“Even earlier,” she said softly, avoiding his gaze. “I thought about what it would be like before I even met you.”
He nodded, surprised and a little touched by the vulnerability of her admission. “An author photo and an idea of who I might be?” She nodded. “How do I compare to the fantasy?”
“Better in every way,” she said without hesitation.
He rewarded her by pressing his middle finger into her, while his thumb rubbed circles around her clit. Her body strained ineffectually against the bonds that held her in place, as he maintained a controlled pace.
“And how long do you think it will be until you can think about anyone else?”
“I don’t know,” she said vaguely, closing her eyes. Her hips rocked slightly, willing him to speed up. Instead, he lifted himself off the bed completely. She looked at him with disappointment that verged on betrayal, fearful their game had ended. But her expression gave way to relief as he moved down to the foot of the bed, opening his jeans and tugging them down. He was eager to give her the release she wanted—but it was balanced by the urge, equally strong, to maintain control. Over her and, by extension, over himself.
“How long until you can come for anyone but me?” he asked. He opened a condom and rolled it onto his length. As he climbed back onto the bed between her open thighs, the impulse to take her was like a drumbeat inside him, deafening in its immediacy.
With Ellsbeth’s legs magically bound and open, it was impossible to remove her underwear, so he simply grabbed the fabric, pulling it aside and stretching it beyond repair to expose her completely, positioning himself between her thighs.
Yet still, he held back, waiting for her reply. He wanted her to know he could wait forever, even though he was as hungry as she was. “How long? Until you want anyone else?”
“I don’t know.”
“How long?”
She pulled against the invisible bindings, pressing herself up and toward him, but he pulled away, not letting her reach him. She whimpered.
“Never,” Ellsbeth finally whispered, her body immobilized and her gaze locked on his.
“Good,” he said, and finally, he let go. He descended and sank into her, the force of his passion unleashed like a burst dam.
His timing was perfect. The effect of the ritual ended the moment he pressed into her, and Ellsbeth’s limbs, suddenly freed, wrapped around him like a trap sprung. Her fingers dug into his back and her legs encircled his waist, compelling him deeper and faster.
He needed no encouragement, thrusting into her with abandon. She let out an involuntary yelp, some inchoate mixture of pleasure and pain. His own unguarded groan matched hers, guttural and savage. He fucked her ferociously, a starving man who’d spent hours at the window, finally let in to feast. He buried his face in her neck as he felt the deliberately delayed orgasm overtake her, radiating outward, as though every electric current of her pleasure flowed directly into him.
The façade of control he had maintained evaporated completely as he joined her in the primal, animalistic spasm, and they lost themselves in the time-stopping joy of each other.
Later, Rawlins sprinkled herbs overa sizzling snapper fillet in a cast-iron skillet while turning stalks of lemony asparagus in the pan besideit.
Ellsbeth wore his button-down and a pair of his boxers while he stood in pants and no shirt—a single complete outfit divided evenly between them. She sat on a stool at the kitchen counter, swirling the wine in her glass, clearly pleased with herself as she looked around his well-appointed kitchen.
“When you get a lot of money, does someone come teach you how to be rich?” she asked. “I mean, is there some sort of class on all the fancy stuff you should buy?”
He chuckled. “If you have a modicum of taste, you figure it out as you go. But don’t worry—if you’re dead-set on an academic career, that won’t be a problem.”
“Maybe I’ll just have to write my own bestselling book that revolutionizes the field.”
“I wouldn’t be shocked,” he said as he plated her dinner, setting it on the counter. She dug in, ravenous and clearly enjoying the meal.
As he sat down with his own dinner, she asked, “Did you get a chance to pick up the Mandressi Compendium for me?”
Rawlins shook his head. “With the level of scrutiny this could attract, I don’t want to leave a paper trail picking up university materials.” Ellsbeth’s face fell with visible disappointment, until he continued, “That’s why I contacted a friend of mine in Leavenworth who collects rare arcane texts. He agreed to lend his copy, and I went and picked it up last night.”
She brightened, and he saw gratitude in her eyes that made his two-hour round trip to get the book more than worth it. “Thank you.”
“I’m happy to help with your studies, as long as you’re cautious,” he said. “But I do have to ask. Why obscuration?”
He watched her as she looked away, growing thoughtful. He already knew there were reasons for her study beyond the idle curiosity she had alluded to before, and now he could see her weighing whether or not to tell him the truth.
When she spoke, it was in a measured tone, weighing every word. “I’ve always wanted to push the limits of what’s possible.” She looked away but kept talking. “I know that the world’s not fair. Life isn’t fair. And that’s fine, except that really, it’speoplethat are unfair. And closed-minded. And sometimes…evil. So are we supposed to justaccept that? When there might be a way to change things for the better?”
“Can you really make things better bycontrollingpeople?” Rawlins asked. “That’s not persuasion—it’s force.”
