Coral Hearts (10 page)

Sage was fighting
an internal battle unlike any he’d ever known. A part of him wanted to rage at the injustice of Coral’s childhood. But another part of him wanted to rejoice at the woman she’d become. Her inner strength humbled him, and he found himself admiring her more with each passing minute. Her quiet response shocked him. “Seven. But I’d been forced to grow up pretty quickly. I wasn’t like most kids my age in a lot of ways.”
No fucking doubt, sweetheart.

Colt shook his head in disbelief as he quietly slipped away, leaving Sage alone with the woman he hoped would stay after the danger to her passed. He could only hope after tomorrow night’s party she understood how much he cared for her. He’d assigned each of his family members tasks related to the surprises he had in store for her. Sage had planned to take Coral on a tour of the ranch after lunch, but maybe it was time for a bit of distraction. Switching gears, giving her something else to think about for a while, might be more fun for both of them.

“I want you to know how incredibly impressed I am, baby. You’ve overcome obstacles that would have caused most people to implode. You’re so much stronger than you realize. I’m proud of you.” A fresh stream of tears made their way down her soft cheeks, but Sage knew these weren’t tears from pent up emotional pain. No, these were tears of emotional grounding, and he was happy to have given her a small taste of what it would be like to have an anchor in the storm. “No matter what happens between us, Coral—I’ll always be in your corner. I don’t want you to ever forget it. We may not always agree—hell, I can promise you we won’t always agree. But I can also promise you I’ll always have your best interest at heart.”

Leaning down, Sage pressed a kiss to the center of her forehead, and then wrapped his arms around her. Hugging her—just the very simple act of holding her close brought about an unexpected peace. When he felt the tension fade from her petite frame, he wanted to shout out his thanks for the opportunity to finally have her in his home. It was time to lighten the mood and Sage had an idea he hoped would also be a fun way to find out exactly how daring his little sub could be.

S
age watched Coral’s
eyes widen when he stepped back and gave her a look he knew was different from the one she was accustomed to seeing. “I want to change directions, sweetness. You’ve been reading about dominance and submission, so the terminology is familiar to you, isn’t it?” Her wide eyes were fast becoming a deeper shade of green as they dilated letting him know arousal was eclipsing the emotional turmoil she’d been reeling in a few minutes earlier.

When she finally nodded, he shook his head. “Sweetness, you need to answer with words. And we’ve already begun, so be sure to answer appropriately.”

Damn she was going to destroy his control—she was so fucking responsive, he wanted to skip all the buildup and push her against the nearest wall and lose himself inside her. “Yes, Sir.”

“Perfect. You please me more than you know, pet. Now, I’m going to escort you upstairs. I’ve got a small gift to give you before we have lunch. My gift is going to set the stage for what we’ll be doing after we’ve finished eating. But before we go, remove your shoes.” She looked puzzled, but quickly slipped off her shoes and handed them to him. If he had his way her worn out canvas shoes would disappear forever. How on earth she’d managed to make a single pair of cloth shoes last an entire year in Montana was un-fucking-imaginable. “Now, come along. I’m anxious to get started.”

When they reached the main floor of the house, Sage could hear his brothers in the kitchen. He knew his parents hadn’t made it back from Billings yet, so he stopped Coral at the bottom of the stairs. “Face me, pet.” When she complied, he smiled. “Hand me your shirt and bra.” She gasped, but her eyes sparkled with arousal as she tried to look around him into the kitchen. “If you stall I’ll take you into the kitchen and we’ll start again there.” Her hands quickly found the bottom hem of her shirt pulling it quickly over her head before handing it to him. Her bra’s front closure snapped open revealing taut nipples already turning a deep rose as blood rushed into the pretty peaks.

“You take my breath away.” Sage trailed his fingers down the slope of first one breast and then the other before giving her nipples each a gentle pinch.

“Well, this is a lovely surprise,” Phoenix’s voice sounded from the wide door opening into the family room beside him. Coral yelped in surprise, her hand coming up to cover her breasts.

“No, don’t hide. You are beautiful. Don’t you dare hide what belongs to me.” He hadn’t planned to push her quite this quickly, but of all his brothers, Phoenix was the best suited to help her get through the next few minutes.

“Darlin’ we’re all Doms. I promise you, if your Master didn’t want me to enjoy this view or he thought you wouldn’t enjoy this moment—none of us would be standing here.” Sage watched her eyes go from alarmed to full-on arousal in the span of a few seconds. Her breathing sped up and he could see her pulse pounding at the base of her neck as the telltale blush of arousal spread over her chest.
Fucking perfect.

“She’s beautiful isn’t she? But if she doesn’t move those hands back to her sides she’s going to find herself over my knee right here in the front hall.” There were several upholstered benches along the large room’s periphery, finding a spot to follow through on the promise he’d just made would be no problem at all.

“And I’m sure the sound of the palm of Sage’s hand paddling your bare ass will draw an audience pretty quickly. Baby doll, you might want to move your hands right
now.
” Sage didn’t even try to hold back his grin when her hands dropped before her mind could have possibly processed Phoenix’s command. She’d responded to his brother’s tone of voice before the order itself had registered.
Such a purely submissive response.
For the first time since Sage had noticed Phoenix standing to his side, his brother’s eyes found his own, his expression easy to read. Sage agreed, she was fucking perfect.

Reaching forward, Sage brushed the tips of his fingertips over the very tips of her tightly peaked nipples, smiling when they drew up impossibly tighter. “You really are so very responsive, pet. I can hardly wait to tie you to my bed and explore every inch of you.” He was anxious to introduce her to so many different aspects of the lifestyle, including the joys of having more than one pair of hands providing for her pleasure. And if her reaction to Phoenix’s presence was anything to judge by, she was more than a little interested in the prospect.

