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  Cora’s back still faced him as she stood totally naked. As the light from the fire cast a stunning glow over her body, blood rushed to his cock. With a slow glance, he admired her, from her smooth shoulders to her spine to her waist curving beautifully at her hips. He grunted, scanning over her round bottom that fit ever so perfectly into his hand.

  Aidan yanked his T-shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground. Then he approached her, and adrenaline spiked through his veins. Once he settled in behind her, he pressed his bare chest against her soft back, and her low moan quivered his muscles.

  He inhaled the spicy scent that belonged to Cora and rubbed his hard cock against her bottom. “You smell amazing.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she whispered.

  Sliding his hands down her sides, he relished in the gentle curves beneath his touch. Christ, her body was made for his fingers to explore. “So pretty.” Her quiet laugh tightened his jaw as desire swept through him. “I want to touch you.”

  “It feels so good, sir,” she rasped.

  He moved his hand down the center of her chest, and then cupped her breasts in his hands. “I want to put my hands all over you.” He massaged her breasts, enjoying the weight and her puckered nipples. “Make you feel good.” Running his hand down her flat stomach, he settled his touch at the junction between her thighs. “Make you nice and wet.”

  “You’re achieving your goal, sir.” She squirmed against him, wiggling her body this and that way.

  His jaw clenched at her rubbing against him, and he cupped her sex. Cora moaned, yet her posture remained tense. He kissed her cheek before he chuckled in her ear. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous.” She continued to wiggle her sexy ass along his hardened length. “You’ve done incredibly naughty things with me. Tell me why this unnerves you.”

  She shivered and turned in his arms, pressing her taut nipples against his chest. With wide eyes and enlarged pupils, she whispered, “I’m not used to this—this intimacy … this closeness.”

  He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Had he gotten too comfortable that he hadn’t prided her enough? Perhaps he had failed to ingrain into her she was important to him and that he appreciated her.

  Though he allowed himself the right to make mistakes, he wouldn’t allow not rectifying them. Cora was too special not to realize within her lay a loving soul. “That is a shame.” She leaned into his touch, and he added, “You should have moments like these, where a man has you to all himself.”

  With his free hand, he slid his fingers up to her rib cage and she moved with his touch. He grasped her tight and tangled his fingers into her hair, tugging her body into him. “Tonight, my touch can be yours.”

  “Yes, sir,” she whispered.

  “Tell me.”

  She widened her legs as his hand traveled lower down her stomach, exhaling deep. “I want you to touch me, Master Aidan.”

  Biting his lip, he ran his fingers between her thighs and grunted at the moisture. “Here?”

  “Yes, sir,” she wheezed.

  He slid a digit inside her heat, and his cock throbbed against her stomach. “So wet, Cora.” At her soft moan, he trailed his finger through her lower lips, bringing her sleek arousal up to the bundle of nerves. “Always ready, aren’t you?”

  “Yes”—she shivered and shut her eyes, moving her hips in the same rhythm he set—“sir.”

  He grinned, giving her clit a hard rub before dropping his touch. Cora’s eyes snapped open with hunger. He slid his thumb along her parted lips and she drew the digit into her mouth. He became trapped in that sensual show. He finally groaned, low and deep, as he pulled his thumb from her mouth and gathered her hand. “Yes, luv, I want you, too.”

  With her hand tight in his, he led her to the tent and unzipped the flap. His cock pressed painfully against his pants as he entered the tent. Once he’d guided her inside, he said, “Lay that beautiful body down on the sleeping bag.” He heard her comply when he sealed the tent shut. Then he turned on the battery-operated lantern bathing the tent in a soft glow.

  He looked to her, and Cora lay on her side, watching him and blinking rapidly. Aidan frowned. He’d never seen her so unsettled, likely because she’d gotten used to Club Sin. Having sex without the kink wasn’t the norm for her.

  Aidan removed his pants and boxer briefs. Her gaze roamed over his chest and down his abdomen to his rock-hard cock. At her darkening eyes and hooded lids, he grabbed a condom out his pants. As he rolled the condom down his penis, her breath became raspy and her cheeks burned.

