Hardpressed

Hardpressed By Meredith Wild



CHAPTER ONE




“I can’t believe I’m doing this again,” I said.

Blake slid his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me close and I relaxed into his familiar warmth. We stepped out of his office building and headed a few blocks down the street. He leaned down and gave me a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

“No funny business this time, I promise.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Very reassuring.”

I almost believed him. The past few weeks had been intense, but something had changed between us. I could joke, but he had my trust now. After all my fervent protests and desperate attempts to fight the way I felt about him, I’d finally let him in. At least more than I’d ever let anyone else in, and nothing had ever felt more right.

He flashed me a mischievous smile. “Don’t worry. There was no way I could get Fiona to pull a stunt like that again.”

Dressed in white capris and a navy chiffon shell, Blake’s sister, Fiona, waited ahead of us near the entryway of a quaint café. We stopped directly in front of the entrance. The engraved sign above read Mocha. A young patron swung the door open and the deep aroma of freshly ground coffee and chocolate wafted out, setting off happy signals all over my body. I’d nearly forgotten about our original mission when Fiona motioned us toward an unmarked door next to the café.

“We’re upstairs.” She ushered us up a narrow staircase to the second floor.

“Who owns the building, Fiona?” I tried to make it sound like small talk, but who was I kidding? The fact that we were a few short strides from a steady caffeine source was already a major selling point, but Fiona knew my position on renting from Blake or any of his subsidiaries. I trusted Blake, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still committed to becoming intricately involved in my business dealings at every possible opportunity.

Blake had plenty of his own contradictions. He could be sweet and heart-wrenchingly tender one moment and be driving me into a fiery rage with his compulsive controlling tendencies the next. He could micro-manage the hell out of my growing business during the day and f*ck me straight out of my mind the second we walked through the door every night. Granted, sometimes I needed both, but I still wasn’t sure how I felt about all this dominance in my life. Letting him in scared me, but I was learning to be more open to it, to trust him as much as I could.

Today, a part of me, the part of me that needed separation and independence from Blake, wanted to make absolutely sure he wasn't pulling a fast one on me again.

“I can assure you that Blake has no ownership stake in the property,” Fiona reassured me.

That was all well and good, but not so long ago she’d sold me on a beautifully updated apartment within the same Comm Ave brownstone that Blake not only owned, but also lived in. The tenuous line between our personal lives and businesses was already too blurred. I was holding firm on this one.

“I'm glad to hear it.”

Fiona dug into her purse. Despite my misgivings, my anticipation grew. She unlocked the door and we filed into the space. The long room was small, at least compared to Blake’s. Though musty and in dire need of a cleaning crew, the space held promise. Behind me Blake sighed.

“Fiona, seriously. This is the best you could do?”

She shot him an annoyed look.

“We—Erica and I—discussed her budget, and for the location and size, this is a fair option. Obviously the space could use some TLC, but you have to admit it has potential.”

I took a long look around, envisioning the many possibilities. I had been so busy keeping things running out of my apartment, all while hiring, that I hadn’t had a chance to get excited about this move. But this would be fun.

“I love the wood floors.”

“They’re filthy.” Blake scuffed the sole of his shoe on the floor, drawing a faint line through the dust.

“Have a little vision, Blake. We just need to clean it up, and with a few enhancements, this could definitely have a cool design studio feel.”

“Exactly. Exposed brick never goes out,” Fiona added.

“Pretty old.” Blake wrinkled his nose.

I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Show me a building in Boston that isn't old.”

The space was a far cry from the Landon Group’s renovated modern offices, but I had modest and realistic expectations. The current state of the space left much to be desired, but with some elbow grease and a few additions, we could make this work.

We stopped in front of the large windows facing the street. A flutter of excitement coursed through me. Giving the business its own address would be a major milestone and make everything we’d accomplished so far seem much more real.

I turned to gauge Fiona’s reaction. “I think I like it. What do you think?”

Fiona pursed her lips and looked around. “The price is fair and the lease term gives you options for growth. All things considered, I would say this is a safe bet. Can you see yourself here?”

“I can.” I smiled, having renewed faith in Fiona’s brokering skills. At the end of the day, we needed a comfortable, affordable working space for the new team members of Clozpin, the fashion social network I’d spent the past year growing.

“Let me make some calls and see if I can get the price down for you. Because Blake’s right, this place is kind of dirty. Plus, if you plan on fixing it up, that gives us a bargaining chip.” Fiona pulled out her phone and exited toward the hallway, leaving us alone again.

