Need You Tonight (15 page)

She made her own sound of pleasure as he came and that only made his utter defeat
in this challenge all the more worth it. He held onto her for long seconds after he
was finished, enjoying the feel of softening in her mouth. When he finally had the
energy to lift his head and slide free, he found Tess looking up at him with stunned
wonder.

The unexpected expression had him smiling. “Don’t look so surprised. I think you hustled
me with you saying you didn’t know how to do this.”

She licked her lips. “I’ve never done half of that stuff. I just . . . I followed
your reactions. And you let me . . .”

“What, baby?” he said, leaning forward and cupping her face.

“Touch you however I wanted. I’m not really used to that. Doug would’ve—” She cringed.
“Sorry.”

He frowned. “It’s okay. Say what you need to get off your chest. I don’t want him
between us. He’s been there long enough.”

She looked down, as if regretting bringing it up. “He had this weird thing about keeping
me like this sweet, proper thing. I’m sure it’s some fucked up stuff from how things
worked out with his mom. But if I ever tried anything, you know, out of the ordinary,
he’d get disgusted with me. Tell me that stuff was for sluts, whores, trash, whatever.”

“I’m guessing those words weren’t terms of endearment in his book.”

She snorted. “Are they ever?”

He pushed her hair behind her ears and lifted her face to him. “In my world, yes,
sometimes they are. In the circles I move in, a woman owning her desires is not only
accepted, it’s fucking celebrated. I don’t want you to be some overgrown virgin princess
for me. If you have a desire, let’s try it. If you crave a certain fantasy, let’s
make it happen—even if that means more than just me providing it for you. And I promise
you, if I called you my dirty little slut, it’d be a compliment.”

She shook her head in his hands. “I can’t even fathom that.”

“Own what you want, Tess. No judgment here.” He leaned forward and kissed the top
of her head. “In fact, start now. You won the bet. Tell me what you want me to do
to you.”

The words sounded foreign rolling off his tongue, but he’d stand on his fucking head
and sing the national anthem if it’d help her stop questioning herself.

Tess stared up at him, chewing her lip. He expected her to ask him to return the favor
and go down on her, which he was more than looking forward to. He could already taste
her sexy tartness on his tongue. But there was a devilish curiosity blooming in those
eyes that had him holding his breath.

She leaned back on her calves as if she needed space to make her request, and her
gaze flicked down to his lap then back up to him. “Is, uh, that spanking thing only
for punishment?”

His breath whooshed out of him in one big rush. He had no idea what he’d done in a
former life to grant him this gift tonight, but he wasn’t going to question it. “Baby,
it can be whatever we want it to be.”

Her lips rolled inward, her nerves rising to the surface, but she nodded. “Okay. I
want to try that. Will it hurt?”

His smile was slow. “Only for a minute.”

FOURTEEN

Tessa’s heart was about to burst from her chest and take a holiday. She’d put it through
too much in the last week. But she refused to let her nerves take over. Kade was offering
her the chance to try things she’d never done before without worry of critique or
judgment. He wanted her to be dirty. And the idea was damn liberating. When she’d
gone down on him and ventured into what she dubbed in her mind as the forbidden zone
of touching, she’d been braced for Kade to recoil or tell her to stop. But when he
didn’t, she realized Kade would’ve probably let her do whatever she wanted. Doug would’ve
shoved her away with some ugly name and would’ve asked if she thought he wanted to
be touched like a fag.

And now she’d asked Kade if he would spank her. The request sounded ridiculous in
her head. She was a grown woman for God’s sake. But when he’d mentioned the possibility
outside, it’d sparked something in her and now that curiosity was gnawing at her.
Kade stood, tugged his pants back on, and looped his belt to hang around his neck.
“I know you won the bet, but are you okay with me doing this my way?”

She’d remained on her knees, so she had to crane her neck to look up at him. The belt
sent a glimmer of worry through her, but she took comfort in knowing she still had
that safe word if she needed it. “Well, since I have no idea what I’m doing, I think
that’s probably a good idea.”

His eyes lifted at the corner briefly, an almost smile, but then his jaw set in determination.
“Good. The couch is too low. Stand up and come with me.”

She pushed herself up from the floor and followed him into the small dining area.
He pulled out a chair, the legs scraping along the wood floor with an ominous grind.
Then he sat down with spread knees and leveled a gaze at her, looking like a prince
taking his throne. The room seemed to shrink around him in supplication. She felt
the urge to make herself smaller, too. Plus, the fact that he was fully clothed and
she didn’t even have her shoes on anymore made her feel more like a servant girl being
brought before the royalty for some crime. Guards dragging her in, chains around her
ankles, her clothes stripped off as they planted her at his feet. That image wasn’t
altogether unpleasant.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked, lifting a brow.

She put her hand to her mouth. Was she smiling? What the hell was wrong with her?
That’s it, her trips to the used bookstore were a liability. She was definitely reading
too many old school bodice ripper novels. She shook her head in a
never mind
gesture.

