In Your Corner (19 page)

I brace myself for more smacks, but instead, he eases a third finger inside me and pushes in deep. My body tenses up so tight I can barely breathe. But with his hand on my lower back, I can’t move, can’t rock, can’t even squirm or writhe or wriggle. I am helpless, spread open, impaled by the relentless thrust of his fingers, and I am hotter and wetter than I have ever been in my life.

My need escapes in a low, guttural groan and sweat sheets my body.

“I’ll take care of you, baby, but I need you ready. You have me wound up so tight, I’m gonna be rough when I slide between those sweet thighs, but when I come, I want you coming with me.” He angles his fingers inside me and rubs over my sensitive tissue. Heaviness curls low in my belly and I ease my legs farther apart to give him better access.

“Good girl. Now relax for me.”

Relax? Not with every muscle in my body tense and aching, my need coiled tight and ready to spring. Not with my calves burning and my thighs shaking and my nipples rock hard and pressed painfully against the table. I am primed and ready to detonate, not relax. “I…can’t.”

“Wrong answer.” He pulses his fingers against my G-spot and the heaviness in my womb increases in intensity until moisture gushes from my body and I am engulfed in a tidal wave of sensation, deep, fierce, and unrelenting—a low roll of thunder instead of the sharp crack of lightning. My G-spot orgasm pounds through my body overwhelming every nerve, every fiber, every tissue of my being, and when I am finally able to suck in a breath, it rips a scream out of me that doesn’t end until I am limp on the table.

“Christ.” Jake’s voice in my ear is thick with desire, and only then am I aware he is leaning over me, covering me with his body, holding me through the last waves and tremors of my climax.

“You still with me, baby?”

Unable to speak or move and barely able to think, I whimper, resting my cheek against the cool surface of the table.

Jake eases away, and I hear the crinkle of a condom wrapper and the whisper of latex.

“Need you now.” His voice drops to a low, husky growl. “Never seen anything so fucking hot in my life.” His hand cups the curve of my sex and he circles my throbbing clit with his finger. Almost instantly I am shot back to the peak of arousal, and I draw in a ragged breath.

“I can’t, Jake. Not again.”

“You can.”

He grips my hips, and with one hard thrust, he is inside me, his piercing scraping over my swollen, overly sensitive tissue. I let out a long, low wail, and then he drives in farther, filling me until my inner muscles clench around him.

“You got me running so fucking wild.” He groans, twists his hand through my hair, and yanks my head back as he rocks hard inside me, and my whimpers melt into a deep, guttural moan.

“Oh God, Jake. Fuck me.”

My words set him off. He pulls out and drives forward, his piercing tearing a sob from my throat as it slides over my swollen, oversensitized G-spot. With his free hand, he grips my hip and moves faster, harder, deeper, riding me until my breaths come in short, choked pants, and I am slick with sweat and need and poised on the edge of a cliff so high I am afraid to jump.

“Now, baby.” He slides his hand over the curve of my hip to my throbbing clit and gives it a merciless pinch.

I come. Screaming. Falling. Splintering into a million pieces as a tidal wave of pleasure rushes through me, pounding in time to the frantic beating of my heart.

And Jake is with me, shouting his release as he comes with one last hard thrust, his cock pulsing against my swollen inner tissue. Then he collapses on top of me and for a long moment we don’t move.

“My baby’s so fucking hot.” He presses a soft kiss to my cheek. “So damn beautiful it hurts.”

Finally, he releases the restraints and carries me to the bed then disappears to dispose of his condom. My heart pounds violently in my chest, and I am caught in a maelstrom of emotions so thick I can barely breathe. Every time we’re together, he pushes me further. What if he doesn’t stop? He’s a fighter, and fighters fight until the opponent breaks. Anxiety surges through me like a tidal wave, and I push myself up to sitting just when Jake climbs up beside me and gently strokes my cheek.

“Breathe.”

“Jake…”

“Shhh. You’re safe. Let me hold you.”

So I bite my tongue and snuggle into his arms, and I pray he can keep the fear at bay.

We lie in blissful silence for all of three minutes, and then…

“Fuck.”

