cupping her breasts with one hand while he tormented her pussy with his mouth.
“Yes!” she cried out.
Heath worked her slowly, as if he had all day, as if nothing would ever be more important than her build to ecstasy. He never let her fall over, just sent her spiraling up. Jolie’s impatience soared. She wanted to wrap her arms and legs around him, urge him inside her—anything to end the torment. Anything to feel him deep.
“Stop fighting me,” he murmured against her thigh. “I’ll take you in my time, in my way. You’re mine to control. Let go.”
Any other man she would have scoffed at and told him to fuck himself. But Heath . . . She yearned to surrender every part of herself to him because she cared about his needs more than her own.
When had that happened? And rather than being terrified, she embraced the closeness, the intimacy, the amazing buzz of euphoria she always felt with him.
After another wriggle and more straining against her bonds, Jolie realized she wasn’t going anywhere—and she didn’t really want to. Instead, she dragged in a deep breath, let it fill her lungs, run through her bloodstream, and calm her mind. She was giving her body and her will to this man. He didn’t want to steal it from her. He shouldn’t have to wrest it away.
Zeroing in on the teasing drift of his lips over her skin, the prod of his tongue between her legs, the hard draw on her clit when he sucked her flesh in, she melted, reveling in his sensual torture as he bent her to his will.
Jolie couldn’t control when or how he lavished these sensations on her. He seemed utterly content to taste and torment, driving her up toward the precipice of pleasure, closer to the scalding heat that drugged her veins, making her pant and tense and sweat. She certainly had no say over where he touched her, how long he lingered. Definitely not over whether she came. He exercised that authority over her repeatedly, lifting her to the edge of bliss, skimming her with its rush of heat, letting her almost experience satisfaction, before he directed his attention away from her clit or nipples, both so hard now that they throbbed.
Then he backed away, plying her with drugging kisses until she again simmered just below a boil. When the urge to climax eased from a sharp, painful ache to a slow burn and she lost herself in his kiss until the meshing of their lips became its own pleasure, then he skimmed down her body and resumed the sultry torment of his tongue on her sensitive nubbin, repeating the agonizing cycle once more.
She couldn’t help twisting against her bonds and begging. “Heath . . .”
“Yes, love? What is it?”
He had to ask? No, this was part of the teasing. This was him enjoying his power over her body.
“I want to come.”
“I know you want to. But you don’t yet need to. And it’s my say when you come, isn’t it? You gave me that right.” He pinned her hips to the mattress, taking away what little freedom of movement she’d had. “I’m not ready yet.” He grinned at her, mischief toying with the corners of his lips. “But feel free to plead your case as loudly as you’d like.”
Jolie pressed her lips together. The stubborn part of her that didn’t like losing control absolutely hated his speech and wanted to scratch his eyes out. Yes, that was probably her sexual frustration talking. But he wasn’t merely messing with her body. He fucked with her head, too.
Jolie wasn’t anything like his late wife; she refused to do whatever Anna would have done. Whether Heath knew it or not, he wanted more than that, too. He sought to test her like a sturdy sapling. He yearned to bend—but never break—her. He liked the cat-and-mouse foreplay of asserting his will until he coaxed or seduced her into submission.
Fighting for control was way more her speed, too. Even if she lost in the end, she’d win.
Jolie smiled. “Forget it. I won’t do it.”
“Really?” He thumbed one of her nipples already so sensitive from his toying and sucking. That act forced her to bite back a gasp. “So there’s nothing I could do to make you beg me?”
Jolie gritted her teeth. Probably more of that would do the trick. God knew that if he put his tongue on her clit again, it might drive her to plead for his mercy—and his cock. But damn it, she’d bite her tongue if she had to. She would not give in without a fight.
“Nope. I was choosing to give you something I thought you wanted but if you’re going to be an arrogant bastard about it . . .” She looked away with a little shrug.
His deep laugh warmed her. “You haven’t yet seen arrogant bastard, love. That was me gently toying with you.”
“Really? That was as gentle as a hammer. You’re not as subtle as you think.”
“Maybe not, but you’re a terrible liar.” His lips whispered over the pad of her pussy.
She tried not to shiver.
“Look at you . . .” He caressed broad hands over her breasts, lingering on her nipples. “So flushed. So tense.” He raked his tongue between her folds again. “So swollen and wet.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t arouse me. I said you couldn’t break me.”
“Don’t challenge me. I intend to hear you beg for me before I give you release. We won’t leave this bed until you do.”
