Cooper glanced at Lainey to assess her reaction. She stood rigid, her deep blue eyes wide as she stared at the scene. Her mouth had fallen open. As he regarded her, she brought one fist to her mouth, as if to stifle a cry. Yet, her nipples were clearly visible beneath her clingy dress, and color was rising in her cheeks.
Peering closer, he saw that her pupils had dilated. Was that because of fear? Or arousal? He had the sudden perverse urge to slip his hand beneath the short hem of her dress and into her panties. He had a strong suspicion they would be damp with desire.
His own cock throbbed in recognition and lust. It took considerable self-control not to drag her that second to an empty station. But no. That wasn’t his style.
If and when she submitted to him, it would be because she wanted it—because she begged for it.
Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Lainey?” he asked softly, his mouth near her ear. “You okay?”
She startled at his touch and the sound of his voice. Slowly, she turned to him, as if waking from a dream. “Oooh,” she breathed, shaking back the hair that had fallen into her eyes. She wrapped her torso with her arms, hiding those luscious breasts. It was clearly an effort to tear her eyes away from the scene. She met Cooper’s gaze briefly, the color deepening in her cheeks.
She took a step back. She had returned her gaze to the woman, whose face remained tilted toward the ceiling, a peaceful smile gently lifting her lips. “She looks like she’s enjoying what’s happening, even though it has to hurt like hell.”
Cooper smiled. “It’s not every day you get to witness a sub flying. I’ve always wondered what that would feel like myself. It’s definitely a major power trip to take a woman to those heights.”
“Flying?” Lainey asked, finally turning from the woman to look at him. “Is that what we’re seeing? I’ve read about the concept, but I never really got it. I understand the idea of working your way through the pain. No pain, no gain, right? But how can she look so happy and peaceful while he’s whipping the crap out of her?”
Cooper chuckled as he lightly took her elbow to guide her away from the scene station. “Let’s go sit down and we can talk about it some more.”
There were no stools left at the small bar. Cooper found an empty high-top table nearby with two chairs. “You wanna grab that while I get us a drink?”
“Sure,” Lainey agreed, having apparently regained at least some of her control.
He returned a few moments later, two glasses of fresh-squeezed limeade over ice in hand, and sat down across from her. He was about to bring up the scene and, more specifically, her strong reaction to it, but Lainey spoke before he could begin.
“It was a nice change to have a guy in class this morning.” She flashed a grin. “They’re usually too wimpy to keep up.”
Cooper hesitated as he tried to recalibrate his thoughts. She was definitely trying to change the subject. He decided to let her have her way, at least for a while. But he had no intention of letting her completely off the hook. Her strong, visceral reaction to the whipping had intrigued the hell out of him. He’d bet his bottom dollar this girl was a natural-born submissive.
For now, he gave her little dig the mild chuckle it deserved. “I only wish I’d discovered it—and you—sooner. I just have four days left on the island.”
“Oh, yeah? So, I still have four days left to try and whip you into shape?”
He lifted a brow. “Wait a minute—shouldn’t that be my line?” he teased.
She grinned, cocking an eyebrow in turn. “What, are you afraid you’re not up to the challenge?”
“I love a challenge,” he replied, meeting her gaze head-on. This was the perfect segue to bring the conversation back where he wanted it. “How about you? You strike me as a woman who’s not afraid of a challenge herself.”
“Damn straight,” Lainey asserted. “There’s nothing I can’t do, once I set my mind to it.”
“I believe you,” Cooper said, amused at her tough-girl persona, even as he pondered how to turn that to his advantage. If challenge was what motivated her, he could offer it, in spades.
He leaned closer, fixing her with an intent gaze. “I’ve got all sorts of delicious toys in this gear bag. A flogger to waken your senses, a whip to make you gasp, a cane to make you scream. Imagine how it would feel to be taken through that erotic pain to the transcendent plane we just got to witness? I could take you there, Lainey. I’m sure of it.”
While he said the words with the specific intent of getting a reaction from her, he meant them. He couldn’t remember when he’d last been so interested in a woman, or determined to claim her, even if only for the few days he had left on the island.