“Now there’s a pretty sight. I knew you had it in you, lass. You’re pleasing me so much. Let me show you.”

His fingers plunged into her swollen, weeping folds, and she arched back, crying out as her pussy gripped his digits tightly. “That’s a good girl. You are one of the most lovely creatures I’ve yet laid eyes on. Feel what I do to you. Center yourself around my touch. I mean to draw you to me, little by little, Raine. I’ll take everything you give and always want more. Are you strong enough to handle that? Do you crave more of the feeling I’m giving you right now?”

It was as if he could see into her soul and know everything she wanted to hear. Liam’s tender dominance made her feel so alive. So free. If this sensation was what all submissives felt…god, no wonder women flocked to this club. No wonder so many wanted Liam.

“God, yes.” On fire and feeling like a desirable woman, the words were out of her mouth before she could think. He devastated her with his voice, his deft touch. Her body reacted as though he plunged his cock deep and sure inside her. And her defenses began to crumble.

When his thumb circled her little pebbled clit, her dormant body ignited, the fire so painfully scalding that she couldn’t hold back the torrent of release rolling inside.

As if sensing the rushing wave cresting higher, he brushed his lips up her neck. “Feel me, my warmth and sincerity. Feel with your heart, not your head. Yes…” he moaned. “You’re surrounding my fingers like a hot, silken glove. Come for me, Raine. Let me feel how the woman and the submissive long to be freed. Shatter for me hard!”

Inside her, the wave of ecstasy crested and broke. She was helpless to do anything but give her pleasure over. Here, in this moment, she felt more protected and cherished than she ever had. Her mind and body splintered, fracturing to pieces before him. Screams of joy tore from her throat and with it, the blissful hope that he would never let her fall.

He held her in his arms as she trembled in the aftermath, gently brushing back the hair from her face and whispering praise. He smiled warmly as she slowly focused back to their images in the mirror.

“Beautiful, lass. Your submission is a bounty beyond compare. I’d all but resigned myself to the status quo of subs here at the club. But a bonnier woman with such fire I’ve never seen. If you let me, I will comfort you and cherish your submission. Hold your head high for me.”

She raised her chin.

“Yes, like that. Now wipe your tears and be brave. Stop your worrying about whatever it is you think I need. Give me all you can so you can be whole.”

No doubt he must see that she was a bigger challenge than he’d intended...but it wasn’t turning him away. If anything, he seemed more determined to have her. She had no idea why he’d turned his goodness her way if it wasn’t for the sex. Maybe he wanted to stick one in Hammer’s eye. Maybe he just liked helping wounded doves. Whatever. She was done looking a gift horse in the mouth.

He wrapped his arms beneath her breasts and pulled her tightly against him. The warmth of his body enveloped her with a comforting promise of protection. His hard, thick cock burned into her lower back, but he made no move to ease himself.

She closed her eyes and savored his touch—the touch of a man who seemed to both want and appreciate her. It was far more than she’d ever had before. Than she’d dared to hope.

“Thank you.” Raine didn’t know what else to say to express all the gratitude in her heart. This man would be so easy to kneel for.

“Will you give me a bit of your trust, then?”

Whatever happened next, Liam had given her a precious gift: hope. She had to stop being so defeated and hold her head up. Face life. She’d always done that before. If Hammer didn’t want her, she wasn’t going to let the son of a bitch break her.

“I need a bit of time to be sure. I’m not in the best frame of mind to make decisions. A day or two... Is that too much to ask?”

“No, that’s wise. Take a couple of days, then give me your answer. For right now, come. Lay with me on the bed and let me hold you. Try and get a little sleep.”

He stepped away, taking the soothing veil of body heat with him. Shivering softly, instantly missing his reassuring warmth, she watched as he held out his hand. She turned and took it, allowing him to lead her to the bed. “Just sleep?”