Hovering on the verge of sleep, I murmur into his chest, “You swear too much.”

“Baby.” He pulls me up so I am lying flat on top of him, his unbelievably ever-hard erection pressing against the juncture of my thighs. “When a man feels strongly about something, he doesn’t waste time choosing words.”

I rest my chin on my hands, cupped together over his chest, and look up at him through my lashes. “What are you feeling strongly about now, when the only thing you should be feeling is relaxed and sleepy like me?”

He strokes a gentle hand over my cheek. “When you told me about having to sell your house, that meant a lot to me. More than you could possibly know. And when you showed up at my door…” He chokes on his words. “I love you, Amanda. I love you so much I don’t know what to fucking do when things go wrong. I want you with me all the time so I can make sure nothing bad happens to you and no one hurts you and nothing makes you sad. I want to wrap you in a blanket and keep you in my arms, safe and protected and mine. You had a hard time growing up, and I know you’re having a hard time now. I just want to make the world beautiful for you again.”

My body stiffens. Oh God.
Nonononononono
. Not that word. I don’t want to hear that word. My breath leaves me in a rush and I look up and study him—his golden hair curling at his temples, lightly tanned skin, chiseled jaw, the faint shadow on his jaw, his blue eyes curious, silently questioning.

My chest constricts and my stomach clenches. Closing my eyes against his penetrating stare, I fight off the waves of panic, wrestling the urge to push him away and run. When did things stop being just sexy and fun? When did it suddenly get so serious?

Emotion wells up in my chest, a fierce, unsettling, rush of affection, deeper and more powerful than anything I’ve felt before. But ultimately where can it go? I am fundamentally flawed in both the happiness giving and receiving departments. He’s shown me how to let go in the bedroom, but in the real world, I’ll never be able to give myself completely to him. Not in the way he needs. Not in the way love demands.

“You just had to throw a
fuck
in there, didn’t you?” I say, gently teasing, hoping he won’t notice that I haven’t said it back.

He gives me a beautiful, sleepy smile and pulls me up for a kiss. “Fuck, yeah.”

***

I am warm. Safe. Secure.

I drift. Content.

And then I am not so warm. Awake. Displeased.

“Wake up, baby. Time to play.” Jake gives me only a second to focus before he whips the covers off me and pounces like an overeager puppy. First stop: my breasts.

“Beast. Get off.” I slap his head as he draws my nipple into his mouth, shifting his position so he straddles my hips.

“I feel like I just fell asleep a minute ago.” I look over at the clock on his bedside table. “Ohmigod. I’ve only been sleeping for an hour.”

“And I’ve been ready for you since you drifted off. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

From the rock-hard erection poking into my thigh, I believe him. “You couldn’t wait an hour?”

He gives my nipple a sharp nip and then turns his attention to the other one. “You’ve actually been sleeping for twelve hours, so don’t be grumpy. It’s late afternoon.”

“It doesn’t count as twelve hours of sleep since you woke me up ten times to satisfy your insatiable sexual appetite.” Then my sleep-fuzzed brain kicks into gear and I shoot up to sitting, dislodging him from my breast. “TWELVE hours. Omigod. I’m supposed to be at work.”

Jake slides a thick thigh between my legs and gently presses me back down. “Couldn’t bring myself to let you go, especially when you were naked in my bed. Decided not to tell you. It’s Saturday, after all. Time for a day off.”

“I’ll make sure to buy some pajamas next time I stay over,” I say, “so as not to entice you.”

Jake nuzzles my neck, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “There’s nothing you can wear that wouldn’t entice me because I know what’s underneath.”

“Don’t I get a chance to wake up?” I moan as little bursts of pleasure zing straight to my core.

“No. You get this.” He sits back and hands me a tiny butterfly-shaped vibrator from the bedside table. The elastic straps dangle between my fingers.

“You bought me a butterfly?”

Jake holds up a tiny remote control and presses a button. The vibrator buzzes in my hand. “Special, deluxe butterfly. Controllable only by me. I can turn it on or off and control the intensity.” He pushes a button and the butterfly almost takes flight. “Have you ever used one?”

