“Good girl. Now, keep your hands there. And don’t move them unless you’re ready to pay for it.”
I’d never heard him sound like this before. There was an edge to his voice, something dark and needy and barely controlled.
I nodded again, my breath catching.
He left my hands pinned above my head and wrenched my robe open, exposing my taut nipples. A low groan escaped the back of his throat as his voracious gaze raked over my exposed skin.
“How is it possible you’re this beautiful? Like every fantasy I’ve ever had come to life…”
He seized a nipple with his teeth and tugged. It wasn’t gentle—not by any stretch of the imagination. And yet, it felt good—even better when suddenly he released it, allowing the blood to flow back to the tortured bud.
My fingers curled, aching to reach for him. His curls were a mess now, and I longed to thread my hands through them and yank.
“I said don’t move,” he growled before performing the same act on my other nipple, this time sucking harder before he released it.
“Ronan,” I gasped.
His mouth landed on mine again, pulling the hunger I felt for his body lick by dangerous lick. I kept my hands above my head, fighting every instinct to touch him, the restraint making everything more intense.
I lifted a leg, wrapping my thigh around his hip to pull him against me, but he stubbornly held himself back, refusing to let me draw him closer.
“Do you have any clue about the wretched things I’ve imagined doing to this body?” His voice was ragged as his teeth grazed over my breasts again. “I’ve been trying to be…well, not gentle—I’m not capable of that—but at least to be what you deserve. But I’m not that either, Laney. I’m a fucked-up asshole who punishes people for a living. I’ve never made love in my life. Wouldn’t know how if I wanted to. But right now, I just want to fuck. I need to feel something real instead of this goddamn emptiness?—”
That was it. I grabbed his hair as hard as I could and yanked. “Then. Do. It. Stop talking about it and stop holding back.”
Something in his expression cracked open before his gaze darted to the shelf where my hands no longer gripped. “I said not to move.”
I froze. “You did, didn’t you?”
His brow lifted. “Color?”
Once again, every part of me tingled. “Green.”
He pulled my hands out of his hair. His eyes were dark, almost feral as he stepped away. “Wait here.”
He disappeared into his closet, and when he returned, he was holding two things—a riding crop made of sleek brown leather and a belt to match.
My eyes widened.
“Bought it last week, just in case.”
I blinked. “I thought you didn’t know about the survey.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t like plenty on it, sweetheart.” He cocked his head to one side as he smacked his palm with the whip. “One more time.”
“Green,” I said automatically. My voice didn’t even feel like my own. “Use them.”
His mouth curved into the sexiest smirk even known. “Then take off the robe and give me your hands.”
I let the robe fall to the ground, enjoying the way his pupils dilated again at the sight of my body completely naked. Then I offered my wrists and watched as he wrapped the belt around them and cinched it tight enough to pinch.
“Color?”
“Green,” I stared down at my bound hands. I’d never been so turned on in my life. “So green. I trust you.”
Something in his expression completely broke, but reformed just as quickly. “Then turn around, grab the shelf above your head, and don’t move.”
Immediately, I obeyed, setting my hands back where he’d put them before.
