Raw, A Dark Romance (12 page)

My best friend would never manipulate me like that. Just to protect a job.

No way.

There had to be some other explanation.

She was mine again. All mine. But that wasn’t a good thing. Oh, the torment of the forbidden. –Kace R.

If there is one thing Kace Ramos was good at, it was distracting me from any and all thoughts that didn’t pertain to what he was doing to me. As his driver maneuvered his car through the crowded streets of
Cadiz, Kace reintroduced me to the decadent pleasures of his kisses.

Ohmygod, what that man could do with his mouth.

He licked and nipped and suckled until I could barely breathe. His hands mapped out every inch of my body, bit by bit. His murmured promises of delicious torment sang in my ears. By the time the vehicle had stopped, my clothes were askew, my blood was hotter than lava, and my head was spinning.

The driver opened the door for us, and Kace climbed out, offering me a hand as I stumbled after him. No doubt sensing I wasn’t exactly stable on my feet, he scooped me into his arms and carried me through the massive house, past a smiling Adela. She gave me a shy wave and said, “Welcome back, Miss Tremaine,” as Kace turned into his dungeon. “We are glad to have you back.” Adela shut the door, closing Kace and I in the room.

My heart started galloping like a race horse.

I was back here again. What would he do this time? Would he add to the marks still burning on my ass? Or would he find some other way to torture me?

He set me on my feet in the center of the room then crossed his arms over his chest. His sharp gaze traveled the length of my body, down to my toes before slowly winding its way back up to my face again. “Undress. I want to see what I’ve paid such a dear price for. Every inch.”

Nerves bristled at the reminder that I’d been bought and paid for. And because of that fact I wanted to be defiant, to refuse him. He’d thrown that in my face again. But I couldn’t refuse him. I liked it. I liked the domineering tone of his voice. I liked the dark hunger I saw in his eyes. I liked this wicked game we were playing.

My fingers felt stiff as I curled them around the bottom of my shirt. I tugged it over my head and let it drop to the floor.

A flash of desire flared in Kace’s eyes. That spark ignited an inferno in me. Because of that heat, I wanted to face him boldly, to strip away every scrap of fabric and let him see everything. So that was what I did. I unclasped my bra and let it slide off my arms. My nipples pulled into hard little peaks. My stomach muscles clenched as waves of anticipation rushed through my system. But those sensations only made me bolder. And so did the blazing fire I saw in his eyes. I felt so powerful, so alive and sexy. No man had ever made me feel this way.

With a smile pulling at my lips I unzipped my pants and pushed them down my thighs, taking my panties with them. And then I was standing there completely nude. Just two days ago I would have been ashamed and frightened to stand before this man, or any man, naked. But not now. Hell no.

“Your body is perfection.” He made a twirling motion with a finger. “Turn.”

I did a slow three-sixty with my heart thumping against my breastbone and heat pulsing to my core. By the time I was facing him again, my face was on fire…and so were some other parts of my anatomy.

“
Bello
.”

I could guess what that word meant. My face burned hotter. He thought I was beautiful. Me. I flattened my hands against the outside of my thighs and waited, breathlessly, for his next command.

What would he do next?

Those gorgeous, wicked lips of his curled into a semi-smile. “You promised I could punish you any way I wished.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Then that is what I will do.”

My heart literally skipped a beat. Anxiety mingled with intense arousal, making me lightheaded.

“Come. Here.” He motioned to a flat six-sided ottoman-like bench. “On your back.”

I sat, legs bent, feet on the ground.

He motioned for me to lie down. “On your back, esclavo.”

I slowly reclined back. The bench was too small for my legs to rest on it, so they remained where they were, bent at the knees, feet on the floor.

“There are many ways to punish, puta.” He buckled a shackle around one wrist, pulling it out and slightly up, away from my body. “There is the obvious--pain.” Then he circled around to my other wrist, and I watched him bind it, fear starting to overwhelm arousal. I didn’t like pain. At all. Although I had found peace when he whipped me the first time. “But there is also the less obvious.” He moved to my feet, grabbed an ankle and pulled it away from the other. Then he buckled it so my knees were spread, my feet resting on the floor.

