Her breath stuttered across her lips and her pupils dilated rapidly as desire swamped her face.

“I want whatever you give me, Ash.”

He kissed her mouth, sliding his tongue in to taste her. He loved the way he swallowed her breath, breathed in the same air she expelled. There was something decidedly intimate about that. About taking the air she gave, sucking it in and savoring it before returning it.

“Go get on the bed,” he said in a gruff voice. “Hands and knees, knees perched on the edge of the mattress.”

She pulled away from him and he was reluctant to let her go even for the time it took her to position herself as he’d directed. He watched as she crawled onto the bed and presented her ass just the way he wanted. Then she glanced back over her shoulder, clear invitation in her eyes.

She wanted this. She was ready. He just had to make sure he didn’t take things too far. She deserved gentleness. She’d already suffered far too much at the hands of a dominant man. Not that Michael could be called dominant. What he was was an asshole. An abusive dickhead who got off on controlling the woman in his life.

Not that Ash would be any less controlling, but it was all in the presentation. Josie would absolutely heed Ash’s authority, but he’d give her all the things Michael had never given her. Love. Respect. Tenderness. He’d absolutely cherish her.

He quickly undressed and grabbed the tube of lubricant from the nightstand drawer, dropped it on the bed next to Josie’s ass and then smoothed his hands over her behind, cupping and caressing. The marks from the night before were still there. Fading, but still visible, a stark contrast against her pale, soft skin.

His marks. Evidence of his possession. Arousal splintered hard and fierce through his body until his dick swelled, threatening to burst under the exquisite torture.

He slid his fingers through the folds of her pussy, testing her arousal. She was swollen and wet, more than ready for his entry, but still, he held off, wanting to stroke her to further heights.

She twisted restlessly, pushing back against his probing fingers, clutching greedily at him as he withdrew. He stroked again, going deeper, testing the plush walls of her vagina, seeking the spot where the texture was rougher, slightly different than the rest. He pressed in and she let out a cry. A burst of wetness coated his fingers and he smiled. Yeah, she was ready. And he couldn’t wait to get inside her.

Grasping his dick with one hand, he spread her with the other, positioning himself at the mouth of her pussy before pushing in, slowly, inch by inch, until they were both vibrating with need.

When he gained his depth and strained against her, his balls flattened between her ass and his thighs, she let out a breathy sigh that he felt all the way to his soul. All the ways to take her swirled in the darkness of his mind. There was something about her that called to that darkness, like she was the one person with whom it would be okay to share that. She wanted it. She could take it. She needed it. Just as he needed it.

He leaned over her, blanketing her with his body as he remained tightly wedged inside her pussy.

“Tell me something, Josie,” he said in a silky, entreating voice. “Did all the talk of my threesome with Bethany and Jace make you jealous?”

She stiffened and then turned her head, clear puzzlement and discomfort displayed in her expression.

“Ash . . . I don’t understand . . .”

No, she wouldn’t have. It came out all wrong. He cursed his tongue because it hadn’t come out as he’d wanted.

“Just meant, did you picture yourself in that threesome? Is it something you thought about? Is it something that turned you on and you wanted?”

She shook her head, her eyes still perplexed. But there, just a flash. A hint of something in her eyes. He could barely see it because of the way she was turned.

“I think it did turn you on,” he said huskily. “And I already said it wasn’t happening. Did that disappoint you, Josie? Did you imagine what it was like to have two cocks at the same time?”

He reached underneath her to stroke her clit, feeling her body respond to his touch. She tightened around him, her sweet pussy fluttering and clenching, bearing down on his erection until he was near to exploding.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I imagined what it would feel like.”

“There’s another way,” he said smoothly. “Not quite as good as the real thing, but I can give you that sensation if nothing else. Have no desire to ever share you with another man, darling, but I can give you that experience at least.”

“I don’t understand,” she said in a breathless, excited tone.

“I’ll put in an anal plug. A bigger one so you’re all snug and tight around it. Then I’ll fuck your pussy with the plug inserted. You’ll have the experience of two cocks inside you without there being another man in the picture.”

“Oh.”

That one word conveyed a whole host of things. Excitement. Arousal. Yeah, she wanted it. And he’d give her that. He might not give her another man—that was never happening—but he could give her that sensation. Having her pussy and ass stuffed full.

He eased back, lifting his weight off her, withdrawing slowly through engorged, silken tissue. Then he pushed forward again, not ready to leave her tight heat. Not yet. He’d tease her a bit more, get her so worked up that she’d be about out of her mind.

He thrust forward, back and forth, more clinically as he sought to rein in his control. She moaned and twisted restlessly, but he knew she wouldn’t fall over that edge. Not unless his fingers were on her clit. That helped him because it meant she would only orgasm when he was ready for her to.

After a few more thrusts, he looked down, enjoying the sight of his dick sliding from her pussy, wet with her juices, so snug. So fucking tight. He couldn’t even imagine how much tighter she’d be with that plug in her ass.

He pulled completely out and left her trembling on hands and knees on the bed while he went to retrieve one of the unopened plugs in his closet. His hands shook as he tore open the packaging. Anticipation. Desire, a razor’s edge, boiling in his veins.

When he returned to the bed, Josie’s hands were balled into tight fists, planted in the mattress, and she turned her head to look at him, her eyes widening when she took in the size of the plug.

He laughed softly. “It’s no bigger than I am, love. You’ll take it and you’ll take me.”

“It’s going to hurt,” she said dubiously.

