“Get on the bed. Lie on your stomach, hands behind you at the small of your back. I’ll come to you as soon as I prepare everything.”
She caught her breath and color suffused her cheeks. He could see her breathing had sped up and excitement reflected in her gaze. Her hand slid from his, leaving him bereft of her touch. Then she walked to his bed and positioned herself as he’d directed.
He collected the items he needed from his closet. A leather strap. He was confident it would bring her—and himself—great pleasure. A length of rope.
He dropped the rope on the bed and then positioned his knee between her splayed thighs. He gathered her wrists in one hand and then began coiling the silken rope around them, binding them together.
She gasped softly. He could feel the tension coiling in her body.
When he had her wrists securely tied, he stepped back.
“Up on your knees,” he said firmly, injecting a bite of command into his tone. “Ass in the air. Cheek against the mattress.”
She struggled upward, and he reached underneath her, splaying his hand over her soft belly. He helped her upward until her knees found purchase in the mattress and she rested her face against the bed.
Satisfied with her position, he stepped back again to retrieve the leather strap.
“Have you done this before, Josie? I don’t want it to be too much. You need to let me know what you can take.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “And I can take a lot, Ash. Don’t hold back. I . . . need it. I want it.”
He leaned forward, blanketing her with his body. “If it’s too much, at any time, you say stop. Understand? It all ends with that word, darling.”
A shudder rolled through her body. She liked endearments. He liked her reaction every time he used them.
Then he stepped back once more and smoothed a hand over her plump ass.
“Twelve,” he said. “Twelve marks you’ll wear on your skin. When I’m certain you’re with me, we’ll graduate to more. But for now, we start at a dozen.”
She nodded, her eyes closed, her lips tight with anticipation. He didn’t make her wait any longer.
The first snap of leather against her skin was loud in the silence. She jumped, the red immediately blazing across her ass. Then a soft moan escaped her lips, the sound intoxicating to him.
Again he expertly delivered the blow, the other cheek this time. Red shimmered, coloring her skin, the contrast between the paler, untouched skin and where the leather had kissed beautiful and striking.
She squirmed restlessly as he administered the third, fourth and fifth. By the ninth, she was softly begging. More. Harder.
“The last three, Josie. They’ll be harder. And then I’m going to fuck your sweet ass. Think you can take that?”
“Ash.”
His name came out a moan. A desperate plea. Yeah, she was with him. More than with him. He was holding back, and she didn’t want that.
He allowed more power into the tenth stroke, watching her closely, how she took the pain. It was there, at first. But just as quickly as the pain registered, she converted it, pushed it away and embraced the pleasure.
Her eyes, open now, were soft and dreamy, as if she’d escaped into another world.
He wasn’t used to tempering his movements, to holding himself back. He’d held back with Bethany, that night he and Jace had been with her together, because Jace wouldn’t allow him to do anything but. But Josie was important. Different. He wanted to cherish her. Be gentle and patient, even when she herself exuded impatience with his reserve. There would be plenty of time for him to give her everything. For now he wanted to make sure she was with him every step of the way, that he didn’t cross the line and cause her more pain than pleasure.
He gave her the eleventh and then paused, savoring the last, wanting her edgy and needing. She twisted restlessly, arching back. He didn’t even know if she was cognizant of the way her body begged for more.