Crossing the Line (Anchored Book 6) Page 5

  “I’m naked,” I whisper.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “You’re still wearing too many clothes,” I point out.

  “Still feeling a bit bossy?” He asks gently. “Did I not spank you enough?”

  “Maybe not,” I say.

  He wants me to ask for what I want. He wants me to tell him what I need. Well, what I need right now is to forget everything else I’ve been dealing with. What I need is to forget for a little while that I’ve been stressed and sad and lonely. All I want is to lose myself right now, and Jasper can help me with that.

  “Tell me what you want, buttercup.”

  “The belt.”

  For a minute, I’m nervous he’s going to back off. Maybe he’ll protest or say that’s too soon or he doesn’t want to try that outside of the club. How embarrassing would it be to ask for what I want, only to be denied?

  But I don’t have to worry.

  “Bend over the bed,” he says.

  Instantly, I wiggle to obey. I plant my feet firmly apart on the side of the bed and I bend over the mattress. His bed is almost too high for me, but I manage to make myself comfortable as I stand there waiting for him.

  “You’re beautiful, Odessa,” he says again. It almost feels like it’s his mantra of the night. Jasper is trying really, really hard to make this perfect for me and I have to be honest: he’s doing a damn good job of it.

  I hear him remove his belt, and the first strike hits me almost immediately.

  “Only ten,” he tells me, rubbing my sore bottom with his hands. “I’m sure we’ll do more in the future, but if we’re going to scene seriously, we’re going to do it at the club where I can make sure there are extra eyes on us, okay?”

  It’s not just a kink thing, I know. It’s not about being an exhibitionist. He wants to make sure that there’s someone to watch us to make sure we don’t get carried away with a scene. Even if he’s comfortable with what’s happening, maybe I’ll feel overwhelmed and forget to safeword. Maybe he will. Playing at Anchored offers a safe space where we can explore our kinks without worrying about getting hurt.

  “Yes,” I whisper. “That sounds good.”

  Strike two hits, and once again, my body feels warm and heated.

  Then three comes, and the pain lingers a bit longer.

  When the fourth strike comes, I bite my lip. After being spanked so much earlier, the sting of the belt is a little more than I’m ready to handle, but I can take it.

  I can take this.

  I need it.

  I want it.

  I love to be spanked hard. I love being tied up and played with and touched. I love all of it, and after today? I need this. Hell, after the last six months, I need this.

  Only, it’s starting to be more than I’m comfortable with and I don’t know if I can actually make it through the next six slaps of the belt. I don’t know if I can actually handle that at all, but I know that I need to. Jasper said he was going to do ten, and I need to make it through ten.

  I need to be strong.

  Then it hits me.

  Suddenly, I realize I’m doing it again. Have I really not learned anything from tonight? Have I really not been listening to anything he’s said to me? Jasper keeps telling me that I don’t actually have to be strong. I don’t have to be brave for him. I don’t have to put on some sort of false front just to impress him or to make him think I’m incredible.

  He already thinks I’m incredible.

  I don’t have to prove anything to him because he already likes me. BDSM is supposed to enhance our relationship: not overtake it. If the pain is too much, then I need to tell him. I need to use my safe word so we can stop the scene and talk about it. I need to communicate with him because if I don’t, he can never trust me, and I desperately want our relationship to be based on trust.

  I feel his hands on my bottom, massaging me, touching me. Jasper knows exactly how I need to be calmed. There’s something about him that’s so incredibly intuitive.

  He runs his hands down my spine and back to my bottom over and over, carefully playing with my body and tantalizing my skin. For a minute, I think he’s grown bored of the spanking. Maybe he’ll stop on his own and I won’t have to speak up and tell him what I want. That would save me the embarrassment and the anxiety of using my safe word.

  Then I feel him move away, and I realize it’s time.

  There’s no getting out of this one easy.

  I take a deep breath and before he strikes me again, I whisper, “Red.”

  Chapter 10

  Jasper

  She uses her safe word, and I drop the belt.

  She barely said the word out loud. If the room wasn’t so quiet, I never would have heard her. Here, in the bedroom, her voice was barely enough to register. In the club? I wouldn’t have known she’d safeworded until it was too late.

  Still, she spoke the word. We both know what that means. The scene stops and now we talk. I had the feeling that this might be a little too much for Odessa tonight. She was insistent that she could take this, but she’s been through a lot and tonight has been quite the emotional rollercoaster.

  For both of us.

  “Baby,” I pull her up into my arms. “Tell me what’s happening. Are you okay? Was it too much?”

  “It was a little too much,” she nods. “I thought I wanted to be spanked harder, but…” Her voice trails off, and tears form at the edges of her eyes. She tried to be strong, but she accepted that she couldn’t take this, and she did the bravest thing of all: she said no.

  She said stop.

  She called the scene and many submissives wouldn’t have the fucking guts to do that.

