River switches to my other leg. “You were gone all afternoon. What exactly were you doing?”
Seriously? He wants to talk now?“Why don’t you go ask Oz, he’s the one you sent after me.”
“I told you not to leave the house. You didn’t listen.”
“Yeah, well Oz didn’t listen when you told him to bring me straight back. Aren’t you going to punishhim?” I have no doubt that’s what this is. A punishment. River’s slow, sensual touch as his fingers explore every inch of my body is nothing short of blissful torture.
He pushes my knee out wide and runs a fingertip back and forth along the crease between my upper thigh and my core.
I tilt my head back. My chest heaves with every breath as need coils deep inside of me. “I hate you,” I pant.
River smirks. “Don’t worry. Oz is getting punished as well.”
I quirk a brow. “Oh yeah, you going to chase him down and pin him to the floor too?”
River gives up all pretense of searching me and starts to stroke me over my jeans.
My nails scrape against the wooden floorboards.
“No. Oz’s punishment is that he doesn’t get to have you tonight.”
It’s hard to concentrate right now but I force my eyes to meet his. “You can’t control who I spend my nights with. What are you going to do, lock me in my room?” As much as the unspoken threat has been there, he knows I can pick locks.
“No,” River says. “I’m going to lock you in my room.”
I go still.
River stops his ministrations.
“I thought there were rules against that.” I’m well aware Oz and Jude have been breaking them, but I didn’t think River would cross that line.
River lifts one shoulder. “I’m in charge. I can make new rules. The only time you seem to listen to me is when my hands are on you.”
“So, what? You’re going to fuck me into submission?”
River leans back down till his face hovers above mine. He presses a soft kiss against my lips. “You’ll have a hard time picking the lock when you’re pinned to the bed with my cock.”
Holy shit.He’s going to fuck me into submission.
River doesn’t wait for my response. He just picks me up, throws me over his shoulder and carries me to his room. Heopens the door at the end of the corridor and drops me onto his bed.
I’ve not been in River’s room before and once I’ve righted myself, I look around. Everything is dark and neat. All the furniture is a rich walnut apart from the bed which has an elegant, yet masculine black metal frame and navy silk sheets. There’s not a single item of clothing lying around, and I have a feeling if I opened his wardrobe it would look like one of those show homes.
River catches my chin between his thumb and fingers. “Pay attention.”
I look up at him.
“Good girl.” His lips touch my forehead. “Now strip.”
My mouth drops open but if I’m honest this mix of gentle and bossy is really doing it for me. Not that I’m ready to let River know that just yet. “Do I get a say in this?”
River takes the cufflinks out of his shirt, steady hands rolling up his sleeves. He drops the cufflinks on the chest of drawers to the side of the door. “Pick a safe word, darling.”
Holy moly.I mean, I kind of knew that’s where this was going, but what River said in his office about getting out his crop, comes back to me. The word ‘punishment’ suddenly seems a lot more frightening.
I must get lost in my mind for a little too long because River closes the space between us, one hand collaring my throat. He lifts me ever so slightly, so I have to sit up straighter on my knees.
Stern, heated eyes stare down at me. “When you’re in my room you do as you are told without hesitation. If I ask you a question, you answer it. If I tell you to do something, you do it. Leave the brattiness at the door.”
