Dirty Little Promise (Forbidden Desires #2)

I couldn’t repress my desires any longer. “I need more, pet.”

Her gaze stayed locked on mine as the car began to slow. As Ben pulled to a stop in front of her house, we both stilled. It was bad fucking timing. Why couldn’t he have circled the block or something?

I could tell that asking for more when she’d barely forgiven me for the Ashley situation was a ballsy move. But, fuck it, life was too short not to go after what you wanted. I’d told her everything there was to know about my past, and now it was up to her to decide whether she’d accept me, all of me. But she’d chosen me tonight, so that had to mean something.

Now was the moment where it all hung in the balance.

Yes or no.

Rather than answering me, Emma reached for the door handle, opened it, and then slid from her seat.

I stared after her, wondering if I’d blown it, but then she looked at me through the open car door with a shy smile that made my cock pulse with need.

“Are we going to talk about it, or not?”

• • •

Emma

Rubbing my hands along my upper arms to fight off the chill, I led Gavin inside my neat little home. Once we’d removed our shoes by the door, he followed me into the family room in the back, and I waved him to the cream-colored sofa.

I flipped on the switch for the gas fireplace in front of the sofa and waited as it flickered before it finally came to life. As much as I longed to replace this with a wood-burning fireplace like was originally in the home, the convenience of it couldn’t be beat.

“Are you cold?” Gavin patted the cushion beside him.

“A little.” I joined him on the couch, tucking myself into his side, allowing him to stroke my arms, my hair, warming me and soothing me so sweetly.

“Are you still upset?”

I shook my head. “I feel for Cooper, but I have you now. So . . .” It was hard to feel sad when I was here in Gavin’s arms, as terrible as that sounded.

“You do, you know. Have me.”

“My person, right?” I smiled up at him.

He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to my lips. “Of course.”

“Dinner was . . . good tonight. Thank you for bringing me.”

“I was happy you came. Quinn’s an excellent cook.”

As much as I loved this softer side of Gavin, and his concern about making sure I felt comfortable with him, I gathered my courage to ask what he meant in the car about needing more from me.

I slid back a fraction from his embrace, wanting to be able to see into his eyes while we spoke. “Can we talk about what you mentioned in the car? Tell me what you want.”

Gavin’s hazel eyes locked on mine, and I had to remember to draw a breath. “I need more, pet.”

“More?” I had no idea what kind of more he was referring to.

“First, you’ll address me as sir.”

He stroked my cheek with his warm fingertip. His breathing was slow and controlled, his movements deliberate. I sensed a crackling in the air between us.

“More, sir?”

“Yes.” He stroked my skin again, and I melted into his touch. “More control. More of you. More of everything.”

Pleased to see his expression was relaxed, playful even, I ventured another question. “Do you desire dominance and submission? Whips and chains?”

“I think you know that I’m dominant, and that I require your submission.”

My brain wandered back to the day in the library where he’d taken me in my office. “Yes, sir.” I did know that, intimately.

“But toys aren’t really my thing. I don’t need more than my body and yours to bring us both to ecstasy, don’t you agree?”

I nodded, careful not to ruin this moment. Anytime Gavin opened up to me was a precious gift, one I cherished.

Gavin stroked my hair again, making me feel so precious and cared for. “Thank you for choosing me tonight.”

I nodded. “It was always you.”

Pressing his lips to mine, he smiled. “That makes me very happy, pet.”

“Do you want me to be your submissive?” I recalled the way he’d said that Ashley was his last submissive.

Gavin shook his head. “You’re so much more than that.”

His words sent warmth straight to my heart. “Is Ashley why you wouldn’t let yourself take me how you wanted?”

He nodded. “Not until you knew everything, until you were the one to decide.”

The meaning behind his words, his sweet gesture, meant more to me than anything. Gavin craved control, but in this moment, he was giving it to me—I alone held the power to say yes to this, to him. In that moment, I accepted him so fully, it hurt. I ached for him and would have given him anything just then.

Feeling stupid, I asked, “So, um, is there some kind of contract, or . . .”

He chuckled at me, his expression amused. “No, we don’t need a contract, Emma.”

Maybe that kind of stuff was only in books. But, seriously, how the heck was I supposed to know? Everything about this man and our rocky relationship was new to me.

“I would like to try,” I murmured.

“Come.”

I rose from the couch, following as he led me to my bedroom. I sensed his entire mood had shifted. Gavin was letting me in—yet again, offering me a piece of himself, and all my senses were humming.

My heart beat wildly in my throat, and my adrenaline soared.

I had no idea what to expect.

I couldn’t help but notice Gavin’s need for extra control came at a time when things outside the bedroom were more tumultuous than ever—the firing of a key member of his staff, the reputation of his company on the line, the quiet heartbreak we both knew Cooper was suffering. I doubted this was a coincidence, and if Gavin needed to work out his demons on me—I was his.

Entering my bedroom, I turned on the small lamp on my dresser as Gavin’s gaze swept around the room. My neatly made bed was dressed simply in white organic-cotton sheets. My bedside table held a huge stack of books, and there was a nearly overflowing laundry basket beside my dresser. There was nothing fancy or elegant about it, but somehow, I knew instinctually that those qualities that made me me were what Gavin adored most.

Unsure what to do, I took a deep breath.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Kneel,” he said sternly.

Without hesitation, I lowered my body until my knees made contact with the rug. Gavin’s wide stance and his hazel eyes were so sexy as he gazed down on me, and I waited, wondering what might happen next.