Chapter Seven

Belle

I woke up the next morning on a sofa. Blinking and confused, I tried to figure out how I got here. But then memories flooded through my mind in Technicolor glory: the footlocker, Drake’s freak out, and then the bar with the tainted beer. I’d almost… Bile rose in my throat and I pushed it back. But I hadn’t been. Those college jerks could have hurt me so badly, but they hadn’t because of Drake. He’d come and saved me. Then he’d driven me back to the estate, back home.

Getting up, I looked around at the cool turquoise walls and the modern king-sized bed with mosquito netting hung over it. Water poured from pipes nearby, and my gaze followed the sound to where the bathroom had to be. When I got there, I gasped. Drake was standing there with his back to me. Despite everything that had happened between us, I couldn’t help but lick my lips. His broad back was as muscular as I imagined the rest of him looked under the straining fabric of his dress shirt last night. As he moved, wetting the rag in the sink and then bringing the makeshift compact to his side, I could see the way the coiled, lean muscle of his back and arms bunched and pulled with every motion.

Yum.

I shook my head. No, I shouldn’t think like that. Yes, he had saved me, but his temper was the only reason I’d run before at all. Still, I owed him a thank you. If he needed help cleaning his wounds, then I could at least offer that. Coughing, I hoped I got his attention.

“Drake? Do you need help with anything?”

He stilled and then reached fast for his undershirt, shoving it on without even turning around. “I don’t like to be snuck up on.”

“That makes two of us,” I said coolly.

“I know that I scared you yesterday,” he said, turning, his long, dark locks flaring out behind him.

“Yes, you did,” I said, licking my lips a second time before trying to focus on his eyes. Maybe that was a mistake. I could probably lose myself forever in those chocolate depths. “But you helped save me, too,” I said, offering him a small, shy smile.

Easing my way to the double sinks, I wetted a second rag in the cool water and then nodded to a bench-like seat in the middle of the bathroom. “Can you sit down?”

He arched his unmarred eyebrow skeptically back at me. “Why?”

“Because I think I can at least help you with that bloody mess over your nose, though a shower might help even more.”

“Still a bit too fuzzy to stand that long,” he admitted.

“Then, let me help, okay? You did a lot for me last night.”

“I beat three men senseless after yelling at you,” he admitted, sitting before me. “You should probably run. I won’t be mad if you call your father. I can’t do better than forty cents on the dollar, but I’d still sign the papers.”

“We’re not done negotiating. I won’t leave here with under eighty so just let me help you,” I said, holding my chin up high, letting my resolve be known clearly.

“I don’t deserve it,” he said.

“Probably not,” I said, as I pressed the wet rag against his nose. He hissed and I looked over it as I wiped away the crusted blood. “It doesn’t look broken, a little swollen, but you’re not suddenly Owen Wilson.”

“Yes, I was so worried about my rugged good looks,” he deadpanned.

“You’d never be anything but hot and you know it,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I mean, any straight woman with eyes can see that.”

I expected the cocky billionaire to answer me, the man I’d seen first in the boardroom and then on the private jet. The man who’d offered me a collar on a first date. But that wasn’t who I was with right now. This version before me seemed less sure and kept his eyes downcast. He certainly didn’t revel in the chance to brag about his looks. Maybe the fight last night had knocked some of the wind out of him, too. I know it had for me.

“You don’t know.”

“Maybe you could talk to me,” I said, as I continued tending to his face. There were abrasions on his cheeks and a cut lip, too. He looked like he’d gone a round or two with Rocky. “Would that be so hard? You should talk more, yell less.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have been in my private storage room looking at my personal shit.”

I glared back at him. “Well, you shouldn’t have grabbed me.”

His voice raised a little. “You should have respected my space.”

“And you should learn to control your temper,” I finished, blotting at his lip.

Drake looked up at me, and I could see a vein throbbing a bit in his temple as he thought that over. “I should.”

