“Okay, I get it… the whole Dom-sub thing.” I shrug casually. “But just so you know, I won’t tell you to stop if you piss me off. I’ll just punch you.”
His eyes light up as he chuckles softly at my outburst. “You are so fiery, Victoria, I love that.”
I can’t keep my lips from tipping up again, hard as try. This man makes me smile even when I’m trying to be serious.
“Well, we’ll see won’t we?” he grins playfully. “Now back to my point before. We are both in understanding this isn’t a romantic relationship. But in the interest of keeping things safe, it would be a mutually exclusive sexual relationship. Would you agree to that?”
“This is so weird,” I mutter under my breath. “Why can’t you just talk normal to me? Say you don’t want me to fuck anyone else. Yeah, I get it. I don’t just throw myself at anything that moves if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He furrows his brow and clenches his jaw. “I never said or implied that, Victoria. I just wanted to be in agreement on this. It works both ways.”
I cross my arms and nod petulantly. I’ve never had sex before that took so much work beforehand. Granted, no other man ever made me feel the way Gabriel has, and perhaps that’s why I’m tolerating this bullshit.
“Yeah alright, got it.”
He stops for a moment, running his large fingers over his chin while he ponders something.
“The other day when I spanked you, did you enjoy it?”
“I’m not…. why are you asking me that?” God, I sound so flustered. I shouldn’t be embarrassed about this, clearly he likes it too.
He smiles one of those big, heart-stopping smiles of his. At the moment, I have half a mind to scrap this conversation and just throw myself across the breakfast bar at him. But he speaks before I have the chance.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” he whispers. “But this is what I enjoy, Victoria. And I want to do this with you. I know it might be a little strange to someone like you…”
“To someone like me?” I stare at him in disbelief. “You’re telling me this isn’t strange to anyone else?”
“I don’t know. If it is, they’ve never said so.”
“So women always just let you do whatever you want to them?” I scoff.
“Of course they do.” He laughs bitterly. “Because they have their eye on the prize. It’s amazing what one will do when the determination is there.”
Is he actually insinuating that I’m a gold digger? That’s it. “Well, I’m sorry, but I’m not that kind of woman. And I don’t have my eye on anything. I don’t even know why I came here, this is ridiculous!”
I jump off the bar stool and head for the front door. Before I even reach the end of the living area, he grabs my elbow, gently halting me. When I look up into his eyes, they are full of anguish.
“I’m sorry, Victoria. I shouldn’t have said that. I wasn’t referring to you in any way. Please don’t go… I don’t want you to.”
Something about the wounded puppy dog look on his face melts me a little. I don’t want to go either. I want to stay. I want him. God, what is wrong with me? He just told me he wants to dominate me, and even though it sounds hot to me, his definition could be something else entirely.
“I… I’m not sure,” I say quietly. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
He leans in a little closer, grabbing my hips. “I think it’s a very good idea. Just give me a chance, I have a feeling that you might actually like it.”
I glance down at my hands, feeling as though I’m walking on a tightrope. I know that if I leave now, there will be no more Gabriel Maddox. And something inside of me hates that thought. But then there’s my self-preservation, telling me that’s probably for the best.
“I could fuck you right now,” he whispers. “To show you just how much I want you, in case you’ve forgotten.”
I melt into him as he pulls me into his arms and runs his fingers along the bare skin of my shoulder. My breath grows shorter with each stroke. His engorged cock is pressing against my belly, and all I can think of is how much I want to feel his skin on mine, his scent all over me.
He leans closer, sweeping his scorching hot lips against my ear as he whispers, “Do you want me?”
“Yes,” I breathe.
His hand cups my breast, rubbing it gently for a moment before he pulls it free from my tank top. He dips his head and brings my nipple to his mouth, sucking slowly, deliciously. I groan as I wrap my hand around the nape of his neck, fully prepared to let him take me. And then he pulls away, studying me intently.
“So, then beg me,” he says impassively.
What the hell? I stare up at him in shock.
His fingers move nimbly to my other breast, yanking it free as he twists my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand snakes up beneath my skirt, heading straight for my soaking wet center.
“Well?” he asks. “Shall I just torture you all day like this? Or do you want me?”
I try my best to scowl at him. “I do but…”