"since you aren't interested in sex" -- he gave her a bland look -- "you might as well finish relaxing." he led her past flower beds illumined with solar lanterns to a bubbling jacuzzi. heat rose from the water. after setting the bottle down, he pulled her nightie over her head.

"hey!"

ignoring her, he unbuckled the leather cuffs that were still on her wrists, then gathered her hair and twisted it into a loose knot on top of her head. hand on her bare butt, he nudged her toward the water. "get in."

options were limited. fight with him over her clothing or get in where the bubbling water would hide her.

the heat engulfed her as she lowered herself to the seat. the water splashed gently around her shoulders. her wrists felt light...bare...without the cuffs. she knew he'd removed them to keep them out of the water, but it still felt like he was removing her from his life. she bit her lip, forced a smile. "this feels really nice."

"good." he studied her face, a frown back on his face, then opened the bottled water, and handed it to her. "drink this. i don't want you getting dehydrated."

as she sipped the water, he stripped out of his slacks in his usual efficient fashion. standing on the edge of the jacuzzi, outlined by the glowing moon overhead, he looked like a god. tall, shoulders so broad, muscles rimmed in shadow and moonglow.

he stepped into the water and settled himself beside her. after stroking a finger lightly down her cheek, he leaned back, one arm resting on the concrete edge behind her head. an owl hooted from the trees as leaves rustled in the light breeze. the muffled sound of a car door, then a car leaving, drifted back into the yard. as the jacuzzi burbled softly, jessica let her head settle back onto the muscled arm behind her. she'd just let her mind clear, show him she was sober, and be out of here within an hour.

chapter fourteen

zachary watched his little sub slowly relax and the night's stress and turmoil uncoil from her muscles. quite an evening she'd had.

one that had almost ended abruptly a few minutes ago. what had been in her mind up there in the bedroom? he shook his head. the ability to read emotions didn't always help with understanding. she'd felt desire and then confusion and...resolution. yes, that was it. and then grief.

grief as she'd said she wanted to leave. no anger at him, no dislike. he was missing some vital step in her reasoning, dammit. but he had gotten one message loud and clear; if she'd left right then, he wouldn't have seen her again.

he picked up her hand, kissed the fingers, and she only sighed. letting her make such a decision when intoxicated and emotionally frayed... he knew better than that. if she still felt the same way when she woke, he wouldn't stand in her way. although he'd damned well get her to verbalize the problem.

he was a psychologist, after all.

psychologist enough to know himself and that he didn't want her to go. the opposite, in fact. he'd already known he wanted to see her again, but his thoughts hadn't gone further than enjoying her in the club. but as the evening has progressed, his intentions had changed. and when she'd bandaged him, warming him with her concern, he knew he was doomed. he wanted more from her than a few evenings in the club. she roused feelings in him that he hadn't felt in a long time.

with gentle fingers, he pushed a damp tendril of hair from her forehead. she'd washed the streaked makeup from her face in the bathroom. did she know how those tear tracks, that evidence of vulnerability, could pull at a dom? she probably didn't even realize how pretty she was now, her cheeks flushed with the heat, her lips soft and kissable.

after she was half-asleep in the water, he pulled her out, dried her off, and tucked her into his bed, enjoying the way she unconsciously curled into him, soft against his side.

he woke before dawn with the moonlight streaming through the window. she looked just right, he decided, her golden hair spread across the dark pillows, her rounded curves bringing his bed to life. he shook his head, bemused by her presence. the tiny room downstairs was where he took his women; they weren't invited up here to his home.

but unlike many, she hadn't angled for an invitation. he'd wanted her here. hell, he probably would have tossed her over his shoulder and carried her up caveman-style if she hadn't agreed. she was such a fascinating concoction: the sheer intelligence, the logical mind and reserve that buried the passion underneath. the way her insecurities mingled with that affectionate nature was endearing. her loyalty to her sister, her courage... she was something, wasn't she?

even galahad had given his approval.

