RockYourSoul (16 page)

“Eyes on me, California. I need to see your eyes on me at
all times right now.”

As she moved her head he saw her eyes were unfocused and
glazed, signaling she wasn’t far into subspace. He kept up the pace with his
hand, thrusting the toy inside her with a steady rhythm. Each time he saw a
little bit of focus come back into her eyes, he tapped the skin he’d flogged
and watched those beautiful eyes glaze over again and again.

He kept her on the edge, balancing on the glorious point in
subspace where release was impending but just out of reach. He could keep this
up for hours. Just as he’d trained many submissives, he’d trained himself. The
strict discipline was relaxing, a comfort he knew he could always count on.

“Oh God, please. I need to come.”

“No, not God.” He chuckled as he continued to thrust the toy
in a steady rhythm. “Your Master.” He kissed her forehead, pushing up to sit
between her legs again. His pace slowly began increasing, her muttered oaths increasing
as well. When a particularly colorful string of swears were lofted his way, he
delivered a sharp slap just as he thrust fully into her.

Her eyes unfocused. She no longer saw him there. Taking her
cue, he quickened his pace as fast as he could manage, ignoring the burn in his
shoulder from the exertion. Her hands balled into fists and suddenly it was
almost impossible to move inside her. She was close—damn close.

“Come on, California. Give it to me.”

She shrieked in answer, succumbing completely and totally.
Each time her body started to relax, he pushed hard against her skin to bring
on a rush of pain, snapping her back from going too deep. Each time she
orgasmed, her voice filled the room. He loved the fact he’d proved her wrong
again about making noise during sex.

Her body quivered against the bindings before going
completely limp. He had a moment of panic before her gaze found his. She
blinked, smiling at him with half-lidded eyes, an indication of someone drunk
on pleasure.

Withdrawing the toy, he released the ropes at her wrists,
freeing her from the intricate pattern keeping her secured to the floor. As he
pulled her close, she curled against him like a contented cat. She sighed as
she fanned her hand out to press against his chest. The contact was so simple,
yet intensely intimate.

Ryan gloried in the moment, cradling her while she drifted
along in subspace. He wouldn’t rush her out of the state. He knew the
intoxicating effect was a hard thing to pull away from.

Instead, he drew her closer, checking her breathing and
pupils. Satisfied, he fit her head under his chin and leaned against the
wall—perfectly at peace for the first time in forever.

The moving-van brakes squealed loudly in protest as Beth
brought the vehicle to a stop. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head
as she jumped onto the driveway and shoved the keys into her pocket.

A neighbor across the street stopped raking leaves and
waved. She smiled and returned the gesture, feeling a sense of peace settle
within her chest. It had been awhile since she’d lived in a suburban setting.
She’d had an apartment just a few blocks from the station in Nashville. Her
real-estate agent had even shown her a few apartments closer to the small heart
of Gatlin Falls, but she felt this was the kind of place she wanted to really
settle down in.

She didn’t intend to make this a short visit and had always
envisioned buying a house. Since her agent owned this house, she was allowing
her to rent on a monthly basis until all the legal paperwork was complete and
she could call the house her own.

As the lever clicked and she tossed up the roll-up door,
piles of boxes and furniture seemed to taunt her. A horn sounded as she pushed
up into the bay filled with her life. She glanced around the side of the box
truck to see a beat-up and rusted car pull up to the curb. The passenger door
opened and Ryan stood, leaning over the roof of the car as he shot her a
devastating smile.

Her stomach performed a somersault even though she couldn’t
help grinning in return. One of the biggest mistakes she’d ever made had turned
out to be the best thing for them both. The pull she felt toward him was
consuming, especially after the first time he’d taken her to subspace a few
weeks ago. She was also glad he’d been able to get past his own reservations
and simply enjoy their scenes together.

Now it felt as if something had truly clicked between them.

Since then, everything had gotten more intense. So intense,
it took her breath away. Just the sidelong glances he occasionally sent her way
were enough to make her delirious.

Allison popped out of the driver’s side, pulling her seat
forward. The passengers in the backseat spilled out onto the sidewalk just as a
silver car pulled up behind Allison’s, honking its horn. She recognized it as
Elena’s sleek BMW.

Ryan loped up her driveway, pulling her into a hug. “We
thought you could use a few extra hands.”

She closed her eyes as he held her, relishing the feel of
being so close to him. Ryan showing up here at her house with his friends
warmed her to the core. Come to think of it, no one had ever bothered to care
enough about her in this particular way. It was a strange, heartwarming feeling
she could also get used to.

“Thanks. Certainly can’t refuse an offer like that.” She
reluctantly stepped back, feeling the loss of him so close to her immediately.
She brushed the sensation away, knowing it really didn’t belong here in this
moment.

