BargainWiththeBeast (10 page)

She whimpered.

Then lifted a knee and whipped around.

“Gwen?”

She ignored his raspy question and planted her palms next to
his narrow hips. His long, steely erection lay against his stomach like an
intimidating length of thick pipe topped by a flushed, smooth cap. A drop of
precum beaded at the slit as if welling just from her captivated gaze. Jesus,
he was beautiful. Like Michelangelo’s
David
. Sculpted, virile and
perfect.

“Gwen,” he repeated. “This isn’t for me, baby. You don’t
have to do this.”

“I know,” she responded, already reaching for his cock. Just
thinking about what his flesh could do inside her pussy made her clit pound and
her empty core spasm. “This
is
for me.”

To have him fill her mouth, to discover if the same
wind-and-rain taste of his kiss would transfer to his cock… Yes, this was all
for her.

She leaned down and engulfed the bulbous head. Immediately
his untamed flavor detonated on her tongue and she moaned with excitement. She
squeezed his flesh, stroking her fist up the hard shaft until her fingers
bumped her stretched lips. Another spurt of his seed pulsed from the narrow opening
and she lapped at his salty essence. God, it was just so
good
.

“Dammit, Gwen.” Xavier’s hungry growl penetrated her lust.
“Give me your pussy. Now.”

She released his cock with a small
pop
and stared,
bemused, at the wet head. She’d been so engrossed in finally having him in her
mouth, she’d forgotten about her original request. With a small shake of her
head, she lowered her lips to his erection and her pussy to his mouth.

“Oh God, Xavier!” She flung her head back as the scream
ripped from her throat. He thrust his tongue past her cream-coated folds to the
clenching tunnel beyond. “Please, no…yes,” she sobbed as he stabbed deep.
“Yes.”

He licked her, consumed her. His teeth latched on to one
swollen lip and he sucked, flicked and laved it before moving to the other.
Though he was tied to the bed, he mastered her as if he were unbound, gripping
her hips and guiding this seductive meltdown. His mouth held her captive and
all she could do was follow his lead.

“Fuck my mouth, baby,” he ordered, his hot breath an added
caress to her sensitive flesh. “Ride it like my cock.”

His cock. Damn. She’d forgotten all about pleasuring him
while his tongue tormented her pussy. She tightened her grip on his stalk and
stroked down to the wide, flared base, then returned up and over the head. On
the return trip down, precum lubricated the path until her fist glided back and
forth, back and forth in a relentless rhythm.

“That’s it,” Xavier encouraged on the tail of a harsh groan.
“Squeeze it tight, baby.”

Gwen imagined if his hands were free, he would’ve swatted
her ass. How she conjured that particular picture—or why her core spasmed in
excitement—she couldn’t explain. Except… Until Xavier, maybe she hadn’t known
what she desired from a lover. Not until he’d shown her.

She knelt over her lover, his lips and tongue buried in her
pussy while she fisted his cock.

“God, you’re sweet, Gwen,” he murmured over her clit before
sipping at the engorged, aching button.

“Xavier.” She gasped and couldn’t have prevented the buck of
her hips if she’d been threatened to hold still. “Please. Again. Harder. Suck
me harder.”

As if to torment her, he flicked her flesh, the touch light
and teasing and nowhere close to the pressure she needed.

“Don’t tease me,” she demanded. Two could play at torment.
She suckled his gleaming cock head. She bathed the tip with long, slow licks
and alternated with strong, hard pulls.

“Fuck,” he growled and then ended her suffering. Giving her
no quarter, he clamped down on her clit and drew hard. He sucked, nipped and encircled
her flesh. Heat gathered in the nub and eddied in ever-increasing pools of
pleasure. As he feasted on her pussy, she rode his face, the wet sounds of his
mouth adding to the surreal sensuality. Once more she let go of his cock to
immerse herself in the wild, carnal passion.

