Page 5

Chapter 5

Penelope

N o, but actually where is he taking me?

It’s hot as fuck to imagine a delicious monster of a man picking me up, tossing me over his shoulder, and taking me off to have his wicked way with me. The reality is actually as hot. I’ve been wet since I met the man. What would not be awesome, however, is ending up on one of those TV documentaries about missing women. The sexual tension between us could fuel a spaceship, but he was deadly serious about wanting to keep whatever I discovered hidden. Right now, I can’t be sure which way this is going to go. I’m both horny and freaking the fuck out.

I smack and scrape his back. It’s like trying to harm a brick wall. I yank on his hair, and he swats my ass. His hand is so big his fingers strike my pussy too and a small moan escapes.

“Simmer down, Wildcat, or I’m going to restrain you.”

See? Still not a clear indication of how this could go. Restraints in bed? Yes, please. Holding me captive? Pass.

“Put me down. I’ll tell my ex and the villagers whatever you want me to say. I won’t tell anyone. I’ll forget I saw anything.”

The wall of man beneath me grumbles. His huge feet stomp through a house and a door creaks open. I bounce on a mattress and land on my back, looking up, then up some more, into blazing blue eyes. The mountain man studies me, deciding my fate. This is the part where I should run, fight. I am afraid. But the thrill of riding the edge awakens something dark inside me.

Heat swirls in my core as the tension between us pulses in the room. I want him to fold his big body over mine and take me apart. He opens and closes his fists, every muscle tensed and defined against the flannel of his shirt. He looks as though he’s on the edge of breaking. The indecision warring within him is evident, but I know which way this should go.

I drop my legs open in invitation and sit up on my elbows.

“What are you doing to me?” he asks, sounding bewildered.

“Hopefully something that doesn’t involve clothes.”

I don’t have any idea what’s come over me. I don’t know this man’s name or what he’s hiding. Nothing about this interaction between us is usual. But somehow it feels right to tease him.

He looks torn wide open. His nostrils flare and his heated eyes pin me with an accusing stare. Then he’s on me. When his lips meet mine, they’re insistent and overpowering, almost angry. He kisses me until he is the only air I breathe.

The power of his big body caging me in sends my heart racing. His teeth nip at my bottom lip, sending a sharp burst of pleasure-pain straight to my clit. My legs wrap around his waist, and I rip at his flannel, reaching for the buttons, desperate to get my hands on his skin.

Strong hands yank my arms above my head. He deepens the kiss, his tongue slipping into my mouth. That spark between us is back, the live wire that makes it feel as if he’s burned his way into my marrow. The kiss is an extension of that, so hot that I’m panting into his mouth, rocking my wet center against him. He rolls his hips, the weight of his hard cock putting pressure on my clit.

He grips my throat and rips away from me. His eyes flash, a slit of black framed with gold. For a moment, it feels as if I’m meeting someone new, then he blinks. When he looks at me again, his eyes have returned to their icy blue.

I suck in a breath.

The man above me clearly curses, but it’s not a word I’m familiar with. Two of his rough fingers trace the side of my cheek. He kisses my forehead and my eyes flutter closed.

“Gods, you’re beautiful.” He releases my hands only to wrap them in a sheet. The movements he makes are so fast that before I can open my eyes, he’s yanked the fabric holding me into an intricate knot.

“Fuck, yes,” I moan. My breath hitches and my belly swoops at the promise of his control. I’ve fantasized about nights like this but never lived it.

His strong hands add smooth touches along my arms and my side before he secures me to the bedframe. The moment I test my restraints and realize I’m caught, my muscles unlock. It feels like diving off a dock into the weightlessness of the ocean.

The mountain man makes a deep rumble in his chest. The sound sends a shiver up my spine and my toes flex. I watch with lust as he straddles my hips. The sexual tension pulses between us, our eyes locked together. I squirm beneath him, the feel of his weight pressing me down and the ties holding me bound for him making heat pool in my belly.

He tenses and the air around him shifts, the mood turning sour. “I’m sorry.”

My stomach drops, but this time it isn’t from arousal. Something just went very wrong.

He looks away from me, the temperature in the room dropping.

The hair on my neck stands on end and goose bumps break out on my skin. I aim for calm, but my words come out shaky. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. I don’t mind getting kinky, but we should talk limits first.”

I yank on my restraints, but it’s no use. I wasn’t sure how this die would roll, but it’s landed on crawl out the window and run.

He beats me to it, rolling off the bed in one smooth motion and righting himself without turning to look at me. I yell for him to let me go, but he ignores it, closing the door so hard it rattles on the frame.

Dammit, Pen. Your curiosity is going to get you killed.

This time, I can’t tell if it’s my ex’s voice in my head or my own. I flip back against the bed, kicking and wrestling against my restraints. Either he needs a refresher in basic rules of bondage etiquette, or this handsome, sad stranger is holding me prisoner. Just what exactly did I capture in that picture that he wants so badly to hide?