Protecting His Own (Masters of the Shadowlands Book 11) Read online

  He brushed a kiss over her lips and continued.

  Another cardboard piece went over her crotch—and, knowing her Master, it wasn’t to hide her private parts.

  Towels between her knees and ankles padded the bones as he enclosed her from her waist down to her feet. And then he tied her to the spider web and tilted it back to a forty-five degree angle, so it supported most of her weight.

  Bracing a hand on the web beside her head, he leaned in close. His perceptive eyes were darker than a moonless night. “You doing all right, sugar?”

  She couldn’t even nod. “Yes, Master,” she whispered.

  “Good enough. Some people spend hours in this, but this first time, you get no more than thirty minutes. I won’t leave you, Beth.”

  Okay, she could do this. Half an hour. That was nothing.

  Her poise disappeared when he blindfolded her and added more cling wrap around her head.

  “Hey, no, wait.” Her arms jerked, testing the limits, telling her she could do nothing. “Yellow.”

  “Shhh, baby. Take a slow breath. Breathe, Beth. I’m right here.” His low gravelly voice was a lifeline of safety, even if he was the one who’d done this to her.

  A long inhalation brought her his soap-clean, masculine scent. He squeezed her shoulder. Staying close. She couldn’t do…anything…and she was safe.

  Something inside her gave up, and her muscles went lax all at once.

  “There we go,” he murmured and put something over her ears—noise-reducing headphones.

  He must have left her ears uncovered so he could reassure her during the preparations. Now the music and noise of the Shadowlands faded to a low murmur, quieter than the internal sound of her pulse.

  Slowly, the wrap began to seem less binding and more like a warm, secure hug. There was no sensation on her skin. There was no noise. There was no light. She felt as if she were eternally falling backward. Floating. Rocking in a dark ocean.

  Nolan watched her go under, pleased to see the tense muscles around her mouth go slack. Gradually, all of her relaxed. Yeah, he’d had a feeling she’d enjoy this. Mummification often sent submissives into a unique kind of subspace akin to the one many rope bunnies achieved.

  With luck, being in subspace would lower her defenses far enough she’d tell him what was troubling her. After they talked, he’d play with her a bit. Or not. His goal for this scene wasn’t for sex, but for understanding.

  In his own focused space, he monitored her breathing, her color, and her faint movements. Minute by minute ticked by.

  When the time was up, he brushed his fingers over her lips, bringing her back up slowly, one sensation at a time. The sense of feeling came first. Her tongue ran over her lips, and he leaned forward for a kiss.

  Then he removed the headphones so she could hear him. From the slackness of her muscles, he knew she was still more in la-la land than out. Right where he wanted her. He’d like to see her eyes, but she might be more forthcoming if she couldn’t view the world.

  “Beautiful Beth. I love you,” he said.

  “Love you.” Her words slurred together.

  “You were upset today. Because of Alyssa. Part of it was because she talked about our adopting, right?”

  Her lips pursed slightly. “Yes?”

  More of a question than an answer. “Was there any other reason?”

  “Mmm. Pretty. She’s so pretty.”

  What? Nolan leaned in closer. “You’re pretty, sugar.”

  Her mouth tipped down. “Skinny. Scr-scr-scrawny. No tits.”

  “Oh, you have breasts.” Ones he wanted to get his hands on, in fact.

  “Sir likes big breasts.” Her lips trembled. “Likes curves. Soft.”

  Oh. Fuck. He closed his eyes for a second. Should have guessed that one, King. He could actually see how she’d arrived at such a damn fool worry. Knowing the way the submissives gossiped, Beth had undoubtedly learned all his past lovers had been exceptionally well endowed rather than willowy.

  His Beth was usually a confident, happy woman, but sometimes, her asshole ex’s programming caught hold. What with finding out she couldn’t bear children, of course, she’d fall victim to old fears. To top it off, when she’d lost weight, he’d gone overboard with pushing food on her.

  In her head, she’d undoubtedly twisted his concern into him disliking her appearance.

  Well, hell. He kept his fingers brushing over her lips to help her remember she wasn’t alone.

