Mastered by Malone (Haven, Texas 6)

“I have needs that might scare someone who doesn’t share my desires. I like my sex rough, kitten. I like to fuck. Hard. I enjoy mixing pain with my pleasure. And I only choose partners who enjoy that as well.”

Her eyes had grown wide as she stared up at him.

“Don’t look so scared. I’m not telling you this to frighten you, but because I want you to know why I might need to slow things down sometimes, like not removing my jeans right now. It gives me a minute to calm things down. To remind me that I can’t just shove you against a wall and take you. That I have to take care. That I have to be gentle.”

“Why?”

He blinked. That wasn’t the response he’d expected. Actually, he’d half-expected her to call things off, and he wouldn’t have blamed her.

“What do you mean, why?”

“Why do you have to be gentle? I mean, maybe this first time I wouldn’t want to try it, but I don’t want you to curtail your needs because of me.”

“Mia—”

“No, just list

en. Please, Sir,” she said hastily, no doubt seeing his face darken as she interrupted him. “You seem to have this idea that I’m completely innocent, but I’ve had sex before—”

“Not sex like I want,” he interrupted.

“No, I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admitted. “But how do I know I wouldn’t like things rough if I’ve never tried? I think I might like to try that.”

“Really?” he drawled. “You’d be happy for me to bend you over whatever piece of furniture was closest and fuck you when the need comes over me? To go around without panties on so when desire strikes, I can just flip up your skirt or pull your pants down and fuck you? Or paddle you? Or take off my belt and lay stripe after stripe on your skin? You’d be happy for me to order you to your knees to give me a blow job? For me to wrap your hair around my hand and fuck your mouth? To push as far as I could until you found yourself struggling to take me? That’s what you want to try? Because there wouldn’t always be a warm-up. There wouldn’t always be pleasure for you.”

Her nipples were hard and aching by the time he finished talking, and her heart was racing so hard she actually felt a little ill.

“Well?” he demanded harshly. She knew he was trying to scare her off, but he’d just stirred her curiosity. Every word he’d said had ratcheted up her arousal.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to see me,” she stipulated.

“People are going to see you if we’re at the club.”

Sadness filled her for a moment. “But we can’t go to the club.”

His eyes were hard, merciless, his jaw could have been cut from granite. She reached up and cupped his face, worried he might push her hand away or reject her. She wasn’t certain she could take his rejection. But he remained still. She ran a finger over his mouth, and he opened his lips and took it into his mouth, sucking strongly.

“I wouldn’t want any of your brothers to see us.”

“All right,” he said immediately.

“I don’t have any experience to call on to know whether I’d like any of that stuff or not. But you like it, and I want to try.”

“I don’t want you doing anything that you hate or makes you scared because you think I need it. Because this arrangement isn’t about what I need. It’s about showing you what you need. About teaching you to ask for what you need. It’s showing you your submissive side.”

She didn’t like that. It sounded entirely too one-sided. She wanted him to get what he needed as well. She didn’t want to be some charity case he’d taken on.

Poor little orphaned girl.

He reached out and squeezed one nipple, making her squeak and go up on her toes.

“What was that thought?” he growled.

Shit. He could read her too well. How did he do that? She guessed from years of being a Dom.

“I don’t want to be some sort of charity case to you,” she told him. The pain in her nipple brought tears to her eyes. He eased up as she spoke. “I’ve spent enough of my life being an obligation. I want to give to you.”

“You will.” His eyes warmed. “Don’t worry about that. But we’ll do things my way.”