What the hell was she doing? Lisa finished drying her hair. He was still out there, still walking around her apartment. Why had she agreed to eat pizza with him? She needed to be…what? Resting for her big day tomorrow of absolutely no interviews and no job to go to? Crying because this evening had been awful and horrible and she was sick of feeling humiliated by life? That was a plan.

“You doing all right in there?” Remy’s voice came through the bathroom door. “The pizza’s here and I found a bottle of Pinot Noir amidst the boxes over at my place. Unless you prefer a white. I could try to find a convenience store.”

Just the sound of that wicked accent made her head rush and reminded her why he was here. Because she couldn’t seem to help herself around the man. It was why she’d stayed away from him. She couldn’t resist him even when she knew it was for her own good. Even when she knew it would end in heartache. “Red is fine, but you don’t have to stay. I thank you for the ride, but I’m okay now. I know it’s late and you have to work in the morning. I only need one piece of pizza and then I’ll probably fall into bed.”

Alone. Like she had for almost two years now. She’d thought once she’d hit the floor at Sanctum that she’d plow her way through hot Doms, enjoying the sex and making no apologies for it. After she and that weasel Gary had broken up, she’d decided to not make a single apology for what she wanted sexually or otherwise. There had been exactly one Dom she’d plowed through and then she’d hit a wall. A wall of muscle and tan skin and a smile that fritzed out her brain.

And then the only Dom she wanted was freaking Remy Guidry, and he hadn’t wanted her.

“I would rather stay with you,” he said quietly. “If you don’t want company, I understand, but I hate eating alone and that’s all I seem to do these days.”

She wasn’t going to let him know how much those soft, sincerely spoken words meant or how much his puppy eyes did to tear down those carefully constructed walls she’d put up. Well, she’d thought they were carefully constructed. Now it appeared they’d been made of pretty tissue paper he easily tore through at his will. She wasn’t even looking at him and she could see those eyes.

She opened the door, her robe tucked firmly around her now crustacean-free body. She wished she could say the same for the glitter, but damn it was hard to get off. “You don’t take your dates out for a meal before getting down to dessert, huh?”

She knew she sounded like a brat of the first order, but she couldn’t help it. If her walls were coming down, sarcasm was her last line of defense.

He stood there in the hallway, his massive body taking up all the space. He looked a little like a lion who felt regret for his prey. “Like I said, there was nothing at all intimate about those relationships. No relationship at all. I found a woman and hooked up for sex and sent her on her way in the morning. Sometimes she would come back for seconds, but only if I truly believed she didn’t want anything from me but sex. It has been pointed out to me recently that the way I behave makes me some kind of a douchebag.”

Did it? If she didn’t want to be slut shamed for what she wanted, she couldn’t exactly do the same to him. Stupid logic. Maybe if she hadn’t had all those dumb ethics and philosophy classes she could have been self-centered and intolerant. “You said you were honest with them?”

“Always.”

“Then you weren’t a douchebag. You were a healthy male looking for sex and trying to be upfront about it. Believe me. I know a douchebag when I see one. I dated several.” She looked up at him, tilting her head so he could take in her face and neck. “How bad is the glitter?”

He reached behind her, picking up the washcloth she’d used. “Not bad. Just some right here.”

He drew the cloth along her jawline and on her neck, right down to her clavicle. She was deeply aware she was naked under that robe and all he would have to do to make her drop it was tug that knot loose. “There. That’s some of it, but I think it’s going to take multiple scrubbings to be free of it. You know it does make you glow.”

She was way too aware of how close he was, how easy it would be to brush her body up against his. She wasn’t sure it was the glitter making her glow. Being close to him seemed to make her whole body light up. “You said there was pizza.”

If she stayed too close to him, she didn’t trust her dumbass self not to go up on her tiptoes and brush her mouth against his. She dreamed about sucking that plump bottom lip into her mouth.

He smiled, an almost self-deprecating expression. “Yeah. There’s pizza. I’ll even suffer through a few veggies, though they don’t really have a place on a pie.”

Good. That was good. If they were talking about his eating habits, then he wasn’t staring down at her lips like he wanted to devour her, glitter and all. “I hardly think mushrooms and olives count as vegetables.”

She followed him down the hallway to her small bistro kitchen where the heavenly smell of pepperoni and sausage with the aforementioned “vegetables” permeated the air and reminded her that she hadn’t eaten for most of the day. She’d downed the last of the oatmeal she had and had a piece of buttered toast before going to the interview.

