Theirs to Cherish

Chapter Two

SEAN stared down at Callie, his breath trapped in his chest, his cock about to explode. Her blue eyes, framed in thick black lashes and silently pleading, pierced his chest. Hell, they dug into his heart. He had to hold his fucking head together. But he wanted her more than he thought possible. More than he had words to express.

Of all the damn women to fall for . . .

Normally, he’d remind her that he was the Dom, and she shouldn’t wheedle for the terms she wanted. He knew a pretty piece of manipulation when he heard one. But Callie wasn’t herself tonight. Her breakthrough actually worried him. On the one hand, he’d finally peeled away layers of armor to reveal the soft woman beneath her bratty attitude. On the other hand, everything about her—especially that haunted look in her eyes—reeked of desperation. Of good-bye.

His gut twisted. Had something spooked her? Or someone, like him? There were a lot of reasons that letting her go wasn’t an option. If he had to rearrange his priorities, so be it. But no matter what, he must keep Callie beside him.

“Lovely . . .” He didn’t know what to say. His throat felt tight. His breath thickened as her fingers dug into his thighs.

She didn’t reply, just silently beseeched him with those sad eyes. How much unhappiness had she known to be so walled off from everyone? Right now, Sean could only imagine, but he wanted to know. And he wanted to heal her.

If he put her off now, she’d only bolt sooner. As it was, he suspected that she planned to be gone when he came back for her tomorrow. But if he gave in to her tonight . . . That was the wild card.

He’d ask her if she planned to flee, but she would only deny it. He knew Callie so well in some ways, yet she remained the most intriguing mystery in others.

Sean swallowed his doubts down. Fuck it. If he had this one chance to keep her, he was going to take it and deal with the metric shit ton of consequences later.

“Never mind.” She began to scramble to her feet, the unmistakable hurt on her delicate face wrenching.

He braced a hand on her shoulder and pushed down gently. “Stay. I haven’t said no.”

Her gaze skittered away. “But you didn’t say yes. I haven’t earned it.”

“That’s not true. You gave me a great deal of effort tonight. You fought through fears and surrendered a part of yourself to me. I appreciate how hard that was for you.”

Holding his breath, he reached for the snap of his trousers. He was crossing a dangerous line, but he silenced the concerns screaming inside him and focused on Callie. On growing his bond with her and giving her what she needed. Right now, he suspected she ached to feel wanted.

His zipper went down in a nearly silent hiss. Her gaze fell between his legs as he reached in to shove cotton out of his way and take his cock in hand. Fucking hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this hard or desired a woman so much. Something about Callie had tugged at him from day one. Sean wished he could say it was the sheer challenge of conquering her. He’d always enjoyed using his wits or brawn to overcome obstacles. Who didn’t like winning?

But Callie had become far more than a conquest.

Slowly stroking his erection, blood rushed south to engorge him even more as her wide gaze fell on him, imploring. He tingled just from her longing stare.

“Do you want to touch me, lovely?”

She tore her gaze away and zeroed in on his face, then she nodded.

God, this could make everything go sideways—fast. Any time he resisted Callie, it was something of a miracle. He should have known his willpower wouldn’t last.

Slowly, he eased his hand away. Within moments, she wrapped her own around his length, and he sucked in a hissing breath at the contact. Her skin was so warm, her touch soft yet deft. It was a tease. Seeing her silken fingers on him, her stare taking him in . . . Fuck, it was beyond heady. Nearly seven months without a woman, and he was so ready to blow. But he had a deep suspicion that if any other perched between his feet, he wouldn’t be half so moved.

With her elbow braced on his thigh, Callie glided her fingers up and down his cock, that gaze of hers boiling his balls. But it was the yearning wonder on her face that truly seared him.

On her knees now, she leaned in. She didn’t ask first, just opened her mouth to him and swallowed the head of his cock past her lips. Sean choked back a groan.

He’d found heaven. Callie didn’t just enclose him in her mouth or lick him. She worshipped the flesh she drew onto her tongue. She cradled it, laved and loved it, savored it, drawing it in deeper and deeper.

Sean gripped the edge of the bench, his body tensing with the pleasure. Electricity buzzed through his bloodstream. He clenched his thighs. And there was no stopping his hand as it curled into her hair, caressing her reverently as she showered him with attention, rapidly undoing his restraint.

Holy hell.