  He froze.

  Her tongue darted out to touch her lower lip and a blaze of fire erupted into his groin. Typically, by the time he put on the condom, Cora was too lost in the scene to notice him touching his cock. The side of his mouth arched. “Ah, you like this.”

  Holding the condom snug at the base of his cock, he slid his free hand over his shaft. She followed his move before her heated eyes lifted. “I like watching you, sir. I’ve”—she hesitated, swallowing hard—“I’ve never seen you do that before.”

  Stroking himself and hardening his cock further, he lowered his voice. “Tell me why this pleases you.”

  She looked to his hand, making a slight growl in her throat. “It makes me jealous.”

  He swirled the head of his cock, shifting his hips forward with each burn of pleasure. When he slid down his shaft to the base, he grunted. “Why jealous?”

  She held his stare. “I want that to be my hand touching you.”

  He liked that thought far more than he ought to. Tonight, though, wasn’t about him, it was about her. He needed to remind her of the special connection that lay between them—to show her she could undeniably trust him. The hunger in her features and the possessive edge to her gaze made him ache. “Spread your legs. Give me a nice view.”

  Once she complied, he quivered at her pink, soaking-wet folds. Each jerk of his cock tightened his muscles and quickened his breath. She liked the show, and he’d continue it for her. Cora’s waiting for him and arousal by watching him fueled his pleasure.

  When his body pulsated with the desire to take her, he dropped his hand. He craved her tight heat to finish him, not his touch. He studied her, panting and squirming along the sleeping bag as he moved toward her. Her cinnamon scent wrapped around him as he settled in between her smooth thighs. He closed his body on hers, feeling the soft woman beneath him. Taking both her hands, he raised them over her head and lowered his mouth to her neck.

  Her scent consumed him. Her taste unraveled him. Her soft body beneath carried a primal need to devour her. Inhaling deeply, he bit at the warm skin on her neck. While his greedy cock craved her, his mind held strong on reassuring her. “Whatever you tell me stays between us.” He nibbled her earlobe. “You know this, yes?”

  With a deep moan, she arched into him. “Yes, sir.”

  He lowered his hips and rubbed his cock against her clit, and his moan of pleasure followed hers. Running his lips up her jawline, he licked the curve of her mouth. “Nothing you tell me could break the connection between us.”

  When he leaned away, dark eyes rich with ecstasy watched him. “I know that, sir.”

  He shifted his hips, again and again, brushing against her sex. As she exhaled deeply beneath him, he sealed his mouth over hers. She followed his kiss and gave her soul to him with their embrace.

  When his cock nudged her slit, Cora’s eyes rolled back with the pleasure. Though he’d fucked up somewhere in the past two years, he wouldn’t allow another day to pass that Cora didn’t feel appreciated. “Tell me why I’m going to fuck you.”

  Her eyes widened as he slid inside. He released his hold on her wrists, tangling his fingers into her hair. She ran her hands up and down his biceps, wrapping her legs around his thighs. “Because you want to, sir.”

  His cock slid easily into her hot, moist center, and his eyes shut at the tightness. Christ, her body was flawless. She wasn’t too fragile that she’d break ben
eath him, yet she was petite enough that he felt powerful.

  He pumped his hips, dropping his head into her neck and relishing her right there. Beneath him, she felt perfect. Her soft skin sizzled against his flesh. He whispered in her ear, “And?”

  Cora offered a moan before she replied, “Because I’m here to please you, sir.”

  He placed a hand under her bottom and her inner muscles squeezed his shaft. He tilted her pelvis, bringing him deeper. His thoughts faded as he pumped into the depths of her. Her touch was his heaven. Her submission was his Eden.

  Her pussy tightened against him and her breath became shallow in his ear, snapping him out of his pleasure. Slowing the pace of his thrusts, he allowed them both to experience every slide of his cock, every brush of his skin against hers, and every moan they gave. “Tell me why I touch you.”

  “I’m yours to touch, sir.” She gasped.

  He fought against his pleasure, wreaking havoc on his control. With her inner walls massaging him, he swirled his hips, rubbing his chest against her taut nipples. “Would I touch you if I didn’t want to?”

