Dean's List

No, it wasn't. 'I…I have belts.'

'Special ones?' He combed the hair from her face.

'Hanging in the closet.' She turned into his hand, sniffing her scent on his fingers. 'I trust you.'

He rubbed a palm over her warm bottom. 'Then get ready and I'll find one. Facedown, pillows lifting that luscious heiny. I'll have to fuck you after this, Leigh. My cock is ready to bust open, but I'll hold on for you. Warning…I'll fuck you hard and fast, deep, but not long, because I'm too close to coming myself. But you'll come again, too, sweetheart, maybe more than once…or twice.'

Dan slipped from beneath her then, leaving Leigh to do as he'd said. Her arms and legs felt weighted from the force of her climax. But once she heard him open her closet door, want propelled her to prepare.

She gathered the pillows and placed them in the center of the bed, then lay facedown, more or less spread- eagle for him. Already her clit had awakened, her pussy clenching for something to fill it.

The tinkle of a belt buckle alerted her time was approaching. She closed her eyes and waited. The rip of a condom packet. The sound of… He was going through her toys! The bed dipped and cool lubricant touched her anus, then the small butt plug plunged in.

'No anal beads, honey?' He kissed her ass. 'We'll have to remedy that. They make you come like you've never come before.' He moved away. Leather swished.

Leigh arched her back with the strike upon her thighs. Fire spread again quickly followed by another lash higher. Another higher still. She squeezed her thighs together to quell the ache in her clit.

'Nuh-uh, that's cheating,' he said, slithering the leather down her back until it tickled the crack in her butt. 'Only I make you come. Open.'

'God, Dan! It just feels-'

'So good,' he finished. 'I know, sweetheart, and it's all for you. Ten more and then I'll have to fuck you, baby. I'm disappointed in my lack of stamina. I really wanted to suck your clit and make you come.'

'There's always tomorrow,' she murmured.

'I can't think of any better way to wake up,' he replied, and struck again.

Leigh tried to count the smacks. She lost count after three, wadding the sheet in her fists to keep her hands out of her pussy. The instant she heard the belt fall to the floor, she rolled over and reached for Dan. He was already there, grabbing her legs and urging them up to his shoulders. He tugged the pillows under her hips, pressed his thumb to her clit, and plunged his cock to the hilt. She came hard, thrashing with the waves rolling through her.

Dan grunted, withdrew, then plunged in again…harder. A low buzz warned Leigh. She grappled for his shoulders and held on, but the sensation of vibrator against her clit had her fisting the sheets once more. He pounded into her as he'd promised-hard, fast, and deep. Sweat glistened on his skin.

'You look so beautiful,' she cried out. 'I want to lick you dry.'

This time he whimpered.

'Suck your cock.'

His body quaked.

'Feel your tongue slither deep into my pussy.'

He plunged deep, grinding into her. Head tossed back, he groaned and let go. Leigh came with him, taking each thrust as jism shot from him, and knew she'd never seen anything as perfect as this man.

Somehow he dredged up the strength to put the bed to rights-heaven knew Leigh didn't have it. She tucked her head into the pillow he'd placed at the headboard, then curled into his body when he joined her there and draped an arm around her.

That's when reality hit her. Questions and doubts she'd tried to ignore assaulted her. The tears came out of nowhere, sobs right behind. Rough, heartbreaking sobs that carved out her heart and left it as roadkill for ravens to pick apart.

'What's wrong?' Dan sat upright, taking her with him.

Leigh batted him away and took refuge at the edge of the bed, her pillow clutched before her as if it could protect her.

'Are you hurt?' Devastation twisted his face. He reached for her. 'My God, did I hurt you? Sweetheart… honey…'

'You peeped!' she shouted, slapping his hand away.

'I'm sorry…what?' He actually had the nerve to look confused, innocent even.

'You peeped me.' Leigh smeared the tears from her face; more replaced them. 'Back then…you peeped on me.'

'I did not.' He stabbed his finger onto the mattress. It came right back up. 'One time I saw that jerk-faced son of a bitch fucking the neighbor and you came in to take care of his business.' His finger came up again. 'One time.'

'Then how could you know about this?' She waved her hands. 'No one knew. No one! Not even Jerk-face.'

Dan's shoulders sagged with his sigh. 'Oh, honey.' His arms opened to her. 'Please come here. I swear I didn't peep on you.'

She ignored the attempt to placate her. 'Then how?'

'I figured it out…eventually. Let's face it, my world experience was lacking in many areas at the time. I couldn't understand why you'd have a riding crop when I knew you didn't ride horses. Hell, with trying to finish your masters and working nights, you barely had time to breathe. And then that bastard had the nerve to cheat on you.'

He reached for her again; this time Leigh relented. Dan cupped her shoulders, thumbs circling. 'As time went on, I understood why you'd often close your bedroom drapes at odd hours of the day. I thought at the time you were taking a well-deserved nap. And remember, at that particular stage of my life, I often sequestered myself in the privacy of my room. For me…not to look in on you.' He tapped her nose.

'That's quite a leap of your deductive skills.' Leigh wiped anyway what was left of her tears.

Dan shrugged. 'It's what I do. Considering what I do, please keep in mind it took me many, many years to reach said conclusion.'

'And then you practiced?' A lift of her eyebrow dared him to use his I-don't-kiss-and-tell defense.

He splayed his hand against his chest. 'Guilty. And very curious at the time. Practice makes perfect… Shall I go on?'

'No.' Now she felt stupid, but what else was she supposed to have thought?

Dan lay down, taking her with him. Leigh rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

'I meant what I said in what I wrote,' he said after a bit. 'I discovered that day the type of man I did and didn't want to be, but I knew long before then I did want a woman like you. It wasn't until years later I realized I didn't just want a woman like you…I wanted you. It hurt inside to know that would never happen, that I would never be able to tell you how I feel. Then there you were back in my life. Not only did I not want to miss this opportunity Fate had tossed my way, but I was also determined to keep you and prove I was man enough to do so-to be the perfect man for my perfect woman.'

Damn it all, now she was crying again. Sitting up, she reached for a tissue from the box on the nightstand. Dan rubbed her back, then sat up, too, and dotted kisses along her shoulder.

'I'm going to lay all my cards out, Leigh. I love you. Plain and simple.'

A tinny ring like an old-time telephone broke the moment.

'Fuck,' he muttered. 'Of course.' He swung his feet to the floor. 'This time of night, it's got to be work.' He dug his cell phone from his jeans, then punched a key. ' Jefferson.'

Leigh watched him brace his elbows on his knees. Frustration radiated off him. She crawled up behind him and did as he'd done for her-rubbed his back and kissed his shoulder. His arm came around to hug her.

'Yeah, but someone's going to have to come get me. No transportation. I'll explain later. But this is the third time that ass has fucked with my time off. If he's drunk yet again, it needs to go in his record.' He ended the call. 'Sorry…work.'

'I know.'

'Don't know how long I'll be.'

'I know that, too.'

He looked over his shoulder. 'I meant what I said, Leigh. Every word of it. Are you…are you here for me? For