Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Annie
As Ciaran waited for an answer, I tried to untangle the thoughts swirling in my mind. Giving a man I barely knew complete control over me for twenty-four hours seemed crazy, yet a part of me wanted to do it. There was no denying I was attracted to Ciaran in a way that was raw, powerful and unlike anything I’d experienced before. That wouldn’t normally be enough to convince me to say yes to that sort of proposition from a total stranger, but somehow, despite his heavy-handed tactics to get me here, I trusted Ciaran.
Even with us being alone in his apartment, I felt safe. He could have done anything he wanted, but he hadn’t hurt me. When he spanked me, he told me to pick a safeword. Of course, I didn’t need to use it, so I couldn’t be sure he would honor it. Something told me he would have.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath to calm myself. “I’ll stay.”
“And you’ll follow my instructions without question?”
“Uh.” Needing to be sure about this, I paused. “Yes, if my safeword still applies.”
Ciaran nodded. “It does. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, just say beetroot and we’ll take a pause to discuss your concerns.”
His willingness to allow me a safety net was all the assurance I needed. Why shouldn’t I give in to him and have a little fun on my last day in Detroit? I may not have achieved my goal of finding my long-lost family, but at least I’d have a story to tell my friends back home. A wild fling with a handsome American was way more interesting than meeting a third cousin once removed, or whatever Danny Mulhearn was to me.
“Okay, then.” It was an easy decision to make. “I’ll stay.”
The ghost of a smile crossed Ciaran’s lips. “Good girl. Now, strip.”
It was a command, not a request. It felt like he was testing me. He wanted to see if I really was committed to doing as he said. If I showed hesitation, he might end this right now.
Reaching behind me, I lowered my zipper and pulled my arms free from the capped sleeves. Wiggling my hips, I shimmied out of my dress. It was one of my favorites, bought on my last shopping trip with my mother before she became too ill to leave the house. She persuaded me to buy it because the cornflower blue brought out the color of my eyes. I liked the fit-and-flare style. It emphasized my breasts, which were small but nicely rounded, and pinched in at my waist. The swish of fabric against my bare legs as I walked made me feel like I was floating on air.
As I stepped out of the pool of fabric at my feet, I wished I’d chosen better footwear. The white sneakers I’d worn because I thought I’d be walking a lot were comfortable, but the black kitten heels I’d discarded in favor of them were sexier. I kicked off my sneakers, hoping Ciaran didn’t think I was frumpy.
When I looked up to meet his searing gaze, I felt anything but plain. This incredibly attractive man wanted me. He was practically drooling, but in a manly, controlled way.
“Remove the rest of it,” Ciaran commanded when I paused a moment too long.
His impatience gave me a thrill. He might be the dominant one here, but his desire for me gave me power.
Immediately obeying, because there was nothing else I could do in the face of his deliciously stern tone, I stripped off my bra and panties. My movements were rushed, uncoordinated. I almost lost my balance as I stepped out of my underwear and only just stopped myself from stumbling. Perhaps I should have taken it slower, attempted a seductive dance. No, that wasn’t my style. I’d have looked like an even bigger idiot.
When I was fully clothed, I’d felt good about myself. I knew I looked great in the dress. Now that I was totally nude, my confidence dissolved in a puddle of insecurity. My cheeks burned as Ciaran walked around me slowly, inspecting every inch of my naked body. I’d never been put under such intense scrutiny before, and it took an immense effort not to squirm.
Suddenly, a list of all my imperfections scrolled through my mind. There was that weird, dark brown freckle under my right breast. From a certain angle, it looked like a map of Germany. My stomach had a bit of a paunch. A scar cut a jagged path across my shoulder, the result of a cycling accident when I was a teenager.
Ciaran said nothing as he cast an assessing gaze over every inch of me. He finally came full circle to stand in front of me, staring down at my pussy. As a personal preference, I waxed regularly, but I wondered whether he preferred a more natural look. It didn’t matter. I could hardly grow my hair back on command. My mind whirling as I awaited his judgement, I wrung my hands together. My previous boyfriends had found fault with my body. It would kill me if Ciaran did the same.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.”
The reverence in Ciaran’s tone gave me a sense of power. I was a goddess he wanted to worship.
“And for the next twenty-four hours, you’re mine.” He stared at me expectantly, seeming to want a response.
“Yes, Ciaran, I’m yours,” I said, only too willing to put myself in his hands.
“Good girl. Now, turn around, bend at the waist and grab the edge of the table.” Ciaran’s voice was husky with desire.
As I followed his instructions and assumed the correct position, I noticed the gilt-edged mirror hanging above the table for the first time. I winced as I saw my face. My eyes were puffy, my lips swollen. Red streaks ran down my pale cheeks from when I’d cried. I didn’t know why I’d been so overcome with emotion after Ciaran fucked my mouth. Perhaps it was because I felt a connection to him that would never have the chance to flourish. The thought saddened me, and I did my best to banish it. I couldn’t allow my time here to be soured by the knowledge that this wouldn’t last.
Despite the mess I was, Ciaran still wanted me. The evidence of that prodded me in the back as he stepped closer to nuzzle my neck. He kissed me softly, then trailed his lips down his spine to the small of my back. I shuddered as his lips tickled that sensitive area.