He settled against the sheets, bringing her close, then stared into her eyes. “You need it, but I’m still a man. I want you naked against me. Rest your weary head for now. We’ll work everything out.”

Chapter 5

With less than an hour to go before this travesty was set to begin, Liam prowled into the bar, looking for Beck. Hammer had avoided him all afternoon, knowing Liam would do his best to talk him out of this public humiliation. It was meant to strip Raine of her considerable pride, and Liam understood. But tearing the lass down wasn’t the way to correct her. And if his friend wasn’t going to listen, maybe Liam could convince Beck to see reason. Raine certainly didn’t deserve what the sadist would dish out in Hammer’s name, and unless Liam missed his guess by a mile, Raine wouldn’t like it, either. He’d held and reassured the girl enough all morning to know that the last thing she needed was more pain.

And with every moment he’d cradled her in his arms and slid her soft skin over his own, he’d only wanted her more.

Seated at the long, sleek bar, Beck nursed a glass of whiskey in one big hand. A coiled whip dangled from his hip. Instantly, Liam saw a vision of Raine’s blood trailing down her fair skin, pooling in the small of her back, in the crooks of her knees, just like that of the masochist Beck had worked to oblivion last weekend. Every protective instinct came off its leash. Even if Beck was skilled enough never to scar his subs, Liam would not have Raine’s perfect, milky skin cut even once—and he didn’t want to think too hard about why he felt so insistent.

Beck turned and watched his approach with a welcoming smile. At Liam’s glare, the sadist’s expression turned puzzled.

He didn’t give Beck the opportunity to say a word, just growled at the man in barely controlled rage. “Don’t be thinking you’ll mark wee Raine. I’ll be there watching you like a hawk. If you make her bleed, I’ll take your fucking whip and shove it up your ass!”

Beck raised a brow at him, eyes glittering. “Who flipped your bitch switch? First of all, Hammer already talked to me about what I’m allowed to do to the princess. And second, it’s none of your business. She’s been under Hammer’s protection for years. His choice, his punishment. My pleasure. Piss off.”

Liam leaned in, pointing his finger directly in the other man’s face. “I mean it, Beck. Don’t mark her, or you’ll answer to me.”

Now that he’d gotten that off his chest, Liam tapped the counter. The bartender set a shot of whiskey before him. Liam slammed it back, needing it to calm his nerves. He tried to think of any other way he could spare Raine this degradation, but his options were limited. He couldn’t help her unless she chose to help herself.

Beck lifted the whip from his hip and arched the long leather single tail above his head, splitting the air with a sharp crack. Looking over his shoulder, he smirked at Liam. “Don’t worry. The marks from this little beauty won’t last long. She can handle it. She might even like it. And if she doesn’t...” He shrugged. “Well, that’s why it’s punishment.”

Liam charged Beck, fury boiling his blood. “If she so much as breaks a fucking fingernail while she’s with you, I’ll break your goddamn face.”

Beck looked somewhere between annoyed and amused. “Okay, so the whip is out. How about a nice, thick leather paddle? It won’t break her skin, but the bruise it will leave. . . Hmm, yeah.” His grin turned to a leer. “That deep purple hue on her lily white ass will make your dick hard.”

Liam knew a hundred ways to get off, but bruising a pretty sub wasn’t one that tripped his trigger.

“Listen to me. Not your whip. Not your fucking paddle, or any other cutting, bruising, intense pain giving, sharp-knotted flogger you have touches her skin. I don’t give a flying fuck what you and Hammer have cooked up. I’m telling you, I don’t want her marked, period.”

“So basically, you just want me to kick back and have a manicure?” Beck threw up his hands. “Maybe I should just flog her with cotton balls. No, wait! You probably think that would be too damn brutal.” The sadist grinned slyly. “I guess I could beat her with my tongue.”