She’d been planning on stopping at Laurel’s in the morning because her sister always made breakfast for Mitch and their toddler and usually had extra. Except she’d forgotten she didn’t have a car.

“Hey, don’t get sad on me again,” he said, holding out a chair for her. There were only two, and Remy looked like he’d made the most of the small space. The table was set beautifully with her nice plates and the good silverware. Two wine glasses sat at their spots, and the bottle had been opened and allowed to aerate.

The man might not eat vegetables like a good boy, but he knew how to present a meal.

She sat down, Remy handing her a paper towel like he was passing her fine linen. He poured the wine with one hand, by the bottom of the bottle, with perfect grace and control.

“You pour that like a sommelier, not a bar owner,” she mentioned, trying not to let him know how attractive she found him and his impeccable manners. There was something about the controlled grace he displayed that fascinated her. She wondered what his bayou bar was like.

“A dive bar owner,” he corrected with a wink. “But wine is important where I come from. Food is important. We take both of those things seriously in Papillon Bayou. My grandfather loved wine and he taught me all about it. And here you thought I was a beer-swilling mongrel.”

She picked up the wine glass. “Well, you apparently were surprised I knew how to pour a drink.”

“Touché,” he replied, sitting down across from her. “I was, actually. When did you start tending bar?”

He allowed her to get a slice first before pulling his own.

“I put myself through college tending bar. Mostly scholarships, but I worked about twenty hours a week at this dive bar up in Denton. It was right off the TWU campus. It took me a while to realize that almost the entire clientele was female.”

He grinned. “Lesbian bar?”

“Yep, and they were awesome. I was this dumbass thing who’d barely been out of her trailer park. The town I grew up in wasn’t small, but it was oddly isolated. Everyone was very homogenous. I got to Denton and it was like this huge city and I was overwhelmed. That bar became my family,” she said. “They taught me…well, everything about living in the larger world.”

He sat back, his brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. Laurel once mentioned a trailer park, but are you telling me you actually grew up in one?”

She nodded. She didn’t like to think about the year she hadn’t lived in that rundown trailer park. Not ever. “Yes. We couldn’t afford anything else.”

A hand ran over his head as though he couldn’t quite process the information. “You. You and Laurel and Lila and Will came out of a trailer park?”

That made her smile. It wasn’t the first time someone questioned her background. “Hard to believe?”

“Damn near impossible. Those shoes you had on tonight are worth more than a lot of people make in a month.”

She waved that off. “I didn’t buy those. Bridget gets bored with shoes and I get hand-me-downs. Bridget did grow up wealthy, but my side of the family? Hell no. We worked our asses off. My mom was in and out of prison and Will raised us. He was the one who taught us that our grades had to be damn near perfect if we wanted out. He made sure there was food on the table and all our school forms were properly completed. He would do odd jobs after school and that was how he’d buy us stuff. My brother is the single best man I’ve ever met. He’s the reason we’re all alive and successful. Even my mom. She got married to a man she met in AA and they’re doing well. Will made that happen. He paid for her to stay at a house that helps recovering addicts from prison ease back into the real world.”

He stared at her as though seeing her for the first time.

She found herself sitting up straighter. “Does the fact that my mom is an ex-con shock you?”

“In ways you can’t understand, ma crevette.”

She should figure out what that was, but it sounded sweet coming from his mouth. “Well, she is and I’m not ashamed of her. I’m not ashamed of how I grew up.”

“Why would you be? You bloomed without water. You became something more than you should have, according to our society. I thought you were some kind of rich girl who’d breezed through life.”

Holy shit. Was that why he hadn’t been “interested”? Oddly enough, she could forgive that. She wasn’t interested in over-privileged men who couldn’t understand the world she’d grown up in. She might run from that, too. “Because my brother’s a neurosurgeon? Not all surgeons come from wealthy families.”

“Your brother is a neurosurgeon. Your sister-in-law is a best-selling author. Your sisters work in legal and medical professions that require college degrees, and your brother-in-law is Harvard educated. His brother and sister-in-law own a massive corporation. All in all, those family ties don’t scream I grew up in a double wide.”

