Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
After the asshole’s visit, it was clear Matt had to prove she could trust him beyond her safety. Whatever they built together would not only help them through the ordeal with her soon-to-be ex, but restore their connection after Todd did his best to gut it. Until then, he couldn’t take Madison in his arms like a man in love. He had to challenge her like the Dom who feared for her life.
He also needed a fallback plan. An insurance policy. Leverage. If he could dig up whatever dirt Todd had killed his cousin and best friend to bury, maybe he could devise an irrefutable way to expose the asshole to the public and free Madison for good.
Matt dashed into the bathroom and grabbed a few necessities, then deposited them in the great room. He set up the coffee table to suit his purposes. After that, he dragged a chair to the middle of the kitchen, withdrew some food from the fridge, and blew out a deep breath. In an hour, he’d know exactly how much confidence she had in his ability to care for her and precisely where their trust needed to grow.
Squaring his shoulders, he headed to the dungeon. As he’d instructed, she’d removed every stitch and stood in the middle of the room blissfully bare, head bowed.
Every time he found her waiting naked for him, he felt humbled and damn near speechless—not to mention aroused as fuck. “Madison?”
“Yes, Matt.”
Her breathless reply thrilled him. He flipped on the lights and headed for her. She trembled with every step he took in her direction, her cheeks pinkening, her nipples peaking, her pussy plumping. The Dom in him loved seeing her body prepare itself for pleasure. The operative in him worried the telltale signs wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Pershing family, the public, or the media.
When she risked a glance at him, the adulation in her eyes stopped him. “I love your submission and the way your body responds when we’re alone, honey. You have no idea. But in DC, you can’t react to me or give anyone any indication that I’m more than your bodyguard. It could be the difference between life and death.”
“I know, but how?”
“We’re going to work on that.” He would make her practice looking through him, as if he were an inanimate fixture in the room, until it became second nature. “Close your eyes and focus on my voice.”
Since those commands were easy, she did so without hesitation. She’d complied with similar requests for the past twelve days, and he’d always rewarded her with bliss. Now, his demands would get unfamiliar and difficult. And unless she improved by leaps and bounds, the rewards would be few and far between.
“Don’t react to anything I say or do unless I demand a response.”
“Yes, Matt.”
“What’s your safe word?”
“Library.”
As he plucked a blindfold from a hook along the wall, he dissected her body language. She was trying to hide his effect on her, but as he approached, her respiration ticked up. He breathed on her nape, and a shudder wriggled down her spine. As he circled her with slow steps, her pulse hammered at her neck. And when he eased so close their body heat mingled, she leaned in, erasing what little distance he’d left between them.
“I’ll tell you when you have permission to touch me.” Matt eased away, ignoring the ache behind his fly, and slid the blindfold over her eyes. “Until then, you don’t.”
Madison stiffened. He loved looking into her eyes as he unraveled her, so they hadn’t played with sensory deprivation since their first day at Jack’s cabin. But to expand her trust, he had to force her to rely totally on him, to comply now and shelve her questions for later.
“Do you understand?” he prompted.
“Yes, Matt.”
“Green, yellow, or red?”
“Green.”
He caressed his way down her side, his knuckles skimming dangerously close to her pussy. Her body jerked. Her hips jolted toward his touch.
“Hold still,” he commanded.
“I’m trying.”
“Trying isn’t enough.”
“Every time you come near me, I get aroused.”
Her words were gasoline on his sparking libido. “I told you not to react. And I didn’t give you permission to speak.”
She curled her hands into fists and swallowed her reply. “Yes, Matt.”
“When I come close?” he murmured into her ear. “Do. Not. Move. A. Single. Muscle. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Matt.”
Her shaky reply blew her facade of indifference to hell. Her little quivering voice turned him on. “Relax.” When she arranged her body into a reasonable facsimile of a casual pose, he nodded. “Stay like that.”
On the far side of the room, he retrieved a pair of headphones. To Madison’s credit, she didn’t turn her head or give any indication she’d heard him.
“Excellent.” When he circled behind her, he flipped the little switch to turn on the noise-canceling feature and slid the headphones over her ears, adjusting them to fit her.