Three Hard Lessons (8 page)

I took off my coat and hung it in the open closet, set my purse on the dresser, and sat down on the edge of the bed to wrangle off the boots. Meanwhile, he peeled out of his suit coat. It was tossed on top of the suitcase stacked on an ottoman, and then Dominic turned his attention on me.

My unsure hands went to the hem of my sweater, lifting it–

“What are you doing?” he said softly. “Come here, I get to do that.”

I was barely on my feet when he pulled me up against him, slamming his mouth over mine. His possession was unreal. Exhaustion dried up. Lust stormed onto the scene and demanded control, which I surrendered gladly to her.

His kiss teased me. He used his teeth and his tongue like he really fucking knew what he was doing. It drove my hands around his shoulders, and I sighed into him, my body molding to his.

His fingertips crept under the hem of my sweater and guided it up. He broke the kiss as he freed the garment from my body, revealing the plain black camisole beneath. The sweater made no noise as it dropped to the floor. I was faster with the buttons of his shirt the second time around. My eager hands sought the heated flesh beneath the fabric. God, his body was amazing.

I thought my camisole would be his next victim, but it was my leggings. They were peeled down my legs to my ankles where I stepped out and kicked them away. He’d left my simple black thong on . . . maybe he wanted to take that off last, or leave it on.

This was better. I felt more comfortable now. I undid his belt, released his pants, and they flowed to the floor. He caught my wrists in his hands when I slid fingers inside the top of his boxers.

His mouth was by the shell of my ear and he whispered it there. “No.”

“Am I going too fast again?” Luckily, it came out concerned and not frustrated, although I was feeling both of those equally.

“I said I wanted to sleep with you, and I meant it.”

He kissed my forehead and abandoned me by the foot of the bed. It was so he could go to the far side and tug the covers down. I stood in disbelief as he sat and slid one foot after the other into bed, glancing at the empty spot beside him. “Coming?”

“No. I don’t do
that
.”

He stared at me. “You don’t sleep? Are you a vampire?”

Tension balled my hands into fists and I set them on my waist. “I’m serious.”

The blue eyes . . . well, the good one, gave me a sharp, calculating look. “Another one of your rules?” When I nodded, he added, “Great. I had so much difficulty with your other ones. Now come to bed.”

I bent down and snatched my leggings up off the floor, intending to get dressed.

“Payton.” The unease in his voice got me to halt. “I haven’t acclimated to the time change. My head is killing me, and I’m exhausted. You were eye-fucking this bed when we got in here, don’t think I didn’t notice.” He combed a hand through his hair and let it fall on the empty pillow that he wanted to be mine. “Let’s get some rest before round two. I’m sure we’ll both need it.” He gave me a wicked smile that was all sin and sex. “I know you will.”

His persuasive speech got me to stay in the room, but he needed to be knocked down a peg for being so smug.

“Fine.” I came over to the bed. “But I sleep in the nude.”

He was ready for this. “Not today, you don’t. I’m not sleeping with a hard-on.”

“Then control yourself and don’t look.” I pulled the camisole off in a swift move, immediately followed by the bra. “And don’t touch, either.” The panties were gone a heartbeat later.

He rolled away from me at the sight of my naked body. “Fuck, woman, you’re the devil.”

“I warned you,” I said, taking the sheets in my hand. “Too much to handle.” I slipped into the bed, turned away, and stayed right by the edge, giving him a wide berth.

The mattress rocked as he moved. A hand snaked over my belly and yanked my back against his chest so he was spooning me.

“Not for me,” he whispered.

I was aware he left the bed. There was rustling as he dressed and left the room, and returned a few minutes later with the ice bucket full. His eye was bothering him, I assumed, making it hard for him to sleep. He undressed and got back in bed, a towel filled with ice pressed to his face.

It seemed better to sleep than to lie awake and contemplate what the hell I was doing here, so I fell back asleep moments later.

With the curtains closed, it was impossible to tell how long we slept, and the alarm clock was on his side of the bed. I knew he was awake, though. Fingers traced a line down the bare skin of my back, easing the covers down with it until he reached the hollow at the base of my spine.

Then, kisses. His hot mouth moved over my shoulder blades, his stubble scraping my skin like fine sandpaper, working his way toward my neck. Goosebumps pebbled on my legs and I shivered.

“Want me to warm you up?” his rough voice asked.

He didn’t wait for an answer. His hand skimmed over my hip, gliding up my belly and through my cleavage so he could use his fingertips to turn my face toward him. Dominic’s kiss was slow and sultry; his tongue’s wicked stroke was slower still. I was determined to do better this time. To not take over and let him go slow, but this kiss was like flooring his foot on my accelerator.

“No.” A hand was firm on my hip, stopping me from turning on the bed to face him.

“No?” I let my voice go teasing. His chest was up against my back, and I shifted, rubbing my ass against him where only cotton stood between us. He was already raring to go. Good, me too.

The hand went tighter still, fingers pressing into my flesh. “We’re doing this my way.” He pushed his hard cock back against me. “Slow. Long. Neither one of us is going to come unless I want it.”

I shivered again, excited by his aggressive words, but my controlling personality instinctively kicked in. “Good luck with that.”

The hand yanked me flat on my back and he was up on an elbow, peering down at me with a stern look. “I don’t need luck.” His eye wasn’t too bad, but it was swollen and bluish, and the added day’s worth of stubble covering his strong jawline and the dark look made this handsome man appear dangerous. Hotter than the leather seats of my Jaguar in August.

