Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen

Being on deck first thing in the morning to watch the sun rise over the ocean, was one of the best perks of being here. Coffee and fresh ocean spray from the wild waves rising up from the restless sea made Akira feel so awake and alive she tipped her head back, soaking it all in.

I’m fixed. She laughed out loud, setting her coffee mug down on a nearby table because she needed to move and didn’t want to spill the hot liquid on her white, pleated skirt. Soft music was playing from the speakers above, and she could see the sleepy cameramen creeping out from behind the cabins on the other side of the pool behind her. As the leader of one of the two teams, they probably hoped she’d give them some good footage.

For the first time, she didn’t resent them for watching her so closely. Her long, slick hair rose up with the wind as she spun around, singing when she recognized the song that had just started up. “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry. Such a sad song, but she wasn’t feeling sad at all. What would be sad would be continuing with the life she’d had before. Short or long, it hadn’t really been living. Part of her had already felt dead, but not anymore. She’d been only sixteen when her life had been . . . not severed, but spoiled in a way she’d never hoped to recover from.

But she had recovered. She was living—really living—finally!

The three roses on the table where she’d left her coffee caught her eye. She took one, still singing and dancing, pulling off the petals to let them fall into the ocean. Not in a “he loves me, he loves me not” kinda way. More as a way to symbolize the freedom she’d experienced. Four years was long enough to be a prisoner to the experience. It was finally over.

“Akira?”

And yet, it wasn’t over at all. Her breath caught and she spun around, tripping back against the railing, holding her hands out, panic clawing at her chest. Dave Hunt, the man who’d seen her flirting with Scott as an invitation to one and all, stood just a few feet away. The cameras were still rolling, but the men behind them didn’t seem real. They were like props. There was nothing but her and this man and he saw her. Who she really was.

Not who she wanted to be.

“Relax. I’m not going to . . . fuck. I didn’t know.” Dave fisted his hands by his sides. He didn’t look like he wanted to hit her, but she couldn’t know for sure. Her instincts couldn’t be trusted. Even after he held up his hands and stepped back, she was all too aware that she couldn’t run fast enough to get away.

“Please just leave me alone.” She flattened her hands over the V of her shirt, wishing she’d covered up more. Or better yet, stayed in Dominik’s room. Where she could have kept pretending everything was good. “I’ll scream. I won’t stop screaming! I won’t let this happen again!”

“Shh . . . sweetie, I won’t touch you.”

“Hunt.” A hard voice came from her other side. She was surrounded. She whimpered as a shadow fell over her, but the man didn’t touch her. She blinked as Tim stepped between her and Dave. “Get away from her—no, I don’t care that you were trying to make things right. It’s not happening. Not like this. I see you near her again, I’ll throw you over the side of this fucking boat myself.”

“Coach, I—” Dave hunched his shoulders and nodded. “I’m sorry. That’s all I wanted to say.”

It was over. Then it wasn’t. Dave turned and a sound, a wild, vicious sound, came from the man who blocked him.

Ford.

“You stupid little shit.” Ford grabbed Dave by the back of the neck, jabbing his fist into the other man’s gut. Ford wasn’t quite as tall, or wide, as Dave, but the younger man wasn’t fighting back. An evil smile sliced across Ford’s lips. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”

He managed to hit Dave in the face, then again in the stomach, before several players poured on to the deck and pulled him away. Dave was on his knees, spitting blood, not even trying to shield himself from the final kick Ford got into his ribs.

Akira’s stomach heaved as she watched Dave crawl over to the wall and slump against it. The cameras kept rolling. Scott got right up in Ford’s face, snarling at him to “calm down.”

She’d had enough.

“You fucking thug!” She shrugged Tim off when he tried to stop her, shoving past the men until she stood in front of Ford. Who did he think he was? He was as bad—if not worse—than Hunt. Jami could be going through all Akira was because of Ford. Because he’d exposed her to men who hurt women and kept quiet because of his “family business.” He might pretend to care about Jami, but he hadn’t protected her. She felt a sting in her palm as she slapped Ford, but it wasn’t enough. She hit him again. And again. “Do you think I’m impressed? You deserve everything you just gave him. Worse! Why are you here?”

