His cabin was nice. Very rustic, but the detail was incredible. Small, cozy, and all man. Yet it was clean and warm and welcoming.
“I like your place,” she said. A few exposed wood beams supported the roof, and the open floor plan kept the kitchen and living area all together. The doors off to the left must be the bedroom and bathroom.
Gulp.
She could guess where this was going, and she had half a mind to resist him just to prove to herself that she could.
“Thank you. I figured it was only fair for you to see my wilderness since I saw yours.”
“Are you planning on teaching me how to escape it?”
He took a step toward her. “I was more interested in teaching you how to survive it.”
His voice was low and gravelly, and yes, she wanted that, too. Except she knew the kind of orgasms Dex could give her, and she’d barely survived the last one. Her brain still wasn’t working right from the pleasure overload he’d administered. Which was why she had to keep at least a little control in this situation.
“I have some constructive criticism for you,” she announced proudly. Because if this was, in fact, some kind of game, she’d like to take away a better sense of self from it.
Enjoying this while I can…
“By all means, princess. I’d love your feedback.”
He parted his legs, his stance now wide, and crossed his arms. Looking at her and waiting. Which made it hard to think.
“Last training session, you bound me. Do you recall?”
“Vividly,” he said with a deep rasp that made her flush. Still she pushed forward.
“Well, you never showed me how to escape. Isn’t that something we should have covered?”
“If memory serves, you weren’t too interested in escaping.”
She bit the inside of her lip. Okay, he had her there. Still, in an attempt to keep this on some kind of level of “training,” she pushed for what she wanted.
“I must insist tonight that you show me how to escape binds. If that’s something you even know how to do.”
He chuckled. “Man, you say the sweetest things, princess. And yeah, I can show you how to escape. Don’t go blaming me when you’re free and still running my way, though.”
The look in his eyes told her he meant it, and she believed him. Because being tied up, bound, or even gagged wasn’t the problem. Once she was free, she was pretty sure she wasn’t going anywhere but closer to the sexy man before her.
This was her moment. To be adventurous and take a bit of the attention that she was craving from Dex. Because she was feeling stronger, happier, freer since her time in the woods. And she was starting to think he was the reason. Dex was the adventure. And she wanted to enjoy him.
Of course, she also wanted to give him pleasure. It was time to tackle the one thing on her list she’d avoided… The one thing she wanted to give…
Herself. Her body.
She shook with need.
She wanted to give over her control to Dex and live in that fantasy for one night. It didn’t mean she was giving over her control for long. Didn’t mean they had a relationship or anything. But she knew enough about herself to understand that giving him control would in its own way show how much control she finally had. And if it made his life easier training her, then she felt good about that, too.
“Well, why don’t I feed you first?” he said and walked to the table. She’d been too busy admiring the rustic cottage to notice two plates and a big bowl set in the center of the table.
“You want to feed me? I don’t have to forage for it myself?”
He pulled out her chair. “Not tonight.”
The bowl had a massive amount of pasta in it. And it smelled amazing.
“So you can cook?”
“I can boil water and open a can,” he said and dished it up. It was funny how gentlemanly he could be. Manners and kindness and grace. Things one wouldn’t expect when looking at a man like Dex. But he had charm, that polite southern boy thing that made his wild side all the more exciting.
He sat next to her and ate his own pasta.
She looked at him, then the food. “So, is this some kind of luring trick?”
He smiled. “You’re skeptical.”
“I’ve met you. There’s an ulterior motive here.”
“Oh, absolutely there is. I want you to up your caloric intake since I plan on running you low on energy.” He lifted his chin at the pasta. “It’s called carbo loading. So eat up, princess. Long night ahead.”
Now she was excited and curious about what he had planned. Hopefully a night of wild sex. But this was nice in a different way. Sitting at a table and having a meal with him hit something in her chest she realized she’d been missing. Family.
Obviously Dex wasn’t family. But she couldn’t remember ever sitting at a table with her parents and having a conversation or pasta. If she was honest, somewhere scribbled in her notebook of desires, she’d find “a home cooked meal and eye contact” on the list. It sounded stupid, but those were two things she’d always longed for but been denied.