“Look at me!” Mason ordered. Her head shot up, tears edging out of the corners of her eyes. She didn’t know if she could keep doing this. This hurt. Who the hell got any pleasure from this?
The look he gave her brooked no argument, though. She stared at him while Rafe tortured her backside. The evil man pummeled both cheeks and the tops of her thighs with unrelenting finesse.
The heat in Mason’s gaze startled her a little. He looked incredibly powerful and protective watching her. Undeniably sexy. And with the next blow, something in her changed, heated. She tried to squirm at the burn coming from within. What was happening? Was she getting turned on by this? Another hit, then another. Mason’s gaze blazed. Oh God, she was getting turned on.
That wasn’t right.
She didn’t like this. She wasn’t supposed to enjoy being beaten.
But she was. She didn’t know why, but she liked it. God help her, she did.
When Rafe sped up, she finally screamed, releasing her anger and confusion in one long screech of relief. She sobbed in a breath when she stopped and noticed Mason had knelt before her. She hadn’t shut her eyes, but she hadn’t noticed him moving either.
“She’s wet,” Rafe said.
Shelby was too emotionally naked to be embarrassed by how turned on she’d gotten. Being strapped in this position left her exposed. Her legs were shaking. Oh yeah, she was wet. She ached to be touched. If she wasn’t so turned on, she’d go from questioning it to being pissed about it, but right now all was lost to her except the need she felt.
“Move on,” Mason said through gritted teeth.
Rafe grunted, and then Shelby heard him walk away. Was he leaving? Were they done? She didn’t know how she felt about that. Something inside her screamed she wasn’t ready to stop, but she didn’t dare voice that.
Another soft sound in the background lit her ears and then Rafe’s heavy, booted steps came toward her again.
She screamed when something long and thin stung her just below her bottom. He rapped it over and over along her upper thighs and lower cheeks while she wailed. The pain burned past the point of tolerance and soared into something numbing, almost pleasurable. What was happening to her? Her core flooded with need, and she unsuccessfully tried to wiggle her bottom. The restraints stopped her from moving an inch, but she wanted, needed him to touch her. Touch her where she needed it most.
“Oh God,” she moaned. So confused. So turned on. So desperate to feel.
“She’s ready, Mason,” Rafe said, and then Shelby heard him walking away again.
Mason looked at her. The indecision warring in his eyes would’ve confused her even more if she cared to think about it at the moment. What did he have to be confused about? He wasn’t the one aching for release.
“Pet,” he whispered as he stroked her sweat-soaked hair. “You are doing wonderfully. Tell me what you need. I have to hear it.”
“I-I.” She didn’t know what she needed, but she was burning for it.
“You can stop at any time, sweetness, and not be punished. We can stop now and resume next week with the following scene, or we can continue right now with this one. I’m giving you the choice. If we move on, I’m going to take what I want. Do you understand me?” The look in his eyes burned with desire so strong that her knees would’ve given out if she’d been standing.
Her body shook. She could stop now and be free to come back next week or she could continue on and satisfy the aching void that had suddenly filled her, consumed her. Rafe’s loud boots announced he’d returned to stand behind her, but he waited for her to reply.
There was only one answer. She knew logically she should fight it, but she didn’t want to. It was the only answer to give.
“Please don’t stop,” she whispered while looking into Mason’s eyes. Then something new landed so hard on her bottom that the air locked in her lungs.
Chapter Four
Mason had to fight every urge in his body to take the flogger away from Rafe and fuck Shelby right here on the bench. She was the strongest submissive he’d witnessed in a long while, and his dick was so hard it could drive nails. But it wasn’t only sexual desire for the woman that he felt. It’d been three years since a sub made it this far with Rafe, and a sense of pride also washed over him that it was Shelby who’d accomplished that feat.
Squatting in front of her forced her not to look away from him, but it also made it terribly uncomfortable for his erection, which was trapped in his leathers. He’d tolerated it as long as he could, but now that she’d given the go-ahead not to stop, he wasn’t going to protect her from her effects any longer. He unzipped his pants and pulled out his cock. She looked down as he wrapped one hand around it, so he took his other hand and pulled her head back up by her hair. Just because he couldn’t take her didn’t mean he wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the display of her.
“You’re so amazing, Shelby,” he breathed.
She whimpered, and he knew she was just as turned on as he was. He smelled her arousal, her glistening inner thigh taunting him with what he couldn’t have.
Then Rafe altered the angle of the next blow, lightly tapping her. She screamed and bucked.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God. Please!”
Rafe had let the crop land gently on her pussy, and Mason knew how fast that’d throw a woman over the edge. He wasn’t ready for her to come. Not yet. And she hadn’t wanted another man touching her. Granted, it wasn’t Rafe’s hand, but for