I squirmed.

Not so obvious punishments? What did he mean by that?

After securing my other ankle, pulling it farther from the first so my legs were spread wider, he climbed onto the bench with me, arms and legs straddling my naked body. “There. Are we comfortable?” Dark flames danced in his eyes and he stared down at me, making me most definitely uncomfortable, though in a good way. The tip of his tongue swiped across his lower lip and my breath caught in my throat.

What did he mean by less obvious ways of punishment? Did he mean seduction? Was that the punishment he had in mind? Because right now he was the picture of seductive.

Bending his arms, he lowered his head slowly, one inch at a time. “Have you ever burned with pleasure, esclavo? Pleasure so intense it was painful?”

My heart rate kicked up to the stratosphere. “N-no,” I stuttered. His mouth was so close his sweet breath gusted over mine. A little whimper slipped up my throat, but I swallowed it back down.

Warm. I was getting so warm. Everywhere. Especially
down there
, between my legs. My breathing rasped as he moved closer. What would he do now? With what pleasures would he torment me? I curled my hands into fists. My body tensed.

He caught my head between his hands, holding it in place. His tongue traced the seam of my mouth. I opened to him.

He tasted sweet, decadent. His kiss scrambled my brains and ignited blazes through my whole body. Huge, raging infernos. Within seconds I was burning, from the inside out. I was scorching. My blood was boiling.

Too hot.

He was right. Pleasure was torment. The worst kind.

I whimpered again. I moaned. I fought the restraints binding my arms and legs. And I struggled to break the kiss. But he wouldn’t stop. His lips, tongue and teeth tortured me. The aching was agonizing, far worse than any beating. It had to stop. I couldn’t take another second. 

A tear slipped from the corner of my eye. He licked it away. “Mmmm. I see you are learning.”

Cruel bastard.

“Please,” I muttered.

“Ah, so already you beg.” His gaze raked down my body and my breathing grew shallow and fast.

I was learning—quickly. This man was the master of torture. Both the pleasure kind. And the pain.

Wearing a crooked smile, he lifted one index finger. “Perhaps you aren’t as strong as you thought.” He placed that finger on my lip. Then, slowly dragging it down my neck, he added, “How I love to hear your pleas for mercy. They are like the sweetest music in my ears.” Down that finger wandered. I followed it with my eyes as it climbed to the top of my breastbone. Then it inched lower, trailing a path between my breasts before stopping at the base of my breastbone. Because I was breathing so quickly, my chest rose and fell violently. “What do you fear most, esclavo?” That finger took a sudden right and headed straight for my aching nipple. With a flick, he amplified the agony. With a pinch he intensified it even more. And with a slight twist, he made me cry out. It felt like a lightning bolt blasted through me. I was completely at his mercy. And there was nowhere I would rather be. “Your response to my touch is like no aphrodisiac I have ever tasted.” 

Powerful, overwhelming need slammed through me. My spine arched, pushing my breast up. Throbbing heat pounded between my legs. I was desperate. For a touch, only one. No, more. Many more.
Down there
, where the heat was the worst. I needed him to stop this torture before I died.

I whimpered. My fingers unfurled. I pulled at the bindings, wishing I could touch him, wishing I could punish him like he was punishing me.

He angled upright, gazed down at me with those wicked dark eyes. His mouth curved into a naughty grin. “Have you had enough already, esclavo? I haven’t. I warned you. My hunger is unquenchable, especially for you.” He pulled his shirt off, revealing smooth, suntanned skin. Deep furrows cut between thick, bulging muscles on his shoulders, chest and arms. As he moved, his abs flexed. In a word, he was glorious. The most beautiful man I’d ever seen. And he wanted me. That sparkle in his eyes was for me.