  She tipped her chin up, as her fingernails dug into his back. “No, sir.” He welcomed the burn on his skin and tightened his hand in her hair, pinning her exactly where he wanted her. Dropping his mouth to hers, he kissed her hard and swiftly.

  Every squeeze of her muscles against his shaft made his balls tighten. He broke the kiss and thrust his hips in pure desire to send them flying over the edge of euphoria. Each thrust brought him higher. As Cora’s hot, sexy screams of pleasure drifted across him, he pressed his cheek against hers and shifted his hips with no restraint.

  When her screams cut off and her inner walls clamped down, he froze mid-thrust and her eyes snapped open. Quivering in need, he grasped her face, pressing his entire weight against her. “Tell me why I brought Porter to see you.”

  Soft eyes, willing him to consume her soul, stared at him. “You care about me.”

  “Yes, Cora, I do.” He brushed his thumbs over her warm cheeks, locking his gaze on her. “I care very much.”

  Within her smoldering gaze, a longing developed. She bared herself to him, and he tumbled in the raw emotion crossing her features. At her vulnerability, he unconsciously thrust his hips. His hold provided safety. His warmth offered protection. His affection gave love.

  Claim her.

  He pinned her body and angled her ass higher. Trapped in her heated stare he unleashed his strength onto her. Being inside her, coated in her moisture, an all-consuming passion overwhelmed him. He needed to take her in the most primal manner he could. He desired to own her, possess her soul, and make her body feel so good under his touch. His muscles burned and sweat coated his flesh as she went into a frenzy of pleasure beneath him.

  A minute later, they both broke wide open.

  When he came, no sound escaped through his lips and she had stayed silent, too. He stared into teary eyes that portrayed what he’d seen that first night. Her expression was longing and pained.

  His heart twisted.

  Remaining inside her, he flipped their positions. Once on his back, he wrapped his arms around her and she sobbed against his chest. Why won’t you share what’s wrong? Her soft sniffles and the moisture dripping onto his chest cracked something dead inside him.

  You’ve held her before.

  But no … never like this.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Wednesday came and went with Aidan dropping Cora off at home to do what she had planned on her days off—grocery-shop, clean the house, and veg on the couch. They hadn’t discussed her tears the night earlier, and Cora was glad. When they had woken in the tent, Aidan had returned to being his same old distant self.

  He seemed happy and at ease, comfortable with her. Yet he looked at her as a friend, and that hadn’t been what she wanted. Not in the least. While she had told herself not to hope that he was finally facing life with eyes open, the second he smiled at her that morning all she saw was his pain.

  Aidan didn’t wrap his arms around her and say, I’m never letting you go.

  Nothing had changed.

  By Thursday morning, Cora felt a little off-kilter. Even a telephone call from Presley asking about her camping trip hadn’t helped her recover. Something inside of Cora had changed that night with him. Though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, all she knew was that she felt … different.

  A little unsteady and emotional.

  On Friday afternoon and in her office, she carefully dropped down on the polka-dot pillow. Over the rim of her coffee mug, Cora studied the four sixteen-year-olds sitting in a small circle.

  Amanda, the petite strawberry blonde, said, “I told my parents yesterday that I’ve had sex.”

  Cora sipped her vanilla mocha. “I’m glad you did that, Amanda. How did they take it?”

  Her cheeks burned bright red. “Dad was angry and started yelling, but then Mom came to my room later …” She hesitated, picking on her blue jean flint. “She told me about her first time, and that it was around my age.” Amanda lifted her head and gave a small smile. “It was nice, you know … talking to her like that.”

  Cora grinned. “I’m really proud of you. Talking to your parents about stuff is tough, but it’s good you were brave and honest.” The moment the words left her mouth, a wave of sickness washed over her. She gave advice that she wasn’t doing herself.

  Hypocritical much, Cora?

  She turned to the brunette wearing the Lady Gaga T-shirt. Tammy had arrived at the clinic after tumbling into a life of marijuana and alcohol. “And your week, Tammy, how did it go?”

