Fighting for Desire (18 page)

Shannon stared up at the house with her mouth hanging open.
Even in the dark the sight amazed her.

“Jesus, Dev, do you have to do everything on such a large
scale?”

Calling the house a log cabin was like calling a cougar a
pussy cat. If she were to guess, she’d say there were three stories. The pine
logs were sanded down so they were smooth to the touch. She inhaled and sighed
in bliss. The wood even smelled good.

“I like nice things, so sue me,” he replied with a grin.
“Oh, the car I ordered for you will be dropped off in the morning.”

“Car?”

She remembered him saying he was going to buy her a car to
use while she was with him and shook her head.

“Dev, I don’t need a car. I can just use one of yours.”

“I’m not going to argue with you, Shan. Just say thank you.”

She sighed. “Thank you.”

He opened the front door for her and led her into a massive
foyer. She looked up in awe at the domed sunroof. Stars twinkled in the night
sky above.
Beautiful
.

The foyer led to a large living room. Keeping with the cabin
style, all of the furniture was soft, brown leather. The focal point of the
room belonged to a massive stone fireplace. A pile of logs blazed brightly, bringing
warm relief from the chilly evening.

“Wow. This is so much better than the house in Miami.”

Dev laughed. “Just wait until you see the bedroom.”

She shook her head and chuckled too. A loud barking made her
turn toward the open kitchen. Mrs. Ingram walked toward them, carrying Alice.

“I think she has missed you.”

Shannon scooped Alice into her arms, letting the little dog
lick her face. Alice’s little tail wagged furiously and she made whimpering
sounds.

“Did you miss me, baby? I missed you. Yes I did,” Shannon
cooed. “Mama will never leave you alone like that again. No I won’t.”

“I can’t believe you are talking to her as if she’s an
infant,” Dev said, sounding slightly disgusted. “She’s a dog.”

She laughed and held Alice up to Dev.

“See those tears in her eyes? She did miss me and she’s not
just a dog.”

Dev squinted as he looked the little Chihuahua over.

“I’ll be damned. She’s crying.”

She held Alice to her chest again. “Chihuahuas are very
emotional dogs. They attach themselves to one or two people and if they are
separated from those people, they get upset. I’ve even heard stories of them dying
of a broken heart.”

Dev shook his head. “Damn, you should have told me that. You
could have brought her to Vegas with us.”

She grinned. Dev had always had a soft spot for animals. His
traveling schedule probably made owning a pet too difficult but she was still
surprised he didn’t have a dog or cat.

She turned to Mrs. Ingram. “Thank you for taking such good
care of her.”

“My pleasure, dear. She’s really a sweet dog.”

Dev snorted. “Come on, Shan. I want to show you the rest of
the house. Mrs. Ingram can watch Alice a bit longer.”

He held out his hand and she took it. She loved when he acted
as if he cared for her but didn’t want to jinx anything by getting her hopes
up. He led her through room after room and she fell more in love with the
house.

The library was bigger than the one in Miami. There was an
indoor and outdoor pool. He told her he had a gym on the property as well, but
she would have to wait until morning to take a tour.

“I also have ATVs and four-wheelers here with over a hundred
acres to explore.”

“Oh my god, I haven’t been four-wheeling since I was a
teen!”

Dev grinned. “We’ll have to go in the morning then, before
it gets too hot. There are some trails I think you’ll enjoy.”

She nodded. “That sounds great.”

He led her up the stairs. “Marco’s wing is that way. He has
three rooms to himself, plus a kitchenette.”

“What does he do with three rooms?” She shook her head.
“Never mind. I probably don’t want to know.”

“I think he uses one for an office, one for his own room and
the other as a guestroom. And yes, you probably don’t want to know.”

She laughed. “Which room am I staying in?”

“My room.”

Her mouth dropped open. Since she had her own room in Miami
she assumed she would have one here as well.

He cupped her face in his hands. “Is that okay with you? We
shared one together in Vegas and it worked out well, I thought.”

