Probing Callie gently, it didn’t take him long to learn where she was sensitive. Her bucking body and imploring whimpers gave her away.

He went after her in earnest, eating at her like a juicy piece of fruit, fucking her thoroughly with his fingers and tongue—and wishing to hell he could mount and claim her.

“Thorpe!”

She was begging for his permission. It was in her voice. In her swollen pussy. In her clutching fingers. In her heels as they dug into the mattress beside him.

Fuck, yes. He was going to make Callie splinter into little pieces before him. And he was going to enjoy the hell out of seeing her shatter—this time for him and him alone.

Keeping his fingers tucked tightly inside her, Thorpe worked his way up her body, kissing and nipping her stomach, the underside of her breasts, her nipples, her neck, then her lush bow of a mouth. God, he hadn’t kissed her in forever and he’d missed it so damn much. He wanted to crawl inside her, take her, thrill her, please her.

He wanted to own her.

Imfuckingpossible.

They had here and now. Tomorrow . . . he had no idea what would happen. He was used to controlling most everything around him. But he couldn’t control Callie or the future. That fact chafed him like nothing else.

Thorpe sank deeper into her mouth, prowling past her plump lips to curl his tongue around hers and capture every bit of her sweet response he could. He moaned, fitting his body against hers and slowly withdrawing his fingers from her pussy, letting them hover just over her clit, where she needed him to touch her most.

“Hands over your head, pet.”

Callie complied without pausing for even a heartbeat. “Please. I need you . . .”

She did, but not in the way she begged for. She needed the limits he’d once given her. He’d stopped because she’d turned to Kirkpatrick. And he hadn’t fought for her. Now she sought to leave him altogether.

You’re only getting what you deserve.

Shoving aside the mocking voice, he reached into his pocket and withdrew the cuffs he’d secreted there. Before she knew what he was about, he flicked one around her left wrist, poised above her head. The other cuff he tethered to the metal frame of her platform bed with a jangle.

“What are you doing?” she asked, tugging and frowning when the cuffs clattered.

“Look at me.” He demanded, setting his fingers back over her clit. “And don’t look away. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Her voice trembled. Her body shook. Her eyes pleaded.

With his cock as hard as iron, Thorpe hissed in a breath and delved deep into her eyes. “Take the pleasure I’m giving you as a vow, pet. If you leave me, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth. There won’t be a place you hide where I can’t find you. I will never stop looking. I will never give up. I will never let you go when I can save you.”

“Thorpe, don’t . . . You can’t—”

He cut her off by working her clit expertly with two fingers devastating either side of the little bud, then alternately rubbing extra friction on top.

“Yes, I can. I told you to look at me. Now,” he demanded. “Come!”

Her eyes turned a dizzying blue, widening with every breath she hitched in, emphasized by the red flush of her cheeks. He didn’t give Callie permission, but she screamed anyway. The sound rang in his ears, echoed off the walls, and no doubt drifted down the hall. It went on and on as her body convulsed and her clit turned to stone under his touch, then pulsed brilliantly again and again.

Callie tumbled into his eyes as the world fell away. Only she existed.

God, she was stunning. When she surrendered, she did it absolutely.

And the knowledge that he had to leave her now because he couldn’t trust himself not to strip off and fuck her was killing him.

Closing his eyes, gathering his will, he kissed Callie on each hot cheek, brushed his lips over her damp forehead, then took her mouth in one last lingering press. He stayed there, struggling to drag in air. A moment, then another. He cherished each precious, irreplaceable second. Callie sobbed, and his chest shattered.

Thorpe broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers, nuzzling her.

“You promised you wouldn’t walk away,” she said through tears.

“I said I wouldn’t before I gave you pleasure. You’re not getting away from me, pet. Don’t make me show you my ruthless side.” He thumbed the wells of her eyes dry with a soft touch. Then he draped the comforter over her, found her purse, and rifled through it until he located her car keys. Pocketing them, he shrugged on his shirt, attached his cuff links, then grabbed his coat and her packed bags.

“Damn it, Thorpe. You can’t undo me like that, then get up and leave.”

He headed for the door. “I’ll be back.”

* * *

THE second Thorpe let himself out, Kirkpatrick came stomping down the hall, barreling toward him like a man ready for a fight. How the hell had he gotten past Axel?

“What the bloody hell are you doing to Callie? I can hear her screaming all over the club.”

“Do you think I hurt her?”

Sean’s face turned red. “I think you put your fucking hands all over her.”

“Ding, ding, ding. Someone get the man a prize.” He edged away from Sean, intent on reaching his office.

Kirkpatrick jabbed him in the jaw, then followed up with a mean left hook to the gut. Thorpe hadn’t seen it coming . . . but he should have.

He doubled over, and Sean took the opportunity to slam him against the wall. “How dare you touch my collared submissive? I’m bloody in love with Callie. I know you overheard me tell her. I made certain of it.”

Thorpe stared at his unwanted rival, trying to shove him off. Kirkpatrick wasn’t budging. Well, the guy had some game. Interesting note for future reference . . . But he wasn’t going to tell Sean that Callie might not be his collared submissive for long. Saying so was her place—even if he’d love to shove it in the bastard’s face.

“For some reason I can’t comprehend, she has feelings for you, too.”

Sean snorted. “Not too many, I guess, if she decided to go straight from fucking me to you.”

As much as Thorpe would love to let Kirkpatrick believe the worst, he refused to give Sean a reason to punish Callie for his own actions. “I didn’t fuck her.”

“You wanted to,” Sean accused.

