Third Debt (Indebted #4)(96)

I opened my eyes. My heart clenched at the sublime beauty of the true Jethro. He blazed brightly in the softly lit room. His every thought and desire, his every fear and insecurity—it was all there for me to witness and wonder.

Never looking away, he withdrew his fingers and used the glistening digits to pull his t-shirt over his head. Shadows danced over his muscles, highlighting ropes of power in his forearms, chiselled planes of his stomach, and faint bruises on his ribcage.

His injuries from whatever fight he’d been in the night I found his room had healed and faded.

Sliding off the bed, he unbuckled his belt and eased the denim down his legs. Stepping free of the material, he didn’t hesitate pulling his boxer-briefs to the floor.

My mouth dried up at his naked perfection.

His cock hung heavy and hard between his legs. His hands opened and closed by his side self-consciously.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his incredible body. He was mine now. This insane specimen of a man was mine.

Lifting my hips, I shimmied free from my knickers, tossing them over the edge of the mattress. His eyes zeroed in on my exposed core. The smell of sex and musk filled my nose.

He smirked, slipping from intense to playful. “What we did before was the entrée to what I truly need. Taking you so quickly didn’t satisfy either of us. And I mean to satisfy you extremely well.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? What does ‘extremely satisfied’ entail?” I dropped my voice as a delicious thrill ran through my belly. “What are you going to do to me?”

He bent over and grabbed my ankles. “You’ll see.” His signature scent of woods and leather seemed stronger, more intoxicating as he pulled me down the bed. “Stay there.”

Moving toward his private bathroom, he returned with several long sashes from a bathrobe. Without a word, he tied it around the post at the bottom of the bed. Never looking away, he imprisoned my ankle and ever so gently wrapped the terry-cloth sash around me.

My heart splattered with a mix of erotic excitement and spellbinding fear.

Jethro paused, his eyes tight. “I feel what you’re thinking, Nila.” He stroked my calf, calming me. “You’re intrigued what I’m about to do to you, but afraid of being tied up again. Am I right?”

I blinked. I will never get used to that. “Yes.”

Every time he’d tied me up, he’d done something awful.

His jaw clenched. “It’s understandable. Every time I’ve tied you up, I’ve done something unforgivable.”

I jolted at how eerily close his conclusions were to my own. I nodded slowly. “You’re right—”

Jethro scowled. “And why wouldn’t you despise me for what I’ve done? The First Debt I tied and whipped you. The Second Debt I bound and drowned you. The Third Debt—”

“I know what happened, Jethro. You don’t have to torture me or yourself by reminding us.”

There was no telling how I would react to being tied while he pleasured me. It could cancel out the bad he’d caused but also ruin whatever good he attempted. If I was honest, I didn’t want to be trussed up. I didn’t want to be helpless to his whims. But at the same time…wasn’t that what trust was? To have faith in someone that they wouldn’t go too far?

His fingers stroked my ankle. “I promise on my soul I will never hurt you again.”

My body screamed yes. My mind screamed no. I struggled to choose.

“This is pleasure,” Jethro murmured. “I give you my word; I’ll release you the second you ask.” His eyes glowed with need, begging me to grant one more sacrifice.

Slowly, I nodded.

He exhaled heavily, moving his attention to my other ankle. “Thank you.”

He wrapped a similar sash around me, spreading my legs apart. The vulnerability and almost degrading way my legs were held open made me squirm with nervousness and need.

Jethro ran a hand over his face, drinking in my body. “Fuck, you’re stunning.” He grabbed his cock, working himself. “I’ve never been so attracted to anyone as I am to you. Never wanted to worship anyone. Never been so f*cking besotted.”

My nervousness popped like champagne bubbles, leaving me tipsy on lust.

“What I want to do to you isn’t degrading or demanding, Nila. It’s so much more than that.”

Breathing shallowly, I didn’t move as Jethro climbed onto the bed, crawling over me to place my hands above my head. “It’s not about control; it’s about showing you my world.” Climbing higher, he fastened my wrists above my head with another sash.

His cock nudged my chin as he bent forward, reaching over me.

Without thinking, I opened my mouth and sucked him. The tang of his desire coated my tongue as I swirled around his crown.

He froze.

A groan wrenched from his lungs. “Christ, Nila.”

His hips twitched, feeding a little more of his length into my mouth. He trembled as my head bobbed, sucking him as much as I was able to while imprisoned below him. I looked up.

His eyes scorched mine, melting with love. “You’re so perfect.”

With a grimace, he withdrew. “I’m too f*cking close as it is. This is for you. My pleasure can wait.”

I licked my lips, missing the small burst of power I’d had over him. I wriggled, completely constrained but not helpless.