“My sister asked me to come.” Ford’s gaze shifted away from her. There was a lie in there. Or at least an omission. “She still thinks she controls all this. She needed me to make sure everything was going okay after hearing about two girls getting kicked off.”

“She could have sent someone else. Dean—”

“She needs him!”

“She doesn’t need you! No one does! Go back to your father and keep doing his dirty work for him! That’s all you’re good for!”

Ford winced. Blood dripped down his to his chin from a slit in his lip. “Tell me you don’t really believe that, Akira.”

“I really do. How could you let that happen to her? You could have stopped it!”

“I know.” Ford’s jaw hardened. His dropped his gaze to her feet. “Believe me, I’ll never forget it. I don’t deserve her forgiveness. Or yours.”

Too many people were watching them, but most of the Cobras knew what had happened to Jami. They must—or should—hate Ford as much as Akira did. So she glared at him, speaking nice and clear so he wouldn’t miss a single word. “She still has nightmares.” She swallowed as she caught sight of Luke, standing at the edge of the crowd. He pressed his eyes shut, taking a step back as though she’d slapped him too. She knew he’d been there when Jami woke screaming, still seeing the man who’d been murdered in front of her. “But I bet you sleep fine at night, don’t you, Ford?”

“I don’t. And I know I can’t make this right.”

“No. You can’t. And don’t you dare ever forget that either.” She felt like she was ripping new wounds into her own heart. She sobbed as she spotted Dominik, coming toward her, the look in his eyes making every man in his path step aside quickly. “Sir, please. I need to get away from here. I . . . I ruined everything.”

“No. You haven’t.” Dominik pulled her into his arms. The cotton of his snug, black T-shirt was soft against her cheek, but beneath it was pure steel-corded muscle. God, he was so strong. And she needed his strength. Because hers was gone. “Ford, I don’t give a fuck why you’re here. Stay away from her. We clear?”

“We’re clear.” She heard Ford say before Dominik led her inside. The world was a blur until she was in his room again, the door cutting her off from everything that she was too weak to deal with. Had always been too weak to deal with. All the hope she’d had was like a blown glass vase smashed on jagged rocks, all the pretty pieces scattered in the dirt.

“I need a drink.” She took a deep breath and headed toward the minibar. “Five o’clock somewhere, right?”

“Coffee, Akira.” Dominik went to the table, which held two covered silver trays and another tray with a coffee carafe and cream and sugar. He poured her a cup, arching a brow as he picked up the creamer. He handed her the coffee black when she shook her head. “Talk to me. What happened up there?”

She took a sip of her coffee, almost spilling it when it burnt her tongue. She scowled into the cup. “I hate him.”

“I could see that. And I can understand you being angry with him over what happened to Jami, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?” Dominik slid his hand down to her waist as he turned her to face him. “Did he do something to you? Hurt you or—”

“No! Ford wouldn’t—” Ugh, really? With what he’d done to Jami, how could she be so sure he wouldn’t hurt her? Not that it mattered. He hadn’t.

Not intentionally.

“He’s not who I though he was when I first met him.” She shrugged. “I guess I’m more pissed that I misjudged him than anything.”

Dominik studied her face, nodding slowly. “You have feelings for him.”

“Had. Past tense.” She hugged herself and leaned against his solid chest. “I’d rather not talk about him. I just wish . . .”

“Go on,” Dominik whispered, smoothing his hand over her hair.

“I wish I could feel like I did last night. Or even this morning before—” She rolled her eyes at how naïve she’d been. “I thought I was better. Then Dave came to talk to me, and I had a meltdown. It’s all gone. Everything I thought I’d accomplished—”

“Is it?” Slight creases formed around Dominik’s eyes as he tilted her chin up with a finger. He brought his lips to hers for a soft kiss. “I couldn’t have done this a week ago.”

“Mmm.” He’s right. And she loved that he could because his lips, tasting of sweetened coffee and cream, so nice and warm, felt wonderful on hers. She smiled as she rose up on her tiptoes to steal another kiss. “That’s true.”

He grinned, winding her hair around his fist, holding her still with one arm barred across her back. She let out a surprised yelp as he lifted her up with one hand firmly gripping her ass. “Or this.”