“Um…no.” Anything with a remote control that would give someone else control over my orgasms has never had a place in my sex toy pie cupboard.

With a wicked smile, he takes the vibrator from my hand. “The top two straps fasten around your waist. The other straps wrap around your thighs. And the butterfly”—he makes it buzz again—“rests against your clit.”

My body heats in an instant as all sorts of naughty scenarios play through my head. But no way. Not unless I’m holding the remote control. “Thank you. But…”

He slides his hand around my waist and pulls me hard against him as his lips brush over my ear. “You’re wearing it tonight at Redemption. I have a class to teach and I want you to watch.”

I look at him aghast. “I am not.”

“You are.”

“You want me to hang out with a bunch of fighters with a vibrator buzzing inside my panties?”

He licks his lips. “God, yes. I’m going to keep you on edge all evening, so when I fuck you at the end of the night, you’ll come so hard you’ll pass out.”

My lips quiver with a repressed smile. “Coming so hard I pass out isn’t really one of my lifetime goals. I didn’t even know it was possible.” I push myself higher on the pillows, away from him. I shouldn’t be tempted. Not at all. But the whole idea is so deliciously naughty and so deeply erotic, I can’t stop the beat of desire pulsing between my thighs.

“It is possible.”

“And you know this, how?” I don’t really want to know, but I do. Has he really made a woman come so hard she passed out?

The look he gives me is oh-so smug. “I read about it.”

I snort a laugh. “Nice. I’m glad to know you spend your time in worthwhile pursuits. Those are fantasies. Not real.”

He takes the butterfly from my hand and glides it down my body, skimming between my breasts, over my belly, and then he rests it on my mound and makes it buzz, a little tease before he snatches it away. “Let’s find out. Even if you don’t pass out, I’ll bet it will still be freaking amazing.”

“You have a lot of faith in your abilities.” I tremble as he dangles it above me.

“I have a lot of faith in what will happen when I take control away from someone who doesn’t like to give it up.” Kneeling between my legs, Jake leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my mound. Oh God, yes. I hiss in a breath and part my legs by way of encouragement.

“You want my mouth, baby?”

My breath comes in short pants and I nod. Jake flicks his tongue over my clit and then sinks lower, slipping through my slick folds and then back up to torture and tease.

“Such a pretty pussy,” he croons. “So goddam wet. I’m tempted to keep going, but…” He pushes himself to his knees. “I have a class to teach.”

A violent shudder racks my body, a protest at desire unfulfilled. “No. Don’t stop. You can’t stop now. Maybe you should warm me up.”

“I can stop, and I will.” He slides the elastic straps over my feet and up my legs, tightening them one at a time around each thigh before he fastens the elastic around my waist. As the soft plastic vibrator comes in contact with my throbbing clit, I let out a whimper and my body arches. I’m so close, if he turns it on now…

“None of that.” He slaps my thigh hard, diverting my attention from the ache in my soaking wet sex to the sting on my skin.

“Three rules for tonight after we make a quick stop at your place.” He adjusts the position of the butterfly as I take long, deep breaths, trying to control the beat of my arousal.

“First, once you commit, there is no going back. If you leave your house wearing the butterfly, it doesn’t come off until I take it off.” He raises a questioning eyebrow and I nod my assent.

“Second, you can’t make yourself come. You come when I say you come.” I bite my lip and look away so he can’t see my face when I agree. That one might not be so easy.

“Third.” He strokes a finger down my cheek. “No begging.”

Affronted, I glare. “I don’t beg for sex, Jake.”

The look of pure unadulterated lust in his eyes sends a shiver down my spine.

“You will.”

BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

Redemption is hopping when we arrive. Every piece of equipment is in use, every training ring booked, and Shayla has had to commandeer Sandy to help her manage all the waiting lists. The regulars wave when we walk in, but my attention is focused on Jake’s hand, casually tucked into the pocket of his jeans where he has secreted the remote control.

“Gotta get changed, baby.”

“I’ll go wait for you in the studio.”

He gives me a soft kiss. “Wait for me here.”

“Okay.”

