Flawed: (A Psychological Dark Romance) (The Dark Necessities Prequels Book 1) Read online

  Lily gulped, but there were no audible complaints as he began his circle again.

  “Wrists behind your back,” he commanded, and Lily complied at once.

  Ethan dropped to his haunches, collecting her small right wrist and assessing it pensively. She was so tiny and delicate; even in his softest ropes Ethan would have to be careful not to damage her wonderful skin. That made him want to laugh—he’d never given any thought to the condition of a woman’s skin before! It was just another example of how his little Lily stirred his passions in the most unusual way, and as he began to wrap the length of ropes around and between her arms, he wondered fleetingly what the future held for them. It was an unnerving perspective. Ethan was so used to his meditative visions giving him clarity about what was to come, yet since Lily had come into his life, there had been none—nothing but the intensity of the dreams and their unions—everything else was vacant. He still had no idea what he wanted from the woman. Did he yearn for her complete submission, could he live with anything less, or would he ultimately tire of her innocence and end up extinguishing her? Just like the rest of them.

  By the time he rose to his feet again, Ethan had loosely bound her wrists. The bondage didn’t need to be any tighter—not for what he had in mind.

  “How does the rope feel?” he asked as he came to stand in front of her again.

  Fuck, she looked fabulous this way, with her shoulders pushed back and her wonderful tits jutting out to meet him.

  “Strange, sir,” she admitted.

  “But?”

  Ethan could already sense the inquiry.

  Lily’s gaze fluttered closed. “But I think I like it.”

  He smiled. She was proving to be so perfect for him. “Open your eyes, beautiful,” he murmured. “No hiding from me, okay?”

  She nodded, those green eyes brimming with passion.

  Ethan eyed the wall behind her. There were three sturdy metal hooks there, designed for holding his jacket and dressing gown, but right now, Ethan had another use for them in mind. Flexing the second piece of rope between his hands, his gaze fell back over Lily.

  “Take a step backwards,” he instructed, insisting her body retreat with his own imposing frame. “I’m going to tie your bound wrists to the hook behind you.”

  Lily gasped as he revealed his intentions, twisting her head to try and see precisely what he had in mind.

  “You’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I’ll keep some slack in the rope for you. So long, as you promise to be my good girl.”

  She nodded, gazing up into his eyes. “I promise, sir.”

  Ethan pounced then, capturing her lips for a brief kiss. He could still taste the remnants of his cum on her sweet lips, and the reality made the fire inside of him roar with fresh heat.

  “Good,” he told her as he grabbed her bound wrists and held them firmly in place behind Lily’s back. “Because it does seem you’ve already succumbed to my will, beautiful. It would be a shame to turn back now, wouldn’t it?”

  Lily swallowed at his words. She was clearly more than aware of the truth in them—she was in way too deep to turn back now. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me,” she conceded in a small whisper, and her head fell forward as the admission escaped her lips.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  How the hell had this happened? One moment she’d been braced for another night of cozy intimacy with her new lover, and now she was naked and bound in his bedroom, and about to be secured to the coat pegs behind her. Lily’s breath hitched as that realization fell over her. He was going to tie her to the hooks on his wall—like a piece of meat! She inhaled at the thought as the ropes at her wrists tugged her arms higher behind her back. This was getting serious, and while her heart was in her throat with trepidation at the sudden jeopardy, Lily was more than aware that her pussy was soaking with her desire. For whatever reason, her body fucking loved the peril, and there was no increase in her heart rate that was going to persuade her otherwise. The gorgeous man she was so obviously head over heels in love with was doing the basest things to her, and it was driving her wild with lust.

  “You might need to bend over to alleviate some of the pressure on those arms.”

  His voice vibrated over her, and it took a moment for her brain to catch up with his words. One swift tug of the ropes at her wrists brought her back to the moment though, the awkward motion making her wince until she took his advice and bent forward. The deed allowed her arms to rise a little further.

