Dare to Believe (Gray Court, #1)

The man of her dreams was fucking her into the mattress, pounding his body against hers, losing that tight control he usually kept on himself. She threw her hips up at him, matching him stroke for stroke, brushing her clit against the base of his cock until she shrieked in an orgasm so intense she nearly passed out from the pleasure of it.


When she heard his shout of completion moments later she was still dealing with the aftershocks and wondering how she would survive their next bout.

She yawned, barely noticing when he released the cuffs that bound her to the bed. She cuddled up against him, blindfold still in place, and succumbed to sleep curled up on his chest.



Leo pulled the butt plug out of her ass with a small wince. When she’d threatened to go to someone else to learn, he’d lost it, taking her like an animal when she deserved so much more, so much better, for a wedding night.

Still, from the small smile on her face as she slept in his arms, maybe it wasn’t a total fuck-up.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have switched the peach plug for the black. It might have been a bit much, especially for a novice.

Still, if this was how his kitten made love when she had very little experience, he couldn’t wait to find out how she’d make love a hundred years from now. Or two hundred.

He reached down and pulled up the comforter, trying his best not to disturb her any more than he had to, and settled in to watch her sleep, guilt and bone-deep satisfaction a strange mix in his blood. He’d clean up the toys later. Cuddling his wife was definitely higher on his to-do list.

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Chapter Eight


Ruby woke to sunshine and a wary expression on Leo’s handsome face. “Good morning,” she mumbled.

“Afternoon, actually,” he rumbled, his expression wry. “Hungry?”

“Um. I could eat a horse.” Ruby stretched that full body stretch that usually made his eyes bug out of his head.

This time, he averted his gaze. “I’ll go get some sandwiches.” He slid out of bed and reached for his pants.

“Leo? What’s wrong?” Ruby frowned.

“Nothing.”

“Gee, when I said nothing like that I got the third degree. What should I give you?”

Leo sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Ruby had no clue what had him riding the guilt train but was determined to find out.

“I didn’t mean to be so…rough…with you earlier. I’m sorry.”

She thought about that for a moment watching him pull on his T-shirt. He made his way to the bedroom door and she knew she had to say something now or forever hold her peace. “I never said stop.”

He paused, one hand on the doorknob, his back tensing as he heard the thoughtful note in her voice.

“Think about it, Leo. I never said stop. You said you would if I said it, remember?”

She watched as he turned to her, relief and regret equally mingled. “I lost my head.”

“I know.”

“I could have hurt you.”

“Nope.”

He frowned. “What do you mean, nope?”

“I mean, you’d never hurt me.”

“Not deliberately! Accidentally!” Leo’s hands pushed through his hair, pulling slightly at it. “I lost control, Ruby. I could have hurt you.”

She shook her head, coming out of the bed and padding quietly over to him. “Nope.” She hooked her arms around his waist and leaned into him, letting him feel her trust in him. The love she was beginning to feel for him warmed her as she cuddled against him, uncaring that she was completely naked.



Dana Marie Bell

His arms went around her, hard and secure. “I was scared to death when you didn’t wake up after the Binding. That wasn’t how I planned on spending our wedding day, Ruby. And then when you did wake up I lost control. I’m so sorry, kitten.”

Ruby tensed at the words “wedding day”. “Leo?”

“Hmm?” He’d buried his face in her hair and was breathing deep, his big body relaxing into hers.

“When did we get married?”

She felt him stiffen in her arms, and not in the good way. “I explained the bonding to you, remember?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“The Claiming, the Vow and the Binding?”

“I remember the Claiming, Leo. Details on the rest, please! When did we complete the ceremony, and where was I?”

He stared at her, his expression shocked. “In the front yard. Malmayne tried to take you away from me.” Hazy memories began to surface, of Cullen yanking her out of Leo’s arms, calling her human with such derision she’d felt soiled. No wonder her harmless teasing had unleashed his beast! “I used earth magic to get him away from you and spoke the Vow.” More memories surfaced, of Leo surrounded by incredible power, living tendrils of light that swept all before him as he made his way to her side. “Once the Vow was spoken the Binding took place.” He showed her the picture in her mind, of his power spearing into her as he finished the Vow, causing her to black out. “Our truebond is complete now.”

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