Buzz
. The butterfly vibrates gently against my clit. I suck in a sharp breath and glare over my shoulder.

“Seriously?”

Jake lifts an eyebrow. “Reward for good behavior. I like it when you do what I say.”

“Lucky me to find myself a rough, gritty fighter who is into kinky sex. My parents wanted me to go out with a doctor or lawyer. But no. I had to have you.” I press a kiss to the side of his neck, and he rumbles a warning low in his throat.

“Behave. I know what you’re up to.”

“Mmmmm.” I nuzzle his neck, inhaling his delicious scent of sex and soap and me. “What am I up to?”

“Level 2.”

The vibrator jumps to life, more intense than before and my hands tighten around his neck as I try to breathe through my desperate need to come.

“Not funny,” I pant, resting my forehead against his chest.

He strokes his hand down my hair. “Maybe not funny, but very amusing and so damned fucking hot I don’t know how I’ll get through my class.”

Jake leaves the vibrator on its lowest setting for the duration of his jiu-jitsu class, and I am forced to endure not only the maddeningly gentle buzz, but also sitting on the floor watching Jake teach in his gi. I try not to think about how hot he looks when the gi opens as he demonstrates a move or how kind and patient he is with his students. I also try not to think about orgasms and how good they feel and how many seconds are in each minute until the class is done.

But why wait?

Suddenly seized with the desire to send him over the edge, I throw my jacket over my lap and lean against the wall. The class is facing Jake, their backs to me, so I am free to slide my hand under the jacket and engage in some naughty rule-breaking behavior to relieve the ache in my clit. Pressing my palm over the butterfly produces miraculous results. The vibrations intensify, carrying me closer and closer to the edge.

My skin prickles and I look up. Jake is staring at me. He does not look pleased. But ha ha. He had to leave the remote on the side ledge and he has twenty students waiting for his instructions.

Gaze locked on mine, his jaw tightens and he pulls a student from the front row and tosses him on the mat. I press harder on the butterfly and lick my lips as my body heats.
Slam
. Another student joins the first.
Slam
. And then another. A few students glance my way, but I am not concerned. All they see is a woman with her jacket casually thrown over her lap and overly flushed cheeks.

Jake, however, sees something else. Something that seems to make him quite agitated. He leaps on a student and shouts as he brings the poor fellow down to the mat and locks him in some kind of pretzel twist head and arm lock.
Mmmmm
. I’d like him to twist me that way.

I cross my legs, ensuring my naughty hand is still hidden. This is much better. Easier access, and my entire hand can get in on the action as I curve it over my sex. I rock my palm over the butterfly on my clit.
God. So good
. My back arches and I bite my lip to stifle a groan.

Jake stills and his eyes widen. He clenches his jaw and barks a few commands. The students pair off and tussle on the mats. Uh-oh. Now they don’t require his attention. But apparently, I do. Jake stalks through the grunting, rolling students toward me, murder in his eyes. Well…maybe not murder. More like lust.

Closer and closer he comes. Higher and higher I climb. My body heats. Muscles tighten. Clit throbs. Panties dampen. Danger and desire are an explosive combination and just as he reaches my corner, I hit the peak. The forbidden orgasm seizes me, forcing a sharp breath from my lungs, throwing my head against the wall, squeezing my eyes closed and rocking my world.

When I open my eyes, Jake’s jaw is locked tight, his eyes hard, pulse throbbing in his temple. A man on the edge. A man about to lose control. He turns and barks an order and a portly, bald black belt runs to the front of the class. Without another word, Jake grabs my hand, pulls me up, snatches the remote from the ledge, and drags me out of the studio.

“Am I in trouble?” I try to keep up with his long, furious strides, my body still tingling from my climax.

Buzz. Buzz.
The butterfly suddenly comes to life, vibrating on my now overly sensitive clit. Jake grabs my arm, half leading and half dragging me down the hallway until we reach a storage closet. After a quick look around to ensure we are alone, he opens the door and pulls me inside.

The dark, dusty space, filled with brooms and mops, reminds me of the anniversary of our first date, but this is clearly not the time to reminisce. Jake’s body is taut, trembling, his forehead glistening with a fine sheen of sweat, hands curled into fists. My skin prickles and my heart gives a warning thump.