Take me. Please, take me now.

Beneath him, I writhed, and, watching, he growled. The sound vibrated through every cell in my body.

He placed one index finger on the center of my stomach. Slowly, it traced a line down the center of my torso. It stopped just above my mound.

A shudder swept through me, starting at the base of my spine and racing up my back. Would I soon feel what it was like to be taken by a man? By this strong, powerful, domineering man? “Please,” I begged, voice raspy, breathy. “Please, I hurt. Everywhere.”

“Dammit,” he growled. Bending down, he kissed me again. And this time he didn’t wait for me to open to him. He pushed his tongue inside my mouth. The hand that had been inching up my bare leg made a swift leap to the apex of my thighs, cupping my wet sex. A deep rumble vibrated in his chest. That sound echoed through my whole body.

Fisting my hair with the hand that wasn’t between my legs, he jerked my head to the side and kissed the sensitive skin of my neck. Goose bumps scorched the entire front of my body. I was absolutely lost in rapture and blind need. “Please,” I begged, over and over as his hand warmed my wet pussy.

I was rewarded with a tender stroke between my legs. Just one. Oh God, it was agonizing. The pulsing heat shooting through my body was unbearable. It had to stop. Now. “Please, take me,” I whispered.

His hand left the flesh between my legs. “Open your eyes,” he commanded. “Open them now.”

I obeyed. There was no way I couldn’t.

His hands cupped my face. He stared into my eyes, his gaze penetrating deep into my soul. “You have no idea what you’re asking,”

A tear leaked from my eye. I blinked it away. It dribbled down my temple, wetting my hair. “I know, and I don’t care.”

Did I care that I might not be a virgin when I left Spain? I did, and yet I didn’t. All this time I’d clung to my dream of fostering a house full of unwanted, abused children. To do that, I needed income. Stability. And an enormous house. How else would I get those, if I didn’t marry a man who was rich? I had nothing. No way to get those things myself. To attract a wealthy man, Sid told me I needed to be a virgin. Was she wrong? And even if I managed to stay a virgin after this, had I ever had any chance of actually seeing that dream of mine come true?

“You will care.” His eyes were like flickering bits of obsidian.

“Perhaps.” I blinked as yet another tear blurred my vision. “You’ve proven your point. You’ve broken my will.” I shuddered, so confused and desperate I could barely think. “You’ve made me suffer. Please,” I begged. “Please have mercy. Either stop or take me now. End this.”

He angled closer, his sweet breath fanning over my face. He was so beautiful and mysterious and powerful. If I were to lose my virginity to any man, why not this one? It was as if he’d stepped straight out of my fantasies. His wavy, sexy hair. His beautiful face. His strong, athletic body.

“You don’t know what you want, do you?” he challenged. His eyes told me I should run, fast. Run and never look back. But his mouth, his hands, his body, they all told me to stay. To beg. To plead. To do whatever it took to make him strip off the rest of his clothes and take me. “You’re not sure you’re ready.” He dipped his head lower, lower, until his lips were almost touching mine. “Last chance,” he whispered. “Tell me you need to leave. Now. Before I get another taste of you. Because once that happens, I may not be able to stop.”

Unable to speak with all the emotion swirling through my system, I gave him my answer. I closed the distance between our mouths.

He growled. Like a wild beast. And a massive shudder quaked me.

His lips and tongue teased and tormented, sending tremors buzzing through my body like jolts of electricity. The zaps arced through my center. Leaving my mouth, he nipped my earlobe, and I practically melted. It seemed he knew exactly what to do to make me burn for his next touch. Moaning softly, I let my heavy eyelids fall shut again. Vivid colors swirled in velvety blackness.

“No, esclavo. Look at me,” he commanded.

Look on him?

I dragged heavy eyelids up.

My breath caught in my throat. Could there be a more beautiful man alive? His face was utter perfection, from his square jaw to the arch of his brows and everything in between.