“Mmm. Your nipples. I dream of these…” He licked each, bathing them with his tongue as if he’d never tasted anything sweeter, then watched as the vent above poured cold air straight onto the damp tips, hardening them even more.

  God, she was so acutely sensitive, she could feel every lick and bump of his tongue… Madison gasped, then moaned.

  “You look perfect. I’m going to keep them just like this…” Matt hurled himself off the bed long enough to study the row of implements affixed to the wall.

  The seconds he studied his choices felt like a year, but he finally returned with a grin and a pair of sturdy metal circles with screws at top and bottom, each maneuvering a flat metallic pad with little spikes.

  “What are those?”

  But she knew. Her heart skipped a beat with fear even as her womb clenched and her sex gushed.

  “Clamps for those pretty nipples. Let’s try them on…” He settled one over her hard tip, then started screwing from both ends.

  Slowly, the metal blocks compacted her buds. The little spikes added a delicious bite of pain until she hissed.

  Oh, god. She loved it.

  “Matt…”

  “Look how much wetter you got.” He sounded beyond pleased. “My girl likes a little agony with her suffering, don’t you?”

  Admitting he was right was so embarrassing. It wasn’t polite. It wasn’t ladylike. It wasn’t any of the things she’d been raised to be. It certainly wasn’t anything the Pershings would approve of. “Matt…”

  “Answer me.”

  When he demanded in that voice, he held the key to her body in his hand—and he wielded it ruthlessly. Madison couldn’t resist. “Yes, Matt. So much.”

  “I’m here for it. And your honesty deserves a reward.”

  Before she could do much more than keen out, he sliced the blade through her underwear at each hip. The scraps of fabric floated away. He tucked the blade in his pocket, then shimmied to the bed between her legs, thumbing her bare clit while he stared as if nothing had ever fascinated him half so much.

  “So juicy. So hard. Look at you, honey…”

  Sensation jolted through her. Madison writhed. “More. Please, Matt.”

  “You beg so sweetly. So beautifully,” he crooned. “All alone in my room the past couple of mornings, I wondered how many times I could make you come in a few hours. Time to find out…”

  And he proceeded to learn, tonguing her clit until she detonated once while clawing the air, then a second time while she screamed. Then he removed the clamps. As the blood rushed back into her nipples, he sucked and pinched them ravenously.

  Any cooldown from her climaxes disappeared, and when he finally climbed up her limp, damp body, licking his lips and smelling like her, Madison tightened with need all over again.

  Why could this man take her apart so easily?

  Maybe for the same reason he can fix you. He owns your body. He owns your soul.

  He climbed off the bed and tore at his pants impatiently, withdrawing a condom and slapping it on the nightstand. Then, with eyes like an animal of prey, he slinked above her again, lowered his lips to her tender breasts, nipping and sucking, as he fitted his fingers inside her, tips curling up until he hit the spot that made her gasp and her whole body jerk.

  “There. That’s mine to exploit…” he insisted in a deceptively soft, low voice. “Let’s take it for a spin.”

  Madison wasn’t completely sure what he meant until he rubbed that spot rhythmically, roughly, unrepentantly. The pressure and pleasure built inside her again, but different. This ball of need was heavier, higher, tighter. Blood rushed. Her heartbeat roared. Her entire body convulsed, and she came explosively, wetness streaming in a way she’d never felt. The sensation went on and on and on. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. She could only feel and wonder how he’d made her body so completely his and how him treating it like his personal playground could feel this amazing.

  When he finally withdrew his fingers, rubbed her wetness through her pussy, then licked his digits with a groan, Madison struggled to process the pleasure. Her breathing wouldn’t slow. Her skin wouldn’t stop erupting with goose bumps. She stared at Matt. He was both a sex god and an enigma.

  “What happened?”

  He raised a brow. “You don’t know?”

  “No. I’ve never felt… That was totally…”

  “You squirted. God, that was hot. I can’t wait to do that again.”

