Jesse hurried down the hallway. From downstairs, music thudded up softly, but he was no longer tempted to go back to the club. He’d thought he would settle Phoebe in and then go back down for one last beer, but there was no way he wasn’t honoring her request.

He’d had some hope that she would let him rub her feet and talk about how the scene had made her feel. He’d never imagined that her aftercare request would involve actual sex.

Should it?

He kicked open the door and made his way to the bed. She was a soft bundle in his arms. He would have been content to simply hold her. She was warm and half naked, and he would likely never forget that moment when he’d slid the corset off her and saw her breasts for the first time. They were perfect. Round and just enough to fill his hands. He’d loved the way her nipples had felt against his chest, the way she’d leaned into him when she gave over.

It had been the single most intimate moment of his life and he didn’t want it to end. No matter what he told himself, he wanted more with her, and not in some dumbass, dump-her-afterward way so he could feel better about himself. That had been a momentary insanity. Now that he was alone in the room with her and her skin glowed like a pearl, he was willing to admit he would take any time he could get with this woman. He would take anything she offered him and be grateful for the time they had.

He would do just about anything to keep her.

He gently laid her down on the bed and then turned on the nightstand light. He couldn’t do this in the dark. He needed to see her. When he dragged the skirt off her hips, she didn’t fight him. She just looked up as he tossed it aside.

Her chest moved as she stretched out on the bed, a tired smile on her face. “I liked that, Jesse. I didn’t think I would.”

He’d known what she needed. He’d known it for months, but she’d seemed so standoffish. Would things be different if he’d taken charge? It didn’t matter now. He was in charge of this. She’d told him to make love to her and she still had a safe word in place. “I’m going to kiss you now, Phoebe.”

She nodded up at him, eyes suddenly going serious. “I want you to kiss me. I’ve thought about it for a very long time. Kissing you in your office wasn’t enough.”

He’d thought about it since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Too much time had passed, and now he had to be careful he didn’t simply devour her whole. He had to make this good for her. He had to make her crave this the way he craved her.

He sat down on the bed beside her, his hand covering her breast. When he ran his thumb over the hardened nipple, she gasped and her back bowed, pressing her breast up into his hand. “You’re so fucking beautiful. They were all watching you. They were all thinking about how beautiful you were.”

Yeah, he hadn’t missed the way she’d responded to being shown off. He’d felt a shudder go through her when he’d turned her around. At first he’d been worried it had been from distaste, but then she’d leaned against him and her body had gone languid.

“I can’t believe I did that.”

“You liked it. Do you think you would like me to really show you off? That was just a little taste. I could properly show off my gorgeous sub.”

“How would you do that?”

“I would show them your breasts.” He cupped the other one, pressing them up so the nipples were aligned and just above his thumbs. “Look at how beautiful these breasts are. They belong to me. I’m the man who gets to play with them. See these pretty nipples? It’s my tongue that drags across them, my teeth that nip at them, my mouth that sucks on them.”

He moved his hand up to her chin. “Such a pretty face, and look at that mouth.” He dragged his thumb across her plump bottom lip. “That mouth was made to kiss, and it was definitely made to fuck. I’m the Dom who gets to shove my cock into this lovely mouth. My cock gets loved on by these lips and that tongue.”

She looked up at him, her eyes flaring just before she swiped her tongue along his thumb. The sensation seemed to go straight to his cock. It pulsed and threatened to break through his leathers in an attempt to get to her, but he was going to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in control.

“We’ll get to that later. Don’t you want to know what else I’ll show off when I get you naked on a stage again? What else do you think I’ll touch and show everyone? What else will they want to see?”

Her face flushed and she moved a little restlessly under his hands. His words were getting to her. She might have thought she was vanilla before, but he was going to show her just how much fun being dirty could be. “My pussy. You’ll show off my pussy.”

There was his eager puppy cock once more trying to have its way. He loved the breathless way she said pussy and yes, she had properly answered his question so she deserved a treat. He trailed his hand down her torso, past the valley of her breasts and over her softly curved belly. His eyes took in every inch of her gorgeous skin, illuminated by the low light. She practically glowed for him. Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed over the mound of her pussy.

