Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Crone’s house on Rawhide Ridge
Crone
Raw need coursed through Crone’s veins as he unlocked the door. The furnished house had offered instant comfort when he’d first viewed it. A temporary haven that already felt more permanent.
“Welcome to my home,” he guided her inside, watching her eyes absorb the warm glow from the table lamps.
“It’s very nice... but you said it’s temporary?” Her fingers twisted around her purse strap. “Does that mean you’ll be leaving soon?”
“Not necessarily. I accepted the position on a temporary basis, though Derek indicated his desire for it to be permanent.” He caught her face between his palms, keeping his expression earnest and warm.
“I’m at a crossroad in my life, Sienna. Like you, I have many demons pulling me down, but it’s been five years and I came to realize that unless I change the direction my life has taken, I will die a lonely and bitter man.
” He smiled wryly. “I was fine with that, except one stubborn friend refuses to let me wither away… as do his wife and kids. I know there’s more to life…
I had it before. I want it again. So, who knows?
I might decide to move here permanently.
However, if I do, I don’t plan on living on the Ranch.
I’d probably buy my own piece of land close by. ”
She tensed beneath his touch. He sensed that beyond the natural apprehension of being alone with him lay a deeper fear. It was there in her eyes, of facing the possibility of investing herself in their connection only to be abandoned.
His thumb stilled her trembling lip. “Remember, we’re taking this journey together, Sienna.
The thread between us deserves to be strengthened.
” Honesty compelled him forward. It was important to him that she was aware of his intentions upfront…
which had nothing to do with Derek’s condition.
His instincts had never led him wrong, and they screamed that Sienna Weathers belonged in his life.
“But you need to understand. Once we have sex, you become mine as I become yours. Even within the lifestyle, I believe in exclusivity.”
“Wh-what are you saying?”
“I want a permanent Dom/sub relationship. I know we just met but that’s how strong I feel the connection is between us.
That is what I want. If you can’t offer the same, it’s pointless to move on.
I’m not a youngster anymore and with what I’ve gone through…
I’m past playing games. Either we’re on the same page, or we’re not. ”
“What if we have sex tonight... but I can’t promise more… I don’t want to lose…” She struggled visibly. “We just met but I do know that I need you in my life, Crone. I just can’t promise more than being your submissive. It’s just too soon…” Her voice cracked.
Crone knew that deep scars marked her soul. He didn’t know their history but hoped she would trust him enough to one day share them.
“For now, all I ask is that we open ourselves to the possibility of a longtime future, Sienna. In you, that’s what I see... not just here at the Ranch, but us together as a team... as one unit.”
“I can’t, Crone. You have to—”
“We’re doing this together, kitten, starting as Dom and sub.
I won’t pressure you, but I am going to make it damn hard for you to resist me.
” Her relieved smile unleashed warmth through his chest. “So, kitten, you asked me to bring you here and fuck you into kingdom come.” He studied her face, searching for signs of retreat.
A dim light flickered in the back of her eyes.
“Or should I spank you first... to rekindle what all this talk dimmed?”
Color flooded her cheeks. His heart stumbled, then steadied with newfound purpose. He had always dismissed the notion of instant love as youthful fantasy. His relationship with Sarah had grown gradually, built on years of shared experiences and careful trust.
But this blindsided him. Three encounters with Sienna had stripped away five years of carefully constructed barriers.
The force of it struck him physically, spreading warmth through his chest and veins to settle deep in his bones.
His extensive experience in the lifestyle had taught him to recognize authentic connections, but this surpassed mere compatibility.
Seeing her blush spread beneath his gaze, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place, pointing to an inescapable truth. He’d fallen in love with her. Instalove. Head over heels. The realization should terrify him. Instead, it filled empty spaces he’d forgotten existed.
To hide what must surely be a look of puppy love on his face, he settled on the sofa and pulled her over his lap. She yielded without protest.
“These need to go.” He hooked his fingers at the top of her jeans, dragging them down along with her lace panties. “Lift.”
She obeyed, allowing him to bare her completely. His palm skimmed over the curves of her ass, raising goosebumps in its wake.
“Such a pretty shade of pink you’ll be.” The first strike landed sharp and quick.
She yelped at the unexpectedness of it. “Master Crone!”