“Tell me.”

The softness of his tone didn’t undermine the iron in the command. A little shiver
worked down her neck and spread outward. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been reading too
many historical novels lately and had a silly image pop into my head of you being
some prince and me being dragged into court as a captive. Ridiculous, I know.”

The heat that flared in his eyes would’ve shown up on a thermal camera. “You’d make
a lovely slave girl, Tessa. Maybe we’ll have to try that some time.”

She tried to wet her lips, but her tongue had gone dry, and she barely managed to
eke out her reply. “Too bad you lost the bet and we don’t get another date.”

The corner of his mouth lifted and the sheer confidence of it nearly knocked her down.
“Over my knees, Tessa. Now.”

And in that moment, she knew then that he’d won anyway. That look said it all—when
I’m done with you tonight, you’ll be begging me for another night. The quicksand that
was Kade Vandergriff had engulfed her ankles and now he was going to pull her right
under. But she couldn’t stop herself from walking to him and letting him drape her
over his lap. She braced her fingertips on the floorboards, her hair sweeping down
to curtain her.

The clink of the belt had her stiffening and lifting, but he pressed a soothing hand
to her back and eased her down again. “Hands behind your back.”

With no small amount of trepidation, she raised her arms behind her. Kade gripped
her wrists and wound the leather belt around them then cinched the belt tight. The
move put her off balance and made her even more vulnerable, something she didn’t think
possible. “Kade.”

“Shh,” he said, running a finger beneath the belt and checking how tight it was. “My
way, remember. I won’t let you fall.”

She pulled a deep breath into her lungs, held it, and released it, trying to calm
herself.

“Are you scared, baby?”

“A little.”

“Good.” His palm caressed over her backside, raising goose bumps on her skin, and
tracked lower. He tapped her thigh. “Open wider for me.”

She did as she was told, the commands falling right into the slave girl fantasy she’d
conjured. She was at his mercy. It probably shouldn’t turn her on, but already her
body was melting like ice on hot pavement. Kade’s fingers moved along her spread sex
and easily slid inside, the state of her arousal embarrassingly apparent. Her body
clamped around him, and she couldn’t stop a whimper from escaping.

“God, baby, you’re so hot and wet. You’re going to get me hard all over again just
thinking about how your pussy would feel around me.”

She shuddered in his hold. Normally, the word
pussy
would make her cringe. It sounded so crude, but somehow the way he said it made it
sound reverent. Like it was some mysterious wonder of nature to be worshipped.

There was soft laughter from above her. “I love how when I say dirty things to you,
your skin turns the sexiest shade of pink. I can’t wait to see how it’s going to look
red.”

Before she could process what he was saying, a hard smack landed on the left side
of her ass. She yelped at the sharpness of the sting, the unexpected pain.
Sonofabitch
. She’d asked if it was going to hurt, but it’d been almost in jest. She’d hadn’t
really expected it to be painful. Wasn’t spanking like a play thing? A pretend game
where it was more about the role play than the actual hitting? But when another stinging
swat hit her right side, she realized quickly there was nothing faux about this. It
freaking
hurt
.

“Kade,” she protested. “I’m not sure . . .”

“Breathe through it, Tess. Trust me,” Kade said, without any sympathy in his voice.
“You have a safe word, but I suggest you give me a minute before you tap out.”

Trust me.
That seemed to be a recurring theme with him. And though she wasn’t quite there yet,
she managed to say okay. She was determined not to pull the plug too early. The pain
wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t unbearable. She’d just hoped this would be more of an enjoyable
thing than a painful one. So much for this being a reward for winning.

Kade’s hand came down again and hit the back of her thigh. Holy hell. That was even
worse than on her butt. She reared up, but he kept her against his lap with his free
arm. “Stay still.”

“I’m trying,” she said through gritted teeth.

That spurred him on more, and she regretted talking. His hand smacked her other thigh
then went on a rapid trip across her ass again.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Her body began to sweat and hum with restless energy. Her thoughts blurred around
the edges. The pain was turning into something else, numb at first, then a weird buzzing
sensation—like having one too many shots of alcohol. She tried to say Kade’s name
because the feeling was so disorienting and unfamiliar, but the word wouldn’t come
out. Then he landed a blow right against her sex. A million nerve endings gathered
at the point of impact and exploded into currents of sensation, rippling out like
a backdraft. A cry tore from her throat and everything went burning hot and needy
inside her. Skin that had stung was now tingling and aching for more. Her heels came
off the ground, her body offering itself to Kade.

“That’s it, beautiful,” Kade said, running a warm hand over her tightening skin. “Let
it kick in and enjoy the buzz.”

He spanked her again and she moaned, shameless at this point. Her body was throbbing
and desperate for release in a flash, the soft fabric of his pants rubbing against
her clit and adding to the mix. From pain to near bliss in mere minutes. “Kade, please.”

