A Little Harmless Submission 6 (8 page)

She couldn’t admit it to him. Wouldn’t. But she did. Lord how she did. Her body was already hot from being close to him, from dancing. Now, though, the idea that people were somehow interested in them made her hot. It wasn’t a normal feeling for her. She usually had short, casual affairs, and whether it was another agent or not, it never took place in public. She liked to have some discretion in her relationships. She definitely didn’t allow a man to touch her like this in public.

But she really liked it. A lot.

“I bet you would like to publically submit, wouldn’t you? Being stripped naked in front of all these people…tied up…spanked.”

His voice deepened with each word. She closed her eyes and shivered. He said something low and explicit under his breath. She wasn’t sure just what it was, but the image he painted made her need. She needed to be touched, to be held, to do all those things he’d offered. The beat of the music pounded through her blood, intertwined with the lust he inspired.

Abruptly he stood, and without a word to her, he said to Micah, “See ya later.”

And with that, he pulled her out of the club and into the night. At the moment, the only thing on her mind was if they would actually make it to her rented house before he made good on his threats.

· · · · ·

Lust wound through his blood and was definitely scrambling his brain. He had never been this mixed up about a woman. Not even his grade school crush on Marjorie Wickers had left him this crazed. He got to the car and realized she was frowning at him. On top of it, he knew it was best they went to the house that the FBI had rented for her. It was probably in the Honolulu area and not on the other side of the island, like his.

“What?” he asked.

“What was that all about?”

She was going to be a pain in the ass. Women like her always were. They wanted schedules, explanations, just wanted too much. But that didn’t matter at the moment. His brain was barely functioning, and he could hardly keep from taking her in the parking lot. He stepped closer, crowding her up against his car.

“Listen, Callahan. I know part of what you were doing in there was an act. But you went over the line, way over the line. You have five seconds to tell me no. After that, you’re mine for the night.”

She swallowed, and he could see the flush of embarrassment—or was it arousal—brighten her eyes. Her tongue slipped out over her plump lower lip. He growled and leaned in for a taste. Just like the night before, he was drawn in by the kiss. A simple brush of the mouth turned into something completely carnal when she opened her mouth to him. He stole inside. By the time he drew back, they were both breathing heavily.

He rested his forehead against hers. She drew in a deep, shuttering breath. It caused her breasts to press against his chest. Jesus. He knew from the way the fabric clung to her ass, she wasn’t wearing panties. It wouldn’t take much to push the fabric over those full hips of hers and take her in the parking lot. From the dazed look in her blue eyes, he might just be able to do it.

He curled his fingers against the roof of his car.

“Yes or no.”

She studied him for a second, although if felt like an eternity. She drew in another shuddering breath.

“Yes.”

Chapter Six

He gave her another hard, quick kiss then unlocked the car. By the time he was driving down Ala Wai Boulevard, he realized he didn’t know where her rental was.

“Where’s your house?”

She rattled off the address, and he knew it was faster to get there than his house over in Laie. Even on a Monday night, it would take a good forty minutes. He didn’t think he would last that long. Hell, he was lucky he was going to be able to make it over to Kahala.

It took less than fifteen minutes to drive to her rental. He turned off the car and tried to calm the libido he seemed to not be able to control around her. After his issues in Seattle, he had discovered BDSM. Control had become very important to him, in and out of the bedroom. Now, though, all those lessons seemed to fail him. He felt…wired. It was as if he’d had forty ounces of coffee pumped into his blood.

“Rome?”

He looked at her and realized he’d been sitting there for a few moments without saying anything. She’d left her porch light on, and the glow from it allowed him to see the scandalous dress she was wearing. The moment he saw her wearing it, he had been itching to take if off. And for the first time in years, he had felt the bone deep need to possess. Not just dominate. This went beyond that. He had never wanted to possess someone so forcefully. It scared the living hell out of him, but he seemed helpless to ignore the thrum of lust churning his gut.

She sighed, the sound kind of sad and lonely. “It’s okay. Why don’t we meet up in the morning?”

