HIS HEART WAS thundering, and fear squeezed his gut. By stupidly blurting out his most secret terror, he’d ticked her off. Big time.
What the hell was he thinking?
Parker shut down the legal maneuvers that sprang to life in his thoughts. In a courtroom, he’d counter by forcing the witness to reveal a secret fear—but doing that would only make things worse. And besides, he wasn’t a lawyer in this instance. He was a husband. A husband who had inadvertently hurt his wife.
He wanted to touch her and caress her anger away, but he’d stupidly done this, and changing the subject or being a dick about it wasn’t going to make it any better. Her tears killed him.
“I didn’t mean that I thought you’d leave me, honey. It was more like a flash of fear that something would happen. Something would pull as apart. That’s all. You are my world, Angelina Sullivan. And to be honest, there’s no way I’d let you go anywhere. You belong to me, and I know what that means in the bigger picture.”
His words seemed to mollify her just enough that she backed off a teeny bit.
Jerkily wiping her face, she sniffed twice and grumbled, “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He chuckled. “There’s a lot I’m not telling you. It’s a lawyer thing.”
Parker knew she’d forgiven his gaffe when his wife turned her sapphire eyes on him and snarked, “Did you play that statement out in your head or just go with it?”
“Flying without a net,” he assured her.
“Let me make something clear to you,” she murmured. “I will do bodily harm to anyone who interferes, and if something comes up that puts a strain on you and me, I won’t take it lying down.”
“Spoken like a true Marquez,” he said with pride. He liked that she didn’t take shit.
“Like a Sullivan,” she corrected him.
Parker saw the opening and went for it. Taking her elbow, he swung her around and reached for her hand. She slid her fingers into his and let him lead her to the sofa.
“Sit.”
She flopped more than sat and ended up cross-legged and looking all of sixteen. The see-through lace made for quite an appealing visual.
“The sulking will get you thrown on the floor and fucked, so if you’re holding out for romance, you might want to reconsider your behavior.”
It was all kinds of cute when she eyeballed his groin and flushed beet red. Then she slapped a goofy expression on her face and said, “Better?”
“Much. Now hold that smile a minute. I’ll be right back.”
Dashing to the bedroom, he searched for the bag where he’d stashed a bunch of gifts and poked around. He’d come prepared, goddammit!
In the living room, he sat next to her and handed off the unwrapped gift with an explanation.
“You want to know what I dream about? Open that.”
She cracked open the box and murmured appreciatively at the silver and gold bracelet.
“It’s a bracelet,” she said. “This is what you dream about?”
“It’s one of those Pandora things. You know. A thousand charms or beads and shit can go on it. My mom was sure you’d like it. She made me go page by page through a catalog of charms.”
He watched his wife study the piece of jewelry. She fingered the danglers and looked closer. One was a heart that said Just Married. It had a gold bow studded with crystals. Another dangler was two wedding rings. There was also a diamond studded angel wing and a pair of cowboy boots.
“Plenty of room for more charms,” he pointed out. “Like for babies and anniversaries.”
She found the little square of tissue paper that was still in the box and opened it carefully. It was a teeny tiny Eiffel Tower.
“That,” he told her, “is for when I take you to Paris.”
“We’re going to Paris?”
“Yes. In October. Honeymoon part two.”
He thought she’d gush and get all weepy about his grand gesture, but she just sat there, fingering the bracelet and charms.
“Um, okay, but what if I’m pregnant then?”
“What?”
“Pregnant. You know, having a baby.”
“When?”
“In October.”
Huh? “Are you saying you’re pregnant?”
“No. Not yet. I don’t think. Maybe. I don’t know.”
The only answer missing was a definitive yes.
“Well, if we’re that fucking lucky, then I guess Baby Jedi goes with.”
“Baby Jedi,” she said with a snort. “Really?”
“Hell, yeah! I’ve got my eye on a minivan with a killer safety rating, and I found a decal on Etsy that says Baby Jedi on Board to stick on the back window.”
“So what you’re saying is I’m breeding Jedi younglings for your imaginary rebel garrison?”
His head went back when an explosive laugh rumbled up from his middle. “Please don’t use the word breeding in front of your brother. He’s already a snarling prick.”
“What Alexander needs is to lighten up.”
He grinned. “I’m pretty sure the twins are going to give him a much-needed attitude adjustment.”
Angie smiled and bit her lip. “Are you prepared with a gift for all my mood swings?”
