Paris (The Adlers Book 4) Read online

  He’d known her secret before they’d ever met, having done his homework when he was hired to recruit Asia’s younger sister, London, for the group of pharmaceutical companies known as The Consortium. Franklin knew all the Adler siblings’ secrets—things they didn’t even know about each other—but had no plans to reveal the gifts they kept hidden. He was, however, going to enjoy letting the beautiful shifter making her way back to the villa know he was privy to her secret. He liked knowing what others did not. Information was always power.

  Franklin smiled in the darkness when he heard her nearly silent cursing from the bushes a few feet away. He’d already turned on lights in the villa, so she knew it was going to be impossible to sneak in undetected. Franklin had been dreading the end of their extended vacation in a few days, and the awkward goodbyes at the airport when they took separate flights back to their respective homes. Now, he was filled with a lightness he couldn’t fully explain. Perhaps, it was the prospect of taking down another roadblock standing between them, or maybe he was just looking forward to surprising the most fascinating woman he’d ever met.

  Chapter Four

  Paris felt herself floating in the foggy netherworld between sleep and fully awake. Every cell in her body felt electrified, but her brain wasn’t functioning enough yet to know why. When she tried to turn, her hands wouldn’t move from their position over her head. What the hell? I never sleep like this. A moment of panic rolled over her like a two-ton truck.

  “Hold still, or you’re going to hurt yourself, Sprite.”

  “Trinity?” She was coming awake but slower than she would have liked.

  “You were expecting someone else, baby?” She heard him chuckle softly before he continued, this time, his voice much deeper, more serious. “Be careful how you answer that, Paris. Some shifters share their women—I’m not one of them.”

  Share? Oh, hell no. She didn’t begrudge her sister, London, her polyamorous marriage, but Paris wasn’t interested in having a committed relationship with two men. Crispy critters, she wasn’t convinced she could deal with one man full-time, so two was out of the question.

  “No, I wasn’t expecting someone else, but I wasn’t expecting to wake up to my body being on fire with need and my damned hands tied to the headboard, either.”

  “Careful with the snark, Sprite. This is your only warning; I will punish you for that sort of thing in the future. And I’d suggest you clean up your language—quickly if you enjoy being able the sit down comfortably.” The large hands wrapped around her thighs squeezed enough to act as a warning she wasn’t wise enough to heed.

  “I wake up bound to the fucking bed, and I’m not supposed to be pissy? Seriously?” Paris was fighting a losing battle between what her body was demanding and what her head kept telling her she should want. Before her mind processed the movement, Trinity flipped Paris over to her stomach, his palm landing four sharp slaps covering her entire ass. “Fucking hell. Knock it off that hurts.” Another five swats seared the tender crease where her ass cheeks met the top of her thighs.

  Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she refused to give in and let them fall. Damn it all to dusty doorknobs, I’m not going to cry like an inexperienced schoolgirl, even if I am inexperienced… I’m not a schoolgirl by a little more than a month. Dagnabbit, see what he’s done? Now I’m talking to myself.

  “No, actually, you’re speaking aloud.”

  Trinity’s frustrated voice came from over her left shoulder, and Paris groaned. When would she ever learn? He flipped her back over to her back, making her gasp as her tender backside slid over the cool, cotton sheets. She pressed her lips together to keep from snarling when she met his gaze.

  “At the resort, you told me you’d heard about safe words, yet you didn’t use one. Why do you think that is, Sprite?” Shrugging, she looked away.

  “Shrugging isn’t good enough, Paris. When I ask you a question, I expect an immediate answer—a respectful and truthful answer.” What Trinity didn’t understand was she hadn’t answered because she didn’t know the answer.

  “I wasn’t trying to be evasive. I don’t know why I didn’t use a safe word. We haven’t talked about it since, but I didn’t like you hitting me, it hurt. It didn’t just hurt my ass… ets.” Paris looked at him warily, but he just chuckled at her lame attempt to cover the inappropriate language.

  “What else didn’t you like, Paris? Take your time, think about how your body felt. I don’t want to hear what you think you should say. More than anything, I want you to be self-aware enough to listen to your body rather than your head. Great sex may start in your head, Sprite, but it also relies heavily on body awareness.”

  Paris closed her eyes in an attempt to focus on how the punishment felt rather than how embarrassed she’d been by the whole thing. It didn’t matter how she tried to spin it, Paris knew her tears weren’t about the physical pain.

  “I hated knowing you were frustrated with me.” She tried to avert her gaze, but he wasn’t allowing her to hide. Moving further up her torso, Trinity’s strong fingers gripped her chin, gently turning her face back, so she faced him once again.

  “The heart of submission is the desire to please your Master, Sprite. It doesn’t feel right because you are new to the lifestyle. You’ve spent years gaining your independence and see pleasing me as losing a part of that hard-earned individuality. What you haven’t had a chance to learn yet is you’re going to gain far more than you lose.”

  “I’m not sure I can live my life just to please another person. I’ve been last in so many ways my entire life, I was looking forward to putting myself first after graduation.” Paris found herself tugging on the restraints around her wrists, feeling as though her ability to communicate was somehow hampered. Without my hands waving in the air when I’m speaking, how will anyone know what I’m saying? I’ve always used my hands to talk.