  Many of them would be too caught up with what their Dom wanted. They would have pushed themselves far more than they should have. They would have stuck with the scene way too long. Odessa didn’t do any of that. She’s an experienced submissive, so she understands firsthand exactly what can happen when you’re scared to speak up in a scene. There’s no room for wilting flowers in submission, but I’m still really, really fucking proud of her.

  A sense of pride and pleasure fills my heart: not that we got close to her limits, but that she wasn’t too scared to speak up when she needed to. She took control of the scene and she told me what she needed. She told me she needed me to stop for her, and I’m happy to.

  I wrap my arms around her tighter.

  “You thought you wanted more, but then once we got in the scene, you realized it was too much. Isn’t that right?

  She nods.

  “You used your safe word.”

  She nods, and I realize she’s feeling a little embarrassed. Nope. I don’t want any of that. Not right now.

  “You are so fucking brave, Odessa. Do you know that?”

  She looks up at me sharply.

  “Really?”

  “Really. Isn’t this exactly what we’ve been talking about? Isn’t this what we’ve been focusing on? You don’t have to be fake with me, honey. You don’t have to be strong all of the time.”

  “I’m not…you know…done,” she whispers. “It was just a lot of emotion all at once. A lot of pain. Usually, I like that. I crave it sometimes, Jasper. You know that. Right now, though, I need more of you. I need you. I just…Jasper?”

  She looks up at me and those deep brown eyes are my undoing.

  I kiss her deeply, slowly, patiently, and then I pull away because I need to be clear about what she wants before I make another move. If Odessa wants to take a break for the rest of the night, it’s totally fine. If she wants us to go slowly, well, that’s all right, too. We can do this thing on her terms and at her pace.

  “Are you telling me you still want me to make love to you, buttercup?”

  “No, Jasper. I want you to fuck my brains out,” she whispers sweetly. “Please.”

  I just look at her for a long minute.

  Is this woman for-fucking-real?

  “I just don’t want to be spanked anymo
re.”

  I’m happy to oblige.

  I bend her back over the bed in one swift move, and then my shoes, socks, boxers, and pants are on the floor. I move toward her quickly, and without anymore hesitation, I’m inside of her.

  I’ve never felt so fucking content, so at peace, so damn happy to be where I’m at.

  My baby wants to be fucked hard? Well, I’ll fuck her hard and fast and completely. I dig my hands into her hips as I pull her back into me over and over. Odessa is a fucking goddess and me? I’m the luckiest damn man in the world to be the one who’s worshipping her right now.

  We haven’t had an easy road. Things have been hard between us and difficult. We’ve both led complex, complicated lives, but this moment right now proves that things can work between us. If we both give ourselves to one another, if we both believe in one another, we can do this.

  Together, we can be complete.

  I play with Odessa’s body as I thrust deep inside of her, and soon she’s coming again. This time, she’s squeezing me hard as she orgasms, and I won’t hold back anymore. I come at the same time, releasing inside of her, marking her as my own.

  That’s what she is: mine.

  She’s not a woman to be possessed, but she’s my heart.

  She’s everything.

  She’s perfect.

  She groans as she comes down from her high, and I pull her back up against me. Her back is to my front, and I reach around and gently trace circles around her nipples as she leans back into me.

  “I love you, you know,” I tell her. I should have told her a long time ago, back when I first realized it. I should have called her before I left and then everything would be different. I’m the one who should have been braver, but I wasn’t.

  Luckily, I have the best fucking woman in the world and she’s willing to give me a second chance.

  “I love you, too, Jasper,” she whispers.

  Then Odessa turns around and kisses me, and my heart soars. I’ve never felt so happy. I’ve never felt so complete. I’ve never felt that nothing else matters, and I am loved.

  Epilogue

  Odessa

  I didn’t expect to find love.

  Not this year.

  Not at Anchored.

  Not with him.

  I guess that’s on me, though, huh? Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect. Sometimes we’re thrown a curveball. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is going to explode. Sometimes it’s easy to think that nothing is going our way.

  Sometimes everything seems bleak.

  Then that one person walks into your life like they’ve always been there, and suddenly, things don’t seem quite as terrible.

  That’s what happened with me.

  That’s what happened with Jasper.

  For the longest time, it seemed like I was all on my own. I struggled in every aspect of my life. There was no one to look after me, to care for me. There was no one to protect me, and part of that was my fault. I never thought I needed protecting, so I never asked for help.

  Now that I have a Dom who is kind, and who is gentle, and who is entirely mine, I don’t know how I made it this long on my own.

  It’s not that I can’t do things on my own, but that being able to have a life partner I can depend on is a really wonderful, incredible thing. Jasper is wonderful, and I’m so fucking lucky to be able to call him mine.

  “Hey beautiful,” he rolls over and looks at me. He just smiles like we’ve got all the time in the world. Jasper stares at me like there’s nowhere he’d rather be, like no one matters quite as much as I do. Not to him.