Liam saw red. Vaguely, he realized that Raine was tying him up in knots—like Hammer—but that didn’t stop him from wanting to protect her. “Your tongue best be kept to yourself, along with your pecker, if you’ve a mind to keep them attached. You’ve been warned.”

Beck yawned. “Go bark at Hammer. Believe me, I’d rather get this over with, so I can find a real sub who will—”

“Fuck you, Beck. Raine is a real sub.”

“Yeah? When has she ever submitted to anything or anyone?”

This morning, and it had been delicious. Her soft sighs. Her tentative, trembling trust. Bloody hell, he got hard just thinking about it. He was walking a dangerous line with Hammer’s girl…

Beck was deliberately baiting him. Raine was none of the man’s business, and this pissing contest was getting them nowhere. Riling up the sadist just before he meted out the lass’s sentence completely defeated the purpose of trying to spare her.

“Just remember what I’ve said.”

As he pushed away from the bar and headed for the stairs, Beck laughed. “Christ, this is funny. You and Hammer have both got a boner for the princess.”

Fuck the wanker for being right.

Gnashing his teeth, Liam ignored Beck and stomped back to Raine’s room.

If she’d only agree to his training, then she’d be under his protection. But she wanted and needed time to make a decision. Maybe she sensed that she shouldn’t take his offer at face value. Maybe she feared what opening up her soul to him—or any man—would mean. It was that trust problem Hammer had warned him about. And it chafed. Ordinarily he’d be happy to let her weigh the pros and cons and come to a sensible conclusion. But Beck could very quickly get out of hand, and with Hammer not in his right mind where Raine was concerned, Liam had no option but to convince her to reconsider.

When he knocked, she bade him to enter. He found her sitting quietly on the bed, waiting in a ruffled, black baby-doll nightie. The top two triangles were completely transparent as they hugged her heavy breasts and tight nipples. Just beneath her bust, the fabric turned silky. He couldn’t see through it, but it shimmered as it parted and played peekaboo with her navel. Beneath that, Liam caught a little scrap of silky black underwear. She rounded the seductive look with fuck-me stilettos that, despite her short stature, made her legs look a mile long.

Liam sucked in a breath. What had possessed her to wear that? She looked stunning and completely fuckable, but not at all ready for the sort of attention Beck had in mind. Christ! And, no doubt, she’d chosen that get-up to flaunt her every curve at Hammer. Raine’s expression looked surprisingly resigned, even calm, but already he could distinguish fidgeting and stuttered breathing that revealed her agitation. Liam cursed.

She drew her knees up to her chest, covering her breasts, and he wondered why she sought to show everything to Hammer…but hide from him.

Because she loved the stupid brute. And that bothered him more than it should.

“Did you find Beck?” She bit her lip. Something on his face must have given the answer away because she suddenly groaned. “Don’t tell me, let me guess. He didn’t want to hear a word you had to say.”

“Precisely, lass. Sorry.”

“That’s Beck.” She smiled. “It was sweet of you to try, but we should go. Don’t want to be late.”

“Hold up.” He grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “It doesn’t have to be this way. I could protect you if you wore my training collar. Agree, and this foolish business stops here and now. You’ll still be punished, but it’ll be by my hand.”

She hesitated, dropping her gaze, then sent him a soft stare. “In a way, it’s really tempting. But if I’m truly going to say yes to you, I want to do it for the right reasons, not because Beck scared me enough to hide behind you. And maybe I shouldn’t care what Hammer thinks, but six years of habits die hard. If I walked in wearing a training collar, he’d know I took it simply as an out. That would make me both a coward and the brat he accused me of being.”

“You’re nowhere near the brat everyone has convinced you that you are. And personally, as much as I’d enjoy color flushing your face and striping that perfect white ass, I’d rather it came from my hand.”

Suddenly, she lowered her legs, exposing her breasts again, and he forgot what else he’d meant to say. He stared at her loveliness and imagined his cock fully seated inside her snug little pussy. The erection he’d been enduring all day got harder.