STORY EXCERPT

Hunter took her hand without a word and led her to a small shop with demure ladies’ dresses in the window. A bell chimed, and a bored clerk eyed Hunter, then gave him a quick nod. Kerri’s hand tightly in his, Hunter led her through the small room and down a short hall. Two turns later, the hall opened into a different shop altogether.

Here, leather reigned supreme. Kerri tried to school her expression as she looked around the room. In one corner, a variety of whips hung from a rack next to wooden paddles in several different sizes and shapes. With a tug at her hand, Hunter led her to the far side of the room and began to page through a rack of dresses—or what passed for dresses.

Jase would go mad if she could shop in this place.

Hunter lifted a dark purple dress off the rack, held it against her, and she shook her head in shock. It was more a series of wide strips and buckles than a dress. He handed it to her, and she put it back on the rack, only to find it draped across her arm a minute later.

“I don’t—”

His brow rose. “Your only response tonight is ‘yes, sir,’ Kerri.”

She slammed her lips shut, heat rising in her face as she remembered her role in this game of his. He added two more skimpy dresses and a skirt to the growing pile in her arms before turning to the display of stockings. To her horror, he chose a few pair of over-the-knee fishnet stockings and a pair of boy shorts in black leather before gesturing her toward the dressing rooms.

A woman in a long, formfitting black dress unlocked a dressing room and ushered them inside, shutting the door behind them. Kerri turned when she realized Hunter had joined her in the well-proportioned room. He hung the items she carried on a convenient hook and settled into the chair near the door, his eyes warm on her flushed face.

“You’re expected to model for me, letting me chose what you wear,” he said, easily answering the question that was surely written all over her face. His voice lowered to a whisper. “Would you prefer I turn around while you change?”

Kerri sighed. She’d never considered herself a prude, and she didn’t have too many issues with her body. Being realistic about her looks had always worked well for her. She shrugged and pulled off the top she’d worn to work, draping it on the hook to her right. She gave a quick thought to what panties she’d put on this morning, glad she’d opted for a full brief instead of something more revealing. Her penchant for pretty lingerie was a blessing in this case. Stepping out of her heels, she let the slacks slide down her legs and pool on the tile floor before they joined her blouse.

A sharp intake of breath caught her attention, and she cut her eyes to Hunter. He was staring, devouring her with his eyes, heat emanating in waves. And there was no disguising the tent of his pants. Kerri felt her blush rush in opposite directions, radiating out from her chest as she recognized his arousal at the sight of her body. Power suffused her, power she’d never known she could possess.

She turned her back on him and reached for the first dress, a black sheath with a deep plunging neckline. Stepping into it, Kerri tugged it over her hips and slid her arms into the deep cutouts at each side. With deliberate ease, she moved the thin straps up her arms and onto her shoulders. Hunter’s hands were at the zipper before she could reach for it, his hands smoothing down her back from the point just below her shoulder blades where the zipper stopped. Hot hands blistered her waist through the thin jersey of the dress, and his fingers splayed across her stomach.

Their eyes met in the mirror, his flaring with desire, Kerri’s with surprise and arousal. Her chest rose and fell as his gaze moved down her body.

“When you wear this tomorrow, you’ll be braless and every man in the place will want you for his own. But you’ll be mine.”

He pulled the zipper back down to her hips and edged the straps off her shoulders. “Try on the next one.”

Kerri complied, holding on to every ounce of control she could muster, his words resounding in her head, you will be mine. Was he playing to some unknown listening device, or did he mean those words? Was this real or make-believe? Intellectually, she wanted to believe it was a game, a role they were both playing, but emotionally, she was rapidly becoming entwined in the sensuality of the situation.

Fear and anticipation swirled though her body as she attempted to put on the next dress. Again, Hunter stepped in to assist by gathering the dress from neckline to hem.

“Arms up,” he told her, his tone soft but demanding.

He dropped the dress down her body, holding the straps that were meant to cover her shoulders in his hands and placing them between her head and hands. Kerri tugged at the fabric bunched up under her arms and pulled it down her torso, twisting the varying strips of material to arrange it over her curves.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough fabric to cover all of her. Every stitch of the garment was an elastic mesh that clung to her body, molding to her like a second skin. The tan fabric was barely a shade darker than her natural coloring, an elaborate mixture of vertical and horizontal strips that barely covered her essentials. She’d be lucky to hide a thong under this one.

