Fuck, he loved the sweet lilt of her voice. With deliberate steps, he eliminated the distance between them until he was bare inches from her. The heat from their bodies mingled. He held his breath, the better to hear her slightest response while he stroked her collarbone with his fingertips, moving them to circle under her breasts then spiral in toward her pale nipples.

No reaction. No sigh. Not even a tiny intake of air.

“Hmm.” Hot need thrummed through him. Yet she was unmoved.

A tremor pulsed along his spine when he reached to clasp her nape, threading his fingers into the tight strands of hair held in place by her braid. With a tug, he pulled her against him and began a soft perusal of her lips. It was almost painful to brush against a mouth he wanted to plunder. He slowly drew the tip of his tongue across her plump bottom lip. When she opened to him, he kissed her deeply, tasting and teasing.

The sense of urgency that was hammering him found no equal response from Adrianna. He discerned no overt reaction from her, and yet he was drowning in the sweet lushness of her mouth. His pants had grown tighter while his erection hardened to a throbbing ache.

Gods, maybe he’d been right in comparing her to a caryatid. She was more like an android who could mimic the act of sexual desire without the passion that transcended the purely physical.

He stroked her breasts, pulling and tweaking her nipples until they were stiff and erect.

No other response from her.

Nothing audible.

Her breathing hadn’t changed. What the fuck?

With two fingers, he reached and swabbed her pussy. She was wet, so her arousal was unmistakable. Her body wanted him, but her mind was somewhere else.

This wouldn’t do. If her instruction at the Institute required her to become a sexual automaton, then he needed to reverse that training. He wanted more than just a pliable body.

“Where are you, Adrianna?”

Her brow wrinkled. “Where am I? I’m here with you, Master?”

“Are you?”

She nodded, but her eyebrows remained knitted together. “Yes, Master. How may I please you?”

Her face grasped between his hands, he demanded, “Look at me, Adrianna.”

Eyes, a hazy green, any hint of sparkle muted, rose to meet his.

Was she in subspace? She couldn’t be, but with her lack of reaction and those eyes… “When I am with you, I want all of you present. Even though your bio said you slide into subspace easily, I never imagined…”

He tapped her face with one finger. “Don’t. I want you with me. No disconnecting. You will experience everything I do to you fully. Understood?”

She blinked. “Yes, Sir.”

Shane watched the slow transformation while her body became more animated and her eyes brightened. Most submissives required a steady buildup of pain and endorphins before they found subspace. This ability to will herself there was something he had never encountered. He rubbed against her, pressing his chest into the cushion of her breasts, sliding his erection, hard and demanding, along her belly.

“I want to feel, hear, and see your response. Don’t hide from me. I need your responses to make this right for both of us.” With those words, he wrapped her braid around his hand and pulled her head back, taking her mouth in a devouring kiss.

This time, her tongue twining with his, Adrianna moaned, her body melting into him, her heat penetrating his skin. The insistent ache of his cock incited him to sink into her warm, wet depth. A groan rose from his gut in testimony to his rampant desire.

“Much better,” he breathed, kissing his way up to her ear, biting, then sucking on the lobe. “Much, much better. Trust me not to harm you.” He flicked his tongue along the shell of her ear. He had to stop. Get back on track. You’re taking this slow. Remember.

“Mmmmm. Come.” Shane drew Adrianna to the bed, sat, and then hauled her over his lap facedown, holding her in place with one hand across her shoulders and the other on her back. “Adrianna, you have a truly glorious ass.” It was impossible not to appreciate the perfectly rounded shape or to smooth a palm over each firm half. “Plan on me spanking you regularly.” He gave her a light slap and watched the jiggle. “Huh. Definitely gonna spank you often.” Among other things. His cock twitched its agreement.

He returned to stroking, getting lost for a moment in the softness. Her skin was slightly cool to the touch, but that would soon change. He smirked, then caught himself. This wasn’t going to be that kind of spanking, not erotic, not sensual. He’d always taken pride in his ability to remain in control, but it was fucking hard with this delectable woman pressed against his thighs.

“I don’t enjoy punishing, but I will when it needs to be done. Punishment in whatever form it takes will always be painful.”

He squeezed her shoulder. Spanking might not be the appropriate penalty for her, but it was his preferred corporal punishment. Time to find out her reaction before they were in a situation where it was needed. This would help him decide.

“Day to day you can expect me to discipline you, but the goal of that is not to cause you pain and will rarely be physical. Punishment is different. It’s reserved for willful disobedience. If you refuse to obey me, without using your safe word, I will punish you. If you lie to me, I will punish you. If you do anything that reflects negatively on the Marshals Service, I will punish you. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Sir.” The response was muffled since Adrianna had buried her face in the bedding. He bent and kissed her shoulder, his nose filling with her bright, tangy scent. She was sweet lemonade on a hot summer day. He controlled his desire to continue to nuzzle.

“I’m going to give you a sample of what to expect. I spank a lot in play. This will not be like that.”

Adrianna’s core tensed against his thighs.

“Five swats. No buildup. Expect them to be hard and to hurt. It would be better if you relaxed your muscles.”

“Yes, Sir.” The lilt was gone from her voice.

The tension in her body decreased slightly, but she was nowhere near at ease. He hadn’t really expected her to be.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, Master.”

Shane raised his arm and brought his palm onto her right butt cheek. His hand flashed, and he struck her left butt cheek. He dealt two swift, forceful spanks to each of the sensitive areas where her ass and thighs met. His final blow smacked her right butt cheek with another brisk slap.