He frowned. His brain wasn’t really working well, so he couldn’t follow her line of thought. Hell, he couldn’t remember his name at the moment. “What?”

She frowned, and a look of irritation moved over her face. Oh, way to blow her away with your conversation skills, Carino. No man in his right mind would blame him, though. He had no brain cells left. They’d been evaporated since seeing her in the club. What was she expecting, wearing a dress like that?

“I said it’s okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She was heading to her front door before he could react. He got out of his car and followed her. She looked around at him with wide eyes. She had her door opened, and he gently eased her into her house then shut the door and locked it.

“You said yes.”

She studied him for a second again. He hated that. He knew she was weighing and measuring everything. Considering who her father was, there was a good chance she’d been raised to do just that. Rome did it himself. Still, it didn’t seem right. Maria seemed to analyze everything he might be feeling…what he said. That pissed him off.

“I did, but I thought you changed your mind.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Why would I?”

She shrugged. There was something different in her manner. Then it struck him. For the first time since meeting her, she looked vulnerable. She wasn’t so sure of herself in this situation. In work, she was confident. Almost overly so, if you asked him. It was one of the reasons she had come up with the plan. She never doubted herself. But in this she did. It eased his temper a bit and gave him a warm feeling in his chest.

“You think everything was an act?” She shrugged again and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Look at me.”

She didn’t do it fast enough.

“Now.” His voice lashed out, but he couldn’t help it. This woman had twisted him up, and worse, she had no idea what she had done to him. She actually thought he was acting. When her blue gaze finally met his, he knew she hadn’t been playing him.

“First, when I tell you to do something, you do it.”

From the way her mouth turned down, she didn’t like that order one bit.

“And seriously, do you think I could act good enough that I could pretend to be so aroused, I’m walking around with an erection constantly?”

She dropped her gaze from his, and he felt it as if it had been a lick. His cock pulsed and then twitched. He counted backwards from ten—three times.

“Maria.”

She looked at him.

“You said yes.”

She nodded.

“Do you understand what that means, what it entails?”

“I read up on BDSM for the case, Rome.” It was the first time she’d said his name. He was almost giddy from the sound of her voice rolling over the letters. He was in serious trouble.

“Reading about it is something different than experiencing it.”

“Do you think I can’t handle it?”

She didn’t look so vulnerable right now. In fact, she looked ready to conquer worlds. He found he liked both of the Marias. The one who made him want to soothe her worries and the warrior queen in front of him.

“Oh, I think you can handle it. And I know you would like it, Maria. I saw your reaction to my order earlier. Pick a safe word.”

She licked her lips again, that tongue darting out over her plump lips. Inwardly he groaned, but he didn’t have as much control over it as he thought. There was a rumble in his chest. Just the thought of sliding his cock between her lips had him barely able to think straight.

“Flower.”

Without another word, he stepped forward, grabbed her hand and walked her down the hall to the bedroom.

“Which one?” he asked, hoping she knew what he meant.

“Last one on the left.”

He got her into the room without too many issues. He ignored the urge to take her there, strip her naked, plunge into her body. At least he tried to. Later, he knew he would marvel at the fact that he could walk standing up and not crawl on the floor begging her for sex. But right now, in this, he could at least attempt to be the Dom he was.

The room was nondescript, except for the bed. Damn, the thing was huge. It had to be a California king. There would be lots of room to move and play. He let go of her hand and sat on the bed. She stood in front of him. The dim light from the hallway was not enough.

“Turn on the light.”

She did as ordered.

“Come back over here, Maria.”

As she walked toward him, he was struck by her looks again. She’d been a somewhat attractive woman before, but that dress had shown what she had been hiding. Full, tight, and definitely womanly. But it went beyond that. He had noted the ivory skin, the way her blue eyes seemed to take up her whole face, and he definitely noted the bee-stung lips. But the hair, that had him itching to run his fingers through it.

“Still sure?”

She nodded.

