Worth Any Cost by Brenna Aubrey

  His body stiffened. He held his breath. I again wrapped my legs around his hips, tightening the hold, and he shuddered against me then came. A moment later, he pressed a clammy forehead to mine.

  "Goddamn," he finally mumbled. "That was..." He gasped. "If my spleen exploded, that was definitely worth it."

  I couldn't help laughing. "No, that was other parts of your body exploding."

  "The good parts." He slid off me to roll back to his side of the bed. But not before kissing me all over my face. "I think those parts of my body want to explode a few more times."

  "Tonight?"

  "Tonight's the night."

  "You're going to have to convince me of that."

  "Happily," he said, running his hands over my chest and belly as if reading every inch of them by touch. I was a map, and his hands were awestruck, reverential explorers. His boundless energy would have him exploring every inch of my terrain tonight.

  Chapter 21

  Adam

  The second time was rougher--and longer. And oh-my-God amazing.

  I'd heard that a man's most reliable sense for sexual arousal was sight. Yet I couldn't see her. But I could not have been more aroused, having to work my way around that soft, supple feminine body with my hands, my mouth, my body pressed to hers.

  She was still tied up--though this time to the high post at the foot of the bed, standing up. God, I vowed to tie her up more often, because this was fun. And damned straight if I was going to have my way with her now that I had her right where I wanted her.

  "These last two months have been torture." I breathed into her hair at the back of her head as I stood behind her, drunk on her scent. "Sadistic doctor's orders."

  "And I'm sure that's exactly why she did it, too, to torture you." There was laughter in her voice.

  I nuzzled her neck. "I was talking about you. Walking around my house in those lace panties, those tight leggings, driving me insane."

  "Because depriving myself of sex was a whole lot of fun for me," she refuted.

  "Maybe I need payback. A little torture to get even."

  She paused. "Torture?"

  I pressed myself against her back, sandwiching her between my body and the bedpost, pushing my erection against her firm, perfect ass. I sank my teeth lightly into the shell of her ear. She sucked in a breath. "Maybe more than a little."

  Pushing away from her, I turned away to guarantee I wouldn't see her. I had to honor that promise to her, after all--silly superstition or not.

  I made my way over to the ice bucket, where a bottle of champagne rested in a pile of fresh ice, replaced with the evening bed turn-down service. Perfect.

  Grabbing the ice bucket and removing the bottle, I backed toward the bed until I was almost there, replacing the blindfold over my eyes before I turned and made my way to her.

  "Right where I left you," I said and landed a kiss between her delectable shoulder blades. "Good girl."

  "How was I going to go anywhere?"

  I bent and placed the ice bucket on the ground near her feet. "Good point." Grabbing a piece of ice, I straightened. "Now that I got that first one out of my system, at least I can wait a little while till next time."

  She cleared her throat. "And when are we supposed to sleep?"

  "Sleep is overrated." I took the ice cube and placed it on that spot between her shoulder blades where I'd kissed her.

  She jumped and then gasped. "What the--"

  But I grabbed her chin, turning her face toward me, muffling her protest, plunging my tongue into her mouth. I dragged that ice cube along her collarbone, over her breastbone, down to her navel as she stiffened in my arms, her body rigid against mine.

  It felt goddamn fucking fantastic.

  Her arms were tied to the bedpost at the foot of the bed. When I brought that ice cube up to her right nipple, she struggled, but couldn't evade me.

  When I finally figured she'd be quiet enough, I freed her mouth from that kiss. "You okay?"

  "I will be after I put ice all over you," she replied breathily.

  I flipped her around to face me, settling her against the bedpost. "We'll see about that. In the meantime, I think the other one needs some love." I moved the ice cube to her other nipple while bending to take the cold one in my mouth. She wiggled and struggled, and I held her against the bedpost to keep her stable.

  I was so hard again that it was painful. Her ice-cold nipple warmed in my mouth. So refreshing--my own Emilia-flavored popsicle. I laughed at the thought, and once I determined that her other nipple was ready for my mouth, I switched what I was doing, replacing the ice cube on the previous nipple. It was freezing my finger soundly with that painful numbness of cold. These incredibly sensitive parts of her body surely felt the numbness and pain acutely.