  Was he serious? Every one of her muscles felt limp. Her body was sweaty and spent. “I can’t.”

  “You can,” he assured. “We’ll do it again at least once more tonight.”

  Her mind recoiled…but her body had other ideas, tightening again with interest. “That’s insane.”

  “Call it determined, honey. I’m nowhere near done with you.” He glanced down her body. “Look at these dark, swollen nipples. And that puffy little pussy.”

  When he reached for the condom, she tried to close her thighs. “I’ll be sore.”

  “You’ll be sated. You’ve only given up three orgasms to me today. Let’s try for a nice half dozen.”

  Even the suggestion made her faint. It made her heart pound, too. He was intensely dedicated to her pleasure.

  As if she posed no resistance at all, he pried her thighs apart, then settled a pair of fingers on her G-spot again while thumbing circles around her clit. At his first touch, she gasped. How many ways could he possibly manipulate her body to his chosen outcome? Madison was afraid of the answer. She only knew that seconds later, she was voluntarily spreading her legs wider, lifting her hips, and begging. In under a minute, she was on the precipice of another DNA-altering orgasm.

  “You want me to fuck you?” he taunted.

  “Please, Matt.” God, she wouldn’t be able to breathe until he did.

  “Enough to beg me for it?”

  Her pride meant nothing in the face of this ecstasy. “Yes. Please, please… I need you inside me. Deep. I need to feel you.”

  “You going to come for me again?”

  The climax she would have said was impossible mere minutes ago now felt imperative. “Yes!”

  “More than once?”

  Madison was learning never to say never where Matt was concerned. “Yes.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes, Matt. I promise. Please. Please…”

  With a feral smile, he gripped her hips, stared into her eyes, and plunged deep inside her.

  She screamed, arching and stunned, as another orgasm slammed through her, steamrolling her and totally taking her by surprise.

  The growl that fell from Matt’s lips came from somewhere deep inside him. “Fuck, honey. Oh, fuck. You’re so swollen. So fucking tight. This is going to go fast.”

  “Yes. Yes. Now!”

  He held her down to the mattress with a vise grip and pressed his forehead to hers. “Bend your knee.”

  Of her one free leg? Madison did, startled when he scooped it up in the crook of his elbow, then started slamming himself again and again against her sensitized flesh. It only took a handful of strokes before the need to come barreled through her once more, mowing past her guardrails and blowing up her resistance. The burst of bliss detonated as he stiffened above her and ground out an inhuman sound of pleasure. She shuddered and spasmed with an anguish of sensation that had her seeing black spots, struggling to breathe, and loving every minute she spent with Matt even more.

  “Such a fucking good girl.” He smashed his mouth over hers, stealing her breath again before he panted out his next admission. “Love you so much.”

  Madison’s heart was in her throat when his face twisted, mirroring every needy, desperate feeling inside her. His expression was a revelation. He needed her like she needed him. He’d done his time—years ago—of denying it. She could almost feel his determination not to let her fall into the same trap that had once pulled them apart, no matter what hurt still lay unhealed and no matter what shit Todd Pershing spewed to undermine their love.

  With that look, he broke her heart and put it back together at once.

  Tears stung her eyes. Her vision turned watery before hot drops rolled down her cheeks. “Love you so much, too.”

  “Oh, honey…”

  The torture on his face made her desperate to touch him, reassure him, promise she’d never doubt them again.

  In seconds, he freed her wrists and ankle, disposed of his condom, then curled her body into his so they touched in every place possible. It was possessive, almost stifling. And still, she didn’t feel close enough to him. Would she ever?

  Madison kissed him. “What kind of wedding do you want?”

  “The one that makes you happiest and makes you mine in the eyes of God and our loved ones.”

  She sighed happily. “That sounds perfect.”

  “I know the next three months will feel like forever. Todd will continue to test us. Don’t let him win.”