ADULT EXCERPT

Her body hummed with impatient desire. The feel of his fingers dipping into her and the reaction they caused within her played over and over like a movie clip on a loop. She tried to think about work, tried to distract her lust-hazy brain with multiplication tables and grocery lists. But every time his voice rumbled across the foyer, her body clenched and begged for his return.

An eternity passed before she heard footsteps. Her mind couldn’t determine how many feet moved up the stairs, and no conversation preceded him. Kerri closed her eyes, waiting for his touch.

Then it came.

Kerri flinched, caught unaware.

Fingertips caressed the skin just above her left ankle, circled the edge of the leather holding her feet apart, then whispered their way to her knee. She moaned, a soft exhalation she couldn’t contain. They slipped around her calf, caressing the back of her knee before sliding to the edge of her ankle cuff. Her need intensified, the feel of his hand against her skin driving her into a near-breathless state of hyperawareness.

A warm palm caressed her inner thigh, squeezing the muscle before moving higher. Just below the juncture of her thighs, the hand lifted. Kerri whimpered, frustration screaming through her brain. She was being tortured.

Her eyes flew open at the sound of a drawer opening. A quick glance assured her that Hunter had returned alone. He lifted a black mask from the drawer and placed it over her eyes with an admonishment. “Just feel, Kerri. Don’t think, don’t worry. Just feel.”

The complete darkness was unnerving. Kerri listened for his steps, strained to hear his breathing, any sound that would tell her he was still in the room.

* * * *

Hunter sat in the easy chair in the corner, slipped off his shoes, and splayed his legs in front of him, much like the pose he’d left Kerri in. He had no choice. No other position would accommodate the painfully hard erection. He watched her squirm, need pushing her body for release. He wondered how long she’d last before calling to him. Hell, he wondered how long he could hold out until he climbed on top of her and sank into that delectably sweet body of hers. He was going to fuck her all day and all night, until he could walk away without craving her. After the incident in the pool, he wasn’t sure that was even possible.

Kerri was sneaking in under his radar, taking away his control in tiny increments until he wasn’t sure he could deny himself her body or her heart. He was days away from falling in love with her.

Not a good idea.

He wasn’t good at love. Sex, sure. Love he truly sucked at.

He’d heard it all. He was too controlling, too demanding, too distant. Women loved to be with him short-term, but in the end they all said the same thing. He expected too much, pushed them for more but didn’t make any emotional commitment. They wanted love with their sex. He just wanted sex.

Kerri was different. Every time he touched her, he felt a connection growing between them. He was thirty-three years old. He wanted someone to care about, someone to hold every night. But he needed someone whose passions ran as high as his.

He hoped Kerri was the woman he could build a life with.

Her head rolled on the bed, her arms tugging at the restraints. She was a strong woman, waiting for her pleasure. Hunter stood and silently stripped before moving to the bed. Without a sound or jostle of the bed, he hovered over her breast and exhaled. The nipple peaked at the same moment she cried out from the sensation.

His mouth covered the taut spike and sucked hard, using his tongue to add friction as her whimpers escalated. Hunter drove her higher until she was gasping, then pulled back, tweaking the tight bud and moving to the other side of the bed.

Stretching out beside her, he placed his palm on the slight round of her belly, letting his pinky finger brush lower, barely touching the top of her mound. He nibbled on her nipple, licked and sucked until her appreciative murmurs became restless mewls of need.

Finally, it was time to drive her crazy and watch her explode. Shifting his body, he swiped his tongue through the drenched slit of her sex, tasting the sweet nectar of her while listening to her scream. Hunter played, sipped, and toyed with her only to draw back as she got closer to release.

“Wait until I tell you to come, Kerri,” he demanded while she whimpered.

Tonguing her to the edge, he slipped two fingers inside and rotated them to massage the tender spot that would drive her over the boundaries he’d set.

“Not yet, sweetheart. Wait for it.”

“I can’t, Hunter. Please.”

He increased the pressure and kissed her clit until she writhed against his hand. “Now, Kerri. Come for me,” he growled.