“That goes without saying. Callie is a beautiful woman. As you’ve previously noted, I care for her. Why are we covering this well trampled ground again?”

“Because it’s my right to know exactly what you did with her.” He bounced Thorpe against the wall again.

The fucker had punched him so hard, he almost felt queasy. But he refused to show weakness.

“Get off me or I’ll have you arrested for assault.” To make his point, Thorpe bent and shoved his shoulder into the Scot’s and, using the wall as leverage, heaved the other man off him. Then he whipped out his phone to text Axel and tapped out their code for “problem.”

“I don’t have time for you,” Thorpe said. “Let’s just say that Callie has feelings for us both, and she offered us the same good-bye. I got her attention, made a few things clear, and left her cuffed to her bed alone, all safe and sound. I even swiped her car keys.” He withdrew them from his pocket and dangled them in front of Sean’s face.

The Scot’s expression turned somewhere between sour and disbelieving. “I want to see her.”

“I’m sorry. I’m still not convinced that you’re in her best interest.”

“And you are?” Kirkpatrick scoffed.

“No. Which is the only reason she wasn’t wearing a collar when you came sniffing around. If and when I decide you can see her, I’ll let you know.”

On cue, Axel charged down the hall with a couple of his staff in tow. Sean came out swinging, but the guards each grabbed one of his arms.

Axel just shoved a hand in Kirkpatrick’s hair and yanked. “You had to pee, huh? Let’s go, motherfucker.”

Thorpe smiled. No one had ever accused Axel of playing nice.

“Don’t call me; I’ll call you.” Thorpe shouted as the men forcibly carried Sean, shouting and belligerent, from the club.

“This isn’t over,” Sean yelled over his shoulder, still fighting them. “She’s mine!”

“Fuck off,” he muttered under his breath, then extracted his phone again, making strides to his office.

Once inside, he paused, then chose a course of action. Lance had been in the dungeon earlier. Perfect. Callie needed care, and she’d do her best to outsmart or wheedle another sub to get away right now. Thorpe had hoped that merely kindling the sexual fire between them might persuade her to stay, but . . . wishful thinking. It would have been smarter if he’d just fucked her since that had likely been his only opportunity. Damn it. Now he had to tear his thoughts from her pussy and act strategically. Lance wouldn’t take a lick of crap from her. He was a strong, clever Dom—and didn’t have a heterosexual bone in his body. Even better.

Axel returned a few minutes later, winded and looking like he might have a shiner tomorrow. “Can I press assault charges?”

Thorpe slanted the other Dom a glare. “We don’t need trouble here. Wouldn’t you rather meet him in a dark alley?”

“Fuck, yeah. Is that option on the table, boss?”

He shrugged. “Have fun. Don’t get caught. But before you go, would you ask Lance if he’d take care of Callie?”

With a nod, Axel left. Minutes later, he escorted Lance down the hallway.

Lance paused at Thorpe’s door. “Expecting trouble from our little vixen?”

“Just constantly.” Thorpe smiled faintly. “I have an urgent phone call to make, so I appreciate your assistance.”

“Always happy to help.”

When Lance disappeared, and Axel headed back to the dungeon, Thorpe indulged in one thing he never did during the club’s business hours. But in this case, he figured he was entitled. He poured himself a stiff scotch, plopped into his chair, and downed it. Then he broke his own rules again and called a client to beg.

Logan Edgington answered his phone on the third ring, the noise from a television cluttering the background until he killed it. “Thorpe. ’Sup, man? It’s getting late.”

“I have a situation. I need some information. I’d like to speak with your wife, if that’s all right.”

The former SEAL hesitated for a moment. “Yeah. We were just watching a movie. Tara’s due in about two months and is having some problems with insomnia. If I don’t keep her occupied, she’ll be up ‘nesting’ half the night, which is code for moving furniture without consulting me or asking for help.”

“Hey,” he heard Tara protest in the background. “The twins are active at night. I can’t sleep when I’m being constantly kicked. I said I was sorry.”

“Yeah, after I added another infraction to your quickly growing list for after these babies are born. You’re racking them up, Cherry.” When his wife sighed noisily, Logan just laughed. “My brother’s wife, Kata, is five months behind her and still in the tired-all-the-time phase, so she conked out for the night. If you can occupy Tara’s brain right now, you’ll be my hero.”

“I’ve definitely got a winner,” Thorpe promised. “Are you sure she’s up to it?”

Logan scoffed. “Her ankles may be swollen, but there’s nothing wrong with her mind. Here you go.”

After a quick scuffle, Tara’s voice sounded over the line. “Hi, Thorpe.”

“Hello, sweet girl. I’m sorry it’s so late, but I need your help.”

“Anything. Name it.”

“Do you still have contacts at the FBI from your analyst days?”

“Absolutely.” She shuffled in bed again. “Can’t find a comfortable position. Sorry. One second . . . There. What do you need?”

“Background on someone new here at Dominion. He’s a potential problem.”

“So are you looking for his arrest record, criminal background . . . that kind of thing?”

“Precisely,” Thorpe confirmed. “Anything you can find out, really. I’ve thought for some weeks that there’s something about him that seems off. His story checks out on the surface, but it feels awfully pat. I suspect he’s not who he claims.” He hesitated. “He’s fixated on Callie.”

Tara grunted. “You’re calling me about her?”

“I know she isn’t your favorite person.”

“Um, not exactly. She wanted my husband.”

“No.” He didn’t want to divulge Callie’s secrets, but he needed to set Tara at ease so she’d provide answers. “Actually, I believe she was trying to get my attention with her brattiness and misbehavior.”