Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 86510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“You may not agree if you drink it straight. You get a lot of floral and sweet from the bitters and sugar.”
“It was delicious.”
“Tomorrow I’ll take you for a Pimm’s cup. That’s another famous New Orleans cocktail, and they’re very refreshing and delicious.”
“I’m not a huge drinker, Ronan.”
“I know that. I can tell. But you have to try one Pimm’s cup. It’s more of an afternoon drink.”
“All right. As I said, I’ll defer to your expertise while we’re here.”
I gaze at her face then. Take in her beauty.
In a way, it’s a very innocent beauty. The girl-next-door beauty. Even though I know that she, as a seasoned submissive, is far from innocent. But perhaps she’s innocent in other ways. In the art of cuisine and libations, for sure.
The odd thing is…
I want to know more about her. And not just in the bedroom.
Which is odd, considering I couldn’t give the same to Keira, who I care for, and with whom I shared a good chemistry as a Dominant to her submissive.
I have no idea if Mary and I have any chemistry in that way.
I desperately want to find out.
Chapter Eighteen
Mary
Back at the hotel, I’m surprised that I don’t feel bloated. We had quite a large dinner, but the portions were small, and though I was getting full, I feel fine now.
“Tomorrow,” Ronan says as he sees me to my hotel room door, “I’ll knock on your door at ten a.m. We’ll go to Café Du Monde for beignets and coffee.”
Disappointment threads through me. I’m not ready for this evening to end.
Ronan cups my cheek and strokes my jawline. “Good night, Mary.”
“Good night.”
He turns away.
“Ronan?”
He looks over his shoulder at me. “Yes?”
“I…”
“What is it?”
“Never mind. It can wait.”
His gaze darkens. “Do you want me to come in your room, Mary?”
“Yes. I do.”
“All you had to do was ask.”
He comes back, takes the key from me, and unlocks the door. I walk in, and he follows.
Then he cups both my cheeks. I can’t resist a face holder. Especially when searing blue eyes are gazing into mine.
“What do you want, Mary? Tell me, and it’s yours.”
“I don’t kiss,” I say bluntly.
“That’s a shame. You have beautiful lips.”
“I mean…I don’t kiss when I play. I don’t like to get that personal with a Dom. It’s not something I’ve ever really enjoyed, anyway.”
“Then you haven’t been kissing the right people.”
“Maybe not,” I admit. “I’ve only been in one real relationship before I became a submissive, and that was in high school. Then in college I got involved…” I sigh. “I just don’t kiss.”
“What is it that you don’t like about kissing?” he asks.
“I don’t know. It’s so…personal.”
“That it is.” He trails a finger over my bottom lip. “And that’s not what you want.”
“No. Not really. I’m a submissive. I play with several Doms, though not at the same time. It works for me. But you…”
“I what?”
“Something. I don’t know. You make me want something else.”
He trails his finger over the shell of my ear. “What is that? Because you’ve made it clear you’re not interested in a scene.”
I gaze downward. “It’s not that I’m not interested. It’s that…”
I’m not sure what to say. My aversion to kissing isn’t making sense to me at the moment, because all I can truly think about is Ronan’s lips on mine.
He tips my chin upward. “I think I can change your mind about kissing.”
I open my mouth to object, but—
His lips come down on mine.
My first kiss in…how long?
He tastes like a dream—sweetness from the bread pudding, boldness from his after-dinner coffee. And his tongue. God, his velvety tongue, twirling with mine. It’s a deep and passionate kiss. Already my legs are wobbling, but his strong arms hold me steady.
I have no toys here.
Nothing to make a scene for him.
Even if I did, I wouldn’t dare do anything on this antique furniture. It’s not made for that.
Still he kisses me, walks forward until my back is against the wall.
His cock grinds into my belly. He’s hard, so hard.
All I can think about is him inside me. That gorgeous cock between my legs.
Already I know it’s gorgeous.
And already I know—
But I stop thinking. I let myself go, soft moans coming out of my throat as he pushes me against the wall. I melt into the kiss without meaning to, and just when I don’t ever want it to end—
He breaks the kiss, trails his lips to my ear, nipping my earlobe.
“What do you think about kissing now?” he whispers with a groan.
I try to form the words, but I can’t. All that comes out of my mouth is a soft whimper.
“I see,” he whispers, his breath hot on my ear. “I’d like nothing more than to kiss you again.”
“Please…” I sigh.
This time he slides his lips over mine in a quick brush. “Except I’m afraid I may not be able to stop with a kiss.”