“No, it’s fine. Actually it’s more than fine. It’s great.”

She reached up and brought his head lower for a kiss. Thing
were changing between them…for the better.

Dev pulled away. “Come on, I want to show you our room.”

Our room
. Her heart fluttered.

He led her to the end of one of the hallways to a large oak
door that had to be at least ten feet tall. A freaking giant could walk easily
through the opening.

She raised an eyebrow and he laughed.

“You can take the boy out of Texas but you can’t take Texas
out of the boy,” he said.

“Right, because everything is bigger in Texas.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Damn right everything is bigger…”

She playfully punched his chest as he opened the door. He
turned on the light and she stopped in awe. The room looked like a medieval
castle. A fireplace made of the same stone as the one downstairs stood tall and
menacing. Two full coats-of-armor guarded each side of the hearth.

A door off to the side of the fireplace stood partially open
and she guessed it probably led to the bathroom. The biggest bed she had ever
seen sat along the wall surrounded by four curtains hanging on the canopy
frame.

“Jeez, Dev. Where did you find this thing?”

The bed dwarfed him.

“I had it custom built to match the canopy frame. I picked
this up when I was in England. It belonged to a duke or something. Pretty cool,
huh?”

She chuckled. “Talk about putting notches in your bedpost.”

“Not just notches,” Dev said with a smirk. “There are metal
loops on the headboard for chains or cuffs.”

“A kinky duke? I like it,” she replied.

“English vices and such.”

She walked up to the massive headboard. Sure enough, hidden
behind the curtains were iron loops. Several of them.

She touched one. “Why are there so many?”

“My guess is either multiple loops for multiple people or
multiple loops for multiple pleasures.”

“Your guess?” She laughed. “Have you tried any of these
theories?”

His cheeks darkened and he looked away. Holy cow! He was
embarrassed.

“Dev?”

“No, you’re the first person I’ve had stay here…with me.”

Her stomach fluttered. “Do you want to test any of your
theories?”

His head snapped toward her. “Are you offering?”

She bit her lip as she fingered the metal loop again. Could
she allow Dev to chain her up? She met his eyes and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m offering.”

A sexy grin lit up his face. “Shannon, are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He nodded and went to the door by the fireplace and walked
through. She peeked in and saw the bathroom as well as the closet. He was bent
over a chest, unlocking the lid with a key. Holy cow. What needed to be locked
inside the chest?

He straightened and came back into the bedroom, carrying a
bag. Dev’s muscles bulged under the weight he held in his arms. He dropped the
bag to the floor and chains clanked together.

“Holy shit, Dev. Did you buy the kinky duke’s chains when
you bought his bed?”

Dev laughed deep in his chest. “Damn right I did. You can’t
find quality craftsmanship like that anymore.”

He unzipped the bag and held up a chain. For being over a
hundred years old, the metal was in good shape with little rust. He lifted the
chain higher and a metal cuff hung from the end. Desire flooded through her
body and she shifted to hide her discomfort.

Dev didn’t miss a beat. “It gets me hot every time I see
them too.”

He took the chain and walked to the headboard where he
hooked it on, laying the cuff on the bed.
Oh
shit
. An image of
herself chained to the bed flashed through her mind and she felt flush with
desire. He dug back into his bag and grabbed four more chains.

“Why do you need five?” she asked.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

He hooked four of the chains so her limbs would be spread
wide open. The last chain he hooked to a loop at the foot of the bed near the
floor. What an odd place to want a chain.

“Come here.”

Her stomach fluttered. He used his commanding voice again,
the one reserved for when he and Marco shared a woman. She took in a deep
breath and walked over to his side.

“Undress.”

His voice left no question he’d just issued an order she was
meant to follow.

“Everything?”

He snatched her wrist, causing her to jump.

“I didn’t give you permission to speak, Shannon. Talk again
and I’m going to spank you. Understand?”

She nodded and he went on.

