Page 9

Chapter Nine

EVERLY

Consciousness comes slowly, like I’m rising to the surface after diving into deep water. The storm has passed, leaving the cabin bathed in soft morning light. My body aches in the most delicious way, muscles I'd forgotten I had making themselves known.

Bruno's side of the bed is warm but empty. I stretch against the rumpled sheets, still naked, still dazed from everything we did last night. The memory makes heat pool between my thighs all over again.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

His voice, low and rough with sleep, makes me open my eyes. Bruno stands beside the bed wearing nothing but jeans that hang low on his hips, a length of soft rope in his hands. The sight sends a warm wave straight to my core.

“What's that for?” I ask, though the predatory look in his dark eyes gives me a pretty good idea.

“Something I've been wanting to try with you.” He sits on the edge of the bed, fingers trailing up my bare arm. “But only if you want it. Do you trust me?”

After everything we shared last night, after the way he worshipped my body like I was something precious, the answer comes easily.

“Yes.”

His grin is devastating. “Put your hands above your head.”

My pulse quickens as I obey, stretching my arms up toward the headboard. The position arches my back, pressing my breasts up toward him. His gaze darkens as it travels over my exposed body.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, looping the rope around my wrists with practiced ease. “My perfect girl.”

The rope is secure but not too tight. When he finishes, my arms are bound to the headboard, leaving me completely at his mercy. The vulnerability should terrify me, but instead it sends arousal coursing through my veins.

“How does that feel?” he asks, testing the bonds.

“Good,” I breathe, surprised by how much I mean it.

“That's my good girl.” He traces one finger down my throat, between my breasts, over my stomach. “Now you can't hide from me. Can't push me away or cover yourself. You're all mine to play with.”

The possessive words make me clench around nothing. “Bruno…”

“Shh.” His finger finds my lips. “No talking unless I ask you a question. Those are the rules. If it gets too much, you say ‘I’m out’. Understand?”

I nod, already lost in the game.

He starts slowly, worshipping my body with his hands and mouth while I strain against the ropes. Every touch is deliberate, calculated to drive me wild. He spends long minutes on my breasts, sucking, licking and biting until I'm writhing beneath him.

“Look at you. So responsive. So eager.”

His mouth travels lower, pressing kisses to my ribs, my hip bones, everywhere except where I need him most. By the time he settles between my thighs, I'm desperate.

“Please,” I gasp, forgetting his rule about talking.

He pulls back immediately, his face stern. “What did I say about talking?”

“I'm sorry, I…”

“Now I have to punish you.” But his tone is playful, not angry. “Spread your legs wider.”

I obey without hesitation, and he rewards me with the lightest brush of his tongue against my clit. The sensation is maddening; enough to make me gasp but nowhere near enough to satisfy.

“You taste so good,” he says, then pulls away again. “But you have to learn to follow instructions.”

For the next few minutes, he teases me mercilessly. Light touches, gentle kisses, his breath against my heated skin, but never enough pressure or consistency to push me over the edge. I pull against the ropes, desperate for more contact, but he keeps me right on the precipice.

“Please,” I finally sob, unable to stay quiet any longer. “Bruno, please, I need…”

“What do you need?” he asks, lifting his head to look at me. “Tell me exactly what you want.”

“Your mouth. Your fingers. Your cock. Just make me come, please.”

His smile is wicked. “Since you asked so nicely…”

When he finally touches my clit, the orgasm tears through me, made more intense by the restraints that keep me from moving away from his relentless tongue.

I scream his name, past caring about anything else.

He doesn't stop there. While I'm still trembling from the first climax, he slides two fingers inside me and finds a spot that makes me see stars.

“Again. Come for me again,” he commands.

I'm helpless to resist, my body responding to his touch like it was made for him.

The second orgasm builds quickly, cresting and breaking over me in waves that leave me gasping.

He moves up my body slowly, leaving a trail of kisses until his face is level with mine.

When he kisses me, I can taste myself on his lips.

"Ready for more?" he asks, positioning himself at my entrance. He slides his hands under my ass, kneeling as he supports me.

“Yes,” I breathe.

He slides inside me slowly, letting me feel every inch. The angle with my arms bound above my head hits something deep that makes me cry out in pleasure.

“That's it,” he says, starting to move. “Let me hear how good it feels.”

He sets a steady rhythm, each thrust pushing me higher. The ropes prevent me from touching him, from pulling him closer, and the helplessness is intoxicating.

“You're mine,” he growls. “Say it.”

“I'm yours,” I gasp. “All yours, Bruno.”

The words seem to break something in him. His control snaps, and he thrusts into me harder. I can only hold on, bound and helpless beneath him as he claims me.

I come again and he follows seconds later, his hot seed deep inside me, groaning.

Afterward, he unties me carefully, massaging my wrists and pulling me close. I curl against his chest.

“How was that?” he asks softly, stroking my hair.

“Incredible. I never knew I could feel like that.”

“We're just getting started, sweetheart. There's so much more I want to show you.”

The promise in his voice sends another shiver through me. Whatever he has planned, I know I'll say yes. With Bruno, I’m completely safe.

We drift back to sleep tangled together. When I wake, Bruno's gone, but he’s moving around in the kitchen, the smell of coffee and bacon drifting through the cabin.

I pull on his discarded shirt from last night and pad barefoot toward the kitchen. He's standing at the stove wearing just his jeans, and the sight of his muscled bare back makes my core clench.

“Smells amazing, cowboy. You can cook too?”

He laughs. “Just about. It’s nearly ready.” He turns, looking me up and down. “You look good in my shirt.”

“I look good out of it too.”

His laugh rumbles through his chest. “Ain’t that the truth. Don't tempt me, or breakfast will get cold.”

We're just sitting down to eat when the sound of tires on gravel makes us both freeze. Bruno's immediately on edge, moving to the window.

“You expecting someone?” I ask.

His voice is grim. “No. Stay here.”

But I'm already moving toward the window, instinct driving me forward. A red car sits in Bruno's driveway, and my worst nightmare unfolds as the driver's door opens.

Trent.

He looks exactly the same; perfectly styled blond hair, designer polo shirt, that smug expression that always made me feel small. But seeing him here, in this perfect little bubble Bruno and I have created, makes my blood run cold.

Trent takes off his sunglasses. “Everly! I know you're in there. We need to talk.”

A muscle in Bruno’s jaw twitches. “Who the hell is that?”

“My ex. Trent.” I whisper.

The look that crosses Bruno's face is murderous. “Stay inside. I'll handle this.”

But Trent's voice rises again, more demanding now. “Everly! Don't make me come up there. You know I will.”

And I do know. Trent never takes no for an answer, never backs down. He'll stand out there all day if he has to, making a scene, ruining everything.

The magic of our perfect morning crashes down around me. How did Trent find me? How did he know where I was?

“I have to go out there.”

“Like hell you do.”

“Bruno, you don't understand. He won't leave. He'll just keep…”

“I don't give a damn what he'll do.” Bruno's voice is deadly quiet. “He's not welcome here.”

But even as he says it, I worry that there’s doubt creeping into his eyes. The questions. What kind of woman has her ex show up at a man's cabin the morning after? What kind of drama am I bringing into his peaceful mountain life?

Trent's presence is like poison seeping into our sanctuary, ruining everything beautiful we've built in just one night.

It’s my fault. I’ve ruined everything.