“Pretty much,” he assured her with a self-satisfied smirk. “Remember, honey. I know you better than anyone does.”
“If you know me so well, then how come you sent a kill shot into my seduction? You don’t play fair.”
“Oh, so you’re saying you want to play?”
Her cheeky smirk and side eye succeeded in sending a wake-up call to his dick.
“Define play,” she hedged.
Just to mess with her, he chuckled and looked at her like she was a dumbass. “You know. Play. As in a game.”
“What?”
His adorable wife-sub had no idea who she was dealing with. She expected something out of their playroom notebook, and while she was partially right, what he was suggesting was something new and unique.
Parker took a second to decide. The dice game or BDSM Monopoly?
He stood and motioned to her. “You straighten up and make a spot for us on the floor. Something cozy. I’ll get the champagne and the game equipment.”
He left her for a few minutes, and when he returned, she was lounging seductively in a pose intended to get his attention. It worked.
An ice bucket landed with a thud on the nearby coffee table, and he pulled two champagne glasses from his waistband. Then he tossed a small plastic case in her lap.
“Check it out,” he said with a leer.
The case contained two dice and a small hourglass timer.
First, she took out the black die and studied the gold lettering. Didn’t take but a second for the smile Parker hoped for to grow on her face. Then she checked out the red die and what the white letters spelled.
While pouring them each a glass of bubbly, he explained the game.
“We’re starting a new tradition. Game night. Eventually, we’ll add family games, but for now, I think some couples stuff will do. This little gem is a nice change of pace. I call it Dominant Dice.”
She giggled in his face, the cheeky wench.
“Anyway,” he drawled lazily, “here’s how it works. The Dom, that’s me, rolls the dice.”
“What do I do?”
“Don’t interrupt, woman.”
The insubordinate snort told him what she thought.
“I roll the dice and issue instructions. You will perform, and I will receive. The timer keeps the game moving.”
She studied the dice again.
“Before we start, my angel, are we okay?”
“I value your honesty. If I could promise not to overreact in the future, I would, but you know me.”
“Good enough. Now, about the game. I think we should take a shot at getting shitfaced for this, so let’s toast and put a dent in the bottle and then let the naughty times roll.”
“I can still drink you under the table, Sir,” she added with far too much cocky zeal.
He raised one brow. “I just let you think that.”
“Oh-ho,” she said with a snicker. “Is that how you want to play this? Fine by me.”
Where alcohol was concerned, he was sure of two things. One, that Meghan would always be the last one standing after a drink-to-drink challenge with Alex. And second, that for some incomprehensible reason—despite years of practice—he also, like his friend, came in a lackluster second when Angie was his challenger. The woman had a steel stomach.
It was fun trying to come out on top, though.
“To my wife,” Parker said with a laugh as he held up the champagne flute. “My desert angel. And to the kid who will one day learn that he or she was conceived on Perrier-Jouet.”
They touched glasses and smiled into each other’s eyes as that first glass went down in one gulp. The burp his wife let loose was par for the course. After that, it was a giggle fest of major proportion. By the time he started rolling the dice, they were in shit-faced territory and loving every second of it.
After ten or twelve rolls, Parker began to lose his laughter. “Okay,” he said as the dice came to rest. “This time, you will bite my chest.”
She clapped and licked her lips as he turned the mini hourglass and issued his command. “Begin.”
With his arms at his sides, he reclined against the mound of pillows against the bottom of the sofa and watched as she held her hair back with both hands and bit his chest over and over. The sheer eroticism of the act surprised him. Each time her teeth sank into his flesh, she gave a little growl and pulled at his skin. Monitoring the timer was hard when all he wanted to do was close his eyes and let her continue.
When the time was up, she sat back and they both inspected her handiwork. Small red bite marks dotted his chest. The lightweight silk bottoms he wore did nothing to hide his bulging cock.
Just like that, he was finished playing.
Rising, he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. She immediately closed in and ran her hands all over his skin.
“Are you ready, Angel?”
Her answer was a sexy smile. She took his hands and walked backward, pulling Parker to the bedroom.
The tropical breeze made the filmy gauze curtains hanging on each side of the open walls sway. He instructed her to stand in a shaft of moonlight.
At first, he just looked at her. She was beautiful beyond words.
While untying the satin ribbon around her middle, he enjoyed the telltale appearance of goose bumps on her skin. He pushed the straps of the gown off her shoulders. The bodice draped at her waist as he exposed her glorious breasts.