She swallowed, wrapping her legs around his waist to steady herself. His erection fitting snug between her thighs, with nothing but her panties and his jeans between them, stirred things inside her. Some good. Some more than a little scary. Last night he’d touched her intimately, but it had been all about her pleasure. Her last orgasm had brought things to her lips that she’d never thought she’d say to anyone. She’d practically begged him to take her.

He’d decided she wasn’t ready. Had he changed his mind?

“Sir, I want to . . .” She shivered as he brought his lips to her throat, kissing and sucking and grazing his teeth down the length even as he carried her to the grey armchair where he’d made her come over and over the night before. Settling down with her straddling him, he picked up the scarf he’d taken from her.

“Give me your hands.” His eyes were on her face even as he tied her wrists together in front of her. “How does that feel?”

She tested the restraints, biting back a smile while she shifted her hips so she could feel more of him against her. “Very, very good, Sir.”

“Brat.” He gave her thigh a light slap. “Are you afraid now?”

“No. I could never be afraid of you.”

He combed his fingers into her hair, bringing her flush with his body. His lips brushed her ear as he spoke. “Do you know what I can do to you? What I want to do to you?”

Her pulse quickened. She licked her lips. “Yes.”

“Nothing’s ruined, sweetheart.” His free hand curved under her ass. His fingers dipped into her panties, sliding through her wetness, the slight pressure of his fingertips against her entrance almost enough to set her off. “You’re so wet for me. You don’t panic when I touch you.” He filled her with one finger, easing it in and out, bringing his lips back to hers to drink in her little gasps. “It’s natural for a woman to resent unwelcome advances. There’s nothing wrong with your reactions.”

“But . . .” She moaned as his fingers slipped over her clit, not sure her brain was functioning enough for a conversation. She tipped her head back, grinding down on his hand, so close to the edge she couldn’t take much more. “I need to know I can . . . handle . . . how I react.”

“You do need to learn a little more control.” He withdrew his fingers, chuckling when she cursed under her breath. “I don’t like those nasty words coming out of that pretty mouth. Stand up.”

“I’m sorry! Please, just let me . . .” She put her hands on his stomach, shifting her hips back so she could reach the zipper of his jeans. Her brow furrowed when he put his hand over her bound wrists and shook his head. “I want to give you what you gave me. I’ll be good, I promise.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself, pet. Up.”

Nibbling at her bottom lip, she hid her frown behind her hair as she stood. She didn’t even consider arguing with him, but she couldn’t ignore her disappointment. She’d been hoping—

The sound of his zipper coming down made her jump. She stared at him as he pulled out his hard cock. Long and thick, the same rich, dark shade as the rest of his body, with springy, trimmed black hair around the base. Her fingers twitched as she resisted the urge to close the distance between them to touch him.

“Go ahead, pet.” He put his hands on the armrests, utterly relaxed. “I won’t be pleased if you push yourself too far though. Do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

She knelt between his thighs, peeking at him again before she stroked her hands up his leg. This was very different from anything she’d ever done. She’d never had a chance to explore a man before and . . . fuck, even this part of him was beautiful. Using her fingertips, she traced the veins running down the length of his cock, circled the rim of the large head. The slit of the tip held a shiny bead of precum and she bent forward to taste it, flicking her tongue over the salty slickness, scooting back when he made a rough sound in his throat.

“Don’t stop,” he murmured, cupping his hand around the back of her head as she lowered her lips once again, kissing the feverishly hot skin at the arrow-shaped indent below the head. He hissed when she touched the same spot with the tip of her tongue. “Fuck. I’m going to hell. Anything that feels this good . . .”

Her cheeks heated, but she loved how he vocalized his pleasure. Loved knowing that she was giving him even half of what he’d given her. “I think I’m going with you, Sir.”

She took him into her mouth, as deep as she could, gasping in air and swallowing when her gag reflex kicked up. Lifting her head, she frowned, wondering how all the heroines in her books managed to “swallow the man’s dick whole.”

Laughter rumbled through Dominik’s chest. “I can only guess that thought. So serious, little one. I enjoy the feel of your lips around me.” His knuckles stroked her cheek. “Use your hands and your mouth. With time, you may be able to go deeper, but there’s no rush.”

