Sweet Persuasion

He lowered his body to hers, melding to her as he wrapped his arms around her. Their bodies entwined, he cupped his hips over her, thrusting repeatedly between her legs.

“Serena,” he whispered as he buried his face in her hair.

Her breath stuttered across her lips like a hiccup. She flew higher on the swing until the sun bathed her face and she closed her eyes to its brightness. Warmth, sweet, honeyed warmth flooded her soul. Joy flickered across her heart as her orgasm swelled and then burst around her like flowers opening to the sun’s rays.

“Damon,” she whispered back, her voice choked.

They held each other tightly as their bodies quivered and shook in the aftermath of their lovemaking. He lay, warm and limp over her body, covering her like a blanket. She rubbed her palm absently over his back as he softened inside her.

Finally, he moved away, pulling her with him so that she was cradled in his embrace.

Neither spoke, and maybe they didn’t want to ruin the moment with something as harsh and unwieldy as mere words. Serena contented herself with lying in his arms, listening to the soft pounding of his heartbeat so close to her ear.

CHAPTER 24

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

Damon’s voice rumbled in her ear, and she moved her head in protest and snuggled deeper into the covers. He chuckled and smacked her affectionately on the ass. She winced as a tingle of discomfort hummed over her sore flesh. Almost as quickly a curl of pleasure simmered deep and she was taken back to the previous evening.

“Come on, Serena. Get up and get dressed. We’re taking a trip.”

She opened one eye to glance warily at him. “Are you always this obnoxiously cheerful in the morning?

He smiled. “It’s no longer morning. You slept until noon. And good morning sex will do that to a guy.”

“Good any sex will do that to a guy,” she corrected.

“True, but then guys aren’t known for their depth,” he said with a sexy wink. “Now get up and get dressed. I’ve already packed a bag for you.”

She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes as she blearily tried to focus on him. “Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d go see my mom,” he said lightly. “It’s been . . . a long time since I’ve seen her and it’s time to go back home.”

She scrambled from the covers and hooked her legs over the side. “Your mom? Where does she live? And, um, am I going as your slave or as a friend or what?”

He put his hands on her arms and squeezed gently as he hauled her to stand in front of him. He kissed her lingeringly then brushed a finger over her nose. “What do you want to go as, Serena mine?”

The question confused her, not for its lack of clarity. It was certainly direct and uncomplicated enough. But it was one of those questions that asked her to state intentions she wasn’t sure of yet, and worse, asked her to declare them before she knew of his feelings.

Feelings?

She stepped away abruptly, desperate to put distance between them. Did she want him to have feelings for her? When the fuck had this gone beyond a simple fantasy to grandiose thoughts of a relationship?

It was hard to think of a relationship when the extent of their “courting” had consisted of bondage, spankings and ass fucking.

She nearly groaned aloud. So it wasn’t quite that crude, and it reduced what had been an extremely satisfying sexual experience to something cheap and smutty.

“Serena?”

She glanced back up at Damon who looked at her with confused eyes.

“Is something wrong? If you’d prefer we not go, I can go another time.”

She shook her head. “I’d love to,” she said huskily. “Let me get a shower. I can be dressed in half an hour.”

He leaned in to kiss her again. “Take your time. I’ll pack the car.”

They zipped down Interstate 10 in Damon’s BMW. He drove with the practiced ease of someone well acquainted with the horrors of Houston traffic.

For the first couple of hours they rode in silence, Damon’s gaze fixed on the road ahead. Occasionally she glanced at his profile, studying his tense expression. He’d seemed eager to visit his mother earlier, but now, as they crossed over the Louisiana state line, his jaw was firmly set.

Wanting to ease some of the strain, she tentatively reached across the seat for his hand. He glanced over and smiled, easing some of the lines at his brow.

Not wanting to pry too deeply into what may or may not be bothering him, she opted for general and light. She cocked her head to the side and smiled at him.

“Tell me something about yourself.”

Amusement twinkled in his eyes and he seemed to relax.

“Like what?”

“Oh, anything. I’m all ears.”

He rubbed his thumb over her palm while he gripped the steering wheel with his other hand.

“Okay. I like good wine, good food and beautiful women.”

Serena snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know. You’re horribly spoiled. Tell me about your past lovers.”

He coughed. “I’m not crazy. A guy should never talk about other women when he’s in the presence of another one, particularly one he’s currently having sex with.”

“Come on, it’s not like I’m your girlfriend,” she said lightly. “How come you don’t have a permanent slave to do your evil bidding?”

His expression sobered. “It’s not that easy.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “There are plenty of women who are into the fantasy. Not so much the reality.”

“You mean like me,” she said softly.

He stared over at her but didn’t agree. He didn’t have to. It was the simple truth.

“No one ever wanted to do it . . . permanently?” she asked. “Did you ask them to?”

“I only asked one,” he said as he looked away. “The others . . . it was obvious it was a fling, and I was okay with it. I never wanted something permanent or I just didn’t think it would work long-term.”

“Except with one,” she said.

He nodded.

“Did you love her?”

The corner of his mouth crooked up. “Maybe? She was the only woman I thought might be the one. You know the whole clichéd one in a million, the one meant for me. All that sappy bullshit you women read about in romance novels.”

“Bitter much?” she asked with a raised brow.

He laughed, and his shoulders sank again as he relaxed. “You’re fun, Serena. You don’t let me take myself too seriously.”

“Well, someone’s got to keep you in line,” she teased. “You could easily become too spoiled if left unchecked.”

He gri

“So what happened with this woman? Did she just decide that the slave thing didn’t work for her or what?”

He blew out his breath. “We enjoyed a very exciting sex life. She was into every imaginable kink. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. She was into me, didn’t seem too impressed with my money and wanted to please me. In turn, I wanted very much to please her. We talked about the kind of lifestyle I led and that it wasn’t a game. It wasn’t something I did randomly. She was on board with that. I wanted to marry her. I wanted to own her. I wanted her to own my heart.”

“Oh boy,” Serena murmured. It was on the tip of her tongue to say what a dumbass the woman had been for ru

“Yeah, you can guess the rest. One day she decided that belonging to me wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted freedom, though I never tried to restrain her. Her time with me was mine, but I never tried to interfere in her outside interests. I knew that to make it work, we both needed time and space outside of an exhausting sexual odyssey.”

Serena slowly nodded. “So she left.”

Damon nodded. “And I let her go. She was my slave, the woman I loved, but she wanted freedom, and I couldn’t do anything other than grant it to her.”

It was her turn to squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry.”