Parker leaned in close, inhaled her scent, and latched his teeth onto her neck. She moaned and reached for him. He pushed her hands away, crossed her wrists behind her back, and then held them loosely with one hand.
He enjoyed feasting on her skin. One second, he’d lick, and then he’d follow up with a sharp nip or serious bite. She quivered and moaned as he covered her chest the same way she had done to him.
When he bent and bit her nipples, she cried out and shook all over.
Needing both hands, he growled at her to keep hers behind her back. She nodded, bit her lip, and moaned. As an answer, it was good enough.
His hands went on a lust-fueled journey, exploring her soft, warm flesh. She had sensitive zones on both sides of her waist that made her shiver when his fingers feathered over her skin.
In an instant, she snapped, and he wasn’t expecting it. In fact, he was so deeply mesmerized by the track of his touch on her bare flesh that he had a moment of real confusion when his wife went berserk.
She said something he didn’t catch, and then all sorts of sexy hell broke loose. With an abrupt shove and an annoyed grunt, Angie pushed the negligee off her hips. When it pooled around her feet, she kicked it away like an Olympic soccer star before attacking the drawstring on his bottoms.
Parker was about to stop her when she set him straight in a way only his wicked angel kitten could.
“No speechifying, Counselor. Don’t say a single word. I’ll take my chances with some of your Sir displeasure later.”
She had the drawstring undone and was rather furiously pushing the silky fabric down his legs.
“Now shut the hell up and prepare for a topping demonstration that’ll melt your beard off.”
His cock was in her hand, and he was laughing his goddamn ass off.
“With pleasure,” he drawled. “I’m prepared to be topped. Please, m’lady, have at it. We’ll negotiate the terms of your punishment later.”
“Whatever,” she grated out.
Parker had never been led around by his dick before. Maybe figuratively but not in actuality, so her tugging him along was some kind of fun!
Seeing her look him over with a blatantly lascivious leer sent a shiver of excitement racing through Parker. He liked it when she got greedy and demanding. Angie’s unchained passions had a way of turning memorable.
“On the bed,” she demanded.
“What if I say no?”
“I don’t think you’re that stupid,” she answered with a wink and a smirk.
Chuckling at her dry delivery, he nodded and said, “Truth.”
He was halfway on the bed when she ran off. Amused and curious, he scooted to the top of the big playground bed and punched a few pillows into place against the headboard. Reclining like a Roman Emperor—a completely out-of-the-blue visual—he snickered at the sight his randy cock made and waited for her return.
There was wanting to laugh, and then there was needing to laugh, which was what he did when his creative wife sauntered back with a big, floppy beach bag over her arm and a grin half a mile wide. She was recreating all the times he’d made her wait before reappearing with his bag of playtime props and equipment. The playful swagger made his dick quiver.
His kitten was good. Very, very good.
Did she walk right up to the side of the bed admiring his erection every step of the way? Yes, she did.
And did she drop the bag with a thud just like he would? Yep. She did that too.
His damn face hurt from the size and strength of his grin. He couldn’t wait to see what his mischievous wife had planned.
It was fucking hard not to holler with laughter when she started talking. Parker wondered if that was how he came off. Did he act all big and bad and use a tone that said, “Mess with me at your peril?” Maybe he should explore some new material.
“We’re going to test your boundaries, Counselor.”
Oh, my god! Seriously? What the hell could he think about to help wipe the stupid grin off his face?
A hurricane disaster? Or maybe a lost puppy?
Shit. Nothing was working. He couldn’t help it. This was too much fucking awesome for him to shrug off.
With her hands on her hips, she struck a pose and asked a question. “Do you trust me?”
Parker couldn’t even count the number of times he’d asked her that very same thing. He swallowed hard and lost the need to laugh along with the goofy smile. Was this what she felt when the shoe was on the other foot?
Suddenly, his interest was piqued. What would he learn by taking a walk in her hooker heels?
He yielded to her control and answered truthfully. “Yes.”
She smiled with approval, and he requested permission to ask a question. He noted how she reacted with uncertainty when he behaved with obvious deference. She wanted to play switch, but she wasn’t okay with going too far. Now wasn’t the first time he’d pondered this particular quirk of his bride’s. She couldn’t stray too far from her comfort zone—her submissive comfort zone.
“May I ask who I am addressing?” he drawled. “Angel? Kitten? Mistress?”
“Oh.” She bit her lip, and a small frown crossed her face. He wanted to tell her how adorable she was but now wasn’t the time.
