Page 37 of Coiled Tight

Ugh.

“You let strangers whip you?”

There was stiffness in his voice. I hadn’t imagined that, had I?

I certainly didn’t imagine the yelp that slipped out of my own mouth. “Why did you go straight to whips? Decorum not a thing for cowboys?”

Saúl chuckled. “First, I don’t know that I count as acowboy. Second, it’s in your handle. Waffles and whips or something, right?”

“Right.” I swallowed. I’d been doing a good job of forgetting he had read through my most humiliating moment to date, but here he was, having to remind me of it. There really was no rest for the wicked. “I’ve never been whipped, for the record. It was just the only thing that started with the same letter.”

I didn’t have half the experience people assumed I did. I got a reward for not going on a tangent about it when Saúl had no reason to fall into that category. Or, maybe he did, but I still managed restraint. Besides, it wasn’t like I didn’t haveanyexperience.

“You’re a masochist, though.”

“Whatever makes you think that?”

Of course I was, but what was I supposed to say?Yes, I am, please Daddy, go grab the box with your leather implements and have your way with me?

No way.

I didn’t have much sense left, but I had some.

“You’re not as hard to read as you think.” More shuffling. Was it me, or did he feel closer? Warmth radiated from him, so it was impossible not to notice when that warmth raised the hairs in my arms with awareness. “Are you done with your questions now?”

Huh.

Talk about giving someone whiplash.

“Probs not.”

“Turn on the bedside lamp, then.”

“Um. Why?”

Utter darkness suited me just fine. I’d been thinking about it before, hadn’t I?

“Because I’m not a fucking vampire and you have the shittiest poker face I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, that’s not a nice thing to say.”

Saúl reached over me then. Utter darkness didn’t stop me from feeling his body hovering over me, the weight of it blanketing me. On instinct, I closed my eyes when I heard the switch on the ancient lamp that didn’t at all match the neon vibe of the rest of the motel. I didn’t know what it was about roadside motels with all the neon and bright colors, if the inside of their rooms were going to be stacked with relics and rugs that hadn’t been updated since serial killers from the 70s rampaged around.

“You can open your eyes, you know?”

I shook my head right away. Saúl’s voice helped my brain stop thinking of random facts about said serial killers, but it also made me more aware of the problem at hand. Also known as my lack of clothes, and his lack of clothes, and why I’d thought it would be a good idea to spend the night talking about his Daddy ways, just because it was the first thing that came to mind to break the silence.

“Why can’t you open your eyes, Cam?”

Shit.

The way he said my name?

How did he keep his voice so steady all the time?

It took everything in me not to whimper, but I couldn’t do much about the stiffness taking hold. I bunched up my fingers before I fisted the blankets and looked like an even messier version of some weird porno from the nineties.

At least, I reminded myself, we were beneath the covers, so he wouldn’t be able to see all my body reactions. Right?