Jolie smiled secretly. Goody . . . “I have a very strong will.”
“You also have a very loose tongue that makes you say words I’ll ensure you eat.”
“Whatever . . .” She tried to seem as if she were rolling her eyes. But really, they were falling into the back of her head with pleasure.
His body tightened. His gaze sharpened. She saw the predator in him rear his head, ready to play hard. Everything about him and this moment made her blood race. Her heart spin.
“The trick to a woman is to find out exactly where she’s sensitive and exploit it. Over the past week, I’ve learned quite a bit about you, wife.” He slid up her body, covering her with his own.
Already, Jolie was sensitive but this skin-to-skin contact now made her feel as if every inch of her surface was a pleasure receptor. The mere hint of friction while he rubbed against her had her body tightening, her breath accelerating. Then he ramped up the sensations by burying his head in her neck and simply breathing.
“You’re sensitive here,” he whispered under her ear. Then he nipped at her lobe. “Here, too.”
Involuntarily, she trembled under him.
“Hmm,” he murmured against her flesh. “You like this, as well.”
He kissed his way across her jaw before brushing his lips over hers, hovering, breathing, teasing but never quite kissing her. So close . . . but so far away. Desperate for more, Jolie tried to fight back, raise her head, force the kiss.
He reared back with a scolding scowl. “This is for me to give you, not for you to take.”
“You either want me or you don’t.” She prodded at him.
“Oh, I think we both know how fucking much I want you.” He pressed the steely ridge of his erection directly between her legs, proving it in case she wasn’t sure.
Before Jolie could stop herself, she exhaled a sigh of pleasure.
“Just like we both know you want me.” He nudged her again with his cock, unerringly rubbing against her most sensitive spot.
Jolie bit her lip to hold in a groan. Her toes curled. She grabbed the sheets.
“The question is, what will it take for you to surrender every part of yourself?”
So close. Already she was damn close to eschewing this push-pull struggle for the momentous orgasm she knew waited on the other side.
But as she looked up at him, his eyes gleamed. He looked alive. In the moment. Happy. He was enjoying the hell out of this.
She dug deep for resistance.
“You may never know,” she tossed back.
He laughed as if to say he found her delusion adorable. “Oh, I will. Often.”
What a sweet threat.
Holding in a sigh, she smiled up at him. “I’m waiting.”
He grabbed one of the discarded pillows strewn around the bed and
shoved it under her hips before he adjusted something just out of her line of sight, providing a little slack in the attachment of her cuffs to the bed. He bent her knees wider, opening her completely. “Not very patiently.”
With those words swimming in her brain, he found her slick opening with the head of his cock and pushed in with a force and a will that had her dragging in a shocked breath. In this position, he stretched her almost to her limit. She felt him invade every part of her, drag each inch of his shaft against her nerve endings, electrify her entire body.
Above her, he clenched his eyes shut tightly and froze. “Bloody fucking hell.”
His voice shook, and knowing she affected him made Jolie try that much harder.
Beneath him, she clamped down, swung her hips, kissed her way across his shoulder and up his neck before settling at his ear. “Do I feel good around you all tight and bare? Do you think about this during the day? Late at night? Do you imagine how I’ll sound when I cry out for you just before you release inside me?”
Heath swore then, something terse and crude that highlighted his struggle for control.
“I imagine how I’ll strip you down and make you beg,” he growled as he thrust deep. “Only then will I give you what you crave before I come inside you.”
Jolie had no opportunity to answer before he began stroking his way deeper. If he had pushed in with all the finesse of a jackhammer, she probably could have resisted resuming the sweet climb to orgasm. Maybe. But once again, he proved how well he knew her by inching in with a molasses slide. He dragged his way to almost complete withdrawal before he slid back in with a smooth glide and a rough sigh.
The effort cost him, she could tell. He tensed. His breathing turned irregular. His fingers on her thighs tightened. But he displayed incredible control, not rushing, not banging, utilizing every opportunity to make her feel every inch of him.
Over and over, he eased back, surging deep, establishing a rhythm so slow, it magnified every sensation. He had her restrained completely, so she couldn’t claw at him or wrap her legs around him. She couldn’t even throw her hips up to him in silent pleading because he weighted her down with his big body, controlling her in every way.
Jolie could only tense beneath him, toss her head, and struggle to hold back a litany of pleas for him to end this searing torment.
He captured her lips, his tongue mimicking the rhythm of his thrusts and setting her completely ablaze. They were connected everywhere—lips, bodies, souls. She’d never felt more filled with another human being than she did right now.