I blinked back at him and then sat beside him on the bench. “You actually admit it?”

“I was angry, but it wasn’t because I wanted to be, at least not that way,” he said, poking at the corner of my cap sleeve and breathing a sigh of relief.

“There aren’t bruises. You gripped me hard for a minute and startled me, but I’m okay. Heh, I guess maybe we can call all this even since I committed a little grand theft auto.”

He chuckled, a warm, rich sound that made heat flare through my belly. “You can keep it if you like. I never liked that car all that much.”

“I think I’m going to be okay.”

He reached out and stroked the hair back from my face. I caught sight of the glimmering gold Rolex on his right wrist and smelled just a hint of the musky cologne he preferred, something rugged that made the heat in my belly flare even more. “I’m sorry for what happened. I rushed what I wanted, and it obviously backfired like crazy. It was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done.”

“Not arguing that.”

“And the yelling… sometimes I get flashbacks still. Seeing that medal put me back in Iraq, in all the chaos, and I just couldn’t deal. It’s not an excuse, and if you want to go home, I’ll make sure you can.”

I shook my head. “And I meant it when I said that I have to get the best deal possible. It’s for my dad and all he built, but it’s for my mom, too, and Carol. So, you’re stuck with me, Mr. McManus.”

He smirked back at me, and my panties were wet. “Then that sounds like the best threat I’ve ever heard, Ms. Fontaine.”

“I hope so.” I sighed and handed him my rag. “Then where do we go from here? I’m not ready to be collared and I don’t think I’ll ever be, but there’s something between us, and that deal still needs to be finalized.”

“Then, accept that I was serious. That I wanted to start slow,” he said, reaching out and tracing his finger down the skin of my neck. Goosebumps spread over my flesh, and I moaned at his touch.

He’d been honest with me, shared something embarrassing for him, about the episodes that plagued him. I could do him the favor and the kindness of offering him that much as well.

“I might have overreacted, too, but I haven’t…” I stood and started to pace, keeping my focus on the marble beneath my feet. “The truth is…”

“What is it?” he asked, his voice low and concerned.

Stopping, I dared to look back at him and wrung my hands together. “The truth is that I’m a virgin.”

His eyes widened, and I looked down at my hands. I wasn’t proud of the fact and felt awkward about myself because I’d never found the one in all this time.

Drake considered the information carefully, and I could almost see the wheels of his mind turning behind his gaze. Finally, he took a deep breath. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

I nodded and kept wringing my hands. Right now, I just needed something to focus my attention on, something to keep me from spinning off or going crazy under his scrutiny. It was something I hadn’t talked about with anyone. Instead, I just let my sister assume I’d gone that far with my college boyfriend.

His fingers found their way under my chin and he tilted my face up to look at his own. “I just need to understand where we’re starting from and what’s going on. That’s all. Are you serious or is this a game?”

I gritted my teeth and then took a few deep breaths, letting the exhaustion ease out of my body. “Why would I make this up? It’s not exactly something the average twenty-four-year-old wants to talk about.”

“You said you’d had other lovers.”

“I’d had other serious boyfriends or so I thought. I, uh, wasn’t very popular in high school, too obsessed with science and saving the planet. Totally an environmental crusader and it scared the boys off. I’m still that way but not as mad dog on the outside. My college boyfriend turned out to be gay, and I didn’t know I was his beard till he confessed six months in. Then Mom got sick, and it didn’t ever seem like the time to have anything for myself. I didn’t have time for a boyfriend. It all just snowballed.”

Drake nodded and then set a massive hand on my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. “That explains a lot.”

“Well, I still think if you show a girl her collar only a few hours into the relationship, then you’re rushing it.”

“Perhaps the timeframe of a month on the island drove me past my usual suave system,” he admitted. “I do usually pick someone in the lifestyle and someone who’s ready. Christ, a virgin. I wouldn’t have known.”

