It was late when they arrived home. Emily yawned, having just woken up from a nap. It had proven hard to fight the pull of sleep as the carriage gently swayed and her husband’s warmth seeped into her clothing.

Cooper exited the vehicle and then turned to her and offered his hand. She lifted her skirts, perhaps more than was truly required, to alight from the carriage. Her two feet had barely hit the ground when he bent over and tucked his shoulder into her stomach. The next thing she knew, she was tossed over said shoulder and being hauled into the house like a sack of grain.

“Cooper! What are you doing? Put me down this instant.” She pounded a fist lightly on his back.

“To the victor go the spoils. I am the victor, and you, my little hellion, are the spoils!” he announced gleefully as he took the stairs to his bedroom two at a time.

“Robert Cooper, you put me down before I break my neck,” she said again, but ruined her demand with wild laughter.

He ignored her feeble demands and carried her past the housekeeper and at least two upstairs maids before he replaced her on her feet inside his bedroom. She smoothed her skirts out and attempted to readjust her corset, which had not appreciated his theatrics. An awkward moment of hesitation stretched as she tried to decide what she should do.

Her husband stood a foot away, watching her closely.

She flicked her gaze from him to his large, velvet-draped bed, and then to the door that separated their chambers. The desperate urge to sleep in his bed, to lie next to him, skin to skin all night long, surged deep within. But propriety, for once—and at the most inconvenient moment she might add—pushed her to retreat to her own room to prepare for bed. She bit her lower lip and turned toward the door to her room. “Good night, Cooper.”

“What? Where are you going?” He looked confused.

She stopped walking. “To my chamber to prepare for bed.”

He straightened up and eyed her with a sense of dark command. “You will do no such thing. Spoils remain with the victor. They do not have a room of their own.”

Her breath caught in her chest. Was he playing a game with her? Was he serious?

He walked over to a wingback chair near the fire and sat as regally as any king. “Come.”

The dominance in his tone moved her with little thought to compliance. She was drawn to him like the needle of a compass to true north. A sense of rightness bloomed in her chest as she waited for further direction from him. While separating to go to her own room had seemed logical, it had felt empty and wrong. This felt right.

“Turn around.” His voice rumbled, a deeper tone than normal, that sounded almost gravelly.

Her husband served as lady’s maid and unhooked her dress, then her skirts, and then the rest of the layers, working steadily to free her from her clothes until she stood before him naked. The warmth from the fire licked over one side of her body while the other remained chilled by the shadows.

His gaze stayed steady, unwavering. “Kneel before me.”

Emily did as directed, dropping to her knees. That was the moment she noticed the solid length of his erection in his trousers. How had she missed such an obvious display? Perhaps it had only grown to such a state while her back was turned? Could undressing her excite him so greatly?

He opened his trousers and freed his hard cock, taking a moment to stroke it. “I plan on using that pretty mouth until I come all over your breasts.”

She inhaled sharply, and her nipples pebbled to tight little peaks. She was utterly excited by the idea of him using her in such a way.

“Come, my little hellion. Suck my cock.”

His raw demand would have made her weak in the knees had she not already been on them. So she leaned forward and gripped the base of his shaft. The tip was mottled with need, a drop of precome seeping from the slit. She licked her lips as she leaned forward and then swiped her tongue over the drop of moisture. His male essence burst over her tongue, a slightly sweeter version of what was to come. Eager to get to the heart of his command, she took the head of his cock in her mouth and then slid more in behind it. She wanted as much of him as she could take, all of him, if she could. When she drew back, he growled low in his belly, a primitive sound that egged her on. She reversed directions, taking him back in and swallowing until she had his entire length engulfed. Quickly, she retreated, only to repeat the action again.

He groaned, low and needy. “Yes, take it all.”

And she did. She continued to work the length of his shaft in and out of her mouth, relishing the power she wielded over him as he moaned and shook with pleasure.

Then he threaded his fingers into her hair, destroying her coiffure as he urged her on. “Faster.” His breath hitched. “Bloody hell.”

Emily’s entire body tingled with want. Her nipples were so tight and achy, and her pussy throbbed between her clenched thighs. Oh, how she wanted him inside her, but she trusted him to see to her needs. To take care of her pleasure and satisfy the hungry desire that simmered within.

“Off!” His grunted words were accompanied by a firm pull on her hair.

The tugging on her scalp tingled and buzzed over her body, adding more fuel to the fire. Dear God, she burned for him. Panting, partially from sucking his cock and partially from the overwhelming need that seethed within, she knelt there, back bowed as he held her by her hair and pumped his cock.

And then the first warm spurt of his seed landed on her chest. As he continued to come with a low growl, he worked his hand up and down his slick shaft, drawing his cum out and aiming it at her breasts. A few drops landed on her cheek, not far from her mouth. Snaking her tongue out of her mouth, she managed to scoop the stray fluid up and swallow it. Something dark and primitive seemed to flash in his gaze as he watched her tongue. Then his cock finally softened, an apparent prompt for him to release it—but not her.

