Hunted (9 page)

Soon.

* * *

Shara was hot and wet, she was trussed helpless and she was his.

Damon couldn’t think of a single way the situation could be improved.

He carried his trophy into the tent he’d set up. It was a small two-man tent, made of nylon colored to blend into the jungle undergrowth. Even he lost track of it when he stepped away, and in the night, it would be practically invisible. The supports were all hidden beneath fabric so they didn’t catch any light, and with Shara so securely gagged, no one would hear them.

He certainly wasn’t going to make any noise. He carried her to the tent and placed her gently inside, turning back to pull shrubbery and vines across the access. His cock was thumping with anticipation, because he’d dreamed of having her like this for months. It seemed too good to be true, especially as she was wet and writhing, as excited as he was.

She was wriggling on the floor of the tent, proving to both of them she couldn’t even change her position, much less escape. Damon closed the entry to the tent, sealing them into a private world, then removed her hood. Her eyes widened as she looked around, her gaze finally locking on him. He watched her breasts rise and fall in her agitation. The smell of her arousal was even stronger. There was only a little ambient light coming through the nylon, and he couldn’t wait for night to descend. Then he’d be able to surprise her, take her unawares, even without blindfolding her. If he was lucky, that would make her even more completely his.

He undressed by the door, setting his clothes and boots aside, liking how avidly she watched. She inhaled at the sight of his hard cock and he smiled at her, letting her worry about what he would do to her first. She was on her side, still hog-tied. He eased alongside her and ran his hand down her throat. She swallowed and he felt the racing of her pulse beneath his hand.

“Too much?” he murmured, his voice so low she’d have to read his lips.

She shook her head, and he saw that her eyes were shining.

“I’ll have to work on that, then,” he teased and the sparkle in her eyes grew brighter. He deliberately unfastened the front of her shirt, running his fingertips over her skin as it was exposed. Her bra had a front clasp and he unhooked that, then cradled her breasts in his palms. He pushed both garments back so they were caught on her upper arms, and he could admire the spots he’d painted on her. Her nipples were a bit red after the clamps the night before and he spared her a smile.

They were also hard and tight in her arousal.

“Sore?” he mouthed, and she shook her head a little. “Still, let me help.” He bent his head and flicked his tongue across one taut peak, her moan of pleasure more of a vibration he felt than an audible sound. He teased the nipple, not having to coax it to a peak, licking it and suckling it until she closed her eyes and arched her back in pleasure.

Then he did the same to the other one. He ran his hands over her soft skin, savoring how sexy she was and how willing, then unfastened the front of her khaki pants. He pushed both pants and panties down to her thighs, and eased his finger between her thighs. She wriggled and bucked her hips as his finger was swallowed into her wet puss.

She was as ready as he was. She moaned again, a deliciously helpless sound, and rubbed herself against his hand.

“You need to be trained,” Damon said and pinched her clitoris quickly before removing his hand. Shara gasped then flushed, but he stretched out beside her again. He leaned against her as he whispered in her ear, his lips against her skin. He could feel her shiver.

“I knew that when I first saw you,” he confessed. “I knew it at the Tidy Market, when I saw you choosing avocados.” He felt her gasp of surprise and saw that her eyes had widened. “You were wearing that blue dress, the one that clings a little bit under your butt. I thought you were the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.”

She was staring at him and he knew she remembered, that she’d noticed him as well.

But he’d guessed as much.

He ran his fingertips over her. “Then I saw you everywhere. I wasn’t stalking you and I knew you weren’t stalking me, but every time I turned around, there you were.” He met her gaze. “A siren tempting me to say hello.” Damon sighed. “But I like games of captivity. I couldn’t imagine that such a beautiful woman would want to play like this. I couldn’t believe it when I got the message from The Phoenix.” He met her gaze and saw she wasn’t even breathing, she was watching him so intently. He lowered his voice even more. “Maybe it’s kismet.”

Shara, to his pleasure, nodded.

Damon frowned. “But a good slave has to be trained. A good captive has to be obedient.”

Shara nodded again, more vigorously this time.

“Maybe she has to prove that she wants to be a captive, that she wants to be hunted over and over and over again, to be bound helpless and fucked slowly.” He arched a brow. “Every night and every day for the rest of her life.”

Shara closed her eyes as if overwhelmed by the prospect and a flush touched her cheeks. Her nipples were as hard as pebbles, her hips moving restlessly. The smell of her was almost more than Damon could stand.

“So, we’ll find out this weekend if you can be trained, if you even want to be trained to be mine.”

He rolled her to her stomach then, and cut the bond that bound her ankles to her wrists. Before she could twist away, he straddled her, pinning her to the ground. He kept his thighs locked tightly around her waist, liking how it felt when she flailed and thrashed beneath him. “I like your hair short,” he whispered and she flicked a playful glance back at him. “Fight me,” he commanded, and felt her coil her strength to do just that.

Then he cut the cable tie that bound her wrists together. He quickly tugged down Shara’s shirt and bra so her arms were caught in the garments. She bucked and twisted, wriggling like a fish. She got one arm free and he seized her wrist, clamping her other arm against her side with his knee. He’d sunk a steel bracket into the ground earlier, right through the floor of the tent, at the far end of the tent in preparation for this very moment. He’d left a blanket over it so she wouldn’t notice, but leaned forward to push the blanket aside. Shara gave a little cry when she saw the black leather shackles bound to the bracket, but Damon had the wrist secured before she could fight her way free.

The second wrist was even easier to bind. Her arms were stretched over her head then, and she was naked to the waist, adorned only in the spots he’d painted on her.

“You’re lost now,” he murmured with confidence and her eyes flashed. “All mine, all night long.”