“Do not speak unless spoken to. The only time you do is if you need to say your safe word. Nothing but answers to my questions. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Another zing of anticipation swept through him. It was her first time, so he knew he couldn’t ask for a complete submission. He didn’t have any toys with him, and he didn’t have his preferred restraints. He settled back on the bed and tried to calm his racing heart. He had never been this excited by a sub’s agreement. She didn’t like it, not one bit, but she definitely was going to do it.

“Strip down to your panties and bra.”

She hesitated. He could understand. It was a big thing to ask of someone new to the game, but he felt the need to gain complete control over her. Something deep-seated in him told him he needed to be the one in charge from the beginning. She wouldn’t respect him otherwise.

Then she reached up and untied the top of her dress. He expected her to take her time, but she let it fall into a pool at her feet. For a second, he didn’t say anything. He was sure he didn’t show any kind of reaction to her, or he hoped. The wild beast inside him wanted to howl because, damn, the woman was beyond gorgeous.

She was wearing a push-up bra, red, along with a pair of panties, although they might not be called panties. He was sure there was some kind of requirement in amount of material. This was definitely lacking in that department. He could tell it was a thong, but he didn’t have her turn around. His palms were sweating, his body screaming. He did his best again not to show any reaction. He was in control...he hoped. She had not one mark on her skin, except for a tiny scar on her shoulder. He could tell from the way it looked it was a bullet wound, but he decided to wait until later to ask her about that.

“Turn around.”

She did so without hesitation, and his dominant side rejoiced. She was definitely an Alpha female every day of the week at work—she had displayed that when he first met her. But from the small amount he had seen of her in the bedroom, Rome knew she had the makings of an excellent sub.

“Stop,” he ordered when she had turned completely away from him.

She did as ordered, giving him a full view of her ass. His tongue stuck to the top of his mouth, and his mind went completely blank. He had always liked a full ass on a woman. Breasts, he liked them just a handful, but an ass, he liked that full and heart-shaped. And damned if Maria didn’t fit that requirement. The thong was perfect for viewing, of course. Dammit. He curled his fingers into the palms of his hands, trying to quell the urge to spank her red right now. He could just imagine how pink her flesh would get. Since she wasn’t looking, he licked his lips. All the woman was doing was standing there in her bra and panties, and she had him slavering like a beast.

He couldn’t completely resist touching her. From experience, he knew how soft her skin was, but he needed to touch, taste. It was too much to ask him to wait any longer. He walked up behind her and stood so close he knew she could feel his chest against her back. He slipped his hand down her spine, easily unhooking her bra, then continuing to her ass. Damn, it was like touching the softest silk.

She shivered in reaction, and he felt it to the core of his soul. It wasn’t anything that big, nothing that would mean much to other people. But the small response struck him hard and fast.

“You’ve been to clubs, yes?”

She nodded as he cupped one of her ass cheeks. God, he almost lost it then and there. He wanted so much from her, too much. He didn’t understand his response. The attraction, yes. That was easy to appreciate. It was the almost overwhelming need he felt churning in his gut that had him worried. This went beyond simple attraction. It had him itching from the inside out. There was a part of him that worried this was all an experiment with her. Many people went undercover and had to live the life. They couldn’t perform their job any other way. Another person in Maria’s position might go along with submission to get Rome to feel closer, to bond. But something told him that she was doing it for herself.

He pulled himself out of his musings and back to the woman causing all the problems.

“Did you participate?”

He asked the question, not wanting to hear the answer.

“No.”

The simple answer made him smile. It had come out just like a perfect little sub should answer her Dom. A possessiveness he didn’t expect slapped him in the face, and he had to fight the urge to claim her. It wacked him upside the head like the club he should be carrying. It was primitive, Neanderthal almost. But he could stem the rising tide to make her understand just who she belonged to. Shit, this wasn’t a long-term relationship. He knew it was more than just the job, knew that for both of them it was. Rome just needed to remind himself that this wasn’t for keeps. He had met her less than forty-eight hours ago. She would be gone as soon as her job was done.