No, his hand remained fisted in her hair as he loomed over her. “You belong to me, Emily. You will always be mine, as I will always be yours.”

And then he reached out and rubbed his load into her skin. Massaged the creamy fluid into her breasts, swirling it over her nipples and up to her collarbones. Apparently satisfied with the mess he’d made, he held his fingers up to her mouth. “Lick them clean, love.”

And she did, eager to please him. But equally eager to please herself.

“Such a lovely pink tongue,” he murmured as she swept away the last dollop of seed from his fingers.

Hand still holding her hair, he leaned in closer and kissed her. She surrendered to his possession, meeting his tongue and tangling hers with it until she was certain she would burst into flame. Her skin felt ablaze and her body ached with her desire to be touched by him, to be filled. And as he pulled back from their kiss, his smile suggested he was well aware of how desperately needy she felt in that moment.

With the cascade of emotions and desire pummeling her, something deep within broke free. An inner glow illuminated the dark shadows inside and warmed her from within.

“Go arrange yourself on the bed for me. Arms and legs splayed wide.” He motioned toward the imposing tester bed that dominated the room.

Emily did his bidding, even as her body demanded his touch. She knew if she did as he asked, he would give her all that she needed. Her husband was not a stingy lover. Crawling on the massive bed—it could have easily accommodated four large adults—she lay on her back and spread her arms and legs as requested.

Cooper rose from where he’d sat and crossed to his dresser. There, he withdrew four neck ties and a wood box. When he returned to the bed, he set the box and two of the ties by her feet and then moved to one side. She watched with only a little trepidation as her husband bound each wrist to the nearest spindle of the headboard. Then he moved to her feet, repeating the same action using the more widely set posts of the bed frame. She felt impossibly open, exposed. Of course, that was likely the purpose behind his positioning her in such a way.

He remained between her legs, still standing at the foot of the bed, and slid a hand along the inside of her leg until he reached just above her knee. Then he stroked back toward her bound ankle. “You might have the prettiest pussy I have ever seen.”

He crawled on the bed, set the box off to the side of her legs, and then moved closer. Unsure if his comment required a reply, she remained silent. Watchful. What was he planning? Because clearly, he planned something.

“I have been dying to play with your sweet cunny. I don’t mean simply lick it—heaven knows I’ve done plenty of that. But really play with it. See just how far we can push you.” He stroked higher up her thigh, his fingers teasing the crease where her thigh met her torso.

Her breath hitched as she imagined the things he might do to her pussy. Having visited the hall of mirrors at The Market, she knew there were myriad ways he might tease her. Torture her until she exploded with pleasure.

He opened the box and pulled out an elaborately carved dildo. Ever the gentleman, he held the stone up for her inspection. It was a lovely pink-and-white color, polished to a high shine. All along the length of the cylinder were raised carvings in swoops and swirls that created a series of ridges. “Mmmm…do you like the rose quartz? I acquired this set a few years ago from an unusual merchant.”

She licked her lips, seeking the moisture she needed to speak. Her mouth had gone dry at the notion of him inserting the dildo inside her. “It’s lovely,” she managed to rasp out.

Cooper set it down and then raised another item of the same stone. It was a squatter shape with a slight flare at the base. Her brows rose to her hairline as she tried to imagine how he might use such an implement.

“This is a rectal plug. I’ve heard there was a time when doctors believed sperm could escape from a woman’s womb through the rectum. This was a fertility aid to stop such a thing. Quite a silly notion; however, I think you may discover a more pleasurable purpose for it.” He grinned and set the item aside as well.

Last but not least, he withdrew an interestingly sized circlet of the same stone. It was too large to be worn as a ring on his hand and too small to be a bracelet. Instead of telling her what it was, this time he demonstrated the item. He reached down and slid the item down over his semisoft shaft. He pushed it down his length until it reached his balls. Then he worked both sacs through the ring.

“What is that?” Curiosity drew the breathless question from her.

“This is a cock ring. It is intended to help delay orgasm, extending our amorous activities.” The hungry look on his face suggested to her that he may need just such assistance, despite the fact she had so recently drained him of his seed.

The last item he retrieved from the box was a small glass pot. He removed the lid and carefully set it aside, though she couldn’t see where. Finally, he grabbed a bolster that sat nearby. “Lift your arse.”

She did as bid, and he slid the pillow beneath her bottom, which tilted her hips upward, exposing her pussy even more. It also seemed to make her backside more accessible, which made sense considering the various implements he had shown to her in the last few minutes.

No longer able to glance down her body and see what he was doing, she bit her lower lip and waited. The sharp edge of desire that had her burning for him had eased as she lay there. But it had not dissipated. Like a well-banked fire, it would take little stoking to bring her body roaring back to life.

“Emily, do you trust me with your pleasure?”

Cooper’s voice had deepened, grown rough with desire. Or perhaps it was anticipation?