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Caroline used her free hand to move mine from her chin to her neck. “Survival instinct.”
I dropped my forehead to her chest. “Care, baby.”
“What?”
She meant it to sound like a demand, but it came out cracked, like her dominance was a facade—and it was. I just had to work my way inside it.
I kissed her breast luxuriously. She whimpered and released her grip on my dick. “I’m trying to show you what it feels like to stop, Care. You don’t have to be going all the time. Not now. Not anymore.”
Her body tensed up for a long moment, and then went limp against mine, arms and legs holding on to me like a starfish—a beautiful, scared, starfish that deserved more than the scraps she lived on.
Burying her face in my shoulder, she murmured, “Then do it. Make me feel safe.”
I eased my fingers around her throat. The last thing I wanted to do was dominate—right now, at least. I was going to make good on that edging promise.
Then I felt Caroline give that last inch of trust like it cost her everything.
I kissed her lips slowly, reverently. She moaned into my mouth like she was finally, finally crumbling.
And fuck me if I didn’t try my damndest to hold her together, determined to pick up every piece and put her back together into someone new and whole.
Then she started stroking me. My mind went on the fritz.
“Finish here,” she breathed. “Then tie me up like you said.”
I didn’t need a second damn invitation.
I grabbed her hips, lined myself up, and drove into her with one deep, punishing thrust. Water surged over the edge of the tub. The staff was going to hate us. Caroline jerked, taking all of me like she was made for it.
My forehead dropped to her chest as I pounded into her, hard and fast. Stripping her of control. Giving her mine.
“Say my name,” I groaned, breath ragged.
She gasped when I hit her spot. “Nate.”
“Yes. Fuck, yes.”
Water splashed everywhere, but I didn’t give a fuck. All I could see, feel, think about was her.
My spitfire. My baby girl. My wild thing.
My Caroline.
She was mine and she was hers. Not a single other fucking soul’s.
When she orgasmed, her outcry echoed off the tiles. I came not long after.
We went limp together, sinking into the bubbles and lukewarm water, exhausted.
I kissed Caroline’s shoulder, massaging her ass. “You don’t come like that for anyone else, got it? Only I can make you feel this good.”
She just hummed weakly, totally spent.
We soaked in the tub until we got pruney, and then I helped her out. I toweled her off, kissing or nipping wherever I could while she basked in the attention. She padded into the main room after I dried myself off. Then I tucked us both under the thick white covers.
Caroline sighed and settled her back against the mountain of pillows. I laid my head on her chest, my cheek cushioned by her perfect breasts. I groaned softly when she started stroking my hair like it was the most normal thing.
How the hell did we get here from what we used to be?