  Trinity could feel the frustration coming off Paris in slow, devastating waves. Like many other submissives, Paris was struggling between what she recognized as her body’s need for his Dominance, and her erroneous belief submission would make her weak. Trinity understood her dilemma as much as any man could—hell, he couldn’t imagine giving another person the kind of power he would exert in her life when she belonged to him. As if she’d read his mind, Paris looked into his eyes, and he could practically see the little imp pulling her resolve around her like a cloak.

  “Would you let someone tie you to the bed, Trinity?” The question itself wasn’t entirely unreasonable, but the attitude laced through it was another matter entirely.

  “First, when we are in a scene—and make no mistake if you are bound for my pleasure, it is a scene—you will refer to me as Sir or Master. Second, in answer to your question, no, I wouldn’t allow it. I’m a sexual Dominant to my core. I wouldn’t find any pleasure in the experience because it’s not who I am. The woman wouldn’t enjoy herself either. You see, Sprite, the Dominant’s enjoyment is contingent on the submissive finding his or her pleasure—it’s as simple as that—your pleasure feeds mine.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Her simple admission was all it took to remind Trinity how vital his role was. If he was going to show her the joy and freedom she could find in submission, he needed to teach by example. As the youngest in such a large family, Paris would have no doubt learned many of her life lessons by trial and error. Watching pack members with several children had taught him the youngest children in a family were often left to their own devices. Whether parents were overwhelmed with their older kids’ activities or simply too exhausted to do it all again, the result was the same—the youngest didn’t always get the same level of parenting as the older kids.

  “Do you trust me, Paris?” Much to his relief, she didn’t hesitate to answer.

  “Yes. I don’t think you would ever intentionally hurt me… well, not beyond what I’ve already experienced.”

  He smiled at her reference to the spankings she’d gotten, and
she was right, Paris had already experienced the worst of his punishments. There were many ways to challenge a submissive, and Trinity was convinced orgasm denial would better serve his needs with the little spitfire he knew was his mate.

  “You’re right, baby. You’ve already experienced my worst. I’m looking forward to showing you how enjoyable a sensual spanking can be.” When she frowned, her disbelief easy to read, he didn’t try to hold back his laughter. “I promise to show you—later. Your beautiful ass is too sore to enjoy the experience now.” He saw her eyes dilate as she registered the truth of his comment. “Let go of your need for control—just for tonight. Let me show you how amazing it can be. Trust me to take you where you need to go, baby.”

  “Yes.”

  Her whispered assent was all he needed. Slipping back between her shapely thighs, Trin admired the deep-rose color of the swollen folds of her labia. Inhaling her scent, Trinity was forced to shift positions when his cock continued to respond to Paris’ intoxicating fragrance.

  “So smooth, I love this unobstructed view. Being able to see the pretty petals of your pussy flowering open for me, weeping the sweetest nectar in the world in anticipation of my cock has my control perilously close to snapping.” Trinity used the tip of his tongue to circle her clit smiling when he heard the headboard rattle as she struggled against the restraints. A fresh wash of cream coated the sensitive folds when she realized she was still bound. “Baby, you are going to have a hard time convincing me you don’t like bondage when your sex just sent me a honeyed treat I have no intention of wasting.”

  Flattening his tongue, Trinity licked from below her vaginal opening all the way to her clit without letting up. Paris screamed and convulsed under his hold.

  “That’s one. Go again, baby.” Rolling his tongue, Trinity speared it deep into her opening before pulling back to nip her clit. Damn, seeing her sweet berry fully exposed was going to make him lose control and shift if he didn’t get himself back on track. Hell, he could already feel his canines elongating, the urge to shift spiraling out of control.

  “Please, Trinity… Sir, I need you. Please fuck me.” Her use of the honorific and bold request snapped the last fine thread of control he’d been holding on to. Moving quickly into position, Trinity tore open the condom wrapper with practiced ease, rolling it on without any hesitation.

  “We’re going to go slow, Sprite. I don’t want to hurt you.” Pushing his tip against her heated opening, Trinity ground his teeth in what was quickly becoming a futile effort to hold back. “What are you going to say if you need me to slow down, Paris?”

  “Yellow. I’ll say yellow if I need you to go slower, but what I really need is a word for faster.”

  He’d have laughed if he hadn’t worried any break in his concentration would send him balls deep into her hot little body before he was convinced she was ready for him. Rocking his hips forward before pulling back out, Trinity was making slow, incremental progress. Great Goddess, she was so damned tight.

  “Goddess, save me from temptation. Damn, it’s like being squeezed by a hot, wet, velvet-covered fist. Fucking hell.” Burying his face against her neck, feeling her blood surging so close to the surface, Trinity suddenly understood how Austin Adler had been so overwhelmed and captivated with his mate, he had claimed sweet Charlotte without her prior consent. The incident had been a topic of discussion while they were in the Caribbean, and he’d heard several members of the pack discussing it after they’d returned home.

