Chapter 7 #3
To ache like this. To want to know what it would be like just to let go of the authority she gripped so tightly to—that was exhilarating. Hearing herself admit it, to say it out loud? That surprised even her.
Nell’s pleased smile unfurled as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, steely gaze never leaving Sarah’s face.
“Good girl.”
Fuck. Was Nell serious right now? That low tone of her voice sent Sarah’s stomach flipping, heat dancing across her skin.
She held Nell’s gaze, steady now, sure of her decision.
She had come here wanting to see what Nell’s arrangement was about.
No way in hell was she about to back down now. She had always loved a challenge.
Nell rose to her feet, her movements smooth and unhurried as she removed her sunglasses, pulling on her crisp linen button-down over her bikini.
The edge of her shirt just skimmed her hips, leaving those long, gorgeous legs completely bare.
Her gaze stayed on Sarah the entire time, and Sarah finally understood what it meant to be eye-fucked by someone.
Nell stretched out a hand. Sarah took it without a second thought, the touch lighting a fire under her skin that rapidly spread through her.
“Come with me,” Nell said, her grip tightening, pulling Sarah to her feet.
Sarah followed, her hand anchored in Nell’s, as they moved through the house in silence. Up the grand staircase. Down a hallway lined with abstract paintings she barely registered. Sarah saw none of it, heard nothing except the whooshing of her own pulse in her ears.
Nell stopped at a door near the end of the hall, opened it, and walked through. Sarah hesitated in the doorway, nerves suddenly spreading through her.
This was real. This was happening.
Nell turned, still holding her hand, and at that moment, something shifted in her expression as intensity faded to gentleness. “You can still change your mind.”
The words struck Sarah like a warm breeze. Choice. It was still hers to take or leave. But the moment Nell’s fingertips skimmed the inside of her wrist again—feather-light—Sarah knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
“I don’t want to,” she said, surprised by how strong her voice sounded.
A wicked smile curved across Nell’s mouth. Without another word, she tugged Sarah forward, pulling her into the room, shutting the door behind them with a final click.
Sarah watched as Nell stepped back, raking her gaze over her, leisurely and unhurried, and fuck, fuck, fuck—the way she was looking at her nearly did Sarah’s head in. Like Nell was memorizing every inch of her. Like she wanted to consume her.
“You’ve been good,” Nell said, almost to herself, her voice sliding over Sarah like silk. “You waited, and you asked. Now you get your reward.” Her smile was pleasing in a way Sarah hadn’t yet experienced.
Sarah shivered, suddenly aware that she was standing in Nell’s bedroom in a bikini as Nell silently closed the distance between them.
Nell’s touch was gentle on her cheek as she brushed a strand of hair back behind Sarah’s ear, the tips of her fingers lingering against her jaw.
The simple touch felt impossibly intimate, and she leaned into it before she could overthink.
“Tell me how you feel,” Nell murmured, intense eyes trained on her.
How did she feel? A million sensations rushed through her in a way that felt all-consuming. It was pulling her in too many different directions, and she didn’t know which way to go. She didn’t want to have to decide. She swallowed hard, mouth dry, body buzzing.
“I feel . . .” she whispered, searching for words. “. . . like I’m coming apart.”
A low, approving sound escaped Nell as her lips brushed the shell of Sarah’s ear, so light, so soft, so hard to catch.
Nell pulled her forward, kissing her deeply, with the kind of shattering patience that made Sarah’s knees threaten to buckle as Nell claimed her.
She melted into it, surrendering to the ache she had experienced since stepping off that helicopter the day before.
She could finally give in. Finally be consumed by it all.
And she let herself. Every thought and feeling disappeared as she let herself get lost in the kiss.
Nell’s mouth moved against hers as she tilted Sarah’s chin, deepening the kiss until Sarah whimpered into it. She clutched at the front of Nell’s shirt, needing something to hold on to as the ground shifted beneath her feet.
When Nell finally pulled back, Sarah’s lips tingled, her skin burning. Her back was pushed up against the wall just inside the door. When did that happen?
Nell’s fingers trailed down her arms until she caught Sarah’s wrists in her hands and lifted them above her head, pinning them there gently. Her body was close but not quite touching her in the way she wanted.
“You like it when I hold you like this,” Nell purred.
Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the truth in every inch of her body. Of course she liked it. Who wouldn’t love being at the command of such a powerful person? She nodded a little too frantically. Nell chuckled at her, a dark, satisfied sound. “It wasn’t a question.”
Sarah opened her eyes, desperate to see her, to drink in the look on Nell’s face.
What she found was a look of pure possession tempered by infinite patience.
Like Sarah was something precious she intended to savor, not devour all at once.
The unexpected tenderness of it undid her more than any roughness could have.
Nell leaned in again, pressing the barest kiss to Sarah’s throat, her collarbone, and lower still. Sarah’s body arched instinctively, chasing the feeling.
A part of her flared with panic. She wasn’t used to needing someone like this, wasn’t used to feeling undone simply by anticipation. Nell must have sensed it, because she slowed.
“You’re okay,” Nell murmured against her skin. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
The words anchored her. Something inside Sarah gave way, uncoiling as she surrendered again. She nodded, trembling, her whole body alert with need. “Please,” she whispered, before she could think better of it.
“Begging already?” Nell said, drawing back just enough to meet her eyes.
Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as Nell stepped back to study her, desire and intention reflected in her gaze.
The purpose. Sarah had never been the center of attention like this—not with Beth or anyone.
Nell gently pulled her away from the wall, circling her, the brush of her fingertips trailing over Sarah’s bare shoulders. Her fingers continued to her back, as if mapping her body to memory. Sarah shivered under the touch, every inch of her skin hyperaware, desperate for more.
“Beautiful,” Nell murmured behind her, almost to herself. Her hand flattened between Sarah’s shoulder blades, firm and commanding, urging her forward.
Sarah stumbled a step, her heart hammering, then another, until her knees tapped the bed. Nell was right there again, her hands bracketing her hips, steadying her.
“You’re doing so, so well,” she purred in her ear, the heat of her breath carrying that same note of approval Sarah found herself craving more and more.
Before Sarah could respond, Nell pressed her gently but insistently down onto the bed, guiding her to kneel on the mattress, then place her hands flat against the soft linen sheets.
The sudden shift in position made her cheeks burn with heat at the submissiveness of how Nell wanted her, but her anticipation drowned out any embarrassment.
Behind her, she heard the faint rustle of fabric. “You’ve been patient,” Nell said, her voice low and lilting, “but patience only gets you so far, doesn’t it?”
Sarah nodded as she gripped the sheets tighter, waiting.
A stinging sensation spread through her as Nell’s hand came down on the curve of her ass in a playful smack—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make Sarah yelp, heat flooding her all over again. The sound was foreign to her ears as it broke free before she could stop it, raw and needy.
“I thought so,” Nell mused, bending low over her body, breath a tease against her back.
Nell’s delicate fingertips trailed along her back at an excruciatingly slow pace, her mouth following, peppering the line of her spine with kisses—some gentle, almost reverent; others sharp little bites that made Sarah arch and shudder and whimper.
It was maddening, worshipful, and everything at once, gradually unraveling her thread by thread.
Every time she thought she knew what was coming next, Nell would pull back and leave her aching, squirming, desperate for more. She whimpered again, rocking back instinctively, trying to chase Nell’s touch, which only seemed to amuse her.
“Please,” she begged hoarsely, chasing Nell’s hands.
“I’m not finished playing with you yet,” Nell murmured, pressing a firm hand to her lower back, pinning her there.
Sarah could barely breathe, the tease of it exquisite. Tears pricked behind her closed eyes from the sheer, unbearable edge as Nell dragged her pleasure out, building her up, layering sensation upon sensation until Sarah felt like one single spark would ignite her, setting the whole room ablaze.
“Tell me,” Nell commanded, “what do you need?”
Sarah’s mouth opened, but no sound came out, only a trembling exhale that seemed to empty her.
She tried to gather her thoughts, but Nell’s hands—those annoyingly perfect hands—were on her, ghosting up and down her sides, tracing the bend of her waist. She felt a tug as Nell pulled at the tie of her bikini top, removing it and tossing it aside.
“I . . .” Sarah tried again, her voice breaking as Nell tugged on the ties on either side of her hip, discarding the garment. “I need you.”
She was naked, on all fours, in Nell fucking Stanhope’s bed, begging for her touch. A rush of vulnerability and craving so intense it was almost painful flooded her at the same time Nell made the most gratifyingly pleased sound.