“I don’t exactly have a scarlet ‘V’ on my chest,” I quipped. “So where does that leave us? I can’t deny there’s something between us, especially after you saved me, but I’m not ready for something intense and down and dirty.” I paused then and gulped. “Well, yet, I think.”

He arched an eyebrow at me, this time the one with the delicious scar across it. “Yet?” His demeanor changed then and something beautiful lit up his eyes; it took me a minute to guess that it could possibly be hope. “So, you want our negotiations to continue?”

“Yes, but I want to try at my pace, if that’s all right?”

“I said it was last night.’

“With a dog collar. I’m definitely not ready to wear that.”

“Then what are you ready for?” he asked as he narrowed his intense chocolate gaze at me.

“I want to try. I want to see if we’re even compatible. I haven’t ever had sex before, but I want to.” I threaded my fingers through his dark hair. “We could start now.”

I was on the edge of a cliff then, and I would jump if Drake accepted my offer. I was leaping far away to the outer edges of reason, and he was the one there to guide me. I knew nothing of kink, hardly knew anything about sex. Sometimes life bowls you over and you can’t think about fun, you can only focus on tomorrow, and everything else falls to the wayside. But would he take this offer and go my pace for real? Or did I have to pick between flying back to Los Angeles or ending up collared on all fours before him by midday?

His nostrils flared just a hint before he leaned down and kissed me. His tongue traced expertly over my own as his hands roamed over my body. I moaned against him, as his dexterous fingers began cupping my breast, the heat in my belly building into a roaring four-alarm blaze and my clit throbbing between my legs. I was so very wet, so ready for him already. Maybe I’d always been ready for him. Lord knew that my one attempt at a full relationship had barely gotten even this far or made me feel such heat.

One hand snaked down my abdomen, teasing my skin through the thin cotton of my t-shirt. I mewled like a kitten, all my enjoyment so very animalistic, and pressed my body flush against his. He pulled away from me and I pouted.

“Tease.”

“No,” he corrected. “I don’t want you to have your first time on a bathroom floor, your back pressed against cold tile. You deserve better than that, princess.”

Before I could say anything else, he swept me up in his arms in a bridal carry and took me over the threshold into his bedroom. It took no effort at all for him to carry me over to the king-sized bed. Probably because even though his military service was over, it was clear from the bulging muscles in his arms and the rest of his body that he’d never gotten out of the fitness habit from his past service.

Drake laid me gently down on the soft satin sheets. I could smell the salt of the ocean outside of our window, hear the frantic beating of my pulse in my ears, and taste him on my tongue. It was like a mix of mint from his mouthwash and something masculine and pure that was all him. I arched my body up against the pillows and ran one finger over my shirt.

“I think we might be overdressed.”

He laughed, a low rumble that went straight to my clit. “We can fix that.”

I nodded and shimmied out of my jeans. He’d left me in my clothes from last night. It was a bit awkward from a horizontal position, and I wasn’t going to win any seduction points, but it was my first time, and my fingers were shaking so hard I could barely undo the zipper. Then came my top, but I still lay there with my cotton bra and panties, something simple and nothing at all worthy of some vixen, covering my body. If Drake wanted to do more with me, then he was going to have to unwrap those final layers, like a present.

He licked his lips. “God, princess, you look so fucking good.”

Then Drake slipped off his pajama bottoms, exposing his long lean legs, that thatch of dark hair, and his amazing length. It was thick and seemed to be straining up with all the need I felt building between us. Mimicking his own actions, I licked my lips, thinking of all the things we could do together.

“I love the way you look,” I admitted. “I love that sleeve of tattoos you have, so rugged and dangerous, and I’m probably not the first person to say this, but you’re amazing.”

