The bathroom door stood partially open. No one in there either. He knocked on the door at the end of the hall. When there was no response, he opened the door to reveal a small bedroom. He switched on the light, and Aggie entered the room, glancing around. A comfortable-looking queen-sized bed filled over half the room. A closet, overflowing with clothes, bedding, and towels filled one wall. A long dresser stood next to the door, and a small window was situated on the wall opposite the closet. A hook in the ceiling caught her eye.
“That’s for you,” Jace whispered into her ear.
“For me?”
“You’ll see. What do you want to drink?”
His dichotomous personality always surprised her. He had a gentle, considerate side that so completely contrasted with the animal just beneath the surface. An angel and a devil. Strange thing was, she liked both—the side that warmed her heart with affection and the side that burned her body with lust. “Do you have any wine?”
He grinned. “A woman after my own heart. I hope you like it sweet.”
“Is there any other kind?”
“I have some port on the other bus. I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable.” He kissed her cheek and left her to herself.
Aggie removed her leather jacket, folding it carefully and setting it on the dresser. She contemplated removing her clothes and waiting for Jace naked, but decided she liked him to undress her. Slowly. Seductively. With great care and tenderness. In the silence, a faint hum came from the side table drawer. Her brow knitted with confusion, she went to investigate. Pulling the drawer open, she found it full of sex toys. Dildos of all sizes and thicknesses. Vibrators. Condoms. Flavored oils. Cock rings. Butt plugs. Was this why he’d brought her here? She found the humming vibrator and turned it off before dropping it back into the drawer.
“You like that kind of thing?” Jace asked from behind her.
She spun around. “Sorry to pry. One of the vibrators was humming. I followed the sound.” She nodded toward the drawer. “Is all that stuff yours?”
Jace shook his head. “It’s Brian’s. He likes toys. He doesn’t mind sharing though, if you want to borrow something.”
“Who’s Brian?” She accepted the glass of wine he held out to her.
“Our lead guitarist. I take it you’re not a Sinners fan. Everyone knows Brian ‘Master’ Sinclair. He’s a rock god. Sed, our lead singer, is a notorious womanizer. Trey plays rhythm guitar and any person—male or female—who catches his attention. And then there’s Eric, who… is our drummer. I’m obscure by comparison.”
“You sure about that? You’re awfully cute.”
He flushed. “Sed’s the one all the girls scream for. He’s a beast.”
“Like you?” Aggie grinned, taking a sip of wine—perfectly chilled, full-bodied, and sweet. She’d never tasted anything more delicious. “Mmmm.” She looked down into her glass. Thick, the wine clung to the inner surface of her glass. It reminded her of blood. She took another sip, holding the cool liquid in her mouth. Its flavor soured as it warmed on the surface of her tongue. She swallowed.
“I’m a whole different type of beast.”
She glanced up at him. The coldness in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. He downed his wine in two gulps and set his glass on the dresser. He went to the closet and pulled a hard-shell, black suitcase from its depths. He knelt in front of it on the floor.
She moved to stand beside him, looking at the suitcase. “What’s that?”
“The reason I brought you here.”
He flipped the locks and tossed the lid open. Aggie’s eyes widened. He had all kinds of things inside, ranging from obvious paddles and candles to things she couldn’t identify.
He looked at her. “You still trust me, right?”
The anxious flutter in her stomach excited her. She had no idea what he had in mind, but whatever it was, she was game. He had yet to disappoint her. “Yeah.”
He began to sort through the case, arranging things in piles. She couldn’t decipher any pattern in his groupings as she watched him, sipping her wine. He lit candles, setting them on the side table. He left the room and returned moments later with a bowl of ice, a bottle of chocolate syrup, and a can of mixed fruit.
“What are you doing? Preparing for nuclear winter?”
He smiled slyly. “You’ll see. How’s the wine?”
“Perfect.”
“Do you want another glass?” He seemed ready to start his orchestrated pleasure session. Or would it be torture? She was eager to find out.
Aggie finished her wine in one long swallow and set her empty glass next to his. “No, I don’t want any more wine. I want you.”
“Soon.” He closed the bedroom door and approached her. He undressed her slowly, caressing every inch of flesh he revealed, first with his fingertips, and then his lips. His tenderness never ceased to amaze her. He fucked her hard. Made love to her gently. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as he unhooked her bra. “I love your curves.”
She had plenty of curves. She’d never possessed the athletic slenderness that Hollywood and fashion runways considered beautiful, but she was comfortable with her body and glad that Jace appreciated it. Her dancing kept her in good shape, but her feet never touched a treadmill. Her heavy breasts fell free of her bra, and he cupped them, gazing at the flesh overflowing from his hands. He lowered his head to kiss the soft globes, his tongue sliding over her nipples. Aggie’s belly tightened. She rested her hands on his shoulders as he kissed his way down the center of her belly. He removed her jeans, panties, and sandals with equal care and agonizing slowness. By the time he led her to the bed, she was more than ready for him to possess her body, and he hadn’t even started using the objects from his suitcase.
They knelt in the center of the bed, facing each other. Jace pulled something from his back pocket and fastened it around Aggie’s left wrist. She looked down at the thick leather cuff, lined with fleece. Her heart thudded against her ribs. Restraints? He fastened a matching leather cuff around her other wrist and attached them to each other with a length of chain.
“Why are you restraining me?” she asked.
“So you don’t interfere with what I do to your body.”
Her heart thudded even harder. “Are you going to hurt me?”
He stood in front of her on the bed and lifted her hands above her head, securing her wrists to the hook in the ceiling with the heavy chain. He didn’t answer her question.
“Jace, I don’t like to be on the receiving end of pain. Only inflict it.” She supposed if she got too freaked out, she could stand on the bed and free her hands from the hook. She was well versed in self-defense, but something inside told her she could trust this man. Her intuition had never failed her in the past.
He knelt in front of her and touched her cheek gently. “I’d never hurt you, Aggie. I only like to be on the receiving end of pain. Never inflict it.” He stroked her arms with the backs of his hands, and then continued down to draw them along the sides of her breasts, the indent of her waist, and the flare of her hips. “I do plan to make you beg for mercy, but from the pleasure I give your body, not pain.”
Well, okay… if he insisted.
“Do I have your permission to continue?” he asked.
She bit her lip, looking into his gentle brown eyes for signs of deceit. She found none. “Yes.”
“Good.”
He pulled something else from his back pocket and slid a blindfold over her eyes.
“I can’t see,” she said breathlessly. Her heart thudded faster. She wasn’t afraid, not exactly. Excited. Yes, that’s what had her breath hitching, her heart racing, her core aching with emptiness.
He chuckled. “That’s the idea, sweetheart. You don’t need to see. Just feel. Feel me, Aggie.”