He harmlessly slapped my hand away when it tried to grip him through his boxers, and he raised an eyebrow, challenging me to try again. My next attempt was just as unsuccessful and a wicked smile warmed on my face. I pretended to lead with my right, and while he was occupied with that, my left closed around him.

“Fuck,” he groaned, his hands wrapping around my wrists and slamming them up above my head, pinning them to the mattress. It forced him over me, bringing us chest to hard chest. My nipples tightened. Legs settled around his hips, drawing him up against me. Could he feel how wet he’d made me with those thin boxers on?

His head dropped down, bringing his lips beside my ear. “Slow, Payton.”

I blew out a frustrated breath when his mouth brushed over my sensitive skin. I’d never had this before. Outside of the club, I was always the one in charge. Guys were too turned on, too lazy, or lacked the balls to take control away from me.

Not this one. His tongue slid down my neck, his hot breath cool in its trail. Dominic had given me the smallest peek at his dominant side at the club, and I could tell the more comfortable he became with me, the more likely it was to come out and play.

“I lied before, when I said I can go slow,” I said.

He sort of laughed, his face in the valley between my tits. “Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way.” He rolled his tongue on my nipple, then scraped his teeth over it. Right on the knife’s edge of painful and pleasurable. My legs clamped tighter on his hips, urging him to grind on me.

Instead, he pulled away and back on his knees so he was kneeling between my spread legs, his gaze wandering down my bare body as if assessing me. The hands on my wrists were gone, and he grabbed the ice bucket, setting it beside me, then stuck his hand in.

Was he getting some ice to tease me with?

“Touch yourself,” he said. It came out almost as an order. “I want to watch you play with that pretty little pussy.”

His hand never moved from the ice bucket. My right hand did as requested and my eyes stayed on his. Watching his face flood with heat when I circled my clit was almost as enjoyable as the sensation of my fingers rolling on the wet button of flesh.

He watched, his gaze intent on my hand moving back and forth, until I let out a soft moan. Only the gleam in his eyes a fraction before he moved let me know something was up. He yanked my right hand away, once again pinning it beneath his hold.

“Use your other hand,” he said. “That should slow you down.”

My mouth went slack. I wasn’t left handed. It was awkward as hell using my non-dominant hand, and frustrating, too. It felt good, but not as good as I knew it could. “Aren’t you an evil fucking genius?” I accused.

The ice in the bucket sloshed when he pulled his hand out, his skin pink from the cold water. It stole all the breath from my lungs when one of those icy fingers plunged deep inside me. My back bowed up off the mattress and I threw my head back, too startled to make a noise.

“You like that?” His rough voice. I wanted to hear more. I wanted to come from his words, but right now it was probably going to be from the shockingly cold finger fucking me.

“Shit, it feels so good,” I said when I finally found my voice.

He moved at a leisurely pace while my fingers fumbled over my flesh, desperate to get my release. My right hand tried to escape his grip. It’d be so much faster that way . . .

“Dominic.” My hips moved in time with his slow thrusts, begging him without words, but then my words began too. “Please.”

“Please what? You want another, or you want your hand back?”

The fucked up thing was I didn’t even know. “Yes.”

He made a noise of amusement. He thought this was funny? I was writhing under his touch, half-restrained, out of my mind with lust and desire. So close to coming all over that hand.

“Sorry, you little liar. I think you need to be taught a lesson.” The finger retreated.

“No,” I said, but it died on my tongue when the finger that had been inside me slid into my mouth.

I licked it clean and watched the muscles along his jaw flex as his nostrils flared with desire. I was aching painfully, but at least his little lesson had side effects for him as well.

The moment the finger was gone from my mouth, I blurted it out. “Fuck me, please. I want your cock inside me.”

His expression was playfully smug. “Do you not understand the concept of going slow? Did no one explain to you how that works?”

“Less talking, more fucking.” I was so turned on, I was dripping between my legs. I abandoned my goal of getting myself off with my left hand. It wasn’t going to happen, and he wasn’t watching anyway. He let my fingers dip under the waist of elastic and close around the soft yet firm column of flesh beneath.

I stroked him. Over and over. And even though his breathing became rapid and uneven, he didn’t move. He sat back on his heels and let me give him a sloppy handjob with my unskilled left hand.

“I’m going to let go of you now,” he said. “I’m hoping you’ve learned your lesson.” He leaned over me, his lips crushing against mine as his hand relaxed, releasing me. “It’s taking everything I’ve got not to bury my dick inside you and lose it immediately. Don’t make it any harder on me.”

Did he realize what he was asking me to do? I craved to dominate and be dominated. Joseph demanded my submission and I thought that was undeniably hot. But this? To willingly give my submission to Dominic? That concept was a scorching five hundred degrees. So much hotter than anything else.

It came out less confident than I’d ever sounded in bed. “I can try.”

We tangled our bodies then. Hands held the sides of my face and I crossed my arms behind his back, gripping my forearms to keep my hands from drifting. I clenched my teeth together as he explored every curve of my body. Hands, then mouth. Submitting to him like this, knowing I was pleasing him instead of myself . . . oh, god. I couldn’t think about it. Tomorrow he’d be gone and take this fascinating new experience with him.

My eyes were shut tight when the bed rocked and he went to the suit jacket, yanking out a foil packet. He lost his boxers on the way back to me, unleashing that huge cock I was desperate for. The torturous agony stifled me when he dropped the unopened condom wrapper on my stomach. The waiting was killing me.