  She was breathing hard, giving me these haunting moans that were almost muted, her voice slightly deeper than normal.

  I dropped the ice cube into the bucket and slid my cold fingers into the warmest place I could find--right between her legs.

  She inhaled sharply and stiffened again as I worked my fingers against her wet, hot flesh. I could barely restrain myself from pushing her legs apart right that second and getting inside her. Instead, I plunged my fingers deeper, listening carefully, trying to determine how close she was by the sound of her moans and her breath. So close. Close, but not all the way.

  "Adam," she said in that low growl that made my cock twitch in response. And seconds later, I pulled my hand away. She blew out a breath, shifting from one tiptoe to the other. "So that's how it's going to be?"

  "Yup," I replied, smiling though she couldn't see me. "You owe me some torture."

  "Just you wait. I'll be turning your own tools against you, Dread Pirate Drake."

  "Arrrrrr. Will you, now? That's not happening tonight, my little wench. Tonight, I'm in charge." I grabbed her hips and yanked her toward me so that she was off balance--and even more under my control.

  I reached up and raked my fingernails down her back with both hands, all the way down past her waist and over the curve of her ass. She hissed like a cat.

  "Tomorrow, you'll be my blushing bride, and I will worship you, body, and soul. But tonight, you are my plaything."

  "You are a bad man," she whispered hoarsely.

  "Pirate." I laughed. "You haven't seen a damn thing yet, Miss Strong." And to punctuate my statement, I firmly pinched her nipples before working them between my thumb and forefingers until they were large, hard points and she was groaning low in her throat. That sound vibrated right through me and made me throb, head to toe. The tension in my cock bordered on painful.

  I bent forward, catching her mouth with mine, smothering her moans. Her teeth came down, sinking firmly into my lip.

  I retreated, my lip still between her teeth. "Not the face!" I rasped. "We can't do anything that affects wedding pictures tomorrow."

  Haltingly, she released my lip. It throbbed, mingling pain and pleasure. This was supposed to be a torture for her, but instead, I was the one doubting I could take any more before I took her again.

  Jesus, she was too goddamn sexy. Without warning, I picked her up, slipping her tied wrists off the bedpost. Pulling her against me so she wouldn't fall off balance, I held her as her body went slack. Her hard nipples and supple breasts pressed against my chest. My heart thumped in double time.

  "Your plaything, huh?" she asked.

  I closed in, my lips hovering over hers. "Yeah."

  Then I did the next thing very carefully, knowing there was a possibility, because of her past, that she might have problems with it. I pressed down on her shoulders until her legs bent and she was kneeling in front of me.

  There was no hesitation, much to my surprise. The minute she hit her knees, she leaned forward and caught my cock in her mouth, sucking in only the tip before pulling away again.

  Then she was moving around, reaching for something with her bound hands. I heard her nudge the metal ice bucket. Uh oh...

&
nbsp; "Clearly, I should have tied your hands behind your back instead of your front."

  "You need to brush up on your pirate training." She started crunching ice cubes in her mouth. When I tried to retreat, she hooked a hand around my leg to stop me.

  After swallowing, she then grabbed more ice and crunched that as well. When her mouth took me in again, ice cold enveloped my heat. And she had ice chips still inside of her mouth. And--shit--it felt...incredible. Pain and pleasure mingled on the most sensitive part of my anatomy. I reached out to brace myself against the same bedpost in order to keep my knees from buckling. Her mouth slid farther down my shaft, taking me deeper. I growled, allowing the feeling to overpower me as she sucked me--hard.

  Christ. She was getting really good at this. You'd never know that it was far from her favorite thing to do.

  It didn't matter. Because with each movement of her head, she was seizing control of this situation, and she damn well knew it.

  And I was letting her.

  Because the thought of coming in her mouth right now held more than a little appeal. More than a lot of appeal. I slid a hand down to gently touch the back of her head, and she froze.