“Now the game we are going to play might not be something
you are used to. If at any point you want me to stop, I want you to say
red
.
Understand?”

She nodded again.

“I want to hear you say the words, Shannon.”

She bit her lip. “If I want you to stop, I will say
red
.”

“Red means stop.” He let go of her wrist and kissed her on
the forehead. “It’s called a safe word.”

A safe word? Why in the fuck would she need a safe word?

Dev chuckled. “I can see your thoughts dancing across your
face but since you are a good girl I will answer your question for you. A safe
word is something you can say and anything we are doing will stop. No
questions.”

She nodded, showing her understanding. But why couldn’t she
just tell him to stop?

He laughed again. “We use a safe word because sometimes you
will be crying out ‘Dev, stop’, when you really mean, ‘Dev, keep on’. A safe word
is also something that isn’t normally used in everyday conversation or during
lovemaking. You would never cry out ‘red’, now would you?”

She shook her head. Things were starting to make sense.

“Now undress.”

She unbuttoned her blouse and let it fall to the ground. Her
skirt and thong were next. She left her bra for last and let it fall to the
floor with a flick of her wrist.

“Come here.”

He motioned to the foot of the bed where he’d hooked the
chain near the floor. She came to a stop next to him.

“Hold out your left ankle.”

Oh boy
. She lifted her foot and held onto the bedpost
for support. Dev closed the metal cuff around her ankle and she heard a soft
click as it locked.
Holy cow
. She found herself literally chained to the
bed now.

“As you can see, you have enough length on the chain that
you can move around a little. You can get on the bed if you want, or walk a few
feet before the chain halts you.”

She nodded. That much was obvious.

He chuckled and walked toward the door. She started to speak
but he glanced over his shoulder at her and she closed her mouth.

“Good girl,” he said. “I’ll be back in a while. You have my
permission to sit on the bed or walk a little but that is all. No lying down.
Understand?”

She gritted her teeth and nodded stiffly. What in the hell
had she gotten herself into?

Dev finished the last of his beer with Marco. Since the
fight was three weeks away he would allow himself a night of drinking.

“Think she is going to be pissed at you?”

He grinned. “I’d be shocked if she wasn’t.”

He glanced at his watch. He’d left the room nearly two hours
ago.

“Do you think she will want to play when you get back in
there?”

He had been wondering the same thing. It would go one of two
ways. Either she’d be so turned on by the time he got in there that she would
be ready to go or she would be spitting mad and he would have to gird his loins
when unlocking her shackle.

“I’m not sure. Maybe I should have another beer before I go
in there,” he replied with a laugh.

Marco snorted. “I always knew you were a crazy son of a
bitch, Dev, but this is dangerous even for you.”

He rolled his eyes and stood. “Time for part two.”

Marco lifted his beer in salute. “Good luck.”

Dev took the stairs two at a time. He wondered how Shannon would
react when he opened the door. Only one way to find out. He pushed the door
open. She sat on the edge of the bed, her back stiff. He struggled to hold back
a laugh. Oh yeah, she was pissed.

He closed the door and locked it for good measure. No need to
scar Mrs. Ingram if their little game ran longer than he anticipated.

Shannon didn’t even move as he walked across the room.

He stopped in front of her and said, “I give you permission
to look at me.”

She lifted her gaze upward but cut her eyes at him. He bit
back a smile. Not being able to speak was killing her but the fact that she
didn’t spoke volumes. She trusted him enough to let him be in control. Animalistic
pride spread throughout his body.
Fuck yeah
.

“Marco thought I was nuts to leave you in here alone but I
told him you wouldn’t mind, since you were only in here an hour…or so.”

Her eyes narrowed but she still didn’t speak. How far could
he push her before she gave in and said something?

“I thought about staying away longer.”

She made a huffing sound in her throat and he laughed.

“Okay, Shan, I’ll stop fucking with you. Climb to the middle
of the bed. I’m going to chain you up now. Make sure you prop your head with
the pillow. You’re going to need all the support you can get.”

