His to Command

He wasn’t willing to give up this closeness again. Not yet.

He captured her mouth, swirling his tongue against hers, then he swept her into his arms and carried her to his bed.

* * *

Kate’s breath caught as Matt laid her on his bed. She didn’t know what to think. Didn’t know what to feel. Having Matt inside her again, making love to her … Oh, God, it had been sheer heaven. But then when she’d opened her eyes and seen him staring down at her … What did he think? She didn’t dare to believe he would want her again.

Sure, he’d made love to her, but any man would take an opportunity like that. A woman offering sex … why would he say no? But for her, it had been so much more. After two years of believing the worst of him, and now finding out it was all a lie, she realized Matt really was the man she’d fallen in love with back then.

He drew her against his body, spooning her, his arms wrapped around her waist. The staccato patter of ice pellets hitting the window signaled the return of the freezing rain, but she’d never felt so warm or so protected, curled up tight against Matt’s big, hard body with his strong arms around her.

She sank into the heaven that she found herself in and soon fell sound asleep.

* * *

Matt held her close, loving the feel of her soft, warm body close to his. She hadn’t intended for them to have sex tonight and she would probably regret it in the morning, so he would enjoy this night with her in his arms before they went their separate ways.

She murmured in her sleep and shifted closer to him, her soft, round behind pressing tighter against his groin. God, how could he not get carried away with …

Oh, fuck. He hadn’t used protection. When she’d begged him to fuck her, his cock had been doing all the thinking. Not that that was an excuse.

He knew she was safe. He’d been tested since his latest, short relationship ended eight months ago. He was clean, and she probably was, too. He’d find that out later.

But what if she wasn’t on birth control?

* * *

Kate awoke to the glint of sunshine. She opened her eyes and realized she didn’t recognize the room she was in … and there was a hot, hard body pressed against the back of her, and big, strong arms around her.

Matt.

Oh, God, she’d had sex with Matt last night.

His breath against her temple was slow and steady. He was still asleep. She drew in a slow breath, then shifted forward slightly, trying to slip from his embrace, but his arms tightened around her.

“You know, you don’t have to run away anymore.” His deep voice rumbled from his chest, then his lips caressed her ear.

“I wasn’t trying to run.” It was actually a lie. If she’d been able to slip away, she would have dashed back to her room, gotten dressed, then pretended this had never happened. Now she had to face what they’d done head-on.

“You’ve been running from me for two years. I get it. It’s a hard habit to break.” He rolled her onto her back and smiled down at her, then captured her lips. Almost as soon as it started, the kiss was over. And she wanted more. “But now you know I’m not the frightening man you thought I was.”

“Right.” But he was. Not because he was the ruthless man Ileana had led Kate to believe he was, but because Kate knew that around him, she became someone else. That hadn’t changed. Last night had proven that to her.

As he watched her, his brows furrowed. “Kate—”

“Look, Matt. Last night was a mistake. We should never have…” But it was her fault, not his. “I should never have asked you to…” Her hands clenched into fists. “Damn it. That’s exactly why we can’t do this. I beg you to dominate me, to punish me. Who does that?”

To her surprise, he grinned at her. “What’s wrong with enjoying a little role-playing in the bedroom? It’s healthy and it’s exciting.”

Her head shook back and forth. “But it’s not a role. I become someone else. Someone I don’t even recognize.”

He drew in a deep breath and moved away, giving her much-needed space to breathe. “Okay, it’s just as well. I didn’t bring you here to start up a relationship again.”

She gazed up at him. “Why did you bring me here?”

He’d drawn her here by saying he wanted to be an investor in her company and she prayed it wasn’t just a ploy. She d

idn’t want to let down her employees. Her heart clenched. And she didn’t want to fail again.