  “I won’t. I can’t,” she promised with a sob. “For me, there’s no such thing as living without you anymore.”

  He cupped her face and kissed her again. “I know how much trust it cost you to say that. I’ll never let you down. I don’t want to live without you, either.”

  Madison smiled. In that moment, he was hers. She was his. And she hoped like hell that would never change. But she couldn’t shake the nagging fear that nothing about getting free so she could spend the rest of her life with Matt would ever be that simple.

  Chapter Seven

  Cowboy hat pulled low, Matt stood on the curb outside the Dungeon of Discipline with Madison. After cooking up high-protein, low-carb calories for them both, they righted the bedroom, changing the sheets and putting away the play equipment, before setting the kitchen straight. He put the dungeon owner’s SUV in his private garage, then called for an Uber.

  As they waited, Matt resisted the urge to pull Madison against his side and seal everything he felt for her with a kiss so she’d stop worrying about Todd Pershing.

  None of that was happening. She fidgeted in the hot July night, pouring off nervous energy.

  “Tell me why you’re anxious,” he said. “We already know that if Todd is at the apartment, he’s going to be an ass.”

  “He is. I never expected him to let this go, but how much will he escalate?”

  “This? Us spending the evening together? That was our agreement.”

  Madison scoffed. “So? If Todd decides something doesn’t suit him, he’ll change the rules. And find new ways to come between us.”

  Matt was already braced. “Try not to worry. Whatever he does, we’ll work it out.”

  “He’ll do everything in his power to make sure we don’t. Mark my words.”

  Since Todd had been an absolute rat bastard at every turn, Matt agreed.

  “Look at me,” he demanded in the voice that always made her snap to submit. “Stay present with me. Listen to me. Talk to me. We’ll get through this. We’ll have next Thursday to tackle anything else he’s thrown at us, okay?”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, honey. We’re in this together.”

  And after they’d spent the last few hours opening up about their feelings and needs, Matt was convinced down to his bones that their bond was stronger than ever.

  “I hope so, because I apparently don’t have a choice,” she admitted, smiling wryly. “I can’t get enough of you. And I don’t just mean the sex—which is beyond amazing—but even if we’re just breathing together… It’s everything.”

  After that admission, Matt hated that he couldn’t touch her on a public street except with his stare or his words. “You’re wrong. I’m the insatiable one, honey. I’m obsessed. I can’t look at you enough. I can’t hear your voice enough. I can’t even think about you enough. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

  “Would it be awful if I said I’m glad you can’t get me out of your system?”

  “No, because you’re not getting rid of me. And I’m so proud of you for being honest tonight. You trusted me with your feelings and your body, letting me push your boundaries. I can’t wait for next Thursday so we can do it again.” He clenched his fists, resisting an overwhelming urge to put his hands on her. “Fuck, I want you right now.”

  “Again? You are insatiable.”

  “When it comes to you, yeah. No one has ever made me feel this way. No one. And I hate that we have to leave here already. Goddamn Pershing, demanding that we’re back in his fucking cage by nine.”

  “That’s Todd.”

  Their car pulled up. As they climbed in the back of the long black Lincoln and drove away, all Matt could think about was the next time he would have Madison alone again.

  To the quiet hum of the road, they sat, both with a hand on the supple leather of the seat between them, fingers mere inches apart. But the separation felt like miles.

  At nine p.m. on the dot, they entered the penthouse. Just as they’d feared, Todd stood waiting, two feet from the portal. Venom spit from his eyes as he scanned Madison up and down. “Jesus, did you spend all day spreading your legs for the help? You look like you’ve been fucked half to death.”

  Matt couldn’t disagree. She was heavy-lidded, her lips red and seductively swollen. Despite the fact her clothes were nothing special and she wore not a shred of makeup, she’d never looked more beautiful to him. He couldn’t be fucking prouder. Or feel any more possessive.