  “Better,” he told her in a curt tone. “But widen those legs. I need you to be able to balance.”

  “Yes, sir,” she panted and all at once, her stance shifted to accommodate Ethan’s request.

  “Mmmm.”

  His tone was croaky as he shifted back in front of her body, but Lily couldn’t see his face this time, only the trousers of his suit, and the drying patch at his groin where her tongue had lapped up his salty fluid.

  “You look fucking amazing.”

  Lily panted at his words, but this time she had no ability to compose herself. His words seemed like the precursor to something else—as though all of this was just a warm up for whatever Ethan really had in mind, and the thought was paralyzing.

  “Sir,” she whispered, though Lily barely recognized the hoarse voice that came from her lips.

  “Shhh,” he soothed, and one of those large hands stroked back the hair from her face. “You’re beautiful. My beautiful, good girl.”

  She closed her eyes at his touch, tilting her head toward his hand, but in a moment, it disappeared, and she watched his body stalk back in the direction of the open drawer. Lily’s belly clenched at the sight. She didn’t know what he kept in there, but she knew that was where the ropes had come from, so it didn’t bode well. Ethan returned a moment later with two clothespins in his outstretched palm. He seemed to slow his pace as he approached, dropping down to crouch in front of her body.

  “Your breasts are so wonderful,” he drawled, falling to his knees as he crawled the short distance to her chest. “It’s only right I get to play with them.”

  Ethan didn’t give her time to respond. His hot mouth was at her left breast at once, the suction there producing a low groan from Lily as his hand massaged her other breast.

  “Oh, God,” she gasped, struggling to remember to breathe as the intensity of the sensations washed over her. “Sir, please.”

  He released the tension, chuckling lightly. “Is that a thank you, sir?” he asked as he glanced up at her expression.

  Lily nodded. “Yes. Yes, thank you, sir.”

  Their gazes locked at that moment, and Lily could have sworn she saw the devil in Ethan’s dark eyes. The look took her breath away again, leaving her stranded somewhere between frustrated arousal and hypnotizing fear.

  “Let’s try the other one,” he mused aloud as he shifted his mouth to Lily’s right nipple.

  She was braced this time, but it made little difference. The sensation of his mouth at her teat was unbearable—and wonderful—all at the same time, and by the time he’d pulled away, Lily’s head was spinning.

  “Fucking amazing,” he growled as he knelt in front of her. “And that’s why they deserve something for themselves.”

  Ethan’s tone had that edge to it again, and something about it made Lily strain to catch his eyes again, but it was too late. His attention had already shifted to the clothespins he’d left on the floor at her feet. Lily watched anxiously as he grabbed the first peg and flexed the wooden prongs between his fingers.

  “This is going to sting a little at first.” His voice was calm as he edged toward her left breast again. “But, I promise, you’re going to love it, Lily.”

  Her mouth fell open as she saw, in slow motion, what he had in mind, but it was the strangest thing—for some reason, Lily was unable to vocalize any sort of complaint. Her chest was heaving, her knees threatening to buckle, and her eyes fixed with panic on the vulnerable little bud the wooden clothespin was nearing, bu
t Lily was transfixed. She didn’t want it—she couldn’t possibly want it—and yet every part of her ached for him to do it. She needed the pain. She craved it, and she wanted it now.

  He chuckled. “Calm down,” he said soothingly. “You’re going to get just what you need, Lily. What we both need.”

  As the prongs opened, she squeezed her eyes closed, unable to watch the actual moment they grasped at her nipple. But she felt it—the cruel pinch as Ethan allowed the spring to close—and the dull ache of need that seemed to echo from her sex. By the time Lily opened her eyes again, Ethan was already at her other breast, and this time she watched, transfixed as he secured a second clothespin to her right nipple.

  Fuck.

  Lily drew in a breath.

  Whatever she’d thought earlier, she’d been wrong. This was singly the most erotic and humiliating thing that had happened to her, and she wanted him to fill her up so much.