She shook her head. “No, no, my friend, that beauty was only a single wide. With one bathroom and wood paneling straight out of the seventies.” The wine was starting to work on her, relaxing her and reminding her that she hadn’t had the money to waste on wine in months. Waste? Wine was necessary. Maybe she should take a play from her brother’s handbook and ask if she could do odd jobs in exchange for wine. It would make poverty a ton more fun. “The Daleys are perfect examples of what a family can do when they band together, work hard, and help lift each other up. I’m the only failure.”

He sat back as though considering how to handle her. “You have an MBA. That’s not a failure. The job market isn’t great right now. That’s not your fault.”

Of course, he didn’t know the whole story. “I got a job easily enough. Two weeks out of school and I was making seventy K. Then I blew the whistle on my employer. Apparently that gets around.”

He frowned, the expression doing nothing to make him less gorgeous. “Blew the whistle?”

“I work in accounting. My old boss runs the biggest valet service in DFW. Lots of cash,” she began.

His eyes widened. “Cash? He was laundering money?”

Well, no one could accuse him of not understanding how the world worked. She hadn’t even considered it. She’d walked into that job like fucking Snow White, with birds singing on her shoulders. Everything was happy and shiny in her eyes. “See, that’s what Bridget said the minute I mentioned he offered valet services. She told me I had to be careful because cash intensive businesses are magnets for the mafia and drug dealers and…how did she put it…douche canoes with dirty money. Have you ever met a crazed, paranoid person who turns out to always be right? It’s annoying. Something happens or we meet someone new, Bridget comes up with some crazed theory and we all laugh and bam, a month later the guy who sent Lila flowers for saving his life in the ER is taken away on a seventy-two-hour psych hold after trying to break into her house.”

Remy shook his head. “Your sister had a stalker?”

Lisa sighed. “Yeah. And he seemed super nice.”

“Maybe you should listen to Bridget more often.”

Bridget thought she should be in a safe house. The idea sent a shiver through her. “Anyway, I found the doctored books, went to the cops, and now my old boss got off on a technicality and I’m left without a job or any way to get a job because I have zero references and oddly enough, no one wants to hire the whistle-blower.”

Remy had sat back up, his spine going straight and that hawkish look he got when he was hyper aware coming into his eyes. “Whoa, are you telling me the man you tried to send to jail is out and you were walking around this afternoon without any protection?”

Did everyone think she was an idiot? “Of course not. I have pepper spray.”

“Pepper spray isn’t going to stop the damn mafia.”

“Well, neither did the truth, so I don’t see why they would come after me now.” This wasn’t the conversation she wanted to have with him. Of course she wasn’t sure what she wanted from him.

Except sex. Except comfort. Except one night where she didn’t sit up and worry about what was going to happen to her.

He was leaving soon. Not merely leaving the apartment building. He was leaving town and he wouldn’t be back. That actually made it way easier. Was she brave enough to ask him again? He’d said he was scared of her, but if she promised she wasn’t looking for anything but a couple of hot nights from him, would that change his mind?

Or had it all been bullshit? Had he been attempting to be kinder to her than he’d been before?

“Lisa? Are you listening to me?”

Nope. “Yes, of course.”

He stared at her like he knew she wasn’t listening. “I was saying you need to take this seriously. You’re in a dangerous position.”

“Jimmy isn’t violent. He’s a jerk but he’s not violent.” Suddenly she wasn’t hungry. The whole day had been one long mistake. Did she need to cap it off by making one more? “You know what? I’m really tired. I think I’m going to go to bed.”

His stare pinned her. “So I hit on a touchy subject and you punish me by sending me away?”

“No, I’m tired and I had a shitty day and I want to go to bed.”

“I want to go to bed, too,” he said, his voice low.

The moment seemed to stop, his words right out there in the open, his eyes intent on her. There was heat in those eyes.

“Ask me again, Lisa. Give me another chance.”

All the reasons she shouldn’t fell away because damn it, she was an optimist and at some point in time her luck had to change. She didn’t want to miss that because she was too scared to try. “Would you like to go to bed with me, Sir?”

“Tell me why you left the club.”

Damn it. That wasn’t an answer. “Because I gave up my car and I didn’t want to admit it to my family because they’re nosy as hell. Because I’ve been too depressed to play. Because I couldn’t play with the man I wanted to play with.”

His hand came out and he tugged her up, maneuvering her until she was sitting on his lap.

And what a comfy lap it was. She fit easily, her butt on his big thigh, his muscular arm around her waist making her feel dainty and feminine.