It crashed on her. The orgasm didn’t swell or creep, but
broke over her like a sonic blast, its waves echoing against her skin in one
powerful surge after another. She screamed with the ecstasy of release.
Trembled over him. Quaked over him. Seizures gripped her in their seismic hold
and racked her body.

She plummeted back to the realm of the living and pitched
forward to rest her cheek on his jutting hip bone. Her eyes opened and the
broad base of his cock surrounded by dark, springy hair greeted her. Her quick
blasts of air stirred the curls and his musky, tantalizing scent of sweat, skin
and sex caused her to shudder.

“Gwen.” She shifted, his breath an almost unbearable caress
on her vulnerable flesh. “Gwen,” he repeated. She roused at the urgent knot in
his strained voice and slid off his chest. She curled up next to him, her knees
pressed into the sides of his torso. “Baby, I need you.” From her vantage
point, his strong throat worked as he swallowed. “I’m going to go crazy if I’m
not inside you. Fuck me, sweetheart,” he whispered.

The plea moved her like nothing else could have. She
scrambled to her knees and, in spite of her sated lethargy, slid off the bed
and jerked open the drawer in the bedside table. Quickly, she ripped the top of
the foil packet and removed the condom before straddling his hips and sheathing
his erection in the latex.

With one hand, she positioned his cock so the head prodded
her slit, the palm of her other hand pressed against his abdomen. Muscles flexed
and tightened beneath her touch as if in preparation for thrusting between her
folds and being gloved in her sex.

She glanced past his chest to his tightly drawn features.
The bright, jeweled gaze stared back at her, burning like the heart of the
hottest fire. Every muscle in his body was drawn as tight as a bow. If she
freed his hands in this moment, he would no doubt spring up and take her down
like felled prey.

Slowly she rubbed the cock head through her crease, wetting
the wide cap in her silky folds. The broad tip bumped against her clit,
skimming the sensitive bundle of nerves, and she inhaled sharply.
Oh yes.
She hummed.
Just once…more.
She whimpered. And did it again.

“Don’t tease me,” he said, flinging her earlier demand at
her, his arms straining against the restraints. “I’m at the breaking point,
baby. Put me inside.”

She shivered. Yes, she delighted in the brush of his cock on
her clit, but she craved to be filled by him as much as he needed it. She
nudged the cock head between her folds and sank down.

She gasped at the tight fit. Last night he’d been so large
at first she’d been afraid they wouldn’t fit. He’d reached for her once more as
night tipped over into morning, taking her again, so she should be used to his
size, but the pressure now was heavy and delicious. God, it hurt so—she sank
down another inch—
good
. She glanced down at the thick, veined stalk yet
left to take and wanted to groan in anticipation…and a tad bit of trepidation.
There was so much of him.

“Look at me, Gwen.” His husky voice drew her attention from
the intimidating length of his cock to his face. The hard, taut features belied
his gentle tone. “It’s the position that makes taking me a little more
difficult. But you can do it, baby. You can take my cock inside you. I want to
be balls-deep, sweetheart. I don’t want an inch of my cock left untouched by
the sweetest pussy I’ve ever fucked. Come on, Gwen. Take it.” His timbre
deepened as he studied her from under his gleaming, sensual gaze. “Take me.”

Surely the serpent’s tempting of Eve couldn’t have been more
seductive than his invitation. And the result was the same. She gripped his
erection and pressed down. The wide length burrowed into her spasming pussy.
She moaned, flexed her hips. And another couple inches disappeared into her
flesh.

So full.
She held still and allowed her body to
accustom itself to the penetration. With both palms planted on his ribs, she
raised her hips off his cock and slowly—so slowly—descended, taking more of
him. Delight rippled through her core and she gasped. Eagerly, she duplicated
the motion and hissed out a breath as her existence narrowed to include only
desire and Xavier. She slid up his shaft until just the rounded peak of the
head remained inside her clutching entrance. And then she sank back down,
engulfing more of his length than she’d claimed on the previous trip. Each slow
stroke drew a cry from her so the quiet room was punctuated by her whimpers and
the wet suction of her pussy fucking his cock. It was the sweetest music she’d
ever heard.

