Malone's Fate (Haven, Texas Book 14)

Chapter 44

The nightmare was the same.

Only this time he found her in the bedroom at the Ranch, not the hospital. He held his hand over her mouth until she couldn’t breathe.

“Baby! Wake up! Lilac, wake up, pretty girl! It’s just a dream. Wake up.”

She opened her eyes, gasping for air. Tanner grabbed hold of her, pulling her into his chest.

She trembled with the aftereffects of the nightmare.

“I think he’ll have a hold on me until he’s dead. Won’t he?” she whispered.

“Baby, if that’s what has to happen to free you, then that is what will happen.” He rolled her onto her back, leaning up on one elbow. “Will you be okay with that?”

Would she? He was her brother, but he also wasn’t a good man. After everything he’d done . . . she knew he deserved to die.

“Yes.”

Tanner leaned in and gave the softest, sweetest kiss she’d ever been given. By the time he drew back, there were tears in her eyes.

He rolled her over, then spooned her, drawing her back into his body. But she was too on edge to sleep. It felt like there was something crawling over her skin. She shivered.

“You’re tense, baby.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to go back to sleep. Maybe I should get up and let you sleep.” She tried to move away, but he drew her back down against him.

“Not happening, baby. You need your rest.”

“So do you.”

“Hmm. Perhaps we just need to tire you out.”

“How do you suggest we do that?” she asked as he ran his hand along her side.

Her body started to tremble for an entirely different reason as he slid his hand under her pajama top and over her stomach.

Shoot. What was he thinking? Was he thinking that she was too skinny now?

“Stop thinking,” he bossed. “Or I’ll make you.”

“You’ll make me?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that anyway.” He moved her onto her back and grabbed the bottom of her pajama top, sliding it up over her head.

“Tanner,” she whispered.

“Choose a safeword, baby.”

“I’m going to need one?” She didn’t think she was up for anything too exciting tonight.

“Just in case,” he said.

“Um. Scotch. It was Stefan’s favorite drink.” She could remember the stench.

“Okay, pretty girl. I’m going to make you feel so good that you forget about everything bad, all right? I just want you to lay there and relax.”

“But what if I want to touch you?” she asked.

“Not happening. Just lie still for me. Be a good girl and you’ll get a reward.”

He started kissing down her neck and between her breasts. Then he moved to her right nipple, sucking on it.

Slowly, he bit down.

“Ooh, Tanner.”

“You’re so fucking responsive, so beautiful,” he told her.

“Please,” she begged.

Moving to the other nipple, he bit it. Harder, this time. A cry left her lips, and she placed her hands on his shoulders as he lapped at the abused bud.

“Uh-uh, hands above your head,” he bossed. “Or I’ll have to punish you.”

Another shiver.

One of pleasure.

“Seems my baby likes that idea. Does she want me to spank her bottom for misbehaving? Or perhaps she’d like me to spank her pussy.”

“Nooo,” she groaned.

“Are you sure about that?” He moved down her stomach. There wasn’t much for him to hold on to. Was he put off?

“I told you to stop thinking, naughty girl,” he grumbled, moving so he could take off her bottoms, leaving her naked.

Grabbing her legs, he raised them up into the air. “What are you doing?”

“Punishing you.”

His free hand landed on her ass, leaving a sharp flash of pain across the skin.

Holy. Heck.

That shouldn’t have been a turn-on. But it was. Another smack landed. More heat. More pleasure.

“My baby likes that.” He made a scolding noise. “It’s meant to be punishment.”

Was it, though?

Somehow, she didn’t think so.

Another smack. This time, it really did hurt. But then he rubbed the pain in.

She moaned and he let her legs drop down. “Have you learned your lesson, baby?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Are you going to move your hands again?” he asked.

Maybe.

“I could always move on to the next punishment,” he mused.

What was that? Another spanking?

“Orgasm denial.”

Um. What? No, that didn’t sound pleasant at all.

“No, thanks.”

“Well, then, you better do as you’re told. Spread your legs. I want to see that pussy.”

He reached over and switched on a lamp.

“Tanner.” She froze, unsure about him seeing all of her in the light.

She still hadn’t shaved her legs. She hadn’t trusted herself to bend over in the shower. Thankfully, she’d managed to shave her pussy.

“Hey, what’s all this?” he asked. “You feeling shy with me?”

“I didn’t shave my legs yet,” she cried.

Darn it. Why did she point that out to him?

“Fuck, baby. I thought something was wrong. I don’t care about your hairy legs. Although since they seem to be such a problem, I’ll help you take care of them tomorrow.”

All right . . . she wasn’t sure about that. But she pushed that concern to one side.

“And I . . . I’m different now.”

“I know you’re different. And you know I still think you’re beautiful. So stop fishing for compliments.”

Fishing for compliments? Was he for real right now? That was not what she was doing!

“Show me that pretty pussy,” he murmured. “Part your legs, then reach down and spread your lips. Let me see.”

Oh. Dear. Lord.

She was helpless to deny him as she reached down to part her lower lips with shaking fingers. He kneeled between her parted thighs.

The look on his face . . . it was as though all of his Christmases had come at once, and slowly, she relaxed. Maybe he really did think she was beautiful no matter what.

Tanner lay between her legs, his fingers replacing hers. She heard him take a deep breath. “God, you smell good.”

Before she could get embarrassed over those words, he took a long lick of her pussy. “And you taste divine.”

She whimpered. More, she wanted more.

His tongue flicked at her clit, driving her slowly higher and higher, but as she was about to reach that peak, he drew back, moving his tongue lower.

“Noo,” she cried.

“Shh, baby. Patience. You’re going to get to come. You just have to wait. I don’t want any thoughts in your head but the pleasure you’re feeling.”

And then he proceeded to torture her. There were no other words for it. He drove her up higher and higher, toying with her, teasing her.

Sliding fingers inside her as his tongue flicked at her clit.

Plucking at her nipple as he kissed along the top of her mound.

His tongue fucking her as his thumb played with her clit.

He played with her until she was a mess. Heaving for breath. Shaking. And there was nothing in her mind but the need to come.

“Please. Please. Please.”

“Good girl,” he murmured. “Such a good girl for me. I’m going to let you come now. But you can’t scream. There are too many people in this house.” He handed her a pillow. “Put this over your face when you come.”

And that’s exactly what she did as he drove her up and pushed her over that edge. It seemed to go over forever, never-ending. A pleasure that didn’t stop until the pillow was ripped out of her hold.

She gasped for breath.

“Jesus, baby. You weren’t supposed to suffocate yourself. Are you all right?” he asked worriedly.

She smiled up at him dreamily. “I feel so good.”

Tanner let out a small chuckle. Reaching up, he turned off the light. “Good, huh?” He gathered her against him, pulling her into his side as he lay on his back.

“Stupendous. Amazing.”

He didn’t bother to put her clothes back on, but she didn’t care. She slid her leg up over his thigh, her hand dropping lower to where his dick was hard as it pressed against his boxers. That was all he was wearing.

All of that warm, smooth skin was pressed against her naked body.

Lilac ran her hand up and down his dick, but he reached down and grabbed her hand. “Not tonight, baby. Soon, I promise. It’s not that I don’t want you. I know you can feel that I do. But tonight was about you. So, I just want you to rest now. Sleep. We’ve got the rest of our lives.”