Screw it all—the guilt over how he’d fucked up things in the past, the anger at Evan for leaving and making him worry she was dead on the street somewhere, and the fear that he hadn’t done the one-on-one thing since Diana. All of it was shit he couldn’t do anything about right now.

What he could do something about was the fact that a beautiful woman—one he’d fantasized about for the last two weeks—wanted him to dominate her, to fuck her. That he could do. Evan clearly didn’t want to dredge up their history, so he definitely was more than happy to go along with that. This was about sex. Plain and simple. That’s all he needed to focus on.

He stared past the house to the moonlit lake beyond, channeling the dark part of himself that laid in wait for nights like this, and slipped fully into his dominant role. This is when he felt most comfortable, most free to be himself. Usually he kept it casual and was one of the more laid back doms, subscribing to the belief that fun didn’t have to be mutually exclusive of D/s. But with Evan he was going to need all the armor the dom role could offer him. Boundaries needed to stay hard and clear. She’d said she didn’t want half-assed. Well, she was going to get her wish.

“Welcome to our humble hacienda.” The cart dipped as Andre climbed out. “I’ll leave you two alone. I’ve got a few things to take care of before I head back to the main building.”

Jace waited until Andre slipped into the house and then pinned Evan under his gaze. “The Ranch’s safe word is Texas. No, stop, quit don’t mean anything here. Texas is the only thing that halts whatever’s happening. You can say yellow if you need me to ease off some activity but don’t want to stop everything. If you’re gagged and can’t speak, I’ll give you a hand signal for a safe word. Do you understand?”

Her eyes widened a bit, but she nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I don’t give a shit if your fiancé gave you permission to be here. While you’re here, you’re mine. And when you go back home, you will not tell him that I’m the guy you were with. My business is important to me. And no matter how okay Dr. Dan may be with you doing this, no guy wants to work with the man who’s fucked his woman.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice wavering a bit, but heat flickering in those pale blue eyes.

The corner of his mouth lifted, his confidence about the situation building. She was already feeling it—the rush a sub got when her dom took control. He stood and hooked a finger in the O-ring hanging off her collar to pull her up to stand. He cupped the back of her neck. “Do you have any hard limits—anything you’re absolutely not open to?”

Her gaze shifted sideways.

“Pet, you need to tell me so that I don’t push you too far.”

She sighed. “Fine. I still have a thing about the dark, okay. Blindfolds will be fine as long as I can tell there is light on in the room.”

The admission tugged at him. She’d never told him why she had that fear, but he knew she’d been left alone for days after her father committed suicide before the authorities had come for her. So he had his suspicions and none of those suspicions were pleasant. “Anything else?”

She shrugged. “I’ve never done this kind of thing, so I don’t even know what my limits are.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll explore your boundaries together.”

She wet her lips. “All right.”

He had the urge to lean forward and taste her freshly moistened mouth, but he held back. Patience would make it better for all involved.

“Now, I want you to go into the house, find the sliding glass doors in the back, and go onto the deck. There’s a hot tub there that looks out on the lake. It should already be heated, but go ahead and turn on the jets. Wait for me there.”

She nodded and moved to head that way, but he caught her arm in a firm grasp.

“Don’t get in without me. And don’t take off anything. I want the pleasure of undressing you myself.”

Even in the moonlight, he could see her cheeks color. And hell if that alone didn’t make his cock strain against his zipper. He was used to women who’d been there done that, who weren’t shocked by much. How was it possible that after all these years Evan still had that edge of innocence she’d carried with her at sixteen?

Back then, it’d been a glaring warning for him to steer clear, but now . . . Well, now it had him imagining all the things he wanted to do to her to make her skin turn that shade of pink.

* * *

Evan stood in front of the bubbling hot tub, steam swirling with her view of the dark night and the black water of the lake a few yards beyond. It was similar to the night she’d stood on the beach in South Padre, except this time, she wouldn’t be alone. The water wasn’t going to be what caressed her tonight. No, the man who’d haunted the periphery of every fantasy she’d ever conjured was going to take her over. Use her. Give her pleasure.

A shiver stole over her, and she rubbed her arms through the silk robe. Emotions were spinning through her like numbers on a slot machine.

Anticipation. Need. Fear.

She didn’t know exactly what she was getting into, and having Jace be on the other end of it was like playing Russian roulette. But she had a feeling the danger of it was adding to the edgy excitement coursing through her.

Hot hands gripped her upper arms from behind, and she gasped.

“Good girl,” Jace said against her ear, his voice melting over her like butter on hot cornbread. “You take direction well. That earns you rewards.”

She clenched her thighs together as damp heat gathered between them, his words as effective as a stroke. “What happens if I don’t follow instructions?”

His chuckle was soft and sensual as he ran his hands over her shoulders and pressed against her back. “Plan on being naughty, pet?”

His blatant and unashamed manner had her normal inhibitions shriveling like grapes in the sun. Jace didn’t apologize for what he wanted, and neither should she. If she was going to do this, she needed to really do this. She tilted her hips, seeking him, and nestled her ass against the steel length of his cock. “Depends on what happens if I am.”