“You didn’t ask me what I think.” Blake gave me a crooked grin.

“That’s because I already know what you think.”

“I could give you twice the square footage and you wouldn’t even need to leave the building to come visit me. Plus you’d get the girlfriend rate, which I think you’ll find is unmatched in this part of town.”

Blake’s uninvited assistance in all matters was a lost cause. Sure, he was controlling, compulsive, and persistent as all hell, but he was ultimately a fixer. When the people he cared about ran into problems or wanted for anything, he came to the rescue, sparing no expense in the process.

“I appreciate the offer. I really do. But you can’t put a price on independence, Blake.” We’d had this conversation before, and I was standing my ground. He needed to trust me to make things work on my own. This trust thing went both ways.

“You can be independent. We’ll put it all in writing.”

“In my experience, putting it in writing only commits me to being dependent on your ample resources for a minimum length of time.” Blake already had me bound to a year-long lease with my apartment, though he'd yet to cash any of my rent checks.
     



“Call it rent control. You could lock in the girlfriend rate for, say, a twenty-year lease, and then we could negotiate from there.” He encircled me in his arms, pressing me firmly against his chest, his lips inches from mine.

My heart pounded. This went beyond our usual banter of trying to outwit each other. We had only been together a matter of weeks and he was already thinking about the long-term? My lips parted slightly as I struggled to take a full breath. Blake’s words and his proximity made my world spin, time and again. No one had ever affected me like this, and I was gradually learning to enjoy the roller coaster.

“Nice try,” I whispered.

He growled and closed his mouth over mine. He claimed me with gentle urgency, teasing me with tiny licks of his tongue.

“You drive me crazy, Erica.”

“Oh?” I breathed, trying not to moan as the air left me.

“Yes, in every conceivable way. Let’s get out of here. Fiona can wrap up the paperwork if you’re intent on renting this dump.”

He grabbed my hips and sandwiched me between his rock hard body and the wall behind me. I didn’t know what it was about him pinning me to hard surfaces, but I f*cking loved it. I slid my hands through his hair and kissed him back helplessly, so easily forgetting myself in his embrace. What time was it? Where did I need to be later? I mentally ran through every possible obstacle between me and being naked with Blake. His thigh found the space between my legs, exerting the perfect amount of pressure so the crease of my jeans rubbed me through my panties.

“Oh, God.”

“I swear, if there was a clean surface in this place, I’d f*ck you on it right now.”

I giggled. “You’re bad.”

His eyes went dark. “You have no idea.”

“Ahem.”

Fiona leaned into the doorway, wide-eyed.

Blake stepped back abruptly, leaving me dizzy and momentarily confused. For the first time ever, I witnessed him flush as he ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly embarrassed at having been caught making out in front of his little sister.

“If you two are finished, I got the price down another couple hundred. Can we make a decision on this, or do you want to see some more places in different parts of town?”

I straightened and stepped away from Blake to join her, knowing the farther away I was, the more clearly I could think.

“Decision’s made. Let’s do this.”

*

“You new to the neighborhood?”

The busty redhead serving up two steaming creme brulee lattes interrupted my train of thought as I checked through my email with obsessive care.

“Sort of. I'm renting commercial space upstairs.”

“Rock and roll. I've been here a few years. I opened the café with my parents but they retired, so it's just me and the crew now.”

“Wow, congrats. I didn't realize you were the owner.” I'd seen her several times since scouting out the neighborhood and practicing my route to work. Okay, so I was mainly over-eager to move into the office, and the compelling smells coming from Mocha lured me in regularly.

“Most people don't. They're pretty surprised when they ask for a supervisor and they're still looking at me.”

We laughed, and I held out my hand to hers. “I'm Erica.”

“Simone. These are on the house.”

“Awesome, thank you.”

“No worries.” She sauntered back to the coffee bar with curves that even I envied. Simone had a presence in the place and she made a mean latte, so she wasn't easy to forget. The patrons around me followed her with their gazes until she was safely hidden behind the counter.

Liz pushed through the door and found me at my table.

“Wow, you’re wicked tan,” I said, admiring Liz’s ability to look like a catalogue model with presumably very little effort. Somehow her perfect blond bob looked even lighter than the last time we’d met over coffee. My own hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and I was dressed in a pair of well-loved, thoroughly ripped blue jeans and a tie-dyed tank top, ready to clean up the office space before our furniture arrived.

