Page 6 of His to Keep (Reluctant Vows #6)

Apparently the barely there panties conceal too much for Gio’s liking, because he draws them down my legs and drops them to the floor. I’m not a prude, but lying on his lap with my bottom bared is shockingly intimate. We know nothing about each other.

“Gio, you can’t do this.”

“Of course I can. You’re mine.”

I sense no point in refuting that statement since he sounded pretty determined about it, so I focus on his intended action instead. “And that means you can abuse me?”

“It’s not abuse. It’s a reminder to think about your personal safety from now on. I can’t always be there to protect you from your own impulsiveness.”

“Why do you even care?” I huff.

“Did you miss the part about you being mine now?”

“No,” I grumble, “but I missed the part about me agreeing to be yours.”

Gio chuckles. “You’re cute when you’re pissed, kitten.”

Kitten? Though I don’t hate the nickname, I scowl because I won’t let him distract me from my irritation.

“Get used to it. I have a feeling it will be my predominant mood when you’re around.”

“It’s better than fear,” Gio says. “I like that you’re not afraid of me.”

His words catch me off guard because I realize he’s right. For the first time in years, I don’t feel as if I need to hold myself in check. My heart may beat more rapidly in his presence, but it’s not because I’m scared. It’s something entirely different.

I don’t have time to work out why I’m safe with Gio because the prick draws back his hand and smacks my ass.

“Ow! That hurt.” It was more surprising than painful, but I’m not about to let him know that. I don’t want to give him ideas about spanking me harder.

“Well, you’d better prepare yourself, kitten, because I’ve only just started.”

Strike number two lands on the least fleshy part of my left ass cheek, and the crack of Gio’s hand seems to ricochet off the walls. I gasp, but the initial pain quickly mellows to create a warm glow on my skin.

Gio delivers his punishment with ruthless efficiency, peppering blows over every inch of my bottom. I cry out as the pain intensifies each time his palm makes contact with my tender backside.

The warmth I found pleasant to begin with morphs into an uncomfortable prickling heat.

My ass stings, but it’s what the spanking does to my insides that makes me want this to stop.

With each fresh blow, my arousal grows. Restlessness sweeps over me.

I wiggle my hips, trying to ease the ache at my core.

“Have you been spanked before?” Gio’s tone is casual, as if this whole situation is perfectly normal.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Hmm.” He hits me hard across both butt cheeks, making me yelp. “You’re taking it well for your first time.”

As he pauses, I take the opportunity to twist my body around so I can look at him. “Have you spanked someone before?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

“Well, you have a genuine talent for it.”

Gio grins. “I knew you were enjoying this.” He dips a hand between my legs. “Let’s see how much.”

I suck in a breath as he runs a finger along my pussy, teasing me with a feather-light touch. He plays with my clit, gently circling the swollen bud with his thumb. Moaning deeply, I dance up on my toes. The sensations simmering inside me are intense, but I don’t quite get to where I need to be.

I obviously take him by surprise when I push myself up off his knee because he doesn’t try to stop me.

Before I lose my courage, I strip off my dress and toss it aside.

I wasn’t wearing a bra, so I’m completely naked.

Since Jasmine Henry started controlling everything I ate, I’ve lost weight, so I’m thinner than I’d like, but the appreciative gleam in Gio’s eye tells me he hasn’t noticed.

Straddling his thighs, I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and press my lips to his. My kiss is clumsy. I haven’t done this for a long time and I’m unsure of myself. Impatience drives me to take his mouth too harshly. This doesn’t feel good, but I don’t know how to stop.

Fortunately, Gio is more in command of himself than I am.

He takes control, gentling the kiss. He slows the pace, his tongue caressing mine.

Rubbing his hands up and down my arms, he soothes whatever frantic impulse took hold of me.

As he gradually deepens the kiss, I melt against his body.

Gio groans as I stroke the back of his neck. I guess he likes that.

Drawing back from him, I murmur, “I want you.”

Gio furrows his brow as I grind my hips, rubbing against his rigid cock. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” There’s not a hint of hesitation in my voice. I don’t know why, but I need this more than my next breath.

Maybe I’m driven by the desire to take back control after years of living with harsh restrictions. Now is not the time to examine my motivations. Perhaps it’s not that deep. Gio is hot and that spanking he delivered got me all worked up. It’s animal instinct and nothing more.

I squeal and tighten my arms around Gio’s neck as he surges to his feet. Our mouths come together again, this time in a furious kiss as we each battle for control. My heart pounds as Gio carries me across the kitchen and sets me down on the edge of the dining table.

Pushing down his sweats and boxer shorts, he frees his cock. Like the rest of him, it’s impressive. Long and thick, it juts out from his body. A prominent blue vein runs along the underside, and I imagine myself licking it. There’s no time for foreplay right now. Our need is too urgent.

I lie back and raise my arms over my head, enjoying the coolness of the polished wooden table beneath my somewhat overheated body. I spread my legs wide to accommodate Gio as he steps closer.

“Is this your first time?” he asks.

“No.” My experience is not extensive or recent, but I’m not a virgin. That ship sailed when I was eighteen and fell for one of the guards Jason had watching me.

Gio hesitates for only a second, before yanking my hips closer and driving his cock into my welcoming body. Unused to being stretched like this, I whimper as he fills me. He doesn’t give me time to adjust and, honestly, I don’t want it. Right now, I need to be fucked hard and fast.

As Gio pounds into me, I wrap my legs around his waist and cross them at the ankles. I lift my hips to meet his thrusts, but I can’t match the furious pace he sets. He’s as hungry for this as I am.

The gleam in Gio’s eye is one of pure satisfaction.

He curves a hand around my breast and gently flicks the taut nipple with his thumb.

His touch is tender, loving. It’s at odds with the animalistic way he hammers my drenched pussy.

He fucks me at a relentless pace, and I know neither of us will last. Pleasure swells inside me until I can’t bear it any longer.

“Gio!” I scream his name as he pinches my nipple.

My back arches off the table and I come with a sob, overwhelmed by emotion. Gio pounds into me again and again until he, too, reaches his climax. He roars as he floods my body with his release.

For several long seconds, neither of us moves. Then Gio pulls out of me. A twinge of pain makes me wince.

“Sorry,” he says.

“For fucking me?” I sit up and examine his face, finding nothing in his impassive expression to reveal what he’s thinking.

“No.” He tucks himself back into his clothing. “I don’t regret that. Do you?”

“No.” My response lacks conviction, but I don’t really regret what happened, only that I felt such an overwhelming need to give myself to a man I know nothing about. I hop down from the table, suddenly feeling less comfortable with my nudity. “I need a shower.”

Gio motions to the corridor to the right of the dining area. “Bathroom’s third on the left.”

“Thanks.” I smile a little too brightly and head off along the corridor.

The bathroom is bigger than I expected, considering how compact the rest of the house is.

There’s a toilet, sink, and a large shower cubicle.

There’s even a bathtub sitting beneath a high window.

I’m tempted to fill it and have a good, long soak.

Instead, I opt for a shower, knowing it will help to refresh me.

Leaning into the glass cubicle, I switch on the shower.

It’s preset to a nice cool temperature, so I step under the stream of water.

I still haven’t processed the fact I’m no longer Jason’s captive.

It’s strange to imagine I might make my own decisions about where I go and what I do. That all depends on Gio, I guess.

Giving myself to him may have sealed my fate.

A man like him will believe that fucking me gives him some right to dictate my future.

I don’t entirely hate the thought of being possessed by a man like him, but I’m not going to let him walk all over me.

If he tries, he’ll discover this kitten has claws.