I tucked my face into my husband’s chest, breathing in his unique amber and whiskey scent. I wasn’t at all concerned about where he was taking me or which device for erotic torment he intended to use. I trusted him completely; to care for me, to love me. He’d proven he’d walk into hell for me. Now, I belonged to him forever. Just as he belonged to me.

And soon, we’d have our little girl, our family.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked, calling my attention to him so I was caught in his dancing silver gaze.

“I’m just happy.” I beamed up at him. “Life is perfect. I can’t believe it’s my life sometimes.”

“It’s our life. And yes, it is perfect.” His grin knocked the air from my chest.

Unable to help myself, I reached up and traced the line of his square jaw, loving the rough feel of stubble against my fingertips.

“Perfect,” I repeated, staring up at him.

His lips twisted in a wry smile. “I’m glad the feeling is mutual.”

He laid me down, and my bare skin kissed cool leather. I recognized the feel of the padded bondage table beneath me, and I relaxed against it, willing to completely submit to whatever he desired.

He towered over me, pausing for a moment to admire me laid out beneath him. A twisted smile lingered around his mouth as his eyes left mine to focus on my body. His pupils dilated and his nostrils flared, like a predator scenting his prey. My core clenched in response, my desire rising with his.

He trailed his calloused fingertips over my skin, making it dance with awareness. Even the light touch was electric, our connection as visceral as it had been from the very beginning. Those early days had been dark, but my Master had been my light, guiding me back to myself and everything I’d lost. Despite everything I’d been through, I hadn’t feared his touch, not even when he found me, scarred and broken. I’d needed his touch more than I needed my next breath.

I still needed it so desperately, his soft caress was almost cruel. I craved more; his strong fingers curling into my flesh, tangling in my hair, pinching at my nipples in the way that drove me wild.

Unable to help myself, I reached for him, wanting to draw him closer.

He caught my wrists and gently guided them over my head. I sighed as the supple leather cuffs closed around them, trapping my arms above my head and rendering me incapable of touching him.

His fingertips traced the line of my pout, and his smile twisted.

“Don’t look so upset, sweetheart. Don’t you like your Christmas present?”

“I want to touch you, Master.” I knew I sounded petulant, but I’d never hold back the truth of my feelings. I’d never hide anything from him.

He leaned down, close enough so his hot breath tickled my neck. His teeth nipped at the shell of my ear, his lips vibrating against my sensitive skin as he spoke in a low, rumbling tone.

“I want to play with my sweet sub. I want to hear you crying my name and begging before I’m finished with you.”

I tugged against the cuffs. “Please,” I whispered.

His low laugh rolled over my skin. “Nice try, girl, but it won’t be that easy for you.”

His fingers sank into my hair, tugging my head to the side so my neck was exposed for his bite. Pain flared as he marked me with his teeth, but hot pleasure bloomed alongside it. I cried out, and my back arched as my nipples tightened in wanton invitation for his torment.

He didn’t release me until I was writhing against the bondage table, my labia wet with desire and my body on fire for him. He kissed at the place he’d bitten, tracing the mark with his tongue. The tender heat made me shudder as desire swelled.

“Please, Master.” I lifted my hips, urging him to touch me where I craved it most.

He pressed his big hand flat against my belly, pinning me down with ease. I whined my frustration, my mind beginning to recede to a more primal place as the power shifted between us. He respected me as an equal partner in life, but the raw truth was that I belonged to him, body and soul.

He watched me, waiting until I submitted. I took a shuddering breath and stilled, but I couldn’t relax. My body practically vibrated for his erotic attentions.

The weight of his hand lifted, and he stroked me, trailing his fingertips down to rest just above my clit. His silver eyes captured mine, silently impressing his will upon me. I swallowed hard and resolutely remained still, resisting the urge to rock my hips toward him.

“Good girl.” The rumbling praise awoke a warm glow in my chest. He didn’t reward me with physical pleasure, but his warm approval brought its own sweet satisfaction.

He brushed both hands down my thighs, along the length of my legs. He grasped my ankles and guided them apart before cuffing them in place, spreading me wide for his admiration.

His molten gaze made me feel beautiful, cherished. He needed me as fiercely as I needed him.

He pulled a black cloth from his pocket, and I swallowed a whine. I wanted to look at him, to drink in his perfection with the same intensity he studied me.

One corner of his soft smile tilted up with dark amusement. “You look very cute when you pout, sweetheart.”

He leaned in and tasted my lips, tracing the line of my pout with his tongue before teasing inside my mouth. My back arched as he pulled away, my body drawn to him as though by a magnet. My bonds held me down, and my desire swelled at the knowledge of his control over me. I wanted to belong to him, to feel his power pulsing against me, fogging my mind and sending me to a place of transcendent pleasure.

He lifted the cloth to my eyes and knotted the soft material at the back of my head. Darkness closed over me, but it didn’t frighten me. Master’s heat rolled over me, making the darkness warm and velvety. I sank into it on a sigh.

His fingertips traced the line of my jaw, and I turned my face into him, rubbing my cheek against his palm like a content kitten.

His heat receded, and some of the tension returned to my body. I wanted to follow his warmth, craved the feel of his calloused palm against my cheek.

Then I heard the familiar snick of the lighter, and I knew Master had a different kind of heat in mind to kiss my skin.

