Sweet Persuasion (Sweet #2)(60)

She nearly stumbled and had to grasp his arm to steady herself.

“I won’t let you fall,” he said.

The leather circled her ankle and tightened.

“Arms above your head,” he directed as he stood back up.

She glanced up and saw the one tie and realized the vulnerability of what he proposed. She looked at him, but saw an expression that brooked no argument.

Slowly she raised her arms and put her wrists together, high above her head.

“Very good,” he said, but his approval meant nothing to her. It was Damon she sought to please.

He secured her wrists, tightening until she was stretched on tiptoe. Vulnerable didn’t even begin to cover how she felt.

And then her feet left the ground as he rotated the frame so that she lay suspended from the straps at a slight angle. She stared down at the floor, and her mouth went dry. She licked her lips to try and add moisture.

The room spun, and she found herself staring up at the ceiling as Cole flipped the frame until she was stretched on her back. He threaded a wide support belt underneath her back, wrapped it around her belly and attached it to the sides of the frame with hooks. It took some of the strain off her arms and legs and gave her some much-needed relief. She wouldn’t go as far as to say she was comfortable, but it was a hell of a lot better than before.

She jerked in surprise when Cole cupped her breast. He rubbed his thumb over the rigid peak, his expression never changing. Then he bent his head, and to her shock, sucked the crown between his teeth and nipped sharply at it.

When he released it, he looked up and gave her a satisfied smile. “Much better.”

She stared at him in confusion, but before she could voice the question, she felt a sharp pinch followed by a rush of pain and then a burning numbness settle over her nipple. She writhed and gasped in protest and then yanked her gaze down to the throbbing ache.

He’d secured a nipple clamp to her breast. It dug into the puckered flesh and guided the nipple outward. She twisted and pulled against her bonds but they held fast.

“Please,” she whispered. “Take it off.”

Cole ignored her plea and walked around to the other side. She whimpered softly because now she knew what was to come. He gave her other breast the same treatment, plumping softly with his hand before leaning over to suck the tip into his mouth.

She moaned at the hypersensitivity. Though it was the other nipple clamped, she felt each nip of his teeth as though they were the tiny jaws of metal.

After a final sharp bite, he laved his tongue soothingly over the hardened flesh and pulled away. He waited this time. The bastard. Every muscle in her body tensed as soon as his mouth withdrew. And still he waited, a patient smile on his face.

He let her see it coming, guiding his hand with the open clamp toward the burgeoning point. There was no gentle coaxing, no gradual slide onto the nipple. He clamped it hard and let go.

She grit her teeth to prevent the cry of surprise and pain. The hungry teeth bit into her flesh with greedy eagerness. At first it was more than she could bear, and she arched her back, bucking against her restraints.

Then the pain diminished to a hot burn and finally, blessed numbness.

She lay there panting, nearly overwhelmed by the barrage of sensations, first Cole’s mouth on her br**sts followed by the sharp teeth of the clamps. Her ni**les tingled with the slightest of movements, pushing back the numb.

And suddenly she moved again with one firm push by Cole. Her feet rotated beneath her as she came to an upright position. He pushed a little farther until she was at a forty-five-degree forward angle.

Her br**sts bobbed, and the clamps dangling from her ni**les exerted a dragging pressure that sent razor-sharp darts straight to her pu**y.

She was wet. She could feel the creamy moisture gather between her legs, feel the way her clit pulsed and ached from the tension applied to her ni**les.

Hands cupped her bu**ocks, kneading slightly before spreading the cheeks. Shock raced up her spine, stiffening her muscles as she formed a protest with her lips. Before she could speak, Cole gently applied lubricant to the opening. His fingers smoothed over the cleft, spreading a generous amount in their wake.

Her shoulders shook, and her body trembled. Tiny little shivers, alternating hot and cold. She danced a fine line between fear and desire. Confusion. Hot, edgy need. She didn’t want to be aroused by a strange man’s hands.

One thick finger slid inside her anus. Air rushed past her lips as she inhaled harshly. Back and forth his finger rasped across her delicate tissues, opening her wider as he spread more of the gel.

Another finger joined the first, stretching until she was open to him. His fingers were large, and at first, her passage was snug around his knuckles but he continued to stroke and caress, adding more lubricant to ease his way.

Her vision blurred and she closed her eyes to steady herself. She fought the waves of . . . She wouldn’t say need. Or desire. She didn’t want this man. She enjoyed his skilled fingers, liked the assault he waged on her senses, the wicked, sinful tune he played on her body. It was in part painful, and if she were honest, she feared her response to this pain. For she didn’t find it distasteful. She wanted, craved, more.

And then as quickly as he’d come to her, he withdrew and left. Silence that she hadn’t noticed before buzzed in her ears. There was no sound in the room, and as she lifted her head, she could see that, as on the night of the auction, every eye was on her.