Page 9 of Snow Bound (Odyssey #1)

Anna came downstairs at five minutes to eight in the same clothes she’d worn that morning.

She’d debated changing into something sexier, but a quick rummage through her wardrobe reminded her that she’d packed for two weeks with family, not a hot Dom .

She had the work clothes she’d been wearing when she arrived, having left Chicago straight from the office, but accountant-attire wasn’t any sexier than the yoga pants, so comfort had won out.

But she’d bathed, soaking in the big tub until her fingers had gone to prunes. She’d shaved everything that needed shaving—and a few things that didn’t—slathered on the lotion she’d treated herself to on her last birthday, and painted her toes a vibrant blue that almost matched her sweater.

She doubted he’d notice, but having her toes painted made her feel pretty and more prepared, and the ritual of it had soothed her nerves.

Nerves that came leaping to frantic life when she hit the bottom of the stairs and saw him waiting.

He was wearing the jeans and flannel shirt he’d worn to the store earlier, his feet bare.

He’d angled one of the chairs closer to the fireplace, the firelight casting dancing shadows over the planes and angles of his face.

He had a notebook on his lap, a bottle of Kimberly’s fancy French water in one hand, and the dog sleeping at his feet.

Though she was certain he heard her, he kept his eyes on the notebook until she hit the last stair. Then he looked up, aiming the full force of that icy blue stare her way, and smiled.

“You’re prompt.”

She wanted to fidget, and only sheer will kept her hands at her sides. “ If you’re not five minutes early, you’re late.”

“One of those, huh?” Humor crinkled at the corners of his eyes, his mouth, but the intensity of that gaze never faltered.

She didn’t know how to answer that, so she just sat down on the hearth, the fire leaping at her back.

The crinkles deepened. “ I didn’t see you come down for food. Have you eaten?”

She almost explained that she’d taken food up to eat in the tub, then decided he didn’t need to know that. “ Yes .”

“What did you have?”

“Brie, French bread, grapes, and some cured Spanish ham.”

Interest lit his eyes. “ I didn’t see that in the fridge.”

“I ate it all.” She tucked her tongue in her cheek when he scowled. “ Sorry .”

“Yeah, you look overcome with remorse,” he grumbled, and she disguised a chuckle with a cough. He shot her a look that told her he wasn’t fooled a bit and set his water aside. “ Did you have any alcohol?”

She’d been tempted, if only to take the edge off her nerves, but… “ I stuck with water.”

“Good.” He picked up the notebook on his lap, scanned the page, then flipped it closed. “ Tell me your five things.”

Her throat had gone tight, her belly was flip-flopping all over the place, and she thought if she tried to move her wobbly knees would put her on the floor.

It felt awesome .

“Anna?” he prompted.

“Sorry,” she said and cleared her throat. “ Five things. Um . Bondage , spanking. Being held down, which I guess is just a different kind of bondage.”

She paused to suck in air so she wouldn’t pass out before they got to the good stuff. “ Gags , dirty talk, and butt stuff.”

His gaze was steady, his voice calm. “ What kind of butt stuff?”

“Plugs and fingers and…and tongues,” she replied and felt her cheeks heat.

His expression didn’t so much as flicker. “ Not anal sex?”

“I’ve never done it,” she confessed. “ I want to, but it’s just never felt right. And I feel like I need to be prepared for it.”

He nodded in understanding. “ All right, we’ll take that off the table for now. What kind of dirty talk?”

“The stuff you said last night worked,” she began, then forgot the rest of what she was going to say when he grinned, wide and wicked.

“It certainly did,” he drawled. “ Let’s talk about limits.”

She had to force her brain to reengage. “ Um . Tickling . I hate it.”

He nodded. “ No tickling. What else?”

“Choking is a hard no,” she said, forcing her brain back in gear. “ Degradation . No cutting or blood play of any kind. No bodily fluids except for saliva. Well , I’ll do oral without a condom, but for intercourse, they’re non-negotiable.”

“Agreed,” he said. “ How do you feel about being called names?”

“I’m good with things like slut,” she told him. Her pulse was pounding between her legs, distracting her. She clenched her thighs to try to suppress it, but that only made it worse. “ But not stupid slut, if that makes sense.”

“It does,” he assured her. “ What about pain?”

She couldn’t think. Did she still have a brain, or had it sizzled away in all this heat? Get it together, Anna . “ What about it?”

“We’ve established that you like it,” he said and she flashed back to him slapping her tits, her clit. “ But how much is too much?”