Nodding quickly, she wrapped her hands around him, dipping down and swirling her tongue around the heated flesh that filled her mouth. The slight pressure on the back of her head had her clenching her thighs as heat spilled, soaking her panties. Just a little taste of his control made what she was doing just as pleasurable for her as she hoped it was for him. She moved faster, whimpering at the throb in her core.

He tugged lightly on her hair. “I won’t last much longer, pet.”

If he came, she couldn’t take that last step. And she needed to so very badly. But part of her wanted to finish this for him. Take him over the edge. She rose up on her knees, gazing up at him. “I don’t know what to do. I want to give you everything.”

“You will.” He framed her jaw with his hand. “Are you ready?”

More than ready. Restlessness had her shaking. Everything they’d done so far had been to prepare her for this. “Yes.”

Nodding, he drew her up to her feet by her restraints. He undid the knots, shaking his head when she protested. “Shh. I need to see you before I take you.”

With trembling fingers, she undid the buttons of her sleeveless white blouse. Her skirt joined it on the floor by her feet. By the time she reached the clasp of her bra, her fumbling fingers were useless.

“Akira—”

“Sir, I’m okay.” She turned, sliding her bra straps off her shoulders to show him she meant it. “Please help me?”

He undid her bra strap. His fingers hooked the elastic at the waist of her panties, peeling them down. Then his hands slid over her stomach as he pulled her back against him. He kissed the base of her spine, his lips gliding down slowly until she whimpered and squirmed. The feel of his mouth on her skin set her on fire. His teeth sank into her ass cheek and she moaned.

“You’re such a tiny little thing.” He bit her again, cupping her pussy with his hand and massaging her clit until her knees almost gave out. “There are condoms in my suitcase. Get one.”

She tripped across the room, dropping hard to her knees in front of his suitcase. She found the box and took out a condom, fisting her hand around it when she noticed how badly she was shaking. If he saw, he might think she was scared again. But she wasn’t. She just couldn’t control herself any longer.

“Come to me, pet. No. Don’t stand.” His tone was rough, and she melted a little more under the heat of his gaze. “You told me the scene in that movie aroused you—when the sub crawled to her Master. Crawl to me. Let me see all that grace and beauty, every movement for my pleasure.”

Uncertainty vanished and she held the edge of the condom wrapper between her teeth, focused on making her body move in a slow, sensual way. She crawled to his feet, the whirlwind of thoughts from before becoming a tranquil pool, his calm flowing through her veins, steadying her pulse, her breath.

“Perfect.” His eyes glowed with approval. “It became easier when you surrendered, didn’t it? In that moment, when you let everything else go, when you simply obeyed, all the voices in your head went silent.”

She sat back on her heels and took the condom from between her teeth. “How did you know?”

“I have some experience, pet.” He smiled at her. “Cover me, then stand. I’ll bind your wrists again—behind your back this time. Giving up a little more control will make this easier for you.”

She wanted to give up all of her control, but this would be enough. She tore the condom wrapper, rolled the condom over his dick, then stood, putting her back to him and giving him her wrists. He restrained her with the scarf, more securely this time, tight, but not too tight. His hands on her hips, he turned her to face him.

“Come here,” he whispered, helping her straddle him as she had before. He kissed her, his tongue thrusting deep into her mouth, his fingers gliding into her, stretching her as he eased one, then two past the rippling muscles within. His thumb pressed down on her clit, lightly at first, using her own juices to moisten the tiny nub. She cried out as he added more pressure, moving his mouth from hers to pull at an erect nipple with a hard suck of his lips.

“Sir!” Her hips jerked as a jolt of electric sensations sizzled from her nipple to her clit. She was so close, but she held back, needing him inside her before she gave in completely. “Please, please, please!”

He lifted her up, nuzzling his face between her breasts as he positioned himself between her thighs. The tip of his dick spread her pussy lips, but he went no farther. His hands curved under her thighs as he held her in place. “As slow, or as fast, as you need to take me, Akira.”

She let her weight down slowly, but the stretching—he filled her so much she wasn’t sure she could take more. She rested her head on his shoulder, panting. He kissed her shoulder, using one hand to stroke her back, to lift her sweat-dampened hair over one shoulder.