“Tell me brother, what are your plans for your delectable little subbie?” Damn if he didn’t want to turn and give his brother a fucking high five, the man could anticipate during a scene like no other. Phoenix had set him up perfectly.

“I’m taking her upstairs to decorate her a bit before lunch. Then I think we might take a swim, it’ll give her a chance to relax a bit before tomorrow’s chaos.” Once their parents returned home, Sage knew he’d have to minimize Coral’s risk of exposure. His parents might practice D/s in private, but they’d always been careful to keep all traces of nudity carefully hidden from their sons. Hell, Sage had only discovered their interest in the lifestyle because he’d returned home late one afternoon and found them deeply immersed in a bondage scene downstairs.

Sage had been terrified when he’d first heard the sound of the single tail whip his father had been using. He’d quickly realized his mother wasn’t screaming in pain from the lashes, the sounds she’d been making were anything but cries for help. Sage remembered being frozen in place for several seconds before having the presence of mind to back up the stairs before he’d been seen. It wasn’t until months later he learned his father had known he was there.
And wasn’t that an interesting conversation? Nothing awkward about having your dad chat you up about the importance of letting people know you’re on your way home from college a day early. Christ!
Yeah, surprises weren’t all they were cracked up to be in the Morgan household, that was for sure.

“Might want to get a move on then, lunch is almost ready,” Phoenix’s voice brought Sage back to the present, and he almost cringed when he realized Coral was searching his expression. No doubt she was wondering what she’d done wrong to merit his silence. Sage would thank his brother later for the
save
. Right now he needed to get her upstairs and naked so he could remind her how much he admired her bravery.

“Noted. Let’s go, pet. I have plans for you before we enjoy whatever my brothers have come up with for lunch.” As soon as they were at the top of the sweeping staircase, Sage pulled her to a stop. The master suite was at the other end of the long hall, and despite Phoenix’s warning Sage had no desire to rush back downstairs. “Give me the rest of your clothing, baby. I want to watch you walk down the hall naked. I’m going to enjoy the view while I decide exactly how I want to
decorate
you before lunch.”

Damn he loved the way her eyes went wide with surprise before glossing over with a carnal delight even a novice Dom would recognize. He didn’t take his eyes off hers, but the unmistakable sound of her zipper being lowered let him know she was already complying. Seconds later she handed him her folded jeans. He’d smiled when she tried to tuck her plain cotton panties into the pocket of her Levis without him seeing them. He’d warned her they were going to disappear—and they were, starting now. His mom would bring her plenty of lacy bits of nothing tomorrow, but until then he planned to make sure Coral’s pretty pink bits were exposed and ready for his touch.

Watching her pert ass walk down the hall would go down as one of his all-time best fantasies come to life. Fucking perfect. He’d caught up with her before she reached the door. He placed his palm over the dimples just above her ass, and the jolt of electricity racing up his arm at the contact caught him off guard. “You’ve just fulfilled one of my favorite fantasies, pet. Now let’s see about checking another off the list before we join the others for lunch.”

Coral’s entire body
was vibrating with need, a desire so intense it was quickly overshadowing her every inhibition. She might not fully understand everything that had happened in the last few minutes, but there was no mistaking the way her body craved Sage’s touch. The evidence of her arousal was so thick between the folds of her bare pussy, Coral worried he’d see rivulets running down the insides of her thighs before she’d reached the door of the master suite. Once inside, Coral found herself wondering exactly what she was supposed to do, and the look on her face must have given away her because when she looked up, Sage was watching her so closely his gaze felt like a physical caress.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, pet.” His voice was deeper, more commanding than she was accustomed to hearing and it left no doubt that his words weren’t simply a request.

Coral didn’t look into his eyes for fear she’d see the disappointment she’d seen in her parents’ eyes so often as a child. “I don’t know what to do. I hate not knowing what I’m supposed to do. Really, I’m usually very compliant…okay, maybe I should say often instead of usually.”
Stop babbling and get on with it for craps-sake.

“Look at me, Coral.” Her eyes snapped to his immediately, and she was relieved to see nothing but compassion in his expression. “First of all, thank you for trusting me enough to tell me exactly what put the strained look on your face—because the only way for me to help you work through this is for you to be completely honest in all things. I can’t solve a problem I don’t know about.” She felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders simply because what he’d said made perfect sense to her. “Now, I know you’ve read a lot of erotic titles, did you notice a recurring theme for the submissives? Something they consistently mentioned as a benefit of a D/s relationship?”

Coral knew immediately where Sage was leading her with his questions. And even though she knew he was pushing her toward the answer, Coral was grateful he was letting her sort it out in her mind. She knew her own limitations, and now it seemed Sage understood them as well. “Pet?” He didn’t seem frustrated with her for not answering immediately, he was just pulling her back to the moment.

“They always mention how free they felt because they didn’t need to worry about what they should do next. In most of the books I read, all they needed to do in the bedroom was follow orders.” Coral knew she’d blurted out all the words so quickly it might not have even made sense, but Sage’s smile told her he’d understood perfectly.

He’d wrapped his large hand around the base of her skull, tilting her face up to his. “This is on me, pet—not you. I’ve been negligent in setting the ground rules. Hell, we should have a long conversation about hard and soft limits before we even thought about playing. But this isn’t a club hook-up. You are far more important and the truth is, I simply couldn’t wait to make you mine.” Coral felt her body react to the declaration, she felt like every cell was being switched on—lighting her up from the inside.