“Spread your legs. They want to see you.” He could role-play. He’d never actually done it before, but it was kind of fun to pretend. “They want to look at this pretty pussy and dream that they get to touch it. They don’t. I’m the only one. Spread your legs wide so they get a good view of just how fucking creamy and wet you are.”

It was true. He was going to lose his damn mind over her scent and the silky feel of her skin. He stared right at it and blessed the day he walked into Sanctum. Sex had been something to do under the covers, with the lights out and as unoffensively as possible before he’d gotten into the lifestyle. Some people could have active, fully satisfying sex lives without play, but he’d found he wasn’t one of them. He needed this, and he loved the freedom of not hiding what he wanted to do. He wanted to stare at her pussy, to study it. So that was what he was going to do.

“So pretty.” He slid a finger, parting her labia. “Do you always shave? Your skin is so damn soft. Like silk.”

“I did it today. I took a shower before I decided to go down and look for Avery. I knew if I went downstairs you wouldn’t let me wear panties, and I didn’t want to look like Sasquatch if someone caught sight of my cootch,” she said on a shaky laugh. “It was pretty much a seventies disco down there.”

It didn’t look like one now. She’d done an incredible job. She was bare and smooth and ripe. Pearly fluid coated her labia. Arousal pulsed from inside her. He slid his fingers all around, carefully exploring that soft, feminine part of her. He breathed in the scent of her.

She was ready. He could shove his cock inside right then and there would be no barrier. He could take her and she would welcome him, but he needed more. He had no idea how much time they had. There was a conference in the morning, and the outcome could be the two of them released back into their lives. She would go one way and he the other. He wasn’t going to have his only memory of her being a quickie.

Long and slow. Thoughtful sex. That was what he owed her. He also owed her that kissing he’d promised. He leaned over and let his mouth hover above hers, suspended in the potential. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to kiss you like this? There’s no one outside the door. There’s no one who’s going to interrupt us. I can just kiss you for as long as I want.”

“Months,” she whispered back, her hand going up to his hair. She smoothed her fingers over it. Her eyes were steady on his. “I don’t count your office as our first kiss. You were being an asshole. So make this one count. I’ve waited months. Months and months of waiting.”

He was glad she was willing to forgive him for that debacle in his office, but she was wrong about that timing. “Forever. I’ve waited forever.”

He let his lips touch hers and heat spiked through his system like a live wire sparking. He molded his mouth to hers, tasting her for the first time. She filled his senses, became the center of everything in that moment. She was the sun, warming him, making him feel alive and male and so good that he wondered why he’d waited.

Her fingers sank into his hair and he knew. He’d waited on this Phoebe. He’d waited because the real woman was so much more than the façade. This woman had all the passion, all the affection he’d sensed in the construct. She’d hidden behind a mask, but there was no hiding now.

When her mouth flowered open and her tongue glided against his, he nearly lost it. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, nestling their bodies together. His tongue surged inside, a marauder who wanted to take everything she had to give and then demand more because she was it for him.

He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted this one. How could he even have fooled himself for a second that he would be satisfied with a night? He wanted a lifetime with her. She was the prize he got for surviving. All the horrible shit he’d been through fell away the minute she walked in a room.

“I want to touch you,” she whispered against his lips. “I want to see you.”

It would kill him, but he was determined to give her what she wanted.

He forced himself to stand up. He’d left his vest downstairs and he would very likely get an unholy lecture on cleaning up his shit from Ian, but he’d been too eager to be alone with her. He was still wearing his pants and boots. As quickly as he could, he toed out of his boots and worked the laces on his leathers. Phoebe sat up, pushing back her hair. Even though she was naked, she looked oddly innocent to him, sitting there and staring at him like a child about to receive a gift she hadn’t thought she would get.

“I think you’re beautiful, too.”

He shoved his pants off, kicking them to the side. “I’ve got a lot of scars.”

She ran her hands over the place where the IED had nearly opened his gut. The scar was jagged because he’d been stitched up by someone who’d only wanted him alive in order to torture him. They hadn’t thought a lot about how pretty his abs would look.

He fought a shiver as she brushed her fingers there.

