“Let me help, sweetheart.” And rather than pounding into her like she had expected, he moved just his hand. His fingers slid to the juncture of their bodies, and the next time she came down, he stroked her pussy. Her whole body went rigid. She groaned and went up and down again, and his finger slid across her clit, pressing against it. The sensations from inside her expanded, joined with those from her clit, and suddenly she screamed as everything, everything inside her burst, spasming through her in heart-stopping pleasure so brilliant, the moon faded.

She barely moved, and another wave crashed through her. And another. Her heart had somehow lodged high in her chest, pounding so intensely, it hurt.

Finally she dropped down onto him, a quivering mess, still jerking with the aftershocks. “I… God…” she managed to whisper, feeling as if the world had edged sideways, as if reality itself had changed.

When his arms came around her, she almost cried at the sense of being anchored. He stroked her hair and murmured, “That had to be one of the bravest things I've ever seen, little vet. I'm proud of you.”

It came again, that fuzzy feeling inside just from his words and his deep voice. She rubbed her cheek against him. He was proud of her.

So was she, come to think of it. I had sex. Real sex with a man.

A few minutes later, a cramp in her legs caught her by surprise. She started to move…and froze. He was still inside her and still completely erect. What have I done? She sat up quickly and moaned at the amazing sensation as her weight drove him deeper inside her. “Oh frak, I'm sorry. Sorry. You didn't get off, and I did. I'm sorry.”

A long sigh. “MacKensie, much as men don't like to share this fact, we rarely die from not getting off.”

“But…”

He looked up at her, a little exasperated, a little amused. Not a trace of anger, although she could feel the way his cock pulsed inside her.

“Don't you want to?” she whispered. He didn't want her? The sense of rejection grayed some of her elation.

Those hard hands closed on her arms again. “Little sub, I would be more than delighted to roll you over and take you, here and now. But not if you aren't ready.”

She frowned. He'd been inside her for…for a long time. Her johns had usually erupted within minutes, if not seconds. “Couldn't you…? Why didn't you…come before? Before I did?”

He chuckled. “That would defeat the purpose, now wouldn't it? And I didn't want anything to divert you. Little cat, don't worry a—”

“Then take me,” she said recklessly. So many others had. How could she deny this one person who actually cared about her? Who'd given her a real, actual orgasm. Her insides still quivered. “However you want.”

He cupped her cheek. “Sugar, I… You do realize that I would have to move to get off?”

Do I realize? If he only knew. The laugh that rose into her chest felt almost hysterical, and she smothered it. Grunting and sloppy, heaving and pushing, battering at her… Her hands tightened on his shirt. “I realize. Do it.”

He studied her again, and she tried to hide how her mind kept screaming, No no no. “All right, then,” he said. “I think perhaps we'd best get this behind us, or you'll keep worrying about it.” His hands rubbed her legs, and she could feel the way her muscles shook. “I would have preferred you on top”—when he grinned, the lack of lust in his face, the humor in his eyes, relieved her immensely—“but your legs aren't going to hold you up, are they?”

And just like that, he pushed her off him, his cock leaving her body, leaving her empty. “Uhhh.” The sound was almost a whine and had come from her. But she didn't have time to think before he'd slid her down onto the blanket and on her back. Such a vulnerable position, she realized as he loomed over her. Her hands fisted.

I can do this. No retreat, no surrender.

Chapter Thirteen

He hadn't planned to go this far yet, but she'd mustered her courage, and to throw her gesture away would be wrong. Alex frowned at how her little hands had fisted. Perhaps a diversion would give her something else to concentrate on. Her fear of men appeared separate from her enjoyment of being dominated. “MacKensie, give me your wrists.”

With a quizzical look, she complied. He pulled the Velcro cuffs from under the log, shook the sand off, and fastened them to her wrists.

“Alex?” She moved her arms. Her eyes widened when the chains attached to the cuffs erupted from the sand.

Smiling, he grasped her waist and slid her down the blanket until the chains pulled her arms over her head.

“I didn't say you could do this,” she said, her voice shaking.

“Little sub, I didn't ask.” When he attached cuffs to her ankles and took up the slack in the chains running to the stakes hidden in the sand, she watched him with big eyes. He ran a finger under each of the cuffs to ensure her circulation wasn't compromised, then sat back on his heels and enjoyed the sight of his restrained submissive.

Her pale, pale skin glowed in the moonlight. Her breasts sat high on her chest, nipples jutting upward, reassuring him that the restraints had given her more arousal than fear. The curly hair between her legs glistened in the light, and when he set his hand there, her quick inhalation was louder than the sound of the waves. He slid his fingers along her folds, circled her clit, and watched the flush rise in her cheeks. Her pussy had softened after her orgasm, but as he continued, the little nub under his fingers swelled with blood. He'd learned from their playtime at the club that she had a sensitive clit, and stroking the sides worked better than on top.

Playing with the very edge of the hood could make her whine. Hearing that sound again… Hell. Unable to resist, he went down on her. A woman with her legs chained open presented an overwhelming temptation to get closer, to breathe in the scent of her arousal, to taste her juices. And torture her until she whimpered.

He laid his tongue directly on that tender clit and heard the thin whine rise higher. He flicked the edges, did a few circles, and then gently pulled her labia apart and the hood up. The pearl of sensation—damned good term.