“I’m going home soon and I probably won’t be back,” he explained.

She nodded. “It’s okay. I wasn’t looking to get married. I’ll be honest. When I asked you six months ago, I was looking for a Dom, but not now. Now I just want someone to help me get through the night.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, ma crevette,” he whispered. His cheek rubbed lightly against hers, letting her feel that masculine scruff he always seemed to have. “But I have to go home and it’s not a place where you would be happy.”

“I have a home, Remy.” God, how had she gone from bone tired to every cell in her body awake and alive with anticipation? “I don’t need some man to come in and save me. Well, except from how long the nights are lately. I could use a rescue from that. I’m not asking you to be my knight in shining armor. I’m asking if you want to spend tonight with me.”

“No.”

She stiffened and started to get off his lap, but his arms were a cage around her.

“Hush,” he admonished. “We’re talking and we’re negotiating. I’m not about to lie to you again. I’ll want more than one night with you. I won’t be able to hop into your bed and hop back out again and pretend like it didn’t mean anything. I’ve wanted you for far too long for that to happen. Can we make a deal? A contract?”

A contract with her dream Dom? It was one more bad idea in a long line of them, but she found herself nodding. Why would she say no? Her pride? Her pride hadn’t gotten her anything good lately. Because she was worried about being hurt? She’d been numb for so long that being hurt seemed like a halfway decent trade-off for feeling anything at all. He was being upfront with her. “Yes.”

His hands moved on her waist, brushing up toward her breasts. “God, chère, this is where I’m supposed to set you across from me and we talk about what we want and need out of this contract.”

“I want an orgasm, Remy,” she stated plainly. “Can we forgo the negotiations tonight and agree that we’re going to get into bed and not leave again until you’ve made me come a couple of times?”

“Oh, I like how you negotiate,” he whispered. “But one thing needs to be made clear. I’m the top. You’re the sweet bottom when it comes to sex. For now, you tell me to stop and I will, but you’re not a novice. I’m going to want some fairly kinky things from you.”

The word kink sent a thrill up her spine. It made her wriggle and squirm. It had her nipples hard, and she was very aware of her pussy. Soft and getting wet, her pussy suddenly seemed like the core of her being. “I’m good with that.”

“Take off the robe for me.”

Her hands went to her waist, undoing the tie that held the robe together. She let it fall open. This was what she needed. She needed to forget about all her worries for a while and merely listen to the sound of his voice. She needed to let go and give over to a man she could trust to take care of her.

“Oh, fuck, you’re even more beautiful than I expected. All these months I’ve avoided watching your scenes because I knew when you got naked you would be even better than what I could imagine.”

“There weren’t all that many scenes,” she admitted.

He moved his arm, allowing the robe to drop away and giving him access to her naked flesh. “How many? I need to know how much experience you have. I don’t want to move too fast.”

Talky Dom. “I’m not a virgin. I’m good. Let’s go.”

He shifted her, picking her up with strength that took her breath away. One minute she was sitting on his left thigh and the next she was on both his taut quadriceps, her knees hooked over his. He spread his legs out, causing hers to follow and leaving her completely vulnerable to him, her pussy open and wanting. She couldn’t sit up. She needed to lie back against him to find some balance. This was what he wanted, her dependent on him, helpless against what he was going to do to her.

It was how he liked to play.

“Here’s the first lesson,” he growled against her ear. “Don’t push me. I’m going to take my time. I agreed to your demands. I promise I won’t get out of your bed until you’ve passed out from how many times I’m going to make you come, but how we get there will be all my way. Do I make myself clear?”

His way. All the way. All the way to screaming orgasms. “Yes.”

She felt the fine edge of his teeth on her ear. “Yes?”

She was out of practice. “Yes, Sir. Yes, Master Remy.”

The threat of his bite was replaced with the shivering pleasure of his tongue stroking along her outer ear. “That’s right. Now like I said before, you’ll tell me if you want me to stop.”

“I don’t.”

His hands moved up from her waist, both big palms cupping her breasts and sending crazy pleasure sizzling through her. “Such a naïve thing. I promise to keep you as naïve as possible.”

She didn’t want him thinking she was some innocent thing. “I’m not naïve, Sir. I might look like some princess, but I assure you I’ve got scars that you can’t see.”

“Well, I don’t intend to give you any more. I’m going to treat you like a princess. A submissive princess who likes to obey her servant when it comes to pleasure, but a princess all the same. Have you had D/s sex?”

