The Dom Identity (Masters & Mercenaries Reloaded 2)

She went perfectly still. “I think you broke that contract. I believe there was something in it about protecting me.”

Guilt twisted inside him, but he couldn’t let it win. “And I failed, but I won’t again. I will honor that contract for as long as you will allow me to. I’ll protect you from everything that might hurt you. Everyone who might hurt you. Everyone but me.”

“You can’t hurt me now.”

“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Her shoulders straightened, chin coming up in a stubborn expression. “I’m not going to lie to you. I want to scene. I want to play and forget this whole day. I don’t think I can live here with you without falling into bed. So I want to go in with my eyes wide open this time. I will not stay with you. I will fuck you. I’ll let you fuck me. I’ll let you top me in the bedroom. I might even fall back into old habits, and our days together might seem good. But you should understand that no matter how much I end up feeling for you, I’ll leave in the end. When this is done and it’s safe, I’ll go.”

She would punish him. That was what she was saying. She would take everything he had to give her and then she would leave him.

He might deserve it. If he had a single ounce of self-preservation, he would tell her to go to Julian’s.

He didn’t. He would take the bet. He would bet that time could soften her heart, that he could show her how much he loved her.

“Drop the robe.”

She frowned. “I told you what’s going to happen.”

“And I promised to give you what you need. So drop the robe. We’re playing, and I’m in charge until you use your safe word. It’s red.” He hardened his tone, settling into his role. He was giving her what she needed. He wouldn’t get what he needed. He wouldn’t get her saying how much she cared about him. But if this was all she would accept from him, he would take it.

Her robe dropped, and her chin came up. “I’m using you, Michael. I want to play to get out of my head for a while.”

“And I want to worship your body. I want to touch you and feel like I didn’t fuck up for two seconds.” Blood started to pump through him, his cock beginning to twitch. “Take off your top. I want to see your breasts.”

Her hands moved, tugging the shirt off. She wasn’t wearing a bra, but he’d known that. She didn’t like to wear them unless she was going out somewhere or they had people over. It made it easy for him to slide his hand over and play with her nipples. “You didn’t fuck up. Like you said. You were only doing your job.”

“I never said that. You weren’t merely a job.” He moved in, looming over her. Even in the gloom of the night, her eyes shone. “You became everything.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to listen to that shit.”

“And I don’t want to be the dick you ride so you don’t have to feel anything. Guess neither of us is getting what we want. Take off the bottoms and the underwear and understand that I don’t want to see it again. I don’t care if you wear it to work, but the minute you get here, those panties come off.”

“Changing the rules?” The challenge was there in her tone. She kicked off the pajama bottoms but left the underwear on.

“If you want a hard-core Dom, you’ll get one.”

“You think you can be hard-core? I think you’re a liar. I never asked. Are you even a Dom? Or did you take a quick class so you could fool the idiot actress?”

Oh, she was about to find out who he was as a Dom. He leaned over and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. Though the balcony was private, he didn’t trust that there wouldn’t be someone in one of the surrounding buildings watching them. He didn’t give a shit, but she would. At this point all they could possibly have seen was the beginnings of intimacy between two people who should be intimate.

But what he was about to do would shock anyone watching.

“Hey, put me down. What are you doing?”

“I’m proving to you that I know how to deal with an angry little brat.” He strode to his bedroom where his kit was. He was obviously going to need some tools to get this job done.

He knew damn well she was pushing him, but she needed it. She needed to spew some bile and needed the discipline he was about to give her.

He kicked open the door and moved to the closet.

“Let me down, asshole,” she snarled, her feet kicking at his torso.