Owned By Fate(29)

It dawned on her then that she could use this to her advantage. Blast right out of her comfort zone so far she’d have no choice but to go screaming back to it. Away from Jonah in the process.

“What are you doing in here?”

Caroline spun around to find Jonah leaning against the doorjamb. He’d stripped off his shirt to reveal his rugged, muscular chest. He radiated such base sexuality, it caught her momentarily off guard. Unlike most of the citified men she’d seen shirtless, Jonah had hair on his chest, and she could actually feel herself being ruined for smooth, hairless chests forever. Ruined.

Underneath the dark brown hair, a blue anchor tattoo stretched across his pecs, reminding her that he’d been in the Navy. Worked with his hands. Ropes. Shadowed eyes raked her from head to toe, reminding her that, thanks to impulsiveness, she now wore only a red thong. With a tremendous effort, she didn’t squirm under his heated regard but stood her ground and let him look his fill. “I didn’t want to wait.” Ignoring the heat settling between her legs, she encompassed the room with a gesture. “Isn’t this where we were going to end up anyway?”

“No.” He pushed off the jamb and came toward her, all but daring her to back away. “My bedroom is on the other side of the apartment. I don’t sleep here.”

“What do you—” Caroline broke off before she could finish her absurd question. Right. A second master suite used only for playtime. She could just envision that real-estate listing. For the bondage enthusiast in all of us. “If that’s the case…if you use this room for other things, why wouldn’t we have come in here?”

“I want you in my bed, Caroline.” Even he seemed surprised by that admission, but his dark stare didn’t waver, dipping to her naked breasts hungrily. She’d obviously upset him by coming in here, but he wanted her enough to overlook it. This is good, she reminded herself vehemently. They were back on an even playing field.

She took a fortifying breath and pointed at the ceiling. “I want to use that.”

Jonah’s jaw worked. “Are you out of your mind? You think going from being teased with a feather to hanging from my ceiling is a logical progression?”

“No, I don’t,” she returned, hating the note of desperation in her voice. No help for it. “There’s nothing logical about this.”

“I’m starting to think you’re right.” His words ended on a groan as his fingers skated up the sensitive flesh of her belly to skim over her puckered nipples. “I’m not feeling a goddamn drop of logic right now.”

“Good.” She placed her hands on his wide shoulders, pushed up on her toes to nip at the underside of his chin. “Trust me to know what I want. I want this, Jonah.”

He kissed her mouth hungrily once, then pulled back to trap her with a penetrating look. “Trust me, Caroline, to know what you need.”

She saw it happening right in front of her, that rise of power inside him. If she’d been given to flights of imagination, Caroline would have sworn his frame grew even larger, more intimidating. His voice had dropped to a pitch that made her stomach twist deliciously. Every particle in her body began to dance eagerly. Something is coming. Her head nodded once of its own accord, granting him permission to do…what?

Before she could guess his next move, Jonah scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the bedroom, his sure stride echoing through the apartment. His hard chest rose and fell rhythmically, in perfect timing with her harsh breathing. It took only moments to reach his bedroom, but it felt like an eternity. She’d graduated to a level of need that lent her no time to care about the terms. Only the means. Her naked flesh pressed to his chest felt decadent, only heightening her anticipation for more. For all of him.

As they entered his dim bedroom and Jonah set her down carefully just inside the door, she felt a fleeting hint of worry. Not over what they would do tonight but over how she would deal with the repercussions tomorrow. When one of Jonah’s hands sunk into her hair, the other gripping her bottom to lift her against him, that worry drifted away on a tide of lust. They kissed each other as though it could keep them alive. He used his grip on her hair to move her where his mouth could take the most advantage, licking, tasting, exploiting. Caroline went under and resurfaced so many times, she stumbled a little in her shakiness as Jonah walked them across the bedroom without breaking their kiss.

Behind her, a drawer opened and shut, the sound registering dimly. Then she felt it. Smooth, cool leather tracing the curve of her buttocks. Their mouths separated by a mere inch, breaths racing across each other’s damp lips. Jonah looked down at her with an expression that arrested her in its intensity. He epitomized the word dominant in that moment, gaze confident and steady, yet dosed with enough excitement to keep her from being alarmed. This was what turned him on. In turn, she felt answering flames lick across her skin, between her thighs. Everywhere the paddle touched.