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He prefaced his comeback by stripping off his shirt. The move was completely calculated. He knew how formidable he looked now, standing there with his chest bare, his hands clasped at his back, the wind shoving his hair, his gaze a direct drill into hers. “You heard me, Rose. You want to be free from me, from our dynamic, then fine—but you’ll fulfill your obligation to it first. You say you left this morning for reasons beyond your control. I believe you. But since you’ve chosen not to share the reasons with me, I have no choice but to punish you for the defiance.”

Her mouth popped open. But her breasts jutted hard against her clothes, their defined buds proving how his tone affected her. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

He dropped his scrutiny to the juncture of her thighs. She’d crossed her legs.
Very
tight. “Do you want to test me and find out?”

She tried to laugh. The effort was feeble. And adorable. “And what if I refuse?”

He shrugged, another intended move. “You have that prerogative.” He raised his arm, pressing his elbow to the bulkhead next to her head. “But I don’t think you want to exercise it.” He used his other hand to jerk her face back to his. He heard her breath catch, felt her body tremble. “I think, before we officially say good-bye, you’d want to make good on your integrity. I think you’d want things clean.” He used his foot to nudge her ankle, untangling her legs. “Complete.”

Fresh tears shimmered in her eyes. “Shit!” she muttered.

“What?” He pressed fully against her now. “What is it? What did I just push, Rose?”

She shoved at him. “What didn’t you just push!” She shot up a stare that knifed him with its anguish. “Clean. You want
clean?
From me, Senator? Really? Have you Googled Rose Fabian lately? Lots of things pop up, I assure you. None of them even remotely means clean, complete, tidy, or simple.”

“I never said I wanted simple.”

“And I never committed to anything more than last night.”

“Which is why you rewrote your parting shot fifteen times,” he countered, “then showed up in class looking like a shark chewed you up and spat you out.” He jammed his hand into her hair now, refusing her any extra movement. “Last night was just a taste, and you loved it. You want this, pet. No, you need it. And you need it from me.”

Her eyes darkened, and her nostrils flared. “You have no idea what I need.”

He let out a black laugh. “Then enlighten me. Here’s your forum, honey. I’m all ears.” He screwed his hold tighter. Though she took a sharp breath, her nipples turned to gumdrops against her shirt. “
Talk
, Rose. Now!”

Her tongue darted over her lips, but then she reset her luscious mouth into a line. Her gaze, while raised to his, was cloaked behind a curtain of stubbornness.

“Damn it.” He let his fury surge into the words. He’d hoped to go at this more civilized than he had last night, not knowing what her brother had said to make her flee this morning. But she was throwing up an emotional version of the goddamn Great Wall of China.

“Fine.” He pushed back but kept his stare fixed to hers. “I don’t take silence as a safe word. You won’t talk, so instead you’ll strip.”

The sheen in her eyes turned to shock. “Excuse me?”

“That’s not your safe word either. Do you remember your safe word, pet?”

A shudder claimed her body when he dropped the last word on her, even if it was a snarl. He watched, alternately fascinated and relieved, as her face began to transform, to soften. Christ, maybe yanking out his heavy Dom was really the key. Did she feel this as he beheld it? Was it possible that she still didn’t understand how she was meant for the pleasure of D/s as much as he? That even a simple subbie endearment began changing her into this breathtaking creature, her head starting to bow, her whole body swaying toward him?

Why the hell was she walking away from something she so clearly wanted?

But more importantly, how was he going to change her mind?

The answer to that came as easy as his next breath. He’d do it by focusing everything he knew as a Dominant, and everything he felt as a man, into setting her free even more than before. Even better than before.

“O-of course I remember my safe word.”

Fuck. That hoarse edge to her voice just juiced him hotter. He leaned in again at her, cocking his head. “Of course I remember…what?”

“I remember, Sir.”

He hummed in approval. She shook from head to toe. So goddamn sexy. “And are you using that safe word now?”

She darted her gaze away. He waited, holding his breath. If he lost her again, it might be now. He forced himself to wait through that taut wire of a moment, determining whether they’d keep heading for the horizon together or turn back for the shore—and the finality of her fear.

“No. I’m not using it, Sir.”