“You want to come, Tessa?” he said, gravel in his voice, as if he were riding his
edge, too.

“Yes,” she said, squirming against his lap, seeking more contact. She was right there
on the brink but needed more. She needed him. But she doubted he was ready for round
two yet. “Please.”

Instead of reaching beneath her to touch her like she expected, Kade slid her off
his lap and onto her knees. Frustration flooded her at the delay. What was he doing?
He stood and shoved the chair out of the way, then he hooked her beneath her armpits
and lifted her to her feet.

She struggled to stay steady with her arms still bound and her head rushing from being
upside down one minute and right-side up the next. She braced her hip against the
edge of the table. “What are you doing?”

He unbuttoned his pants and shoved them down, pulling something out of the pocket
before he straightened. “Come ’ere. I’m not done with you yet.”

She glanced down, finding him fully aroused again, and her stomach clenched low and
tight. Oh, thank you, God. Kade tore open the little foil packet with his teeth and
rolled the condom on.

Without another word, he was helping her climb onto the table. He grasped her hips
and positioned her over him. The tip of his cock teased along her entrance, drawing
shivers from her as she looked down to where their bodies met, fascinated by the vision.

“You like watching,” he said, though his voice was so gritty she could tell it was
costing him something to delay the moment. “You want to watch my cock disappear inside
of you?”

If she hadn’t already been flushed from everything else, she would’ve gone crimson.
But instead of watching him slide in, she looked up and met his gaze right as he lowered
her down and entered her. The satisfaction that crossed his face as he seated himself
deep was far more erotic than anything she could’ve seen by looking down. Her muscles
tightened around him, the invasion blissful after so much buildup. “Man, that feels
good.”

“Back at ya, beautiful,” he said, giving her a quick but potent kiss. “Now, fuck me,
Tess. I won’t let you fall.”

He braced a hand on her waist to keep her steady and then tucked the other between
their bodies, giving her clit a teasing stroke. It was like the starter gun going
off. She rocked her hips, lifting off him then gliding back down in one fluid, toe-curling
motion. The stretch of her body around him was almost too delicious to bear, mixed
in with the still tingling heat of her backside. Everything felt alive, vibrating.
Kade strummed her hot button again, this time with more intent. An ocean-like roar
filled her ears. “Oh, God.”

“Take what you need, baby,” Kade said, watching her with rapt attention. “I want to
watch you break open.”

She didn’t need any further encouragement. She plunged down on him and tilted her
hips to rub her clit against his fingers with each thrust. Sensation snaked over her
skin like lava flows, everything going hot and sweaty and achy. Kade whispered dirty
things to her about how fucking hot she looked, about how he couldn’t wait to taste
every part of her again, about how sexy she’d been with his handprints on her ass.
Before long, she’d lost all sense of decency and was riding him with singular focus.

“Come for me, Tess,” he said, his voice no longer cajoling but commanding.

Stars filled the space behind her eyelids and the building mass of tension inside
her unraveled in one spine-melting explosion. She tilted her head back and moaned
his name, almost losing her balance. But as promised, he didn’t let her fall. He held
onto her as she came hard and long, sensations crashing over her one after another,
and then soon his own sounds of pleasure were melding with hers.

When she didn’t think her body could bear another second of holding itself up, she
tipped forward and landed against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and lay
back on the table, cradling her to him as their labored breathing struggled to return
to normal.

Minutes passed without either saying anything. Her hands flexed behind her back, her
fingers aching to touch him, to unbutton that shirt and have her cheek against the
man beneath, to explore. But she’d have to wait another day for that.

She closed her eyes. Another day.

“Cocky bastard,” she muttered.

“Hey,” he said, reaching behind her to unfasten the belt. “What was that for?”

She stretched her wrists once they were free and pushed herself up and off of him.
“You win.”

He lifted his brows, feigning innocence, as he unbuttoned his shirt and handed it
to her. “Whatever could you mean?”

She tucked herself into the too long sleeves and wrapped the shirt around herself.
“You have me thinking about a next time. What are you trying to do to me, Kade Vandergriff?”

He smiled and pulled on his pants, the quick sound of the zipper like punctuation
marking the end of their night. “Just trying to see you again. Is that so bad?”

She looked to the ceiling, the thought both tempting and terrifying all in one. “Yes.”

He closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. “All these
years, and you’re still shooting me down. A guy could develop a complex.”

She sighed. “It’s not that. Being with you is . . .”
Intense. Overwhelming. Addictive.
“Great. But you know this is complicated. I’m working for you now. Plus, you’re who
you are, and I’m the former trophy wife. Think how that would be perceived if we were
seen in public. And I don’t want to even think about what would happen when Doug got
wind of it, especially when he figured out it was
you
.”

Kade’s expression turned hard. “That asshole couldn’t do a damn thing.”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I think part of him still thinks I’m going
to come back. You heard him on the phone tonight. He’s not going to let it go if I
start dating someone as high-profile as you. I don’t want to bring drama into your
life.”