Callie took his encouragement to heart and sank his cock even deeper into her mouth until he bumped the back of her throat. She swallowed on him. He groaned out a sound of shock and fisted her inky tresses in his hands, the nearly black strands gliding softly over his fingers, as he lifted his hips and fucked her mouth in agonizing strokes.

She wasn’t exactly an expert. But Callie definitely presented a dichotomy. A girl who’d lived in a BDSM club for four years had managed to retain a sweet sort of innocence. He wanted that for his own.

Damn it, he was so far gone for her. And it would be so easy to thrust into her willing mouth and let her overwhelm him with mind-bending pleasure.

Sean tugged on her hair and growled at her. “Look at me.”

As she sucked up his length again, she cast her gaze at him through her lashes. With the few brain cells focused on something other than her luscious mouth, he could still see finality in her eyes. This was her last act with him if he didn’t change course. She needed to be wanted, and he ached for her—not only in a carnal sense. He had to bind Callie to him.

God, this was going to send trouble clawing up his ass. But she was worth it.

Swallowing a curse, he shoved his hands under her arms and tugged her onto his lap once more.

“Sir?” she whispered, both anxious and breathless.

“You say my name when I fuck you, lovely. You scream it.”

As he positioned her legs on either side of his hips, she gripped his shoulders. “But you said we weren’t ready, that you weren’t going to rush what we had simply because your cock was aching.”

The clever minx had an inexhaustible memory.

“Are you teasing me now, Callie? Or questioning me?”

“No, Sir.” She gyrated her pussy against him, and only the soft lace of whatever she wore under her skirt separated them. Her body undulated until her breasts flattened on his chest and her lips skimmed his neck. She plucked at his shirt, doing her best to remove it. Sean lost patience and ripped it away.

Almost instantly, her hot stare and curious fingers spread across his chest, tugging at his self-control. He fought to rein it back in.

Fuck, she was taking a hundred liberties without his permission, but he couldn’t bring himself to care now. The lover in her was something Callie hadn’t given to anyone in the four years she’d been at Dominion . . . except maybe Thorpe. There was some story between those two, but no one knew what. He’d asked. If the aloof bastard had fucked her, it hadn’t been recently. Whatever the case, he’d handle the situation accordingly.

And hell, it was getting hard for him to think with her all over his throbbing shaft. Everything inside him shouted to claim her in every way a man could. Then pray to fuck it would be enough to make her stay.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make us stronger,” he vowed. “You’ve thought all this time that I didn’t want you or had someone else hidden away. I mean to show you that you’re wrong.”

“Please.” She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “At least this once.”

Sean shook his head. “The first time of many, lovely. I swear that to you.”

He flipped up her skirt and ripped away the black lace separating him from her pussy. After a satisfying tear, he tossed it to the concrete floor. Finally, Sean dug into his pocket, grateful for old habits, and yanked out a condom. With shaking hands, he shredded the foil square open and rolled it down his inflamed length, feeling her hot stare eat him up.

When he had himself sheathed, he wrapped his arms around her and tugged her closer, poising her over his cock. He slid his fingers along her hip, feeling the nick along her left side. What would it take to persuade her to tell him about that? Maybe after tonight . . .

“How long has it been for you, lovely?”

Callie looked away and gave him a particular frown he’d come to know well. It flitted across her face when he asked a painful question she wanted to avoid. “A long time.”

“I won’t go any further until you give me a precise answer.”

She squirmed in his grip, trying to lower herself onto him. Fuck if he didn’t want to let her. His body urged him to slide through her wet folds and lose his mind as her cunt gripped him. But in his current mood—one that demanded he pound her into next week—he might hurt her.

And if she admitted that she’d ever warmed Thorpe’s bed, he’d do whatever it took to eliminate the man as competition. It was obvious unspoken feelings lay between Callie and her boss.

For now, Sean waited, holding her waist tightly, preventing her from sinking onto him.

“Sean . . .” She wriggled impatiently.

“I’m not fucking you yet. What do you call me?” he ground out, sweating.

Damn it to hell, resisting the minx was teeth-grittingly tough, and he had no doubt she would tax every bit of his restraint before it was over.

Callie pleaded with him with wide blue eyes. “Sir.”

Her little entreaty made him even harder.

“How long since you’ve had a lover, Callie? I won’t ask again. I’ll just stop.”

She squeezed her eyes shut as if hating to look at an ugly reality. “No one you know here at Dominion.”

He worked to hold in his elation. “No one? Not in the last four years?”

“I tried once, but . . . it felt wrong. I stopped it. I think he was relieved.” That fact embarrassed her, but the torment on her face also said something about her loneliness. She looked so fragile in his arms. “He’s married now.”

