“Hey, whoa…hold on.” He was in the act of unbuckling his belt but he stopped and came toward her, hands held out entreatingly. “Those aren’t for you, baby—they’re for me.”
“What?” Elise was almost as appalled as when she’d thought the cuffs were meant for her. “You want me to chain you down and shock you?”
“I want you to feel safe.” Merrick sighed and ran a hand over his skull-cut hair. “Look, it just came to me a minute ago—I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. I kept thinking I had to touch you in order to keep you healthy, to feed the hunger. But then it occurred to me.”
“What occurred to you?” Elise asked impatiently.
“That you could touch me instead. Think about it, Elise—you need skin-to-skin contact with me, that’s all. But it doesn’t have to be me making the contact, not if it makes you uncomfortable. Not if it brings back bad memories…or nightmares.”
Finally what he was saying began to sink in.I could touch him. Of course, why didn’t I think of that? But she knew the answer to that one—it was because she’d been trying so hard not to think of him that way. Trying not to think of anything even remotely sexual.
“I…I don’t know,” she murmured, biting her lip. “How…how exactly would we do it? Uh, this…how would we do this?” she corrected hastily.
“Simple. I’ll strip and lay on the bed. You cuff my hands behind my back and then get undressed yourself. Then touch me as much as you want. Until you feel completely satisfied.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “Got it?”
Sudden pictures filled her head, images of her touching him everywhere, doing things she shouldn’t, being a bad girl, a naughty girl… Her hands itched to stroke every inch of his hard, muscular body and her pussy had never felt so wet and hot, but her mind was frozen by fear.
“Elise?” he said, making her name a question.
“I…” She licked her lips with a tongue that felt like sandpaper. “I understand what you’re suggesting but I…I’m not sure…”
“It doesn’t have to be sexual, baby,” he murmured. Ducking his head, he caught her eyes and held her gaze with his own. “Not if you don’t want it to be. It can just be about touching. About taking what you want—what you need—without being afraid that I’ll touch back. Because I won’t be able to—not with those on.” He nodded at the cuffs in her hand and gave her a small smile. “What do you say?”
The hunger snarled inside her like a starving animal but still she hesitated. “Would…would I have to be naked too?”
Merrick gave her a steady look. “You know the answer to that. We need as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. Anything less isn’t going to cut it.”
“I know,” she said in a small voice. “It’s just…I’m shy. I…I know you’ve seen me naked before but—”
“Blindfold me,” Merrick suggested softly. “Cuff me down and blindfold me. Then do whatever you want…whatever you need.”
Elise looked at him uncertainly. “You’d let me make you helpless like that? You’d trust me that much?”
He sighed. “You can be fucking sure it’s not an offer I’d extend to anybody else in the whole Goddess-damned universe. But, yeah baby. I trust you.”
The hunger snarled again and she made a decision. “All right.” She nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Fourteen
There was some discussion about which way he should be lying on the big bed. Her first thought was to have him on his back but that felt too threatening somehow. Part of it was how massive he was, even in repose. And part was the fact that his semi-erect shaft was put on display in a very disconcerting way. Elise tried, but she found it difficult not to look at. It was so long and thick…God, how did he even use that thing? It was more like a Billy club than a cock, which made her glad they weren’t doing anything but touching tonight. But despite her misgivings, she kept wondering what it would feel like in her hand, if it was as hot and as hard and solid as it looked.
Merrick obviously saw the way her eyes kept returning to his shaft. It seemed to harden and lengthen the more she looked at it. “Sorry about that,” he muttered, shrugging. “It’s been awhile. And you’re fucking gorgeous—I can’t help reacting.”
“I…I don’t mind,” Elise lied. “But, well, maybe if you lay on your side instead…”