Dominated: The Enforcers 2 (The Enforcers Series) Page 7
Because one thing was for certain. As practical as she liked to think herself and knowing that nobody was the one and only in someone’s life, she knew without doubt that there would never be another like Drake for her. No one who would even come close. Drake knew her inside and out, perhaps better than she knew herself. He knew what she needed and moved to provide it before she even recognized it. And she was supposed to think there was another man out there who could possibly see into her heart and soul the way Drake did? Not likely.
Drake was a once-in-a-lifetime soul mate, never to be repeated or replicated. And damn it, she didn’t want to settle for second best. Ever. If she couldn’t have her other half, the one meant and made for her, then she’d choose to live her life alone and hold close the memories of the only man to know her better than she or her family knew herself.
She mentally shook herself, angry that she was allowing her insecurities and fears to put a damper on her reunion with Drake. No one was perfect. Yes, what Drake had done was horrible. She’d been humiliated and devastated, her heart ripped out of her chest. But if he was to be believed, and he’d given her no reason not to believe him, his actions were justified even if extreme.
She’d seen his expression when he’d admitted his fear of her being used to weaken him. As if the idea of her being hurt or abused in order to extort from Drake devastated him every bit as much as he’d devastated her by his actions. She wasn’t the only one hurting and reeling from the events of that night. His eyes had been utterly bleak and he’d looked . . . defeated when he’d begged for her understanding and forgiveness.
Her stomach clenched, because she hadn’t given him either. Yet. She was still too afraid to trust him. She was still in self-preservation mode, afraid to make herself vulnerable once again and open herself up to pain and betrayal.
Oh, Drake, I’m so sorry. Tears pricked her eyelids, but she refused to ruin the moment by giving way to the tears threatening to fall.
Drake had laid himself bare to her. He’d put himself at her feet, and a man like Drake was not someone to ever humble himself in front of anyone, man or woman. And yet he’d done just that. He’d risked everything. His pride. All to make things right with her. And she hadn’t offered him anything except wariness. Certainly not mercy, understanding or forgiveness.
Peace descended as she decided to right the wrongs between them at the very first opportunity. She would wait for just the right opening and give Drake what he’d given her. She’d bare her soul and strip herself as bare as he’d stripped himself so they were on equal terms and footing. If such a proud, powerful man could go to such lengths to humble himself, then she could certainly do the same and give back to him what he’d given her.
If it turned out she was wrong—about Drake, about their relationship, about everything—then she wouldn’t have a single regret for doing the right thing. She couldn’t control his actions, his decisions, his thoughts or feelings, but she could certainly control her own and use them in a loving manner.
Her heart fluttered with hope, swelled with need and ached for fulfillment only Drake could provide. Five days was such a short time and yet it had seemed an eternity of loneliness and a lifetime to grieve for all she’d thought she’d lost. Now she had a second chance. The opportunity to right previous wrongs. Both of them did. And she planned to make the most of this chance and show Drake how very much he mattered.
“You look miles away from here,” Drake murmured as he laid her on the bed.
She flushed, but he didn’t chide her or even ask what she’d been thinking. Instead he began divesting her of her clothing, pausing to kiss and caress each new area of flesh exposed. By the time he stood to remove his own clothing, she was panting breathlessly, her body tingling with desperate need unlike any she’d ever experienced.
Her gaze fed hungrily on his muscled physique, his wide shoulders and broad chest. His jaw was lean and chiseled, his eyes fiery with answering hunger and need. Heat rose in her cheeks and spread through her body when his straining erection bobbed into view.
He was rigid, his cock bulging, the veins heavily distended, and his erection lay flat against his lean abdomen pointing aggressively at his navel. Moisture beaded the dark plum-colored head, and she licked her lips without even registering she was doing so.
He groaned and closed his eyes, his chest heaving as if he were trying to maintain control. “You’re killing me, Angel. Do you know the last five days have seemed like an eternity without you?”
She smiled at hearing his words that echoed her exact thoughts of just moments before.
“And that I lay here every night, aching, missing you with every breath?” he whispered as he came down next to her on the bed. “That I couldn’t sleep for wondering where you were, worrying whether you were safe. God, all I could see was your face after what I did to you. And the fear that kept me awake was that even after I found you, you wouldn’t forgive me, that you wouldn’t give me—us—another chance. I’m not complete without you, Angel. The last five days have proved that beyond a doubt.”
She turned on her side, snuggling close to him, and put a finger to his lips to stop the flow of self-recrimination.
“Shhh, darling. You weren’t the only one who couldn’t sleep at night. I lay awake aching, wanting, needing and missing you with my every breath. I cried myself to sleep every single night.”
He flinched and closed his eyes, sorrow and regret etched deeply into his features.
“I didn’t say that to make you feel bad,” she whispered. “I only said it to let you know that we both suffered. That we both grieved. But we have another chance now. Let’s make it perfect this time.”
“You’re far too good for me,” he said gruffly. “Too sweet, too innocent, too compassionate and too loving. I don’t deserve your forgiveness or your love, but God help me, I need them. I need you.”