“Thanks! Barcelona was amazing. You have to go sometime. My parents rented a villa and I basically hung out on the beach the whole time. Absolute bliss.”

“Sounds amazing.”

“So what have you been up to?” She took a sip of her latte.

“I got my funding for the business, so I found office space and now I’m renovating and hiring.”

“Holy crap, congratulations!”

“Thanks.”

“What are you hiring for?”

“We have a couple new programmers, but I’m sort of agonizing over finding a marketing director. No one has wowed me yet, but I need someone soon. I can’t wear that hat with all the other things I have going on.”

“Oh my God, I know the perfect person.” She clapped her hands together and then started rummaging through her purse.

“Yeah?”

“My friend Risa. She's been working for a marketing company for the past few summers. She graduated with us and is on the job hunt now. She’s crazy into fashion. You would love her.”

I raised my eyebrows. Not like I especially loved fashion. Sure I ran a fashion social network, but that was business. Obsessing over fashion was Alli’s gig, but since Alli was the one I was replacing, maybe this girl would be worth talking to.

“I’m trying to replace my business partner who moved to New York for work, so she’d have to be willing to take on a lot of responsibility for meager start-up pay. Not really everyone’s dream job.”

Liz shook her head, seeming undeterred. “Sounds perfect, actually. You should talk to her. I could be wrong about what she's looking for, but connecting with her couldn’t hurt. You never know.”

I shrugged. “All right, but I can’t make any promises, okay?”

“Absolutely. She’s a friend but we’re not super close so if it doesn’t work out, no hard feelings.”

“Okay, cool.”

I waited for her to send me the info on her phone, and I let my mind wander to everything I had to do before we set up shop upstairs.

“I’m really glad we reconnected, Erica.” Liz smiled sweetly, bringing me back to the moment.

“Me too.”

“I thought a lot about what you said when I was away.” Her expression changed, her features softening. “I should have been more understanding of the whole situation. I had nothing to compare it to, so I probably didn’t react the way I should have. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one to help you through it, but I want to try to be a better friend to you now, if it’s not too late.” Her voice lowered when she spoke to me, even though the coffee shop was humming with other customers wrapped up in their own conversations.
     



“Of course not. Don’t worry about it.”

I waved away her apology and all the emotions it threatened to conjure. One of the reasons we’d grown distant to begin with was the constant reminder of the difficult time in my life that we had shared. I did want to give our friendship another chance, but I seriously hoped that didn’t mean reliving the past every time we met up.

“We’re talking ancient history, Liz. I’ve moved on and I’m not interested in dwelling on it. I have a million other things to think about right now.”

“Right.” She nodded. “I don’t know how you do it. I couldn’t imagine running a business. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

“There’s definitely a learning curve, but you could say that about anything, I guess. How’s your job going?” She must have already started her position at one of the large investment firms in the city.

“Great, actually, except I’m in spreadsheet hell right now. But I’m learning a lot and trying to figure it all out. I think I like it. Plus, there are tons of hot guys who work at the firm. Major bonus.”

I laughed, remembering how boy crazy she had been when we’d shared a dorm room our freshmen year. In fact, her love of boys and parties might have been what had landed us off campus at a frat house one night. I shook my head, pushing thoughts of that terrible night with Mark out of my mind.

Now that I knew the identity of the man who’d raped me, I was even more determined not to let the experience rule me. I was stronger than the pain he had left me with, and I had come too far to lament the innocence he’d stolen.

“I’d love to come see the new office sometime,” she said.

“Sure, as soon as we get everything set up you should come by. On that note, I really better run. The furniture is being delivered tomorrow, and I’ve got a long night of cleaning ahead of me.”

“No worries. It was great seeing you.”

“You too.” I smiled and offered her a quick hug.

I hurried up to the second floor. I hadn’t seen the place since I’d made the decision to rent it. I was giddy to start making it our own, even if that meant getting a little dirty.

I stopped in front of the door. It was completely unrecognizable from the old door a few days ago. The wood had been painted a satin gray and the window was frosted, leaving a transparent silhouette of our company logo in the center. I turned the key in the shiny chrome handle and opened the door.

The original floors were now shiny and renewed from being refinished and lacquered. Ornate white trim lined the windows and the walls where they met the ceiling. A new ceiling fan and track lighting brought the space into the twenty-first century.

I grabbed my phone and called Fiona.

“Hey, Erica.”

“Do you have something you want to tell me?”

