She wanted to ask when he’d be back, if he was getting her dinner, if she’d done okay. But she knew the routine. Dejectedly, she turned toward the door and took her position.
His shirt came over her shoulders, hanging to her thighs. He eased her arms through the sleeves and rolled them up. Button by button, he closed the front.
Dexter smiled. “That looks good on you.”
It was better than any ball gown she’d ever worn and more precious than anything she’d ever possessed. “I-I may wear it?”
He nodded with a grin. “Yes, bug, you may wear it. I’ll be back.”
Though he was gone, her heart swelled as his fragrance remained.
The days and weeks that followed blended together. She’d had another period. That was her most accurate tell of time.
Dexter-time changed. Not only did he explore her body, but she also explored his. There was still both pleasure and pain, yet she was allowed to touch him as they conversed more. No longer only answering his questions, she discussed her life, regrets, and dreams with him. One afternoon, straddling his hips, Natalie ran her hands over his firm chest. The beat of his heart thudded under her palms as her core clenched at the sensation of his erection nudging her behind.
Nat looked him in the eye. “I’m ready.”
No longer turbulent, his eyes glistened like the rays of sun over the ocean’s waters. “Once we do this, there’s no going back.”
“I know.”
“You said you were waiting.”
Nat nodded. “I was waiting until the man who earned my body also held my heart.”
“And…”
“And, Dexter, I’m yours. You have all of me. That means my heart too. You’ve had all of my body except my virginity. Like the rest of me, it belongs to you too.” Her face flushed. “I mean, it’s up to you, but if you want it, it’s yours.”
His neck and chest flexed as he leaned up until their lips met. And then he lifted her off him and onto the mattress and reached for his jeans.
Natalie’s heart clenched. “A-are you leaving?”
He handed her his shirt—the one she now wore as a dress. “No, Nat, you’re not losing your virginity in this room. I took your innocence here; your gift deserves more.”
Suddenly faint, she could barely breathe as her circulation quickened. “You’re going to let me leave?”
“Bug, you’re never leaving me.” He caressed her jaw as she buttoned the shirt. “I’m going to take you to a real bed. It’s time to remember how a princess lives, but now you’re no longer a spoiled princess. You’ve come a long way, my queen.”
He reached for her hand while at the same time he pushed something in his pocket. The buzz sounded and door opened. Her bare feet barely kept up as he pulled her down the concrete block hallway. “There’s no one else here now, so no one will see you.”
Others? There had been other people in this house, or whatever it was? She’d never heard anyone. Had they heard her screams?
At the end of the hall was a door. Even if she’d gotten out of the room, she would have needed another key to exit the hallway. When the door opened, she had the sensation of a movie her mother loved. Suddenly, she was Dorothy opening the door of her small home to the magical world of Oz. No longer black and white, everything had color. So much color.
Ornate carpets and rich textures replaced the yellow brick road. Her feet stilled upon the soft, plush surface. There were lush leather sofas, bookshelves filled with colorful spines of books, and a wall of electronics.
It was sensory overload as he led her through the large house. It seemed as big as her home in Iowa, but they weren’t in Iowa. On the first floor, she gasped at the windows—real windows revealing the world he’d kept hidden from her. A thick blanket of white covered large trees and open lawns like the inside of a snow globe.
She wanted to ask where they were, but it was all too much.
Step by step, he led her up a grand staircase to the second floor. His large hand holding hers gave her the strength to keep moving. No longer damp and cold, the air was fresh and warm. The floor beneath their feet wasn’t concrete but polished wood.
Dexter opened a tall wooden door at the end of one hallway to a sitting room. Beyond, he opened the second door. Her blood stilled. This was where it would happen. It was a bedroom easily four times the size of the room where she had been held. Heck, her room was about the size of the giant bed.
“Dexter?”
He dropped her hand and began to undo the buttons on the front of her shirt. “Natalie, I’ve waited for this.”
She swallowed and nodded.
He leaned down, kissing her hair, neck, collarbone, and breasts.
Her eyes closed, relishing the sensation as his lips sent electricity straight to her core. And then he stopped. When her eyes opened, he was on his knees.
“Nat, you’re my queen.”
“Dexter?” She didn’t know what to do. It felt wrong to have him kneel. That was her job.
He brought her hand to his lips. “You’re everything I’ve ever imagined. You said that I have your heart. Natalie, you have mine. You’ve had it since before we met.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t. Just remember that I love you—not despite everything, but because of everything. That’s why what we’re about to do is right. It’s always been right.”
“You love me?”
“Forever and always.” He stood, scooping her into his arms, and carried her toward the bed.
Before he set her down, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m scared.” He’d made her give him her mind and honesty. It only seemed right now.
“I know, bug. I know. This isn’t about pain.”
“But you like that.”
He nodded. “I do. I also like bringing you pleasure.”
After a long kiss, Dexter threw back the blankets, revealing softer sheets than she’d slept on in months. He gently laid her on the bed.
Their eyes stayed fixed on one another as he removed his clothes. She marveled at his body, that this handsome, powerful man was the man who loved her. The hardness of his muscles and the gleam of his gaze mesmerized her. By the time he climbed onto the bed, her desire almost exceeded her fear.
Dexter removed the shirt from her shoulders. Moving slowly, tentatively, he touched and caressed her folds and clit, his teeth nipping her skin until her wanton need surpassed reservation. Her breasts heaved as he finally eased over her.
And then with his rigid cock teasing her entrance, he stilled.
“Dexter?”
“I’m never letting you go.”
She shifted her hips, ready for him to take her. “Please, Dexter.”
“What, my little bug?”
“Please, never let me go…I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“That’s one lesson you don’t need to learn.”
She sighed as her hips continued to fidget in anticipation. “I’m all yours. Please take me.” Her back arched as he worked inside her tight channel. And then as she grew accustomed to the pressure, he gave one hard thrust. Natalie cried out as pain overtook the pleasure.