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R enard was wrapped around her like he would never let her go.

“Can’t believe I nearly lost you. A-fucking-gain.”

There was pain in his voice. Self-loathing.

He was blaming himself and she wouldn’t have it.

“You didn’t lose me. I was safe and it wasn’t your fault.” She tried to roll over in the bed to face him, but he wouldn’t let her move.

Thankfully, her headache hadn’t led to a migraine. Mostly due to Renard insisting that she take some painkillers.

“You are barely out of the hospital. You’ve been beaten and traumatized and I let them take you from me.”

“Renard, let me roll over.”

“No.”

“Let me go.”

“No!”

“Urgh, just let me face you, you stubborn ass.”

His hold loosened and she rolled over to face him in the bed. It was late and she was exhausted. Bone-deep exhausted. All she wanted was to sleep.

But first she had to take care of her man.

Because he was always taking care of her.

“You’re gonna stop thinking about this,” she commanded.

“I’m not.” He placed one hand against her face and she could feel his gaze on her, trying to study her in the dark.

“Yes, you are. Because it’s over. It’s done. I. Am. Safe.”

“But I wasn’t the one keeping you safe.”

Was that it? Was that what was worrying him?

“Do you know that I’ve never felt safe in my life,” she whispered.

He stiffened. “I know, baby.”

“No, I’m not sure you get what I mean. Never once. There has always been a threat. My mom and her parties and boyfriends. Mom’s dealer. Stefan. I’ve never lived in a good place. A safe place. Somewhere that you knew your neighbors and knew they’d have your back. Nope, I lived in shitty apartments with drug dealers and wife beaters. Never had a man make a place safe for me. I’ve never been able to open up and talk about my fears and needs. Never had that until you. When you’re with me, I feel safe.

“I had a boyfriend in high school. I thought he was amazing. He was a jock. Popular. Gorgeous. And he asked me on a date. I learned a few weeks later, when he dumped me in front of the entire school, that asking me out had been a dare. Taking my virginity was an added extra.”

“That fucking bastard! I want his name!” He tried to sit, but she tugged him back down, ignoring the way her body complained.

“Oh, don’t worry. He shot his knee out playing college football. Then he got lazy and ugly and lost his job. I keep up with his life just to make sure it’s miserable. Sometimes, social media is a good thing.”

“I can make his life more miserable,” he muttered.

She grinned. “I reckon you can. I’ll think about it. But, right now, I’m thinking I’m in a good place and I want to keep myself there. That high school asshole taught me a lesson. I already had problems trusting because of Mom. But then I really had issues. Didn’t have another man . . . not until Stefan. And you know about that. I was never safe with Stefan.”

“Wish he was still alive to torture.”

“I know.” She cupped his face with her hand. “But, again, I’m in a good place now. I don’t want any bad karma. You put out good and it comes back to you. And it came back to me in the form of a gorgeous, handsome, protective chef. And he might be mad because he thinks he didn’t save me today. But he saved me in all the ways that count. Because he gave me a safe place to be me. To dream, to hope, to live. He keeps me safe every day. He’s my reward for all the shit. And I’m never letting him go.”

“Baby,” he murmured, taking her mouth with his.

It was soft and gentle.

He was still mindful of her bruises even though her lip had healed.

It was exactly what she needed.

“I love you so much,” she told him.

“Love you too, baby. Always. You’re not allowed to leave me. Understand?”

“Never,” she swore to him. “Never.”

* * *

Opal stared at herself in the mirror in the closet.

The woman staring back at her looked pretty good. Most of the bruising had faded. Her hand was no longer bandaged and her fingers were just tapped up.

All in all, not bad.

Two weeks had passed since she was kidnapped.

Two weeks and no sex.

Enough was enough.

Tonight she was getting laid. No more treating her like she was delicate.

Which is why she’d put on this lacy red teddy. She looked amazing in it; it matched her red lipstick and red nails.

Hot.

“Gem? What are you doing? It’s time for bed,” Renard called out from the bedroom.

“Coming.”

She walked into the bedroom slowly and he glanced up and froze.

He was standing by her side of the bed. He’d gotten into the habit of tucking her into bed each night.

Which was sweet as hell.

But tonight, she didn’t want to be tucked into bed, she wanted to be fucked.

“Jesus. What’s that?”

“A lace teddy. You like it?”

“Like it? Fuck, Gem, are you trying to kill me?” he groaned.

“Nope. I’m trying to get you to fuck me.”

“Gem, no.” He turned fully toward her and held up his hands. There was some panic on his face. “I can’t.”

“Enough of the kid gloves. I get it. I was kidnapped and beaten, nearly arrested. But I need my man to do what he promised and give me what I need. Can you do that?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then give it to me soft and slow,” she whispered. “But I’m not going to break. I’m tough. And I know I still have some bruises, but they don’t really hurt anymore.”

“You’re the strongest person I know,” he told her gruffly. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve gentle and sweet.”

“Please, Renard. I need this. And you can be gentle and sweet.”

He sighed and studied her. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

“Then come here.” He crooked a finger at her.

She walked to him and he gently slid his hand around the back of her head to hold her as he kissed her.

Sweet and slow.

Then, taking her hand, he helped her into bed before following her. She kneeled up so she could look him over. All he wore was a pair of black boxers.

“You are so gorgeous,” she told him.

“Lie down, baby,” he said attempting to sit.

But she put her hand on his back. “Let me. Please?” She knew she wouldn’t get long until he took over, but she needed to have her way for a short while. And she figured this might be the only time she got to be in charge.

