Page 30 of Autumn Ritual

He thrust with short, shallow movements. His grip on the rope kept my head pulled back, but just slightly.

“Take it.” His breaths were ragged behind me. “Fucking take it.”

My nails dug into the railing. I rose to the tips of my toes, tipping my pelvis to give him everything.

The subtle shift made the monster growl. His palm slid over my ass. Then it disappeared for a split second before it collided with a crack.

Sweet, delirious pain slithered through me.

The devil spanked me once more before his arm snaked around and his fingers brushed against my clit. The contact was electric. I cried out, gasping and choking on the gag that he kept cinched around my head. He showed no mercy. He pinched and tugged my clit, then made slow, precise circles with the tip of his finger, before a second slid back and forth. All the while, he continued to take me in relentless strokes.

The orgasm built from the inside. The pleasure coiled until it snapped.

I convulsed. My body shuddered as waves tore through my muscles.

Behind me, the monster took me harder. He dropped his hold on the rope, and both his hands found my hips. He lifted my lower half, my feet no longer on the ground, and pushed deeper yet.

He fucked me hard with brutal strokes.

I clenched around him in the aftershocks of release. A mixture of whimpers and mewls broke through the night. My body was weightless. Stars danced across the night.

He thrust once—twice! And then he sank fully inside and stilled with a muted roar. Dropping his forehead against my spine, he gasped for air.

“Are you okay?” I murmured.

He choked on a laugh. “I should be asking you that, angel.”

“I’m wonderful,” I breathed. “That was perfect.”

New ideas sparked in my mind. More scenes and ideas for future moments in my story spun through my mind. But I wasn’t in a hurry to record them in words. Right now, I was content to let this connection remain a feeling. Because I was connected to this monster.

“Can I get you a beer? Or a soda?” I offered, twisting to look behind me.

I wanted more.

But the devil dipped his head, keeping his face in the shadow of that damn Yankee cap. “It’s time for you to go inside, angel. Lock the door. Go to bed.”

A protest squeaked from my throat as he slid out of me.

“Sara,” he warned. “I need you to sleep, my sweet girl.” Carefully, he lowered me to the ground. His hands slid up my spine. “You need to be well-rested so you have a productive day tomorrow.”

What the heck? Was he being serious right now?

He must have sensed my arguments, because he growled in warning. “I’ll only keep coming to visit if you keep a healthy routine. I won’t be the reason you’re distracted from your writing or too tired to work.”

“Fine,” I said tightly.

I felt more than saw his smirk of victory. The menace. Negotiating with me. But that was what happened by not reading the fine print. This deal was sealed, and now there was no choice but to play his game.

Pulling away, he crouched to drag my pajama pants back up my thighs. The material turned damp between my legs, and I realized once again that we’d had unprotected sex. Cavolo. I was really going to have to do something about that. But not right now.

I spun around, thinking of the perfect words to leave the night on. They died on my lips as his hands cupped my face. He bent forward and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. His touch burned. I wanted it to brand me forever.

He whispered softly, “You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, Sara.”

That was it.

Words taken straight out of thin air, they swirled through my chest, leaving a delicious warmth. This time, the heat wasn’t sexual. It was something more.