I didn’t feel a shred of remorse at how I’d ravaged her untried body. She’d feel the effects of my cruel fingers tomorrow; she’d remember who owned her.
Even though I withdrew my hands from her pussy and nipples, I couldn’t release her mouth. My kiss slowed, my lips caressing hers with more finesse. She opened for me on a sigh, and I slid my tongue inside to claim her mouth.
I didn’t free her lips until she was desperate for oxygen. She drew in deep breaths as her head lolled toward the floor, all the strength leaving her sated, conquered body.
I left her just long enough to get the blunt-tipped shears from my desk, and I quickly cut through the knots that held her aloft. I braced her limp form, easing her into my arms as I lowered her from suspension.
I pulled her close to my chest, craving her soft heat. The last of my lingering fury faded when she snuggled into me, seeking comfort under the cruel hands that had just tormented her minutes earlier. I stroked her back, murmuring to her in Spanish.
Then, she tucked her face against me and pressed a kiss to my neck.
Despite the disgusting words that had spilled from her lips and incited my ire, hope unfurled in my chest. I’d resolved to treat her more gently to earn her devotion, but it seemed my show of savagery had affected her deeply. Samantha would surrender herself to me willingly. It was just a matter of time.
Chapter 10
I allowed her to sleep in the next day, waiting with her until her present arrived. I wanted to watch her open the gift box, so I could study her reaction when she discovered the comic books. Would she smile for me?
That could wait until after breakfast. Right now, she didn’t seem pleased with me.
“Do you have to do that?” she complained as I locked the collar around her throat.
I chuckled, my good mood immune to her grumbling. “The fact that you still take that tone with me means yes, I definitely have to.” I grasped her hand and pulled her upright. “Go brush your teeth and come back here.”
“And then you won’t chain me to the bed?” she asked with asperity.
“With that attitude, of course I will.” I laughed, delighted with her. I remembered the feel of her lips beneath mine, the way she’d kissed my neck when I freed her from my ropes.
Did she remember what she’d done? Or had she been too drunk on lust to register her actions?
I decided it didn’t really matter. She’d kissed me as she cried into my chest, and that small show of affection was enough for now.
She mumbled under her breath as she trudged toward the bathroom, but I couldn’t discern what she was saying. Her obedience was all that mattered, and she complied with my command. Already, she was becoming amenable, despite her flashes of defiance. She hardly noticed her nakedness around me, not bothering to cover herself when I studied her body with open hunger.
She’d adjust to so much more. She’d be happy here with me, just like I’d promised.
Then again, her progress might not be as advanced as I thought. The docile woman who’d disappeared into the bathroom suddenly rushed toward me, launching herself at me with a fierce growl.
Moving on instinct, I dodged her punch and pushed her away with shove to her sternum. She fell back on the bed, cushioned from harm by the mattress. I’d knocked the air from her chest, and I took advantage of the moment it took her to gasp for air. I settled my body over hers, pinning her down with my weight as I grabbed her wrists. I secured them above her head with one hand and grabbed the length of chain attached to the bedpost with the other, locking it to the front of her collar so she was effectively leashed.
Still, I didn’t release her wrists. When she began to thrash wildly beneath me, I gripped her jaw to still her shaking head.
“What’s this about?” I demanded.
“You leave Dex alone,” she shouted, jerking desperately against my hold. “I’ll kill you if you do anything to him. I swear, I’ll kill you.”
My hand tightened around her jaw, my muscles rippling as wrath gripped me. I thought I’d wiped all other men from her mind when I’d ravaged her last night. Apparently, the lesson hadn’t been effective.
“I have no interest in this man,” I snarled down at her. “And from now on, neither do you.”
“But you said Cristian would kill him if he found out,” she squeaked, on the edge of panic.
I recalled telling her that Cristian would take away everything and everyone she loved in order to break her, making her watch as he destroyed them.
I love him, she’d slurred about her friend as she dangled in my ropes.
She’d confessed her feelings for this Dex, and now, she believed I’d hurt him to hurt her. She still thought of me as her sadistic captor, not her Master. She still loved him and feared me.