“And I need you,” she said just before she pressed her lips to his. “Make love to me, Drake. Take away the loneliness of the last five days. Make me forget. I need you so much.”
He rolled over atop her, his eyes blazing. He planted both forearms on either side of her head and straddled her body, staring down into her eyes until she was drowning in his gaze. Then he lowered his mouth to hers and took her lips in the most tender of kisses.
“Are you sure?” he asked in a strained voice.
“Please,” she begged softly.
He stopped her plea with his mouth and swept his tongue inside, tasting her, making love to her tongue with his.
“You’ll never have to beg me for anything,” he said. “All I have is yours for the taking.”
Her heart did a peculiar twist that momentarily robbed her of breath. He sounded so serious, as though he were making a vow for all time.
“Then I want you. Now,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting her head to kiss him back. “Now,” she urged. “Hurry.”
“You aren’t ready for me,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She shook her head, shifting her body restlessly beneath his. She was ready. More than ready. She needed his ownership. For him to reclaim her body in the most primitive way a man could claim a woman.
“I’m ready,” she insisted. “Please, Drake. You said I’d never have to beg for anything.”
She parted her thighs, spreading herself open to him, and then she looped her legs around his waist, feeling his erection bump and prod at her opening.
His face was a wreath of strain and it was evident he was at war with himself over whether to give in to her plea or practice more restraint out of fear of hurting her. Finally his instincts overrode all else and he positioned himself at her entrance, and after only a brief hesitation, wherein he searched her expression intently, he thrust forward in one powerful motion.
She cried out and he lowered his head and then buried his face in her neck as his body heaved, his breaths coming in ragged bursts. Her nails dug tightly into his shoulders, and s
he closed her eyes as the beauty of his possession surged through her veins.
It was like coming home. After so many days of grief, desperation, sadness and loss, she was back where she most wanted to be with the man she most wanted to be with. She couldn’t ask for more than this right here, right now.
“Why are you crying, Angel?”
She blinked and realized that Drake had pulled his head up and was now staring down at her, concern and worry reflected in his eyes. She hadn’t realized she was crying but now she registered the warm trails slipping slowly down her cheeks.
She gave him a shaky smile. “I’m happy,” she said simply. “You have no idea how horrible the last five days have been. I thought I’d lost you forever.”
Guilt darkened his eyes and he briefly looked away as if to compose himself before he once more locked gazes with Evangeline. He slowly withdrew and she moaned as he rippled through her delicate tissues. Then he surged forward again, burying himself as deeply as he could go.
“Never again,” he vowed, holding her gaze fiercely. “The entire world will know what you mean to me. Anyone who fucks with you, even tries to fuck with you, will be signing their own death warrant and they’ll know it.”
She fought off the surge of unease, determined not to give way to anything but the here and now and the beautiful sense of homecoming she felt in Drake’s arms.
“Love me,” she whispered, arching up against him, demanding more.
There was no hint of the dominant lover Evangeline had come to crave over the course of their relationship. This was a man making love to her with reverence. There was tenderness and apology in every kiss, caress and stroke in and out of her body. It was a side of Drake she hadn’t seen. Oh, he’d been gentle and loving during their lovemaking. It wasn’t always an exercise in dominance and kink, but there was an emotional side to him that brought tears to her eyes and a deep-seated ache to her soul.
She craved his dominance—needed it—and yet she realized she needed this too. It gave her reassurance that before she wouldn’t have thought she needed, but in the aftermath of that horrible night, insecurity had taken root and bloomed. Now? She needed both. She needed the harder edge, but she also needed this softer touch. She needed his . . . love.
Would that be something she could ever hope for from him?
She pushed that discomfiting thought from her mind and gave herself completely to the beauty of their lovemaking, surrendering heart, body and soul to the powerful release that swelled and built until she could bear it no longer.
“Drake!”
“I’ve got you, baby,” he said tenderly. “Come with me. Let go.”
He thrust powerfully, rocking his hips against hers until no part of him wasn’t buried deeply within her. His face blurred in her vision as euphoria flooded her body and she began to spiral out of control, unraveling faster and faster until she was panting to catch her breath.
Drake growled and then gathered her tightly in his arms. He rocked into her one last time and then buried his face in her neck as they both fell over the edge and into oblivion.
For a long moment he let his weight rest atop her and then he rolled, holding her tightly against him so their positions were reversed and she lay sprawled atop him on the bed. His big, strong hands caressed the length of her spine and she snuggled her face into his chest, nuzzling and offering tiny kisses to his sweat-dampened skin.
“Don’t leave me again,” she softly whispered.
His grip tightened around her and she felt the betraying tremble of emotion in his body.
“I won’t, Angel. I need you too much.”
7
Evangeline woke to toasty warmth and the solid comfort of being wrapped in strong arms and anchored to a hard body. It took her a few moments to sort through her foggy thoughts and initial confusion. She wasn’t on the small cot in the tiny storage closet at the hotel that had been converted to a sleeping area for her. Nor was she weighed down by the desolation of loneliness and despair.