His fingers found her hair and yanked back, catching her by surprise. He ran his tongue up the column of her neck like a cat licking up cream, and she nearly buckled at the knees. “Then you get punished, which can be fun, too. Just depends how rough you like it, babe.”

She swallowed hard. Based on how much her sex was throbbing at his tight hold on her hair, she had a sneaking suspicion of which side of the pain fence she would fall on. “Yes, sir.”

He released his grip on her hair and slowly stepped in front of her. His gaze drifted down the length of her as if assessing his prize. “Definitely too many clothes on. Take off your robe.”

With trembling hands, she undid the tie at the front and let the robe fall open, revealing her scant bra and panties beneath, then slipped the silk off her shoulders. Jace’s green eyes turned hungry as he stepped forward and ran a finger along the lace edge of her bra. Her nipple tightened to an aching point.

“So sexy, pet. You’re going to test my restraint. I find I don’t want to be gentle with you.”

“Then don’t be,” she said, her words coming out before she could stop them. “Sir.”

His head lifted, his eyes boring into hers. “How’s that fiancé of yours going to feel if you go home with marks on you—my marks?”

“He’ll deal with it,” she said, her mouth going dry at the thought of Jace marking her, of branding her. “He knows what goes on here.”

Jace’s eyes narrowed. “Is Dr. Dan really vanilla or is he a guy who gets off knowing his woman is being fucked by someone else? Because I’m not here to get him off.”

She shook her head. “This is all for me. I swear. This is what I want.”

“You sure? ’Cause there’s nothing pretty or romantic about what I do. It’s raw and rough. You’re mine to use however I want, you understand?”

Her throat contracted, the words turning her on more than she cared to admit. If he was trying to scare her off, it wasn’t working. “Yes, sir. I want that. I didn’t come here for flowers and poetry.”

“Prove to me how bad you want it, then.” He grasped her shoulder, pushed her down to her knees without finesse, and started unfastening his jeans. The discarded robe protected her knees from the wooden slats of the deck, but the bite of discomfort was still there. For some reason, that only dialed up her excitement more.

The rasp of his zipper drew her attention to the view in front of her. Jace pulled his fly wide and released his impressive erection. Lord, help her. She’d thought her mind had exaggerated his size because she’d been a virgin at the time and it had hurt, but damn, he had a pretty cock.

He gave her a predatory stare. “Tell me exactly what you’re thinking, pet. I like that look in your eye.”

She met his gaze, a wave of confidence coming with this new role. “I’m thinking I want to taste that beautiful cock, sir.”

His lips curled into a smile. “Well, well, look who has a dirty mouth. May need to keep it busy to silence you.”

“Perhaps.”

He fisted his shaft and closed the distance between them. With his other hand, he grabbed at her tresses again, tugging hard enough for her scalp to tingle. “Open for me.”

She parted her lips, and he moved her head exactly where he wanted it before sliding his cock into her mouth. Slow and easy. She closed her eyes, savoring the salty flavor of his skin, the uniquely male taste. He groaned and titled his head back. “That’s right, baby. Convince me what a good girl you’re going to be.”

He controlled her movements with his tight grip on her hair, taking what he wanted without apology. She swirled her tongue around his length, drawing all her focus to making Jace feel as fabulous as she did being there at his feet and at his mercy. She’d never minded giving a guy head, but there was something so different about doing it this way. Of being used for his pleasure. It was intoxicating.

She boldly raised her gaze to meet his as she pressed the tip of her tongue along the sensitive vein on the bottom and then drew all the way back to lavish attention along the smooth head.

“Ah, shit, that feels good.”

She took all of him again, so far to the back of her throat she had to work hard to keep her reflexes relaxed. He pumped into her harder, his careful control slipping a bit, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the rush of feminine power, of knowing that she could unglue him, too. His voice was gravelly when he spoke again. “You’re not so sweet and innocent anymore, are you, pet? You’ve learned some tricks.”

She made a mmm of affirmation, and his cock seemed to swell against her tongue. Trusting her instinct that he probably liked to take it as rough as he liked to give it, she lifted her hand and scraped her nails across the tender skin of his testicles while increasing the suction around his shaft.

“Holy fuck, Evan.” He tilted his head back and his fist tightened on her hair. With one last thrust and groan, the heat of his release jetted against the back of her throat.

She closed her eyes and savored the moment he gave himself over to it. Taking all he had to give her. Quick and dirty and oh so nice.

A minute passed before he pulled his softening cock from her mouth. She pressed the top of her head against his belly, the hard plane of muscles heaving with his ragged breaths. His hand slid over her scalp, gentle where he’d been rough a moment before. “Jesus, that was good. Remind me to reward you for that.”

She raised her face to look up at him, but the sound of the sliding glass doors opening behind her had her vaulting to her feet. Jace put a firm hand on the crown of her head, pushing her back down. “I didn’t tell you to get up.”