“Trees…” Before she realized it, she’d moaned his name, plunged her fingers in his thick hair, and urged his face deeper onto her sex.

  “Yes. That’s it. God, you’re sweet, little one. Fuck. Come on my tongue.”

  How? In her experience, orgasm was for men, but TV and films suggested otherwise. Maybe it was possible for her to cry out and gush with pleasure. The more he ate at her with his mouth, the more she felt that something inside her cresting.

  If she climaxed, would she fall asleep afterward? Was that why he was heaping pleasure on her?

  She couldn’t let that happen. She had to reach her sister.

  “No…” Laila meant her denial to be forceful.

  “Yes. I want you to.” The flat of his tongue stroked her sensitive bud again, swiping, flicking, teasing. He slipped another finger into her and twisted his hand to rub a spot that had her crying out for more. “Do it for me.”

  The rumbling timbre of his command sizzled through her, unbearably seductive. In that moment, she ached to comply.

  “You can do it. Be my good girl. Come right here…” He stuck out his tongue, then marked the spot by manipulating her rigid bud back and forth, unrelentingly, unceasingly, his burning stare demanding everything from her.

  She couldn’t refuse.

  Moments melted away with the sawing of her breath and the gonging of her heart. Under the onslaught of his tongue, it didn’t matter why she was here, where she was going, or what she had planned. All she knew was the tension coiling and building in her body—gathering, swirling, tightening—and the man arousing it all.

  “Yes!” She clutched the sheets and writhed, digging her heels into the mattress, unable to stop herself.

  He groaned against her throbbing flesh and shoved another finger deep, sweeping the tips over a tingling spot high and inside her. Together with the vibrations from his mouth, he unleashed a firestorm of need. Where he penetrated her, Laila burned. The conflagration of pleasure threatened to roast her alive.

  “Now.” His command reached inside her and ripped away the last of her worries, questions, and restraint.

  Her blood pooled and thickened. Her nipples puckered. Her legs went stiff. The tension between her thighs threatened to split her in two.

  Her hips moved against him. She heard a whining sound in her ears, then realized that was her begging. The coming cataclysm was going to be dreadful and wonderful, and it might kill her.

  Laila no longer cared.

  Her heart banged against her chest as the churning sensations converged and melded. She thrashed and twisted, holding her breath, suspended in an impossible moment of rising pleasure-pain.

  Then she exploded in a burning rush.

  Laila grabbed his hair, her legs tightening around his shoulders, as she screamed in a voice high and dying with need. “Trees!”

  Laila came like a woman discovering pleasure for the first time. Nothing turned Trees on more. She writhed and keened through an orgasm that jolted her whole body. He kept at her slick, swollen pussy, laving, licking, and heaping all the sensation on her he could, as if it was his biological imperative.

  Because it was.

  From the moment he’d set eyes on her, he’d ached to make her his. Might as well stop bullshitting himself. Sure, he’d fought the feeling because she was a client and supposed to be off-limits. And her fear of him had been palpable. None of that had stopped him from watching her every move. Listening to her every word. Guessing her every thought. Wanting her with every breath.

  Once she’d touched him, resisting was impossible.

  Now she dripped on his tongue, and the reality of having her under him, bucking for him while screaming his name in ecstasy, was way better than his fantasies.

  Trees clutched her thighs and ate at her with unabashed zeal, dry humping the mattress like a teenager desperate for his first lay. Laila did that to him. She was beyond beautiful. She was everything.

  Finally, her high-pitched shriek of excitement—one every person in a two-mile radius had likely heard—dwindled to soft moans, then the occasional cry. Whimpers followed before she twisted and tried to close her legs.

  Too sensitive. Right.

  Trees knew that in his head and tried to back off, but…she tasted so sweet and he craved more.

  His brain had gotten the memo. His libido didn’t give a shit. That part of him had zero intention of letting her go.