  She was deep in subspace, and her defenses were down. Could he make a start at fixing this self-image problem now?

  Nolan frowned. He often told her how beautiful she was. Didn’t it suck that humans remembered insults far better than praise? As the years passed, his approval would outweigh the ex’s derogatory comments. Trouble was, she needed help now.

  What would tip the balance? A wealth of compliments? But if his pleasure in her body hadn’t weighed heavily enough, maybe…

  At the spot where cardboard shielded her nipple, he gashed the cling wrap so he could use bandage scissors to cut a circle out and expose her entire right breast.

  Her skin gleamed with sweat, and her nipple contracted with the cooler air.

  Wrapped, trapped, all her senses dulled, Beth gasped at the sudden wash of cool air over one breast. Some of the fog lifted from her brain, and she realized Sir was tugging on the clear film. Jostling her. And then her other breast was exposed. The nipple tightened painfully.

  She was a mummy…in transparent film…with exposed breasts. The knowledge floated through her mind, not important enough to worry about. She couldn’t do anything about anything. And her Master was here. Everything was all right.

  He touched her, warming her breast with one big hand, plucking the nipple, and drawing it out.

  Long, sizzling surges zipped to her groin, and she tried to squirm and couldn’t. Couldn’t lift her arms. Couldn’t move…at all. A whimper escaped her. Her breasts were naked—available—and she couldn’t prevent anything. Lava pooled in her center.

  Nolan fondled her casually. “I love these beauties. Love the size, the tenderness, how they sit up on your rib cage—as if begging to be played with.”

  “But.” She stopped as her head cleared slightly. No, she didn’t want to tell him that he liked bigger breasts.

  “You know, I dreamed of sucking on these when I was gone.” His chuckle was dark and sexy. “Jacked off to the thought of you every night.”

  “Really?” She heard the note of hope in her voice and cringed. “You don’t want me to be bigger?”

  He snorted. “I’m a man. You have breasts. If I can play with them, suck on them, I’m happy. And when playing with them turns you on as if I flipped a switch? I love it.” Obviously to illustrate, he ran his tongue around one nipple.

  She dampened immediately.

  His blunt declaration almost…almost made her believe. But as he said, he was a man. Men always liked bigger breasts. Didn’t they?

  His hands abandoned her breasts. “Got one more place to open up.”

  She felt a tugging at her groin, and air brushed over her naked, wet pussy. The feeling of coolness after the sweltering heat startled her, and she gasped.

  He made a rumbling sound of approval. “You’re drenched already, sugar. Very nice.” After teasing the slick surface of her shaved labia, he pressed one finger between her folds. Her thighs were still tightly bound together by the cling. Only the front of her pussy—and her clit—was accessible.

  He found it easily and rubbed lightly, up one side and down the other. Her attempts at wiggling grew more intense, but he didn’t stop.

  “Master…” Her moan of protest, of arousal made him laugh.

  “Shhh, Beth.”

  She tried, but when he stopped, she actually whined. “Nooo.”

  “Uh-uh, little rabbit. High protocol, remember?”

  She hadn’t, exactly. With an effort, she compressed her lips. The exposure of only her breasts and pussy heig
htened her arousal, as if her buried nerves had to funnel everything through those three bare circles. Please, let him release me so we can really play.

  “My plan was to take you down and fuck you at this point, but since you don’t believe me about how gorgeous your body is—especially your breasts—I’ll have to ask for help.”

  “What?” Her shocked question earned a stinging slap right on her clit. The brief pain and intense sensation rang through her like a bell of need.

  But—ask for help? He wouldn’t.

  Under the harsh electrobeat of Virtual Embrace, she heard murmurs. Laughter. Nolan’s voice and others. Male voices.

  Someone touched her breasts. Lean hands. Not Nolan’s.

  She tried to stiffen, to pull back, but nothing moved—and her breasts were right out there, poking through the cling wrap.

  The Dom caressed her and teased her nipples to hard, aching points. “I’ve admired these beauties for years, King. Appreciate you letting me play. They’re as delightful as I figured they’d be.” With a farewell pat to her tightly peaked nipples, he disappeared.