Mark closed his eyes. “My beautiful, good girl. Thank you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And now that we’ve got that squared away, you’ll strip for me, please.”

As he expected, that got her gaze back in line. “S-Sir?”

He couldn’t help the wicked grin that tugged his lips. “Is the command confusing, Rose?”

“No, but—” She glanced at the big Bahamian who stood at the captain’s wheel, his back to them. “You mean everything? Here?”

He dropped the smile. “Yes, pet. And now. Don’t worry about Gervais. He’s been screened, and he’s the picture of discretion. He’ll be keeping his eyes on the ocean.” He cocked his head a little. “Unless you’d
like
him to watch?”

She glowered. “Are you trying to talk me into or out of this?”

He recrossed his arms. “I’m not talking with you at all. I’m ordering you, Rose. Clothes. Off. Everything. Now. You have thirty seconds. Anything that’s not off by then, I’ll tear and toss.”

Her mouth opened again, as if she got ready to fire off another objection, but then he looked at his watch with raised brows. Her stunned little “Shit!” got muffled as she peeled off her shirt. The shorts got shucked just as fast.

“Time’s up.”

He stated it as she hooked her thumbs into the waist of her delectably virginal white thong. After a sharp look from him, she dropped her hands.

Mark didn’t disguise his deep swallow. Christ, even nearly nude, his pet was breathtaking. The sunlight poured over her breasts like brandy. Her waist was a gentle, sexy curve, and her thighs were long, soft waves of curved grace. Her nipples puckered tighter beneath his rapt stare, and she bent her head again. The woman adopted a submissive’s perfect stance with zero training.

She made him hard in seconds.

Certain she could observe that exact fact with where her gaze dropped, he nonetheless scooted forward until his toes were outside hers. Not uttering another word, he hooked his index fingers into both sides of her panties and tore hard.

She gasped. The garment dropped, exposing the gorgeous mahogany curls at the doorway of her pussy. He looked back up, past the waves of breath now lifting her chest, to find her wide gaze waiting for him. Her eyes burned with copper lights that were deepened with thick shadows of desire.

Mark let her see the feral lock of his teeth. “Pick the panties up,” he directed. “But turn your back and spread your legs as you do. I want to see every crevice of the body that belongs to me right now.”

He heard every succulent note of her full, answering gasp. As she blew it out, she pivoted to obey him. He let her hear his long growl as she leaned over, exposing the lips of her sex, a glistening secret seashell for him. “Walk to the rail,” he directed. “And throw them in that trash barrel on the way. While you’re there, add that hair tie too. ”

Again she complied with exquisite grace. He greedily stared his fill, his chest filled with pride and yes, awe. She wasn’t a waif-thin debutante or even a doctored-up supermodel, though she carried herself with twice the poise of the first and thrice the style of the second. Her body belonged to another time when men worshipped elegant curves like hers. He was extremely glad this wasn’t a real pirate galleon, when he’d have to worry about a crew full of toothless Bluebeards who’d try to knife him to fuck her. It would’ve made him a mass murderer as well, because right now he’d gouge the balls off even a fly who tried to touch her.

By the time she’d tossed the wrecked panties, then set her hair free, turning it into a glorious russet banner in the wind, he’d moved up behind her. He clamped his hands over her wrists, fastening them down on the rail, while he fitted his lips against her ear. “Spread your legs again,” he told her. “Wider. Move your body. Fit your ass to my cock. You can feel how hard it is, can’t you? Do you feel what you do me, Rose?” An acquiescing whimper erupted out of her. He held himself still, squeezing his ass to lock himself in place as she rolled her hips and adjusted the soft globes of her backside against the pounding rod between his thighs. “Yessss. Fuck, that’s it. Very good, honey.”

Her body quaked, and she undulated again, mesmerizing as the waves beneath them. Mark matched her moves, blown away once more by how she fit so perfectly into him, almost losing himself to the magic of her—but they were a long way off from that. He realigned his head, the big one this time, to the purpose of why he’d secured her like this. He wanted her totally aware of him, surrounded by him bodily as he again tried to delve at her mentally.

“So my pet, are you ready to talk now?”

“T-talk?” She tensed. “I…I thought this was a punishment.”