  “Hi sexy,” I reach for him, tracing his chest with my fingers, exploring him.

  “Have I told you lately how perfect you are?” He smiles.

  “Sweet talker,” I retort, laughing.

  “You love it,” he says.

  “I do.”

  Jasper reaches for me and kisses me softly at first, and then harder. More and more, he kisses me, reminding me exactly what he thinks about me, reminding me that he thinks I’m the most precious thing in the world.

  We may have gotten off to a rough start, and we may have made mistakes, but something tells me the future is bright.

  Something tells me that when it comes to me and Jasper, we have the whole world at our fingertips.

  All we have to do is trust that no matter what happens, we’re in this together.

  No matter what happens, we’ll have each other.

  For always.

  THE END

  Author

  Sophie Stern writes paranormal romance and contemporary erotica for readers who like to have fun and explore new worlds. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her pole dancing or reading zombie novels. Sophie lives with her incredible husband and their two sons.

  Find out more or at www.sexysophiestern.com or join her mailing list to receive updates and information on sales.

  Anchored

  Miss one of the other stories from Anchored?

  Don’t worry! You can find them on Amazon:

  Starboard (Anchored Book 1)

  Battleship (Anchored Book 2)

  All Aboard (Anchored Book 3)

  Abandon Ship (Anchored Book 4)

  Below Deck (Anchored Book 5)

  Dragon’s Oath

  Do you like paranormal romance? Check out this excerpt from Dragon’s Oath (Fablestone Clan Book 1)! It features dragon shifters, adventures, suspense, and of course, a happy ending. Dragon’s Oath is available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

  Chapter One

  Peggy

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  Four.

  Five.

  I count silently in my head, holding my breath.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  Four.

  Five.

  Then I breathe out.

  I need to get this mess cleaned up quickly before I go crazy or before I add my own vomit to the mixture. I don’t even know what this is or what happened here, but boys locker rooms are notoriously difficult to clean for just this reason: they smell.

  Badly.

  Not for the first time, I’m questioning why I’m here and why I took this job. Being a school janitor seemed like a simple, easy gig. It pays well and I can work nights when no one else is around. This means that my days are free to paint, to draw, and to create. My days are mine, but my nights? My nights are spent at Westbridge High School.

  I grab my mop and get to work cleaning up the mess. I’m not sure why the daytime janitor wasn’t brought in to help with this or why the students and faculty decided to leave this assortment of stench and body fluids for me, but it comes with the job. Most of the time, I don’t mind, but tonight, I’m tired.

  The kittens I rescued yesterday afternoon were up all night meowing for their mother. When I called the local animal shelter this morning, they told me I’d have to pay a fee to drop them off. They called it a re-homing fee. I explained that the kittens aren’t mine: that I’d rescued them from a box on the side of the road. The lady at the shelter didn’t care.

  Whoever drops the animals off is responsible for the fee. I realize this is an inconvenience; however, the fee structure is designed to help offset the cost of caring for your pets while we locate a new forever home for the little guys.

  So now I’m trying to rush through my work so I can hurry home and finish Googling how to take care of little kittens who don’t have a mother anymore. I already picked up some pet supplies, but I’m nervous that the kittens will be lonely and sad. If I didn’t need the money so badly, I wouldn’t have even come in to work. I would have called in sick.

  The truth of the matter is that I do need the money, though, so here I am: Peggy Dane, mopper extraordinaire.

  As I finish cleaning the locker room, I think about the two little kittens that are now in my possession. Mocha and Frappe both have black fur and big, bright eyes. I think they�
��re old enough to be weaned, but I’m not really sure, and that’s something I’ll have to look up, too.

  I assume their mother is probably dead. Either that or the owner of the mother just didn’t want kittens. I’m not sure. Who abandons kitties on the side of the road?

  I shake my head.

  The world is a messy place, I realize, and as I stare at the half-eaten regurgitated sandwiches on the floor in front of me, I realize that messes seem to be drawn to me everywhere I go.

  *

  By the time I finish with the locker rooms, it’s well past midnight. As soon as I finish the upstairs bathroom, I’ll be able to leave. I like that I’m paid per-night and not per-hour because it’s good motivation to get things done as quickly as possible. The pay structure also means that if I’m having a bad night where I’m working more slowly than usual, I don’t worry too much since, once again, the end result is the same.

  Tonight, I’m just finishing locking up the building when all of my senses go on full alert. Suddenly, I feel like someone is watching me, and it scares the shit out of me. I stand perfectly still in front of the side door. It’s the door I always use because there’s a really close parking lot and it’s only about twenty feet from my car to the door. Since I’m a woman working in an old building alone at night, I try to be as safe as possible about this.

  Until now, I’ve never really been overly concerned about safety at Westbridge High. It’s a small-town school and yeah, it’s right next to a huge forest, but what kind of monsters are really lurking in forests? Bears? It’s not like this is some fairytale world where a dragon is going to come charging out of the woods and take me to its lair.