“What? Oh.”

“I thought we were past this.” I tried to keep my tone even, but when was she going to learn to keep Blake out of my business?

“Erica, he’s my big brother. What do you want me to do? He wanted to do something to help. You know how he is.”

Yes, I knew how he was and how impossible he made it to say no, especially when he had his sights set on something. I walked around the room admiring how the space had completely transformed since I’d last seen it. I couldn’t imagine anything better. All I could think to do was mentally map out furniture placement. Blake had done the rest. Damn it all.

“Well it looks amazing. It’s perfect.”

“I know. I sneaked a peek before giving you the keys. He did a great job. Just what I envisioned.” Her wariness at my reaction had clearly waned, her excitement shining through.

I sighed and tapped my foot. Damn it, I was excited too.

“All right, I’m still mad at you though,” I said, thoroughly unconvincing.

“I’ll buy you a drink sometime and you’ll forget all about it.”

“I usually need a few drinks to forget.”

She laughed. “Not going to argue with that. Well, enjoy the space. Congrats.”

“Thanks, I’ll talk to you later.”

I dropped my bag—heavy with cleaning supplies that were now unnecessary—to the floor. I sat cross-legged in the middle of the room, taking it all in. Every baby step we’d taken with the business these past few weeks had seemed overwhelming, and Blake never failed to take everything up a notch.

Just then the door opened, and Blake’s frame filled the doorway. His hands were full with a bottle of champagne, a blanket, and a brown paper bag. A knowing grin curved his lips.

“How's my favorite boss?”

“Can't complain,” I said flatly, looking up at his impressive frame towering over me.

He unfolded the blanket, sat down, and patted the spot next to him for me to join him there.

“What’s all this?”

“I was thinking we could have an office picnic to celebrate the new digs.”

He smirked and twisted the cork off the champagne, then poured the bubbly into two glasses he retrieved from the bag.

Our gazes locked. He was gauging my mood.

“You mad?”

“Maybe,” I lied. Luckily he’d done such an amazing job that I’d already forgiven him and his accomplice.

His eyebrows shot up as if he were waiting for me to react. I got a little lost in his eyes. His beautiful hazel irises under thick, long lashes were the centerpiece on a face that took my breath away with alarming regularity. The sharp lines of his jaw. His lightly tanned skin and full delicious lips that reminded me of the terrible, wonderful things they could do to me. I could stare at him for hours and never tire of the way he made me feel. Possessed and obsessed. I’d never felt so wanted or so enraptured by another human being. Blake was the whole gorgeous, maddening package, and I loved every inch of him.

I sighed, hoping I didn’t look as hopelessly in love as I felt. “I’m accepting your insanity.”

“Good girl.” He visibly relaxed and flashed me a smile.

Eager to be closer, I accepted his earlier invitation and shifted to join him on the blanket. I took the glass of champagne he handed to me and took a sip.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Despite his misgivings about the location, he seemed to have had some vision for the place after all.

“I hoped you would.”

“Why the change of heart?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You made no bones about hating this place when we looked at it.”

“Obviously I was going to want you closer. But this is what you wanted. You’re accepting my ‘insanity’ as you call it, and I’m accepting your obstinacy.”
     



I stared at him a moment. I couldn’t quite argue with his description of me. “Some might call that progress.”

He smiled in a way that made me believe no one had come this far with him before. We hadn’t talked about it, but Blake didn’t strike me as someone who made compromises often. Frankly, neither of us did, but somehow we were figuring it out. Remodeling the office was way over the top, but accepting my decision was a step in the right direction.

I sipped the chilled bubbly. Silence settled over the room. “You need to let me struggle a little bit, you know.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do you hear yourself?”

“Yes, I do. And I know I won’t grow if I always have you butting in before I can face a challenge or make a mistake. I want those opportunities, otherwise I’ll just bumble along in this fantasy world where you make all my problems go away and I’ll never know what it’s really like to run a business.”

He exhaled loudly. “All right, then. How involved do you want me to be?”

“How about you let me ask for your help when I need it?”

He shook his head. “You’ll never do that.”

I rolled my eyes, but he was partially right. I was stubborn as hell and rarely reached out for help.

“Hey.” He caught my chin, turning me toward him. “I’m proud of you.”

“For what? Roping you in for four million dollars?”

He laughed. “If that was all part of your master plan, then yes, I’m extremely proud, because I never saw that coming.”

I smirked despite myself. I would have done just about anything to avoid taking his money, and he knew it.