  Sliding his way up Laila’s body and taking her in his arms, he stared down at her flushed cheeks and parted lips, drinking in her panting breaths. She lifted her heavy lids and stared back. God, she took his breath away.

  “Has that ever happened to you before?”

  She looked away self-consciously. “A man putting his mouth on my… No.”

  Trees cupped her face and coaxed her stare back to him. “I meant orgasm. Ever had one?”

  “No. Before you, I had never even been kissed.”

  Oh, Jesus. He’d been the first? How the fuck was that possible?

  He scrubbed a hand down his face. Had he misunderstood her? “Laila, are you a virgin?”

  She sent him a bitter laugh. “Not for many years.”

  How many? She couldn’t be more than twenty-two. Fuck, he felt lecherous, wanting a woman who was more than a dozen years younger. But everything in his gut told him he could do more than keep her safe. He could make her happy, too. And damn if she didn’t feel like his missing half.

  Slow down, buddy. You barely know her.

  Besides, what Laila had inadvertently divulged confirmed some ugly math. Never been kissed plus not a virgin, multiplied by orgasm deficit, divided by afraid of men equaled she’d been raped, probably by someone in Emilo Montilla’s cartel. His money was on Hector and Victor Ramos.

  Suddenly, Trees itched to go on a killing spree.

  But Laila, looking defiant even as she tried to make herself seem small, needed him more.

  “I’m sorry, little one. I’ll never hurt you. Ever.” He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, drinking in her warmth and the hint of perspiration sheening her skin. “I meant what I said earlier.”

  She frowned in confusion.

  “All you have to do is say red,” he reminded her. “I’ll stop whatever I’m doing.”

  Her frown deepened. “Why?”

  There were a lot of ways to interpret her question, but she didn’t know or care about the Dominant code of conduct. She probably didn’t believe that there were men who would never take pleasure in forcing a woman against her will.

  He settled for the simplest answer. “I want you to feel safe with me. You should know that you have the ultimate power between us. If anything hurts, upsets, or scares you, tell me. There won’t be any judgment, blame, coercion, or belittling. We’ll stop. We’ll talk. We’ll work it out.”

  She traced a finger up his arm and licked her lips. “What if I want you to make me feel good again?”

  Trees’s heart jumped into his throat as he started to shimmy back down the bed. “I’m more than happy to. Spread your legs and—”

  “That is not what I meant.” She hesitated, biting her lip nervously. “Can you make me feel like that if you are inside me?”

  Oh, hell yeah, he could. But short-term gratification—as much as he wanted it—wasn’t the point. “Are you sure you’re ready for that? I can be patient. I can love your body in a million other ways. We don’t have to…”

  “Fuck? I want to, if you can make me feel good again.”

  He fucking wanted it, too, but… “I can. I just don’t want to rush you.”

  “Why wait?” She pressed kisses along his jaw, then drifted down his neck. “In a few minutes, you gave me more pleasure than I have ever known. I could be afraid of all that has happened to me, but if I let fear control me, they win.”

  Trees couldn’t fault her logic. She hadn’t mentioned any emotional attachment to him, but that didn’t worry him yet. She had no idea he was already half in love with her. And after everything she had been through, did she even know what she was feeling, except the urge to be brave and accept her desires?

  That was fine. He could work with it.

  “Then we’ll make sure they lose. What’s the word to say if you need to stop me?”

  “Red.”

  “Yep. Anything you know you don’t like? Don’t want?” Anything guaranteed to fuck with your head?

  She bit her swollen lip, then brushed a stray strand of damp hair from her temple. “Do not hit me.”

  Trees swallowed back his anger to clarify. “Define hit. Spanking your butt?”

  “As if I am a child?” She scowled, shaking her head as if she’d never heard of such a thing. “No. With your fist. To my face.”

  That was it. He was definitely going to kill some motherfuckers the second he got a chance. All she had to do was point them out, and he would end them—preferably with his bare hands so he could both feel it and ensure he inflicted maximum pain.

