Read Constant Craving [Rapture Island 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) for Free Online Page B

control easily, another challenge that only made him want her more.
    He wanted to tear down her defenses and show her that she could be vulnerable with him. He wanted her to see that he was just as vulnerable with her, and that only by letting their defenses down would they be able to have the loving and exciting relationship they both needed.
    He would be balancing on a thin edge, convincing her that she had the power to hurt him, while retaining the control needed to satisfy both of them.
    Emotionally, she brought him to his knees, but sexually…hell, he could only imagine the passion he would unleash. She would be pure dynamite, and he knew it would take every ounce of control he possessed to handle her.
    Hiding a smile, he let his gaze rake over her. He’d known it would happen one day. He’d known he’d find a woman he wanted to Master for the rest of his life, but had assumed it would be a submissive, a woman who’d already accepted the lifestyle.
    Of course, he’d never done anything the easy way.
    He had to fall in love with a woman who liked to be in control in relationships, and who had trust issues.
    As she surrendered to him, he’d fall deeper in love with her every day.
    He knew that, and accepted it.
    He was going into this with his eyes wide open, knowing that she had the power to hurt him no woman had ever had.
    Letting her see that he cared for her and desired her, but not overwhelming her with emotion would be a hell of a balancing act, but he had no other choice.
    He was in this for keeps and had to play it just right or risk losing her forever.
    He went to the table and poured her a glass of wine, pretending not to notice that she stiffened each time he moved. “Let’s sit down and talk. Maybe that will help you relax.”
    She frowned now, careful not to let their fingers touch as she accepted the glass of wine he held out to her. “Relax? How the hell can I relax around someone like you?” She looked away again, something she did with annoying—and fascinating—frequency.
    Pouring his own glass of wine, he glanced at her and smiled, hoping to appear nonthreatening. “Someone like me?”
    Her hand trembled as she took a sip from her glass, her beaded nipples and the hunger in her eyes telling him that fear had nothing to do with it. Frowning into her glass, she shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
    Moving to the opposite end of the plush, white sofa with his own glass of wine, Gabriel lowered himself onto it, turning slightly toward her. He hoped that putting distance between them would give her a sense of security and enable him to move on to the next step.
    His cock stirred under her stare, the apprehension and desire in her eyes telling him that his instincts about her were right.
    She kept glancing at the bulge in his soft, cotton pants, and at his chest, her interest arousing as hell, and a good sign for the conversation he had planned for tonight.
    Smiling, he inclined his head. “I know what you mean.” Taking a sip of wine, he watched her over the rim, mesmerized by the sight of the long leg she kept trying to cover up.
    He had to get her to talk, and hoped that a few glasses of wine would loosen her tongue. “You think that men who prefer to dominate a woman are cruel. Have you had any experience with a man like that?”
    Kelsey clenched her jaw and looked away. “Yes.”
    Fury swelled inside him. “Are you saying you were raped?”
    Kelsey smiled and shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. It scared me more than anything. He didn’t actually hurt me. It was the son of the people who took me in their foster home. He thought every girl wanted him and snuck into my room one night. Two black eyes and a bloody nose later, he hobbled out.”
    Staring down at his glass, Gabriel kept all emotion out of his voice, so furious, he wanted to punch through a wall. “What was his name?” Clenching his fist in anticipation, he mentally calculated how much pain he could cause, and for how