Adrianna had cried out with the first strike, and by the last she was sobbing. Shane pulled her up and into his arms, snuggling her against his chest. A shudder shook her frame. He’d limited the spanking to stinging blows and, despite what he’d told her, used a light hand. Her aversion to excessive pain was documented in the paperwork he’d received from the Institute. She clearly required pleasure to balance pain. Her high marks in composure still baffled him. To do well, she’d have had to endure physical and emotional duress. Her ability to drop into subspace might explain that, but how did she have such amazing control? She was intriguing.

“Hush. You’re a good girl. Hush now.” He stroked her back, her arms, her hair, comforting her until she quieted.

He brought her chin up, looking into her eyes for long seconds. “I’m proud of you. You took that spanking bravely.” She sniffled and nodded. With his thumb, he wiped the damp trail from her cheek, kissed her forehead, and pulled her close. A slight judder ran through her, and he gave her a squeeze. Holding her was incredible. This was what he needed. Someone to hold, someone to bury himself in, a retreat from the misery that beleaguered him. He brought his lips to her forehead and kissed her again.

“You are such a beautiful submissive.” He tweaked the nipple of one breast and then the other. She quivered slightly. Whether as a last remnant of her tears or in arousal, he couldn’t tell. “I will always find pleasure in obedience and honesty even if the truth is unpalatable. Don’t lie to me, Adrianna. It’s the one thing I can’t abide in a submissive.”

“Yes, Sir. I understand.”

“Good. You deserve a reward.” His cock twitched.

“Yes, please. Thank you, Master.” She trembled in response.

He dipped her back and touched the tip of her nipple with his tongue, then swirled it around before drawing the nipple into his mouth. Mmmmm. He could suck for hours, but he didn’t have much time, and he wanted to give her a release for taking her sample punishment so well. His personal code as a Dom required he do so, but the need to experience her complete abandonment to pleasure was his truer motivation. He continued to tease her nipples, enjoying each taut peak, trailing his tongue over it before nipping and sucking. The little gasps Adrianna made while he played were an erotic counterpoint each time he grazed his teeth over her breasts. She was so responsive. What would it be like to get his rope on her? He would make her beg for the friction of hemp along her skin.

He drew his fingers featherlight down her side, spread her legs, and stroked her mound until she was bucking up, seeking him to press into her folds. Which he did, sinking one finger inside, exploring her moist heat. This time her gasp was louder, her back arching in a sharp jerk.

He smiled and flicked his tongue in teasing circles around her nipple, the flavor of her skin just the right combination of salty and sweet. What would her pussy taste like? He swiped through her wet arousal, bringing his fingers to his mouth to lave, licking up every tart drop. Her flavor was like sunshine, warm with a citrusy tang he could become addicted. He returned his fingers to her pussy, swirling to find the sensitive nub and caressing it with measured strokes. She was amazing. When he finally had the time to do things right, he would make her come and come and come.

Lips grazing her succulent mouth, he murmured, “You are so delectable, Adrianna. I could spend hours touching you, tasting you. I want to savor every inch of you.” He drew two fingers over her clit to her entrance, rubbing up and down. The need to watch her tumble into orgasm was running counter to his desire to make this perfect for her. She moaned, her hips rocking on his lap in a gentle rhythm. “Does that feel good, Adrianna?”

“Mmmm, yes, Master.”

“Would you like me to fuck you with my fingers?”

“Yes, please, Master.” She bucked harder against his hand.

He bit her nipple lightly and moved his index finger inside her tight channel, curling and exploring to discover where his strokes gave her the most pleasure, while avoiding tearing her hymen. “Let me hear your desire, Adrianna.”

The injunction had barely left Shane’s lips when Adrianna’s breathing hitched. She puffed out little breathy exclamations that touched off emotions inside Shane that he’d not experienced in a very long time. His deep-seated need to protect, to provide, and to possess, yes, even to cherish was awash in satisfaction when she conceded control of her body to him. It had been ages since he’d been with a submissive that brought out this response. That he felt it so soon was beyond crazy. Maon had said he was an emotional wreck. He must be if he was allowing thoughts of cherishing to infiltrate his brain. Domination. That was what he needed, a woman to dominate. And this one was as close to ideal as he had ever found.

“You are so perfect,” he groaned, taking possession of her lips in a deep kiss, pushing his tongue into the warmth of her mouth while he thrust two digits into the snug moisture of her sheath. With his thumb stroking her clit, Shane urged, “Come for me Adrianna, come for me.”

The blush that had stolen across her neck and upper chest deepened. A frenetic energy overtook her until her pussy clenched tight on his fingers, and her body jerked, rigidly arched. He breathed in the heady scent that rolled from her and found that he was panting too, watching the orgasm work its way through her.

When she stilled, he withdrew his hand and stroked her hip while he continued to murmur words of appreciation. With a half-lidded stare, she offered him a sweet smile that crept up her face from her lips to her eyes like a sunrise cresting over the horizon. He kissed the warmth of that smile.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled away. “A mhuirnín, sweetheart. We have much to do.”

He scooped her in his arms and carried her into the bath, setting her on the counter. With a freshening cloth from the warmer, he wiped her clean and then rinsed his hands. When she was on her feet, he said, “Get dressed.” A quick pop of his palm on her rear made her squeal. He grinned to himself. Maybe Maon was right. He’d needed something to brighten his life. Adrianna Pacquin was a blaze of sunshine that had already pushed back the gloom that overwhelmed him. Fuck. He was one lucky bastard.

He stepped into the bedroom and watched her pull on her panties. “We need to eat, shop for your shipboard wardrobe, and keep an appointment to upgrade your EBC and immunizations.” Another drop of pleasure plopped into his heart when she looked up, eyes and mouth rounded in O’s of surprise.

Copyright © Cailin Briste