Without saying a word she scooted to the middle of the bed.
The chain around her ankle barely reached and was probably biting into her
skin. The metal wouldn’t be painful but enough of a reminder that she knew the
cuff was there.

“Lie down on your back with your arms and legs spread.”

The chains would have spread her limbs but there was
something more personal in having her do it herself. That way she knew what she
was getting into. Smiling, he watched as she positioned herself.

He walked to the head of the bed and grabbed her wrist.
“Over your head, Shannon. When I am fucking you I want your tits to bounce.”

Her face flamed red but she obediently lifted her arms
higher. He picked up the chain at the top of the bed and locked it around her
wrist. He walked to the other side and did the same. Held firmly in place, her
arms formed a t-shape.

“Now your legs.”

He moved to the foot of the bed and clasped the shackle
around her ankle. Then he reached to the metal loop connected to the bed and
tightened the chain. Her leg moved across the sheet right where he wanted.

He went to her other leg and stopped. She lay staring up at
the canopy, her chest moving in controlled breaths.

“Doing okay?”

Her gaze darted to him and the desire that stared back at
him took his breath away.

“I want to hear you say how you are doing, Shan.”

“I’m good. The metal is kind of hurting though.”

“Bad or just a little?”

She flexed her wrist. “A little I guess.”

He nodded. That was to be expected.

“If it gets to be too much, let me know.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

He touched her leg. “I am going leave this chain on and add
the last one. It might make your leg feel heavy but that’s normal.”

He could see a question burning in her eyes. “Go ahead and
ask but that is the only time you may speak until I say otherwise.”

She rolled her eyes. “If you’ve never done this before, then
how do you know it’s normal to feel heavy?”

He chuckled as he locked the last shackle and tightened the
chain until both her legs were spread wide apart.

“I said I’ve never used the chains on this bed. I didn’t say
I’ve never done something like this before. In fact I’m an expert when it comes
to bondage with chains.”

The curse word she thought about danced across her face and
he patted her leg.

“Don’t worry, babe. I would never do anything to hurt you.
Much.”

With that final statement he went to the door. “I’ll be back
in a while.”

Shannon stared at the door in disbelief. She couldn’t
believe that asshole left her chained up again! Only this time she couldn’t get
up. What if there was a fire? What if she had to pee? She groaned and tried to
move but the shackles cut into her skin.

Okay this was going to take some maneuvering. She could only
move a little before the metal stung. Another wiggle made her realize just how
helpless she was. Well not exactly helpless. She could always say her safe word
if she wanted this to end. But did she? That was the big question.

The door opened and Dev strolled in. What the fuck? Marco
was right behind him, grinning. She wanted to know what was going on but
stopped herself from asking when she saw the look on Dev’s face.

“This isn’t what you think, Shan. You are mine and I won’t
share you with anyone. I just wanted Marco to see the bed being used as it was
meant to be.”

Her face flamed. She was butt-ass naked and Marco could see
her in all her glory. She glanced at him but he wasn’t even looking at her. He seemed
focused on the chains. He pulled one and her leg moved a little. She gasped in
pain.

“Easy. I have her pulled pretty tight.”

Marco walked to the head of the bed. “You know a spreader
bar would have had the same effect. Plus it would have given you more options.”

A
spreader bar
?

“I know, man, but you have to admit there’s something
fucking sexy about the chains and shackles.”

Marco met her eyes with curiosity. “How do they feel?”

She glared at Dev, waiting for him to give her permission to
speak.

“Go ahead.”

“They’re heavy but only hurt when I move. At first they were
cold but now it’s okay.”

Marco nodded and wrapped his hand around her wrist. He
pulled it down until the chain caught and then let her go. She became
fascinated watching him observe her.

“You should have chained her arms and legs together. Then
she could ride you and you could use the chains to control her movements.”

An image of Dev using the chains as if they were puppet
strings danced through her mind. Her body flushed as desire swept through her.

