...His breath blew on my shoulder. Then his teeth latched onto my flesh and I broke.

“Fuck me, James!” I screamed. To hell with the consequences. His actions were that of a male claiming his mate, and the wolf inside me demanded I meet the challenge and force him to fight for the right he was taking.

“Maelissian, you need to be punished.” He turned me over to face him. His eyes were ablaze with desire as bright as my own. In moments he retied me to the four corner posts, stretched out facing the ceiling once more. And then he was gone, back into the dark.

Long moments passed. I couldn’t hear any sign of where he was or what he was doing. Was this to be my punishment? Was he going to leave me panting and overheated, tied to a bed alone and without relief?

The tick of a clock marked the passing minutes. Otherwise, silence reigned. The clock also reminded me that we were on a schedule whether we wanted to be or not. How much time had we played already? How much longer until the assassins arrived? Surely James didn’t think he was safe here. Nothing about his location was secret, and from all I’d seen between the entrance and the bed, nothing was secure either.

Just as I was about to call out to him, James returned, standing just at the edge of the light. The image was sexy as hell and very familiar. This was the beginning of my premonition and I couldn’t hold back my sigh of relief. Not only would we soon be able to move past the trust issues, but soon he’d actually let me come and then fuck me like I’d been dreaming about for what felt like forever.

Still…I had a role to play. “Let me up.” The words I’d spoken in the premonition, the actions I’d taken, spun through my mind. All I had to do was follow that path and soon enough we would both reach our goals.

Although I couldn’t see James’ face, I felt his gaze drift down my body, lingering over my breasts, before moving lower. When he reached my pussy, I parted my thighs in invitation.

Something snapped, a crop in his hand. Need ignited at the sound. My pulse kicked up a notch, thundering blood through my veins.

“Please…”

The crop darted out and came down on the inside of my thigh with a stinging snap. I gasped, sucking in raw air. Again the crop snapped downward, this time against my opposite thigh. The strikes landed inches from my pussy, stinging like a bitch but bringing my body to life as well. So close and yet so damn far…

The deep ache of desire flooded outward and danced with the sharp pain until I tingled everywhere.

“You have been warned. Not one word until you’re ready to tell me what I want to know.” His voice rumbled through me. Then he stepped fully into the light. His fingertips traced the red marks on my thighs, then trailed upward, brushing over my sex.

I fought back all my natural responses. This game demanded I lie with my body and trick him into giving up his teasing ways. When his hand did no more than pet over me, offering no relief, I glared and he smiled back mockingly.

But he did relent to a degree. His fingers deepened their stroking movements and dipped between my folds to the slick heat of my center. The sweet shallow caresses repeated over and over, pushing my arousal higher than ever before. It was all I could do to keep from bucking against his ministrations and screaming out my demands. Instead I held his gaze and locked my body in place, controlling all but the smallest of motions.

“Perhaps I will let you come this time.”