  “Nice.” A different, familiar voice, one low and gruff. Who? Why couldn’t she think? His touch was rougher than the last man’s. He cupped her breasts with both hands as his thumbs circled her nipples. “This is my favorite size, the perfect handful, and damned responsive. You’re a lucky bastard.”

  “Gotta agree with you there,” Sir said. When the Dom moved away, Master Nolan touched her cheek. “Let’s make sure you’re awake, why don’t we?” A humming sounded, and a vibrator was pressed against her clit.

  Oh, he wasn’t even trying for gentle. The hard, urgent vibrations would have brought her to her tiptoes if she’d been able to move. Her body tried to bow upward as the sensations propelled her into urgent excitement. The pressure in her depths grew, her clit hardened, she was…

  He took it away.

  She groaned, loudly and clearly, and heard amused masculine chuckles. So many. Oh, God.

  They stood there, watching, talking about her, and through the pounding storm of her need, she caught fragments of the conversations.

  “…prefer smaller breasts.” “Fucking cute set there.” “Love the pink color.” “Damn, she’s got a pretty rack.” “…like the littler ones.” “…wish I could clamp those puppies.”

  Hands touched her. Different ones. Some gentle, some rough. The Doms talked to her or Nolan, complimenting her body, her breasts. Some made masculine sounds of pleasure and approval.

  Approval of her. Of her size and shape and…and her breasts. Each sound of appreciation, each admiring touch raked through her soul, clearing away the weeds Kyler had sown. Leaving her blooming.

  Her mind untethered again as inside the steamy wrap, her body grew hotter, needier.

  And she got wetter and wetter.

  “Time to get you out of this, sugar,” Master Nolan finally said. “Your body needs to adjust to being released, so I’ll remove everything slowly.”

  As the covering on her right arm came free, she hazily decided if he didn’t want sex the minute she was out, well, she’d—ever so politely—beg.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nolan’s sweaty submissive had started to shiver, although he’d covered her bared skin with towels as he slowly removed the wrap.

  And her pussy was drenched. Someone had enjoyed being played with.

  In the beginning, it’d been fucking difficult to watch other Doms touch his submissive, even under his control. If they hadn’t had his permission, he’d have incapacitated them. His possessiveness really did go bone deep.

  But the Doms had been careful, and he’d realized why Z could let others touch Jessica—because, they were, in a way, extensions of his own hands. Totally under his power.

  His cock had hardened at the sounds of her growing arousal.

  Even better, all the men’s appreciation had made inroads into the crap her ex had fed her. She needed to see herself as the gorgeous woman she was.

  The last bit of wrap came free, and he bundled Beth into a blanket. Sweeping her up, he looked for a place for her to rest while he cleaned the equipment.

  “Master Nolan.” Holding a spray bottle and wipes, Z’s little cleaning lady waited at the edge of the scene area.

  Nolan frowned. Cleaning a scene area was up to the people who used it.

  “Got my orders from Himself.” She motioned to where Z was approaching.

  Well, damn. “Thank you, Peggy.”

  As Peggy started to spray down the web, Nolan turned to Z. “Add a bonus for her to my card.”

  “She’ll appreciate it.” Z bent, zipped Nolan’s toy bag, and picked it up.

  Roused by Z’s voice, Beth blinked up at him, her blue-green eyes still slightly glazed. One hand had crept out from under the blanket to capture a lock of Nolan’s loosened hair.

  Z smiled at her before telling Nolan, “I had the thermostat in the Midsummer Night’s Dream room turned up if you want to use it.”

  Interesting choice, in fact, perfect. Nonetheless… “Thanks, Mom.”

  Both Doms laughed as Beth rolled her eyes at the disrespect to the Shadowlands’ owner.

  Z motioned to a nearby unaccompanied submissive and handed over Nolan’s toy bag. “Run this upstairs and leave it in the Midsummer Night room, please.”

  “At once, Master Z.” The chain-clad young man trotted toward the circular stairs in the corner.

  At a more leisurely pace, Nolan followed.