  Her green eyes softened with her shrug. “Not so bad. I went to every class this week, but I’m not ready to go there.” She shook her head, scrunching up her nose. “You know, to talk to the ’rents about stuff.”

  “That’s all right.” Cora looked to the other two girls in the group. “You don’t need to rush yourselves. Remember, though, your parents brought you here because they care about you and want to understand what’s going on in your lives.” She lowered her coffee cup, balancing it onto her crossed legs. “For now, you have us to talk to, right?”

  Tammy peeked up at Cora through her long lashes. “Yep.”

  Amanda shifted the pillows at her back, curling up like a little cat in the sun, making her appear the young teen she was. Some of the teens in her group seemed so grown-up and wise. Amanda’s eyes twinkled at Cora. “What about you? Did you have anything exciting happen this week?”

  Cora wondered when this would come up. She shared as much as she could with the teens she counseled. It got them talking, broke down barriers to gain their trust. “I actually went camping with a boy.”

  The girls giggled, and Katy, the sweet blonde with giant curls, asked, “Was he cute?”

  Cora nodded. “Very cute.”

  “Is he your boyfriend?” Nicole, the most recent addition to the group, asked.

  Cora’s throat thickened. As it had the night she and Aidan had been intimate, her strength crumbled. There in his arms, touched by him so sweetly, a flood of emotions had changed everything.

  Emotions she couldn’t run from any longer.

  That side of Aidan, who was unguarded and happy with her, was something she had always wanted. She wanted a life with him. She craved for more of those sweet moments that a normal couple had. A relationship with him seemed so close she could touch it, but it was still an illusion. He wasn’t with her for the right reasons.

  Now that she’d seen that affectionate side of him, she couldn’t forget it. She’d tasted happiness, but that’s as far as it would go. An icy chill stormed through her veins. For the first time she realized Aidan couldn’t let go of Lily—not for her, not for anyone.

  Under the examination of the girls, tightness formed in Cora’s chest. She forced a grin. “I’m afraid we’re just friends.”

  “Oh, he’s crazy.” Amanda bounced on her pillow with dancing eyes. “You’re so pretty.”
>
  “Well, thank you.” Cora smiled.

  “So, do you like him?” Tammy asked.

  Cora glanced to her coffee cup and squeezed her fingers around the mug. “He’s very nice. We get along really well.”

  “Why don’t you ask him to be your boyfriend?” Amanda asked.

  He can’t love me. He is in love with someone else. She lifted her head, staring at innocent eyes that hadn’t been jaded by the sometimes difficult side to relationships. For now, she gave a clinical answer: “I should be honest with him, shouldn’t I?”

  Every head nodded.

  Katy said, “That’s what you’d tell us to do.”

  It should be that simple.

  Two people who got along, had great chemistry, and laughed together should make for a great couple. Life, though, was way more complicated than a simple clinical answer.

  The rest of Cora’s day went by with some private sessions and ended with a mountain of charts to fill out. Later that night, when Cora arrived at the dungeon, the conversation with the teens hadn’t faded from her mind. When she had entered Club Sin, she inhaled the scent of sex and sweat in the dungeon, though somehow instead of heating her up, it brought ice to her bones.

  Standing off to the right of the spanking bench, Master Aidan had bound her wrists at her back with black hemp rope. She gazed out to the dungeon; most ignored her scene, except for Master Dmitri, Master Kyler, and Porter. They all kept a steady gaze on her. She wore only her black high heels and her legs were spread wide, as her heart hammered with the speed of the techno music.

  For ten minutes Master Aidan merely watched her, every so often touching her. Sweat dripped along her spine, and the room closed in on her. Every sound, every move the members made in the dungeon, seemed done on a larger scale. The club didn’t seem as dark as it usually did. It seemed lit up, with her as the center of tonight’s entertainment.

  Cora focused, pushing past the nerves trembling within. She closed her eyes and begged the strength inside to rise up. Aidan slid a finger down her arm, and she gritted her teeth. This wasn’t the Aidan she met while camping. His touch held no warmth. His touch felt like a Dom under duty to a submissive.