Case forced himself to stop. He pulled away from the drugging kisses she was giving him. He couldn’t go down that path. If he was going to take her, it would be on his terms and that meant he wasn’t going to play the idiot. He wasn’t going to ask for more than she could give him. He wasn’t going to pretend this was some grand love. She wasn’t Charlotte and he wasn’t Ian. They didn’t get that forever thing.

But they could have this.

“What’s wrong?” She looked up at him and then started to pull away.

He wasn’t going to let that happen. He turned her around so his front nestled her back. “Nothing’s wrong. I want to feel you. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to touch you, Mia? How often I’ve thought about this?” His hands were on her waist and he brought them up slowly. “I want to memorize every inch of your skin and do you how I’m going to do it?”

She leaned back into him. “You’re going to touch me.”

He loved how breathless she was. No other woman ever responded as honestly to him as she did. He could trust her body even if he didn’t trust the rest of her. Oh, she wouldn’t mean to hurt him. He actually believed that, but she would choose her world. She would choose her family over him. He could keep her for a little while.

“What am I going to touch you with, princess?” He moved slowly, letting his hands find the warm skin under her shirt.

“Your hands.” Her head fell back against his chest. Without heels on she didn’t quite reach his shoulders. “I want your hands everywhere, Case. They feel so good.”

“I will touch you everywhere, but that’s not all I’ll do.” He was right under her breasts. This was one of the things D/s had taught him. Sex required discipline. Patience. Control. He wanted to shove her on that bed and force his dick inside her, but that wouldn’t make it good for her. This methodical arousal of every inch of her body would make her ready for him, would make her scream for him.

Might make her stay with him for a while.

He flattened one palm on the curve of her belly, the other touching the band of her bra. There was zero reason to hide how hard he was. He let his cock rub against her backside. “I’m going to put my hands on you. I’ll touch your breasts and cup that hot ass of yours and I will let my fingers explore how hot and wet your pussy gets for me.”

“You’re killing me, Case.” She squirmed a little as though trying to get him to move.

He held her tight, his mouth against her ear. “Don’t. We haven’t talked about punishments so I’m not going to stop and spank that sweet ass, but now you’ve been warned. This is my time. It’s my time to explore your body and get you hot. I’ll give you time later, but for now you’ll let me enjoy how you feel under my hands.”

“D/s sucks,” she said with a shaky laugh.

He ran the tip of his tongue along her ear, enjoying the way she shivered. “No it doesn’t. It makes us take things slow and really get to know each other’s bodies and responses. It makes thoughtful lovers. I want to be your lover, Mia. Do you understand what I mean by that? I don’t want to be your boyfriend. I want to be your Dom. It’s different. A boyfriend can take you or leave you. A Dom is responsible for you. It means something deeper to me.”

“I’ve had boyfriends and not one of them made me feel the way you do,” she admitted. “Please don’t stop. I’ve waited so long for this.”

He could smell her shampoo and the soap she used. He leaned down and ran his nose along the graceful column of her throat. “When I’m done touching you, I’m going to taste you.” He ran his tongue from her collarbone back up to her ear. “I’m going to lick you and we’ll see how you like a little bite.”

He nipped at her ear, just a little sharp bite that made her jump in his arms. She groaned, but it wasn’t one that told him she was in pain.

“I think I like it, Case,” she replied, her breath shaky. “The training course alone taught me that.”

He growled. “I don’t like the thought of someone else training you.”

Her body shook with her husky chuckle. “Javier and I were just friends. Promise. I liked the flogger he owned more than him. I liked the sting. I thought I could maybe survive a thud, but I got so hot when he hit me with the stinger. I wasn’t thinking about him though. I always thought of you. It was never him holding that son of a bitch and making me beg for more.”

Fuck, she could talk dirty, too and that did something for him. “I didn’t bring a flogger with me. I should have been more optimistic, but I think you’ll find I can still take care of you. I’ll find all kinds of things to torture you with, princess. But first I’m going touch everything that just became mine.”