“We’ve all got scars. It proves we did our jobs. Did you like it? Showing me off? Did it do something for you?” She asked the question in a halting tone, her skin flushing like she was nervous to hear the answer.

Did she think he would judge her? “It got me so hot, baby. I loved it. I loved everyone seeing how beautiful my sub was. It made me feel good, worthy.”

“You are so worthy, Jesse.” Her hand went lower and her eyes drifted down. “Did I say you were beautiful? You’re gorgeous.”

He’d never had a woman praise his cock before. Yeah, that did something for him. “Touch me.”

Her right hand came up and she grasped him. “Like that? How do you like it?”

He put his hand over hers and tightened. “Hard. Grip me hard. I want to feel it.”

She nodded and then followed his lead, pumping him up and down. “Would you ever do more than show a sub off?”

So good. It felt so fucking good. He could already feel his balls tightening. It had been a long time. Concentrate, Murdoch. She’d asked a question that was really more like a land mine waiting to go off. He wasn’t completely dumb. “I’ve never shown a sub off before. I’ve played, but I’ve never displayed my beautiful sub because I never had one until tonight. But if you’re asking me what else I would like to do to you in public, that’s easy to answer.”

Her lips curled up in the sauciest grin. “Alright. I’ll bite. What else would you do?”

Oh, so many things. He looked down and watched as she pumped his cock. “I didn’t even get to show off your ass. You have a spectacular ass.”

“I’m glad you like it.” She leaned over and he had to stop himself from shouting out when she licked the head of his dick.

Fuck. He wasn’t going to last if she kept it up, but he couldn’t seem to find the will to stop her either. “I would spread you out and show you off and then I would take you. I would let them watch as you take my cock. You’ll take it because it belongs to you, because your pussy is where it needs to be. You’ll wrap your legs around me and you’ll shout out. You won’t be quiet when I fuck you. You’ll give them a show. You’ll let them know just how good it feels to be fucked by me and I will make sure you scream. Don’t even think you can hold out on me. I won’t let it happen. I’ll fuck you so long and so hard, you’ll give me everything I want. Suck me, Phoebe. I want your mouth on me.”

He watched as she leaned forward and her lips wrapped around his cock. He let his hands sink into the soft silk of her hair and stared as she sucked on his cockhead. He let his instincts drive him, allowed his hips to move, to force her to take more. Her tongue dragged over his skin, making his spine nearly curl in pleasure. So hot. Her mouth was hot and tight. Perfect.

He shoved another inch in and she took it, her tongue swirling around his stalk. Her hand worked the base. She gripped him hard and gave him the slightest edge of her teeth. He couldn’t take another second or he would come right down her throat, and that wasn’t how their first time was going to go.

He pulled away and she looked up at him, her mouth a gorgeous red. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, but it’s my turn. It’s my turn to put my mouth on you. It’s my turn to taste you. Lie back and spread your legs again.” His cock was throbbing, but he was determined to make this night last.

* * * *

Phoebe didn’t think. She simply reacted to the command in Jesse’s voice. She let her body sag down, allowed herself to sink into the softness of the comforter at her back. Her brain was fuzzy with desire and she was riding the wave.

Strong hands gripped her ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed. She looked down the length of her body at him. He was spectacular. Tall and lean, every inch of him perfectly muscled. She loved how strong he was. And she couldn’t take her eyes off his cock. It stood out slightly from his body. She could still taste him on her tongue. Salty but clean. The feel of his skin was burned in her brain.

He pulled her legs apart, exposing her again. He’d stared at her before. It had been odd, but she’d loved how desire had lit his eyes as he looked at her pussy, how his hand had moved toward her as though magnetized to her.

Now it wasn’t his hand that moved to her. He dropped to his knees in front of her and then his mouth hovered right over her pussy. His breath heated her, making her flush again with arousal. Every time she thought she couldn’t get more turned on, he did something else that threatened to blow her mind.

She watched, unable to take her eyes off him. She watched as he lowered his head to her pussy, covering her with his mouth.

Pleasure coursed through her. She couldn’t help but gasp and try to move. His tongue was soft against her flesh, sending tingly bliss all through her system.

