Master of the Abyss

tone. “Well, Tamara, since you asked for him, I guess he can bed down in my tent. Just for tonight, though.”

Tamara beamed and crawled into Kallie’s lap. Not a shy bone in that child’s body, and Jake was a tad envious as the girl snuggled close. Then again, tonight he’d sleep in Kallie’s tent, and her sweet round ass would be in his lap. Or under him. All night.

And so it proved.

* * *

A few hours after everyone had retired, Jake lay on his back on Kallie’s sleeping bag with her beside him. As he tried to regain his strength, he thought about the night’s activities. He decided that having her under him felt great. Then again, placing her on top hadn’t been too bad either-the sprite definitely had riding skills. Good thing she’d set her tent up at a distance from the others since he’d kept her in the saddle until she’d gone limp with coming.

Now she nestled against his side, her breath creating a warm spot on his chest. His shoulders stung where she’d dug her nails in the last time. Of course, his grip on her hips had probably given her a few bruises. He hadn’t had so much fun or come so powerfully in…he didn’t know when. Ever, maybe.

Eventually she stirred, lifting up on one elbow to stare down at him. The full moon glowed softly on the high dome of the tent, lighting her face with silver. Her eyes were dark liquid pools, incredibly beautiful despite the frown she gave him. “You know, I can’t believe the things I let you do.”

“Oh? What things? Like the clamps?” He rubbed his knuckles over her nipples, still swollen from the clamps and his attentions earlier.

She inhaled sharply, and he pinned her in place as he gently teased the undoubtedly sensitive peaks. Then stopped as he felt himself harden. Too soon to take her again. She needed a break.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Her lower lip actually pushed out into the most adorable pout he’d ever seen.

He laughed once, then again at the glare she gave him. “I do know, sugar. You let me do them because you want me to.”

“Not hardly. I never, ever thought about putting stuff like that on myself.”

“No, not clamps specifically.” He tugged on a lock of her hair. “What I do-we do- isn’t as important as the fact that you want to give up control. I’m honored that you trust me enough to give it to me.”

Want to give up control. She’d avoided thinking about the BDSM stuff, aside from how hot it made her. Maybe because, though he teased her sometimes, he didn’t try to overwhelm her when they weren’t “playing.” But it formed a definite part of their relationship. And since just thinking about his control excited the hell out of her, maybe he was right. Maybe. “It never worked out with the others.”

“Ah, sugar. You have a submissive nature, but that doesn’t mean you want to submit to just anyone or all the time. That would be like saying that someone with a passionate nature wants to have sex all day long with any man she meets. No. In your case, little sub, you probably enjoy ordinary sex, but the act of giving up control to a dominant you trust will add”-his lips quirked-“a lot to the experience.”

Definitely a lot.

“Your previous times probably failed because of those two factors: either your boyfriend didn’t have a dominating personality, or you didn’t trust him enough to surrender control.”

Made sense, and maybe that was why she’d always felt something was missing during sex. “So when did you figure out…what you are?”

“Curious little sprite.” He huffed a laugh. “Years ago in college. Logan had a very kinky girlfriend who was not only submissive but wanted two men at once.” He chuckled. “We discovered we both enjoyed domination, but neither of us is generous enough to enjoy sharing.”

Years ago. All that experience. She hadn’t had a chance, had she?

“After we’d been in the lifestyle a while, we realized our parent’s relationship has a dominant-submissive dynamic, so we probably absorbed it in childhood. Not that we’ll discuss it with them. Ever.”

She laughed.

“Get some sleep, sprite. I intend to waken you before dawn.”

* * *

Jake kept his promise and woke up his little sub before the sun rose. Neither of them had much energy, so he showed her there was a time and place for vanilla sex. He used the last condom in his jeans. Then he pulled her ass back against his groin and slid into her from behind to enjoy the soft climb into arousal and release.

Afterward he held her in his arms and settled her head into the hollow of his shoulder. She fit well against him, he thought again. And he doubted he could ever get tired of having her in his bed, taking the control she handed over so sweetly, and driving them both to heaven.

One hand behind his head, he glanced down at her. He’d definitely worn her out, though. After brushing her silky hair from her face, he stroked her soft cheek, still warm and moist despite the cooling mountain air.

She stirred and burrowed a little closer.

“Go to sleep, sugar.”

“’Kay,” she murmured, obviously halfway there already. “Love you, Jake.”

The words punched him right in the gut, an impossible blow. What have I done? His fingers had lingered on her cheek, and now he slowly pulled his hand back. No. This can’t happen.

As if she’d heard him speak, she stiffened, waking completely. She rose on one elbow, trying to see his face in the darkness. Her voice came out strained. “Guess that wasn’t what you wanted to hear.”

He cleared his throat. “No. That’s unexpected.” Everything in him wished to reassure her and ease the strain he heard in her voice. At the same time, he wanted-needed-to grab his pack and head down the mountain. To get away, no matter that the sun hadn’t risen. “Listen, Kallie-”

She snorted. “Relax. I was half-asleep; that’s all. No need to panic.”

Relief warmed his veins, and he forced a laugh. “So you were thinking of some other gorgeous guy you sleep with?”

Silence.

His heart fell. He should have taken the out when she’d given him one. She’d meant it; the sprite was one of the most honest people he’d ever met. “Sprite, I’m sor-”

“I’m not going to make any demands on you, Hunt,” she interrupted, her voice as cold as the air over a glacier. “My feelings are my own; they don’t need to be reciprocated like a Christmas present exchange or something.”

He closed his eyes, not getting anywhere with trying to see her face. But her body told him enough: from soft and sleepy to a tense, vibrating bundle of unhappiness. Dammit. He should never have let her get so involved, should never have broken his own rules. And like the insensitive bastard that he was, he’d hiked up here to see her and almost forced her into a relationship.

Now he needed to give her an explanation. “Like you said, Kallie. How I feel has nothing to do with how lovable you are.”

“Yeah. I know. You don’t want anything long-term. You told me. Hell, dude, everyone in town knows about your ‘one night only’ lecture.”

Small towns. Right. He wanted to say, This is how I am. But that wouldn’t be fair. After Mimi’s death, he’d never dated anyone seriously and never played with a submissive