  She recoiled. “If that request makes you angry—”

  “No.” Was she saying she’d let him hit her? “I’m not mad at you, little one.” He forced his expression to soften and cupped her cheek. “I’m furious anyone would treat you with force and violence. But you have nothing to worry about from me. I only want to please you.”

  That wasn’t totally true. He also wanted to protect her and avenge her. He wanted to love her, own her, and dominate her, too. God, she’d look beautiful in nothing but sheer lace and his collar. But he was getting way ahead of himself…

  “Then I want you inside me now,” she whispered.

  Laila was unexpectedly blunt, and his aching cock didn’t mind at all. “I’m happy to oblige.”

  Beneath him, she smiled and spread her legs.

  Then something damn inconvenient occurred to him. “I don’t have any condoms.”

  “The doctor in Florida tested me. I do not have any disease.”

  Her indignation was cute. “I don’t, either. But you could get pregnant.”

  The image of her swelling and ripe with their baby made his desire claw at the door of its cage, determined to be set free. He didn’t dare.

  She shook her head. “My sister and I have had shots.”

  “For birth control?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?” If Laila was no longer being held hostage by her rapists and she had never taken a lover voluntarily, it didn’t make sense.

  “Valeria thought it was a good idea to maintain such things in case Emilo ever found us.”

  And they got dragged back to be abused again. Fuck.

  “Your sister was thinking ahead.”

  “Yes.” But now that they’d agreed to have sex and put the business end of the details to rest, she looked nervous again.

  “Laila?”

  She blinked. “I-I have never done this because I wanted to, only because a man demanded it.”

  And she didn’t know how to act or what to do. He hurt like hell for her. She’d endured so much. Trees vowed to give her nothing but the utmost pleasure.

  “We don’t have to rush. I’ll kiss you for a while and if you still want this and you feel ready—”

  “No. I do not want to wait.”

  Because she had worked up the courage to have sex with him? Trees would like this loads better if she wanted it because she wanted him. But if he made her feel good, that would hopefully come. Maybe her feelings would, too.

  He’d never expected to fall for a client, and the bosses were going to have his ass. But he didn’t give a shit. Yeah, he might lose his job, but his sweet Laila had been through so much adversity, fighting for survival alone. She needed someone willing to fight for her, to take care of her, no matter what.

  She needed him.

  He cupped her face. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.” She surprised him by raising her head, slanting her lips under his, opening to him softly, and inviting him inside.

  The kiss jolted him. Their connection kicked him. The rightness of it nearly bowled him over.

  He didn’t feel this way just because she was beautiful. He’d known beautiful women all over the world. It wasn’t just because he ached to protect her. He’d protected the vulnerable for half his life. It was Laila herself. Her will was so strong, but her fragility underneath kindled every one of his protective instincts. Tonight, she had finally begun letting go of her wariness and suspicion and opening herself to him. He knew that because when he’d set his mouth on her, when she had been moments from orgasm, he’d felt her total and utter surrender.

  Coaxing Laila, winning her trust slowly but inexorably… That fucking did something to him. So did knowing he’d been the first man to kiss her, the first man to make her come. Now he ached to give her first consensual sexual experience and make damn sure she enjoyed it enough to come back for seconds. For thirds. For more. Forever. So he would be the first—and last—man to win her heart.

  Stop getting ahead of yourself, buddy…

  Reluctantly, he ended the kiss. “Am I crushing you?”

  “No.”

  “Would you feel more comfortable on top?”

  “Of you?” She frowned. “I have never done that. How would that make me more comfortable?”

  By Laila’s own admission, she was no virgin, but in some ways she was sweetly naive. “Would you feel better if you were in control?”

  Understanding dawned on her face, but she shrugged. “I do not know. What do you prefer?”

  Obviously, she hadn’t caught on to the fact he liked to be in charge, but he could pause that until Laila relaxed. “My goal is to give you what you need, little one. What would make you happy?”