She nodded. “I’m afraid I was one of the trainees who experimented a bit with her partner.”

He chuckled. “That’s only to be expected. I take it the relationship didn’t last outside the training class? And by the way, my training partner and I fucked like bunnies the whole six weeks we were in our class together, so it’s perfectly normal.”

She still thought fondly of those days. “We were too different. Good partners when it came to training, but we wouldn’t have made it in the real world. We were too much alike. If I’ve figured one thing out it’s that opposites attract. Maybe not direct opposites, but truly good partners in life need to support each other’s strengths and fill in on the flaws. Will needs Bridget because she’s oddly romantic, and she needs Will to ground her.”

“Mitch would be alone without Laurel’s patience,” he said. “I know because I was there. But I don’t want to talk about your family. What did you like about D/s sex that you didn’t get from vanilla?”

“This, Remy. The fact that you’re touching me and talking to me and thinking about me. You’re not fumbling around and guessing and hoping you get off and out of my apartment as soon as possible. I can’t think about anything else but what you’re doing to me because you’re keeping me here in the moment with you.” Vanilla sex hadn’t been bad, but sometimes it had frustrated her. D/s required she talk about what she needed. It stripped away the embarrassment and left her truly communicating with her partner.

“I don’t want you anywhere else, and you’re right. I’m not thinking about anything but you. You and how to please you, how to torment you in the sweetest way, how to make you happy and eager to obey my every order when it comes to the bedroom. You have the softest skin. It’s so perfect.” He kissed her neck. “It makes me want to mark you.”

Her whole body shook as he bit the back of her neck ever so gently, the faintest hint of danger making the whole thing all the more erotic.

“Oh, god, do it. Bite me.” She wasn’t sure how far she wanted to go. She’d never tried it but something about the way he’d said he wanted to mark her had her dying to feel his teeth on her sensitive flesh.

“I always said you were way too tempting.” He nipped at her skin, a hard but quick bite.

Her whole body shook with pleasure. It was the kind of thing that she knew would hurt if she hadn’t been incredibly ready for it. But when she was aroused, pain sent her to new heights. Not like she was a pain slut or anything.

But damn she liked his bite.

His tongue replaced his teeth, sending another thrill through her as he eased the spot he’d marked. “It was just a little bite. Nothing that will be there in the morning.”

“Then you’ll have to do it again tomorrow.” She liked the idea that there was a mark from him on her body, that she could hide it or show it off if she liked.

His hips rolled under her and she could feel the hard length of his erection against her ass. “You are not at all what I expected.”

She rubbed herself against his cock, needing to move in some way. “What did you expect?”

“Not that you would be this gorgeous, sexy bitch in heat.” His voice had gone deep, his accent thicker than before. “You’re not going to run away because this junkyard dog is coming after you, are you, chèrie? You’re going to get on your knees and take everything I have to give you. You’re going to demand I give it to you, aren’t you?”

Oh, he needed to understand a few things. “Yes. I swear if this is some kind of joke, I’ll hunt your ass down and deal with you myself. I won’t send my brother. He would be far too nice. I’ll be the one to take your balls if you walk away from me tonight.”

“That’s what I want to hear.” His tongue traced the shell of her ear before nipping at her lobe.

Her whole body was tight with arousal, on edge and waiting for his next touch, next bite. “Really? It’s not very submissive.”

“Oh, but it means you want me. You think the Dom doesn’t want to hear that? Your submission is something I’ll earn, but I need to know that you want me inside you so badly you’re willing to fight for it because I damn straight feel the same about you. Never wanted a woman as badly as I do you right now. But I’m going to kiss you first. I’m going to do this right. Turn around because I want to kiss that sweet as sin mouth of yours the way I’ve always wanted to. Straddle me like I’m a beast you want to ride.”

He was a beast and she definitely wanted to ride him. On shaky legs she turned and repositioned herself, praying her cheap dining room chair could handle them both, but she wasn’t stopping. She wanted that kiss like she’d never wanted anything in her life.

She stopped before straddling him, looking down at that gorgeous man who’d haunted her dreams for over a year. Remy Guidry always held himself apart. Even with his friends there seemed some careful distance he placed between himself and everyone else, as though he needed to not need. Not this Remy. This Remy had his hands out, begging her to come closer. This Remy did need.

He needed her.