  “Look at you.” There was awe in his voice as he crouched in front of her body appraising his handiwork. “Now, what do you say, beautiful?”

  Lily blinked into those blue eyes, her clitoris throbbing impatiently as though it was in league with Ethan. “Thank you, sir.”

  She bit her lip as the words left her lips, and just caught the look of his mischievous grin as he rose back to his feet.

  “Very good,” Ethan purred as he stalked back behind her body. “Now, let’s see how you’re doing, little Lily.”

  All at once the heat of Ethan was with her, cocooning her bent over body as his right hand slipped between her legs. Even Lily gasped when she felt how easily his digits slipped between her seam. She was absolutely bloody soaking.

  “Fuck, Lily,” he breathed into her right ear. “I was going to spank you to get you in the mood, but just feel how wet you are.”

  Lily groaned at his words, though she didn’t know why. Did she want the spanking, or didn’t she? And, what did it matter anymore? She was his now. The low ache at her nipples was more than enough proof of that fact. Let Ethan decide what her fate should be.

  He slipped one and then a second digit into her pussy, and slowly, sensually, he began to fuck her with them.

  “Oh, sir,” she croaked, wanting to shake his hand away, and yet never wanting to halt the pursuit of his fingers. “Please.”

  “What?” he demanded in a low, carnal tone that made her pussy clench around his fingers.

  “I want you.” She was practically begging him now. “Please, sir, I want your cock inside me.”

  The ropes were burning at her wrists as she squirmed in his hold, but Lily couldn’t care less. All the bondage did now was remind her of her predicament, and how much she fucking loved it.

  “Soon,” he crooned as he slid his fingers from her dripping pussy. “Soon, we both get what we want, but first, I want you to see just how aroused you are for me. Look what effect my ropes and clothespins have had on your delicious body.”

  Lily moaned as his fingers came into view in front of her eyes. Even from this proximity, she could see the wet, slick juices that covered the digits, and a hot, shameful blush rose to her face. Fuck, she really was wet! Lily couldn’t ever remember ever being this horny before.

  “Clean them for me.” His instruction resounded around her head—an echo of the dream she had shared with him just a week or so prior.

  Ethan’s body shifted a fraction, and a second later a hard slap landed at her left arse cheek. She called out in pain, although in truth all the sensation did was fuel her already blazing fire.

  “Did you hear what I said?”

  Ethan’s voice was a growl now, and Lily felt the fingers of his other hand tighten in her hair, pulling her head up to meet his gaze. She panted at the sudden hurt. The way he fisted her hair was more painful than even the slap or the clothespins, but she couldn’t deny how hot it was, too. Ethan looked so fierce as he drilled his demanding gaze into her face, but it was more than that—he was so full of authority and control—it was enthralling.

  “Y…yes, sir.”

  He tilted his head, that brow arching as though it was daring her to defy him. “So?”

  Lily’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t make the short distance to his waiting fingers now that Ethan’s hand held her so firmly in place, but she knew what he wanted. He wanted to denigrate her some more by making her clean her own desperate arousal from his fingers, and as those digits approached, Lily couldn’t think of anything she wanted more, either. Except maybe his cock.

  As his hand approached, the fist in her hair relaxed, and tentatively, Lily leaned toward his fingers, wrapping her lips around them as she sucked her juices from his skin. It was the first time she had ever tasted herself, and somehow, she could barely process what was actually happening.

  “Oh, yes,” moaned Ethan. “That feels so fucking good. Clean those fingers properly, little one, and don’t you worry—there’s plenty more where that came from.”

  She had no idea how long he left her suspended there while she lapped at his fingers. It could have only been seconds, but equally, they might have been there for hours. All she knew was that she was utterly lost to it—to him—and as she began to fuck his fingers with her mouth, she felt the sensation of his hot lips at her nape. That heavenly pressure that made her want to beg for relief.