“Dammit, Gwen,” Xavier growled, his back bowing. “Get down
on my dick.” His hips jerked hard and in spite of the leverage her hands
provided, more of his rigid column penetrated her tight sheath. “Now, Gwen.”

“So,” she groaned, squeezing her muscles as she lifted off
him, “impatient.”

She glanced down. She’d taken a little over half of him, yet
the thickest, fattest part of his shaft still remained to be conquered. Sweat
poured in rivulets down the vee between her breasts and she shuddered at the
pressure between her thighs. God, she was stretched, filled, but she wanted all
of him. The slow ride she’d been enjoying wasn’t enough anymore. She hungered
to have every inch of him embedded deep so next week, when he was gone from her
life again, she would still feel him.

Inhaling, she flattened her palms on his chest, tightened
her thighs and glanced up at him. “Help me,” she whispered.

His eyes glittered and, as one, he thrust upward as she
surged down.

A hoarse cry erupted from her joined by his raw groan. Oh
God. Oh. God. Possessed…she was possessed. As her muscles quivered madly around
his cock, as he occupied her pussy, leaving nothing untouched, she became a new
creature, one forever imprinted with Xavier’s mark. She’d never be free of him.

“Shhh…” he soothed as his big body shuddered beneath her.
Only then did she realize soft whimpers were coming from her throat. “It’s
okay, baby. I can feel you surrounding me. You’re so sweet, so—” His voice
broke and a strong tremor shuddered over him. The vibration thrummed through
her stretched pussy. “Fuck me, baby. Take me away from here, Gwen. Take me to
heaven.”

She swallowed. His words—the plea beneath—penetrated her
heart as surely as his erection pierced her flesh. Trembling, she rolled and
pitched her hips, allowing the intoxicating excitement to consume her. On every
downward stroke, his cock head rubbed a place high inside her she hadn’t known
existed. Her clit hummed as if electricity had a direct route to the
nerve-packed bundle.

“Yes, baby,” he moaned, meeting each thrust with one of his
own. “Harder. Damn, you’re so good.”

His words spurred her on until she rode him with abandon.
Her walls grasped at his dick with each withdrawal as if reluctant to release
him, eagerly sucking him back in her depths on the plunge downward.

She wanted the wild ride to continue forever, but as the
orgasm neared, tingling at the base of her spine, pressing against her clit,
holding on didn’t remain an option. So she welcomed the explosion. Hurled
herself into the fiery cataclysm, unknowing if she would be reborn or
incinerate in the flames.

Through the roar in her head and the frantic hammering of
her heart, Xavier joined her. And even as sweet oblivion opened its arms to
her, she wasn’t alone in the darkness. Never alone.

“I will send you to your father, you shall remain with
him, and poor Beast will die with grief.”

—Beauty and the Beast

“Dying is easy. It’s living that’s a kick in the
ass.”—Xavier St. James

The September sun painted the world with a gilded brush. The
green pastures were vibrant, jeweled acres, the brick red of the stables glowed
crimson and the sable coats of the frolicking horses gleamed with health and
vitality. Though fall had barely arrived, the morning air contained a small nip
even though winter’s grasp still remained several weeks away.

A perfect morning.

Gwendolyn sighed and tilted her head back, and the sun’s
rays teased her face with their warmth. Yes, a perfect morning…if she wasn’t
out here at the corral, avoiding. Well maybe
hiding
would be a better
word. They both amounted to the same thing, but avoidance didn’t seem as
cowardly.

