Fever (Breathless #2)(77)

She sucked in her breath and let it out in a long exhale as she tried to force herself to do as he’d commanded. She let out a whimper as he pushed relentlessly forward, opening her body to his advance. She clamped her mouth shut, worried he’d stop. But he didn’t. He seemed too far gone to heed any sign of distress from her.

He continued to exert steady pressure, pushing, pushing, until finally her body gave way and he sank halfway in. His hands tightened at her waist, his fingers flexing spasmodically.

“God, baby,” he groaned.

He pulled back, his c**k dragging over super-sensitized, distended flesh. Withdrawal was potent, extremely pleasurable, the relief enormous. But then he pushed forward again and her body’s natural resistance to the invasion kicked in, making it difficult and painful as he pressed in all the way to his balls.

“Fuck me,” he said in a strangled voice. “Take me whole. Goddamn, Bethany. What you do to me.”

He dragged himself back, slowly retreating, her opening quivering around him. He nearly left her, only leaving the head of his penis tucked inside her opening. He waited for the opening to close, fitting snugly around his c**k head, and then he ruthlessly opened her again, thrusting forward, his strength overcoming her resistance.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her breaths rushed from her nostrils and then, not able to suck in enough air through her nose, she gave up and gulped in mouthfuls, her chest heaving against the mattress as she fought the bombardment of divergent sensations.

Pain. Pleasure. Fear. Arousal. Powerlessness. Strength. Unrelenting pleasure.

Safety.

Comfort.

His possession.

“I’ll take care of you afterward,” he murmured as he leaned forward, his c**k stroking through her distended opening. “This is for me.”

And then he began to pound against her ass, his thighs slapping against her cheeks, each thrust sending a shockwave through her body. He palmed her cheeks, pushing upward to make her ass more accessible. The movement stretched the opening around his c**k tighter and he let out a low moan.

He levered himself up and over her, positioning all his weight so he was atop her fully. Blanketing her. Covering every inch of her back as his hips worked in and out, driving deeply into her ass.

His teeth grazed her shoulder. His hands reached over her head to find hers, cupped his palms over the wrists that were bound and he gripped her tight as he continued to hump himself over her body.

Hot spurts of se**n exploded into her ass. He continued thrusting, each forward motion depositing more of his release deep into her body. On and on, in a seemingly never-ending stream, he pumped more into her until finally he collapsed against her, his body heaving with exertion.

His c**k was wedged inside her ass and twitched with the last vestiges of his release. Some of the se**n had worked its way out of her ass with the forceful thrusts and was sliding warmly between her legs.

He lay there a long while, still inside her, as his breaths calmed and he quieted above her. He kissed her shoulder and then smoothed his hands down her arms and then down her sides.

“So beautiful,” he whispered. “And mine. You’re mine, Bethany. You belong to me. Only to me.”

She wasn’t going to argue. She was perfectly content to be his for as long as he wanted her. And she tried not to dwell on how short a time that might be.

Chapter twenty-seven

Jace rose quietly from bed, careful not to wake Bethany. She was sleeping soundly. She hadn’t stirred since he’d untied her and carried her into the bathroom to bathe and pamper her before putting her to bed. The moment her head had hit the pillow, she’d fallen asleep. Which was good because in order for him to pull off his Christmas morning surprise, he’d definitely needed her oblivious.

It had gutted him to hear she’d never had a Christmas tree, but what hurt him the most was that he hadn’t put up a tree in their apartment. Their home. He hadn’t even put one up for her in the other apartment she spent time in. Trees had been something he’d always done without fail for Mia when she was growing up. He’d taken her to see the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center. But when she’d gotten older and they had separate residences, he’d never bothered putting up a tree. It hadn’t made any sense when it was just him, and so he hadn’t even thought about putting up a tree for Bethany.

After they’d gotten home, and Bethany had fallen asleep after they’d made love, he’d made a few emergency calls and Gabe, Mia and Ash had come over with an artificial tree and ornaments and they’d quietly decorated it in the living room. Jace had left the lights twinkling so that Bethany would see them when she went into the living room the next morning. He couldn’t wait to see her face. Moreover, he’d make damn sure she never went without a tree again.

He went to his dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out the small wrapped gift for Bethany. Then he returned to bed, glancing at the window as first light softly illuminated the room.

She was beautiful in the pale light of dawn. Her hair spread out on his pillow, her fingers clutching his sheets. In his bed. Which was where she belonged.

He crawled back into bed, putting the present between them as he propped himself on his elbow, content to watch her while she slept. He could wait. He loved to watch her wake up, her eyes all dreamy and content. Fogged with sleep, a soft smile on her face. It was the way she awakened every morning. As if she were grateful for every moment away from her old life.