he ran a hand down the satiny skin on her bare shoulder and felt himself harden completely. he'd had a half erection all night, ever since she'd screamed in pleasure in the medical room, but she'd needed time to recover, and then whatever had bothered her had come between them.

now, however... he slid the covers down, baring her. moonlight gleamed on her breasts, leaving tantalizing shadows beneath. her waist curved in, then out into lush hips. the darkness between her thighs called to him. his hands traced down her body, touching lightly, his fingers lured into stroking the soft breasts. her nipples pebbled into points. her breath quickened. the scent of her arousal drifted to him even as her eyes fluttered open.

her body felt hot and needy.

where are my pajamas? she thought drowsily, then more urgently, where am i?

blinking, she frowned as she remembered the club, sir. a jacuzzi. she'd been so sleepy. was she in his bed?

her breasts were lifted into hard hands, and she moaned as the intense sensations rippled through her.

"sir?"

"we're not quite to the sex part," master z said. "you may tell me to stop if you want."

his face was above her, the moonlight shadowing its hard planes. he smiled just a little. she was leaving him, she remembered. wasn't going to do this again. her heart ached at the thought.

she could call this one last time a way of saying good-bye, right?

"don't stop," she whispered.

he took a condom from the nightstand and covered himself. "now, open your legs for me, kitten." his deep voice was rough.

her legs parted.

"good girl." his hand touched between her thighs. she was already wet, growing more so as his fingers spread the moisture. one finger stroked her clitoris, sending fiery shocks through her.

she tightened, the heat rising quickly as if he'd already stoked the fire. she lifted her hips into his hand without thinking. he chuckled and she felt her cheeks heat.

how did he affect her this way? she had never been so uninhibited before.

"i like the way you react to my hands on you," he whispered, kissing her deeply, thoroughly, his tongue plunging into her even as he stroked her slit below. the twin assaults left her body shaking with need. he released her mouth only to shift to her breasts, sucking one nipple, then the other, into hard points, and the tugging of his mouth tightened her core.

his fingers continued their slow slide over her clitoris, around and over until each touch sent her closer, until her thigh muscles tightened and quivered.

and then he opened her, positioned himself, and thrust into her. her swollen tissues flared with his entry. he pinched her clitoris at the same time, the one necessary touch she'd been waiting for, and she screamed, her hips jerking against his as waves of sensation exploded through her, as her womb spasmed around his thick, intruding shaft.

he hummed in enjoyment, moving his hand to her breasts as he slid in and out of her very, very slowly. his thick cock and his fingers on her nipples never let her excitement quite die.

"i didn't think you ever made love in the normal way," she whispered, her voice husky.

he nuzzled her neck. his teeth closed on her shoulder in a light bite. then he gently tongued the sting. "you miss being tied up already?"

involuntarily, her pussy tightened around him, giving him the answer she'd never have dared to speak.

"ah." his teeth flashed white in the dark face, and he captured one wrist, placed it over her head, and then added the other. one big hand easily pinned her wrists to the mattress. "this should do it."

"no restraints?" she managed to ask, realizing she hadn't seen any.

"don't have any. i don't bring subs up here."

but she was here, she managed to think, and then he increased the force and speed of his thrusts between her legs.

she felt invaded and helpless to do anything. with her arms restrained, her body wasn't hers to control; she had no decisions to make, nothing to do except feel. each sensation seared through her, the slide of his shaft exquisitely opening her, his hard hand keeping her from movement, his other hand toying with her breasts, plucking and pinching the nipples to just the edge of pain. to just the point where each touch increased her now consuming need.

then, abandoning her breasts, he set his hand under one of her knees, pushing her leg up, opening her further. he began to pound into her, and the throbbing between her legs became overwhelming. her orgasm ripped through her, hard and fast, an incandescent flame shooting through her. she moaned as she spasmed around him, as her knee quivered in his hard grasp.

and then his grip tightened as he growled out his own release; the sensations of his cock jerking inside her made her gasp.