Free Handling Cynthia: A Second Chances Novella by Andrea Dalling Page A

as she took him inside her in a hurried motion. His length filled her, sending tingles up and down her body. One hand worked her breast while the other slid down her belly to rub her clit. Her needy sex clenched around him. She threw her head back, her nerve endings skating a hard edge of desire.
    Fingers clutching the headboard, she rode him, the box springs adding power to her strokes. An orgasm ripped through her. He pumped hard, aftershocks rocking her as he claimed his own release. When their panting bodies stilled, she lay flat against his chest and nibbled his earlobe.
    "Amazing, babe." He grabbed some tissues and wrapped up the condom. He rolled her onto her back. "Can't believe I get to touch this beautiful body."
    His kisses danced over the skin of her belly and breasts. Her body went pliant, a flush of happiness blooming in her veins. She threaded her fingers through his hair, then caressed the nape of his neck and his shoulders.
    He slid up and pressed his mouth to hers, tongues gliding together. "I should punish you for topping me."
    She cringed, heaviness settling on her diaphragm. "Trent, don't."
    He sat up and scowled. "Don't what?"
    "Spoil the moment. There's a time for role-playing games, and a time for romance."
    He crossed his arms, his jaw set hard.
    She traced his bicep with kisses. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that."
    "I don't get it. What happened to the rules?"
    "There are no rules. Just how we feel in the moment."
    "Last night, you wanted me to punish you. Today, I bring it up, and you get mad."
    "I didn't get mad. I was blissed out, and you took off in a different direction."
    "I'm not a mind reader. How should I know what you want when?"
    "BDSM is foreplay to me."
    "That's what I was doing. I was hoping we could go again," he teased.
    She smiled and kissed him. "I need to take a shower now if we're meeting Rick and Jordan for breakfast at nine."
    "Screw breakfast." He pulled her close. "I'll text them we'll meet them for lunch."
    "I want to see them. Besides, I need a break. Three orgasms in twelve hours is my limit." She tousled his hair and slid out of bed. He frowned, and a glare hardened his eyes. 
    ***
    Trent picked up his iPad and opened Safari. He had showered and shaved in his own room, since his toiletries were there. Cyn didn't want them arriving in the lobby together at breakfast, anyway. She hoped to break the news to Rick gently.
    Trent didn't give a shit what Rick thought about him and Cyn hooking up. It had been five years since they had been a couple, and Rick hadn't appreciated her when he had her.
    Opening a new browser tab, he searched on "BDSM submissive." Last night, Cyn's desire for him to hurt her had thrilled and terrified him. Now he didn't know what to think. He'd let himself go, playing out all his fantasies, and she'd loved every minute. Her body had molded to his will without resistance.
    Then this morning, the wall had come down.
    What did that mean? Was this a weekend fling to her?
    The muscles in his neck stiffened, forming a dull ache in the back of his skull. He had thought she wanted a relationship, but maybe he had read the signals wrong. Could he have come this close, only to lose her?
    He had thirty-six hours to persuade her he could be the man she needed, the Dom she needed, before they went home to their separate lives. His experiences with Roxana hadn't prepared him for Cyn's vicissitudes. He needed to learn more about the submissive mindset.
    He quickly read some articles he found online in the few minutes before he was supposed to meet his friends for breakfast. At two minutes before nine, he stood, put on his belt, and went down to the lobby.
    ***
    Cyn hovered outside the breakfast room. Her friends hadn't shown yet. She recognized a few people but didn't really want to talk. She drifted out of their line of sight. The thought of mingling knotted her stomach like a cat's cradle.
    She didn't understand this impulse to isolate herself. She liked