“Don’t move.” Jesse’s command rumbled along her flesh. “Stay still or I’ll have to spank you and then we’ll start again. This is my time and I will have it. And if you think I wouldn’t do this in front of a crowd, you’re wrong. I would eat this pussy in front of them and let them know you taste as sweet as honey.”

She couldn’t help it. Just thinking about it did something for her. She held herself still as he devoured her. His tongue traveled the length of her female flesh, delving inside and then licking its way back to torture her clit with slow caresses.

Over and over again he stroked her with his tongue, leaving no part of her unloved. His fingers parted her labia gently, giving himself access to her core. She felt one finger slip inside her, finding a rhythm and rotating while he tongued her clit.

It was torture to lie there. She wanted to move, to fight him for her pleasure. She wanted to force him to give her more. More of his talented tongue, more of his lips and teeth and fingers. More Jesse. She wanted all of him and she wasn’t sure she could settle for less.

But he’d earned her submission. He’d been patient and kind and he’d taken her to places she’d never been before. So she fisted her hands in the silky comforter and let him pleasure her at his slow, decadent pace.

“I want you to come for me. I want you to come all over my tongue.”

He gave her a second finger as he drew her clit into his mouth and sucked hard.

Phoebe couldn’t hold out. Sensation swamped her, dimming her sight as he took her over the edge. She cried out his name as her body was suffused with pleasure.

Before she could come down from the crazy high he’d taken her to, he was up on his feet. In the hazy aftermath, she watched as he rolled a condom over that beautiful cock of his. Alarm bells went off in her head, but they were a distant thing. What was more relevant was the fact that she wanted to give this man everything he’d given to her.

She made no protests when he moved her up the bed and made a place for himself between her legs.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous when you come. Let’s see if I can make you do it again.” He pressed his cock in.

She was sure if she hadn’t been so well pleasured from before, it would have been difficult to take him. He was so big. He was bigger than…

He pressed in until there was no room, until there was nothing between them.

“Oh, Phoebe, you feel so good. Do you know what you do to me?” He gave her his weight and she was deliciously crushed. So unlike…

He kissed her, making all thoughts flee as he held himself hard inside her. His tongue glided against hers. She relaxed again and allowed her hands to find his back. Jesse pulled out slowly. Inch by inch she could feel him moving. He dragged his cock out almost to the end and then pushed back inside.

He picked up the pace and she matched him. This was what she’d been waiting for. She slammed her hips up. He stared down at her, his gorgeous face tight with desire.

“Give it to me,” he growled. “I like the way it feels. I like your little claws in my back.”

She hadn’t even realized she was sinking her nails in, but it seemed right to do it. This was a struggle, a sweet struggle. She held on to him as he fucked her hard. He wasn’t polite or gentle about it. He pounded into her and her whole body and soul responded. This fight was what had been missing before. She wasn’t something sweet and gentle. She was his equal. She was his mate and she could prove it.

His hips twisted, grinding down on her clit just as he stroked deep inside. Phoebe went right over the edge again, crying out and calling his name this time.

Jesse’s body tightened and he held himself still, his chest hitching as he dragged air in. He relaxed finally and rolled to his side. He reached out and put a hand on her belly. “I’m crazy about you, Phoebe. I could love you if you let me. This could be good between us. You don’t have to go back to Virginia.”

The words sank in. Virginia. Home. Where she and Jamie lived, except Jamie wasn’t alive anymore.

She’d just slept with a man who wasn’t her husband. Shame flashed through her system. She sat up. “I need a minute.”

“Phoebe?”

She didn’t look back. She ran to the bathroom and shut the door, her insides turning. She’d made love to someone who wasn’t Jamie. They were supposed to be forever. She’d taken vows. She’d made promises.

She closed her eyes. She did it all the time. She closed her eyes and summoned up a picture of Jamie in her head, except she couldn’t quite see him this time.

She’d given herself to another man and then thought about how much better the sex was. How could she do that? How could she even think it?

She looked at herself in the mirror and didn’t recognize the woman staring back. She wasn’t the controlled and contained woman she’d become under Franklin Grant’s tutelage. She wasn’t Jamie’s wife. This was Jesse’s lover, his sub.

She wasn’t ready. She couldn’t let go.

Tears rolled and she let herself slide to the floor, feeling further from both of them than she could have imagined.