Ryan’s gaze flicked over her shoulder. “A motorcycle?” He
walked over to the trailer she’d hitched to the back of the moving truck. His
fingers danced over the custom artwork airbrushed onto the gas tank. She
usually didn’t like people touching her bike, but there was something about his
hands caressing one of her personal items.

She swallowed hard. “Remember I told you about American
muscle and my grandfather? It carried to bikes too. He and my grandmother drive
cross-country on their motorcycles every summer. When I turned eighteen, he
bought me this Triumph, taught me to ride and I’ve been joining their trip ever
since.”

Ryan’s fingers tapped against the gleaming handlebar. “She’s
gorgeous. Where did you have the artwork done?”

“Station in Nashville did a charity event to raise money for
an orphanage hit hard during the flood a few years ago. A local dealership
donated the bike and the station owner had her artist friend paint the tank to
mark the event. I liked his work so much, I asked him to do my tank.”

“I assume there’s a significance?” One of his eyebrows
lifted. “I mean, there has to be an explanation for bloody zombies.”

“What? Girls can’t like zombies? Big Resident Evil gamer
back in the nineties.”

He snorted. “Sounds like you and Allison have more in common
than just your retro tee-shirt collections. Though from what I understand,
yours is more legendary than hers will ever be.” He stepped around the bike,
leaning down to her ear. The press of his warm body against hers sent a shiver
down her spine. “And the image in my head right now of you draped over the
bike, wrists tied to the handles with my rope, is probably something we both
have in common.”

She didn’t have a chance to answer as the rest of the group
arrived, looking at her in expectation. “The boxes are all marked with the
rooms they belong in. Should just be a matter of getting things out of the
truck and into the house where they go.”

Elena stopped, evidently stunned. “Wow. And here I thought I
was the only anal one in the pack. Big change from the messy girl I roomed with
in college.”

Her color-coding system actually allowed everyone to work
more quickly than she anticipated and it only took a few hours to empty the
truck. Her couch and chairs were the only thing remaining in the container and
the men were heatedly discussing how to do the job in the most efficient
manner.

She wiped at a bead of sweat on her forehead before
splitting the tape on the box she’d just finished unpacking. After emptying it,
the cardboard went into a pile to be recycled. She dove into the next box to
find just one of many of the boxes she’d packed her DVDs into.

“Oh no way. You play too?” She turned to find Allison
pulling one of her assorted game systems out of another box.

“Oh Lord, we’ve just lost Allison,” Mark muttered as he
struggled to carry one of Beth’s overstuffed chairs through the door.

Beth jogged across the room, moving boxes out of his way to
clear a path. She helped him position it just how she wanted and patted the
seat. “Take a load off.”

He smiled gratefully at her, dropping down with a huff.
Elena walked into the room, doling out beers to everyone. Beth declined, making
her way back to Allison who was in the process of quietly reading off the
titles to the games lining the bottom of the box.

“I game when I have time. Which hasn’t been much lately
since she’s been packed away for the past few months.” She took the XBox from
Allison, positioning it directly below the TV. “I take it you do too? Think I
remember Ryan saying something about that.”

“Sure do. Just kicked Mark’s ass last night on Halo 4. I
have to say, I’m impressed. You’ve got some choice games here.”

The admiration in the woman’s voice made Beth smile. Looked
as if she’d found a gamer buddy. “You know, I’ve been thinking of starting up a
gamer segment on my show one night a week or something. Depends on how the
listeners respond on how frequently I’ll air the spot. But I could use some
help planning and maybe even with the on-air presentation. Think you’d be
interested in helping out?”

“Oh frak yes.”

“
Battlestar Galactica
. Nice. Still pissed they
canceled it
and
Caprica
. Think every decent sci-fi show gets
scrapped well before it’s time. People have no imagination anymore. Anyway,
I’ll get with you about it in a few days. So, anything in there you play in
there?”

“Halo and Modern Warfare. Few of us play regularly on Friday
nights if you want to hook up with us one night.”

Beth smiled widely at the thought of finding a girl who was
as gamer too. It was as if she’d found the mythical Fountain of Youth. The
thought of gaming with a group of friends nearly made her drool. “Those are too
popular at the moment for my blood. The online game servers have shit for
capacity and can’t handle a mass number of players during peak hours. Response
times slow to a crawl. Especially for what they’re charging for live game time.
They improve their rates and I’ll think about getting in on the first-person
shooters regularly again.”

She accepted the water Elena handed her, nodding in thanks.
“Besides, with my late hours at the station, I tend to stick to one-player
RPGs. Then the only one I can get pissed at when I screw up is myself. Just hit
a level forty-two Khajiit on Skyrim before I moved.”

Allison blinked a few times, her mouth dropping open. Beth
held back a smile as she took a few long swallows. There were a few low grunts
and groans as the guys wrestled her couch through the door. She waved them over
to the wall between the chairs, watching as they maneuvered the heavy item into
place.