Normally she never thought of herself as sexy. She was klutzy. Nerdy. Way too attached to her Kindle to be considered a sensual creature, but something about the look in his eyes gave her confidence. He was fully dressed and she was naked, and somehow that seemed all right with her. It was good to be naked for him. There wasn’t anything dirty about it.

She eased one leg over his lap. “I’m going to have to do some laundry for you, Sir. Because I’m about to mess up these jeans.”

His eyes went straight to her pussy as she lowered herself down. “You’re already wet.”

She rolled her hips. Yes, now she could truly feel that big cock of his where she needed it. The rough denim contrasted with the silk of her feminine flesh, rasping gently as she stroked herself over his cock. “I’m incredibly wet, Sir.”

His hands moved, finding places on her back so he could pull her up, bring her in to the point that their mouths almost met. “You’re wet for me. Say it. Tell me all that sweet arousal is for me and me alone.”

That was easy. “It’s all for you, Sir. I haven’t been with anyone in a long time. There was my training partner for six weeks and then before that, I had a long-term boyfriend from grad school who never once got me this wet this fast. But all I need to do to get my motor running is close my eyes and think about how hot you are.”

His lips were right there, so close she could feel the heat of his breath. “Then I better make this good because I never like to disappoint a lady.”

One palm found the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair, and he forced her down. Their mouths met and Lisa worried her whole body was about to go up in flames. He kissed her over and over, moving her with ease as though this was something they’d done a million times. There was nothing awkward about it. She followed his lead and soon enough his tongue ran along her lower lip and she let him in. Warmth filled her as their tongues played and she could feel his dick rubbing, working her right where she needed it. His free hand played, exploring her back and all the way down to the cheeks of her ass. He gave her a squeeze and then began to direct her, rolling his hips up while his tongue plunged in.

“Rub yourself against me, chèrie. Make yourself come. I want to watch you because I’m not sure how long I’m going to last once I get inside you. Make it good. Show me how much you want my cock.”

That wasn’t a hardship at all. She held on, bracing her hands on his broad shoulders as she rubbed against his erection. The denim of his jeans rasped against her clit, but it felt good. So good. Her whole body was on the edge and then she saw him watching her, his eyes trained on her face even as she could feel his cock pulsing beneath the grind of her hips. He wasn’t lost in sensation. He was lost in her. Something about his focus sent her right over the edge, pure pleasure pounding through her.

She didn’t want it to end, but she had to breathe, had to pause as she threatened to go boneless in his arms.

“That’s what I wanted. That’s all I needed from you.” He kissed her and with effortless ease, stood, lifting her into his arms. “Well, not all. I think I’m definitely going to need to get inside you and soon, but look at me.”

She glanced up and he was staring down at her. “Yes, Sir?”

“I misjudged you,” he said. “I won’t do it again. I meant what I said about going home, but don’t think this isn’t a special time for me. I want to be with you until I leave, and I’ll think about you for the rest of my life. Can that be enough for you?”

She brought her hand up, needing to touch him, to feel that scruff under her skin. “Yes.”

A fond memory, something she could take with her. That didn’t sound bad. They were two adults who knew they would go their separate ways, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy each other while they were together.

“I’m glad because I don’t think I could walk away now.” He started for her bedroom.

Lisa hoped the night never ended.

 

* * * *

 

He’d been honest with her and she’d said yes. He wasn’t thinking about anything else tonight. He wasn’t thinking about the fact that he was her hired bodyguard and she didn’t know it. That was a separate thing altogether and had nothing to do with his relationship with her beyond the fact that it gave him access and another level to protect her.

He eased her down on the bed and then reached back to pull his shirt over his head. What a complete moron he’d been, but then it wasn’t surprising. He was the kind of man who saw something that looked like it was too good to be true and decided it was. He hadn’t even given her a chance and he was going to make up for that now. He was going to take care of her in every way he could until he had to leave her.

He shoved that thought aside as quickly as he did his jeans. He was desperate. Fucking desperate. He hadn’t felt this hot for a woman since he’d been a horny teen.

Lisa moved back on the bed, settling herself against the headboard.

“Knees up, feet flat on the mattress, and get them nice and wide for me.” The order came out on a low growl that might have scared some women.