  I didn't push it. But damn if I didn't want to. I wanted to cram it down her throat.

  I restrained myself.

  Barely.

  It took a fuckton of willpower. She didn't move her head, though her sinful tongue continued to swirl around me, twining heat up every nerve ending from where her scorching mouth sucked me, all through my tight gut, the blood scalding my veins.

  She seemed to be enjoying this power--her low moans responded directly to my rushed breathing. And that was when I decided that I couldn't take it a second longer.

  I gently applied pressure to her head, pushing her toward me. Her head only gave an inch before she stopped again, holding fast to her position. I thrust my hips forward, suddenly losing control.

  And that was my mistake.

  Her body buckled when she gagged. I pulled out immediately, ready to untie her, ready to kneel down and comfort her, apologize.

  She was doubled over, coughing.

  Oh shit. I'd gone too far.

  I was shocked to hear her laughing. Laughing.

  "What is so fucking funny?"

  "I can't stop thinking about that ridiculous name--robot cock. It distracted me and I gagged."

  "Robocock," I corrected. "And that was feeling good, goddamn it. You're naughty"

  She let loose a long, melodramatic sigh. "I guess I am a naughty girl." The dare in her voice was unmistakable.

  I reached down, grabbed her knotted wrists, and jerked her off her knees to stand in front of me. Then I bent so that we were nose to nose--or, at least, I perceived that we were. I still couldn't see a goddamn thing.

  "Would you like to know what I do to naughty girls?" I turned and, pulling her behind me, peeked from under the blindfold to prevent myself from bumping into furniture on the way to the dining table. I replaced the blindfold once there.

  "What are you going to do?" I couldn't help but grin. She was loving this game as much as I was. Hell yes. "Is this where you make me walk the plank, Cap'n Drake?" She laughed.

  "No walking the plank. But you'll be riding my plank soon."

  "Suave," she said.

  I pushed her shoulders down, pressing the upper half of her body flush against the dining table. She sucked in air, but I couldn't tell whether it was from excitement or surprise--possibly both. Grabbing the belt around her wrists, I tied it to the chair opposite where she bent.

  Then I came up behind her, fondling her round ass before opening my palm and smacking it soundly. The sound alone made me throb with need.

  "Ow," she exclaimed. "What the fuck?"

  "Bad girls need spankings," I explained then punctuated it with another smack on her other cheek. I wasn't screwing around--I knew those hits had hurt. She strained against the tie, as if she wanted to stand up, and I pressed my left hand to the small of her back to hold her down.

  She hissed out a breath, and every muscle in her body tensed up.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  "Do your worst," she replied between clenched teeth.

  "Challenge accepted." Two more whacks . "For the shitty Speedo." She actually laughed, though it was a tight, tense one.

  I rubbed her ass. The heat on her skin from my not-so-light smacks only turned me on more. She let out a long breath and then shakily took another one. I waited another minute before I spanked her twice again, making sure she was unaware it was coming and had relaxed.

  "What were those for?"

  "For doubting I'd get here on time. As if there was any reality where I'd miss this wedding."

  A pause. "I never doubted. However, I did like to taunt you about it."

  "Should I taunt you with more spanking, then?"

  She took a long breath and let it go. "I'm not afraid of you."

  I said nothing, but slapped her two more times. My cock throbbed with the sound of every hit.

  "What were those for?" she asked, her voice quieter, more husky. But I couldn't tell if it was because she was aroused or about to cry. Maybe both.

  "Those were because this is turning me on."

  "You already seem to be horny to begin with."

  "You can never be too aroused." I bent and kissed the back of her neck, moving my mouth all the way down her spine, aware of every minute reaction from her.

  Each involuntary intake of breath, each squirm, each shiver of creamy skin under my fingertips, each reluctant but vitally necessary sigh from her mouth went straight into my blood like a glorious drug. And the feel of goosebumps across the flesh of her soft arms, her silky thighs--it made me shiver in anticipation. I was high from touching her, hearing the sounds of my hands smacking her ass.

