Chapter 18
“Why were you out here?” he had the audacity to ask as he ushered me toward the party.
“Why were you?” I shot back. Once again, I tried to pull from his grasp, but he wouldn’t allow it. He had my hand in the crook of his arm, the picture of a perfect gentlemen, but as he placed his palm over the back of my hand, I knew the true reason he held onto me.
Power and control. It was such a Gage type of move that I shouldn’t have been surprised.
The lights from the mansion lit up the patio several feet in front of us, but Gage steered us toward a bench. As I settled into the seat, he removed his jacket and draped it over my shoulders before taking the spot next to me.
“Do not disrespect me, Kayla. Answer the question.”
“I’m sorry, Master,” I said, lowering my gaze to my twiddling thumbs. But I wasn’t really sorry—a large part of me still seethed from my confrontation with that bitch. Adrenaline pumped through my veins too fast, and I took a deep breath to get a grip on my emotions.
“I came out here to touch myself.” From the corner of my eye, I noted how his shoulders seemed to release some of his tension.
He let out a breath. “Of course you did.” He shot me a sideways glance. “Did you come?”
“No, Master.”
“But you got close?”
His line of questioning more than frustrated me. “Shouldn’t we talk about Katherine?”
“You still don’t trust me,” he said, matter-of-factly. “But to answer your question, Kayla, I went for a walk with Katherine because she said she needed to talk about Conner.”
I turned to face him and laced our fingers together. “I do trust you. That’s not what this is about. I feel like…”
He squeezed my fingers, and that small gesture of encouragement gave me the strength to forge ahead.
“I guess I feel like there’s something I’m missing, or not understanding. We’ve been married for over a year, but she just won’t let go. You were with her for months, but that was years ago.”
The instant the words left my mouth, I realized how ridiculous I sounded, considering my brief time with Ian years ago. Cheeks flaming, I lowered my gaze, ashamed that I’d let my jealousy and doubt cloud what was right in front of me.
It was like a bulb flashing behind my eyes.
“I feel so stupid,” I whispered.
He tilted my chin, refusing to let me hide. “You’re not stupid, baby. You’re mine, which makes me yours, and you have every right to get angry. She’s overstepping, but it won’t last forever. Eventually, she’ll move on.” His hold on me tightened. “She’ll move on because she has no choice.”
His assertion was layered in meaning. People always had a choice, but in Gage Channing’s world, his decree was law, and he always got what he wanted. I wasn’t sure he was right—not after I’d punched the bitch before throwing my pregnancy in her face.
“I’m only going to say one more thing about what went down back there,” he said, nodding in the direction of the gazebo, where thankfully I found no sign of Katherine. “Because I won’t allow her to ruin this night for us.”
My breath stalled in my lungs as I waited for him to continue. Whatever he wanted to say, I sensed the importance.
“You were fucking amazing,” he said, voice hoarse as he palmed my cheek.
“If you’re wondering why I didn’t stand up for you, it’s because I didn’t have to.
Watching you in action, with your claws bared and fighting for what’s yours, was the best foreplay imaginable.
I can not wait to get my hands on you tonight. ”
His words arrowed straight between my legs. “Master?” I breathed, fighting the urge to cover my suddenly aching nipples as visions of the two of us tore through my mind.
“What is it, baby?”
“I’m so wet.” A whimper drifted from my lips, and I pressed my thighs together.
“Spread them,” he ordered, a seductive timbre holding his voice captive.
“But what if someone—”
“I don’t care who’s watching. Spread your legs.” And he truly didn’t give a fuck. His gaze remained on me, and he brought his hand to my cheek again, preventing me from searching our surroundings for bystanders.
Wetting my lips, I inched my thighs apart, horribly self-conscious as a hint of air drifted up my legs.
“If you don’t spread your legs like you mean it, I will bend you over my lap and expose your ass.”
Oh, fuck. That shouldn’t make me so hot, but it did.
I spread wide open, and he slipped a warm hand underneath my full dress. He didn’t bother easing into it—his fingers filled my pussy in a forceful thrust.
“Master,” I groaned, arching my back.
“So fucking wet.” He licked his lips. “Who owns this sexy-as-fuck cunt?”
“You do, Master.” And he was driving me crazy because he refused to move his fingers. They’d laid claim to my drenched opening, and they seemed content to stay seated there as if my body was but a glove for those digits.
“Please,” I practically sighed, falling into the deep sea of his eyes. No one else existed—it was just the two of us, nose-to-nose, his left palm on my cheek while his right hand drove me insane.
“You can beg all you want, but you’re not coming.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Because I can.” Leaning forward, he dipped his tongue between my parted lips.
“Because I love to watch you come undone, nothing holding you back.” He crooked his fingers inside me, and I moaned against his lips.
“If I told you someone was watching us this very minute, would you still beg me to fuck you with my fingers?”
“Yes, Master.” I kissed him, eyes fluttering shut, and spread my legs as wide as my tired muscles would allow. He tangled his tongue with mine for a few lust-filled seconds then pulled away.
“What if I wanted to lick your beautiful cunt while strangers watched? Would you beg me to do it?”
“God,” I choked past the desire strangling my throat.
“I’m not your God, but I am your Master. Beg me, Kayla.”
“I need you,” I said with a whimper. “Fuck me, Master. I’m begging.”
“Mmm,” he murmured, scraping his teeth over the sensitive part of my neck, “your cunt is begging. Know the difference, baby.”
“It needs you. Bad.”
“Yes, it does. But your belly is growling, so your cunt will have to wait.” He rose to his feet, and it was a good thing he pulled me to mine because I knew my legs would have folded without his support.
He led me back inside in time for the first course of an elaborate meal, and I wondered if everyone could guess at the mess between my legs with one glance at my flushed face. My lust for Gage consumed me, and I was certain I gave off whore-like pheromones that no mask in the world could disguise.