She flicked a glance over her shoulder toward the house. It
stood like an elegant, imposing sentinel against the clear crystal-blue sky. An
apt description for its master. Urbane. Commanding. Guardian of this haven he’d
created for himself in the beautiful Berkshires mountains. A refuge far from
the shallow glitz and glamour of Boston society. A refuge where he probably
allowed no one entrance.

Except her.

“Oh damn,” she mumbled, turned and rested her forehead on
top of her folded arms. The wooden railing of the corral bit the underside of
her arm through the thin jacket she’d donned in deference to the cool morning
air. She ignored the slight discomfort, too preoccupied by the much sharper
pain brutal honesty often caused.

She was so screwed.

A rough chuckle escaped her throat and it carried the edge
of despair. Since Xavier had delivered his bargain, she’d used martyrdom for
the community center as justification for agreeing to his terms. Though still
beaten up by recriminations over Joshua’s death, her need to help the community
center outweighed her guilt. Being the sacrificial lamb had enabled her to
accept the offer.

But after last night, she could no longer sail along the
banks of “De Nile”. The community center had been a convenient excuse, and the
unvarnished, stark truth was she’d arrived at his home and agreed to be
mistress to the beast because she loved him. To grab her one chance at being
with him. For years she’d dreamed of being possessed by him. She’d hungered to
know the joy of being in his arms, of holding his body close while they
exploded in an ecstasy she’d instinctively known only he could bring her.

She’d experienced both. And the intimacy, the bliss had far
exceeded her fantasies. So what could she do? Where did she go from here? How
could she drive away at the end of these seven days and pretend she wasn’t
leaving her heart behind as well?

After making love the night before, she’d released Xavier
from the ties and he had enfolded her in his arms, held her close and pressed
his lips to her temple. The tenderness of his embrace had shattered something
inside her. Yes, she’d betrayed Joshua for years by loving his brother and not
mustering the courage to confess the truth. But how much longer could she flay
herself over a mistake? Especially when the beauty she’d experienced with
Xavier edged out the grief, purified her of the shame. Love had stripped away
fear, guilt and pride. This man who had submitted his strength and
vulnerability to her deserved no less than her honesty.

She’d whispered his name, prepared to admit everything—her
love for him, her role in Joshua’s death—but Xavier had covered her mouth with
his and made love to her again. And when sunlight had spilled across her bed
the next morning, she’d been alone.

And now doubt and her ol’ albatross—fear—had crept back in.

She propped her chin on her arms and closed her eyes. Last
night she’d been ready to lay her sins out before him. But hours later, the
thought of facing his derision or worse—his disgust—terrified her. Twisted her
stomach into knots so tight, it might be permanently kinked.

“Good morning.”

She straightened and whirled at the husky greeting. Surprise
and delight bubbled in her chest. Every time she met his green eyes she was
transported back to the time when she was a shy teen, eager and happy to just
grab a glimpse of him. Some things didn’t change. He still wielded the power to
incite pandemonium in her pulse.

As usual, his rich golden-brown hair was restrained, but the
intent stare—while holding none of the heat in their depths from the night
before—didn’t contain the aloof frost from the previous morning.

Cautious. His quiet regard was cautious. As if he was unsure
of her frame of mind in the revealing light of a new morning. She snorted
silently. Join the club.

“Hey,” she returned and cleared her throat. And dropped her
gaze. And rubbed her palms down the front of her pants. Silly. After all they’d
shared, she was like a girl in front of her high school crush.

“Have you ever ridden before?”

She stared at him. Blinked. The corner of his mouth quirked
and he nodded toward the pasture and horses behind her. “Horses. Have you ever
ridden horses before?”

“Oh. Right.”
Oh God.
“No, I never have. Not much
cause for them in Roxbury.”

Xavier nodded, expression stoic. “I can see that.” He
flicked a glance over her shoulder before returning his attention to her. “Do
you want a lesson?”

Stunned, she gaped at him. “Wh-what,” she sputtered.
“Y-you’re going to give it to me?”