  Once upstairs, he carried his little submissive to the end of the hall and into the reserved room. Yeah, Z had definitely turned up the thermostat. Newly out of mummification, Beth needed to be kept warm. Still…it felt sultry as high summer. Jesus.

  “Oooooh.” Beth stared at the room. “This wasn’t here before.”

  “Z put it in last spring.” The room appeared to be a meadow. The “grass” of a plush green fleece was broken up with “granite” boulders. The right wall mural showed a full moon glimmering through a night forest. On the left, fairies danced over a grassy meadow at night, probably to the faint Celtic harp music on the sound system.

  The third wall displayed a moonlit lake. Jessica had wanted a unicorn added to the mural, but since everyone knew unicorns only visited virgins, Z told her the poor thing would get too lonely in the Shadowlands.

  There was no obvious BDSM equipment. Multiple posts carved like tree trunks encircled the room, and their branches extended up and across the high ceiling. Above the leafy canopy, pinpoint lights replicated a night sky.

  A mural of climbing roses covered the last wall—and potpourri near the door filled the air with the scent of flowers.

  Keeping Beth rolled in her blanket, he put her down and propped her against a hillock.

  She frowned at the irregularly rounded foam rocks around her, all covered in a mottled stone-gray fabric. “Why did Master Z add boulders to this room?”

  “I’ll show you.” He pulled off his shirt.

  Watching him dreamily, she smiled. Her hand beneath the blanket moved toward her pussy.

  “You touch what’s mine, sugar, I’ll punish you.”

  With a start of surprise, she jerked her hand back.

  Darn him, Beth thought, hugging herself. The initial chill of being released from the cling wrap had worn off, the room was nice and warm, and she was getting hotter by the minute as Nolan continued to undress. Her Master was some serious man candy. His chest and arm muscles were pumped to rock-hardness from carrying her. The faint starlight made shadows over his six-pack abs and between his pectoral muscles. Fully erect, his cock jutted upward.

  He took a bottle of water from the toy bag inside the door. After flipping open the snap top, he sat on the knee-high boulder beside her and held the bottle to her lips. “Get this inside you while I consider how much trouble you’re in.”

  She took a sip, and with the first wash of cool water, discovered she was enormously thirsty. After struggling free of the blanket, she took the
water herself and gulped half of it down. “Why am I in trouble?”

  He lifted one eyebrow.

  She frowned as the misty memory of her mummification started to return. Had she actually blurted out she wanted bigger breasts? And…and… “You let other men touch me!”

  His chuckle was a low rasping sound. “Well, damn, I did, didn’t I?” He tugged her blanket down farther and cupped his hand over her exposed breast. It was still swollen—from all those Doms playing with her. The scrape of his fingernail over an acutely sensitive nipple rippled straight down to her pussy.

  “But why?”

  “You didn’t believe me when I told you I like you just the way you are.” He abandoned her breast and laid his hand over her cheek, turning her face to him. “You like my body, Beth. Get hot for me. If I gained weight—or lost weight—would that change?”

  Not want him? He could lose…everything…and she’d still want him. “Even when you’re a hundred, I’ll still lust after you.”

  “Same goes, little rabbit.”

  Oh.

  The corners of his eyes crinkled. “You know, guys can’t fake being attracted.” He took her hand and set it on his cock…his quite rigid cock. “Does this feel as if I’m half-hearted about my interest?”

  Her mouth went dry. He was huge. Incredibly huge. Almost mesmerized by the heat coming from his erection and how the velvety skin was stretched so tautly, she missed what he said. “What?”

  “We’re discussing the trouble you’re in. Seems like you forgot that in a D/s relationship, even personal problems get shared.” He took the water, closed the top, and set the bottle on the floor before stripping her blanket away.

  She realized her hand was still curled around his thick cock. More. On her knees, she wiggled to a place between his thighs, gripped his shaft, and leaned down. She got in one quick lick before his hand in her hair pulled her away. “But…Siiiir.”

  “Nope.” With firm hands, he stood her up and held her there beside his thigh.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting ready to turn you over my knees. You’re in trouble, remember?” His voice held open amusement…the…bastard.