Straightening, Ciaran nudged the inside of my ankle with his foot, a silent instruction to spread my legs wider that I immediately obeyed. As I adjusted my stance, he retrieved his wallet from his pocket and fished out a condom. Quickly lowering his pants and boxer shorts, he ripped open the foil packet with his teeth. His concentration as he rolled the condom onto his impressive length made me smile.
My mouth fell open as he slid his hand over my ass, caressing the still-tender flesh. When I’d thought spanking would be a disappointment after what I’d read in romance novels, I was wrong. It was so much better than I’d imagined. Lying across Ciaran’s knee with my bottom exposed had made me vulnerable, but it also opened me up to the new sensations surrender could bring. For the first time in my life, I relinquished control, and the payoff was incredible. Ciaran had unleashed something inside of me and I wanted more.
“Gorgeous,” he murmured, no doubt referring to the marks I was sure his punishment had left on my pale skin.
Ciaran’s hand slid between my legs, and I moaned as his fingers glided through my soaked flesh. I met his gaze in the mirror as he held his hand up, his fingertips glistening with my arousal.
“Is this for me?” The cockiness in his tone told me he knew the answer to his own question.
“Yes.” I’d never been so turned on so quickly. One touch from Ciaran seemed to be all it took to make me desperate to be filled. I pushed my hips back, so ready for him, it hurt.
“Greedy girl,” Ciaran scolded, though his tone suggested he was secretly amused.
“Just fuck me already.” I didn’t know where my boldness was coming from. Something about this man was making me act in uncharacteristic ways.
Putting his hands on my hips to hold me just where he wanted me, Ciaran eased his rigid cock into me at an agonizingly slow pace. I whined, but a sharp smack on my already sore ass told me to exercise patience. It wasn’t easy. I craved this man’s domination. He pushed forward one tantalizing inch at a time until he was finally fully seated inside me. I’d already known he was big, but once he was all the way in, I felt like I was being split in two.
He pulled back and thrust gently a couple of times. Slow and steady was safe. It was what I was used to. It wasn’t what I wanted right now.
“More,” I demanded. In the past, I’d been afraid to ask for what I needed, but with Ciaran I felt safe to lay out my desires. There was no cause for embarrassment here. We were two consenting adults having a fling. It wasn’t as if I was going to run into him a week from now and regret being so pushy. “I want more.”
“Whatever my lady commands.” Ciaran dragged his cock almost the whole way out of me and then slammed in hard. He grabbed my ponytail, twisting it around his fist, and tilted my head back. My eyes met his in the mirror, and the intensity of his gaze sent my pulse racing. “Watch as I wreck this tight little pussy.”
A shudder jolted my body as I almost came from his words alone. No man had ever stated his intentions so starkly to me before. I loved it. Holding onto the edge of the table, my knuckles whitened as he drove into me with ruthless force. My lips twisted in agonized bliss as Ciaran fucked me as if he hated me and revered me in equal measures. His thick cock slid effortlessly through my slickness to hit a spot deep inside, where pain and pleasure collided in an explosion of ecstasy.
As I edged closer to my peak, I pushed my hips back to meet his furious thrusts. Ciaran palmed my right breast and squeezed so hard my eyes watered. His rough handling spurred me on toward the edge. I moaned as the pressure inside me built.
Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I gasped. Who was this wanton woman? Was that really me writhing with such abandon against a man I barely knew?
My eyes were glazed over with desire. My mouth formed an O-shape as Ciaran picked up his pace. He fucked me so hard my hips crashed painfully against the table. I’d probably bruise but, at that moment, I didn’t care. This was what I’d craved, the intensity my sex life had been missing.
“Fuck, Ciaran!” I yelled as he pinched my nipple with one hand and teased my swollen clit with the other. Sensations fired through me from all directions, meeting at the core to set off the most devastating orgasm. As my body convulsed violently, a startling truth registered. Nothing could ever match this moment. I was ruined for all other men.
Light flashed before my eyes and blood thundered in my ears as my pussy clenched around Ciaran’s cock. My arms shook, and I dropped forward onto the table, glad it was there to hold me up. Ciaran wrapped an arm around my waist and pumped his hips two more times. He held himself deep inside me and let out an animalistic roar as he came.
He collapsed over me, and we lay there, bodies slick with sweat, slowly coming back to our senses. Just as I was about to complain he was getting too heavy, Ciaran stood up. I watched through bleary eyes as he removed the condom from his still semi-erect cock and reached past me to drop it in a waste basket under the table.
As I straightened, Ciaran tucked himself back into his pants. I smiled at him in the mirror as he stepped up behind me, put his hands on my shoulders, and dropped a tender kiss on the top of my head.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I was shattered, in the best possible way.
“I’m good.” Turning to him, I grinned. “So, Mr. Reilly, what will we do now?”
The world was knocked off-kilter as Ciaran swept me up into his arms. “Now,” he said as he strode across the room, “I’m going to take care of you, and you’re going to lie back and let me.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, snuggling closer to him and inhaling his masculine scent. “I like the sound of that.”