had them pounding, breathless, sweaty and insane.
And the rest. God, the rest of it. Did I really submit to his every demand?
Yes. She had.
She closed her eyes again, letting herself remember every moment, letting herself believe. It hadn’t been a fantasy creeping up from the inner recesses of her mind, some longing she’d never known she felt. She really had surrendered herself, body, mind and spirit, to a man she’d only met a week ago.
A man who now slept with her in her bed. A man with whom she had fallen asleep.
That shocked her, and she blinked, glancing over at the bedside clock. It was 2:00 a.m. After the amazing sex, she’d fallen asleep, as if it was an everyday occurrence. He’d obviously gotten up to turn off the lights and rejoined her, holding her as tightly in his sleep as he had when awake.
He’d warned her he would, yet Mike had no idea he’d broken down yet another of her barriers. She lay very still in the circle of his arms, feeling the scrape of his leg, the warmth of his skin, the press of his half-aroused sex against her hip.
It took her only a moment to realize she was waiting for the panic to set in, and another to acknowledge that it hadn’t.
She was okay. Actually, she was fine. Good. Thrilled even.
Because, just remembering the way she’d delivered herself into his hands, and how seriously he’d taken that responsibility, was enough to give her not only reassurance, but chills of satisfaction.
Some of her patients had confessed they liked being tied up, even spanked. She’d had her own opinions about that, essentially thinking, No way in hell would I ever do it. But she’d always been able to ignore her own reactions and focus on helping her patients understand why they made the choices they did. They talked a lot about why they wanted what they wanted, and how to ensure their relationships were healthy ones... Even ones with spankings.
All that meant she should be able to understand why she’d made the choice she had made last night. The truth flitted around the edges of her mind, not quite coming into focus. Undoubtedly, it was partly to do with her own physical needs...and partly to do with the man who’d demanded the right to fulfill them. Beyond that, she couldn’t put the entire picture together. She only knew it had been the best sex of her life and that she would never regret it.
“You’re awake,” he whispered. She hadn’t even realized he was no longer sleeping, and the voice coming out of the darkness startled her for a second.
As if sensing that, he tightened his arm around her, pulling her even closer, and pressed a kiss on her forehead.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep right away,” she admitted.
“You obviously needed it. I doubt you’ve slept well this week. New place, new bed and all that.”
“Maybe.” She turned to face him, lifting her leg and sliding it over his. The position pressed them that much closer together, and a shiver of delight went through her. She felt him hardening, second by second. With a shimmy and a thrust, she could have him inside her again.
She wanted that very much, but there was the issue of birth control to consider. She hadn’t bothered to bring her diaphragm to the island, never in a million years thinking she’d require it. Mike had taken care of things last night, thank God, but unless he came doubly prepared, they were going to be out of luck as far as that went, at least until tomorrow.
Of course, there were other things they could do.
Other pleasures to explore.
“Maybe you just wore me out,” she said, licking her lips as she imagined what else she’d like to do to him and with him.
“It’s mutual.” He ran his hand down her side, reaching her hip and tugging her even closer against him. He was as hard as a rock now, his cock nestled in the folds of her sex, which was slick and welcoming. But he made no effort to go further.
“No more condoms, huh?” she asked.
He sighed heavily. “Nope. You?”
“Nary a one. And I don’t have anything else.”
“Well, damn, so much for believing you were a Girl Scout.”
“I take it you weren’t a Scout, either?”
“Hey, I came prepared for round one.”
True. She didn’t ask him why. She honestly didn’t want to know whether he always went around with a condom in his pocket, or if he’d put it in there only after he’d met her. One answer might depress her, the other might annoy her. So it was best not to ask the question.
“I don’t suppose there’s an all-night pharmacy around here where we could stock up for rounds two through ten?”
“First, even if there were an all-night pharmacy, I’m not sure it would be wise for the police chief and the new schoolteacher to walk in there at two in the morning and buy rubbers.”
“Maybe not,” she said with a heavy sigh that wasn’t quite feigned. Remembering what he’d said, she asked, “What’s second?”
“Second...ten?” he said, half laughing, half groaning.
“Oh, come on. You’re young, you’re strong. Where’s all that hot Italian blood I’ve heard about?” she teased.
“At this particular moment,” he said as he leaned forward to nuzzle her neck, “it’s all in my cock. But there’s not much I can do about that, now, is there?”
“Sure there is,” she said, arching back so he could trace his tongue down to the hollow of her throat. His breath was warm against her skin, his lips soft and tender. “All you have to do is tell me what you want.”
He lifted his head and stared at her, his dark eyes gleaming in the shadowy room, lit only by a hint of moonlight spilling in the front window. His hair was tousled, his jaw shadowed, his expression hungry. Lindsey was certain she’d never seen a sexier sight in her life.
“Not ask you?” he said, catching her emphasis.
She stroked a muscular shoulder, scraping her nails lightly across that smooth skin. “I’m finding I take direction better than I thought I ever would.”
“What if I directed you to go get something out of your toy box for us to play with?”
Shivering, shocked by the excitement that rushed through her, she said, “Well, you’d have to give me a few minutes to dig it out of the closet.”
“Why don’t you do that?” he said, kissing her collarbone, his hand stroking her thigh. “Pick out your favorite.”
“I don’t have one. I was serious when I said I’ve never used any of them.”
He paused, his hand staying where it was, and lifted his head until they were face-to-face. “Yeah. About that...?”
She understood what he was asking. They’d avoided the topic for a week, she’d never come out and told him what she really did for a living, or why she had a vast collection of sexual aids. She owed him an explanation, especially after what had happened with the Kama Sutra found in the parking lot.
Steeling herself for his reaction, whatever it might be, she said, “In my real life, I’m a counselor.”
“Like, at a high school?”
That was probably a logical assumption for him to make, but she laughed lightly. “I mean, a psychological counselor. A therapist. I work—I mean, I hope I still work—at a health-and-wellness center in downtown Chicago.”
Mike sat up straight, the sheets falling onto his lap. She eyed that big, broad chest, with its light sprinkling of dark, wiry hair. He was so nice to look at. The man was amazingly handsome during the day, but he was made to wear night.
Right now, though,