“I’m too small. You would figure after . . .” Her stomach turned. It had been years, and all her body remembered was how much it had hurt. Dominik wasn’t hurting her, but maybe her body didn’t understand. Maybe it would never understand the pleasure that could come from having a man inside her. What if they’d spoiled this for her? Forever?

They didn’t! I won’t let them!

“You’re tense and your mind is somewhere else.” Dominik pressed his hand against her cheek, drying the tears she hadn’t felt spill with his thumb. “Be with me. Feel me. Because all I’m feeling right now is you. You’re all I see.”

Her lashes clung together as she tipped her head toward him, all that had happened to her so long ago locked away where it belonged, what had happened to him all too recently stealing the tension from her body. “All I see, all I feel, is you.”

He let out a sound between a laugh and a sob, his arms around his waist, his lips on hers. They moved together until his thick length fit snugly inside her. She buried her face in his neck, trying so hard not to cry. He’d opened her up and freed a spot in her heart for him to slip inside. It wasn’t love, but it was something special.

Something she’d never regret.

* * * *

This was all about Akira. Should be all about her. But Dominik hadn’t expected his own emotions to get involved. The last woman he’d made love to had been Oriana. She’d climbed into his bed naked, tears in her eyes, though she wouldn’t say why.

“I need you, Dominik. Just hold me and tell me how much you love me.”

He’d felt the welts on her ass and thighs, but touching them only made her moan and press harder against him. Sometimes she scened with Sloan without sex. It satisfied something deep inside her, but not everything. Even in the darkness, from the moisture slicking some of the welts, he could tell she was bleeding. But she wasn’t hurt. And by the way she pressed against his body, he wasn’t even sure she needed the emotional connection she was asking for.

Just a different kind of release.

What was happening between him and Akira was more than a release. It was moving on. It was two people drowning, catching the same piece of driftwood that would bring them to solid ground. Finding the shore might be a struggle, but getting there would come that much sooner with them fighting the current together.

Akira’s thighs clenched as she lifted up. She held her breath as she took him inside her yet again, and he groaned at how tight she was around him. His whole length was gripped by her snug pussy. His shirt was soaked with his sweat as he carefully guided her up, then down, controlling the pace, reining in the urge to thrust into her hard and fast. She needed him to be oh so gentle. For this experience to be very different from what had happened to her before.

He wished he could say this would be the end for her. That getting here would erase the hell she’d gone through. But it wouldn’t. She’d let him in, but they both knew there was only so much he could give her. A safe place to heal, to find herself. Eventually, he’d need to help her find someone who would could help her learn to love. For the first time.

Because she wouldn’t get that from him. He wasn’t sure he could ever love again. Not the way she deserved to be loved.

She nipped his chin, letting him know he’d done what he’d asked her not to. He’d gone somewhere else when he should be with her. He gritted his teeth as he let the pleasure take over, all too aware that his body couldn’t care less where his mind had gone. This beautiful, sweet woman needed to feel his control. And he needed to find it.

He bent her back over his arm, kissing between her breasts, holding her down on him as he ground deep into her body. Then he drew her up, shifting his angle a little, lifting up and holding her there, pleasuring himself with a few shallow upward thrusts as her eyes glazed. Her little whimpers were the sweetest thing he’d ever heard. “Come for me, Akira. We haven’t rolled the dice again, so we’ll use the number you rolled yesterday.”

“Th-three?” She stared at him, then pressed her eyes shut as he brought her down hard. “Ah!”

Her juices spilled over his dick, over his balls, as she clenched and screamed. Pressure built up in the base of his spine, but he forced his own release back with a few deep breaths, holding Akira still so she wouldn’t move and set him off. Once she settled down, he pulled her up, gritting his teeth as his dick slid from her body. He stood her up, made sure she was steady, then pulled off his shirt and kicked off his jeans.

Her little scream as he swept her up into his arms made him chuckle. He brought her to the bed, quickly untying her. After he had her on her back, he bound her wrists to the headboard.

“Dominik?” Her back bowed as he kissed down her body, between her small breasts, over the shallow dip of her stomach.

He moved even lower, bringing her knees up over his shoulders. “Shall we work on number two?”