She tried to swing her legs but Damon turned around to brace his weight over her hips. He pushed her pants and underwear down past her knees, where they effectively bound her legs together. She made a sound of frustration and tried to shift his weight, but it was hopeless and they both knew it. Tying her down had given Damon the biggest hard-on of his life and he ached to drill her and end the torment.

But the pleasure would only get greater, the longer he prolonged the anticipation.

He could smell that Shara was loving this as much as he was. He untied her boots before cutting the bond on her ankles, so he’d be able to quickly tie her down again. There were two more steel brackets embedded in the ground, one in each corner beside the door. Each had an ankle shackle tied to it. Their interlude the night before had helped him to make sure he had the perfect size all ready to go. He cut the bond and pushed off her boot and clothes, locking down one ankle in an efficient move. The second was easily secured to match.

And then she was bound on her back in his lair, her legs spread for his pleasure, her arms stretched taut over her head. She made a growl of frustration when he turned to survey her, though he couldn’t miss the sparkle of her eyes.

He stretched out beside her again, his hand falling to her wet puss. A ripple passed through her at his touch and she tried to spread her legs wider to welcome him.

Once again, he touched his lips to her ear, loving how she trembled. “So, this is the deal, Shara. I like you tied up like this.” She made one of those vibrating moans. “I like having you wet and helpless. I’d like to do this here and again once we get back to California, maybe forever.” She inhaled sharply and flushed, her gaze locked with his. “But you have to prove to me that you want it, too.”

She nodded, but Damon ignored her.

“I’m going to train you, and I’m not worried about how long it might take. The captive I want will only orgasm for me and on command.” Her eyes widened. “So, you’re not allowed to come until I give permission.” He eased his fingers inside her, noting how hard her clitoris was. “Each time you fail, I’ll let you go. Until you fail, I’ll keep you bound and use you for my pleasure.”

She made a sound that could have been a query.

Damon knew what she must be asking. He smiled. “Of course, if I’m compelled to release you because you’re naughty, then the others might capture you. If you find your pleasure with them, that will be just as naughty. I forbid you to orgasm with anyone.”

She squeaked then, a little sound that seemed to be a mix of delight and frustration.

“I’ll release you now if you don’t want to play this game.” Damon ran a hand over her taut body, not certain he’d be able to do that and hoping he’d read her correctly. “Do you accept the challenge, Shara?”

When she nodded—immediately and vigorously—Damon knew this really was kismet.

And he was going to prove it to her this weekend, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

The grocery store!

Of course. That was why Damon looked familiar. Shara noticed him there, and had seen him a number of times afterward in town. They lived in a small town that had become annexed by the city, a bedroom community filled with people who commuted to their jobs. All the same, it was small enough that on Saturdays, when people ran errands, it was easy to encounter the same group of friends and acquaintances over and over again.

The idea the hunt could continue long after her birthday gift was over was an exciting and dangerous possibility. Shara thought of being tied down in her own apartment, or even better, being kept captive for a weekend in Damon’s place, wherever it was, and felt faint with the possibilities. She liked how he was so determined to tease, and how he watched her reactions so closely. His concern that it was too much was endearing, too, and made her feel safe with him.

He smiled at her agreement, but didn’t seem to be surprised.

Maybe he could read her mind.

Maybe he knew her fantasy better than she knew it herself.

He ran a hand down the length of her, his admiration clear. Shara struggled, trying to make some difference in her circumstance but she could barely wriggle. He’d stretched her out taut, but she wasn’t pulled too tightly. She realized he’d taken her measure the night before, because the embedded loops were the perfect distance apart and the leather bonds hadn’t needed any adjustment to secure her wrists and ankles perfectly.

His attention to detail was seductive, too.

He wanted her.

And he wanted her like this.

And the only thing she had to do to keep this going on forever was keep from having an orgasm. Shara had a feeling Damon was going to do his best to make that impossible.

Catch and release.

She wasn’t sure how she’d stand it.

She had no idea how she’d keep from having an orgasm, not if he kept teasing her like this.

He eased down the length of her, sliding between her knees. Feeling his muscled heat pass over her made Shara want to moan. She arched her back, prolonging the contact, and he paused to kiss her nipples again. They were already tight from his attentions, but he gave her no respite. Shara stared up at the patterns of sunlight and shadow on the roof of the tent, then closed her eyes, surrendering to pleasure. Damon braced his elbows on either side of her waist, and his weight was between her thighs. He licked and suckled her nipples; he grazed the aching peaks with his teeth, and he cupped the weight of her breasts in his hands. He took his time, ensuring she was aware of only those two points—and the throb of her clitoris. She arched back and tried to widen her thighs, her fists clenching as he drove her to distraction.

She wasn’t anticipating the nipple clamps. They closed coldly and firmly over each nipple, making her jump at their devilish constriction. She looked down to find Damon smiling at her, looking so wicked that her heart skipped.

Then he winked at her and slid lower. He kissed her navel, his gaze clinging to hers, and she knew what he was going to do.

She also knew if he ate her, she’d never manage to keep from coming. She moaned and struggled but he only smiled.

Then he licked her, his bold sure touch nearly sending her to the moon. He braced his hands on her thighs and held her open to him, then ate her deliberately.

Shara was either in heaven or hell. She couldn’t tell. She’d never felt such pleasure and such torment combined. Her nipples ached and she was wetter than she’d been in all her life. She writhed beneath him as he pushed her onward, and even though she knew he defied her to hold out against her orgasm, she wasn’t sure she could do it. His tongue flicked her clitoris, his kiss sucked at her puss. His teeth slid across her labia and she moaned when she thought he bit it gently. Her skin was on fire and her heart was pounding. She couldn’t take a breath, but she clenched her fists and hung on desperately.