It was hard for her to believe that she was the source of someone’s hopes and dreams.
Clement had been happy with her.
He’d never let a day pass that he hadn’t let her know just what she meant to him.
She’d considered herself the luckiest woman alive.
Clement was .
.
.
larger than life.
Handsome.
Wealthy.
Extremely loving and generous.
Always affectionate.
He wasn’t a man who worried about what others thought.
If they were together in public, he touched her frequently.
Just little shows of affection.
He held her hand, put an arm around her or he kissed her, giving others no doubt of his feelings for her.
Any woman would have wanted someone like him, and he’d wanted her.
Just her.
She wasn’t in his league.
Didn’t come from his world, though he’d argue that his current circumstances weren’t ones he was born into.
His upbringing hadn’t been good.
He’d fought for every dollar he earned, the lifestyle he’d claimed.
For himself and for Sophia.
His devotion to his family, to both Sandra and Sophia, forever endeared him to Sandra.
He was one of a kind.
How could she hope to ever find that kind of love and devotion again?
Except here was Derrick.
All of the things Clement was and yet .
.
.
more.
He was too perfect for her.
The manifestation of every single fantasy she’d ever entertained.
She hadn’t considered that there was a man in existence who could possibly meet her criteria, and yet he did.
“What will your family think?” she asked.
One of the things she and Clement had in common was that neither had family.
Except Sophia.
And Sandra had come to think of her as her own sister.
Not just a sister but her best friend.
But her father had divorced her mother when Sandra was young, and her mother passed away after an extended illness when Sandra was still in college.
The nurses in charge of her mother’s care had been wonderful.
Compassionate, warm.
They’d gone the extra mile to make Sandra’s mother as comfortable as possible in her final days, and Sandra had vowed she would make the same difference in someone’s life.
Yet she’d quit her job after marrying Clement.
At the time she hadn’t minded.
She’d been in the throes of a new relationship and utterly confident in their marriage.
And the truth was, she’d craved the kind of relationship where she was cared for.
Protected.
Cherished.
Clement had provided all the things she desired.
Except dominance.
Perhaps she should consider going back to nursing.
She’d kept up her training for that eventuality, but she still hadn’t taken steps to go back to work.
“My family will be very happy for me,” Derrick said.
“My brothers thought me a fool for waiting as long as I did. They’ve known how I felt about you for a long time. My mother worried for me. She thought I was a fool to have a thing for a married woman. And not just any married woman, but a woman married to my best friend and business partner. Talk about a recipe for disaster,” he said wryly.
“I hope they like me,” Sandra whispered.
The idea of meeting his family now made her nervous.
Yes, she’d met them in the capacity of Clement’s wife, and they had embraced them both.
But she’d never known that they knew Derrick had feelings for her, and now she’d be meeting them as Derrick’s .
.
.
lover?
Someone they knew was important to him.
That changed everything.
She just hoped she measured up and they accepted her new role in Derrick’s life.
Derrick smoothed the hair from her brow and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“They’ll love you. And they’ll be thrilled that we’re finally together.”
He made it sound so .
.
.
final.
A done deal.
Inevitable.
Though they hadn’t talked about anything more serious than a sexual relationship and the fact that she would submit to him, but his actions, the way he spoke, hinted at something far more permanent.
She wasn’t certain how she felt about that.
What if she was setting herself up for more hurt?
Karla had asked her if she’d rather have one perfect year with Derrick and then lose him or if she’d prefer not to even give them a chance.
At the time she’d considered that any time she had with him would be worth it no matter the end result.
Much like her time with Clement.
She wouldn’t go back and change a single thing, even knowing she’d only have him for three years.
Three of the best years of her life.
But now?
It had taken her three years to put herself back together after losing Clement.
Could she survive losing someone she loved a second time?
And for that matter, how did she feel about Derrick?
She wasn’t in love with him.
Not yet.
It was too soon.
Her feelings confused her.
She wasn’t sure what to make of the entire situation.
It had happened too quickly.
So much had changed in such a short period of time and she couldn’t afford to let her emotions rule her actions.
Not only did she not want to get hurt, but she didn’t want to hurt Derrick either.
“I know I said I wanted to meet James soon, but if it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to wait on your family awhile.”
He smiled tenderly, pressing tiny kisses to her face, eyes and nose.
“We have all the time in the world, Sandra. No rush. I like the idea of having you to myself for a while before I have to share you with others.”
She yawned and snuggled closer to him, as close as she could manage with their wrists bound together.
On impulse, she kissed the side of his neck, inhaling his masculine scent and savoring it.
So many nights she’d spent alone, aching, so very empty.
And now she was in bed with Derrick, and he was wrapped possessively around her, his leg thrown over hers.
She could feel his erection, his quick intake of breath when her teeth grazed his neck.
She barely had time to wonder if he planned to deny himself when suddenly she was turned, the hand that was tied to his yanked high over her head.
With none of his earlier patience or tenderness, he roughly spread her legs with his free hand and was inside her, hard and deep, before she could even take a breath.
Pleasure burst over her like an exploding firework.
She was too stunned to cry out, to give voice to the overwhelming sensation of him being so hard and thick inside her.
“This time is for me,” he growled as he pumped into her.
“You make me crazy, Sandra. I swore I wouldn’t take you again tonight. That I’d take things slow. But your mouth on my neck broke every ounce of my restraint.”
She smiled but her vision was hazy.
All she could do was feel the power of his movements.
His ownership of her body.
Her bound hand was pressed firmly into the pillows.
He held her down, making movement impossible.
And she didn’t care.
She loved the vulnerability of her position.
She loved knowing she was powerless as he slaked his lust.
It excited her, bringing her closer to the edge.
No foreplay.
No workup.
And yet she was already precariously close to coming.
All he had to do was touch her, exert his dominance, and she was his to command.
“So damn sweet,” he muttered, his face strained as he pounded into her, mindlessly, like a rutting beast in the throes of mating.
“I’ve dreamed of this, Sandra. Of you. And me. Together. Finally together. I’ll never let you go, honey. I hope to hell you’re prepared for that. If you ever try to walk away from me, I’ll fight like hell to keep you right where you belong.”