“Part of the pleasure is the pain,” he said softly. “Remember the marks on your ass from last night. I was a lot harder on you than I was that first time. But you took it and begged for more. Push aside the pain, Josie. Embrace it, because after the pain comes the pleasure. I’ll give you that and a hell of a lot more.”

She closed her eyes, throwing back her head, her glossy blond hair spilling like silk over her back. He wanted to twist his hands in the strands, pull hard and fuck her even harder. But that would come. For now he had to prepare her. Ease her into the situation. Then they’d both go over that edge together.

He applied a generous amount of lubricant both to the plug and to her ass, stretching her opening, sliding his fingers inside to coat her passageway. When he was certain there was enough to push the plug in with minimal effort, he tossed the lubricant aside and stepped back between her thighs.

“Breathe with it, baby. I’m going to go nice and slow and ease it in, but help me by breathing easy and pushing back when I tell you.”

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice breathy with excitement.

He inserted the tip, stretching her opening the slightest bit as he began to push inward. She moaned softly and he paused, withdrawing and then pushing forward in slow fucking motions as she continued to stretch around it.

For several long seconds, he played, teasing, pushing in and out, going a bit deeper with each thrust. Then he reached around, stroking over her clit as he began to press harder and deeper.

“Oh God,” she cried.

“Too much?”

“No! It feels so good, Ash. Don’t stop!”

He chuckled. “Not going to happen, baby.”

He stroked gently over her clit, working her into a frenzy, before finally pushing the plug all the way home.

She cried out and arched her back, her legs trembling and shaking violently as breaths heaved from her chest.

“Shhh, darling,” he crooned. “It’s all the way in. Just breathe and settle. I’ll give you a few seconds to come down. Don’t want you coming yet.”

She put her head down, resting it against the mattress, eyes closed as her body continued to shake. He wanted this to be good for her. It was all about her. No doubt he’d enjoy it every bit as much as her, but this was for her. He wanted her to come screaming her pleasure. His name.

He stepped back and her head immediately came back up, turning toward him, her gaze seeking. He smiled and leaned down to kiss the small of her back, just above the curve of her buttocks.

“Give me a minute, baby. Want to make this good for you.”

“If you make it any better, I’m going to die,” she said with a groan.

He laughed again and then went to get the scarlet red sash at the top of his closet. He’d ordered these things the minute Josie had moved into his apartment. Wanted everything he used with her to be new. Never having touched another woman.

He carried it back and then gently pulled her around so she faced him. She was up on her knees, thighs splayed to alleviate the tightness of the plug. Her face was flushed with arousal, rosy, eyes glazed.

Her eyes widened when he began to lift the sash to put over her eyes. He paused only long enough to offer her an explanation.

“Going to blindfold you. It will heighten your other senses. Want you to trust me completely to give you pleasure.”

“I do trust you,” she said in a sweet, soft voice.

He smiled his approval and then placed the sash over her eyes. He tied it tightly in back, checking to make sure it completely covered her eyes, blanketing her in darkness.

“Now I want you to lie back,” he directed. “On your back, legs over the edge of the bed.”

Even as he spoke, he helped her into position, taking care to position her as he wanted. She sank onto the mattress, a soft smile curving her swollen lips.

“Wish you could see what I’m seeing,” he said gruffly. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Josie. All laid out in front of me. Blindfolded, that plug in your ass. Just waiting for me.”

He knelt in front of the bed so his face and mouth were level with her open pussy. He licked over her opening and up to her clit, enjoying the shivers that cascaded through her belly.

“I won’t last long this way, Ash,” she said in a strained voice.

“Yes you will,” he said calmly. “You come when I tell you and not before.”

She made a sound of impatience that had him smiling. And he continued to eat her, savoring her like a delicacy, slow and sweet.

She writhed beneath him, bucking upward, each time she came back down, the plug pushing deeper inside her. She was panting, so close to her orgasm. But he knew her body well. Knew the signs of her impending release. And so he pulled back, leaving her precariously hanging off the edge.

She groaned, a sound of dismay and frustration, making him smile all over again.

“When I say, baby. When I say, and not before.”

“You’re killing me,” she wailed.

“Oh, I haven’t even begun yet,” he said silkily. “Before I’m done, you’ll beg me.”

“I’m begging now!”

His smile broadened and he pushed her legs farther apart. Then he reached into the nightstand again, pulling out nipple clamps she couldn’t see. He leaned over, licking one nipple and then the other, coaxing them into turgid points.

He sucked at both, setting a leisurely pace that would drive them both insane with want and need. When he had her nipples into rigid peaks, he flicked one last time with his tongue and then carefully applied the first clamp.

“Oh!” she exclaimed when the clamp bit into her nipple. “Ash?”

“Easy, baby. I won’t hurt you. You know that. Just a little pain. Give you that edge. You’ll like it.”

He affixed the other and then leaned back to survey his handiwork.

She was a work of art. No corny statements. She was utterly magnificent. The intricate, colorful tattoo snaked over her right side. So reflective of who she was and what she was. He could honestly say before her he’d never been a fan of tattoos on women. It just wasn’t something that did it for him. But from the moment he’d gotten a glimpse of hers, he’d been rabid with curiosity.

On her, it wasn’t just a tattoo like so many others. It was her art. A reflection of herself. And it fit her to a T. He wouldn’t have her any other way.

“You fascinate me, Josie. You have such a clean, wholesome, good-girl look going on. That blond hair, those gorgeous blue-green eyes. But underneath the clothes, there’s that tattoo. It screams bad girl. I like it. I like it a lot.”