“Which one would you like to increase?” I said in the same scientific tone as he had used.
His mouth twitched. “Well,” he began in a low voice. “Fear would be easier to increase than arousal with you being you and me being me, but I prefer difficult tasks. Which do you prefer?” He raised my hand to his lips very slowly, his eyes never leaving my face, and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to my pulse-point then trailed his tongue over it.
A small shiver passed down my spine. How was it possible I could feel that all the way between my legs?
He regarded me intently. “Fear?”
I shook my head, my tongue heavy.
“Both?”
I considered that and gave a hesitant shake of my head.
Nino’s eyes became even more intent. “Are you sure?”
I wasn’t because he evoked sensations in my body I’d never felt, but the tingling between my legs had increased, and I felt hot and wet down there. “No.”
Nino nodded. “Let’s try to change that. Okay?”
Good Lord, he sounded so sure of himself, as if he just knew he would make it good for me.
NINO
Kiara’s pulse rate spiked again. “Okay.”
Releasing her hand, I reached for the top drawer of my nightstand and pulled out the handcuffs I’d stored there.
Kiara released a choked laugh. A quick scan of her face told me she was nervous.
“I don’t usually have cuffs in my drawer,” I said before she could draw conclusions that would unsettle her. I’d never seen the appeal to restrain myself like that and preferred to dominate in bed, so I never allowed a woman to do it, and the other way around would have made as little sense because I didn’t need cuffs to restrain anyone. “I put them there after we talked this morning.”
Kiara bit her lip, but she didn’t react in any other way.
“I can cuff one of my hands to the headboard. What do you say? That would give you a sense of safety, don’t you think?”
“I think so,” she said hesitantly.
“Would you like me to undress?”
She shook her head quickly. “No.”
I regarded her closely. “Kiara. We don’t have to do this.”
“I want to. I’m just a bit overwhelmed by the situation that’s all.”
I nodded and moved back on the bed until my back rested against the headboard and then cuffed my left hand to it.
Kiara hadn’t moved from her spot.
“What would you like to do first?”
She flushed, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. What would you suggest?”
She was sending out mixed signals. On one hand she was scared of losing control, but on the other hand she needed me to take control. “How about we start with kissing?”
Her eyes darted to my lips, the blush on her cheeks darkening as she nodded. She climbed on the bed. I tried to sit as relaxed as possible, my legs crossed at the ankles and my unrestrained arm lying in my lap while I watched her. Her eyes on my face, she moved closer until she was kneeling beside me, her knees pressing up against my hip.
I didn’t move.
She exhaled softly. “I’ve never kissed before.”
“It’s not difficult, Kiara, trust me.”
She gave me a look I couldn’t place. “Easy for you to say. How many women have you kissed?”
I couldn’t see how that was of any relevance. “One hundred and twelve. I don’t kiss every woman I fuck.”
She choked. “You’ve slept with more than one hundred women?”
“Yes. I was a late bloomer in comparison to Remo and Savio. Had my first woman at almost fifteen.”
“Then I had my first time before you,” she said bitterly, swallowing hard and staring down at the bed.
I lifted my hand and nudged her chin up to see her expression. “You haven’t had your first time yet. What you had doesn’t count. What we are going to do has absolutely nothing to do with what you experienced.”
Her eyes watered, and I dropped my hand, unsure if my words had upset her, but she scooted closer and hesitantly brought one hand up to my shoulder. “How can you say things that make me feel better when you don’t even understand what I feel?”
“I’m stating facts. That’s all.”
She laughed. “Facts.” Then her eyes lowered to my mouth, and she licked her lips. I doubted she noticed, but the sight had an immediate effect on my cock.
“Are you going to kiss me?” I asked her.
She nodded but didn’t move.
“Kiara, if you want to be in control, you actually have to take control.” She was a woman I’d have pegged as the submissive type in bed, and under normal circumstances I’d have naturally taken the lead, but as long as she was caught in the memories of her rape that would have ended badly.
She finally leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine, eyes closing. I would have preferred for her to keep them open so I had a chance of reading her, yet as it was I had no choice but to trust she’d pull back if something unsettled her.