Submit (Surrender #2)(42)
Author: Melody Anne

Rafe allowed himself a moment to glide his fingers through her soft hair before he untangled her limbs from around him and slid from the bed. He wouldn’t fault himself for a moment of weakness, but to continue lying there, especially after her behavior the night before, would be ridiculous.

He took a quick shower, ordered room service and sat down to read the paper while he waited for his coffee. Ari’s phone buzzed on the table next to him, and he planned to ignore it until he noticed a man’s name flash on the screen. Years of suspicion surfaced, and though he knew he shouldn’t pick up her cell, he did so anyway.

Who in the hell was Stephen?

Without thinking twice about her privacy, Rafe opened the message; Thanks for a great time last night. Hope you didn’t get too busted. We had to call it a night after you left because you took all your luck with you, beautiful lady.

What was this guy thanking her for? He began searching through Ari’s phone to find out. At the images he pulled up, his mood went from stable to downright critical condition.

In Ari’s drunken stupor last night, she’d requested angry sex — well, she was about to get some.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ari awoke to feel her hands being pulled above her head and her shirt being yanked off. Before she had a chance to react, her pajama bottoms were gone and she was lying on the sheets na**d with her hands immobilized in Rafe’s strong grip.

The ire in his eyes should have frightened her, but instead, heat flooded straight to her core as she anticipated what was to come. She’d seen Rafe upset before, but the fire leaping from his gaze was hotter than lava. What had riled him up?

“Do you want to explain the pictures on your phone?”

In her half-asleep state, it took Ari’s brain a few extra moments to figure out what he was asking. When comprehension dawned, a shiver of apprehension rolled down her spine as she recalled the pictures Rachel and Lia had taken.

She searched her memory, trying to figure out what they’d documented on film. She’d been having such a fun time, she hadn’t worried much about it. What should have been on her mind now was what he’d been doing going through her phone. That was a clear invasion of privacy, and if the situation had been reversed, he’d have been furious. But now wasn’t the time to bring that up.

“Just pictures of our girls’ night out,” she answered with a weak smile.

“Why in the hell were there pictures of men with their hands and mouths all over you?” he snapped.

“There weren’t!”

“That’s crap. I saw the pictures, Ari. Some man had you locked tight in his arms with his lips right on yours,” he growled.

“We were winning. He just grabbed me. It wasn’t anything. I didn’t know the girls thought it a Kodak moment,” she said, thinking she would repay both Lia and Rachel with a slow and torturous death.

“You are mine! Get that? No other man can touch you.”

“I wasn’t cheating!” she snapped, starting to get irritated by his interrogation. He’d done far worse things in his life than kiss a stranger while playing roulette. How dare he try to belittle her!

“That’s not what it looked like. Do I need to remind you what it means to belong to me?”

Oh, yes! Ari wanted to shout, but she decided it might be wiser to let him get through his tantrum.

Ari attempted to wriggle away from him and find a more comfortable position than spread out before him while he fired off ridiculous accusations.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he informed her as he threw off his bathrobe, then lay over her. The heat from his skin nearly seared her as his h*ps settled between her thighs.

Even in his temper, he was highly aroused, his thick shaft poised at her quickly moistening entrance. She pushed up toward him, willing him to plunge inside. How could she be so angry with him and still desire him at the same time?

“You don’t deserve rewards, but I can’t keep from showing you who you belong to.”

Rafe’s head descended and he took her lips. His tongue demanded entrance, and she willingly opened to him, wanting to taste him deep inside her mouth. As his hands gripped her wrists tightly, and his mouth plundered hers, she fought to catch her breath.

Though with little seduction, she was melting beneath him, ready for his touch across her heated skin. In a matter of seconds he brought her body alive as only he could do.

Rafe groaned as he pushed his h*ps against hers, his considerable length rubbing along the line of her wet heat, but not entering. She wanted to demand he take her hard and fast, but she kept her thoughts to herself, too afraid he’d pull away as punishment. She hated it when he left her aching, resented the way he used it as an effective tool to prevent disobedience.

When Rafe’s head moved from her mouth to her throat, she shuddered. He was so masterful with both his tongue and hands. She couldn’t get enough of his sweet touch. Engulfing her br**sts in his palms, he kneaded the soft flesh before squeezing her swollen ni**les.

Ari reveled in the sight of his dark hair brushing her light skin. As he held his mouth back and ran his tongue along her nipple, she tried to move, tried to reach for him, but couldn’t, for he had her trapped. Not being able to touch him was torture.

When his mouth finally captured her tight pink bud, her back arched into the air, her body straining against his as he devoured her skin. The nip of his teeth made fire spread through her core, intensifying her need to monumental proportions.

He moved his head and she groaned in protest, and then nearly panicked when he lifted his head before turning over onto his back. She would hate him if he left her unfulfilled again. How could a man bring a woman so much pleasure only to deny her the ultimate satisfaction?

When Rafe’s arms stretched out and gripped her to him, her br**sts flattening against his hard chest, she greedily sucked from his lips. Feeling a need to taste the salt of his skin on her tongue, Ari moved down his body, sliding open mouthed kisses along the firm ridges of his stomach, as she moved toward his straining erection.

But before she was able to reach his satin covered steel and pull his hardness into her mouth, he leaned forward and grabbed her by the hips, lifting her over him, and sat her body down on his chest. She was just a couple of feet too high up on his body. She tried to inch down, but he held tightly to her behind and began tugging her forward.

“I want to taste you,” he cried as a guttural groan rumbled from his chest. Ari looked down in embarrassment as he positioned her spread legs over his face. Before she could protest, his tongue slipped out and moistened her heat, making her cry out. She forgot her discomfiture and leaned forward, gripping the headboard.