Alex dropped to the floor, huffing out a breath while
Patrick, Dade and Ryan all took up places on the couch they’d just carried in.
Elena handed them cold beers, popping open one for herself as she settled on
the corner of the coffee table.

“Patrick, you should know this now in the interest of full
disclosure. I’m leaving you for Beth.” Allison handed Beth a stack of games,
then took another stack and placed them under the console near the television
set. “I think she’s my soul mate.”

He waved weakly at Beth. “No problem. I just discovered a
new kink you may be encouraged to test out on her.”

Allison narrowed her eyes. “Patrick Conners, shut up right
this minute.”

Patrick folded his hands behind his back as he rose and,
despite the fact he was clearly exhausted, his eyes shined bright. He slipped
between Beth and Allison, surprising Beth with the power wafting from his body.
“Someone just earned a spanking.”

Allison’s expression changed as her eyes dropped to the
floor, her cheeks tinting bright pink with embarrassment. Beth scanned the room
for Ryan, curious as to what his reaction to the situation would be.

He simply met her gaze.

Since this was her house, she felt as if it was her job to
break the tension flooding the room. “How about I order some pizza as thanks
for helping me get everything out of the truck?”

Alex set his beer to the side. “Best place in town doesn’t
deliver. I’ll head over and pick it up though. Easy enough.”

Mark tucked his tee into his pants as he stood. “We can drop
the truck back at the rental place for you too. Then just all ride back in
Allison’s car.”

“You sure? It’s really not worth a lot of trouble.”

Cooper chimed in. “Believe me, Junction Pizza is always
worth the trouble. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Dade shrugged on his jacket while Elena collected the empty
bottles. “Think I’m going to take off for the night. Got a few things to take
care of. Nice place you have here, Beth.”

Beth watched Dade stalk down the driveway, his shoulders
hunched. He walked as if he had somewhere important to be. “He seemed to be in
a rush.”

“He’s on the calendar tonight for Sanctuary.”

Scott stood, brushing his hands against his thighs. “I’m
going to head out as well. Need to get some work done before I head to the
office Monday. Mark, need a ride back to town?”

“I’ll catch a ride with Allison to help out. Feel free to
join in on a gaming session one night, Beth. Be kinda cool to have another girl
around.”

Within minutes of the decision being made, she watched the
lights of the moving van slowly lumber down the street with Allison’s car
trailing a few yards behind. “I really didn’t mean for anyone to go out of
their way for me.”

Ryan set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “If it really
was trouble, trust me, they would have said so. Relax. I didn’t even ask them
to come today when I said I was headed out here. Before I knew it, they were
right there asking me if I needed a lift. Something tells me if I’d protested
they wouldn’t have taken no for an answer.”

She turned, wanting to offer her thanks for all his help,
but he’d already focused on a stack of boxes they hadn’t gotten to yet. She
cleared her throat, deciding to start work on the box she’d been sitting on.

After a few minutes silence, Ryan suddenly broke the quiet.
“Well now, what do we have here?”

“Something must have gotten misplaced during the shuffle. It
happens. Better one or two boxes than a whole house full of chaos. If you don’t
know where something goes, just leave it there and I’ll get to it later.”

“Oh I know exactly where this goes.”

The loud clink of glass caused her to freeze in the doorway.
She’d been on her way to the kitchen to grab a dustrag, but the amused tone of
his voice had her slowly turning around. She found Ryan standing there wearing
a huge smile and holding up one of her glass dildos. The clear one with pale
gold swirls dancing under the surface of the glass from the cock-shaped head to
the tapered swirl at the other end.

She’d had it made just a few months before packing her
apartment and hadn’t even had a chance to give it a test drive yet. Something
about the look in Ryan’s eyes told her that wouldn’t be the case much longer.

“Some very interesting pieces you have here.” He rummaged
through the box even though Beth guessed he wasn’t looking for anything in
particular. “Expensive pieces from the looks of it. A few G-Spot simulators. A
glass wand. A spiral baton and even one with nubs.” She grew redder with each
item he listed. She knew she should have packed them more discreetly than she
had. As it was, each dildo had been carefully slipped into a soft velvet bag.
“And two graduated anal plugs to top off this very eclectic menagerie of sex
toys. Interesting.”

Something about his teasing tone as he held out the anal
plugs snapped her out of her stupor. “Yes. I enjoy anal sex on occasion. It’s
very…powerful.”

“I don’t disagree with you there, California. I have had my
finger in your ass to experience how it makes you feel firsthand. And I saw how
you reacted to the plug Dade used on you.”

He dropped the last two items back into the box, approaching
her with the gold glass toy still in his hand. His thumb ran over the indention
just behind the head, following the swirled taper before he started moving back
toward the head again. The unhurried motion made her mouth go dry as tension
bloomed low in her gut.