His Only Hope: The Maison Chronicles, Book 2 Read Free Page A

term of endearment for her. Damn him. He always managed to croon that word, his deep, rumbling voice caressing her heart into almost melting for him.
    She struggled against his hands, wanting to hurt him, wanting to hold him. “You…you asshole, you have no right telling me what I need.”
    He pressed his body to hers until she had no way of moving. His words tickled her sensitive earlobe. “You know I’m right. I can still read you.” He rubbed against her. “Can you read me?”
    The thickness of his erection burned through her slacks, and even as her mind rebelled against it, arousal primed her body.
    “So you have a cock. Big fucking deal.”
    He nibbled her earlobe and laughed, the vibrations tingling through her body. “Nice try, pussycat. All growl, no claws because you want me too.”
    Eyelids heavy, she fought against the tempting lust. “I made that mistake once. Never again. No more Doms, no more kink.”
    His brow crinkled and he rubbed a hand across his chest as if he’d pulled a muscle or something. He lifted her from the floor, pulling her legs around his waist, opening her to him. She should have stopped him, but it felt so good after years of celibacy. “As I recall, it was far more than ‘once’. And it wasn’t all bad, cara .” He brushed his cheek against hers, the rough hairs of his goatee a sensual abrasion against her skin. “You left me with so many unanswered questions.”
    She needed to find a way out of this, and soon, before lust hogtied her logic and she did something she’d really regret. That soothing blankness, of knowing she’d turned over all control to someone else, someone she trusted, beckoned her.
    But she didn’t trust him anymore.
    Hope pulled on every bit of anger toward Gabe that she could still muster at the moment. “Boo-fucking-hoo. Not my problem anymore.”
    Though part of her wanted it to be. She’d come to terms with her role in the downfall of their budding relationship, learned from her mistakes, but that didn’t mean it would be wise to let him in again.
    “Again with the language. Maybe you need something else to occupy your dirty mouth.”
    He kissed her, their lips meeting as if it had been two minutes, not two years since their last kiss. His mouth, warm and wet, tasted of peppermint and that flavor uniquely Gabe’s. She’d been addicted to it once upon a time. They say just one taste can pull an addict back from abstinence and Hope couldn’t risk it. She tore her mouth away and struggled until he set her down and took a step back.
    “That was bad, very bad. You had no right.” Pacing to clear her head and put some space between them, she walked the length of the mirror and back, feeling Gabe’s eyes on her the whole time.
    He interrupted her whirring thoughts. “So Jax—you met him a few times, here actually—has invited me to go to Maison Domine this weekend. First month back in Cali, and he’s got me socializing once again.”
    She froze and stared at him, thrown by the change of topic. But she shed her confusion when his words registered. “ The Maison Domine? And yes, I remember Jaxon. And his Lara.”
    He’d resumed his seat in the chair, looking casual and relaxed. But she recognized the tension in his eyes, the pupils dilated from lust.
    “Yes, cara , that one.” Heat rippled through her at the nickname. “And I seem to be in a bit of a pickle.”
    “Is that so?”
    “Yes. And I think you can help me. I’ll be helping you in return.”
    Wary, she nodded for him to continue. He patted the back of the chair. “Come stand here and we can talk.”
    Step by anxious step, she drew closer, feeling like Little Red Riding Hood. My, what a big cock you have.
    “Tell me about this trade you have in mind.” She reached him and he wrapped his arms around her thighs, keeping her in close to him. With her heels, she managed to have a couple inches on his sitting form. Not much, and without them, he’d be within perfect kissing