Jax (Titan #9)(61)

"You good?" he asked again.

"Yes."

He growled, and she shook.

Seven's back arched. "That's so good, Jax."

"I can tell." He chuckled quietly, easing away.

"So don't stop!"

His amusement deepened as his kisses swept side to side, pulling his body on top of hers as he kissed up her stomach to her breasts. Jax tongued the pierced tip while palming her other breast.

"Or…" Seven's head fell to the side. "That. Don't stop that."

Her thighs cradled his hips. The firm length of his shaft slid between them as she writhed.

He nipped up her neck. "Let's talk rope."

"Jax." Curiosity and arousal spiraled with surprise. "I…"

His serious face hovered over hers. "Yeah?"

"I don't know the first thing about that."

"Okay." He kissed the corner of her lips, working from one side to the other as though he were listening and not getting back to what had her moaning.

"The lube and condoms got the message across." Seven smacked a kiss onto his lips. "Look how relaxed I am."

Jax threaded a hand into her hair, stroking and petting until Seven pulled against his hold. He smiled, stroking her hair then grabbing a tight handful, gripping until Seven moaned, her eyelashes fluttering.

"I think Victoria may know you better than you realize." He released the handful and smoothed his hand over the back of her head as Seven's heavy eyelids fell.

"Victoria has a thing about toys and a message to send."

Jax nuzzled behind her ear as his fingers threaded a tight fistful of hair again. "What message?"

Seven's delirious groan wasn't quiet enough to hide. Breathless, she wanted so much more but couldn't think of what until his grip softened. "More me time."

"I can concur." He abandoned her hair and deftly rolled off her, lying close on the bed.

"You shouldn't stop playing with me. You're very good."

His thumbs caressed the top of the nipple. "I'm good at a lot of things, princess."

"I know," she murmured, delirious that foreplay with Jax was more than a quick fingerbang before entry. Talking and teasing. She'd learned his gratification was firmly rooted in hers, which wasn't that unexpected. But now that she knew getting off was more of an art form than a feel-good activity to him, Seven wouldn't let anything else surprise her.

"You've never been to Vegas." He held her breast to his mouth and played with the nipple piercing until she squirmed. "You've never been tied up?"

A ripple of arousal cascaded through her body. Giving Jax control could be the ultimate form of relaxation. Or it could be the worst trigger of panic. "That was a metaphorical gift."

He paused. "That wasn't an answer."

A faraway wonder of submission rushed forward, from romance novel fantasy to opportunity with a trustworthy partner. Never having a face to place in a dominant position before, Seven's curiosity had only been diagnostic. Could she use controlled structure to alleviate the feelings of uncontrolled chaos that she felt compelled to fold away?

Right now, that wasn't the reason she would want to explore. "I've never been tied up."

His scrutinizing stare never blinked. "But you've thought about it?"

"Not in the ways you're thinking." She searched his face. "But yes."

"What are you thinking?" He moved from touching and propped onto the pillows beside her.

"That something like that sounds like it could be more than just sex."

"Bondage doesn't mean sex, you're right. Restraint can intensify a connection. It can do many things." Again, his dark eyes searched face, and he didn't touch her no matter how much she mentally willed his mouth and hands back into place.

"It could still my mind," she whispered, admitting more than she wanted to.

"It could," he agreed. "With the right two people."

"We could be the right two people."

The corner of his eyes crinkled, and he licked his bottom lip. "What are you running from?"

"Nothing." She closed her eyes and let her breath drift out before facing him again. "I'm always in charge. Kids need that, but adults? They don't. And even when I was the child, I was the fixer. The doer. The savior. And now, sometimes, I can't turn off the pile of problems around me with… And even in the bed, I'd never say I was the one in charge. But I never stop thinking, 'okay do this, now that. Are we all having a good time?'" She quietly laughed at herself. "Type-A perfectionist, and I'm not running from it. But I never thought there was someone… worthy of sharing that responsibility."

He raised his eyebrows, deadpan. "You know someone?"

"Shut up!" Seven batted his chest, and Jax finally put his hands back on her, pulling her closer.

"Hmm." A half-grin barely broke on his rugged face.

"What?" She didn't care if he had a rule about touching during this type of conversation. She pressed her palms to his warm chest, running her hands to his shoulders. "Huh, what?"

"I thought you were just using me for sex, and now I know it."