“And I ask you again, is that why you came here?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “That’s not true. We both know it.”
His Adam’s apple jerked when he swallowed. “Why do you think I’m here?”
“Do you want to play games with me now, Heck?” She strolled around the far end of the loft, admiring the various trinkets she often used in a more explicit form of intimate play.
She dragged her fingers over a smooth granite stone, one that had brought her plenty of pleasure over the years. She then caressed the largest candle, stroking the smooth yellow wax as she imagined Heck pouring the hot liquid over her breasts and loving the way she came apart in his arms. Aware of him watching her, she spun around. “I can play, Heck. I can play the kind of games designed to wake snakes or make a whore blush.”
He cleared his throat, but he didn’t speak. Still, as he took another step, and then one more, Heck was very expressive without saying a word.
His maleness was hard and visible as he approached her. The lust in his hooded eyes and the defined angles and planes in his face took on a raw sex appeal, shaping the man, the lover he’d soon become.
Instead of going to her, he walked to the end of the loft. Standing before the stakes in the slab of wood, he asked, “What do you do when you’re here, Carla?”
“I think you know.”
“You let them tie you up.”
“Yes.”
“And you like it?”
“It’s more than just enjoyme
nt. It’s something I need.”
“Why?” He pursued her then like a man with one mission—ownership, true possession. “Do you enjoy sex with pain?”
“I like what follows after the pain.”
“And what if I want you without all this?” He waved his hand around the area. “What then?”
“You won’t,” she said, unbuttoning the top of her prairie dress.
He blushed as she stripped down to her pantaloons. At one point, he started to speak and she placed two fingers against his lips. “Not yet, Heck. I’ll do whatever you want, but first I want you to see me.”
She removed all her clothing and piled them on top of an old trunk. Then, she strolled to a nearby stack of blankets. Taking her time and reveling in the idea of Heck watching her every move, she spread a quilt over the plank floor before tossing another one over a couple of hay bales.
When she bent over to smooth the wrinkles out of the crumpled pattern, he gasped. “What the hell, Carla?”
Peering over her shoulder, she smiled as soon as she realized what had grabbed his attention. Rubbing her right cheek, she fluttered her eyelashes. “Love pats, Heck. That’s all they are.”
“And you like it when they spank you?”
“Yes,” she said, reaching for his hand. “And you’ll enjoy spanking me, too.”
Chapter Ten
Heck didn’t think he’d care too much for the whippings, but given the fact he could read Carla’s thoughts, he was pretty sure he’d take pleasure in everything else. She was an experienced woman and for some reason, she thought he wouldn’t be able to handle the likes of her.
On the contrary, he was pretty sure after waiting this long, Carla Cassidy wasn’t well prepared for the likes of him. Understanding precisely what she expected, he took the rope from her hand as soon as she handed it to him. He followed her to the staked board, unable to focus on anything except her round bottom. The welts on her buttocks proved she enjoyed pain, but he wondered how he’d feel about delivering a series of swats to her fair skin when she was already striped from one ass cheek to the next.
She faced the wall and grabbed hold of the stakes. Parting her legs, she bowed her head. “You should tie me up and spank me, Heck.”
“But I don’t want to spank you. I want to hold you. I want to—”