Since her brain had ceased to function, she did the easiest thing and told the truth. “ I honestly don’t know. Last night was the first time it’s been that…”

“Intense?” he suggested, and she nodded. “ I’ll go slow there until we establish what you can handle.”

I can handle your dick. “ Sure .”

“Anything else you want to tell me?”

“I like to fight,” she blurted out. “ Not like, throwing punches, but trying to get out of bondage, running away. That kind of thing. And I can be mouthy sometimes.”

“I’m shocked,” he said drily, and she would’ve laughed if she’d had the brain power. “ Tell me about your body.”

She blinked. “ My body?”

“Do you have any injuries or sensitivities I need to be aware of?”

Oh. “ I rolled my ankle a few months ago, and sometimes it still gives me trouble. My right ankle.”

He nodded, like he was filing the information away. “ Are you on hormonal birth control?”

She frowned. “ Yes , but we still have to use a condom.”

“I was asking because I wanted to know if you have an unmedicated menstrual cycle.”

Her eyes popped wide. “ Why would you want to know that ?”

“Where you are in your cycle can affect your sensitivity,” he explained, eyes twinkling again. “ What might feel like a light pinch on your nipples at the beginning of your cycle could feel like an alligator clamp a few weeks later.”

“Oh.” She took a second to digest that. “ None of the Doms I played with at Odyssey asked me that.”

“I like to be thorough.”

“That’s an understatement,” she muttered. “ Just so you know, there’s a fine line between thorough and creepy.”

His smile widened. “ I’ll keep that in mind. Is there anything else you’d like me to know before we begin?”

Oh boy, oh boy. “ I can’t think of anything.”

“What are your safewords?”

“Stoplight system.” This is really happening . “ Red for stop, yellow for slow down, green for good to go.”

“I need to know you’ll use them if you need to.”

“I will.” Hurry , hurry, hurry .

“One more thing. Do you want to be treated like a good girl, or a bad girl?”

He was looking at her like she was the last doughnut in the box, the amused twinkle replaced by gleaming lust. She swallowed hard. “ A bad girl.”

“Good,” he said and his smile, so playful a moment before, took on a sharpness that made her heart leap into her throat. “ Stand up.”

Her knees were starting to shake, but she did as he asked, unfolding herself to stand in front of him.

“Hands behind your back,” he instructed.

She obeyed, linking her fingers together behind her.

“Eyes on me.”

She lifted her gaze, her breath catching in her throat. He was watching her with a sort of feral intensity, his eyes blazing with it. The calm, amused facade he’d worn while they negotiated was gone, and in its place was the Dom . Dangerous , frightening, and hot as a raging wildfire.

“Are you scared?” he asked, the words a low rumble.

She forced herself to be truthful. “ A little.”

“Do you like it?”

Fear and lust were a potent cocktail, scattering her wits and weakening her knees. And she once again forced the truth from her lips. “ Yes .”

Approval shone in his eyes, a glimmering, glittering reward. “ Good . Turn around.”

She started to ask why, but his expression brooked no argument, and she didn’t want to piss him off so early in the scene. So she turned obediently and waited, heart pounding, nerves humming for something to happen.

Nothing did, for long moments. She forced herself to remain still, her fingers linked at the base of her spine, in the thrumming silence. She could hear the tick of the clock on the mantle, the dog’s gentle snores, but she could hear nothing behind her.

Then an arm snaked around her waist from behind and yanked her back, and she screamed.

It seemed as though a thousand sensations hit her at once.

The hard, muscled chest against her back, the thick arm around her waist. His scent filled her nostrils, fabric softener and soap and something darker, spicier.

His breath danced over her cheek, warm and minty.

And pressed against her ass was an unmistakable erection.

Her hands flew to his forearm, instinctively grabbing hold. She’d barely made contact when his free hand tangled in her hair. He yanked her head back before she could draw another breath, then she was staring at the ceiling.

“You’ve been a bad girl, Anna .” He lowered his head so the scruff on his jaw scraped along her neck, putting the silky whisper of his voice directly in her ear. “ A very bad girl.”

Excitement battled fear. It’s a game, she reminded herself. A hot, sexy game that ends in orgasms. And with a sense of fear laced joy, stepped into it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, doing her best to put some defiance into her voice. It came out breathy and completely unbelievable, but who cared? The fist in her hair twisted tighter.

“Yes, you do. Parading around last night in that thin excuse for a t-shirt, nothing on underneath. Begging me to fuck you.”

“I did not beg,” she protested, and testing, squirmed in his hold.

She didn’t move so much as an inch.

“Bullshit,” he said softly. Menacingly . “ You practically dared me to do it.”