A minute of heavy silence passed, and in the darkness, the rest of my senses heightened. My flesh pricked with awareness; the rhythmic sound of his breathing interspersed with my shallow, faster panting breaths.

Although I knew what was coming, I cried out in shock when the first drop of hot wax landed on the upper swell of my breast. The wax burned for a moment before it began to cool. The heat sank into my flesh, making me hotter for him. I thrust my breasts up, offering myself for more of the delicious burn.

His deep chuckle rumbled over me, the sound of his pleasure rolling through my mind and blanketing me with bliss.

When the next drop landed, mirroring the first, I hissed in a sharp breath. As the wax cooled, I exhaled on a shuddering sigh, and my body relaxed back onto the bondage table as endorphins began to course through my system. Submitting to my Master was euphoric, as always. When I put my trust in him, I didn’t have to worry or think about anything at all. He was my entire world, his will all that mattered or existed.

And right now, he wanted to torment me with the heat of the wax, giving me little hits of pain followed by rushes of delicious pleasure.

More wax spilled, leaving a scorching line that outlined my breasts. Before I could release my shocked cry, fat drops fell more slowly, nearing my nipples. I stilled completely, knowing Master wouldn’t want the wax to drop anywhere he didn’t intend.

He continued to paint my body with heat, varying the timing and location of the burning droplets. By the time he stopped, I was breathing hard. I could feel the cooling wax shifting on my chest as it rose and fell rapidly.

I heard him blow out the candle, and I anticipated his hands on my skin. Instead, his lips met mine in a hungry kiss that branded me more thoroughly than the wax could ever accomplish. I moaned and opened for him, giving him everything he demanded of me.

His tongue lingered on mine for several long minutes, claiming my mouth in dominant strokes. When he finally pulled away, I sucked in a gasping breath. I was more desperate for him than I was for air, but Master would always see to my needs. He’d never push me beyond what I could handle.

He gently tugged at the fabric that covered my eyes, and I blinked several times to adjust to the light.

“What do you think?” he asked, brushing his fingers over the hard green wax that covered my torso.

I gave him a wide, silly grin. “Very festive,” I approved.

His smile twisted. “I think we need some red to go with the green, don’t you?”

I licked my lips in anticipation.

He laughed, a darkly amused sound. “My greedy girl. Does that mean you’re enjoying your present so far?”

“Yes. Thank you, Master,” I breathed, some of the euphoric fog clearing from my mind now that he’d removed the blindfold. I was still very aware of the heat within my body, but my mind was turning to more erotic desires.

I anticipated that he would retrieve another candle, but when he stepped away from me to retrieve another implement for my sweet torment, he returned with a small flogger.

Master intended to paint my more delicate skin red. The flogger was for my pussy.

I giggled, a giddy, lust-drunk sound.

He laughed along with me, intoxicated in his own way. I knew he got just as high off dominating me as I got off submitting to him.

He trailed the supple leather falls over my wax-covered chest, down my abdomen, before allowing the flogger to caress my sex. I shuddered and moaned at the teasing stimulation. My clit pulsed and my lower lips grew wet with my need.

The leather left my skin for a moment before he flicked the flogger down on my inner thigh. Heat licked at my sensitive skin, and I tried to wriggle away. He watched me struggled for a few seconds, waiting for me to fully accept that I was bound and powerless against him; completely at his mercy.

I groaned and surrendered, pleasure washing over me as I submitted fully.

He landed a twin hit on my other thigh, harsher this time. I shrieked at the sting, but I didn’t try to move away.

The flogger snapped down on my pussy, leaving stinging heat in its wake. As he lashed it against me, the heat penetrated deeper, warming my core and enflaming my desire for him. After a while, my harsh cries took on a needy, keening edge.

He dropped the flogger and soothed the hurt he’d inflicted with soft brushes of his long fingers. They swirled in the wetness that coated my labia and thighs, and he growled his approval at the signs of my arousal.

My gaze dropped from his intense silver eyes to find the hard ridge of his cock straining against his jeans.

“Please, Master. Fuck me.” I was barely aware that the words left my lips; I gave voice to my deepest, most base yearning.

He moved swiftly, all this careful control unravelling as he gave over to his desire for me. He unbuckled the cuffs that bound me and freed his cock. His hands hooked beneath my knees, pulling me toward him. My sweat-slicked body slid down the bondage table until my pussy hit his erection. He propped my thighs against his shoulders and leaned toward me, his weight pressing me down and spreading me wide.

He drove into me in one possessive thrust, snarling as he gave in to the hungry beast that lurked just beneath his skin. When he toyed with me, he got high over controlling it as well as controlling me, but when he unleashed his raw power on me, my body welcomed his harsh thrusts. I rocked my hips up, meeting his ferocity with equal fervor. I wrapped my fingers around his corded upper arms, loving the feel of his muscles rippling beneath my touch. He was powerful and perfect and all mine.

“Master!” I cried out his name as my pleasure finally crested, my body primed from his kinky games. My pussy rippled around him, squeezing his cock and drawing forth his pleasure. He threw back his head and roared out his satisfaction, his hot cum pumping into me, marking me deep inside.

He thrust into me one last time, his forehead dropping to rest on mine. We exchanged ragged breaths as we both came down from our highs.

Although the intense ecstasy ebbed, my pleasure didn’t subside. I was perfectly content in Master’s strong arms.