He knew some Doms who merely wanted their submissives to be vessels. Ian, himself, simply offered pleasure, and that only came with perfect submission. Ian wouldn’t allow a sub to put her arms around him. He made it very clear to the submissives he slept with that all he offered was his cock and a night of orgasms. Liam had been that way, too, though he’d never gone so far as to not allow a sub to touch him. He didn’t want any aggression, but Liam needed to know Avery wanted him, too. “You taste so good, baby.”
She slid her tongue over his. Yes. She was so cautious, but he was getting under her skin. He could feel it. He wanted it. She’d slid under his before he’d said a single word to her. She was a sweet little flower winding her way through his desolate garden, bringing a little life to him.
It didn’t matter that they were in a pub. He wanted to lay her out and take her. Only after he’d penetrated her would he really know that he was in control. Years had passed and she hadn’t taken anyone, but she would take him.
He was a low-life bastard motherfucker, but she would let him inside, and just for a few minutes, he would feel like a king. His cock throbbed. He wanted to press himself against her, but the damn table was in the way. He pulled her close, trying to shift her so she could sit in his lap. He wanted her to straddle him so she could feel just what she did to him.
“Should I leave?”
Avery was startled out of the moment. She pulled away from Liam at Ian’s words. Bastard. He could have given Liam another couple of minutes. Fuck. He wouldn’t be satisfied with minutes. He wanted hours. Days. Months inside her. But he couldn’t let Ian know that. He had to play it cool.
He sat back, leaning against the back of the booth. “Anyone ready for some food?”
Ian’s eyes narrowed. There was a flat set to his jaw that told Liam he wasn’t happy about something, but he patted the bag beside him. He’d done what he could with the phone, but he obviously wasn’t thrilled with the outcome.
And Liam didn’t care. It was time to ditch Ian. It was time to start claiming his place in Avery’s life. It was time to claim his place in her bed. God, his cock was so fucking hard. He needed to get himself under control.
“I think I should head out,” Ian said. “It’s been a blast, Lee. And Avery, it was so nice to meet you. I hope to see you around.”
“At the club?” Avery asked.
Fuck. Yeah, he probably shouldn’t have mentioned that.
Ian’s face went slightly cold. “The club?”
Liam shrugged. “I want to be upfront with her.”
Ian’s lips thinned. “It’s supposed to be an underground club, Lee.”
Ian was going to kick his ass, but Liam had to go with it. “Well, I want her to be underground with me. I have full rights at The Garden, do I not? I can bring a sub with me. I’ve read the contract.”
Ian sighed. “Yes. You can bring a sub, of course. Thank you for informing me that you might bring a sub. It will make it easier to be prepared to meet your needs.”
Or in other words, he was happy Liam hadn’t just shown up and thrown the whole club into complete panic because he’d walked in with their mark.
But he intended to walk in with their mark because she needed it. And he needed it, too.
Ian gave him a brief nod. “See you later, mate.”
He shoved out of the booth, and Liam found himself alone with Avery. Finally. He turned back to her. Every pore of her skin was flushed, but she looked up at him, her eyes clear.
“So, Avery, are you in or out? If you want me to walk you home and leave you on your doorstep like a gentleman, I will do it. But if you invite me in, all the rules change.”
She hesitated but only for a moment. “Come home with me.”
He took her hand and led her out into the night.
Chapter Six
Avery fumbled with the keys to her flat. Her hands were shaking. The wine she’d imbibed had managed to break through a layer of her inhibitions, but now she’d found a whole new strata of worries as she realized she was here. There was no more wine and conversation to hide behind. There was just an empty apartment.
Except it wouldn’t be empty once Lee walked in. It would be full of superhot man and a woman who hadn’t had sex in ten years. Somehow she thought Lee had probably had sex in the last decade. Crazy, kinky sex. Dominant sex. Bondage sex.
Why wasn’t she running? She should be running, right? She wasn’t in his league. He was so much more attractive than she was. He was into crazy sex stuff and she was absolutely inexperienced. She was overweight. How was she going to get naked with him?
How was she going to hide the fact that she’d never been particularly sexy? She had no idea what to do.
Open the door. She should open the door. It really was the first step. The problem was the second step. The second step might take her off the ledge, and who knew how far she had to fall. A long way. The question was could she survive that moment when she hit the concrete at a hundred miles an hour? Did she really know what she was doing?
Did she really know what she wanted?
“I could open the door for you if it’s really that hard.” Lee’s deep voice brought her out of her thoughts, her fears.