are you kicking me out of the bed?” He tried for humor, but it fell flat in the waiting silence.

She took a deep breath. She expected honesty from a sub, but that honesty began with her. “No. But are you ready to hear what I really want?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, as if preparing himself. “Yes.”

“I want you.” The words hung in the room like smoke after a gunfire. “I never expected to feel like this, but I want to see you again. You’re an incredible man, Rafe Steele. You have everything I’ve always needed in a mate, and after one night I don’t want to let you go. But if you don’t feel the same way about me, I release you. Our contract ended at dawn. I will thank you for the most incredible evening of my life, and move on. I will never contact you again, and everything that happened behind these doors will never be mentioned.”

Raw emotion glimmered in his eyes. His jaw clenched. Unclenched. Then the words spilled out of his mouth. “I don’t want to let you go. I’ve never felt like this before. But I don’t know if I can commit to this lifestyle.”

“I dare you.”

He sucked in his breath. “Dare me to what?”

“To be honest with what you want. I’m not asking you to admit the lifestyle to your brothers or in public. This is private, between us. But I need to know you’ll explore it with me. And give me everything I ask behind closed doors.”

He seemed to struggle between the lure of his fantasy and the fear of reality. Her heart pounded and the blood squeezed through her veins. He needed to make his own choice or they could never work.

“I can’t do it yet, Summer. I’m not ready.”

She acknowledged his limitation and a heavy grief pressed into her limbs. Perhaps he would never be ready, but she needed to move down her own path and find her own answers. Tears pricked her eyelids. She leaned forward, kissed him, and slid out of bed.

“I understand, I really do. But I can’t follow you right now. Thank you for everything you gave me, I won’t forget it.” She paused. “I won’t forget you.”

She gathered her clothes and closed the bedroom door behind her.