  “Oh, baby,” he murmured, blowing out a hot breath against her shoulder. “It’s time. I have to have you.”

  Lily wanted to cry as his words resonated. Nothing had ever sounded better in her life.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  It was hours later, and they were tangled in a heap of limbs in Ethan’s bed. With her body finally satiated, Lily’s mind sprung to life, and she began to paw over the events of the evening.

  There was no doubt it had been the hottest, most base adventure of her life, and Lily knew there was no denying how much she’d reveled in her denigration at the time, but as she lay there in the shadows of his room, she was having trouble reconciling the wanton little whore who’d humiliated herself for Ethan’s pleasure, with the good, wholesome version of herself she had come to identify with—the one she knew her parents were proud of: the one who still accompanied them to church most Sundays. How could she possibly manage those two people in her mind? How could she be the woman who did the right thing, and still be Ethan’s good girl? Lily blinked into the darkness as she tried to make sense of it all, and it was then that perhaps the most pressing question of all popped into her head—how could she have enjoyed that treatment, at all?

  What the fuck was wrong with her?

  The arm at her waist tightened.

  “I’ve already told you,” he said sleepily. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

  Lily tensed. He was in her head again. “Please, stop doing that,” she sighed, trying to wiggle out of his embrace. Lily knew she’d been in awe of his ability earlier, but now it was starting to grate. “Just for once, I need some privacy. I need to think.”

  Ethan snorted at that, his arms sealing into the usual impenetrable fortress around her. “There are no secrets from me, Lily,” he replied in a harder tone.

  She huffed indignantly. Lily didn’t want to risk his wrath right now—she wasn’t sure her emotions could handle any more tonight—but she was struggling to think of a respectful response. She was completely conflicted by the way her body had betrayed her, and she just needed some time alone to process it. Was that so much to ask?

  His dark laughter filled up the air around her, and something about the sound made fury spike inside her. The sex had been nothing short of astonishing, but that didn’t give him the right to just delve into her mind whenever it suited him. Unthinkingly, she barged out of the prison of his hands, landing on the floor with a thud.

  “Where are you going, Lily?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “Just stop it, please!” she shouted, actually stamping her foot in anger as she rose to her feet. “I’m so happy to be the cause of such amusement for you, sir.”
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br />   The final word was delivered as a sneer, and even in her anger-fuelled state, Lily winced at the sound.

  “Careful,” he warned from the darkness. “I know what’s on your mind, Lily and I understand, but I’m not sure you’re ready for a lesson about the consequences of your petulance right now.”

  She inhaled, turning to face the direction of his voice. Lily knew exactly what the penalty for her disrespect would be, but somehow, she was so infuriated, she wasn’t sure she cared.

  “Lily.”

  There was that low tone again, the one that made her pussy clench.

  “What do you think the penalty for your disrespect might be?”

  Lily closed her eyes at his words. She was weary with the weight of all the passion. “You’ll spank me?”

  “Do you want to be spanked, Lily?” he asked from the bed.

  She sniffed back at the emotion that was threatening to wash over her again. How much more humiliation could one woman be forced to endure? “No,” she admitted sadly. “Sir.”

  “Alright,” he replied in a more considered tone. “Then get back into bed and we’ll talk. If you’re not happy, or if you’re confused, or upset, then I expect you to talk to me, Lily.”

  Lily blinked away the hot tears as she inched her way back toward his bed. She had no idea what was wrong with her. Was she angry at Ethan for making her do those things, or was she secretly pleased? Or, she considered as her shin found the edge of the bed frame, was she actually just angry at herself for enjoying them?

  Whatever the case, she didn’t want to talk about it. Lily could barely understand her own emotions, let alone share them with anyone else. Not even Ethan.

  He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened that night, but something had changed in Lily. She seemed distant the next morning, and he couldn’t even engage her as they made love again, although he intentionally disregarded all the ropes and clothespins, in favor of a more sensual approach. The thought was disconcerting.