“All right.” He eyed her suspiciously, though.

Slowly, she drew them his boxers down, staring at his thick, hard cock. “Hellooo, Daddy.”

“Gem,” he scolded.

But when she glanced up at him, his lips were twitching.

“You like it,” she said.

“I do. But not in public, yeah? Got a rep to uphold.”

Uh-huh. “You got it.” She didn’t want to ruin his rep.

She ran her hand over his cock. She wanted to do this. She wanted to take him into her mouth and battle back those old enemies.

“Gem? What is it?”

“I want to suck you, take you into my mouth.”

“All right,” he said hesitantly. “Are you sure? Is your head still sore?”

“It’s not sore anymore.”

Before he could say anything else, she leaned in and slid him straight into her mouth.

But her mind started to wander. It swam through the past and she zoned out completely. She was no longer in that room, with Renard. She was somewhere else, lost in her head.

A sharp pain sliced through her head, bringing her out of the memory and into the present.

She drew up, off Renard’s cock.

Renard. She was here with Renard.

He wouldn’t harm her. He wasn’t Stefan. She wasn’t there.

When she leaned back, he sat up and grasped hold of her shoulders. His touch was gentle, but there was a hint of anger in his voice.

“What was that, Gem?”

“I, um . . .” She tried to catch her breath.

“Don’t you ever pull that shit again, Gem.”

“What shit?”

“Forcing yourself to do something with me that you clearly don’t want to do.”

Oh. Shit.

Had she ruined it all?

“I want to, though. You don’t know how much I want to.” She wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t.

“That wasn’t the impression I just got. I called out to you, but you couldn’t hear me. You were lost in your head which isn’t always a good place to be. Tell me what’s going on.” His voice grew gentler. “Was it an old memory?”

She glanced away from him. “I . . . shit. I’m so sorry. I just ruined the moment.”

He arranged her on his lap so she was straddling his hips, facing him. “Didn’t want to have to hurt you to get your attention. But you were fully gone and I didn’t know what else to do. Now that I’ve got it, I need you to tell me what’s going on.”

“Every man I’ve been with liked what I could do with my mouth.”

“Right.”

“They rarely returned the favor. A lot of the time, I was lucky if they made me come. Although, in Stefan’s case, after he started hitting me, I didn’t want to come. I just wanted it over and done with. I just wanted him to come and then leave me alone. So I’d suck him off and I’d go to somewhere else in my head. I’d zone out and that just seemed to happen automatically. I didn’t want it too. Really. Sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, look at me, Gem.” He cupped her face between his hands. “You don’t do anything you don’t want to do. Hear me?”

“Yes. But I do. I want to taste you. I want to please you. Make you happy.”

“Me being happy has got nothing to do with getting my dick sucked and everything to do with you being happy. Can’t be happy if you’re a robot sucking on my dick, living in your head, stuck in a nightmare. Got me?”

“I got you. But . . . do you think I could try again?”

He eyed her. “You can lick it. That’s it.”

“That’s it?” she repeated.

“Yep. And you listen to me when I talk to you.”

“Yes, Renard.”

“Good girl.” He lay back and she slid down between his open legs to lick his cock.

“Stop,” he ordered.

She froze.

“Whose dick are you licking?”

“Yours.”

“Whose is it?”

“Renard’s,” she whispered.

“Good girl. Continue.”

She kept licking his cock while he’d make her stop every so often to say his name. And then he finally drew her up onto his chest.

Opal was pouting as she stared down at him. “I wanted to do more.”

“Any more and I’d have exploded. Another time you can play more.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

He lay her on her back and carefully removed her lace teddy, kissing every inch of her. He took special care of the bruises, making sure that he didn’t harm her as he moved down her body to settle between her legs.

“Noo, I want you inside me.”

“I will be. After I eat you out and make you scream.”

Bastard.

How dare he eat her out! Oh wait . . . on second thought she should probably just let him go for it.

He pushed apart her legs and his beard scraped deliciously against her inner thighs.

A moan escaped her as he ran his tongue along her pussy, flicking her clit. God. She needed this so badly. She reached for his head, running her fingers through his hair.

“Stay still, Gem,” he commanded. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

The sadist didn’t want to hurt her?

“No way you could hurt me doing that.”

“You’re not completely healed, and I don’t want you doing anything that might cause pain. So stay still or you don’t get to come.”

And there he was.

Her baby was back. Then all thought fled her mind as he started to play. His tongue flicked her clit as his fingers drove deep into her pussy. She rose higher and higher, her hips thrusting until he placed his other hand on her stomach to hold her still.

Then she screamed in pleasure, his name on her lips as her heart raced. He eased her back down, his tongue slowing.

“Please, Renard,” she begged. “Please.”

“You want me inside you, baby?” he asked as he moved onto his knees, then shuffled over to the nightstand to grab a condom.

“Yes!”

“Roll onto your side, facing away from me.”

This did not sound hopeful.

“Do what you’re told or you don’t get my cock.”

She slid into place, her body only complaining a bit. Turned out a good orgasm was excellent pain relief.

Then he slid in behind her. He moved her upper leg back over his thigh, his cock entering her slowly as he wrapped his arm lightly around her.

And then he fucked her with short, easy strokes. She didn’t know how long he did this for, it seemed like forever. Finally, her body on fire, her need so great she could barely speak, he played with her clit until she came again.

Only, this time, he came with her.

And that safety settled around her like a heavy blanket, letting her rest.