“Jake? Are you okay? It’s just a game…right?”

“Driving me out of my fucking mind is not a game, baby.” He swallows hard and takes a step toward me. “Watching you make yourself come with all those other guys around you, knowing I couldn’t touch you or stop you, knowing they might see something only I should see…it was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

My tension eases until he slams his hands on either side of my head, sending a frisson of fear down my spine.

“But I can’t handle not being in control.”

“Okay,” I whisper.

He cups my face with his hands and leans down. “I’m barely in control now.”

With deep, sensuous strokes, he kisses me with a hunger matched only by my need. His hands roam my body, cupping my ass, brushing over the curve of my breast, sifting through my hair and, although only moments ago I was desperate to take the butterfly off, I can’t stop myself from pressing up against him and grinding my butterfly clad clit against his thigh.

Oh God. I’m building, building, so close. “Turn it up.” I rasp out the command, staring pointedly at his pocket. “Make me come.”

Jake growls deep in his throat. “Oh no. You’re going to pay for breaking the rules. I’m gonna edge you. I’m gonna take everything from you until you lose control and beg me to let you come, just like you told me you would never do.”

In response to my puzzled frown, a slow, devilish smile spreads across his face. “Poor baby. You never edged before?”

My lips part, but no sound comes out. All my energy is focused on taking deep, calming breaths. I manage a head shake but nothing more.

He presses his lips to my ear. “Edging is where I bring you up and take you down but never let you come. I’m gonna let you climb so high you can see over the other side, and then I’ll take it away. And when I finally give it to you, baby, you’ll want it so bad, you’ll take everything I give you and you’ll beg for more, and you’ll never disobey me again.”

The butterfly comes to life and a groan rips from my throat. Jake gives me a soft kiss and then he steps back and folds his arms over his chest.

“Strip.”

This time I understand his need to be in control. This time I don’t argue. His dark, sensual promises inflame me; his commands arouse me; and his hard, muscular body, clad in that mouthwatering gi, make it easy to strip off my clothes and toss them in a pile on the dusty floor.

Naked, vulnerable, and needy, I reach to remove the butterfly but Jake shakes his head. “Sorry, baby. It’s gonna be tough, but that has to stay on.”

Moments later, I understand his apology. He flicks the remote and the butterfly increases in intensity until it is buzzing so hard I can barely breathe. My body tightens until I am on the edge, and then the buzzing fades away.

“No.” I gasp.

Jake wraps his arms around me and murmurs soothing words in my ear. “I’m afraid it doesn’t get easier.” And then the butterfly is buzzing again, taking me up faster this time, so fast that when the buzzing stops, the drop is a painful, beautiful ache, spreading from my clit through my core.

“Jake…” I cling to him through the next wave and the next as his hands caress my breasts, my ass, my stomach, hips, and my thighs. His touch is at once soothing and arousing, but never enough to take me where I want to go.

I have no idea how many minutes pass or how many times he brings me up and down. I only know my body is slick with sweat, my brain fuzzed with lust, my core aching with a pleasure pain that drives the breath from my body, and every fiber of my being is focused on the overwhelmingly painful need to come.

Finally, he slips his hand between my legs and spreads his fingers, forcing my thighs apart. “Open for me.”

With a moan, I part my legs and he slicks his fingers up the wetness trickling down my inner thigh and then along my dripping folds.

“Christ.” He thrusts one finger into my swollen center. “Thought you’d be wet, baby, but not like this.”

My sex tightens around the exquisite intrusion, and I clutch his shoulders, pulling him closer. “Please.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” His deep voice rumbles as he adds a second finger, and then a third, angling them to hit my sensitive inner tissue. My body turns liquid and I lean against the wall for support as the vibrator buzzes and his fingers thrust and my muscles tighten. My breath becomes a whine, my knees tremble, and my vision blurs, and in that moment I would do absolutely anything to come.