  Two more smacks totaled ten, and I stopped. I could tell she was trying to hide tears from me. I touched her moist cheek. "Want me to stop?"

  "I want you to stop screwing around and fuck me."

  I bent and kissed her tears away. They were cold and salty. "Challenge enthusiastically accepted." Stepping away from her, I turned to find my pants where I'd discarded them on the ground. There were four more condoms in the pocket--I'd been over-the-top optimistic about this evening. I bent and retrieved them, grabbed one, and put the other three on the nightstand.

  Then I returned to the table where I'd left her, eyes averted until I replaced my blindfold. I tore the foil packet and put on the condom.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, for the second time tonight, he has perfectly managed a condom while blindfolded. And the crowd goes wild."

  "Pfft. You do it in the dark all the time. No big feat."

  "I've got your big feat right here," I murmured as I positioned myself behind her. She tensed with anticipation. I bent, pressing my chest to her back, kissing her cheek, her neck, her shoulders. Then, straightening, I thrust into her.

  Her gasp alone almost made me come. And if I didn't slow down, this was going to be a lot of buildup for an underwhelming result. I didn't want that.

  I paused, listening to her rushed breathing. "Do you know what it feels like for me to be inside you?" I asked and kissed between her shoulder blades. She tightened around me. "It feels like stepping into a warm pool when it's cold outside. It feels like a hot shower after a long day. It feels like home."

  She replied with a long, low moan, and I began to move. Taking her by the hips and holding her still, I sank in as deep as I could go, listening carefully to her. After nearly two months of no sex, she was tight. She felt incredible, her muscles clenching me like a fist. My heartbeat thrummed in my throat, my mouth dry. I imagined how she must look, spread out across that table for me.

  I slowed, reaching one hand underneath her where I could rub her clit and the other to tangle in her hair. Even as I pulled at her hair, jerking her head up, I was thankful that since she'd lost her hair and it had grown back, she no longer had anxiety associated with fingers--my fingers
, at least--in her hair.

  Thank God, because I loved running my hands through it.

  She moaned as I brought her closer to climax. I sank my teeth into the pliant flesh under her shoulder blade.

  "Don't leave a mark," she gasped.

  I released her. "Way down here?"

  She didn't answer, but I concluded that her wedding dress must be backless. The thoughts of seeing her in it almost did me in.

  Later today... Finally. She'd be mine in every way.

  And she was mine right now. I deepened the pressure where I rubbed her, and she rewarded me with the familiar sounds of her climax. At the end, when she said my name as a desperate plea, that was what did me in.

  Only a few more thrusts and I was coming, too, in mind-blowing waves of brain-frying rapture. A full minute of my life passed where I had no awareness of anything but the pure pleasure of emptying myself into Emilia's supple, waiting body. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. All I could do was experience her. The feel of her beneath me, of her chest rising and falling under mine. Of her satisfied, contented moans.

  I kissed her back, her shoulder blades, everywhere my mouth could reach. Then I lifted myself off her and reached untie her wrists. She was pliant in my arms as I helped her up from the table and guided her to the bed. It took longer than normal, but when she finally lay down, she let out a hiss of a breath when her bottom hit the sheets, immediately rolling onto her side.

  "Well, that's going to be fun...no sitting down tomorrow."

  "Roll onto your stomach." I undid the tie at her wrist with a simple pull of the slipknot. Turning from the bed, I lifted the blindfold, went into the bathroom, and grabbed a towel and a bottle of pain reliever. When I returned, I dunked the towel into the melting ice bucket and wrung it out before fumbling my way toward the bed.

  I put the ice-cold towel across her ass, murmuring a brief warning first. She tensed when I did it, but offered no protest. Then, after more fumbling, I gave her two pills and a bottle of water, which she leaned up to take into her mouth straight from my fingers.

  Down, boy, I had to order myself when arousal flickered again from that simple action. I moved to my side of bed, and she ordered me to cover myself with a sheet so she could pull off her blindfold and use the bathroom.

  I complied. When she approached the bed, she replaced her blindfold and crawled in beside me, wrapping herself around me. "You have to be gone by sunrise."