  “I have never met a man who asked questions before sex.”

  She’d also never been in bed with one who hadn’t raped her. But they could talk in circles for hours. The truth was, Laila didn’t know what she wanted in a lover because she’d never had one. He was accustomed to being in control, and it was his responsibility to give her what she needed. The anxiety plaguing her since he’d picked her up in Florida had only quieted when he’d inundated her with pleasure. So as far as he could tell, she needed more orgasms.

  He was damn happy to provide them.

  “Then I’ll stop asking, but I expect you to tell me how everything I do to you feels. If you don’t like it, I want to know. If you do, I want to hear you scream.”

  Laila nodded. “All right.”

  Not exactly a yes, sir, but someday he swore she would say those words to him.

  But they were done talking for now. And the longer he stared, drinking her in, the more nervous she got. Time to dismantle her jitters so he could give her what she needed.

  Trees took her mouth again, softly at first. She parted her lips, instantly yielding to him. She tasted like the spices from dinner and something addictively sweet. He chased her flavor, wanting more on his tongue as she wrapped hers around him, her legs around him, and gave herself over to him.

  Their kiss went from exploratory to hot with a single beat of his heart. He slanted his lips over hers and delved deeper, gripping her hips to hold on as his desire rose hot and fast. Under him, she moaned. Then she began shifting restlessly beneath him—slowly at first. But with every sweep of his tongue and every caress of his hand, she shifted more, lifted, rolled, and arched in whimpered invitation.

  Fuck, she was torching his self-control.

  Thankfully, she seemed equally affected, clinging to him with needy fingers and locking them behind his neck as she gasped into their next kiss, spreading her legs wider for him. He tore away from her mouth long enough to see her dilated eyes, heavy lids, and flushed cheeks. She struggled for air, for understanding. For pleasure.

  Trees didn’t have to ask if she was aroused. He just hoped like fuck that penetrating Laila wouldn’t cause her pain.

  Tucking her knees into the crooks of his elbows, he prodded until his cock aligned against her slick, swollen flesh. “Are you ready, little one?”

  Mentally? Physically, he knew she was.

  “Yes,” she breathed, her lids floating shut. Then she kissed her way across his jaw, pressing her lips to his ear. “I have never felt this way. Please…”

  Why the hell would he ever resist that?

  Slowly, he pushed forward, inching his way in. She closed around him like hot, tight silk. Her body gripped the head of his cock, twitching around him as if she sought to suck him deeper. Already she felt so epic his head began to spin.

  He drove down another couple of inches. She tightened and gasped before breathing out in long, ragged pleasure while she squeezed him like a vise.

  Holy shit.

  He withdrew until the head of his cock barely kissed her opening, then he surged inside her, driving down until he met gentle resistance and he shuddered in a shocking flash of desire.

  She was fucking going to burn him alive.

  “Feel good, honey?”

  Laila blinked up at him, soft, confused eyes framed by thick black lashes. She exhaled and all but melted against him. “Yes.”

  That fact surprised her. She didn’t understand why she liked his touch. He’d bet her head tried to intrude on the instinctive pleasure her body was feeling, telling her to be afraid. Telling her to fight.

  Trees wasn’t letting that shit come between them. “Good. I won’t do anything to your body that you don’t love. Feel my touch, focus on my voice. Give in to the need.”

  She nodded, head bobbing slowly, as he packed another inch inside her so-tight pussy.

  Again, Laila clenched. She dug her nails into his back. Her thighs tensed. But her expression—eyes sliding shut, mouth gaping open—was full of rapture.

  He was already big and tall, but her reaction made him feel like a giant, like he was on top of the world.

  Trees trailed kisses across her temple, to her ear where he nipped on her lobe. “You’re so tight around me. It’s heaven. I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you, but this blows my fantasies away.”

  Her breathing picked up pace. “More.”

  In good time. “I don’t want to go too fast. I don’t want to hurt you.”