“Fuck. You won’t be able to take much more.” Chest heaving, eyes burning with sensual promise, he withdraws his fingers. Through the haze of intense arousal, I am vaguely aware of him rummaging through my purse. I hear the slide of clothing over skin, the crinkle of a condom wrapper, and the snap of latex.

And then his hands are cupping my ass and he is lifting me against him. No ceremony. No warning. My back hits the wall and a bottle falls off the shelf, crashing to the floor.

With a low groan, he sucks my nipple, licking it until I whimper. And then his mouth is gone and his fingers are gliding through my folds, testing my wetness. I gasp a shocked breath.

“My baby needs me bad.”

“Yes. God, yes.” I writhe against him, out of control, legs quivering, hips rocking, back arching, trying to entice him to dip more than his fingers inside or turn off the damn vibrator.

“Open wider for me, baby.”

I tighten my grip on his neck, pulling myself closer to him, easing my thighs around his hips.

“Good girl. I like to feel your wet pussy sliding over my cock.”

His words break down the last of my walls, and I lose myself to sensation. My body is no longer my own. I don’t recognize the low guttural groan that escapes through my lips. I don’t know the dirty words I whisper in his ear. Catapulted into a world of pure carnal desire, I barely register his voice when he murmurs, “There we are.”

And then he’s inside me. His forceful intrusion scatters my thoughts. So big. So hard. Sensually savage. He fills me the way I have been desperate to be filled all evening. Painfully. Completely.

“That’s it baby,” he croons as he stills, giving my muscles a chance to accommodate him. “Take it deeper.” But the second I start to relax, he drives in until he is tight up against me.

Finally he begins to move. But it isn’t hard and fast as I imagined. Instead he thrusts with a slow, tortuous rhythm clearly designed to drive me out of my mind.

“Aaaaaaaaah…”

Despite my protestations, he continues his slow, steady strokes, his piercing sparking against my G-spot over and over until my sex is clenched tight around him and I am fisting his gi, whimpering and begging to come.

Just like he said I would.

He adjusts his angle and then he is pounding inside me. Moisture trickles from my sex. The vibrator buzzes. His piercing sears across my sensitive tissue. I feel at once filled and violated. Dirty and cherished. Totally and utterly out of control. Scared and so goddamn close to climax, I don’t care. Every muscle, every joint, every fiber of my being is coiled tight and coherent thought is a distant memory.

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

“Come for me,” he demands with a guttural rasp, and he kicks up the butterfly one last notch.

And I do. I explode. Shatter. My orgasm overtakes me with frightening power, a lightning sheet ripping through my body. Pulsing, throbbing, wet, my sex grips his cock as the waves ride me hard and I am overwhelmed by an all-consuming, terrifying pleasure. Jake hammers into me until his cock stiffens and swells and then he follows me into oblivion with a shout of his own.

“Are you with me, baby?” He clicks off the vibrator and braces me against the wall, freeing his hands, then he gently turns my head to study my face. “You okay?”

“I didn’t pass out.”

Jake chuckles. “You sound disappointed. You wanna have another go?”

“No.” I draw in a ragged breath, struggling against my natural inclination to cover up my real feelings with humor or diversion. “Being out of control like that scared me.”

His face softens and he smoothes the hair away from my face. “But it made you hot, didn’t it? It turned you on. You gave yourself to me, and I took care of you.”

“Yes.”

“And I didn’t let you down.”

I give him a reluctant smile but my heart sinks. He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t see that he has bared me, body and soul, and without my armor I am lost in the world.

He releases me and we straighten our clothes, then Jake wraps his arms around me and gives me a hug. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I lie. Disconcerted, trembling, unbearably exposed, I desperately want to go home.

***

Monday morning, after a weekend of work interrupted by nightly sexathons that leave me physically sated and emotionally wrecked, I stumble into the office. Almost immediately, my pulse kicks up a notch and my stomach clenches. What was I thinking, taking Saturday and Sunday night off? How will I ever make up that time? How many applications have Farnsworth’s minions prepared over the weekend? Will I be able to keep a grip on the emotional turmoil that has been threatening to rip me apart all weekend? I gave up my control and it scared me, and although part of me wanted to run, another part couldn’t stay away.