So he was running scared, but he wasn’t running from her. He was running from himself.
Audrey took a step closer to him. “Would you believe my brain was all fuzzy when I woke up, like a television full of static, but when you touched me, I felt better?”
“Maybe you’ve developed an electricity fetish. We could work with that.” He looked hopeful. “Safely.”
“No.” She wasn’t willing to play by his rules anymore.
Being with Cal had changed her. She wasn’t a shy lab mouse anymore, living in the shadow of her talented brother. She had a gift of her own, a gift that could change Cal’s life too, if he let it. He’d been in control his entire life. Even when he lost control, he manipulated his environment to remove the risks. She was going to prove he could abandon his safety measures with her.
“Why don’t we try a little experiment?” she suggested.
He had hoped to have more time to convince her that submission could be satisfying, but he could tell by the implacable look in her eyes she wanted more. Her patience with him had come to an end. She’d gotten what she needed—information about her talent—and if he couldn’t move forward with her, she would move on without him.
He felt like his heart was breaking in two. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it anymore. The thought of going to the Lair to find a new sub made him want to stay home and fill fuel cells for the rest of his life.
“What do you say, Cal. Red or green?”
Sweat trickled down his back but a curious peace settled over him as he made his decision. Audrey was it for him. She was perfect, beautiful—that buzz cut was sexy as hell—a genius with a talent almost too good to be true. He could touch her and she could touch him—but only if he could find the courage to let her.
Mentally, he knew she was right. If eight lightning bolts couldn’t hurt her, she could handle his everyday charge. Emotionally, he would have to take the risk. How could he do less for her than she had done for him?
“Green.” He felt energy rise from his core. “What do you have in mind?”
Her lips curved in a dangerous smile. “Vanilla.”
Cal sagged against the kitchen counter, feeling every hair on his body stand on end.
Her laugh was wicked. “Missionary position with every inch of skin exposed would be ideal, but I’m willing to take your inexperience into consideration. Let’s get me wired up for your peace of mind and go from there.” Although his heart thundered, he was pretty sure there was no blood in his brain as he followed her down the stairs.
“Take off your shirt.”
It felt odd to be taking orders in his own dungeon, but he followed her command. At her gesture, he sat on the table. She made swift work of the electrodes, stripping out of her clothes and attaching them to her skin. She pressed all the appropriate buttons on the machines and cast a practiced eye over the display before she joined him. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to get my hands on you.”
He couldn’t imagine it was more than he wanted her hands on him. He sat, mute, shaking, anticipating her touch. She drew a fingertip down the center of his chest, making him gasp. “Your skin is so soft,” she whispered.
His breath shuddered out of his lungs as she caressed his shoulders, amazed that the simple touch was more erotic than any deviant sexual act. Her hands skated down his chest, over his abdomen. He cast a frantic glance at the monitors as his energy surged.
She grabbed his belt and tugged him forward. He focused on breathing as she dropped to her knees and unhooked his belt, then unbuttoned his pants. As his zipper slid south, he groaned, “I thought you were going to take it easy on me.”
He felt her laugh as a soft puff of air against his cock. “Just watch the monitors. I’m trying to make a point.”
Watch the monitors? He could barely keep his eyes open as she took him in her mouth. Pleasure, brilliant and illuminating, shot through him. Her tongue stroked the underside of his cock, and he felt his toes curl. She sucked, swirled, and his knees buckled. He grabbed the table behind him for support.
Holy God.
He forced his eyes to focus on the displays across the room. Normal, all normal, unaffected, unlike him. He leaned back against the table, making fists to keep himself from grabbing her skull, then wondered why he was denying himself the pleasure, considering they were already connected.
Cautiously, he reached forward and ran his fingers through her now short hair. She murmured something that sounded suspiciously like, “Good boy,” and he smiled, looking down at her, just as she looked up.
Their eyes caught and he felt split open. Never in his life had he felt this connected to another person. He’d had countless lovers, but he hadn’t shared more than his body with them, and even that had been minimal. He avoided physical intimacy out of necessity, but sharing this moment with Audrey made him realize he’d avoided emotional intimacy as well. The restraints, hoods and dominance kept him detached from lovers who couldn’t share his secret.