Zara's Surrender Read online

  “It hurts!”

  “I’m sure it does, sweetheart, but you easily could have been killed. I need to know you’ll behave yourself and do what I tell you. You need to know that when you don’t, I’ll punish you and remind you which one of us is dominant.”

  “Motherfucker!” She launched another bowl.

  The dish hit the soft couch and didn’t crash. She shrieked in frustration. Noah stood up and regarded her across the small space. She had another plate poised to throw.

  “Settle down, Zara. That’s enough. When we’re home and you want to have a tantrum, that’s one thing. I’ll simply buy sets of dishes when they’re on sale. But this is a safe house, and we try to keep from coming and going so as to not call attention to us. Put the plate down.”

  “No,” she said, still clutching it.

  “Zara, put it down. I meant what I said; there’s aloe gel in the bath. If you want, I can put it on those welts and it’ll take some of the sting out of them.”

  “I can do it myself.”

  “Not as easily as I could, but even if you could, you aren’t to do it,” he said evenly.

  “Why the fuck not?”

  “Because I’m the one who put the sting in your tail, and, if there’s to be any relief, I’ll be the one giving it. Now, put the plate down, or I’ll take it from you and punish the inside of your bottom as well.”

  “You already did that.”

  He grinned. “Yes, but not as much punishment as you’d like me to believe. As I recall, you came twice for me when I took your bottom hole. You should know, I checked the pantry, and there is ginger root here in the cottage.”

  “Shit, Noah!” she said but put down the plate. “These welts hurt.”

  He came around the couch and approached her in the kitchen, checking for any signs this was just the eye of the storm. Seeing none, he pulled her into his embrace and held her, making soothing noises to her until her body quit resisting the comfort he sought to give her and she clung to him.

  “I know, baby. I need for you not to do something like that again.”

  “I swear, if you tell me it hurt you more than it hurt me, I’ll shoot you again…and this time with a bullet.”

  He laughed. “That’ll be enough of that, woman. You level a gun at me again, regardless of the ammunition, and I’ll lay twice as many stripes across your backside as I did this afternoon.”

  “No, please no.”

  “Then you behave. Why don’t you go lie on the couch, and I’ll get the gel; we’ll see if I can’t take some of the fire out of them.”

  “Fine, but I’m not apologizing about…”

  “The temper tantrum?” he suggested.

  “Expressing my righteous indignation at realizing you’re a ruthless bastard who took a belt to my ass and deliberately left welts behind.”

  “Good enough.” He chuckled and led her back to the sofa.

  Zara stretched out, and Noah headed into the bath. He took a few moments to check the nightstands and under the bed. Sure enough, there were firearms located in all three places. He grabbed the aloe and started back for the sitting room. He considered taking the two pillows on the bed but didn’t want to ignite another firestorm. Taking them anyway, he figured if she got testy, he’d simply withhold the aloe until she decided to settle down and rein in her temper.

  She spied the pillows. “Not funny,” she said with little heat.

  Noah was figuring out Zara’s temper was more like a summer squall than a true storm.

  “It wasn’t meant to be and wasn’t meant to be anything other than my trying to give you something soft to sit on. The fact is, sitting is not going to be comfortable for you for a few days. If you want to eat lying on your belly or your side, I’m fine with that. The only time your ass needs to come into contact with anything at all, as far as I’m concerned, is when I’m fucking you.”

  “You don’t seriously think I’m going to let you fuck me after that do you?”

  “What I think is that I already fucked you after I welted you, and just because you get yourself into enough trouble that you and my belt have to have a little discussion, it doesn’t mean either of us is doing without.”

  Noah loved watching her think, and seeing the emotions play across her features.

  “Truth is,” she sighed, “as much as it hurts, I’m still wet for you.”

  He hugged her close. “That may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “I really do wish I could hate you or at least not want to fuck you…”

  “But you don’t, do you?”

  “No…but I wish I could.”

  Noah reached behind the couch and got the wildflowers. “I picked these for you on the hill to the east of us.”

  “Shit! Now, why did you have to go and do something like that?” she said in a voice bordering on tears.

  “I thought you’d like them. I wanted you to know that once I’ve punished you, which includes fucking you in some way, that as far as I’m concerned, it’s over and done.”

  “That’s really sweet. And I greeted your return with crashing dishware.”

  “At the risk of inciting another tantrum, I’m not the one who can’t sit down. A bit of temper on your part is to be expected.”

  “So, you’re not mad about the dishes?”

  “Like I said, I don’t like that they were here at the safe house, but at home it’s not the worst thing you can do. Zara, I don’t expect you to be some kind of complacent submissive who accepts her punishment without reacting and/or getting angry. That’s not who you are…and you’re who I want,” he answered reassuringly.

  “And again, you have to be nice to me so I realize what a total bitch I was.”

  “A bitch with a bright-red fanny and sporting some pretty impressive welts.”

  “You don’t have to remind me…” she sulked.

  “Let’s see if I can’t make it feel a little bit better.”

  Zara grumbled, but didn’t resist when he started to delicately dab the soothing aloe gel across the marks his hand and belt had left behind. He knew they were still sore, but he hoped the gel would help a bit.

