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“Me on a snowmobile?” Vivian shivered. “Surely, you jest. Besides, I like having you all to myself.” She offered him a winsome smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, then flung the knife at the wooden target.Thwack.It hit inches shy of dead center.

Damn, but she was deadly with those things. He studied the target with a wary eye. Jericho could disagree all he wanted. Keeping Vivian in the dark was best. Lest he find himself on the receiving end of her knives.

Once she fell asleep tonight, he’d head out. In the morning, Jericho would explain the situation to her and do a far better job than Liam ever could. Sure, she’d be furious at first, but eventually, she’d realize he’d left her here to keep her safe.

Liam tested the weight of the ax, finding it well-balanced, as were all the weapons in Jericho’s collection. He drew back his arm and hurled it at the target.Thwack.The head sliced into the edge of ring five. Maybe he was a bit rusty after all.

Viviantsked, clicking her tongue. Without further comment, she chucked her second knife. It tumbled end-over-end, then smacked the red circle dead center. Instead of celebrating her skill, she stared at the target as though hitting it were a foregone conclusion.

The lethal grace she exuded made the back of his neck prickle. Sure, she was smiling, but she seemed off today.

Before he could analyze the feeling further, she asked, “When you spoke with Jericho last night, did he have any thoughts on how we could destroy the dagger?”

Liam studied her bland expression, reading little in her body language. Did she know? If they’d connected on a telepathic level, he wouldn’t need his eyeballs to decipher her mood. Problem was, she could use that same link to see what he was up to. It was the ultimate sign of trust between mates. Letting someone into your head was far more intimate than sex and all the relationship stuff combined. No way was he going to be the first to drop his guard, especially with so much at stake.

“Just one.” He chucked his second ax.Thwack.Not a bull’s-eye, but hitting the third ring was an improvement. “Jericho put a call into an artifacts specialist. We should hear back from him soon.” At least half of that statement was the truth. Still, it didn’t sit right, him lying to her.

She huffed a sigh. “I suppose there’s nothing we can do but wait.” She pulled her blades free of the target and slid her thumb over the edge, sauntering toward him, hips rolling. Oh, how he liked the way she moved.

Her crooked grin turned sultry, her eyes gleaming. “Since we have some time to kill and our hosts are gone, perhaps we could…play.”

He swallowed. “Play?”

“Oui, mon coeur. Play.” Her soft purr heated his blood.

He eyed the throwing knives she still held in her elegant hands. “Long as you put away those blades first.”

Her lips curled, and she returned the knives along with his axes. That done, she strode to a wooden crate and extracted a bundle of paracord. “Shirt off, darling.”

“You’re binding me?” He eyed the rope she held, feeling strangely disappointed. “Thought we’d moved past you needing to tie my hands, honey.”

She lowered her eyes, and when she looked back at him, the hungry look she sent him almost did him in. “Think of it not as aneedbut awant. Only this time, when you wear my ropes, I’d like to get a bit more creative. That is if you’re interested.”

Well, when she put it that way. He grinned, holding out his arms. “All yours.”

It didn’t take long for her to have him out of his shirt and his back pressed against a thick support beam.

“Now, hold out your hands, and I will show you how beautiful bondage can be.”

Rather than tie a few simple knots, she wove a pattern up his forearms, weaving and knotting. The drag of the rope stroked his flesh like an extension of her fingers.

By the time she’d finished, he was hard as a rock. He eyed her handiwork. “Gauntlets?”

“Gauntlets for a warrior,” she confirmed.

Even he had to admit her woven creation was kick-ass.

“Now, I’d like to secure your hands to the support beam. I’ll finish with a piece I envisioned for your chest.” With the sultry way she was eyeing him up, he didn’t hesitate to tuck his arms behind his back.

Once she’d secured his hands to the post, she went to work on the rest of her design, wrapping several lengths around his torso. In this, she was just as skilled, dragging that rope across his flesh in a way that had him panting. Didn’t help that the little minx took every opportunity to graze her plump breasts against him while she worked. With every knot, her fingers grazed his flesh, her breath feathering his skin. It was tantalizing having her so close and yet out of reach.

When she was done, he eyed the intricate diamond pattern she’d created, then tested his bonds. The formerly sensuous fibers now bit into his forearms. With every breath, the bindings around his torso pulled tight. Old anxieties threatened to surface. Vivian had trussed him up good this time.

Despite his growing apprehension, his hardening shaft approved of this new game. In the past, Vivian had tied him in ways he’d found laughable. He wasn’t laughing this time. These binds he’d find far more difficult to extract himself from if the need arose. Walking that vulnerable edge had his cock harder than he’d thought possible.

Vivian stalked a slow circle around him. Desire and something he failed to define in her eyes. She licked her lips and ran her hands down his rope-covered chest. “Look at you, caught in my web. Seeing you this way, I could eat you up.”

His concern flitted away in the face of her crimson smile. His Bride was totally digging the rope. With him leaving in the morning, today he’d deny her nothing.