Her legs shook when the cool air hit the protected nub, and he could feel her muscles tense. He flicked the edges of the button ever so lightly until her breathing turned ragged.

He could get her off again. No, he had better not push her further. She'd wanted to gift him with herself, and if she panicked now, it would be a step back. Besides, he very much wanted to bury himself deep inside her. He sat up, enjoying her frustrated whimper. Her climax was just a flick or two away.

Watching her face, he positioned himself and pressed in, a hell of a lot slower than she'd done it. Her pussy, hot and wet, stretched around him as he filled her.

If her fear hadn't hit, she'd have climaxed with his entry. But they had time. He propped himself up with one arm and took her lips in a teasing kiss. Her eyes looked a little wild, so he reminded her she had other worries than his cock. “Did I get the chains too tight?”

Her breath caught, and she jerked her arms, her legs. She was well pinned, and he could feel the way her pussy constricted around him at the knowledge. The purely submissive response fed his Dom nature like raw meat tossed to a wolf.

“You know, I like your legs tied open, little sub; I can lick you, and you can't stop me.” Her vagina gave an involuntary twitch, but her eyes still had terror lurking in the back.

He slid his hand under her ass. “Maybe next time I spank you, I'll tie you down first.” He squeezed the tender skin where his hand had struck. Her hips jolted up, pushing him deeper inside her, and her moan of pain held the husky note of arousal. This time, when he looked into her eyes, no terror showed.

Now she was ready. Smiling, he pulled back and then drove into her. Her instinctive reaction—fear—made her yank on the restraints, and as that diverted her, he rocked in and out, harder and faster.

She felt like the finest of dreams, enclosing his cock in hot satin, smooth and slick. Too damn good. Now that he'd released the control he'd kept over his need, he wouldn't last long. Damned if he wouldn't make her go over with him. Abandoning her ass, he ran his hands over her breasts, reminding her she had other sensitive body parts. Each pinch on a nipple made her pussy contract. He wet his fingers, sliding them over her clit until it stiffened.

Capturing it between thumb and index finger, he rubbed, then pinched it gently with each of his strokes.

“Not again,” she whimpered.

He felt her body shift from the “this is fun and exciting” into the “God, I need to come” stage, and her hips rocked against his as she tried to hurry his thrusts, push against his fingers.

She squeezed around him, thigh and stomach muscles quivering. She was right on the edge. He shifted to the hard, fast strokes that would take him with her, angling to hit her G-spot with every couple of thrusts. When he slid a finger directly over her clit and rubbed, her whole body went rigid.

One thrust, another, and then her head tilted back, neck cords standing out as her climax burst over her. Her short, jerky cries coincided with the forceful, milking convulsions that sucked his cock like a vacuum pump and then yanked him right over the top. His climax started at his feet, squeezed his balls like a vise, and finally erupted from his cock in such brutal spasms that his eyes went blind.

His arms almost buckled as he blinked and shook his head experimentally—no, it hadn't exploded. He looked down at the little sub underneath him.

Her eyes were glazed.

“Little cat,” he murmured, resting his forehead against hers. Just that tiny movement tightened her pussy around him, and he actually jerked a couple more times. This woman could be the death of him.

Reaching over her head, he ripped the Velcro cuffs off and released her wrists. She lowered her hands, hesitated, and then wrapped her arms around him. Good. Propping himself up with one hand, he nuzzled her neck, then kissed her long and deep as he stroked her face, her breasts, her waist. Women needed closeness after sex—any man soon learned that—and this little sub would need it more than most.

Not that he considered having his hands on her any hardship. The need to touch her and keep her close was stronger than he'd felt with any woman. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You have a generous heart.”

“I think I owe the thanks,” she whispered, and he could hear the quiver in her voice. “You got me off…twice. Even though this last time was supposed to be just for you.”

He snorted. “Little sub, you have a lot to learn about sex.” And she needed more holding than this position allowed. “Brace yourself,” he warned and smiled at her confused look until he pulled out of her. At the loss of his cock, she mewed in unhappiness, pleasing him immensely.

After releasing her legs, he lay down beside her and pulled her up against him. Her head fit into the hollow of his shoulder as if designed for that purpose. He kept her pinned against him with one arm and let his other hand roam over the muscles of her back, the sweet place where her waist curved in, the tiny dents just above her buttocks, the perfect curve of her ass.

A wiggle and whimper reminded him of the tenderness of that ass, probably still reddened from his hand.

He chuckled. “Sorry. I forgot.” The growl she gave in response sounded like a kitten wanting to be a tiger and proved the final straw for him.

This one, here in his arms—she was a keeper.

* * *

Mac had achieved an orgasm with a man inside her. Just like a normal woman. She stared into the blackness of the beach-house bedroom and just marveled. However this change in her had happened, she liked it. Liked it a lot. Why Alex could get past her defenses when no one else had, she didn't know.

Was it because he'd spanked her…twice now? She had to admit that she felt…accepted by him, even with all her weirdnesses. She smiled in the darkness; he surrounded her even in sleep. He'd curled his big body around her, pulling her shoulders against his chest. Her head rested on his right arm. His other arm held her against him. His hand cupped around her breast.

She should find the position terrifying and his hand too intimate, but she didn't. It felt comforting. Not that he'd given her a choice. He'd simply lain down beside her, rolled her over, and yanked her into his arms.