“I don’t like mistress.” Shuddering slightly and making a face, she said it more like an out loud thought than as an answer to his question.
He found it funny and poignant when she considered the throwaway question. Names and titles affected her and always had.
Parker made a quick suggestion, hoping the middle ground was inside her boundaries.
“Then how about señora? With ma’am thrown in?”
“Now you’re talking! Putting that fancy law degree and your manners to good use.”
“So to answer your question in an appropriate manner, I trust you, señora.”
She disappeared by dropping down to dig through her bag. He’d like to think he was acting all cool and collected, but the truth was he had a bad case of curious puppy going on and wanted nothing more than to leap off the bed and excitedly check out what constituted Angie’s idea of toys for topping playtime.
When she stood a minute later with several things in her hands, he was practically chasing his tail in circles with enthusiasm.
And then she spoke, and he had his first real inside glimpse at what he put her through when unexpected anxiety rippled through him.
“A tie for your hands and a blindfold.”
He hesitated. What the fuck? My god. He’d tied her to a crossbar in the fucking jungle and taken a whip to her glorious ass, but somehow a blindfold and the satin bindings he didn’t hesitate to use on her scared him?
Ruefully eyeing his randy cock, he suddenly understood a little of what it felt like to be submissive. Seething sexual lust and a willingness to test the edges of his restraint quickly swept away his apprehension.
He gave in and let her fantasy play out.
“Where do you want me, señora?”
She eyed the headboard—not that she needed to. By now he’d tied her to the bed several times, so she knew damn well what the possibilities were.
“Mid field.” She gleefully snickered. “Fifty-yard line of this enormous varsity-size recreation zone.”
He moved, and she climbed on the bed too. It took her forever to figure out how to bind his wrists together while also leaving enough of the binding so the tie would tether to the bed.
His heart and mind, along with his cock, enjoyed every second of watching her. She made the cutest frowny face when she was concentrating. At one point, her tongue appeared at the corner of her mouth. She looked like a schoolager following complicated directions. For a second, he wondered if their kid would do that. He hoped so.
“I don’t know about you,” she drawled with a snarky laugh as she flopped next to him and leaned on his thigh. “But that wiped me out. I may need a little break.”
Figuring he might as well relax, Parker crossed his legs at the ankle and politely requested a pillow for his neck. She hurried to make him comfortable, and he enjoyed her swinging tits as she went about it.
Having his hands tied and restrained to the bed was a new sensation. Whatever anxiousness he brought to the proceedings had vanished once he got a look at how inept and clueless she was. The only knot she knew was the one for tying shoes, so the actual strength of his bindings was a bit on the iffy side. In the end, after she finally got him trussed up the way she wanted, he was having a grand old time and was confident it wouldn’t take much to Houdini his way out of the flimsy restraints.
She hopped off the bed like a veteran gymnast and stuck the landing. “Forgot something,” she yipped before speeding away.
For no reason other than he was feeling playful, Parker rocked his hips and watched his dick sway back and forth. “Thanks for being a good sport,” he exclaimed to his patient manhood.
“Newsflash,” he heard his angel kitten call out as she returned. “Don’t you dare tell anyone I said this, but I like the whole naked honeymoon concept.”
“Is that so?”
He couldn’t see what she’d added to the bag, but he heard the teasing in her voice.
“I love watching you. Did you know?” she asked. “The bod I see all the time, and you know how much I like that.” She winked and blew him a kiss. “But the freebird thing? Aiee, Counselor. Caliente!” She used her hand to fan her face.
Parker barked a husky laugh. “Señora, I swore that damn Skynyrd song was never gonna make it into a Desert Thunder set list, but I think hearing my dick referred to by the name pretty much guarantees it’s a done deal.”
She laughed and purred at the same time, making for one hell of a sexy sound. “It’ll be our little secret. Much, much better than a t-shirt that reads Angie loves Cock.”
Habit or reflex—one of those things—made him growl, “Your ass won’t survive if you ever wear anything like that in public.”
His naughty wife did what she did nearly every time he showed his caveman tendencies. She giggled.
Running her fingers from his feet to his throat, she murmured a long, continuous, throaty, “Mmm,” that made his skin tingle.
Following his Dom script, she leaned as close as she could and asked, “Do you need anything?”
He looked in her eyes. “You know this is asking a lot of me, right?”
She caressed the side of his face. “Yes. Let me please you, Parker.”
