Page 23 of Savoring Sienna
“I understand your fears better than you may realize, little one. I had to have a long talk with myself last night. As much as you were affected, I was too.” He smiled grimly. “That’s exactly why I’m not rushing this.” His voice carried the same steady authority that had guided her through last night’s scene. “What’s building between us is too important to risk by moving too fast.”
A knot loosened in her chest. He understood her fear wasn’t rejection of him, but terror of her own response to him.
“Last night, you gave me your emotional trust.” His fingers brushed hers where they twisted the napkin. “You allowed me past those carefully constructed walls. Tonight…” His eyes darkened. “Tonight, we work on physical trust. Small steps, little one. Each one at your pace.”
She released a shaky breath. “And if I never get there?”
“Then we deal with that if it happens. But I don’t believe that’s what truly concerns you.” The gentle circles his thumb traced on her wrist soothed her anxiety. “You’re afraid because you know you’re already halfway there. Your submission calls to my dominance on a level that transcends scenes in the Dungeon.”
Heat bloomed where he touched her, and she couldn’t deny the truth in his words. The connection between them defied her careful boxes and safety nets.
“Trust goes both ways, Sienna.” His voice deepened. “I trust you to be honest with me, to tell me when it’s too much. In return, I give you my word that I will never push you faster than you can handle. We are going to explore this together.”
His words wrapped around her like a physical caress. Each gentle stroke of his thumb against her wrist sent sparks of awareness skating across her skin.
“How do you do that?” The question slipped out before she could filter it.
“Do what, little one?” But the knowing gleam in his eyes told her he understood exactly what she meant.
“Make me feel…” She swallowed hard as his fingers trailed up her forearm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Everything.” She all but palpitated as he lifted her hand to his lips. “Too much.” Her clit throbbed as he placed a warm kiss in her palm. “Not enough.”
“Because you’re already attuned to my touch. That’s the beauty of a shared experience through a therapeutic whipping session. Last night, because we both needed it, the impact was more intense. It was mutual.” His voice dropped an octave lower. “Which is why I am tuned to every small reaction of your body.” As if to prove his point, his fingers found that sensitive spot at her inner elbow. He smiled at the sharp intake of breath. “Like that.”
Heat pooled low in her belly. She should pull away to a much needed distance. Instead, she found herself leaning into his touch, craving more of this slow-building fire.
“Your pupils are dilating,” he murmured. “Your breath quickens when I touch you here.” Another deliberate caress. “Your skin flushes such a pretty pink for me.” His eyes held hers. “I intend to learn every way your body responds to me, Sienna. But first…” He withdrew his hand as their server approached with their appetizers. “First, we eat.”
The loss of contact left her trembling with desire humming just beneath her skin. Somehow she knew this was just the beginning. The way his eyes glowed warned her that he planned to keep her on this knife’s edge of arousal throughout dinner.
The evening passed in a haze of sensation. His measured caresses and deep, dangerous voice paired with his scorching gaze kept her hovering on the rim of sanity. Later, she couldn’t recall what she’d eaten since her awareness had narrowed to the symphony of desire he orchestrated with devastating precision.
By the time he guided her to his truck, her legs could barely support her. As he reached for the door handle, she gathered her courage and turned to face him.
“Master Crone?” Her voice hitched but she moseyed forth. “Would you please take me to one of the private rooms at the Ranch and”—she drew a steadying breath—“fuck me to kingdom come?”
Desire blazed in his eyes at her boldness. “Did you think for one second I was going to leave you at the employee apartment entrance with a chaste kiss on the brow, little one?”
“A girl has to be sure.” The words had barely left her mouth when shame crashed over her. Her earlier brazenness felt like betrayal and hypocrisy, of herself and the careful walls she had built.
“No.” His voice cut through her spiral. “You’re not going to overthink this and you are definitely not going to retract into that void we pulled you out of last night.”
She stared at him, stunned by how easily he read her. “I just?—”
“You just asked me a very appropriate and very brave question, little one.” She trembled at the deliberate grace with which he drew her against him to grind his arousal against her. “One that landed in the right place.” He smiled wryly. “If you hadn’t, I would seriously need to work on my seduction techniques.”
He reiterated his response with a dramatic sigh that startled a giggle from her—a sound she immediately tried to swallow. She never giggled!
“Oh,” she puffed as his arms tightened around her. “Your techniques seem to be working just fine.”
“Good, since I booked a private room for us already.” He hesitated briefly. “Or we could go to the house I’m temporarily renting at the employee housing on the Ridge. The choice is yours.”
Her heart warmed that he offered her the right to choose, which showed his level of integrity. Strangely, she had no fear of being alone with him in an intimate setting. She scraped her nails across her palm. “Perhaps… just to avoid the snickering and knowing looks in the morning, would you mind if we go to your house?”
“I wouldn’t mind at all, little one.”
His voice held wicked promises that sent anticipatory shivers down her spine. “Well, there’s definitely nothing wrong with your confidence, Master Crone.”
“With you, I am more scared than confident, but a man has to plan ahead, little one. That’s the key to positive manifestation.”