“Seriously though, this is a big step. I want you to remember to enjoy the moment.”

And I did just that. Being with Blake made every moment just a little sweeter. A lot sweeter. He gave everything a kind of wonder that made me question how I’d ever survived the tedious existence I called life before he walked in and turned everything upside down.

“I am, thanks to you.” I leaned in closer and met his lips.

He cradled my face in his palm and traced his tongue along my lips, coaxing them open, dipping into my mouth with soft lashes of his tongue.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what’s in the bag?”

I pulled back a fraction, breathless and a little dazed on his taste and scent. Clean, rough, and masculine, uniquely Blake. He turned away and unpacked the contents of the brown bag. He set out a container of strawberries, whipped cream, and a small glass jar of gourmet chocolate sauce.

“What kind of picnic did you have in mind?”

He held up the glass jar. “They drizzle this amazing chocolate sauce on the lattes and confections downstairs. I guess it’s not for sale, but when I politely explained to them that I’d be licking it off your naked body to christen the new office, they finally obliged.”

I giggled and tried to imagine that unlikely conversation between him and Simone. He twisted the lid off and offered it to me. I dipped my finger in the chocolate and then into my mouth. The chocolate coated my tongue, the taste decadent and divine, the experience only heightened by the surety that Blake would be making good on his plans shortly.

“I thought you were opposed to office nooky,” I said.

“This is your office. Different rules.”

“Which I see you’re already making.” I dipped my finger through the chocolate sauce again, but before I could make it to my mouth, Blake pulled it swiftly into his and tongued my fingertip suggestively.

“Take your shirt off and lie down.”

I grinned and rose slowly to my knees, pulling my tank top off. “You’re bossy today.”

He pulled a black silk mask out of the bag and slipped it over my eyes. “It’s not a mood, baby. It’s who I am. You'd do well to remember that.”

His breath was warm against my collarbone. I held my breath in anticipation of his mouth on me but was surprised instead to feel his hand slide up my back. His fingers deftly unhooked my bra and I heard the garment land a few feet away. Bare-chested and chilled by the cool room, I was acutely aware of my present vulnerability.

“Lie down and don't make me repeat myself again.”

I released the breath I'd been holding, suddenly weakened by the command and the edge in his voice. Arguing with his simple but forceful request was a distant thought, quickly overwhelmed by the desire to have him take control of my body for as long as he saw fit.

I obeyed and lay down on my back, resting my palms on the textured fabric of the blanket, cool against the heat that prickled beneath my flesh. He unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them down my hips, stopping just short of my pubic bone.

He trailed hot open-mouthed kisses along my belly that had me breathless for more. I arched into his touch as he caressed the juts of my hipbones with his thumbs.

“I love this part of you,” he murmured. “One of many. Your body… Erica, you’re so f*cking sexy.”

“Touch me.”

“I plan to, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Stop squirming.”

“You're torturing me,” I whimpered.

He laughed quietly. “Not nearly.”

With that he left me, creating an unwelcome distance between us. The room chilled again. Where was he and what was he doing? I shivered at the first drop of liquid sliding into my navel. He drizzled a trail up my chest, circling my nipples, each beading under the sensation.

“Do you like strawberries?”

I smiled at the hint. “Yes.”

“Good. I'm going to feed you one.”

The fresh aroma of strawberries mingled with the chocolate as he rested a piece of fruit on my lower lip. I opened my mouth, but Blake kept it just out of reach. I arched to grasp it until he finally let me sink my teeth into it. I chewed and swallowed, savoring the flavor and the new experience of combining my obsession with Blake with my love of food. Strange, but I couldn't argue with having too much of a good thing, or many good things, in this case.

He pressed an unexpected kiss to my throat, nibbling my flesh. He traveled down my collarbone and passed between my breasts. His tongue slowed and circled one peak after the next. He sucked and licked slow velvety strokes all over my torso, spreading his attentions to any remote expanse of skin. I gasped at the sensation of his tongue taunting and taking its sweet time to lick my flesh clean. Once he had, he slid a hand into my jeans and cupped my sex over my now soaked panties.

“I'm going to f*ck you now, Erica. Do you want that?”

His breath over the wet flesh of my nipple gave me gooseflesh, my skin electric from all the ways he'd tantalized it.
     



I moaned a loud affirmative, my hands nearly numb from gripping the blanket with restraint. Ready to burst, I released them and found his hair, fisting the silky strands that slid between my fingers as I held his mouth tight to my breast. He nipped me gently and I yelped.

