“Gorgeous,” he murmured.
I shivered as his fingers traced down my spine, lingering over the curve of my ass, then followed its crease just before he pulled it away from the place I ached most.
“Ronan,” I mewled.
“Not yet.”
And then I heard the soft whistle of leather cutting through the air right before the first strike hit my cheek, a sharp sting that somehow begged for more.
I gasped, my whole body tensed, but not unwillingly. “Oh!”
The crop landed again, on my left cheek this time. The sting bloomed into heat, spreading through me, making my pussy clench with unexpected need.
“When I tell you to do something,” Ronan said just before he did it again. “You’ll fucking do it.” His teeth found my shoulder and bit lightly. “You look so beautiful marked up, Ari. A real work of art.”
I arched, offering my flesh as he continued to wield the crop, finding the spaces that hadn’t been struck with unparalleled accuracy.
“Ronan,” I moaned again. “Please?—”
His palm slid over my cheek, soothing and warm. “What, baby? What do you need?”
“More.” I could barely speak. “I need more. Please.”
I heard the crop fall to the floor, and seconds later, his palm cracked against my already-tender skin. The difference was immediate—fuller, harsher, an impact that made my whole body sway.
“Fuck.” His breath was ragged as he went to work on both sides, his hand finding skin over and over again. “You have no idea how perfect you look like this. How much I needed this. How much I—I need you, Laney. My Laney.”
As if the confession had pulled something else out of him, he grabbed me by the hip and spun my back against the books again. Then he fell to his knees and shoved his face between my legs like a beast set to his final meal.
“Oh God,” I moaned, my head knocking against the wood while my thighs squeezed his head. I couldn’t help but stare. The sight of this man, humbled yet still in control, on his knees, but fully in charge as he took exactly what he wanted from my body—it was too much.
Just as I was about to come, he pulled back.
“You’ll wait,” he ordered. “Wait until I’m inside you.”
He stood, shoving down his pants so that his cock fell against my leg, hard and heavy. He looked wrecked, lips glossy with the sheen of my desire.
“Are you–can I—” He could barely speak himself as he looked down to where the head of his bare cock pressed against my entrance. “I’ve never—not without protection, Laney. Not with anyone, ever. And there’s been no one else… not since I met you.”
I knew what he was asking. And the common sense part of me that had always made these decisions knew I should say no.
But every other part of me really didn’t want to. Everything had been stripped away between us, and I didn’t want to put any sort of barrier back in place.
“Have you been—are you?—”
“Tested?” Ronan was shaking now with need, but he managed to nod. “Yes, of course. Right after we met in Vegas. And again, before you—before you came here.”
I swallowed. We were more alike than we thought. “Me too.”
The tip of him slipped through my slick, but he waited while I mentally counted through my cycle.
“It’s okay,” I said a few moments later. “Do it.”
His eyes popped open. “You’re sure?”
“Can you release my hands?”
His eyes shot upward, and with a few quick, harried moves, he freed me from my bonds.