  “More. Please. More. Oh, damn, I’m so close, but I want to feel your length deep inside me when I come.” Paris tried to rotate her hips, then tipped them incrementally in a futile attempt to change the angle. “I can’t wait to feel the ridges of your cock slide over my tongue as you fuck my mouth.”

  Fucking hell, the little temptress couldn’t possibly understand what she was doing. Pushing him like this wasn’t wise. Hell, he was already skating on the edge of losing control. She was pushing buttons she had no idea short-circuited his brain. The way her vaginal muscles tried to pull him deeper was testing his resolve, unlike anything else he’d ever experienced.

  Trinity shifted his weight from one arm to the other so he could slip a hand between them, but before he could roll her peaked nipples between his fingers, Paris seized the opportunity to push her hips up, impaling herself on his cock. The petite hellion screamed his name as she gushed around him, the vice-like feel of her pussy squeezing him was enough to shatter Trin’s control, sending him hurtling over the edge into a tunnel of sparkling lights, right behind her.

  Pinpoints of light raced in a blur behind his eyelids, and Trinity could have sworn the top of his head was in danger of blowing apart. The pleasure was so much more than he’d ever experienced with anyone else, Trinity felt as if the Universe had pulled the rug out from under him. Sagging on to his forearms—so he didn’t collapse on top of the angel of temptation—Trin tried to regain control over his breathing and hoped his heart wouldn’t beat right out of his chest.

  “Holy hell, woman, if I weren’t so totally shattered, I’d give your tender ass the swats it deserves for pulling a stunt like that.” He’d spoken the words against the side of Paris’ neck because his oxygen-starved muscles still weren’t trustworthy enough to lift up and look into her eyes.

  He heard her soft sigh and whispered, “It felt so good it was worth it.”

  Okay, maybe she wouldn’t get those swats after all.

  Chapter Five

  When Trinity thought his arms would hold him, he lifted up to look into her eyes, relieved to see she appeared as dazed as he was by what they’d shared. She blinked several times trying to bring his face into focus before the sexiest smile he’d ever seen lit up the world around him. No woman had ever affected him the way Paris did. Damn it, she was going to take him apart if he wasn’t careful.

  “We have a lot to discuss, sweetheart, but right now, I want you to rest.” A wave of emotion he could only describe as a cross between dread and resignation hit him dead center in his chest, stealing his breath with its strength. She wouldn’t believe words of reassurance, so he didn’t bother. Pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her nose before rolling off the bed, Trinity quickly disposed of the shredded condom, unconcerned because he’d known it was an exercise in futility when he’d put it on. Most pack members didn’t bother with them, knowing the thin latex barriers couldn’t withstand the forceful sex that was the norm for male shifters.

  Slipping back into the bed, Trinity pulled her slender back against his chest and wrapped her in his embrace. “Sleep, baby. Let me chase the nightmares away. You’re safe with me… always.” Feeling the woman Trinity knew belonged to him relax in the cocoon of his body, letting go, sliding quickly into sleep because she trusted him to keep her safe made him feel ten feet tall. He’d waited his entire life to find her—countless decades spent wondering if she was ever going to show up. Having her naked, sated, and sleeping in his arms was a life-changing moment.

  He’d already released her wrists but planned to restrain her again before he woke her up for another round of off-the-chart sex in a few hours. The next time he had his cock buried in her heat, Trinity would be asking questions. He suspected Paris Adler was going to be one of those precious submissives who would sing like a sweet bird to get the orgasm her body craved. Trinity could hardly wait to explore every inch of her luscious body—mapping every one of her hot spots was going to be a pleasure.

  Dozing for a couple of hours would be enough to recharge him, then he planned to slip out of bed and go for a run. He wouldn’t stay gone too long, he’d learned during their stay at the resort, Paris became restless quickly if he left the room. It was if she sensed his presence and drew comfort from his proximity. Moving his hand up to cup her breast, Trinity smiled to himself when he felt her nipple peak.

  Rest, first, baby, then we’re going to chat.

  Paris woke up with a start, shivering when the room’s cool air rushed over her sweat-slicked
skin. Pulling the sheet up to cover her bare breasts, she waited for the residual effects of the nightmare to abate. Laying her hand on the bed beside her, she detected a hint of warmth, so she knew Trinity hadn’t been gone long. Pushing her shaking fingers through her damp hair, Paris struggled to push the lingering images of the recurring nightmare from her mind. Waking up to find David straddling her while holding a knife had easily been one of the most terrifying moments of her entire life.

  Stumbling from the bed, Paris grabbed the shirt Trinity had left on a nearby chair and stepped through the open French doors. The smooth stones of the small patio chilled the bottoms of her feet, making her hiss a nearly silent curse and wish she’d pulled on her shoes. The master bedroom faced the wooded area behind the clinic and was surprisingly close to the secured perimeter fence.

  A shimmer of light high in the trees caught her eye, the distraction causing her to step off the edge of the patio and tumble into the soft grass. Behind her, Paris heard something ping off a window and felt her heart skip a beat. She remembered London telling her the entire compound had bulletproof glass windows, and the walls were resistant to any heat sensing devices. Basically, the place had been her older sister’s safe haven while she’d been hiding from big pharma.