He shrugged. “Either me or the leprechaun sitting over there
under the tree.”

Her eyebrows drew together in a mock scowl even as her heart
leaped at the thought of spending time with him. She desired his company more
than learning to ride one of the majestic animals. “Very funny.”

The familiar vulnerability crept back in like a stealthy
thief, pilfering a measure of her joy. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, Gwen,” he murmured and again delight rose up and
warmed her like the sun’s rays never could.
Gwen. He called me Gwen.
“Go
put on a pair of jeans and boots, if you have any.” Xavier dipped his chin in
the direction of her black slacks. “I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.”

She nodded briefly, then brushed past him and headed toward
the house. In record time, she changed her clothes and shoes, hurried from her
room, down the stairs and across the wide lawn to the pasture and stable. As
she stood in the open doorway, Xavier strode down the aisle, a saddle and
bridle resting on his shoulder. He paused and his steady inspection traveled
from her loose curls, down her brown leather jacket, blue jeans and sneakers.

“Wait here,” he ordered before spinning around and retracing
his path down the breezeway toward the back of the stable. Within a couple of
minutes, he returned with a pair of boots clutched in his hand.

“Here.” He knelt and lowered the riding gear to the ground.
The curl of his fingers beckoned her forward and she obeyed the command.

He encircled her ankle, lifted her foot and removed her
sneaker. He repeated the process with the other foot and she curled her toes
into the hard floor.

“These should fit. They’re one of the stable hands’, but I
don’t think she’ll mind.” He smoothed his palm along her arch, smoothing her
white sock to ensure the garment didn’t bunch and cause her any discomfort,
then fit the dusty brown boot on her foot. Tenderness rippled through her in
ever widening rings of delight. Warmth spread to her chest and penetrated
deeper into her heart, her spirit.

“All set.” Xavier patted the toe of her boot and, hoisting
the saddle and bridle to his shoulder again, rose to his full height. Strange
how last week he had intimidated her, but now the way he towered over her
comforted her, offered security…and turned her on. Damn, she had it bad.

“Thank you,” she whispered. His slight smile caused lust to
knot then slowly uncoil in her stomach, shooting delicious heat to her nipples
and sex. She almost suggested foregoing the lesson in favor of riding
him
.

“I chose Marian for you,” he said and closed his hand around
hers. “She’s the gentlest mare and the most patient.”

“She’ll need to be with me,” Gwendolyn grumbled and he
flashed another of those rare smiles over his shoulder as he pulled her along.
Wow.
She exhaled a hard breath. For that smile, she would attempt to ride the
wildest stallion alive.

“You might be surprised at how well you take to horseback,
Gwen,” he assured her with a fleeting squeeze to her fingers. He paused next to
the stable doors, bent and grabbed a blanket, then continued out into the
corral.

Of the four beautiful animals grazing in the field, Xavier
approached a horse standing close to the fence, the slender head hanging over
the top rung. The shiny, mahogany coat resembled the lustrous color of Xavier’s
locks. After a soft whistle and click of his tongue, he called the mare’s name
and she turned huge, quiet eyes to her master. He stroked her darker mane and
crooned hushed praises in her ear. Gwendolyn stared at his large hands and
long, elegant fingers. And swallowed a soft sigh. He’d handled her with similar
gentle caresses in the heat of passion, soothing her with word and touch. And
she probably trembled as Marian did under his attention.

The man had a way with the ladies. She smirked.

The horse lowered her head and nudged Xavier’s pocket with
her dark nose. Chuckling, he reached inside his thick black sweater and removed
a carrot and a slice of apple. A pleased whinny escaped the mare before she
nipped the offered food.

“Good girl,” he crooned and a shiver passed down Gwen’s
spine and tingled in her sex. Xavier had murmured those exact words to her a
couple of nights earlier. As she’d played with her pussy and he watched. She
swallowed a groan.