He smiled. “Did you say please or tease?”
“Both,” she replied in a husky, amused chuckle.
“I’m ready, señora, but may I ask for one thing?”
“Of course. What do you need?”
Parker gave her a direct answer. When he was in the dominant role, it was what he expected of her so he’d know how to proceed.
“After you place the blindfold, would you kiss me? Please.”
Her answer was swift, sure, and pleased. “My pleasure.”
She put her bag of goodies near the foot of their bed playground and climbed next to him. Her eyes sparkled. He could read her excitement. It was in the short, swift pants of her breathing, the way she bit her lip, and the warm sexiness of her voice.
“I’ve never done this before, so I hope you’ll grade me on a curve.”
“Whatever I do to you, you should be able to do to me. Wait,” Parker said with a barking laugh. “I amend that. Nice thought and I’m sure you caught my drift, but no fucking way to the butt plug.”
She jolted and then laughed like hell at his joke. “Oh, shit! So does that mean I should return the strap-on waiting for us in the playroom at home?”
He looked at her completely horrified and started to tug against the restraints before it dawned on him that she was yanking his chain.
Laughing like a hyena, she rocked back and forth next to him and slapped his chest playfully. “I can’t believe you bought that for even a second! Parker! Seriously?”
“We might have to rethink the fucking your ass thing. It’s not exactly fair, is it?”
“Oh, behave, you bad boy. Stop sulking because ass play is a no for you. Look at it this way—makes me far more badass than you are. Huh?” she joked with a cheeky brow wag. “You feel me, right? By taking it in the butt, that makes me a total badass.”
He groaned at the bad puns but smiled and nodded.
“And besides, husband of mine, you promised, and I expect you to keep your word. It’s fucked up, I know. All these things we do are fucked up. But,” she murmured, “I can’t explain it.”
“Angie.”
She looked into his eyes when he called her name. What he had to say wasn’t play talk.
“It doesn’t matter what others think. Nothing we do is fucked up. Some dreams and fantasies may push boundaries or are darker than what’s considered normal, but who decides what’s right or wrong? This is how we do, Mrs. Sullivan. Your passions don’t scare me, Angel, and so far, mine haven’t scared you. We’re evenly matched, honey. So relax, baby girl. Before we head home, your beautiful, sexy ass will be thoroughly cock tamed.”
“Cock tamed?” She snickered. “I like the sound of that.”
“You would,” he teased.
She climbed onto his chest to place the blindfold on his eyes. He caught the scent of her arousal and let out a sharp grunt. “I want your smell all over my body,” he told her.
His sexy wife’s throaty chuckle turned up the heat on the lust fire burning him alive.
“Shouldn’t there have been a ma’am tacked onto the end of that comment, Counselor?” Tsking, she shook her head. “The proprieties must be observed.”
“There are topping priorities?” he asked with a growl.
She sat on his chest, adorably nibbled on a fingernail, and gave the impression she was thinking about it.
Finally, she rather audaciously pinched one of his nipples and playfully smirked. “Well, if there aren’t, we’ll need to re-open the negotiations. You said our limits and stuff could be updated as needed.”
Parker blinked and looked at the naked and very wanton angel straddling his chest. Tied to the headboard, he had a raging hard-on and was about to be blindfolded—and she was nattering on about renegotiating terms.
Jesus Christ. Talk about honeymoon memories! This one was gearing up for a place in the finals.
After showing him the satin blindfold, she asked if she could continue. He nodded and reminded her about the promise of a kiss. When she carefully slid the mask into place and ruffled her fingers through his hair, he took a deep breath. He wasn’t at all accustomed to being vulnerable in any way.
Right away, her fingers were all over his face. He tried to take in the language of her touch as she explored him.
“I love this face,” she murmured. “You are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
He felt her breath on his face as she murmured. Unable to touch her or assess her expression sent a ripple of tension through him that triggered a shift in his perceptions. A deluge of sensory input rushed into him.
The air was full of amazing scents. Some tropical, some Angie. He was particularly fond of the perfume she wore. It reminded him of sizzling summer days and balmy desert nights. When she leaned over to touch her lips to his, he felt her long soft hair brush his shoulder. He got a subtle whiff of coconut that made his mouth water.
Her kiss was gentle, slow, and thoughtful. Half expecting hunger, he found she was surprisingly gentle and loving. He lost himself in the velvet softness of her lips. Every kiss and nibble flooded him with delicious sensations.