He smirked and gestured to his crotch. “It’s not the first time I’ve heard it, but it means more coming from you, trust me.” Drake didn’t make a move to slip off his tank, but I didn’t ask. After all, I was leaving my own underwear layers on so he could peel them back. Maybe he wanted me to do the same. Then, like a sultry jungle cat, he started crawling across the foot of the bed. When he got to me, to the tops of my thighs, he leaned down low and kissed them, running his tongue over every inch.

My blood felt like it had turned to liquid fire in my veins, and I arched my hips, welcoming the strokes of his tongue. Drake reached my panties and pulled them off, sliding them easily off my hips with a little help from me. He grazed a hand over my pubic hair and grinned up at me.

“So, soft, princess, like down.”

“Are you going to talk through all this?” I asked, my voice quivering. After twenty-four years of waiting, a dam had burst, and I couldn’t wait any longer.

He grinned and crawled up farther so that his head was over my belly. Leaning down, he kissed right above my belly button, then snaked his tongue in and out a few times. I moaned again and pressed against him.

“Please, Drake, I need you.”

“I can do whatever you need, princess.” He pushed himself off the bed just long enough to grab a foil packet from his bedside table and slip it over his impressive member. “Precautions, always.”

I nodded. I was completely on board with that. I’d have no way to explain that to my father or sister or anyone. Protection was smart.

“But now?” I breathed.

“Sit up,” he said, his voice deep and commanding, a hint of the Dominant lurking underneath.

I complied instantly, his tone making it clear there wasn’t a point in arguing with him.

He eased over to the bed and unclasped my bra in one fluid motion, and I pushed the realization from my mind that he was only so smooth at that because of the almost limitless experience he’d had with so many other women.

God, what if I’m terrible at this? What if he hates me?

His gaze widened at my exposed breasts as I shook off my bra straps and let it fall to the mattress. “So perfect.”

His mouth was on my left nipple in a flash, even as he slid back fully onto the bed. The heft of him pinned me to the bed, the scent of him—that spicy cologne and his own musk—teased my nostrils, and his tongue laved over my nipple, tracing patterns only he truly understood against the skin.

I closed my eyes and let myself be lost in the sensation, in the ministrations of his tongue, in the feel of him against me, in the blood pounding through my veins. The pure need pulsing in my clit.

“Please…”

He didn’t need any more prodding. Drake positioned himself above me and then let the head of his member just touch my entrance. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

The unspoken questions were there between us, the fact he was so big and I’d never had anyone, but I’d been ready since he’d shown me such kindness in the bathroom, since he’d touched my shoulder. I was slick with need, and I wanted him, wanted to feel everything.

“I am.”

He nodded and started to ease himself into me, slowly. It stretched, yes, but he entered with the utmost care and the utmost precision. Inch by inch, his heat filled me, making me feel complete and satiated in a way I’d never know before. After what felt like forever, I felt every part of him, even his testicles pressed tight against me.

Part of me never thought all of him would fit.

Drake moved his hips slowly, a testing undulation, and then stopped.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I can do this. Please, whatever you want.”

He flexed his hips and the fire was rushing through me again, heating up in every conceivable way. Then he started in earnest, his muscular back moving under my fingers, his breath fast and furious in my ears, and the heft of him over me. I looked up into his eyes and saw that intense chocolate gaze focused on me, and I felt as if I was leaving my body, that my very soul might be joining with his in this moment.

Then he came, thrusting his hips with a furious rhythm against me and it was enough to send me over the edge, to make me shudder at the force of the blaze that ignited over me. The flames licked at every part of me, firing up every nerve, every cell. I screamed for what felt like hours before falling to the mattress.

I was too hazy and my limbs too heavy to move for a while after that. Turning to my side, I let him scoop me into his arms and scooted up to him, his length still semi-hard against the curve of my rear.

“I… is it always like that?” I asked, my voice as breathless as if I’d run a marathon.

Drake laughed and kissed my temple. “Never. This was extraordinary even for me.”

With that, I fell into a deep sleep with a smile curving around my lips.