Not her. She bit her bottom lip and slowly complied, letting him watch as she spread herself open for him. That was what he wanted. She was a princess. It didn’t matter that she’d grown up poor. There was something about Lisa Daley that would always remind him of a spritely fairy princess. Perhaps it was the light in her eyes or the air of mischief that followed her around, but he could see her with a delicate crown on her head, waving to her adoring subjects.

And then submitting sweetly to her lover when the doors were closed.

He stalked to the end of the bed, watching her. Even in the low light from the lamp on her bedside table, he could see how wet she was, how that pretty pussy glistened. He breathed in her arousal, so much sweeter than any other smell.

That was all for him. Perhaps he’d made a mistake by not taking a submissive. Only now did he feel how hollow his other relationships had been. There had been a power exchange, but it hadn’t lasted more than a night. He would sign a contract with this woman. She would be his. His to fuck and play with. His to take care of. His responsibility.

He was surprised those last two words didn’t scare him in the least. The real revelation was how much he craved that responsibility when it came to her. Now that he understood who she was, where she’d come from, he intended to make these weeks with her special so she would know what she deserved from a man, to ensure she wouldn’t accept less ever again.

She was staring at him, her eyes boldly on his cock. He stroked himself, taking a moment so he didn’t simply fall on her and fuck her senseless. He wanted this to last, to make this first night something she wouldn’t forget.

Or maybe he wanted to make it so good she wouldn’t kick him out in the morning when she realized he had no intentions of keeping this relationship to the bedroom. How would she handle it when she found out exactly how in control he meant to be with her?

“Tu es la plus belle des femmes,” he said slowly as he moved on to the bed with her.

“The French stuff gets to me, Sir.”

Yes, he could tell. He’d always used the fact that his mom-mom considered English a barbaric language in his favor when it came to the fairer sex.

“It means you’re the most beautiful woman,” he translated as he moved between her legs, his palms on her knees. “It sounds better in French.”

She reached up to him, as though asking for his weight. “And the other? That thing you call me. Ma crevitte?”

“Ma crevette,” he corrected with a grin. He could feel the heat of her core against his cock. So much hotter than before. There was nothing between them, though there would be. He’d fished a condom out before he’d tossed his jeans aside. He leaned over, trapping her. “It’s a term of endearment. It means my little shrimp.”

“What?” Her eyes widened and she tried to push him off.

But that was why he’d trapped her. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her horror. He easily kept her where he wanted her and enjoyed how her struggles brought her pussy right where he needed it to be. “My pretty little shrimp. Well, you told me not to call you ma chère.”

She couldn’t quite keep the smile off her face. “That’s a terrible nickname. Shrimp?”

“We take shrimp seriously where I come from.” He kissed her forehead as he explained. “The whole of Papillon depends on shrimp, therefore calling you my beautiful little shrimp means you’re precious to me.”

“You are smooth, Guidry.” She stopped her playful struggles and her arms went around his neck. “A girl could get in trouble with you.”

“Or a woman could stay out of trouble by sticking close to me,” he replied, laying kisses across her cheek.

“I need something to call you. Is there a male version of my little shrimp?”

He groaned and ground himself against her core. “There’s nothing shrimpy about me down there. Now, mon loup would suffice. My wolf. I can be your wolf, ma crevette.”

“How about you show me how a wolf kisses and I’ll see what I can do.”

She could get to him so easily. There was no artifice, no playing around in her eyes. She wanted him and didn’t care that he knew it. Because she was honest in her desire, and that was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

“You know tomorrow we sign a contract and then you’re in trouble,” he promised before covering her mouth with his.

Kissing Lisa Daley was everything he’d worried it would be. The world melted away and he couldn’t think of anything but the soft woman in his arms and how warm she was, how good she felt plastered against him, how right it was to kiss her. He tangled their tongues together, sliding against her over and over again. There was nothing awkward. They fit together like they’d been born to nestle their bodies and flow into a new form.

But he wanted to taste more than her mouth.

He kissed his way down her neck and over her collarbone. Such sweet, delicate skin. When he rubbed his whiskers against her, she turned a lovely shade of pink. He would have to be careful when he spanked her or caned her. He would love the marks he left, but he wouldn’t do anything permanent to her.

He wouldn’t ask her to pierce these sweet nipples. He wouldn’t think about the fact that he could torture her by tugging on the rings. He sucked a nipple into his mouth hard, her body arching against his. He could feel the rush of her arousal coating his dick. Careful. He was close to heaven, but he wasn’t ready yet. He wanted her hotter, wanted her begging for it.