“Aren’t they one and the same for you right now?”

“What’s that supposed to— Ohhhh!”

He squeezed his fingers tighter over the breast he’d cupped. “All right, I’ll even make it easier. I’ll tell you exactly what we’ll talk about.” He pulled at her flesh, making her nipple stand out so he could tease its tender tip with his fingernail. “I know you got a phone call when I was out this morning. I know it was your brother.”

Whatever she hadn’t stiffened against him before, she did now. He almost chuckled. As if he’d let her get away with any resistance. She seemed to know that too, visibly warring between what her body wanted and her mind protested. “This isn’t fair.”

“Nor was what you did this morning.”

“What I did this morning—”

“Was walk out without explanation, without a chance for us to talk, to work things through. You call that fair?”

Mark let go of her breast and latched his hand around her free wrist again. She still tried to wrestle. “There’s nothing to work through. I just…can’t do this!”

“Damn it.” He snarled it against her neck. “When are you going to get it? I don’t scare that fucking easily, Rose. I don’t back down from the things I know are right. I won’t walk away from the
people
I know are right. And I’m not walking away—”

“From me?”

Her retort was wrapped in such pure pain that he slackened from shock. Rose was clearly waiting for the reaction and took instant advantage. She twisted free, turned around, and then rammed both palms at the center of his chest.

“I’ve got a command for
you
now,” she snapped. “You need to walk.” Another shove. “No, you need to run.” One more. “I’m
not
the right thing, okay? I’m not the right person.” She tried one more still, but her arms went limp. “God! How many more ways do I have to say it? Please, just—”

Her face crunched. Her punches at his chest hadn’t made a dent, but the tears that poured from her now… He was split wide open, heart and soul. He grabbed her wrists again, forcing himself to separate his fury at her brother from the physical hold. Yet when he spoke, he made sure she heard that rage in every dark, low note.

“What the hell did he say to you? What the
hell
did that bastard do to your head now?”

She shook her head, crying harder.

“Rose! Goddamn it!” The curse tore up from his gut, a sound as raw as her sobs. He hauled her against him and clawed a hand at the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. “Talk to me. Please!”

He felt her breathing quicken, the words practically clamoring to get out of her. But when all she gave over was a frustrated huff, he could no longer hold back a deep growl. He pried her arms loose and tore back from her, determined about what he had to do now. If she wasn’t going to break down her wall for him, then he was going to tear it apart, brick by fucking brick.

“I’m sorry.” The words spilled from her on hollow chokes. They tore him deeper than her tears, though he scourged himself for not expecting them. Clearly she took his action as a final kiss-off. Naturally she stumbled toward the puddles of her clothes. “I knew I shouldn’t have done this. I didn’t want it to come to this. I didn’t want to fail you. Shit! I…I didn’t want to care like this!”

“
Stop
.” He flung out his arm, his hand splayed like a damn superhero trying to stop a train. The comparison sure fit when it came to this woman. “Don’t you take another step. And yes, that is a huge fucking order.” Her responding gape, along with her fast obedience, gave him deep satisfaction. And a rush of lust.

He stomped up the steps to the upper deck. A bank of shroud ropes waited there. The interlocked hemp ladders, fanning down from the main mast, were supposedly there just for the yo-ho-ho prop effect on the yacht. Yeah, right. The second he’d seen them this afternoon, plans had sprung in his mind for more interesting uses, if things came to that. Well, they definitely had.

He swung an expectant stare back down at Rose. “
Now
you can move. You can scoot your apologetic little ass right here, in front of me. You have thirty seconds again, woman, and they started five seconds ago.”

She was a delectable combination of frantic and sexy as she scurried, slid, and bounced up the stairs to his level. She’d gained such speed that she crashed into him upon arrival. Mark steadied her by grabbing her shoulders, tempted to let his hands pick up a pace of their own and glide right over her creamy breasts. But he knew that in minutes, those swells were going to be his to own and play with anyway. He could wait…

Maybe.

Damn,
damn
, she was resplendent. Her cheeks, flushed from the wind, were kissed by thick tendrils of her hair. Her gaze reflected the sky, the sun’s umber glow mixing with those dark chocolate depths that threatened, as always, to pull him in and drown him alive.