“I think she likes that idea,” Marco commented as his gaze
landed on her breasts.

Her nipples were hard and god was she wet.

“Do you mind?” Marco asked.

Dev looked at his friend and then nodded. She watched as
Marco reached out and flicked her nipple. The sensation shocked her and turned
her on at the same time. The air in her lungs left her body in a
whoosh
.

Marco moved over and she expected him to shower her other
nipple with the same attention. He reached out and tweaked the budded mound
instead. She gasped and her hips bucked. The chains pulled her back into place
and her gasp turned into a moan as the metal cuffs bit into her skin.

Her body became overloaded with sensations. The more she
felt pain the hotter she grew. Marco continued teasing her nipples, keeping her
guessing what he was going to do.

Sometimes he would flick and sometimes he would pinch. She
moaned as her orgasm built. If he touched her one more time, she was going to
come.

Dev chuckled deep in his throat. “Oh, Shan, you know I’m not
going to let you come so soon. Come on, Marco. Our girl needs some time to cool
down.”

Marco winked. “Sorry, Shannon.”

He brushed a kiss across her forehead and walked to the
door. Dev started to follow and then stopped.

“Oh I almost forgot.”

He strolled to her and pulled something from his pocket.

“I think this game will be so much more fun if you are
blindfolded, don’t you?”

Her mouth fell open as he put the blindfold around her eyes.
Holy crap, she couldn’t see a thing. Not even when she lifted her head and
looked down toward her nose.

Dev kissed her on the lips—or at least she was pretty sure
it was Dev. She heard footsteps make their way across the floor. The door shut
with a
thud
and she shuddered.
Holy
crap
.

She moved her head, trying to dislodge the blindfold. The
freaking thing didn’t move an inch. She let out a huff of irritation. Thinking
about getting the blindfold off was a stupid idea. If Dev came back and the
cloth was gone…

She shivered. What kind of kinky freak was she turning into?
Part of her wanted to get the blindfold off just so Dev could punish her when
he got back. She grinned at herself. She would be a good girl and wait for his
return though.

Time seemed to drag. Minutes felt like hours until she
wasn’t sure how long Dev had been gone. Her senses became hypersensitive, especially
her hearing. The room was so quiet she could hear a TV in the distance. Every
once in a while she would hear Dev’s laugh or Marco’s chuckle. And somewhere in
the large house, Alice yapped at something.

Someone walked by the bedroom door and paused. She held her
breath, waiting to see if they entered. The thought of Dev and Marco coming
back excited her. She thought back to Dev’s words. He told her he wouldn’t
share her with anyone and yet he let Marco touch her.

She didn’t mind Marco’s hands on her body but she wondered
how Dev felt about Marco pleasuring her. The door opened and her mind went
blank while she listened. Who had entered? Did she hear one set of footsteps or
two?

Someone stopped at the foot of the bed and then there was
silence. Only the soft breathing she heard while holding her own breath let her
know someone else was there. Suddenly the chains around her feet moved, pulling
until she felt as if she was doing a split. The metal stung and she let out a
whimper.

At the same time her arms pulled. Her entire body stretched
and her stomach burned from the tension.

“Oh,” she moaned.

The chains relaxed and she took in a deep breath of relief.
Her heart was pounding. While the pain hadn’t been unbearable she wouldn’t like
to do it again.

“Again.” Dev’s voice sounded from somewhere to her right.

The chains pulled again and hot breath caressed her nipple
right before a mouth latched on. She cried out as the chains and mouth seemed
to work in harmony. When the chains relaxed, the mouth brushed kisses against
her skin.

Her body was shaking and sweat rolled down her back. God, she
was in heaven and hell at the same time. Her pussy clenched and her orgasm
began to build. If only she could hold her legs together to create enough
friction to send her over the edge.

“Oh no you don’t, babe,” Dev said. “Not yet.”

The chains went lax and she heard footsteps go to the door.
A whimper of frustration left her lips.
Seriously
?
Again
?