Page 63 of No Going Back

“You won’t escape that easily, pet.”

His silky voice had an edge of steel to it, sharp enough to cut through the white noise of intense sexual pleasure. Her innermost desires gorged themselves on the pain he gave her. The agony doubled when he applied the second clamp, and doubled again when she felt a pull on the connecting chain.

“You can try as hard as you like, Madeleine, but you won’t get away from it. Every time you move, the weights will move with you and make it worse.”

She could vouch for that already. And it felt good… so good. She needed more. She’d been so long without this.

Guy cupped one of her breasts, cradling it in his palm so he could play with the clamp and her nipple.

“They’re not as perky as they used to be.”

“They’re perfect.”

She gave a self-conscious laugh. “You’ll have to explain that one to me, because I’m not getting it.”

“They’re soft and full, and made for my mouth. The only breasts that have ever been perfect for me, so there’ll be no more talk of them being anything other than exquisite.”

Warmth swirled inside her. If Guy wanted to talk perfection, she was looking at it right now. The salt-and-pepper in his hair added to his natural air of authority. As for that precisely trimmed beard framing his sensual mouth… it gave him a look of the devil incarnate. The black linen shirt, open at his throat, was an irresistible draw. Had she not been restrained, she’d have sat up and taken him in her arms. How many times had she nuzzled him there, in the dip below his Adam’s apple, and inhaled his scent deep into her lungs until he saturated her soul?

“For the safety and security of all concerned, these rooms are constantly under audio-visual surveillance,” he said. “Sound and vision are on separate circuits. They can both be switched off, but if they are, there’s a failsafe in the system that prevents both being switched off at the same time. I gave instructions for the visual circuit in this room to be switched off, but audio is still active. You won’t be gagged, so you can safeword at any time. If you call red, the lights will flash in acknowledgement, and a Dungeon Monitor will be here in less than twenty seconds. Do you understand all that, pet?”

“I do, Sire.”

“Good.” He leaned over her, his weight on his hands, either side of her head. “I’m not going to hold back, pet. I did at home, because we were alone, but here you can call red if you need to, and know you’ll be safe.”

“You’re implying I can’t trust you to stop if I need you to, when I know that’s not true.”

The back of his fingers traced the line of her jaw. “Yes, but only a fool goes on a mission without a backup plan. I know you’re no fool.”

Beneath his touch, her body hummed. Arousal coursed through her veins with every delicate, piercing gift of pain he bestowed upon her. This was what she wanted, what she’d missed for so long, ever since that freezing, snowy day when her former life had ended.

Guy was relentless. Beneath his touch, she had no choice but to surrender to the tumultuous sensations rioting through her. Her body shook with the force of the climaxes he drew from her, so violent that, as she came down from the dizzying heights, she was barely aware of him loosening her bonds. He carried her to the shower cubicle, where he stripped off his clothes and held her under the spray, a sobbing, quivering mess. His deep, rich voice was as soothing as his touch as he cleansed her body with a gentleness that told her she was his treasure beyond price.

Later, in the sanctuary of Guy’s arms, surrounded and protected by his love, Maddie felt the last of her defences crumble. Emotionally vulnerable now, she succumbed to the quiet voice of her conscience. She could no longer avoid telling him the truth, that for a heartbreakingly short time, he’d been the father of a beautiful baby girl, though their child had never taken a breath. Maddie had had the privilege and honour of holding their daughter in her arms, something he’d never be able to do. She’d counted her tiny fingers and toes, and kissed her goodbye before Mikhail had taken her away.

When he’d returned without her… Even now, the pain sliced her to ribbons. Back then, Mikhail had held her through the bouts of grieving, and the guilt had multiplied. She’d wished his arms had been Guy’s, holding her as he was now, ready to defend her against the prowling demons eager to tear her heart to shreds.

She would tell him. She would. If she could hold onto this moment just a little while longer…