She’d never felt closer.
He picked up the pace, gripping the edges of the bed and using the leverage to push his way deeper into her. His muscles bulged. He grunted with effort. Then he looked down into her eyes. He might want her to beg him but everything on his face entreated Jolie for her love and devotion. A week ago, she wouldn’t have known what true yearning looked like, but he wore his need with naked honesty. No fronting or trying to hide. Sure, he’d play games. They both enjoyed them. But at the end, he simply wanted to be with her.
She couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere but with him for the rest of her life.
It was the thought of ever being without him again that had her parting her lips and surrendering. “Please, Heath. Please . . .” She couldn’t look away from the endless wells of his dark eyes, forever sucking her deeper into his depths. “Give me what I need.”
“An orgasm?” He was challenging her, seeing what this pleasure meant to her.
“You,” she breathed. “Be with me. Stay with me. Care.”
He groaned. “I do, love. Take me—and everything I give you.”
“That’s all I want.”
He thrust in harder, finally faster, now hitting a spot deep that had her writhing under him, twitching with the pending explosion, keening. Just one more breath, one more kiss, one more stroke . . .
“Heath!” Jolie couldn’t hold it together anymore. “I want you. Always. Please . . .”
Then the pleasure crested and erased everything holding her back—pride, fear, insecurity. He replaced that with the heat of his passion and the steadiness of his devotion. She felt him pour into her, pistoning as he let out a long groan and let go.
When they stilled, only the sounds of their panting filled the room. He stroked her hair away from her face, staring at her as if she was a wonder. He kissed her so gently, tears leaked from her eyes. His tenderness felt palpable, the moment timeless and defining.
Being raw with him was moving, beautiful.
He swallowed hard. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. I’ve never said that to a man in my life. But I’ll love you forever.”
Emotion softened Heath’s face. He released her hands and flattened one of her palms to his chest, over the steady beat of his heart. “I hope you do. I’ll love you that long and more.”
***
JOLIE sat behind the sleek glass desk in her office and hung up the phone, still blinking in shock. The timing of the call had been amazing. Perfect. So fortuitous.
It must be serendipity.
Every other part of her life was sparkling and spectacular. Heath, of course, was the brightest spot. Even Karis was making better decisions for her future. It looked as if she and Arthur were cautiously developing something. And while her accountant had totally screwed up, he was still a huge step above most of her sister’s boyfriends.
And now this phone call made her entire life complete.
She bolted to her feet and ran into the reception area to find Heath bent over Wisteria’s computer, installing the last of the database files to make the card readers on the office doors fully functional.
“Heath?”
He turned. She must have been wearing an expression that conveyed all the shock she was feeling because he leapt to his feet. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s good news. I . . .” She smiled until he caught on and returned the expression. “Everything’s going to be all right. With Betti, I mean. I just received a call from a consortium of European funds, Quantum. Somehow they heard that I’ve been seeking an investor and asked if I was still looking for capital. I talked to this guy, Clarke Winston, for almost an hour. I’ve done some cursory research, and they look legitimate. He’s already sent me paperwork with an investor agreement I can wholeheartedly sign. They want to be silent partners and don’t expect to see any return on funds for five years. It’s like a dream. Can you believe it?”
“You’re happy, then?”
“Ecstatic. These are better terms than I’d hoped for. Best of all, they can wire me the funds right away. I can call my vendors and manufacturers and give them the good news. We can get started on the next phase of Betti. This is so amazing! It’s the answer to my prayers.”
Heath gathered her in his arms and kissed her forehead. “It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. Congratulations.”
“I’ll work hard to make the most of this.”
“Of that, I have no doubt, love. You never cease to amaze me.”
She smiled and cupped his face. “We should celebrate tonight.”
Heath leaned closer, his dark eyes drilling into her. “What did you have in mind? If you’re open to suggestions, I’ve got a few.”
“I’ll bet you do. Later. My to-do list is a mile long after this phone call . . .” She shook her head, still in disbelief. “I’m not altogether sure how or why this group zeroed in on me, but I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth.”
“Maybe it was the D Magazine article,” he suggested. “They made you sound like the second coming of clothes, you know.”
“Maybe. It was pretty awesome press.”
“Well, off with you, then. I’m still installing and testing all this equipment. You get busy now so we can get busy later.” He winked.
“You got it. So excited! I can’t wait to get the paperwork signed and the money in place. The moment that’s done, I’m going
to make two phone calls. The first to Richard Gardner telling him