Bought by the Boss

Tonight is all we’ve got left.

I can only hope I’ve begun to show her that right here with me is where she belongs. Though as I stare into her eyes, I’m torn between wanting her to realize this and hating to see her struggle like she is. “You don’t want this night to end?” I ask, brushing a thumb across her cheek.

“Here everything is very uncomplicated,” she admits.

I brush my fingers across her cheeks, tucking her hair behind her ears, appreciating her honesty. “What’s so complicated?” I need to get through to her, no matter what.

She stares into my eyes, the moonlight casting a stunning glow across her face. “I thought we’d have this epic weekend of hot sex.”

I arch a single eyebrow. “Have we not had that?”

She laughs softly, leaning her palms against my chest. “Of course, we have, but it’s more than hot sex. I like being with you. Today, it was…”

“Easy,” I offer, understanding completely.

She nods and smiles. “It feels good being around you.”

Now that’s exactly what I want to hear. “I know it feels good.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it works, you and I.”

Her brows draw together, confusion so heavy in her eyes. “How can you be so sure about me?”

“You’re unforgettable, Aria.”

I see the way my words affect her, softening her eyes. “See, it’s things like that. Why do you have to say stuff like that?”

“It’s the truth.”

“Is it?” she asks, wide-eyed.

That’s when I see what this is all about. Jackson has poisoned her mind. She’s desperate to believe me but she can’t. And she can’t because Jackson has clearly told her not to trust me. I hate him for that, as much as I hate him for everything he’s done. I refuse to waste my last night with Aria thinking about Jackson. I step closer, sliding both of my hands across her face. “Stay here with me, Aria.” I brush my lips across hers. “Can you do that?”

Her eyes search mine. It’s clear she’s fighting against all the lies in her mind to what the truth of my touch holds. “I can try,” she says gently.

“That’s all I ask.”

It wasn’t, though. Not truly. She knows that truth. So do I. I want her to give me everything. I want to wake up next to her in the morning. I want to go to sleep with her safe in my arms. There is not a memory from this night on that I don’t want her in.

To remind her how real things are between us, and to break the hold the lies have on her mind, I take her hand and lead her back into the house, locking the door behind me. Up until now, I’ve played gently. I won’t anymore. She’s mine, and it’s about time she knows it.

When we reach the bathroom, I stop in the middle of the room and look at her. I drop any shields I usually keep up, where I fight the dominance I feel around her. Now I flood her with all of me. Perhaps it’s the way I look at her, or something more, but her pupils dilate, lips part and she begins breathing heavily, anticipation peppering the air.

“Undress and then press your hands against the vanity and wait for me,” I tell her.

I don’t stick around to see if she obeys my instructions. I know she will. I leave the bathroom and move to the bedroom, opening the dresser drawer when I get there. I fetch out the items I bought before the trip and then I return to Aria. I stop in the doorway, studying the beauty who did exactly as I asked. My vision narrows on her, a gorgeous woman there for my taking. “I want you,” I tell her, not getting closer, letting her anticipate my moving to her. “All of you. Will you give me that, Aria?”

“Yes,” she rasps, staring at me in the mirror.

I smile letting her know I like that answer then approach. When I step in next to her, I place the black crop, black silk ribbon, and a silver butt plug on the vanity in her line of vision. “Do you truly want to give me everything I want?” I ask again, letting her back out.

“Yes,” she says.

I slide my hand across the small of her back feeling the slight tremble beneath her flesh. “If you say stop, I stop. This isn’t about pushing limits. Do you understand?”

She shivers against me. “What if I want to push my limits?”