  Todd’s gaze dropped to her breasts. Fresh rage turned his face red. “You will not leave this house again without a bra.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Bullshit. You’re not wearing one.”

  Since Matt had destroyed her undergarments, she wasn’t—and it showed. Despite her seven orgasms, her tormented nipples still poked the front of her shirt like they begged for more. Matt’s cock stirred again.

  “I must have left it at the spa. Oops.”

  Todd sniffed like he didn’t believe her. “And you fucking smell like him, too, you hillbilly whore.”

  Matt half turned to face her, silently demanding she look his way. “You don’t have to listen to anyone determined to hurt you or tear you down.”

  “Shut the fuck up. I’m her goddamn husband! She’ll listen to whatever I say,” Todd growled, glaring at Madison. “Go wash that low-life’s stench off you.”

  When he reached for her with a furious grip, Matt stepped between them, warning Todd away with a glare. “I told you on day one that you don’t touch her, especially without her consent.”

  “I can touch her whenever I fucking want, in whatever way I want.”

  “Try it and see what happens. This time, I’ll hurt more than your hand.”

  “Fuck off.”

  He ignored Todd. “Do you consent to him touching you?”

  Madison didn’t hesitate. “No. Never again.”

  “Shower.” Todd demanded. “Now.”

  “I’ll shower when I feel like it. Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day. I love how I smell.” Madison drew in a deep breath and smiled. “And I’m enjoying being pleasantly sore all over. You know, from my massage.”

  Todd’s face darkened. “You’re going to regret that.”

  “Let it go. I know you hate to lose, but I’m not a trophy. I’m a woman. A human being. Maybe it’s time you learned what most everyone else knows: You can’t win all the time.”

  “Pershings never lose.”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” she quipped as she walked, loose-hipped and sated, down the foyer and across the open living space toward the hall.

  Matt flashed Todd a smile full of pure fuck-off, then followed Madison to her room.

  At the door, she paused, her eyes bright and twinkling. She was proud of her bravado. He was, too. Cowing to Toddhole wouldn’t have made him any less malicious. Matt was glad she’d recognized that and hadn’t backed down. In fact, he’d wished she’d given the douche more verbal shit. But Matt knew, like she did, that Todd’s retribution was coming.

  “That felt good.” Her smile was half shocked, like she couldn’t believe she’d given back as good as she’d gotten.

  “I’m sure. Get a good night’s sleep.”

  She frowned. “Will you be all right until five a.m.?”

  His body felt as if a Mack truck had hit it, but he wasn’t about to dump that worry in her lap. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

  “Good night,” she whispered longingly.

  “Good night.”

  Reluctantly, Madison shut her door, not taking her eyes off him until the slab of wood snicked into its frame. Matt sagged against the wall, wishing he could curl up beside her warm, naked body and hold her all night long. Since that wasn’t possible, he’d settle for guarding Madison to ensure that Prince Pershing couldn’t hurt her while she slept.

  Matt should have known Todd would never make anything that simple.

  He sauntered up the hall, hands shoved in his pockets. “What is it with you, Montgomery? Do you get off on fucking other men’s wives? Is that why you’re fucking mine?”

  Matt refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer. He simply looked through the son of a bitch, even when Toddhole launched in his face, teeth bared.

  “You think you can just fuck with me?”

  Actually, I’m not acknowledging you at all.

  “Maybe you don’t understand how long my arm is or how powerful my family is.”

  You would be a nothing twerp, subject to the same rules and laws as everyone else, if it weren’t for your grandfather.

  Todd cocked his head. “Or maybe you’re the kind of guy who needs to see all I can do for you.”

  The only thing you can do for me is to get the fuck out of my face.

  “You think you’re infatuated with my wife. You think her pussy is gold. But I can give you platinum. I can give you diamonds. I can give you cunt so rare and perfect that most men would lay down their lives to have it for even a single night.”

  Does this fucker even know how not to objectify women?