Slowly the events of the previous day filtered back to her. Drake appearing at the hotel where she worked. Him taking her home. Making love to her. Them napping for a few hours and then spending a quiet evening in his apartment watching movies. They’d eaten takeout and she’d fallen asleep nestled in his arms on the couch and that was the last she remembered.
Obviously he’d carried her to bed without her ever stirring.
She blinked at the bright wash of sunlight that filtered through the blinds over the windows, and then alarm hit her because it was too light. Hastily she shoved herself up on one elbow so she could see over Drake’s side to the clock on his nightstand.
Oh crap. He’d overslept. It was nearly nine and he was always up and gone well before now.
Drake’s arm snagged her waist and dragged her back down against his deliciously warm body.
“Go back to sleep,” he muttered.
She glanced anxiously at his face and still-closed eyes. She touched him on the shoulder to get his attention. He lazily opened his eyes so they were half lidded and he studied her, desire reflected in his dark gaze.
“It’s almost nine,” she said urgently.
He continued to regard her lazily, not reacting to her statement in any way. Then he smiled.
“I’m well aware of the time.”
“But you’re late!”
He smiled. “As the boss, it’s my prerogative to be late on occasion, and that occasion happens to be this morning when I’d much rather spend the morning in bed with my woman and then take her somewhere good to eat for lunch. As for the rest of the day, we’ll take it as it comes, but I’m sure I can find ways to occupy myself.”
She shivered at the blatant sexual innuendo in his voice. As he said the last, he tugged at the sheet she was clutching to her breasts so that it fell down to her waist, baring her nipples to his view.
“Now that’s a nice way to wake up,” he said in a silky voice.
He leaned forward and sealed his lips around one sensitive peak and sucked it between his teeth. She gasped and shivered as a thousand chill bumps danced across her skin. Both nipples puckered instantly and her groin clenched with instant need.
“Get on top of me,” he growled. “Now.”
Oh, but she loved the command in his voice, and she silently rejoiced that her dominant lover hadn’t disappeared for good.
Obediently, she rose on her knees and then threw one leg over his and moved to straddle him. She shimmied upward until his already rigid cock lay against the V of her legs and rested against her belly.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked.
“Yes. Oh yes,” she said breathlessly.
“Show me.”
A little self-consciously, she slid her hand between them, burrowing between her sensitive folds until she touched her opening. She pressed one finger inside, collecting the moisture before withdrawing and then extending her hand for his inspection.
“The question is, are you ready for me?” she asked daringly, her eyes sparkling.
He cocked one eyebrow at her boldness and then lifted his head and strained forward, sucking the digit into his mouth and licking it clean.
“Delicious,” he said, the sound rumbling from his chest like a purr. “I’m more than ready for my woman. Take me, Angel. Take your man and ride him long and hard. Don’t show me any mercy.”
“Oh, I have no intention of going easy on you,” she said breathlessly. “I’ve missed you so much, Drake. I’m only whole when I’m with you.”
In response to her impassioned statement, he dragged her head down and slammed his lips to hers, devouring her mouth in a breathtaking kiss. His hands were possessive as they roamed over her body, stroking and caressing, reacquainting himself with every inch of her skin.
Her arms were shaking as she leaned forward to brace her palms against his shoulders. When she would have released her grip on one of them to reach down to position him at her opening, he stopped her.
She complied, arching upward so he could angle his cock and press the head to her entrance. She stopped breathing when he breached her a mere inch. But he didn’t move any farther. Instead, he moved his hand out of the way and laid both arms beside him on the bed and he stared up at her, his eyes glittering with desire and need.
“I’m all yours,” he purred. “Take me hard. Take me sweet and slow. Show me how beautiful you are and give me your pleasure.”
Unable to wait a moment longer, she slid down in one hard, swift motion, gasping at the sudden, overwhelming sense of fullness as he stretched her impossibly wide.
“Don’t let me hurt you,” he ground out.
“You would never hurt me,” she said softly, leaning down to kiss him as she clutched him like a greedy fist and pulsed around his turgid cock.
She flexed her internal muscles, milking him as she rippled around him. His anguished groan of pleasure and desperate need fueled her confidence. That she had a measure of power over this dominant man thrilled her and left her breathless. Gathering her courage, she began to move sensuously atop him, rising and arching up until he was nearly free of her clasp and then slowly sinking down to engulf him whole.
His fingers flexed and curled into the sheets on either side of his body until his knuckles turned white and he tilted his hips up to meet her downward advances. Then as if unable to control his need to touch her or command her, he moved his hands to her hips and dug his fingers in, yanking her downward in forceful motions.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he rasped. “I’m never letting you go, Angel. I hope to God you’re with me because I can’t let you go. I need you.”
Her heart turned over, squeezing with violent emotion. Tears stung her eyelids and she leaned down so her face hovered just over his as she looked at him tenderly.