Page 38 of Over the Line

“The one closest to the door.”

“Easier to escape?”

Letting the silence speak for itself, she pressed her lips together.

Her sexy Dom climbed into bed and said, “Come here.”

She hadn’t spent the night with anyone since Lewis, and this was suddenly, overwhelmingly too much.

“I bite,” he promised.

Master Michael understood her, clearly. If he could make her smile, he would win.

Moving slow, conscious of their nudity, she climbed into bed next to him. “I don’t snuggle,” she warned him, hugging the edge of the mattress.

“Didn’t,” he corrected, dragging her back against him and holding her tight. “You didn’t snuggle. Now you do.”

He was hard and unyielding, complex, and faultlessly transparent. He’d seemed willing to negotiate and soothe her if it made sense, but if he believed she was being unreasonable, he’d state his case and wait for her capitulation.

In his arms, she felt safe and protected. That thought made her stiffen her body. She had been on her own since she was young, and she didn’t need to lean on anyone.

“Stop your struggle, little sub.”

He moved so that he could position his semi-erect cock between her buttocks. His thighs were against the backs of her legs, and he held her tight.

It had been a hell of a night.

A coyote howled in the distance.

No way would she feel at ease tonight, and she’d be lucky to get any sleep.

But, shocking her, the next thing she knew, the watery light of predawn was filtering through the slats in the window blinds.

She hated to admit that Master Micheal been right—he had kept her warm all night. Needing a few minutes to herself to sort through her turbulent emotions, she eased herself away from him.

“Sydney,” he mumbled. “Stay.”

“I’m not leaving,” she promised with a whisper. Unable to help herself, she turned and eased a curled lock of dark hair back from his forehead.

He appeared so different in the daylight, and in sleep.

His brow was relaxed, as were the hardened planes and chiseled angles of his face. His skin was golden from time outside beneath the Colorado sun, but right now the tiny lines grooved next to his eyes were less pronounced.

In his relaxation, his lips were slightly parted, and a jolt went through her when she remembered what he’d done to her with his beautiful mouth.

That thought was quickly followed by the realization that he’d exerted a dominant power over her that no one else ever had.

Restlessness churning, she climbed from the bed and reached for the T-shirt hanging from the bedpost. Then she noticed his discarded long-sleeved shirt on the floor near the closet. Giving in to temptation, she padded across the room to pick that up instead.

Near the doorway, she paused, glancing back at him. She thought he might have one eye open slightly, then decided that wasn’t the case.

So as not to disturb him, she tiptoed down the stairs.

Sydney exercised every day, yet her muscles ached. He’d kept her in unfamiliar positions for a very long time. Not regretting a single moment, she smiled.

In the mirror of the powder room, she noticed a few stripes on the backs of her thighs, and she traced one with her fingertip. Last night, he’d given her exactly what she’d asked for.

Generally, the morning after sceneing, she didn’t spend time thinking about the previous evening. After all, it was rarely worth the effort.