All Sean could feel was a thrill that she would soon be his. The relief that Thorpe had never fucked her was undeniable. He had no doubt the bastard wanted to.

“I just needed to know how gentle to be, lovely. Thank you for your honesty. I know that wasn’t easy for you.”

“You must think I’m broken or something.”

Sean didn’t think; he knew. But not in the way she meant.

“You’re beautiful. I’ve no doubt you’re much wanted among the Doms here. I feel fortunate that you chose me.”

Finally, she opened her eyes, and he saw tears shimmering there. That yearning on her face made her soul look so naked. Something he was saying or doing was reaching her, and a cautious joy rolled through him.

Callie threw herself onto him, arms around him, her face pressed into his neck. She inhaled him, clinging. God, how sweet she could be. Under all that sassy attitude, she hid a fragile heart. And he was finally seeing the real her. The woman inside was every bit as stunning and soft as he’d imagined.

When she would have pulled back with an apology, Sean stopped her with a kiss—and slowly began pressing her down onto his cock.

She gasped into his mouth. Her body tensed. Her pussy closed around him, so small and tight. How the fuck was he going to survive the incendiary grip of her for long?

Beneath her, he flexed his hips, desperate to bury himself as deep as he could and accustom her to the feel of him filling her completely. After only a handful of seconds, he knew she was going to become his drug of choice. After this addicting sweetness, there was no way he could do without her again.

No doubt, he would eventually get his ass handed to him for this . . .

Callie gave a little shriek and tried to lift off his cock. Sean held her in place. “Easy. Breathe.”

She wriggled, and he thought he might lose his damn mind with the way her flesh rubbed and clutched the head of his cock. Then she exhaled and slowly let the tension slip from her body.

“That’s good,” he praised. “Lean on me and let me take care of you.”

She met his stare, her gaze tangled with his. Something about the way she silently surrendered turned him on. The man in him responded to her wordless begging for him to take everything she had. Her offering surprised the hell out of him, but he didn’t dwell on that. Filling her with both his cock and affection was far more important now.

Sean lifted her up a fraction, then lowered her an inch at a time, experimenting with her clenching walls, searching her face for any discomfort. This time, he submerged deeper, his head swimming with sensations until he swore he might drown in her. Callie was everything he’d imagined and so far beyond it boggled his mind.

With his fingers biting into her hips, Sean desperately fought to hold on to his control as he lowered her even more, stopping when she inhaled sharply and her body tensed again.

“It’s all right. Almost there.”

She writhed on him. “I’m so frustrated. I want you so badly.”

“And I want you. But I refuse to hurt you, lovely, when a little patience will do. It’s been a long time. I didn’t expect this to go easy.”

“I wanted it to.”

Sean couldn’t hold in a smile at her impatience, that part of her that seemed to think or believe the world should go her way. “I did, too. Next time, it will. Now, I want you to look right into my eyes.”

Callie blinked, focusing on him through the shadows. He blocked out everything and everyone except her. The sounds of whips and moans, the scents of sweat and sex, the slight chill in the air—all gone. Only she filled his senses.

Without another word, he lifted her to the tip of his cock again, then pressed down, down, down . . . This time, she helped him, folding her knees under her and tilting her hips to take all of him. He met her halfway, thrusting up into her fist-like grasp. She felt so good, his eyes nearly crossed.

He wasn’t fucking Callie. He was making love to her. He was claiming her.

This changed everything.

A shudder worked up his spine, spreading through his body. With a groan, he threw his head back and let pleasure fill his veins. Jesus, this woman was potent.

Callie went wild, frantically lifting and thrusting above him. She ran her fingers through his hair, holding on as if he were her anchor to this world. Her soft pants and moans in his ear were driving him out of his fucking mind. So soft everywhere, and her scent . . . something clean and musky at once. The citrus of her shampoo blended with the feminine tang from her pussy for an olfactory high that sent his senses into a drunken daze. He could wax poetic about her for days, but he really just wanted to brand her as his own. Forgetting Callie would be impossible. Sean was damned determined to make sure she couldn’t wipe him from her memory bank, either.

Grabbing her hips tighter, he took control. “Slow down.”

She reared back to look at him. Her face was flushed. Perspiration dotted her forehead and her upper lip. Her dark hair rained over her shoulders, curling down her slender arms and emphasizing the milky-soft skin he loved stroking.

