Maddox
Damn.
She didn’t just orgasm—she might have completely obliterated herself. For a moment I stayed exactly where I was, breathing slowly while the tremors worked their way out of her body. Then I reached down and began gently massaging the pink marks blooming across her ass from the spanking.
My gaze drifted downward to the root of my cock.
I was still buried inside her tight little asshole.
“How’re you doing, champ?” I asked wryly, keeping my tone light even as I fought the urge to laugh.
For a moment there was nothing but the quiet hum of the room.
Then a single exhausted grunt came from Stella.
I glanced toward the floor where the vibrator lay abandoned, still buzzing faintly and completely drenched.
With a quiet sigh of regret, I eased out of her. I watched the slow movement carefully as her body resisted the loss of contact, the tight muscles clinging around me for a moment longer than necessary.
Even now it felt as if she was trying to pull me back in.
I bent down and switched the vibrator off, leaving it where it lay before turning my attention to the restraints around her ankles. The leather straps came loose one by one.
After zipping myself back up, I moved around to the front of the stocks and released the wooden clasps holding her in place. The heavy piece lifted with a dull sound before I secured it back on the metal hooks mounted to the frame.
She didn’t move.
A curtain of red hair hid most of her face, so I brushed it gently aside before unfastening the mouth gag.
“Up you get,” I said, sliding an arm around her waist as I helped lift her out of the contraption.
Once the gag was free, she stretched her jaw slowly, working out the stiffness. If I hadn’t been holding her, she probably would have folded straight to the floor.
She blinked up at me.
For a second her eyes looked completely unfocused.
Then a faint smile appeared.
“That was fun,” she croaked.
I chuckled and swept her up into my arms without hesitation.
“It sure was,” I said as she rested her head against my chest.
And I didn’t let her go after that.
I kept her close.
In the bath.
At dinner.
In bed.
Especially when she leaned in close and whispered against my ear.
Asking for more.
?
?
?
When she stepped out of the bathroom, something was wrong.
Her eyes were red, the rims swollen, and tears clung heavily to her eyelashes as if they hadn’t decided whether to fall or stay. My chest tightened at the sight. Stella quickly looked away from me, wiping at her face with the heel of her hand as if she could hide it.
My heart sank.
She’d been perfectly fine only minutes ago.
We’d been unpacking the last of her things, moving them into my bedroom. She’d been laughing while digging through my watch drawer, holding up one of the older pieces and asking if it was vintage or just ugly.
Now she looked like someone had shattered her.
I pushed off the bed and crossed the room in two quick strides.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I asked softly, wrapping my arms around her the moment I reached her.
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she buried her face into my shirt and started crying.
Real crying.
Panic flared instantly.
Had she changed her mind?
Did she regret moving in?
Did she want to go back to that house?
Never.
That wasn’t happening.
I opened my mouth to speak—
“My period started,” she said between hiccupping breaths.
All the tension drained from my body so quickly my shoulders sagged. I let out a slow breath, relief washing through me as the situation rearranged itself in my mind.
Right.
That.
I’d forgotten just how emotional this time of the month could be.
I guided her gently toward the bed and sat down, pulling her with me until she was settled across my lap. She curled into me automatically, still sniffling.
“Baby,” I said carefully, brushing a strand of hair away from her damp cheek, “doesn’t that happen every month?”
Her head snapped up so fast it nearly gave me whiplash.
She glared at me.
Then her expression crumpled all over again and fresh tears filled her eyes, making the green shimmer even brighter.
“What am I going to do for six days without sex?” she cried before dropping her head dramatically against my shoulder and dissolving into sobs again.
I held her close, rocking her slowly on my leg as if soothing a storm that had suddenly rolled in. I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, letting my hand rub slow circles along her back.
“Do you need anything?” I asked.
“Yes,” she muttered miserably. “Dick.”
I bit the inside of my lip hard to keep from laughing.
“I meant painkillers,” I said carefully. “Or a hot water bottle.”
She shook her head against my chest.
A long, heavy sigh followed.
“What about a nice back rub?” I said, unable to stop myself from teasing her.
Her head lifted again to scowl at me, but this time I couldn’t stop the grin spreading across my face.
“You can have my dick day or night,” I told her, brushing my lips gently over hers. “Blood or no blood, I don’t give a damn, Princess.”
Just like that, the misery vanished.
Her whole face lit up with a bright smile.
When she tried to shove me flat onto the bed, I held up a hand.
“Once all your things are in the bedroom and bathroom,” I added firmly.
“Woohoo!” she cheered.
She jumped off my lap with both hands thrown triumphantly into the air.
Then she did a little celebratory jig before rushing back toward the piles of clothing scattered around the room, scooping up armfuls and carrying them toward the wardrobe like a woman on a mission.
I leaned back slightly, watching her bounce around the room.
Her entire being seemed to hum with energy again.
That was the Stella I wanted.
Always content.
Always safe.