  “Better?”

  “Somewhat. Know what would make them feel even better?”

  “I’m afraid to ask,” he said, laughing.

  “Feeding me some of that delicious smelling coq au vin. Did you know that’s one of my favorite things to eat?”

  “Is it? Good, it’s very easy to make. You’ll have to make me a list of things you particularly like. If you can do it by tomorrow midday, I can relay it to Thom, and he can bring us anything we need that wasn’t already stocked.”

  “How are you with shellfish?”

  “I make a scallop risotto to die for.”

  “Yum! I want that.”

  “I’ll see that Thom picks up what we need,” he said, standing.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get you that coq au vin.”

  ***

  Zara watched him walk back to the kitchen. His jeans, while not tight, fit his ass as if someone had painted them on. She was quite certain he would win any contest for Fine Ass Friday. That ass and those muscular thighs and core were what made him such a powerhouse in bed. Her pussy clenched in anticipation of the night to come. She was quite certain that she would feel each of those seven welts as well as the hand spanking that had preceded it. But she was just as certain Noah’s skills as a lover would make the pain the least of the things she felt.

  She shook her head. Already he knew her body as well, if not better, than she did. Yes, he was extremely dominant when they made love, but he was right—that was part of his allure. She’d really forgotten what it was like to be with a man who took command where sex was concerned. The thing that made it even better was that he always ensured she derived just as much pleasure from the act as he did. Even when he was fucking her mouth, he managed to get her very aroused and hungry for his touch.

  Zara watche
d him return and smiled.

  “What’s that for?” he asked.

  “Just thinking that I can’t decide which view is better…you walking away with your great butt or coming at me with that nice big bulge in the front of your jeans.”

  “Wanton woman,” he scolded with a smile.

  “Your wanton woman,” she replied.

  “Damn straight.” He sat next to her, brushing his lips against hers.

  He used the fork to spear a piece of chicken and vegetables, dipped them in a bit of the sauce, and lifted it to his mouth to blow on it before offering it to her. She accepted it greedily.

  “Oh my God that’s good,” she exclaimed.

  “Careful, you’ll make my head swell.”

  Zara reached onto his lap and gave his package an affectionate squeeze. “Which one?”

  “Both,” he said, kissing her.

  That was another thing she liked about Noah. He wasn’t stingy with kisses or tactile expressions of how he felt…although, she thought, she could do with fewer displays of his discipline.

  Zara couldn’t remember a dinner she’d enjoyed more. They bantered easily with each other as though they’d been lovers for years. There was an ease about Noah that captivated her every bit as much as the demanding alpha who had laid claim to her. She found him to be a quintessential warrior, but also an incurable romantic with a wicked sense of humor.

  “Do you ride?” she asked. “Finn says they have horses.”

  “Yes, to both, and they also have mules. Do you like to ride?”

  “Very much, but it’s been years since I did, and I’m nowhere near as good as Finn.”

  “Me either. I’m not anywhere as good as Mac or Croft, but I like to trail ride. There’s a peace when you’re out in the wilderness—just you and a horse and a certain clarity that comes from it. My favorite time to ride is sunrise. I try to find someplace where I can watch the sun come up over the horizon.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  “Know what would make it better?”

  She shook her head.

  “To share it with you.”

  Zara wasn’t sure why, but something about that simple gesture touched her deeply, and tears welled in her eyes.

  “You don’t have to…” he started, misinterpreting the tears she was sure he had seen.

  She came up off the couch and kissed him, not minding the pain that radiated across her backside as her ass came into contact with the seat cushions.

  “No,” she said softly. “I was just thinking that sounded so amazing and like something you’d want to do for yourself. That you want to include me means a great deal to me.”

  “You, Zara Hughes, mean everything to me.”

  Zara didn’t trust herself to speak, so she pressed herself against him and kissed him again darting her tongue into his mouth and inviting him to haul her into his arms and make her his once more. His tongue danced with hers, pushing it back to take control of the kiss and of the rest of her. She sighed and gave herself over to him.

  Noah pulled her gently onto his lap and soothed her when she hissed from her backside making contact with his hard, jean-clad legs. He cradled her against him so that she was mostly on her side and began the tantalizing caresses she had come to crave in so short a time. His powerful fondling evoked sensations and tactile responses in a way no man before him had ever done. She gave herself over to his care with a sigh.

  Zara was surprised when he didn’t lift her off the couch and take her to their bed. He seemed content to simply hold her and express his feelings in a demonstrative, caring, and sensual way. She didn’t doubt he wanted her; she could feel how hard he was. With the way he had laid into her earlier, she would have thought the pain would be a distraction, instead it seemed to enhance everything.

  She realized how quickly she had come to revel in the feelings he invoked. He was infuriating, to be sure, but he was also intoxicating. She felt as though she were drunk on the life force that was Noah.

  Zara stretched her neck back, offering her throat to him. He nibbled and kissed his way down its slender column reaching up from the bottom of his shirt that she had on. He briefly stroked her mons, and she spread her legs for him involuntarily. Noah’s hand moved up, skimming along her torso until he reached his destination. He began to fondle her breast and nipple, squeezing and kneading the fleshiest part and then zeroing in on its nerve center.