The more she surrendered to the raw passion between them, the more she tore away at his armor. The deeper he needed to be inside her.

“I ache.” She sounded like a wounded girl who needed him to fix her problem.

In many ways, she was.

“Let it build, lovely. We’ve waited so long already. No need to rush it now.”

Callie opened her mouth to protest. No doubt, he would have to remind her about the meaning of submission again, even if he did find her willful insistence adorable at times.

But he couldn’t remind her of anything if he didn’t first persuade her to stay.

Sean stilled her hips and sent her a stern glance of warning. Then he brought her down on his cock again, like a knife through melting butter. Slowly. So damn slowly a shudder wracked him again. Her keening cry zipped to his balls and straight up his stiff length. Damn it, she was going to dismantle his self-control if he didn’t get a grip.

Her delicate fingers bit into his shoulders. She moved with him, graceful, sensual. Their breathing aligned. Sean watched her close her eyes and finally let him dictate their rhythm. He witnessed her slow, intoxicating loss of control.

As she undulated, the delicate collar he’d clipped around her neck twinkled above her breasts, which bounced gently in his face. He took one nipple in his mouth, melting inside as the candy-hard tip tightened on his tongue. Then he took the other tight pink bud between his lips and laved her before sucking deep. Her pussy clamped down on him. Callie was so utterly responsive, and he didn’t think for an instant that she simply needed sex after her long abstinence. He wasn’t going to be done here until he knew that she needed him.

“Sean . . .” Her little cry told him that pleasure was driving her to the peak.

He lifted one hand from her hip, tucking it under her little skirt, then dragged his thumb over her clit.

Her response was instant and gratifying. She shrieked and began fluttering around his cock, seconds from orgasm.

“Come, Callie,” he growled.

As if those words held magic for her, she tossed her head back and let out a wail of pleasure. Her back arched, her breasts thrust high, and her cunt held him in a velvet vise. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists and sweating like a bitch to hold it together.

“Sean!”

Loving the sound of his name on her lips, he rode the wave of her climax, from the short pulses through the endless clutches, to the sweet little aftershocks. Then she dissolved against him, struggling to catch her breath. The urge to explode inside her and mark her with his seed nearly overwhelmed him. Miraculously, willpower and logic prevailed. He needed more of this woman who tripped every sexual trigger in his body.

Brushing her hair away from her damp face, he forced her to look at him. Her eyes were dazed and dilated, her cheeks rosy-hot. That turned him on even more.

“How are you feeling, lovely?”

With a tired, loopy grin that did his heart good, she sighed and melted against his chest. “Fabulous.”

“Good to hear.” Unfortunately, he was in hell.

She stretched and wriggled. Then she paused.

Callie blinked at him. “You’re still . . . You didn’t . . .”

“I am and I haven’t.”

“Oh.” Her eyes danced as she leveled him with that vixenish stare he’d come to adore. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to take more of you. What a shame.”

“A bloody shame for sure.” He managed to tease back.

When he urged her up and down his cock again, however, the smile slid from her face. A gasp fell from her lips, then she seemed to stop breathing for a long minute.

“Ah . . . yes,” she panted above him. Feminine. A goddess.

The sight aroused him so deeply, Sean knew he couldn’t hold on much longer.

Trailing his thumb back to her clit, he slowly rotated until she sucked in a sharp breath, until her body jolted, and she started looking to him for permission.

God, that shit turned him on, even more so with her.

“Lean against me. Put your chest to mine and . . . yes,” he praised as she complied.

Then Sean gripped her hips tightly and pistoned inside her, probing deep and quickly learning her body. Her entire front wall was sensitive, so he dragged the head of his cock along it with every thrust. But she also had a spot deep and high. She loved having her cervix nudged. He worked her, paying close attention to every reaction. Callie held her breath, closed her eyes, tensed up, then came the high-pitched pants that rang in his head like an erotic chant. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders. Her pussy clutched him.

He gripped her hair in his fist and tugged. “Look at me. That’s it . . . Come for me now!”

“Sean!” Her body jerked and her cunt clamped down on him. “Sean!”

As soon as she screamed his name, pleasure sizzled through his blood, igniting everything inside him. Climax rocketed his system, launching him into a realm of thick, tangled ecstasy he’d never known existed. The explosion blasted through his body, deep in his chest, marking his soul. In his head, she might be his, but he knew damn well that he was now hers. Tonight had complicated the fuck out of everything. But as he surged to the peak, he didn’t care at all.

“Callie . . .” he panted. “I love you!”