Her hands ran through his hair, tingling along his scalp as he suckled her breasts, one and then the other. He licked and sucked, gently most of the time and then giving her a hard nip or tug that would have her body shaking under his.

When those pink nipples had turned a lovely ruby, he kissed his way down her body again, loving the heady scent of her arousal. He was surrounded by her softness, her scent, and all that crazy thick hair. When it was down, it hit her waist and seemed to go everywhere, drawing him in and catching him. As long as she was his, she would never wear it up when they were alone. He wanted to be able to tangle his fingers in that hair and drag her down for a long kiss.

He eased his body down despite the raging protest of his cock. It could wait. He needed more than a little taste of her. He needed her all over his tongue.

He pressed her thighs wide, settling himself in. “You see, I meant what I said. You’re the most beautiful. Even here. Most beautiful pussy I’ve ever seen.”

Then there was no more reason to talk. He set his mouth on her and let himself go. This was what he’d fucking dreamed of since the moment he’d met her. Even when he’d thought she was all wrong for him, he’d wanted her. He’d wanted her writhing under him, her legs wrapped around him and begging him for more.

“Please, Sir. Oh, please.”

Yes, that was the desperate sound he wanted to hear coming from her lips. She was trying to buck up, to force him to give her more, but he had her right where he wanted.

He split her labia with his tongue in order to lap up all that sweet cream she was making for him. She tasted like sunshine and fresh fruit, things he couldn’t get enough of. He speared her, penetrating her with his tongue and making her moan. His thumb found her clitoris and he pressed down and around, working to make a rhythm she couldn’t deny.

It was only moments before he felt her come against his tongue, her body shaking.

He got up on his knees and was surprised at how unsteady his hands were. Sex was a bodily function, something he fed because he operated better with it. This was different. He was engaged emotionally with this woman, and he couldn’t stand the idea of not pleasing her. Bringing his partner pleasure was always important, but this wasn’t some random woman he’d picked up in a bar. This was Lisa.

“If you don’t get inside me soon, I’m going to throw a hissy fit. Have you ever seen a hissy fit, Sir?” She was staring up at him in a way that made him wonder how long he’d hesitated.

“I have a younger sister. I have seen the power of the hissy.” He opened the condom wrapper and rolled it on his cock, stroking himself. “I want you to be sure you want me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

And he wasn’t talking about the physical. He didn’t want to be the reason she cried. He didn’t want to be one more man who disappointed her.

“Come here, Remy. I want you. For however long I can have you, I want you.” She reached for him and he was through fighting it.

He let his cock find her pussy, pressing in and thrusting in small passes. He was careful but she was a stubborn minx. She tilted her pelvis up and he groaned as he slid inside her, those tight muscles squeezing him like a vise. The pleasure damn near made his eyes roll back and he had to take a deep, steadying breath.

“Damn you feel so good, chèrie.” He held himself hard against her, locking their bodies together.

Her legs wound around his waist and he could feel her nails in the skin of his back. He welcomed the minor pain, wanted her mark on him, too.

“Come on then, mon loup. How does my wolf fuck?”

Yeah, the dirty girl did it for him. He leaned over and kissed that filthy mouth of hers. “Like he’ll die if he doesn’t get more of his girl.”

He pulled out and thrust back in, setting a hard pace. Over and over he fucked her, giving her all of him and holding nothing back. For the most part he went easy on a woman, but this one was his. This one was made to take him and break him and put him back together again.

Lisa’s nails dug deep as she matched him thrust for thrust. She tightened around him and his name gasped from her mouth as she came.

Remy lost it. He lost his rhythm, lost his control, lost something he wasn’t sure he wanted back from her. Pure emotion drove him as though he could brand himself on this one woman and somehow make himself complete.

Instinct drove him. He pressed in and let go, let himself feel every bit of the pleasure she brought him.

He fell on top of her, giving her all of his weight. Peace surged through him. Always before, he was as anxious to be alone again as he’d been to have sex, but now he let his head rest next to hers.

“Okay, that didn’t suck,” she said with a low chuckle.

“Didn’t suck?” He managed to bring his head up. “That was phenomenal and you know it.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she sighed. “It was, but I think you can probably do even better.”

Well, he’d wanted a woman who challenged him. “Oh, I’ll show you better, ma crevette. I’ll show you everything.”

He kissed her again, ready to make good on his promise.