Six Signs of Submission (Desire Island 6)

Again, he wasn’t asking.

The old Lainey, the Lainey who had been in firm control of every aspect of every relationship she’d ever been in, would have laughed at that point, and told him to dream on. But somehow, that Lainey wasn’t around at the moment.

“Yes,” she heard herself say instead. “Yes, please.”

Chapter 10

Cooper slipped the do not disturb sign over the door handle and closed the door with a click. Lainey had preceded him into the hotel room and now stood at the large windows that comprised most of the back wall.

“Wow,” she breathed, staring out at the vast tableau of deep blue water fading into the horizon’s paler blue. “You weren’t kidding. That’s a spectacular view. The ocean just goes on forever. I wonder what it would be like to sail around the world.”

He came up behind her and put his arms lightly around her shoulders. “I don’t know about the world, but I’d be delighted to take you out for a day on my sailboat.”

She whirled to face him, her expression animated. “I heard you had a boat.”

“I do,” he admitted with a grin. “It was my gift to myself after my partner and I sold the business. It’s docked on the other side of the island where the private crafts are moored.”

“I love to sail,” Lainey said enthusiastically. “I used to do competitive sailing back in high school. I won several trophies. My father wanted me to try out for the junior Olympics like my brothers did, but I got more interested in martial arts and eventually gave it up.”

“Impressive,” Cooper said. “Do you only have brothers?”

“Yeah. Three older brothers. I thought I was a boy until I was about five,” she added with a grin. “They treated me like a brother, never hesitating to beat the crap out of me if I got out of line.” She snorted. “I gave it back as good as I got it, though.” She flashed another grin, though he thought he also detected pain in her eyes—just a brief flash, gone so fast he might have imagined it.

“It’s one reason I got interested in martial arts,” she continued. “I got tired of being picked on. Then, naturally, I got into the competitive side.”

Cooper nodded. Her use of the term “naturally” offered insight. He’d already observed, and indeed, experienced, Lainey’s competitive nature. This information about her family explained some of her intensity—and some of her fear around erotic submission.

Not ready to open that particular can of worms at the moment, he said mildly, “Sounds like competition was pretty important in your family growing up.”

“You can say that again,” she replied emphatically. “That’s what we Millers do. We compete. Not only that. We win.” She laughed. “And it wasn’t just sports, though that was the primary focus growing up. We competed at who made a better pancake, whose bed had crisper hospital corners, who took the most dangerous dares when leaping from a tree into the creek behind our house.” She snorted again. “It’s a wonder we all came out alive. We did so many stupid things in the name of being the best. If you don’t win, you’re a loser. That’s the unspoken family mantra.” Again that flash of pain, gone before he could be sure of what he’d seen.

Cooper placed his hands lightly on Lainey’s waist. “That must have been hard for you. Always having to compete—to win. That can be an exhausting way to live.”

She looked startled for a moment, and then tears filled those lovely eyes. She blinked them rapidly away and forced a smile. “Nah,” she asserted with a toss of her hair. “It was fine. It made me strong. Nobody gets the best of Lainey Miller.”

He regarded her silently, pondering how he might break through the armor she’d built up over a lifetime to keep herself safe. He understood how that sort of internal defense mechanism would serve her well in daily life, but he would have to help her see that walls had no place in a D/s relationship, where vulnerability with your partner was essential for true connection. He needed to help her see that erotic submission was not a weakness, but rather part and parcel of her makeup—of what made her special and unique.

For the moment, however, what he most wanted was to kiss her.

Taking her face gently in his hands, he lowered his mouth to hers. As they kissed, he slowly walked her backward toward the bed. He glanced toward the bedside table, where he’d placed several condom packets earlier that morning in anticipation of this scenario.

They toppled onto the bed, mouths still locked, he on top of her. Reaching for her arms, he pulled them up over her head and gripped her wrists, pressing her onto the mattress.

She moaned against his mouth as he held her down. Her nipples were like little marbles and he suddenly had a desperate need to suckle them. Lifting himself over her, he released one wrist so he could pull up her dress and the stretchy bikini top of her bathing suit.