He took me by the wrists and replaced them above my head. “Stay still.”

The bag crinkled again, and then he bound my wrists with some kind of silky fabric and tightened the knot, leaving no question about my ability to wriggle free from it.

He stripped me from the waist down and I heard his clothes drop to the floor at my feet before his body covered mine.

I twisted my wrists, a pointless effort since I had no way of breaking free on my own. As I did, my heartbeat ratcheted to a rapid rate, panic seeping in. He'd done this before, left me helpless, unable to touch him or move. Those bonds had been a little easier to negotiate, but these didn't budge. I couldn't see him now. I was helpless and in the dark. A cold fear crept in, replacing Blake with a nightmare, the darkest memory.

“Blake.” My voice was uneven, tainted with the uneasiness that grew. I wasn’t sure if I could do this.

His hand rested over my heart, my chest rising rapidly with the breathing I could no longer control.

“Shh, baby. I've got you,” he murmured.

He covered my body with the warmth of his own, claiming my mouth with his, tender and full of love, silencing my fears. He kissed my jaw and moved to the sensitive skin of my neck, just below my ear.

“Do you feel me? It's me, baby. It'll always be me.”

With those words, my body went lax beneath him. I released the fists I'd been clenching and focused on his touch, unlike any other. No one had ever touched me the way he did, like he knew my body better than I did.

Slowly the panic subsided, melting away as he reintroduced himself to my body, his voice bringing me back to the moment, our moment.

“I've been hard all day thinking about you like this. Do you have any idea how impossible it is to work that way? Thinking about your tight little body quivering under me, ready for me?”

Inch by inch my skin came alive, quickening as his hands and his mouth claimed me. Urgent touches and hot, wet kisses. His voice talking me through every motion, every plan. My hips circled into the motion of his fingers massaging me, sliding through my wet folds and inside of me, a promise of what was to come.

My focus pinpointed on the contact. I was panting, aimlessly wondering how much longer I could hold out like this. God, the man loved torturing me.

“You okay?” He circled my wrists gently and feathered down the sensitive skin on the underside of my arms.

I roused myself from my longing to consider his question. Panic was so far in my rearview. I could think of nothing but the sweet inevitable of having him inside me.

“More than okay. Don't stop.”

He spread my legs around him. He notched at my opening and pushed in, slow enough to drive me a little crazy. I held my breath until he was rooted, stretching me fully. He took my mouth in a deep kiss, and I took my next breath from him as he ground his hips gently, reminding me how deeply he could possess me in every way. I moaned, and fire spread through my veins, heating me from limb to limb as I clung to his body the only way I could. I hooked my ankles behind his thighs, urging him into me, the need to have him moving inside me almost more than I could bear.

He slipped his arm around my waist and splayed his hand at my tailbone, protecting me from the hard floor as he thrust into me harder. I gasped, relief and ecstasy flooding me.

He rocked into me, finding a steady rhythm. Between kisses, he murmured in my ear. “Love you, baby. Being inside you…like this. Controlling your pleasure. I need this.”

He whispered the things he wanted to do to me, how every minute inside me made him feel, staying with me so I'd never forget who was loving me.

“Blake, oh God…” There was nothing but the sound of his voice and his cock plunging into me. No distractions, only the fierce claim of his body over mine. My lip trembled as the tension mounted.

“That’s it. Now you're going to come loud and hard and introduce me to the neighbors.”

He took my hands in one of his, holding them tight above me while the other found my hip. Then, lifting me a few inches off the floor, he drove in hard so his cock hit the spot inside me that made everything go white behind the black.

His name left my lips in a hoarse cry. Colors exploded behind my eyes as my body seized around his, the tremble rocketing through my core.

“Christ, Erica… F*ck, just like that.”

My toes curled as he rolled into the last few strokes that took us both over the edge. He gripped my hips roughly and buried himself in me one last time with a loud moan.

He collapsed over me, his body slick and fevered. I twisted my hands again, wanting to touch him and soothe him through the aftershocks. He untied the fabric deftly, freeing me. I squinted against the light pouring into the room when he slipped off the mask.

Blake’s face was relaxed but his eyes were dark and serious. He stroked my face reverently, pushing tiny strands of hair away as we caught our breath.

“I missed your eyes. Next time I want to see them every minute I make love to you, all the way to the end. I want you to see what you do to me.”