And she never shut him out, either.
Moaning, she sank her heels in harder, urging him closer. He let her fall back down to the mattress and rested his weight on his elbows. Cupping her face, he slammed his mouth down on hers. Her tongue dueled with his, and he moved faster. Desperate for the release he knew she could give him. Needing to come.
She struggled against the cuffs again, and he debated removing them so she could hold him. But he was too far gone for that. He wanted…needed…
“C-Can I come?” she cried out, tightening around him.
He pushed into her deeper, sweat dripping down and blurring his vision. “Yes. Fucking come.”
“Yes. Yes, yes, yes.”
She clenched down on his cock, sending him straight to heaven, and she went stiff. Her orgasm had induced his own. He threw his head back, letting out a guttural moan. When they crashed back down to earth together, her body went limp and her legs fell to the sides.
He nipped at her shoulder. He was beginning to worry he might never get enough of her. Might never want to let her go. And the thought terrified him more than any bomb ever could. Lowering his head into the crook of her neck, he hid his face.
He didn’t want her to see him right now. Didn’t want her to know how much this had affected him. He took a shuddering breath, then pushed off the mattress, needing to distance himself from her.
As he crossed the room to the wastebasket, the cuffs slid against wood again. She cleared her throat. “So, uh, can you undo me now?”
He glanced over his shoulder. She was spread wide, her pale skin flushed from the pleasure she’d found. The pleasure he’d given her. He dropped the condom into the can and turned to face her. “Nah.”
Rolling her eyes, she tugged on the cuffs. “Haha, so funny. Now get the key.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, deciding now would be a good time for some payback. “I don’t think so.”
Her pleasant expression faded away, and her brow furrowed. “Don’t even tell me you’re being serious.”
“Just because we fucked doesn’t mean you get everything you want from me right away. I mean, it was great and all.” He crossed the room slowly. “But I’m still in charge. You still have to listen to me, and I’ll let you go when I’m ready.”
She stiffened. “I didn’t swear to obey you in everything—only in bed.”
He headed across the room. “In case you didn’t notice, you’re still naked in my bed.”
She jerked on the cuffs again. “Then let me out of it so I can tell you what a jerk you’re being right now.”
He sat down at her hip, staring at the piece of hair that had settled over her lips. Reaching out, he smoothed the strand off her face, not letting go of it once he had it out of the way. Everything about her was so soft. So pretty.
Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to have a woman like her in his life…permanently. As if she’d burned him, he dropped the strand of hair, his stomach hollowing out. Damn it, he couldn’t think like that. It was dangerous.
“I’ll let you out once you tell me the fix for the code. Don’t worry.”
She paled. “W-What? Jake, no.”
He stood and grabbed his shorts off the floor, slipping the key to the cuffs out of his pocket. He undid one of her hands, then the other, forcing himself to grin the whole damn time. To act as if he wasn’t having scary thoughts about them in the back of his mind.
“Come on now, sweetheart. Did you really think I’d leave you cuffed up like that? Seriously?”
She glowered at him, rubbing her wrists once he freed them. “Now you remember you like to play tricks on me?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I was fucking with you for old times’ sake. Getting a little bit of payback for the rearranging of my guest bedroom.”
“Nice time to gain a sense of humor again,” she muttered. But despite her apparent anger, her blue eyes sparkled. “Jerkface.”
He laughed. “Your insults haven’t changed much, either.”
“Why mess with perfection?” she asked, smiling at him.
It wasn’t until he sat down next to her, grinning like a fucking fool for real, that he realized the mistake he’d committed. He’d stayed by her side after sex. Bad, bad, bad idea. He didn’t do that. Didn’t grow close to other people. Didn’t trust other people, or have fun. Didn’t laugh. Tara was just fucking with his head, trying to gain her freedom. That was her end goal. They both knew it. Once again, he’d let her get too close.
Already, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with her and spoon throughout the night. Fucking spoon. He didn’t do that shit. He gave her his back, knowing he’d fucked up. Time to remind her—and himself—exactly where their relationship stood.