Pay attention. Horseback riding lessons. Not sex. Not—her
gaze fondled his ass in the fitted dark blue jeans as he threw the blanket over
the mare’s back—sex.

Minutes later, he had the saddle on the horse, the cinches
tightened beneath her belly, stirrups adjusted and the bridle fastened.

“Okay, baby. Up you go.” Bending low, he cupped his hands
and glanced up at her. “Put your foot here and I’ll hoist you up. Swing your
leg over and grab the reins. I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”

She nodded, hesitant but trusting. He hadn’t needed to reassure
her he would care for her. She harbored no doubts on that front.

Gwendolyn followed his instructions and, in seconds, she
straddled the horse’s back.
Jesus.
Her stomach plummeted straight to her
toes. She’d never perched on the top of the Empire State Building, but the
dizzying sense of oh-my-God-please-don’t-let-me-hurl-on-my-shoes had to be the
same.

“Uh…”

“Easy, Gwen.” Xavier chuckled and patted her calf. “I can
see the whites of your eyes.”

“I’m…uh…good,” she stuttered. And swallowed hard. “She’s awfully…um…big,
isn’t she?”

“Don’t worry. You’ll become accustomed to her. Just give it
a few minutes.” Again he petted her leg. “Brush her mane. Horses like to be
touched, gentled. You’ll lose your anxiety and she’ll become more used to you.”

Inhaling, she leaned forward and squeezed the reins. The
horse nervously sidestepped, but Xavier immediately soothed her.

“Don’t tighten up on the reins, sweetheart. There’s nothing
to be afraid of.” She latched onto the confidence in his voice and brushed a
trembling caress over the dark mane. Mimicking his tone, Gwendolyn whispered
some nonsensical words and soon the pit in her stomach transformed to a shallow
hole.

“You ready?” He settled his gaze on her face and the
assurance in his eyes calmed her like a dozen platitudes could not.

“Ready.”

For the next hour, Xavier led her and the horse through
different paces. He taught her how to sit in the saddle and guide the mare, and
with each small success, Gwendolyn’s confidence increased. Soon her trepidation
faded under the excitement of learning and feeling the animal respond to her
directions. True, they never went above a slow walk but, God, it was fun!

“You’re doing wonderful.” She beamed and he smiled. Joy
spiraled up from her stomach and mushroomed through her chest. Each smile he
gifted her was better than winning the Pulitzer Prize. “Are you up for a ride?”

A thrill zinged through her. “Of course.”

Xavier hooked his foot in the stirrup and swung up behind
her. The leap barely stirred the horse, but Gwen’s stomach dipped. Yet as soon
as his chest pressed into her spine and his hips cradled her bottom, she
calmed. And when he encircled her within his strong embrace to take the reins,
she found sanctuary.

A low click of his tongue set them off. The horse and man
flowed as one and she marveled at the beauty and strength of them. After
several turns around the fenced-in pasture, he directed the mare from the
corral and out into the breathtaking landscape surrounding his home.

As they trotted down a well-worn trail through the
red-and-gold-painted trees, chirping birds and the muted tinkle of a far-off
stream greeted them. Between the gorgeous scenery, the exhilaration of riding
and the power of the man behind her, Gwendolyn was bewitched.

“Having fun?”

She tilted her head back and grinned. “God, yes.” She
laughed in sheer happiness.

“Good,” he replied, and then shocked her by planting a small
kiss on the tip of her nose. Speechless, she gaped at him before facing
forward. Her heart knocked a hard tattoo against the wall of her chest but, bit
by bit, a wide grin she couldn’t contain stretched her mouth. Yeah, she
probably looked the fool wearing such a huge smile on her face but, dammit, she
didn’t care.

The horse’s pace gradually slowed to a walk and she inhaled
a deep breath. The clean scent of earth and Xavier’s skin filled her lungs. She
closed her eyes and savored the flavor of nature and man. Both seductive in
their individual ways.