“Hmm… that’s just the first one, kitten.” Another swift spank, followed by a gentle caress that dipped teasingly between her thighs. “Though I do love hearing you scream my name.”
His hand created a maddening rhythm, alternating stinging slaps with featherlight touches until she writhed in desperation. When his fingers brushed over her labia, she was already slick with need.
“Getting wet for me already?” He delivered three rapid strikes. Her painful wheeze soothed the Dominant in him. “Tell me what you need.”
“More…” She pressed back against his hand.
“More spanking?” SLAP “Or more of this?” His fingers circled her clit briefly before withdrawing.
He chuckled at her frustrated groan. “Both! Please…”
“Since you asked so nicely.” He peppered her reddened flesh with sharp strikes, each one followed by teasing caresses that inched closer to where she was already weeping for his possession.
When he landed two precise slaps directly over her pussy, she bucked against him with a desperate shriek. “Master Crone… oh, shit!” The cry ended in a squeak as he landed two more on her already stinging flesh.
“Ready for more than a spanking, little one?”
“God, yes!” She writhed across his lap. “Please, Master Crone. Hurry!”
His cock strained against his zipper at her urgency, demanding relief of its own. “Your wish is my command, kitten.”
He lifted her off his lap, turning her to face him. Her eyes glimmered with desire, and her cheeks matched the pink glow of her freshly spanked flesh.
“Strip for me.” His voice roughened as he settled back. “Slowly.”
With notably trembling fingers, she tugged on the hem of her blouse. He caught the flicker of fear in her eyes, and noticing the slight hesitation, a flash memory reminded him that she had more than the scar on her arm. His voice softened.
“Look at me, Sienna.” He waited until she met his gaze. “Nothing you show me will change what I want from or feel for you.”
She drew a shaky breath and with one motion whipped the blouse over her head.
The white lace bra followed almost immediately, as if she wanted it done before her courage failed her.
His breath caught in his throat. Brutal scars marred her full breasts, but his blood ran cold at the hook-shaped mark carved into her stomach that told a story of deliberate cruelty.
His own scars had taught him the difference between accident and intent.
Hers told a gruesome tale of calculated malice.
Rage burned through his veins, but decades of control kept it from his expression. His hands shook with the urge to hunt down whoever had hurt her this way. He wanted to protect her from the ghosts haunting her.
Forcing his breathing to stay steady, he drew her between his legs.
“Beautiful.” His fingers traced the raised edge of the hook, pouring tenderness into his touch.
“Every mark, every curve…” His lips followed the path of his fingers, worshipping rather than avoiding the evidence of her past. “As part of you… perfection.”
A sob caught in her throat as his mouth moved higher, lavishing attention on her scarred breasts. His hands spanned her waist, steadying her when her knees threatened to buckle. He tasted salt on her cheeks from tears she probably hadn’t realized had fallen.
“Still want me to fuck you into kingdom come?” His teeth grazed her nipple, determined to replace pain with pleasure and darkness with light. “Because I need to warn you, the way you look at me now, I’m not going to be gentle. I am going to devour you.”
“Yes,” she panted. “God, yes.”
In one fluid motion, he rose and swept her into his arms. Her startled yelp melted into a sigh as she curled against his chest. The trust in that simple gesture squeezed his heart.
“Hold tight.” He carried her down the hallway, pausing only to nuzzle the sensitive spot behind her ear. Her resulting shiver prodded him to walk faster.
“You’re overdressed,” she murmured and tugged at his shirt.
“Patience, kitten.” But his body betrayed his own urgency as he shouldered open his bedroom door. The California king dominated the space, and the thick white duvet was an inviting cloud waiting to cushion their passionate ride.
The moment the door clicked shut behind them, he set her on her feet only to press her against the wall and crash his mouth into hers with a hunger that bordered on violence.
She tasted like sin and surrender—sweet wine and the salt of her skin.
Her gasp vibrated against his lips as his hands roamed over her.
He didn’t just touch her. He learned her as his fingers traced the dips and swells of her body, memorizing every shiver and hitch of her breath. He cupped her breasts roughly, circling her nipples with his thumbs until they pebbled beneath his touch. Then—fuck—he pinched. Hard.
“Ahh!” The husky sound stirred his swelling cock.