  She moaned in response. She cupped his head and encouraged it to travel down and replace his hands. Noah unbuttoned her shirt, moving his lips to where she wanted. He sucked in her whole areola then closed on her nipple to bite it gently, laving his tongue around the whole area and then suckled.

  He stroked down her body slipping between her legs and playing with her clit. Zara wasn’t sure which sensation was the keenest—his hand or his mouth. In any event, it wasn’t the discomfort from his harsh discipline that had her complete focus. Her breath caught as he increased his fondling and she quickly found herself on the precipice of an orgasm. Noah’s thumb replaced his finger on her swollen nub, and his fingers briefly caressed her labia before penetrating her. Feeling him stroke her inner walls, Zara shuddered in climatic response to his handling of her.

  “Noah,” she said in a breathy whisper, grasping his arm.

  In response he brought his mouth back to hers and drew her into a close embrace.

  “Good girl,” he whispered.

  “Bastard,” she responded, making him laugh.

  He stood easily, still cradling her in his arms.

  “The dishes can wait,” he said, taking her to the bedroom.

  And wait they did until midmorning of the next day. Noah had been an attentive and imaginative lover throughout the night. He’d taken her numerous times. Sleep had seemed like too high a price to pay to not wallow in the all-encompassing sensory web he wove. Noah took her body and soul places that until now she hadn’t even known existed. As the sun finally began to rise, he allowed her exhausted body to rest.

  Chapter 14

  Noah opened his eyes to the bright sun coming through the windows. Zara was draped over his body in sated slumber, and he was loathe to wake her. He reached for his phone and brought up the application for the security feed of the cottage. No alarms had gone off during the night, but he questioned whether or not he would have heard them. He realized he was incredibly happy, and not just because he had spent the night in the arms of a woman whose erotic nature seemed to know no bounds. He recognized that with Zara he had found not just a life partner but the serenity he’d been seeking his whole life.

  He leaned down and kissed her gently. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled, returning the kiss.

  “Again?” she murmured.

  “Greedy and wanton…my kind of woman.”

  She laughed and nuzzled him before settling her head on his shoulder.

  “I’m going to get up and go make a quick check of the property…”

  “Anything wrong?” she asked, coming awake.

  “No, sweetheart,” he soothed. “The alarms would have gone off, and I do think we’re secure; I’m just not taking any chances with you here. I didn’t want you to wake up and find me gone. I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “What makes you think I wouldn’t see that as cause for celebration? After all, I wouldn’t be in danger of getting my ass beat, and I could get some sleep.”

  He laughed. “Don’t misbehave, and I won’t beat your ass. And, as I remember it, I’m not the only one who initiated things last night.”

  “That’s not my fault. You have me in your sexual thrall, and resistance is futile.”

  “I see. So, my waking up to you having your mouth around my cock is somehow my fault?”

  “Yes, it is,” she said, trying to stifle her own amusement.

  “Well then, why don’t you just take advantage of this very brief respite from my amorous attentions. I’ll make us something to eat when I get back. I also need to go over the secur
ity we have in place with you in case it becomes an issue.”

  “You’re really concerned about Abdal, aren’t you? What can he do? Isn’t he in FBI custody?”

  “He’s tried to take you out twice while in custody. I don’t mean for the third time to be the charm. Thom should have a secure phone for you today. It has a panic button installed, and he’ll explain it to you. If you aren’t with me, I want you to have it with you at all times.”

  “I only carry my cell phone when I leave the house. Otherwise, I leave it in the charger.”

  “On your person at all times, unless you’re with me. That means if I’m not sleeping next to you, it had better be on the nightstand…under your pillow would be even better.”

  Before the argument could develop, Noah’s phone rang.

  “Taylor.”

  “Thom here. Anything I need to pick up?”

  “Actually, Zara wants me to make my scallop risotto…”

  “Good choice. I love that. Can you send me a list of what you need?”

  “Absolutely, and I’ve got a list of other items we need. What’s your ETA?”

  “I’m in Monaco now. I was able to catch an earlier flight. The market is open, so two hours?”

  “We can make that work. We’ll see you then.”

  Noah disconnected the phone.

  “Thom will be here in a couple of hours.”

  “Damn.” She pouted. “That means I have to wait until he leaves to have my way with you again.”

  Noah laughed; Zara was good for him. She made him laugh more than he had at any other time in his life. Her very presence gave him such joy.

  “Hmmm. That could be a problem. I didn’t ask him about his return flights.”

  “Does that mean if he stays, you won’t fuck me tonight?”

  “Not at all…I’ll just have to figure out a way to keep you quiet.”

  Zara blushed, which he found incredibly charming. Who was he kidding? There wasn’t anything about Zara he didn’t like…save her stubborn streak about risking her neck, but that he meant to get a handle on.

  “I thought you were going to go check the perimeter and feed me,” she chided.

  “Yep. Do me a favor and get dressed while I’m outside…provided you feel like you can walk.”