Six Signs of Submission (Desire Island 6)

Color again rose in her cheeks as she stared at him, making her deep blue eyes shine. He let his gaze move down to her breasts, his cock stiffening with appreciation. Her nipples were hard as small marbles, and his mouth actually watered with the desire to suckle them.

The kickass tomboy image slipped as Lainey stammered, “I…uh. That is…” She trailed off and then cleared her throat as she looked away. The blush deepened along her throat and chest. She grabbed her glass and raised it to her lips, as if buying herself some time.

She wasn’t being coy or flirtatious, he understood. It was clear Lainey wasn’t entirely sure what she was feeling right now. Though Cooper had known he was a Dom from almost the moment he’d become sexually aware, some people were slower to discover their true sexual orientation. Still others knew, but refused to acknowledge, that part of themselves. It had to be difficult on some levels for a submissive to come to terms with their nature, especially if they confused true submission with passivity or weakness.

He was charmed by her sweet confusion. He loved the apparent contradiction that defined a strong submissive—sassy and assertive in her daily life, while yielding and obedient with the right man—the right Dom. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her—every inch of her.

Slow down, he warned himself. She’s nervous. Help her relax.

“You don’t have to answer that—yet.” He leaned back in his chair, deciding, for the moment, to pull back a little. “Tell me a little about yourself. I know from my pal, Caelan, that you’ve been working here about a month, and you run the vanilla side of their fitness program.”

“You were asking about me, huh?” she quipped, relaxing once more.

“Absolutely,” he replied easily. “Full confession—I don’t usually attend aerobics classes. I prefer to work out with weights. For cardio, I do swimming and wrestling. I was only in that class because I saw you through the glass partition and I wanted a better look.”

“Wrestling?” she asked, leaning forward on her elbows with sudden interest. “Professionally?”

“Nah. High school and some collegiate competition. Now I do it just for fun. It’s a good workout.”

She nodded. “An excellent workout. I do Jiu Jitsu. I love to compete.”

“Impressive,” Cooper said sincerely. “That’s more of a martial art, am I right?”

Lainey nodded. “Yeah. The focus in wrestling is pinning your opponent. Jiu Jitsu focuses on getting him to the ground in order to neutralize possible strength and size advantages through ground fighting techniques and submission holds involving joint-locks and chokeholds. Physical strength can be offset or enhanced through proper grappling techniques. There’s more finesse involved. Skill versus brute force.”

Cooper laughed, amused at her bravado. “So, you’re saying you could take me down, even though I have, what, maybe a hundred pounds on you?”

“You bet your ass I could.”

“Now, that’s a challenge I can’t resist,” he replied. “Maybe you have time tomorrow between classes? I’d love to pin you down,” he added with a smirk.

“Oh, you would, huh?” she retorted. “Actually, you’re in luck. Tomorrow’s my day off. One of the great perks of this place is I get full use of all amenities. I was planning to catch the early ferry back in the morning and spend the day on the beach.”

Unless you end up staying here with me tonight, he thought but did not voice.

“I’m sure we can fit in a session, assuming the aerobics room is free,” she continued.

“Great. It’s a date.”

Despite their easy banter and her now relaxed posture, the sexual tension continued to twang between them like a taut rubber band. Deciding the time was right, he leaned over the small table and rested his hand on her forearm. She didn’t pull away.

Her skin felt as soft as rose petals. He ran a finger lightly along her arm up to her shoulder. She drew in a small, sharp breath, her lips softly parting.

Taking a chance, he slowly moved his hand over her sternum, tracing a line along her collarbone. He moved his hand upward, spanning her throat just below the jawline with thumb and forefinger.

A deep shudder moved through her entire body. Her pulse quickened under his touch but she still made no move to pull back.

He let his hand fall away, and she leaned slightly forward, as if wanting more.

Yes. He was certain now.

At the same time, he sensed her skittishness. Even now, if he moved too quickly, he might scare her away. “You had a strong reaction to that scene we witnessed just now. I get the feeling you’re super curious, but perhaps don’t have a lot of direct experience with BDSM?”

A wash of pink moved again over her cheeks as she grimaced. “Am I that obvious? I admit, I’m out of my comfort zone. But I’m not a total novice. This is my fourth dungeon party here on the island, and I’ve been to clubs. I have a good friend, Courtney, who lives in Asheville and is heavily into the scene.”